Jackson Lafferty

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Member’s commitment in this particular area, as it is a high interest in the communities. We have already received correspondence from the communities saying that education should not be cut from the budget.

Those are decisions that still need to be made, and we will certainly take those into consideration — the concerns and the issues that were highlighted here. It is one of the priority areas for this 16th Assembly government, so we will continue to push that forward as a priority item. Mahsi.

Mahsi. Mr. Speaker, the G.N.W.T. is in the process of making a decision with respect to supporting the 16th Assembly’s priorities and planning and the proposed budget that will be brought forward here in the spring.

Supporting the education of our youth is our top priority, Mr. Speaker. We do have a decision that is coming down on us that will involve the Members as well. We will be making a decision in terms of how we invest in our youth and also the schools at the community level. That will be one of our priorities that we continue to support. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, last week I met with my federal, provincial and territorial counterparts to discuss the upcoming review of the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the proposed amendments currently before Parliament. This federal law applies when a young person aged 12–17 is alleged to have committed a crime.

The act is intended to promote the long-term protection of society. It does this by addressing young offenders’ underlying issues that contribute to offending behaviour. It is intended to rehabilitate young persons and reintegrate them into society and provides meaningful consequences for their...

I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Range Lake, that Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, be read for the third time.

Mr. Speaker, there have been some changes to our program. We have increased 30 per cent in the child care program area. We are listening to our Members who raise an issue. Certainly, we will take that into consideration.

With various programs there is always room for improvement, so certainly, we will work with that and how we can expedite the application process.

We have our resource department staff who are more than willing to assist with the clients and parents as well. We will do our part as well. Mahsi.

Some of the money is based on the enrolment at the centres and facilities. Also, the Member is referring to…. If the money is held back or if there is a surplus, then we have to extend the money to different programs as well, where it is needed in the community. As I said, we serve 33 communities. We open up for communities that are in need of funding to offset their costs.

Mr. Speaker, we realize the urgency. The Deh Cho Hall will be coming down, and these three organizations are desperately seeking office space. Certainly that’s part of the plan, to have our staff visit the community and work with the Member and also work with the organizations that I’ve highlighted earlier, and also work with the community. So we’re anxious to move forward on this with potential solutions to these issues that we’re faced with. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I made a commitment that my department will be working with the community of Fort Simpson, specifically with those three organizations. I will make a commitment here again today that my department, my deputy and also the Director of Education Operations and Development, as a person, will be going to the community of Fort Simpson sometime next March — probably early March — to deal with that particular issue.

So we are making progress, Mr. Speaker. Like I said, we will continue to work hard with the community to identify a solution with their help and with their input.

Mr. Speaker, certainly I am more than willing to visit the communities in the Member’s riding. We did make some arrangements to go to the communities sometime after session. I am committed to that.

The issue that he has highlighted — the recruitment process — is another area that we are focussing on as a department, working along with the NWT Housing Corporation, whether it be housing issues or the recruitment area. We are fully aware of it. In our department, one of our goals is to develop plans to deal with it. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, one of the goals and priorities of our department is to support the programs that we have with the schools and with the community. Yes, we will continue to support those areas.

Reiterating that, one of the priorities of the government is to look after the youth — the children of our communities — so we will take those into consideration as well. Mahsi.