Jackson Lafferty

I do believe this information needs to be discussed. There are times when we do discuss these situations within Cabinet as well. At the same time, we’re just down the hallway as well. If there is information that is not reaching the MLAs, please stop by and inquire about those with the specific Ministers or the Premier and then we can follow up instantly. There are times where information takes time to explore and do more research with our community organizations. We’ll do our best as a government to follow up.

All the Ministers are here today. They are listening to the concerns and questions that are raised. There are some areas that do take time. We have to work with NGOs as well as department organizations within the communities and Aboriginal organizations. Sometimes we are limited in resources, as well, to dig up some more research analysis and so forth.

The 90 days and 120 days that the Member is referring to, we need to get more information on those areas. The standard rule is to reply within five days as best as we can and at times it will take a longer time.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Bob McLeod will be absent from the House today and tomorrow to attend the Western Premiers Conference in Edmonton, Alberta. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that Bill 1, An Act to Amend the Student Financial Assistance Act, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill amends the Student Financial Assistance Act to raise the maximum aggregate of the principal amount of all student loans that may be made by the Government of the Northwest Territories by $4 million for 2012-2013 and subsequent fiscal years. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Those are the types of discussions that we do have at the board chair level. The Safe Schools Policy of YK District No. 1, we can certainly utilize the policy that they currently have instead of reinventing the wheel.

What’s before us, if we can enhance that policy for other school systems then, by all means, we will definitely pursue that and have our discussions with my department and the YK No. 1 as well.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This particular subject is very important to our school system and especially with the school boards across the Northwest Territories. We did address that with the school boards and they’re fully aware of it. There are, as the Member indicated, potential partners that are involved, RCMP, NGOs, and also parents getting involved in this. There’s also a question of an anti-bullying policy into the schools. Those are the areas that we are consistently working on, and I’m glad the Member raised that issue because this is an area that is broad to cover all schools so we are doing...

Again, it is a case-by-case basis. Some cases are very unique. It will take some time. But it is a standard rule of up to five days.

This particular issue does come to the Cabinet table. We do have a standard rule that any information or concerns that are brought forward by Regular Members are responded to within five days. It all varies on if there are organizations that we have to reach out to to get more clarification. It will take some time in some areas, but our overall goal and objective is to get back to Regular Members within five days. Either to respond back saying we’re looking into it or at least respond back to them. As I’ve stated before, some areas will take some time as well.

Mr. Speaker, I agree that we need to reach out to the parents, as well, along with the French coordinators and the divisional education council. We will do that. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

This is this information that we received from the Department of Education in Alberta. We follow their curriculum, as well, and the examinations. They’ve also provided some information and also within our department working with the French coordinators that there were some concerns raised where some groups, if the French immersion students increased their average with a course where the outcome is already credited, how fairly are they competing against other students that are applying for the same post-secondary institution. There could be an unfair practice as well. All those are taken into...