Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, in my Member’s statement, I spoke about daycare programs in Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution. I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

According to the department’s website, the department put out a document called Framework for Action: Early Childhood Development in May 2001. Can the Minister tell me if the department has released anything more recently on childhood development?

Mr. Chairman, I wish to move that we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, just a follow-up on my last question again. I had asked about the money for home care and the Minister indicated that was under primary care. There’s, like, half a million dollar there to do all the functions under primary care. I just wanted to confirm that home care, along with all those things listed, come out of primary care.

That’s correct, sir.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Through this Building Our Future committee can the Minister commit resources or have the committee commit resources to the district education authorities in communities where absentee rates are the highest? I’m talking about resources so these people can maybe hire someone to help the parents get their kids to school.

The absenteeism rates may be coming down a bit across the Territories, but absenteeism rates in Tu Nedhe are still fairly high; higher than the average. Will the Minister agree to look at the possibility of hiring parent support workers in some of these smaller communities where absenteeism rates are the highest? Perhaps part of the Building Our Future since this problem impacts the social programs departments.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, the students between grades 1 and 9 in the Northwest Territories, in small, aboriginal communities are missing a lot of school. Right now, about 20 percent, or 900 students across the Territory, aboriginal students, are missing 20 percent of the classes and 500 of those 900 are operating below grade level. Forty percent of those aboriginal students are missing… I’m sorry. Two hundred and eighty students, or 40 percent are missing more than 40 percent of their class and 80 percent of them are functioning below grade level...

No, no more questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have one quick question in the area of health and social services authorities, agency administration and there’s an increase of about $760,000. I’m wondering if that’s the area that home care comes out of and if that’s an increase to home care. Thank you.

The Minister sits on the Building Our Future strategic committee along with the Minister of Health and Social Services and the Premier. These are two important positions dealing with our social issues across the Territories. Would the Minister ensure that this item is a standing item on the agenda for this committee? The item I am referring to again is the absenteeism rates in small aboriginal communities.