Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, as the government lead on the work to revitalize, enhance, and support the Northwest Territories official languages, continues to actively engage with language communities in the preparation of the Official Languages Strategy to be tabled this fall.

We are in the midst of planning a major Aboriginal Languages Symposium March 30th to April 1st in Yellowknife to bring together government, aboriginal language communities and other stakeholders to discuss the overarching principles of an Aboriginal Languages Strategy, how...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, I will move that Bill 5, Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification Act, be read for the first time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, I will move that Bill 3, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010, be read for the first time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with respect to the SCAN legislation, we have visited the Yukon, our neighbouring Territory, to see how their legislation was going. We met with several of the leadership of that community, Whitehorse, and also visited the First Nations group and also the community council. So we just wanted to have a firsthand look at how that legislation was operating.

At the same time, Mr. Speaker, we are currently conducting our own research in other jurisdictions as well. The SCAN legislation is at the preliminary stages at this point. We want to make some changes so it...

When we had to make a decision at that time, it was strictly an operational one that we made last year.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We do have contacts with the Alberta Hospital when it comes to assessments. Not only that, we do have a staff on hand that is a counsellor training to be a psychologist in that respect within a year. Once that individual obtains credentials, that individual will fulfill that position. It’s a current position that we have. We are making progress in this line of work. It has been taking some time, but we wanted to find the right individual with the right credentials to fulfill the position. We are moving forward on this.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, I will move that Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Social Assistance Act, be read for the first time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, indeed, the cost analysis, the consultation, the fee, how much it would cost us and also a centralized model and other options, that we are dealing with. So, Mr. Speaker, we will finalize our overall cost, whether it be the equipment, the assets, the offices, the staff. Mr. Speaker, it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. So we will continue to provide that information to the Assembly Members when we gather all the information from other jurisdictions. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the ability to read and use information is a basic skill necessary for students to reach their full potential in school and later in life. Research indicates that the main reason students do poorly in school is a lack of literacy skills. This can prevent them from understanding reading material in other subject areas. This is why increasing literacy levels in the Northwest Territories is one of the top priorities of the department.

There are literacy initiatives in schools across the Northwest Territories and this year Education, Culture and Employment staff are reviewing them to...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 7, An Act to Amend the Summary Conviction Procedures Act, be read for the third time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.