Kieron Testart

Earlier, in recognition of visitors in the gallery, the Minister made the comment that, "We are listening to you. We are listening to the students." The students today, I heard them loud and clear outside the building, "We don't want any more cuts to education. We want northern education."

What is the Minister doing to ensure that we have quality access to madeinthenorth education programs? If this program isn't working, Mr. Speaker, why are we cutting it instead of redesigning it so it can be successful?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that this has been a topic of hot debate and an almost consistent feature of question period, but I do want to ask the Minister of Education, just firmly on the record, if he can answer: why has Aurora College decided to discontinue the Social Work Diploma and the Teacher Education Program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Health replied to the Budget Address and spoke to some of the comments that my honourable friends have made over the past week and a half. It is clear, Mr. Speaker, that this is not the ideal budget for anyone on either side of the House, and we have not achieved consensus on this budgeting process.

What is equally clear is that there is some confusion over what both sides want to achieve with this. The goal is simple: the best possible budget that invests in Northerners and ensures that their future is a sound future and that they...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that the Chair leave and report progress.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Apart from encouraging students to work harder so they can graduate in greater numbers than before and reminding them that they can access Student Financial Assistance to go to programs down south, what is the Minister doing to help these students today who are not yet in the program but were looking forward to taking it? The high school students, the community access students, who wanted to pursue this in the future now may not have that opportunity. How are we helping them get education here in the Northwest Territories, in the programs that they have...

Would the Minister agree with me that, in light of the lack of a new strategic plan for Aurora College, where many of the longterm goals of the college are still undecided, it is unadvisable to cut crucial programs like social work and education at this time?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize all the students who have come out to join us today and watch our proceedings. They were out earlier raising their voices, which is an important part of democratic participation, and I commend them for that. I encourage them to never stop, and one day perhaps seek an office in this House. We always need more representation from our Northern population.

Also, I'd like to recognize my good friend Fran Page who is visiting the Northwest Territories from Ottawa. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to thank my honourable friend for his comments. I think he has done an excellent job of summarizing the concerns many of us have with the budget and areas that need improvement. I will just repeat a few of those.

The Regular Members have asked for $500,000 for youth-in-crisis funding and to support a mobile crisis intervention team to address our atrocious rates of suicide, and especially suicide affecting young people in our communities; another $500,000 in antipoverty funding to support our NGOs in delivering what I would say are essential services to our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for his response. I will just ask again because I really want to nail this down: will the Minister consider developing a future skills lab pilot? Then, perhaps, let's put it in Inuvik instead of his home riding so we can make use of that fibreoptic link and the college there. Will he commit to developing an Inuvikbased pilot for a future skills lab; that we can get this project rolling in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

I appreciate the Minister is open to the idea. How much time would it take to see something like this materialize? Are we talking about broadbased public consultation, the development of action plans and strategies, or could we put something like this to work within the end of the term, or is this something that is going to take years to start to see development?