All right, mucho gracias, Mr. Speaker. All right, Mr. Speaker, the Minister of education had mentioned in one of her comments yesterday that the most significant tool at her fingertips is the mandate that is issued to the board. And so the board I'm referring to is the Aurora College board. And she said the next letter is coming out approximately July and even the interim letter may or may not regardless, we're almost at July have the direction of the mandate of which tells the college to work towards switching to a polytech.
My question for the Minister is will the new mandate letter, issued in July or thereabouts, provide direction and instruction for the college to follow through on the transition so Aurora College becomes a polytech? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the interim mandate letter that was issued in the last Assembly by the previous Minister of education expires in July. So that's where the July timeline comes in, is that the existing one expires in July. So that project has been jump started by letter from myself to the board of governors, and that project is currently underway between myself and the board. And it is the intention that, yes, it will continue to outline intentions for the board of governors and Aurora College to continue along with their transformation efforts, but it is really a collaborative process that is done between myself and the board, and so we have to ensure that we are both in alignment on that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister define the difference between intentions and direction? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I could definitely provide a difference of definitions of the two. But the reason that I am saying that there is an intention rather than a direction is because I am reminded it is a collaborative process. I want to ensure that both of our voices are in it because we are both agreeing to something in it. But from myself, I do have an expectation that transformation is part of that mandate letter and is part of the marching kind of direction of the Aurora College as well. I think that this I agree with Members, this is a very important project. It has a tremendous amount of opportunity for the territory, not only to attract new students and new Northerners but also to ensure that we are continuing to build a skilled workforce for Northerners. Thank you.
All right, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that answer. According to Global University Systems Canada, it says Canadian universities represent a formidable economic force with far reaching impacts. Mr. Speaker, we can only get to that and achieve those types of things if this mandate for the transition portion is funded. Therefore, if it's going to be part of the marching instructions and directions, will it be supported with some type of financial support specific to transition? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to start off by just first thanking Members for continuing this conversation on the floor of the House and out in public as well because I do think this is a very important project, and having their voices lent to it is very important.
Mr. Speaker, while I am not responsible or accountable to the operations within Aurora College, I am accountable to the dollars that we as an Assembly approve for Aurora College for their running of their programs. When transformation was underway in the previous Assembly, it was agreed by senior management of Aurora College, as well as senior management from Education, Culture and Employment, that the funds for the Bachelor of Education and the diploma of social work would be repurposed for the purposes of transformation to be able to continue to fund that project to go forward. And so if those funds are not enough and are not being used for that purpose, then I would also have because of my responsibility to the dollars that are spent through my department, have the responsibility of going back to the college as well to ensure that they have the dollars that they need but that they are also spending the dollars that they have been provided with a form of accountability and, of course, positive return on investment for Northerners. So that is definitely a conversation that has to happen between myself and board of governors. And less than a week ago, it was the first ask for additional funding that I received from Aurora College. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Member from Yellowknife Centre. Final supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I heard that correctly, that was the longest yes I've ever heard, or we'll find a way if it's not available. And the Minister's welcome to correct me if yes wasn't in there but that's certainly what it sounded like. It was difficult to follow, but I think I got it.
So, Mr. Speaker, once the mandate letter is drafted and sent, obviously in agreement I've listened to how the Minister chooses to proceed on this one would she be willing to make that mandate letter public? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, subject to legislation, I'd be more than happy to make anything public to make sure that I am following the rules of the Northwest Territories but certainly I definitely agree in transparency, and I want to encourage and support the Member's desire to continue to stay afoot on the happenings over at Aurora College, the direction they've been provided, and also the timelines that they intend to adhere to.
Mr. Speaker, the reason why yes, was a little bit longer is because I've answered this question numerous times and want to ensure that I'm getting all the information out there because this is, I know, a subject of great interest to Members. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
