Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke about the high quality of athletes in the Northwest Territories and having a program that would be something like a TEST program. I want to ask the Minister of MACA, in his role as the Minister of Sport and Youth, is it something that has been talked about in senior level of government? Has something like a TEST program been talked about where we could begin training some of the younger children who have the calibre to go to the Olympics and other world champion games?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Youth, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re quite proud of our athletes from the past and present. I think the athletes from the past have set the bar very high for our athletes coming along today. With the support that the athletes get from this government, they are able to develop. We have some fantastic sporting partners that bring all the games to the communities. With the support of this Assembly and Assemblies past, we have been able to increase the funding. We also have funding available for high performance athletes, those who are competing at a national and international level. We are quite proud of that too.
I think this is one program we may have to revisit because we have heard some concerns that our athletes are starting to get out there competing at a higher level and we may have to look at how these athletes are funded. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague Mr. Bouchard talked about the athletes from his riding attending the Arctic Winter Games, and certainly many athletes across the Northwest Territories will be there next week. Also, over the weekend we had the Second Annual Traditional Aboriginal Games Championships and I’m very happy to know, from speaking there to the young athletes, that Mr. McLeod was there to show support and people were quite happy that he was there to show support.
I’m asking if there is any type of discussion, with all the other support he has given to the athletes, if there’s any type of program that’s being looked at similar to the TEST program that happened up in Inuvik.
To the TEST program specifically, there has been no discussions; however, our colleagues over in the Yukon are tossing the idea around about a centre for sports excellence, and this is one initiative that we’ll be following quite closely to see if there are opportunities for us, as the Northwest Territories, to see if that would work here.
Again, I did have an opportunity to check out the Traditional Games; I had an opportunity to check out the NWT speed skating championships that were going on, and we have some fantastic speed skaters coming up. I understand there was also the territorial ski championship, I believe, going on this week. Our athletes are quite engaged and I think, again, working with our sporting partners, the Aboriginal Sport Circle, Sport and Rec Council, Sport North and the Mackenzie Beau-Del Recreation Council, with all the programs that they’re bringing to the front line, I think we’re starting to see a result of that. I would say the fact that we had 27 of 33 communities represented in the Arctic Winter Games by athletes I think goes a long way to indicate that our programs are working and all the programs we’re providing in the front line are paying off. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Just witnessing the Second Annual Traditional Aboriginal Games Championships over the weekend at William Mac School, I could see these young students with gleam in their eyes with all the excitement.
I would ask the Minister, when he is meeting or talking with his colleagues from the Yukon government, is that something that will come to this Legislative Assembly for some discussion on this side as to possibly looking at the concept of a centre for excellence for our northern athletes?
Mr. Speaker, as we go further into the initiative and get some information, as we normally do, we will meet with committee and provide them an update and seek some input from them.
Again, we’re very early in the stages. We have to have a discussion with our colleagues over in the Yukon to see how their program is being rolled out and how it may be working. Again, everything that we do we share with committee and get some feedback from them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is the beginning of planting the seed, so I look at that as the first process, is get the seed in the ground and start developing a vision for our athletes in the future. I’m not too sure the time frame of when this discussion will come to our side; hopefully, it will be done within the life of this government.
Can the Minister then sort of give some assurance that it will happen soon so we can have some discussion and start working on it?
Mr. Speaker, I believe the seed was planted a long time ago. I think we’ve been able to see what our athletes in the Northwest Territories are quite capable of doing with the proper mentoring, the proper training, the proper facilities, the proper funding, so it’s very important to us that we not only develop our athletes – I think it goes further than that – we develop them as people. I think we see that with a lot of the TEST ski program participants back in the day.
Again, we’re early in the stages. Any information that we do come up with and any feedback that we’re seeking, we will have a discussion with committee and I can probably say, without reservation, that we will have a discussion before the end of this Assembly. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
