Sheryl Yakeleya

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next question is, when will the Minister present a clear and concrete plan for delivering continuing transitional education in our communities, including in-person adult learning options, to replace the services lost with the shutdown of the community learning centres? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I want to begin by stating that there are measures in this budget I support. It directs resources to shelters, health capacity, and wildfire readiness. Funding for emergency shelters will receive significant boosts. A homeless division is being created within Housing NWT. There is new funding for the Yellowknife Day Shelter and Sobering Centre. These are steps in the right direction, but while I support these priorities my constituents expect clarity on how these investments will benefit small communities, not only the regional centres.

In my riding, Mr. Speaker, communities...

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for that. Can the Minister provide updated information on how effective the online upgrading model has been for learners in the Deh Cho riding, and does the Minister consider these outcomes successful when compared to past enrolment levels in the region? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Given the closures of all 19 community learning centres in early 2025 and the ongoing gaps this has created, will the Minister commit to developing a renewed and community-based approach to support adult learners, particularly in small communities most affected by these closures? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the closure of our community learning centres has left a significant gap in accessible education support across our communities. It is time we work toward re-establishing these essential spaces, this time in partnership with other institutions and under a more supportive and encouraging name - continuing transitional education.

Adult education remains critical in our small communities where graduation rates continue to lag behind the rest of the Northwest Territories. The most recent six-year graduation statistics for 2024 highlight an ongoing and deeply concerning trend. The...

Okay. I, like my colleague, too am concerned about how many incarceration rates we have in our communities. I go to a court hearing, and it's standing room only in the small communities, our Indigenous people. And we had something years ago called the Dene Laws. And I used to be a community justice worker way back, and I used to say that if we followed the Dene Laws we didn't need a justice system because we would be governing -- or we would be organizing our own selves and following those laws, the principles of the laws. But that's not the case. So is there room, or is there something that...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Given that ongoing access to health care that is safe, reliable, and equitable is a top priority for the Minister for this government for the Northwest Territories health and social services system, will the Minister commit to engaging directly with community governments, Indigenous leadership, and local home care teams, to determine whether an after hours home support model aligns with community needs, cultural expectations, and existing capacities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Okay, thank you. Thank you for that. You said there was 118. My colleague from Monfwi was asking -- you said there was 141 incarcerated. 18 or something and 116 are remand? 18 are -- thank you, Mr. Chair.