David Krutko

Welcome, witnesses, Minister. General comments. Mr. Beaulieu.

Maybe before we go on, I would just like to point out to Mr. Yakeleya, the elders home situation will come up under 8-30 with regard to care services for elders. So that question could be asked in that area, but I will allow the Minister to answer your question. Ms. Lee.

Deputy Minister Meade.

Minister Lee.

So what happens to the students who have dropped out? Are they basically going to lose their whole education because of having to go back to their home communities and having no high school education or programs there to assist them? Like Mr. Jacobson, I’d like to know if there is a support mechanism in the Department of Education to assist those students who have gone back to their home communities, by way of funds for tutoring, funds to work with them to make sure they don’t lose their whole school year. Are there ways we can salvage the school year so they can move forward with their...

Thank you. Next on the list I have Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Education with regard to my Member’s statement, similar along the lines of Mr. Jacobson. We have a similar problem in Tsiigehtchic and I believe in all small communities with populations under 200. Using the student/teacher ratio does not work to get another teacher in the community. To be fair to those students who are having to go up to Inuvik and elsewhere to get their high school education, the reason they are going there is because the teachers are in those larger schools which provide the ability to provide...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, Mr. Chairman, I didn’t want to lose my opportunity to talk about the Department of Health and Social Services but, more importantly, the lack of programs and services we see in our small, isolated communities. We seem to be doing a lot to increase large programs and services with regards to the dementia centre, amalgamated clinics, large-scale hospitals, but we haven’t done much by ensuring or improving the quality of health care services in our small communities. I, for one, have been raising this issue prior to division, and if you look at statistics going back...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Nahendeh, that Minister’s Statement 47-16(4) be moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Sergeant-at-Arms, escort the witnesses in.

Ms. Lee, for the record, would you introduce your witnesses.