Alfred Moses

A lot has happened from 2013 to 2017, where we are today. We have more information that we did not have before, NWT-specific information that we can work with our partners with, our non-government organizations, about how we proceed on the operations of Aurora College. At the end of the day, it is all about student success and having the right programs in place to ensure that our students succeed and become part of the workforce, and those areas can be addressed: legislation, administration, governance, as well as operation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I would like to take the opportunity to recognize one of the constituents from my riding in Inuvik Boot Lake, Ms. Judy McLeod. Welcome to the House. It is always great to have you here. Also, a former colleague in the 17th Legislative Assembly who has offered great wisdom, experience, and guidance, Ms. Wendy Bisaro. Great to see you again, and welcome to the House. As well as Lillian Elias, who is translating this week as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following three documents entitled "Return to Written Question 23-18(2): School Funding Framework," "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 804-18(2): Territorial Immigration Policies and Programs," and Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 816-18(2): Healthy Relations Training for Educators."

As we get updates from the contractor and the work that they are doing, I will just ask Members to be patient and wait until we get those results, and we will continue to try and update Members on the progress that is being made.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the past year, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has been making significant changes to the way it provides critical support for the territory's most vulnerable residents through its Income Assistance Program.

In 2016, the federal government announced the Canada Child Benefit. This new benefit had significant implications for our Income Assistance Program, and we revised our program so that the new Canada Child Benefit was not counted as income under the Income Assistance program. This change was intended to ensure all NWT residents...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and yes, we have had discussions with the partners that we are currently in agreements with, and as I mentioned, we are going through this foundational review right now. We are just waiting on the terms of reference feedback from standing committee. We will go ahead and proceed on that foundational review, and hopefully in the early new year, 2018, we will be moving forward and hopefully have some good structured programs in the 2018-2019 academic year.

Yes, we are currently working on that legislation. We are going to be doing some consultations during the summer months and then get the feedback from our stakeholders and partners on that and then proceed forward. However, we're still going to have to look at the foundational review of the port where we are going in terms of post-secondary, which I made a commitment to the House to look at that foundational review with the Aurora College but also getting feedback from other institutions and other stakeholders in the Northwest Territories regarding the legislation that the Member has been...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We did make a commitment during the presentation that we had to standing committee the other night and we'll make that commitment in the House that we will get those packages, Safe and Caring School packages to all Members should they want them, but we'll make sure that the honourable Member from Nahendeh gets the package and that all Members that would like one, we'll get one to them as well.

Approximately 225 NWT teachers across the North have been trained in the healthy relationships program called "The Fourth R." Training is provided to all NWT schools free of charge as well through continued working through the partnerships that we do have with the University of Western Ontario and as part of a federally- funded research project on youth and mental health. We work with our partnerships with the University of Western Ontario. We offer it to all schools in the Northwest Territories, and any schools that haven't received the training or feel that they might want more training...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and with our Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupational Certification Board, when we have meetings with them, get updates, we will ensure that. This is a concern of the Member, but I am sure they stay on top of it. It is industry-driven, so anything new and innovative that we are doing in industry, I am sure the board is on top of that. I have full trust and confidence that they are working in the best interests of industry, but also in the best interests of Northerners, and we will make sure that is part of the next discussions that we have with the board.