Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment because I am going to ask him some follow-up questions on inclusive schooling and junior kindergarten. Mr. Speaker, we have heard the Minister talk about this $2 million. Where did this money come from, from the very beginning, when it was developed? Was it from the government or was it from the school boards, so the school boards had to take the money that we gave them and come up with $2 million? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, it was a decision of the 17th Legislative Assembly, so it was something that came out of the initiative from the Department of Education at that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I guess at some point I am going to have to follow up on that question to totally understand where that money came from. Mr. Speaker, the Minister was talking about inclusive schooling and the ability to tap into other resources out there that exist with our schools. However, what happens, like we have Johnny here who needs a special assistant and he is taken off to work with the kindergarteners? Does the government have a plan in place if this doesn't work, if this inclusive schooling doesn't work presently and they need to fund it?
As I mentioned, the department continues to maintain the funding levels for inclusive schooling. We work very collaboratively with the Department of Health and Social Services to do assessments, support children with disabilities, developmental needs. We are developing and revising a JK to Grade 9 health curriculum in order to ensure preventative approaches to children's health are included. A lot of areas we are continuing to work on to address some of the concerns that are being brought forward.
I thank the Minister for his answer. We have heard in this House the Minister talk about inclusive schooling, that we are above the national average at 17 per cent. However, in this budget, on schedule 2, page 3 of 12, we see a reduction of $1.8 million. Can the Minister please advise this House what this reduction does to the percentage as per our legislation?
Currently we are legislated, as I have mentioned before in this House, to fund inclusive schooling at 15 per cent. We are currently funding it at 17.1 per cent, 2.1 per cent over the legislated level. We don't have the numbers of the students who are going to be enrolled, the JK students, so we can't have an answer for that at this moment because schools are still recruiting students and we don't know what the enrolment rates are.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for his answer. I would have hoped that the department would have actually estimated where we were and how that was going to be impacted. As well, on the same page, it talked about Aboriginal Language and Learning Secretariat, and there is a reduction in this. Can the Minister explain why this funding is being cut as well? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, we always review our programs, our services, how much money is spent in previous budgets to this year's budget. Looking at the reductions with some of the education authorities, there was administration area in the amount the Member mentioned of the total contribution. So it was about $800,000 of the total contribution of $155 million, or about 0.52 per cent of the total contribution provided to the education authorities.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Question 565-18(2):
Merci, monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. The Process Convention on Communication states:
Except under extraordinary circumstances, Members of the Legislative Assembly should be made aware of and have opportunity to discuss significant announcements, changes, consultations, or initiatives before they are released to the public or introduced in the Legislative Assembly.
Would the Minister agree that there is a need to improve communications and involvement with Regular MLAs when it comes to engagement with federal Ministers? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to reassure the Member that we signed the Health Accord, which is more than the original offer, and we communicated that in writing. The Member would seem to suggest that we can control federal Ministers and their travels. Nothing can be further from the truth. We just had the Prime Minister come, and we had the Minister of Health, and the meetings are confirmed a day before they are here. The Minister of Health requested the meetings, and she did not say what she wanted to talk about.
This has been an issue. We have raised it before with the Government of Canada, that federal Ministers come and go and they are not required to check in with us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I know it is a special day, and I am really feeling the love from the other side of the House. Can the Minister, though, commit to consulting with Regular MLAs on GNWT positions and negotiations on federalprovincialterritorial agreements?
We adhere very closely to the priorities and mandates that are set by this House. We have a federal engagement strategy that we have shared with the standing committee, and we follow the protocol that is set out in the Guiding Principles and Process Conventions.
I think every single session I have been here, I keep raising these issues and concerns. I just don't seem to be getting anywhere with my Cabinet colleagues. I have tried to suggest a number of constructive ways of improving this working relationship. Can the Minister commit to regular reporting on meetings held between GNWT Ministers and federal Ministers and the tracking of results, for example, the kind of statement that the Minister made today?
I believe that, with all of the responsibilities that Ministers have, there are probably about 25 to 30 federalprovincialterritorial meetings that occur on an annual basis. I believe that, in every instance, there are press releases and communiques that come out of them. Certainly, I understand that we share those with Regular Members, and we will continue to do so.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I can assure the Minister that, if there are communiques and so on, that we don't always see that kind of material, so I would certainly encourage him to share it with this side of the House. Again, can the Minister commit to recommending to federal Ministers and their staff that during visits to the Northwest Territories there be meetings with Regular MLAs through the appropriate standing committees? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will communicate that to the Prime Minister.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
