Norman Yakeleya

Thank you. I’ll meet with the chief later on and have more discussions on their wish for a new school.

My questions are going to be all on the education in the Sahtu. So, I’m finally getting to see our schools moving into the 21st century with the fully function of running water and toilets. Yesterday I addressed the needs assessment and we’re showing there’s a great need for these programs in our region. Also, I understand there is a feasibility study underway in regards to a Sahtu tech, preparing our students for the labour force.

Based on the needs of a Sahtu technical institution, is that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have the surprise and pleasure of recognizing the chief from Deline, Leonard Kenny, and also the chief self-government builder, Danny Gaudet, to the Assembly. I also recognize, I think I see Chief Eddie Sangris from Detah. He’s not my constituent, but it’s also my recognition to him. I’m not too sure of the third fellow in between Leonard and Danny, so I’d like to also recognize an unknown name at this time.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this month educators around the world celebrated Teachers’ Day on October 4th. That’s the most honourable job ever held in any position by our people.

Today I rise in the House to discuss the status of education in the Northwest Territories. As our Assembly of First Nations National Chief Sean Atleo said, “Education is detrimental to social and economic health and creates key links to our other priorities, governing capacities and sustainable economic development.” Two large areas, Mr. Speaker. One I think we’re doing very well within the Sahtu; the second we’re...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This road from Inuvik to Tuk certainly has some national significance. The Member spoke about the support for this road. We’re talking about the request before us. The people up in the Beaufort-Delta certainly did their part with regard to grabbing the federal government’s attention to see this road get started. Today I should talk about building this road.

The federal government, you know, dropped a few million into our pockets to get it going and made arrangements. No small, easy task, considering how difficult at times it is for our government to get funding from the...

Thank you. My questions on the education of the Sahtu people, we have students going out of jurisdictions for long periods of time, out of our communities. We have a great need for seeing a Sahtu tech in our region. So my third question, I understand from the information I got from the department, impressive facts, that we have 30 students from our Sahtu communities attending the Thebacha Campus in Fort Smith. In total, we have 79 students attending some form of college programs in the Northwest Territories. In regard to our students at Aurora College in Fort Smith, yesterday I was shocked to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s a saying in Quebec, a child without an education is like a bird without wings. I’m glad to report that the staff and students at the Colville Lake School now have running water and fully functioning bathrooms.

---Applause

Since October 10th. That’s 18 days ago. Can the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment tell me that since the community has been asking for a brand new school in their community, can the Minister update the House as to where that issue is at with the community of Colville Lake? I had a meeting this morning with Chief Alvin Orlias and the...

Thank you, colleagues. Education is important because, for example, in Deline the first-ever community self-government is a reality. It means it is now our responsibility to succeed. Yes, we can succeed, providing the changes to education in this government do happen and it happens with our people’s consent. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you. It’s clear to me and certainly I’m going to lend my support to this supplementary. We know that the challenges have to be given special consideration and some of the issues that we have to work with in our small communities. I have no more issues on this one.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to ask the Minister, with regards to Junior Kindergarten and the work that needs to be done in some of the educational facilities in the communities. Just hearing from Ms. Bisaro and the response back from the Minister and the Education Minister, are these works and are these some of the special situations we run into when we want to implement infrastructure to support programs and services, something not present but we have done to help the community to implement a program and sometimes it doesn’t work, sometimes according to text and I believe there is some grey...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently in the Sahtu a couple of students couldn’t make it into the Trades Entrance Program because they couldn’t qualify. These are recent Grade 12 graduates, students that we graduated last year. We give them a huge celebration, the communities celebrated along with them, but when they came to write the Trades Entrance Program they didn’t pass. The Trades Entrance Program is 70 percent. These are students who were failed today.

I want to ask the Minister, why are we failing these graduates who want to get into a Trades Entrance Program, a career, to aspire to the...