Norman Yakeleya

I do wish the department all the success in their initiatives to raise the level of attendance of our children for them to go to school.

Is the Minister looking at some innovative ways that the school itself can do to get the children and parents saying it’s important that your child gets the proper amount of rest so they can come to school fresh and be ready to hit the school work? Is his department working with the educational boards to do a one-time initiative, as they did a long time ago, and get the teachers to go and visit the families at their homes, sit down with the parents, talk with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was going to speak about education in our small communities. In 2013 the Alberta Achievement Test results show that the Northwest Territories is not doing very well. Actually, this test is a measurement of our education system in the Northwest Territories, and when you look at it, the results are pretty glim and bleak in the small communities. We do have a commonality with the larger centres. When you look at the results from the small communities and larger centres like Yellowknife and Hay River and Inuvik and Smith, there’s a commonality that connects us, and that...

I certainly hope the Minister sees him real soon and makes a point of this inequity, unjust, and that one of the pillars of Canada received some recognition and not to have this type of issue with us.

Anyhow, I just wanted to raise that for the Metis locals. We fund the Native Women’s Association double what the Metis locals are getting. Again, I wish the Premier and I wish the Minister good luck to talk to the federal Minister on this issue here.

I hope the periodic basis is at last once a year. We appreciate it. I don’t even think the federal government is funding it and we’re doing it. That’s the unique challenge in the communities. Some of them do not yet have a land claim organization to fall back on, especially for the Metis people and the locals to come up to the same par as the Dene organizations, band councils. This is peanuts compared to their organizations. There is still an inequity and injustice from one Aboriginal group to another Aboriginal group. It’s clear. We see it in this government and the federal government. I’ve...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just want to get a breakdown just to confirm the core funding to the Metis locals. Can I get a breakdown on what exactly the Metis councils are getting?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I have one question for the Minister with regard to the percentage of senior management or Aboriginal employees within the government sector. We are hearing that there is a different percentage in each department. Are we getting closer to representing the population that we serve with our government employees? I know there was some type of discussion, and with the time we have left in this government, are we moving the bar up a half percent or a percent or something where we can say yes, we’re getting closer to the number of representation by the population that we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, February 12, 2015, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on Thursday, February 12, 2015, it shall be adjourned until Monday, February 16, 2015;

And further, that any time prior to February 16, 2015, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may...

Yesterday I had an exchange with Mr. Premier about the different things we can do in our small communities. This morning I was talking to a resident in Tulita that said I finished Grade 7 but today I have a successful business in Tulita. That’s what I’m looking for in our schools. More of that type of leadership education in our schools where kids today can just do what they have to do to be successful, successful thinking in the schools. That’s where I’m looking.

Is that something the Minister is looking at in regard to education in the North?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. In my Member’s statement I talked about the quality of education in our small communities, especially with the fact of finding that our students are not at the same level as our southern students on their education.

I want to ask the Minister what he is doing to bring these numbers up so that we know that our students are getting a quality education and that they can bring the level up to a number that we can be proud of.

I’m thinking about the meeting we had last year in Sahtu when we talked about the implementation plan of the Sahtu Land Claim Agreement and some of the work that needed to yet be negotiated and worked on. Out of the number of activities, how many does the federal government yet need to complete? How long will it take for them to complete the implementation plan? I’m hearing that the territorial government is up to date on our implementation plan. I know some dates take a little longer than we anticipated, but what I’m hearing is that we’re okay.

I congratulate the Premier and the staff on the...