Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake, that Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010, be read for the third time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to advise this House that a ceremony was held today to celebrate the tremendous contributions that people across this Territory have made to education.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment launched the Education Hall of Fame some months ago, requesting nominations be put forward for those Northerners who made lasting and selfless contributions to education. Nominations poured in, Mr. Speaker, and 15 people were chosen from across the Territory. The 2010 inductees embody the commitment, diligence, creativity and passion that we...

The minor renovations and major renovations that have been highlighted by our department on the capital planning process will continue as we move along. The Member is referring to certain facilities such as the Aurora College campus. The decision has to be made on options first, before we can proceed with the capital planning process. That is in the works and they are at the final stages.

That is one of the options that we are discussing with YK 1 as well. Alternatives on the options. The decision that needs to come down and the recommendation to me as well, then make a final decision before the capital planning process begins. That’s why we’ve initiated this consultation and we are now on the verge of a final decision by the board to give us a green light to say we’re fine with the option that they are favouring. We’re just waiting for that response from the board.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am glad to inform the Members today of the work underway towards a new strategy for supporting the nine official aboriginal languages of the Northwest Territories.

In the late 1990s, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment consulted with communities about developing a long-term plan supporting our Territory’s traditional languages. The strategy, Revitalizing, Enhancing and Promoting Aboriginal Languages: Strategies for Supporting Aboriginal Languages, outlines what the government was doing in support of healthy aboriginal languages in our...

Throughout the consultation and also the Yellowknife educational facilities review, there has been undertaking of renovations. The renovations that have been highlighted has already been undertaken by our department and identified as a capital planning project on a long-term basis. Those facilities that need upgrade and major retrofit have been highlighted through our consultation with the school boards. Yes, the majority of the schools that require upgrade will definitely be part of the capital planning process.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The study has been completed. We are in consultation with the YK 1 school board and the college. We just need to consult with them on possibly proposed changes. We need to keep in mind that the college campus, the expiry date of 2012 at Northern United Place is a pressing issue that we need to deal with. Overall, the Yellowknife education facilities have been reviewed and there have been some proposed options that we have presented to the board and also to Yellowknife MLAs for their consideration. We’re still waiting for feedback by one of the school boards and then we can...

Mr. Speaker, I do agree that education is the best gift that we can provide to the Northwest Territories. I did provide to the Member that one can look at it as not a university base, but we are delivering university core courses and we are graduating teachers with degree programs. A Member can look at it as not a base but we are expanding on our programs.

The three main campuses that we have, the goal is to expand further so it is recognized as a university of the north or the university of the Arctic. That is the vision that we have with Minister Strahl. The three jurisdictions, Territorial...

Mr. Speaker, I do agree that elders are valuable and the importance of their presence in the schools I fully support. Along with this strategic initiative, that will be part of the discussion as we move forward. We need to get around a system of how we pay them. That has been a very controversial issue lately because of their pension claw-back from the federal government. We certainly don’t want to have any impact on their pension, so we are trying to work around a system how it is feasible to do. We are currently discussing that. I did have feedback from the Sahtu MLA on how we can manoeuvre...

Mr. Speaker, our goal and mandate is to provide the true quality education here in the Northwest Territories along with the partnership with the various southern institutions so they do accredit our programs as well. We deliver high school programs, not only that but post-secondary as well. We have been successful in that degree.

I did a Member’s statement, 102 graduates out of the post-secondary. We are pushing the students through the venue through post-secondary level and through the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. That is an area that will be the prime focus on the education...