Julie Green

Thank you to the Minister for that response. Mr. Speaker, it's my understanding that there is already a loss of one of the three instructors and that the college is now down to just a handful of students who are finishing up their program. What is the Minister's intention for this program in the meantime, before the review is implemented?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge a former constituent, Jack Sigvaldason, who died this summer.

Beginning in 1971 with the feisty Yellowknifer newspaper, "Sig," as he was known, built Northern News Service into a consortium of seven newspapers across two territories, running the NWT's largest printing service with a payroll approaching 100 people.

In June 2012, Jack Sigvaldason was awarded the Canadian Journalism Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to journalism and democracy across the North.

Please join me in applauding the life and work of Jack Sigvaldason...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the external review of the Aurora College Social Work Diploma Program. I obtained the review last month, not through the Minister but through an access to information request. I believe that one of the reasons this review has not been made public is because it contradicts the government's line. The review shows the program is worthwhile. It should never have been cut. Instead, it must be redeveloped to improve student success.

Mr. Speaker, the decision to end the social work program came in response to the government's decision to cut...

This isn't an esoteric point. If we don't measure core housing need and determine which communities need which segments of core housing addressed, then we're going to jeopardize our federal funding. This is the baseline measure used across the country for determining core housing need, and so I appreciate the Minister's commitment to get back to me. I want to underline how important it is to have this proper statistical survey done next year. That was a comment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for recognizing me again. This time my questions are for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. In an exchange last week with my colleague from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, I was left somewhat confused about whether the every-five-year community housing survey would be completed in 2019. So my question is: will that community housing survey take place in 2019? Thank you.

The thing that I find difficult to understand is: what of those strengths will be left in a year from now? For sure, it's going to take a year. Things move very slowly in government, I've learned. So what will be left of the strengths of this program to preserve by the time the new person gets around to working on the social work program?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm quite frustrated with the responses from the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about the social work program. Mr. Speaker, it was a political decision to cut that program based on the government's decision that we needed to have extensive budget cuts in the first two years of our mandate. On that basis, Aurora College was told to cut programs. They cut the social work program. Now, the Minister is not making a political decision to reinstate it. She's hiding behind the bureaucracy and saying that it's up to them to restore it. So my question...

What I am trying to have the Minister answer is: who will be left in the social work program at this time next year? What resources will be allocated to it?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I have called the Minister's attention to the Aurora College foundational review recommendation for the creation of a degree-granting polytechnic, and I am aware that she is now working on that. With the social work program report, the Minister has a thorough road map in hand for creating a degree-granting program at the new polytechnic. Will the Minister use this report to make a start on our course offerings in the new institution? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In addition to Ms. Rogers being a constituent of Inuvik Boot Lake, she is also the director of the Inuvik shelter, and she is here for the Family Violence Shelter Network meeting. Thank you.