Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my statement today addresses the issues of safe and inclusive schooling in Northwest Territories schools. Mr. Speaker, the responsibility of raising and educating our young people and keeping them safe and healthy is one of the most important jobs that we have as a government and as a society. Adolescence is a tough time when young people face the challenges of maturing, learning who they are as people and dealing in many incidences with adult responsibilities. That’s hard enough, but for LGBTQ youth it presents even greater challenges. That’s why teachers, the frontline workers and the school community need to have real tools to make schools safe for all students. The Department of Education is developing programming and has adopted the Safe Schools Regulations and a code of conduct which comes into effect next year. These are positive first steps; however, the department could be doing much more. The Every Teacher Project is a study of teachers across Canada and their observations of how LGBTQ students are treated. Mr. Speaker, the results of this study are troubling. For example, the study shows that almost all teachers consider their school to be a safe space, but when they’re asked how safe it is for LGBTQ students the numbers go way down. Two-thirds of teachers are aware of harassment and bullying of LGBTQ students; one in five has seen sexual humiliation, and teachers know that bullying leads these students to often hurt themselves and sometimes others. These statistics illustrate just some of the reasons why it is important to give teachers the tools they need to help make schools safe and inclusive for all. NWT schools need to have programming directed specifically at LGBTQ students, and our teachers, the frontline workers, need access to real tools and resources to execute these programs and make a real difference in these students’ lives. The government’s recent steps move us in the right direction but the situation calls for more bold and direct steps.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I’ll have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Kam Lake.
