Jackson Lafferty

As I indicated earlier, we’re open to some ideas on how we can generate funding, based, obviously, on students. Currently, it’s based on students. Those are discussions that we need to have with the local organizations and also the DECs and DEAs as well.

Mr. Chair, part of the plan is to decentralize these positions and then fill the positions from there. Mahsi.

Obviously, ECE supports healthy foods in our school system. The growing program, obviously, we’ve heard just recently, as well, and we believe and support innovative thinking. How can we have those vegetables in our school system as possibly part of our lunch program? So, we’re open to those ideas. I have to work with the local DEAs and DECs, if they’re acceptable to that initiative. I need to sit down with my counterparts and see where we can go from there, but this is a brilliant idea that we should carry forward.

Mr. Chair, yes, that’s correct.

Since that information came to light in my department, we have been working very closely on ways to share relevant inspection information in a format that allows parents to make informed decisions on child care while, at the same time, protecting the privacy of child care staff. My department is also committed to making inspection information available to the public, and this will be available starting 2015-16. We’re making improvements within our department and we’re moving forward on that. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Chair, we have three positions going to Hay River, one to Beaufort-Delta. The three positions going to Hay River area linguist, Aboriginal language services; a registrar, teacher certification in South Slave; a registrar of appeals in the South Slave, as well, so those three in Hay River and one linguist, Aboriginal languages in the Beaufort-Delta, so those are the four positions that are going to regions. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Since the Auditor General’s recommendations came out, we have done a considerable amount of work following through with those recommendations. Within my department we have increased the number of regional early childhood consultants to better serve the smaller communities. Not only that but we also created and hired a territorial inspection coordinator. Those are just some of the key aspects of how we remedied the situation at hand. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. The nine positions that are going out to regional centres is one registrar of appeals; two linguists, Aboriginal Languages Secretariat; one registrar, teacher certification; and also five service officers that I have highlighted earlier. That’s nine in total going out to the regional centres. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. Yes, the Aboriginal language, obviously we’re starting to see results on whether it be the immersion programs, the early learning programming on the language. There have been some pilot projects in the communities. Now we’re pushing more into the communities and regions. We are starting to see results. It’s a very excellent initiative that we are working with our partners across the Northwest Territories.

When we talk about the passing peer placement, we’ve heard from various community members, elders, educators, parents, when we did the forum on Aboriginal student achievement...

Mahsi, Madam Chair. We talk about the overall ERI. It’s a huge undertaking. We’re hearing from Regular Members that this is a big initiative, and we also hear about the JK, obviously the decision from October 30, 2014, to put a stop to the second and third phase and to continue with rolling out to the small communities for last year and also next year. So, we continue to work with the school boards on that. We have 19 communities going forward and 18 the following year.

Keeping the kids in school, obviously it’s a priority. We’ve given out posters and pamphlets. Obviously, this is for outside...