Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Members of the 2SLGBTQIPA+ community are watching their rights erode in other jurisdictions in Canada. Pride flags and crosswalks have been banned in Westlock, Alberta, and politicking by the UCP has resulted in gender affirming health care being removed for youth. The community has also seen disregard for queer lives lead to the death of a young twospirit person in Oklahoma after they were beat up in a school bathroom mere weeks ago. What assurances can the Minister of ECE give to us and the public today that trans and queer youth are safe in NWT schools? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Member from Great Slave. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to start today by letting the Member know and letting residents of the Northwest Territories know that as the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, I will not endorse or support policies that or legislation that I see is harmful to residents of the Northwest Territories, including our youth. What is being done today, Mr. Speaker, under the Education Act and safe schools regulations, schools in the Northwest Territories are required to provide a safe and caring environment for the school community. So ECE hosts a territorial safe and caring schools subcommittee. This is made up of representatives from each education body across the Northwest Territories. And their role is to plan, coordinate, and action processes, activities, and projects related to implementing the safe school's regulations. In addition, the territorial school code of conduct also exists and confirms that schools and education bodies are wholly responsible to ensure that all members of the school community are provided with a safe, positive, respectful, and caring environment regardless of orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
To support education bodies and schools in fostering 2SLGBTQIPA+ equity, safety, and inclusion in schools, ECE has also developed the guidelines for ensuring LGBTQ2S+ equity, safety, and inclusion in Northwest Territories schools.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, as outlined in the Education Act and safe schools regulations, all NWT schools have safe and caring school plans. These plans include bullying prevention, intervention, and education strategies. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. I believe later in the day I saw she might be tabling some of those documents, and that's also welcomed.
Mr. Speaker, what partnerships does ECE undertake with the Northern Mosaic Network and schoolbased rainbow clubs to foster safety for queer youth? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ECE collaborates regularly with the Northern Mosaic Network through the safe and caring school subcommittee. And this supports education bodies' needs around ensuring that 2SLGBTQIPA+ youth are have access to safety, equity, and inclusion. The Northern Mosaic Network is invited and provides sessions as well to NWT educators through annual inservices. And recently, the Northern Mosaic Network provided inservice on supporting 2SLGBTQIPA+ diversity in secondary and elementary education at the program support teacher inservice that just occurred in February 20th to 22nd of this year. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister also answered my next question, which is great, which had to do with what training and professional development may be required for teachers and other school staff to ensure that they understand safe practices, language, and inclusive environments for all students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in addition to the items that I have already mentioned, there is also a gender support plan that schools have which provides a guide for staff members to understand ways a student's gender can be affirmed while the student is supported at school. ECE also supports evidencebased healthy relationship training for school staff and a safe school regulations mandate that safe school plans must include, like I said before, the bullying prevention, intervention, education strategies that integrate evidencebased healthy relationship programming into the school curriculum itself and daily classroom activities.
In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, ECE includes what is called the fourth R for grades 7 to 9, healthy relationships, plus for grades 10 through 11, and gender sexuality alliance and healthy relationship programming for 2SLGBTQIPA+ youth as well. And what I will also say, Mr. Speaker, is the healthy relationship program that I've just mentioned is a small group of positive mental health promotion program for gender, sexual, romantic minority youth and is available for gender sexuality alliances as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. As we shift to the new BCbased curriculum, is there any elements of that curriculum that are inclusive and supportive of queer students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, the draft NWT adapted curriculum does have topics on gender and identity that are covered in grades 4, 5, 6, and 9 that I indicated earlier this week that those are the grades trialing the new curriculum. So in the draft curriculum, grades 4 through 6 health curriculum is supported to be able to describe and apply strategies that promote safe and caring environments, such as culture of consent and awareness and acceptance of different races, ethnicities, cultural practices, and gender identities and expressions. Also it supports to understand physical, emotional, and social changes that occur during puberty, including those involving sexuality and sexual identity.
In this curriculum, topics around identifying and addressing genderbased violence and discrimination are also covered in the draft in the draft grade 9 health curricula as well. And work is currently ongoing adapting the BC grade 7 and 8 health curriculum which also includes many of these elements. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Tu NedheWiilideh.
