Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are going to be to the Minister of education and just get an update with respect to how the polytech is evolving.
Recently, in the news, Mr. University, we saw the announcement of the Nunavut University. I also read in the news about the Manitoba Institute of Technology losing almost 50 percent of foreign students and, hence, they have to shutter their polytech. And, lastly, Mr. Speaker, I should point out that the Polytech Institute in northern Canada became a polytech within months of planning.
So I guess watching the online transitional tracker, progress tracker -- some days I swear it's going backwards -- can the Minister give us an update as to what's taking so long and does it have enough funding to complete the work that we need done? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in December of 2025, Aurora College, as part of one of its major milestones, welcomed the CAQC Council to the Northwest Territories. This council is made up of academics and persons from other polytechnics who have been experienced in transitions of colleges into polytechnic universities, and they came up to do their work with Aurora College. And that work is currently underway. They were provided some follow-up items from the council, and we're expecting to hear more publicly about that in the spring this year. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ever so briefly, in a sentence, I mentioned the Manitoba one because they were no longer relevant in the sense of participation and money, that they had to ask themselves do they need to exist, and my concern is Fort Smith could be on the ropes if we don't find ways to have them evolve. And hence this falls rightly into my next question was, without this legislation moving forward, Mr. Speaker, that town is at risk. So where is the legislation for the polytech; why can't we work on this concurrently? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is currently working on the legislation at the same time that the college is working through the CAQC accreditation process. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my last question really is focused around the North Slave now. Where would the campus be? Is there any actual planning or identification of where the North Slave campus would be located and what type of partners they'd be working with? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, within my jurisdiction as Minister, I provide authority for the college to open campuses in certain communities in the Northwest Territories. So through my role, there is a designation of Yellowknife as a campus location. The board of governors is working on further details as to where and what and when that work happens as far as a North Slave campus. I can report to the House, as has been reported in multiple media outlets as well, that the board of governors is currently very hard at work on a North Slave campus and what those options might be. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
