Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions follow up on my Member’s statement and are directed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I’m sure the Minister is aware of the critical importance of early childhood development and I want to explore how this has been recognized in the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative review.
The early childhood development research I’ve cited comes from a presentation to the Canadian Council of Ministers of Education by world renowned early childhood expert Dr. Fraser Mustard. I’ve recommended Dr. Mustard’s work and even his participation in the ECB initiative to the Minister.
Mr. Speaker, how has the Minister assured recommendations in the ASAI report reach all the way down to consider prenatal and preschool measures? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This particular area is of great interest and also a priority of this government. Early childhood development and childcare has always been a priority of this government. We all know that learning starts at early ages. Part of the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, the first priority is the early childhood development and childcare.
We’ve heard over and over from the regional forums, the people of the North, the educators, the parents, that this needs to be at the forefront, the first priority. We have initiated that. This will be part of the document I will be tabling in the House today, later today. It will specifically highlight what we’ve heard, what the priorities are, the implementation stages for the next government to proceed. Mahsi.
I’m very pleased to hear those comments from the Minister. The scientific information is obviously too powerful to ignore here. If foresters growing trees had similar information, for example, they wouldn’t wait until seedlings are five years old to get the best yields. They’d pour on the fertilizer the moment the seed is planted and we must do the same with our most precious resources.
Given the Aboriginal Student Initiative work will be incomplete without full inclusion of early childhood development considerations, and yet the ECE review is ongoing, how will the Minister ensure that results of the early childhood development review, which will be completed next Assembly, will be immediately incorporated into the Aboriginal Achievement Initiative work? Mahsi.
We take the same example as the fertilizer on the early seedling. We’ve heard in communities that even focussing on those babies that are not born yet, they talk about that and how the parents and the grandparents should be talking to their unborn child because that’s the most important step. I believe in that as well. We need to spread the news. We need to start initiating our discussion, talking to our children, even though they’re not born as of yet. At the same time even little ones.
Mr. Speaker, this particular Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative is a working document. Any document that we produce, there are always changes that reflect on what we’ve missed out from our previous forum discussions. You know, we may have not captured everything that we wanted. That’s the purpose why we are here today in this House and question period. Sometimes we miss out on things, and we can certainly capture that as we move forward.
So this particular area of early childhood development is of importance for this government and will continue to pressure them as we move forward into the next government. Mahsi.
Again, I appreciate the Minister’s remarks. I referred earlier today to the scientific information on how the building blocks of language development are laid even before birth and are best developed before the age of three. This government devotes a lot of energy to preserving and promoting Aboriginal language, and rightly so. The science shows our best prospect of success isn't in the formal school system. They begin when the child is still in the womb.
Again, how do recommendations in the Aboriginal Student Achievement report reflect these understandings? In other words, what actions? Can the Minister give some examples of what actions are proposed to support parents in their home and community during prenatal and initial years of their children’s lives? Mahsi.
Most of the discussions we’ve heard at the regional forums are specific to that area of dealing with the ongoing child and even the two and three year olds, focussing on them because they have to start early. That is planted into the document that is going to be tabled. It does highlight the importance of starting early and having parents and educators involved and also the leaders. This is a shared responsibility. We have to do it together. Even the grandparents are involved. So, Mr. Speaker, I will be tabling the document that will highlight all the specific key points that we’ve heard, particularly early childhood development. This is an important document that will be tabled in this House. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
