Jackson Lafferty

Mr. Speaker, we make those arrangements every time we meet with the communities, whether it be the schools or other departments if they come along. We meet with certain resource people. We do initiate a public forum, as well, and community meetings, leadership meetings. So, certainly, those we’ll take into consideration when we visit the community. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, we’ll certainly keep the Members posted, particularly the Member for the Aklavik area. We need to look after our teachers; we need to look after our professionals. And it’s not only us. The NWTTA has also stressed concerns over this. I’ve met with them. So there are all different parties involved in this particular case. Once we make progress, we’ll keep the Members posted on what’s happening, the progression. We’ll hopefully find a solution for this case. Next Monday is approaching already, and we need to deal with that. Mahsi.

That is one of the areas that we are focusing on as the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. We’re working with the Housing Minister on this particular case. As the Members would know, we are in a housing crunch in the small communities, especially the most isolated communities. Dealing with staff housing for teachers…. They’re struggling to find suitable units, and it is our concern.

We’re doing what we can to try to come up with a solution. One of the solutions, possibly, will be a loan guarantee from the NWT Housing Corporation. We are pursuing that. We are focusing on a...

Certainly, I will make a commitment in this House to meet with the Minister responsible for the review, PWS. Once that is initiated, whatever I can share with the Member and the local DEA, I’ll certainly do that. At this point I need to sit down with my counterpart at PWS to discuss it further.

Those red flagged projects in the past have been targeted as one of our priorities. We have those existing projects in the communities — the schools that are being built, the schools that are being renovated or worked on. Those will be the committed projects. The red flags are other projects waiting on the list. Hay River’s Diamond Jenness School has been targeted as a priority for this government to initiate work on that part of the renovation. It will be part of the discussions that we’re going to be having on capital projects here in the next few days.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize, first of all, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Rod Knecht. Also Inspector Roger Miller of Edmonton, Chief Superintendent Tom Middleton of G Division, and the deputy minister of Justice, Bronwyn Watters. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, certainly, there are issues we need to deal with in all communities. This is one of the areas I would like revisit and meet with Mr. Jacobson on and identify areas of concern and issues, whether it be the school or the community, and have more discussion at the community level, as well, when we are meeting with parents or the leadership and vice versa. I need to listen to some solutions as well, so that is why we are here: to work with the Members. I certainly will commit to working with the Members on this matter. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I will commit in this House to visit the school in the Member’s riding and other schools as well. That’s one of the commitments that I’ve made. I need to visit all schools, if it’s at all possible during the life of this Assembly, just to see for ourselves what the students and the staff and the resource people and the parents are going through. That’s the commitment I’ve made. Sometime after session we can make arrangements and a time to meet.

Since June of this past summer my department has been working closely with Chef Pierre. They also toured the facility. They did talk about the proposal coming forward from Chef Pierre and also asked questions on the accreditation program. That is supposed to be forthcoming.

At the same time, there is also great news from the Mine Training Society. There was a proposal submitted by Chef Pierre, in partnership with the Native Women’s Association, to deliver a camp cook program. That is one of partnerships that has always been successful in the past working with the Mine Training Society. It is an...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today we honour the memory of one of our own RCMP officers. Constable Chris Worden lost his life one year ago today while responding to a call in Hay River. Later today the RCMP will be adding his name to the cenotaph outside G Division headquarters in Yellowknife.

On behalf of our government I extend my condolences to the Worden family and to the brave officers who serve our communities so faithfully. This incident is a tragic reminder that serious crimes do happen here. All too often they are related to illegal drug trafficking and use.

In the past few months we have seen...