Robert Villeneuve

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am just going back to some points that the Minister had made during some questions on his opening remarks on this education budget. The Minister had noted that the level of the number of students that have been enrolled in high schools in the NWT has declined over the past few years. I am wondering if the Minister can elaborate a little more on that in the context of are these students…I don’t see an enrolment change per se or a drop in population, but is the Minister aware that perhaps a significant number of families are now considering sending their students who...

Madam Chair, I thank the Minister for his passion in this topic.

---Laughter

Moving on to page 3 of the statement, I'm just wondering if the Minister could just give me a short briefing on what the department is talking about when they want to expand student assessment activities in relation to the aboriginal languages and culture-based directive.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I thank the Minister and his colleagues for meeting with us today. I just have a couple questions with regard to the opening remarks by the Minister in the new program reductions and reinvestment in key areas. I was pretty sure that Mr. Delorey had stole my notes somehow, because he pretty much asked most of the questions that I was going to present, so I guess it's going to be pretty short. Again I can't stress any more than a lot of my colleagues who have already stressed the importance of the early childhood development initiative as far as development kids in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m just wondering if this government is going to develop any plans that would address the levels of compensation and benefits of residents, some of whom would be more directly affected than others by this hydro project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my previous statements I spoke about the seniors of the NWT and their ever-increasing role of importance in the success of many of the various programs and services of this government and of the many benefits to our society. Today, Mr. Speaker, I will speak for persons on the other end of the spectrum who cannot hear their concerns in this House yet.

Mr. Speaker, today I’d like to speak about our children and the three-year early childhood development framework for action funding which comes to an end March 31, 2004. Mr. Speaker, during the past few months I have...

I have no further questions, Mr. Chairman. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have one more issue with the education and culture. I just wanted to touch on a subject that I’m sure we’ve all had questions about and we’re all familiar with. That has to do with sex education in our school systems. Just noting that, I know that people and students that are well educated in sex, and the outcome of irresponsible sexual behaviour would make more informed decisions with respect to the actions they take and some informed decisions in modifying their sexual practices. It would help alleviate a lot of problems we have with combating STDs and other...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That sounds okay to me. It sounds like the Minister is willing to keep it under consideration for further discussion.

Just getting back to some of the increase in some program funding, the increase in the student financial assistance and the income support program, I am curious as to the levels of increase that these programs are going to be receiving. What percentage of those increases are actually going to be going to the students and what percentage is going to just administration of the program delivery?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On another point, the question of students being sent to southern institutions to be more academically challenged with their curriculum, I wonder if the Department of Education has considered the development of some type of a multilateral strategy that includes the government, industry, the federal government and any private input from individuals or families into some kind of an education fund that would assist a lot of academically challenged students from the NWT to go to institutions which will challenge them academically, intellectually, socially and mentally so...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just moving on to the issues of colleges, there is the Aurora College system with expenditures of $28 million within the next year and it does have some primary responsibilities of basic education and training. I am just wondering what proportion, if any, of that expenditure is going to be directed to the development and the accreditation of a lot of the instructors that are in our northern college system -- and no disrespect here -- which do have the expertise in the fields they are instructing in, but really don’t have any education experience in educating. I am...