Debates of August 23, 2011 (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment is committed to enhancing accessibility to post-secondary education for all Northerners. Through a Student Financial Assistance review and the development of northern university options, we continue to strive for a strong, prosperous, educated society.

The primary objective of the Student Financial Assistance program independent review is to determine whether the program benefits adequately support students with rising living costs, how the program contributes to the government’s objective to develop a healthy educated workforce, and providing skills development and resources to meet the needs of our northern communities.

In May 2011, Members of the Legislative Assembly were given the opportunity to provide feedback on the terms of reference for the review. The department has since completed the request for proposal process and hired an independent consultant to complete the review.

After completing initial research on student financial assistance, the consultant will contact current and previous students, Aboriginal organizations, and various other interested parties to consult on the program. The department has formed a steering committee to lead the project and established a working group to assist the consultants with the review process.

Once the review is complete, final recommendations will be developed for consideration.

Canada’s three northern territories share the same interests with post-secondary opportunities for northern students and what opportunities are available. In June the governments of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut signed a memorandum of understanding to explore various models for northern university development.

An appointed working group examined models from around the world to learn about what other countries have done. Based on this research, the working group is preparing a discussion and options paper for the three territorial governments to review and discuss in the fall.

Our goal is to increase northern students’ access to local university-level programming in the North by building on existing resources. A university model has the potential to build capacity for all Northerners, including First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.