Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too am going to join in on the question regarding the DEAs in this Fort Simpson and the DDC in the -- DDEC in the region, Mr. Speaker. So for those listening, Mr. Speaker, just to clarify, of course, this problem applies equally across the NWT to all elected authorities and councils, so it isn't just a Fort Simpson issue. It's a Yellowknife issue. It's a Smith issue. It's a Tu Nedhe issue. It's a territory issue.
So, Mr. Speaker, my question here, to be very focused here, is strictly built around this simple premise and clarification that's needed. The elected officials and the community are telling me they feel like a puppet advisory board and feel they are not in charge of their one employee and, as such, there's great confusion. So in other words, this is leaving everyone wondering are they a management board or an advisory board which ultimately is run and controlled by ECE. Would the Minister clarify what the elected people for the people on these boards is really doing there? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our district education authorities and our district education councils do have a governance role. Within the Northwest Territories, we do have a decentralized system. The governance roles within those boards are setting mission, vision, goals, objectives, developing and reviewing policies, procedures, providing guidance and direction to administration, developing strategic plans, monitoring and evaluating implementation plans and procedures, allocating funds and resources, training members, ensuring effective risk management policies are in place, making sure federal/territorial/municipal laws are followed, hire supervisors and evaluates the superintendent. That's the role of the DECs. And there is quite a lengthy manual that does review roles, responsibilities, of these DECs and DEAs, and yes, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, governance roles is not necessarily authority roles. So my question now is can ECE, or is it the superintendent, dissolve the boards when they don't like what they want to hear or don't like what the ECE -- sorry, DEC or other types of councils and advisory board want to say to them? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, superintendents do not have the authority to dissolve a DEA or a DEC. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Mr. Speaker, I have heard from words in the community, so I'm going to thread this needle carefully of course, that there's concerns that they -- the board may be dissolved or the authority may be dissolved based on the fact that they don't like the position the board has taken.
Mr. Speaker, is the department putting pressure through the superintendent with this particular position, and if the board wanted to address the superintendent, who is really in charge; is it ECE, or is it the board? Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was two questions there. So to the first question, the answer is no.
To the second question who is in charge, so the DEC has the responsibility of hiring and selecting and working with the superintendent. And within the legislation, there is also a concert and it works in concert with our Public Service Act and the collective agreement under the NWTTA. So that's an important thing to consider there as well, is that there are considerations under that too. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
