Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to join in the line of questioning that several of my colleagues have brought today around Aurora College. Aurora College says that 83 percent of its milestones have been achieved. The news reporting that the honourable Member from Frame Lake mentioned, if you actually read the reporting, there's some shocking details in there. The former research chair is quoted as saying there wasn't a plan, there wasn't an idea of how we could get the chairs up and running. This was only a year ago. So the Minister is not responsible for Aurora College, but she's answerable to Aurora College on an operational level. When she sees the college reporting that it's got so much done, you know, nearly mission accomplished, we're paused until we can figure out, you know, some new mandates but the staff they're hiring are quitting and saying nothing's set up, not even an office chair for this individual to sit down on, what is she doing to help the college succeed? Saying that it's not my responsibility, it's theirs, and I'm going to work with them, we need more than answerability, we need accountability, and quite frankly in the 18th Assembly that's exactly what we did. That's where this whole process started. We pulled the reins back. We built a transition plan. Is it time to take the reins away from Aurora College, put them back in the hands of the Minister, and get this done right this time? Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister of ECE.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I really want to see this transformation succeed because this transformation is not just about bricks and mortar. This transformation is about ensuring that we have a quality post-secondary institution providing education that leads to jobs that we need homegrown people to be able to take advantage of, that we need to be able to attract to our knowledge economy, to be able to do research. I believe in this transformation wholeheartedly, and I want to see it happen. I'm prepared to work within my authority to see that happen but acknowledge that this is a relationship that needs to be fostered, supported, and that needs to be able to given the time to grow. I am like the Member, I want to see change right away, but acknowledge that change like this does take time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, they've been given time. They've been given years to get this done, and they're still struggling. So clearly something isn't working. How much more time is the Minister going to give Aurora College to fail? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, they have had about a year and a half as a new board. They now have a new president that they are working with as well. In the last year and a half that the board has been around, they've also now, in November of last year, gotten one of -- it's a trimerical governance system. So one of the additional boards was put in place in November of 2023, and then the Indigenous knowledge-keepers board was put in place in April of this year. And so they are putting all of these pieces together to ensure that they have a functioning trimerical board system and are doing their best not only to make hard decisions about what the future of Aurora College looks like but also go through the transformation process. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, if we can't attract people to help lead the transition from within the institution, then it's not going to work. When we see news stories like this, it sends a signal to the rest of Canada that we are not -- that this institution isn't working and isn't interested in change. So how is the Minister going to change that reputation? How is she going to help the board market their institution as one that's serious about change? That's why we're having this conversation today, because people don't believe they're serious so how is she going to help them do that? Thank you.
I'm going to be a hundred percent candid with you, Mr. Speaker, just like I was with the board. I'm going to tell them those exact words like I did less than a month ago. When I sat with the board and they told me what their priorities were, they turned to me and said, what are we missing? And I said, you guys are missing buzz. You guys are missing telling the story about the work that you are doing. So you need to generate that buzz by sharing your excitement and sharing your hard work with the people of the Northwest Territories. And that is the responsibility of the board. I will continue to encourage them to do that. And in the meantime, I will encourage them to do the hard work that we expect them to do. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Range Lake. Final supplementary.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister consider putting some accountability measures behind the dollars that we're giving to Aurora College? Change the funding program so they are tied to outcomes and if those outcomes aren't met, they don't get their funding and they have to seek performance elsewhere. That way we can ensure that they're performing. Because if they fail in the outcomes that the government designs that the Minister is accountable for, then they don't get funded. And they're not going to exist very long if they can't get funded. So will the Minister do that; will she put firm outcomes attached to the funding so this transition will succeed, or the institution will have to change dramatically? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this past summer the accountability framework was put in place for Aurora College. This framework is relevant for all post-secondary institutions in the Northwest Territories. It outlines reporting required by ECE each year and helps to identify the financial stability of institutions and if programs are operating effectively. So I look forward to using that framework in years to come. Thank you.
Thank you. Members, the time allotted for the oral questions has ended. We'll continue on.
