Michael Nadli

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I spoke about the status of the electrical transmission that is affecting my riding. My questions today are for the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. What is the status of NTPC's takeover of the Hay River power franchise, and how will it impact power rates in Fort Providence, Kakisa, Enterprise, and the Hay River Reserve? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Earlier I spoke about the Aboriginal Head Start program and its establishment in the Northwest Territories since 1995. So my question is to the Minister. Can the Minister indicate when Regular Members can expect the government's response to Motion 26-18(2)? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi, colleagues. Like I said yesterday, Mr. Speaker, the confusion we have seen in the House doesn't address these worries.

Regular Members are still waiting on the government's response to Motion 2618(2), including a fully costed implementation plan. Meanwhile, parents are trying to plan for their children's education this fall, while schools are rapidly approaching their budget deadlines.

We can chart a course through this confusion, but we must all be upfront, and we must be all on the same page. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, other colleagues had raised the matter of the homecare services. It's pretty clear that we're trying to build upon that, but I also wanted to highlight the need to have the on-the-land program initiative continue. I think the concept behind that was, as I pointed out, to bring people out on the land to use the strength of nature to give healing and wellness to people who choose that venue to better themselves, so that concept was developed.

There have been some design issues in terms of program delivery in that we had several initiatives carried out. So the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have three questions. The first question is in regards to community clinics and health centres. In my general comment I made the point of an established health cabin on the Hay River Reserve, and I think just recently there was an effort by a doctor to provide at least care on the reserve. I just wanted to have an understanding if my expectation may be consistent with the Minister's in terms of trying to bring more services from the town of Hay River through the Hay River Health Authority in terms of trying to bring services to residents of the Hay River Reserve...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to ask a question in terms of the reporting relationship in light of the changes to the one authority through the transformation initiative in terms of trying to streamline reporting. Could maybe the Minister highlight, just maybe outline in general, the relationship between his office and the district offices and the health centres at the community level in terms of raising some significant points in terms of decision-making and perhaps information sharing on patients, things of that nature? If he could maybe just highlight how that's going to work as the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my final question is, there continue to be some anxiety concerning the fate of the Aboriginal Head Start program in light of the roll into the junior kindergarten. Has the Minister engaged his federal colleague who is mandated to oversee the Aboriginal Head Start programs here in the NWT and also the funding in terms of committing the dollars to these eight sites in the NWT? Has the Minister engaged his federal colleague to see if, you know, the two programs could exist in parallel to each other? Mahsi.

I'd like to thank the Minister for his reply. How is the department working to address the questions and concerns of parents and educators who do not wish to change from the Aboriginal Head Start program to junior kindergarten?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize a few visitors in the gallery. One of them is Trisha Landry, my constituency assistant and also chaperone extraordinaire, who is here to accompany two students who are pages from Detah, and also the students from the Northern People for Northern Education program who are here in terms of their protests against the cuts to their program. Also  I saw her earlier; I don't know if she is still in the House  Laura Boileau from the New Day program. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I am continuing with my Member's statement from yesterday. I want to talk to you about the Aboriginal Head Start program.

There has been a lot of information flying around the House, so let me give you a quick refresher. Aboriginal Head Start, or AHS, is a federally funded program with the mandate to serve preschoolage Aboriginal children. It was founded in the belief that children are a gift from the creator, who have the right to live proudly as Aboriginal people in the land of their ancestors. In 1995... [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, how does this...