Thank you. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think that there's no one particular definition of special needs.

The honourable Member has just pointed out that in circumstances, depending on what they are, the basis by which we provide special needs education is addressed in dealing with the individual. What is occurring, Madam Speaker, is that the education system is intended to enhance the learning of all students. The integration or inclusion of students in regular classrooms has, in fact, allowed us to ensure that all students' educational needs are addressed.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Supplementary, Madam Speaker, for the same Minister. The Minister has said that there is no one definition of special needs, so it will be difficult to deal with this issue here. We have now boards of education that are required to deal with special needs. I would like to ask the Minister, how are the boards of education dealing with special needs issues if there is no one definition for it. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

It's too bad, Madam Speaker, that people don't pay attention to the issues and the individuals, because what you have is situations where there are hearing impaired, where you have handicapped situations, where you have fetal alcohol syndrome. These are all different circumstances that require different ways to address specific needs. However, there's also a broader general issue of providing educational programs to all students. So what we have to look at in providing services is how we develop educational programs as a collective. We provide education funding for each individual, plus we provide special needs additional funding to address specific educational requirements. What has happened in the past is that everyone has addressed only the special needs funding and not all educational funding that is identified for the student him or herself.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Antoine.

Thank you. I would like to ask the Minister a final question. Are all boards of education required to use the same definition of special needs? Thank you.

Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. All boards are required to utilize the inclusive student policy, but each individual has to be addressed in terms of their needs.

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Culture and Employment, further on defining special needs students. Madam Speaker, I understand that in attempting to categorize students with special needs for the purposes of budgeting, those students requiring the most support were referred to as "level I needs." However, Madam Speaker, I understand the use of that term has now been discontinued. My question to the Minister is, could he explain why the department no longer uses this method of categorization. Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Madam Speaker, maybe it was because there was a situation where people were creating an impression among themselves, among peers where people needed additional support and were being categorized and separated from their peers, from their families in some cases, to a point to the detriment of their education. It's our view, at least from an educational perspective, that all children can learn. If the honourable Member wants us to go back to his old definition of separating children, then I'll certainly consider that recommendation.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Madam Speaker, with respect to the honourable Minister, I did not ask him why they're weren't going back to a former system, I asked him simply if he could explain why that method was no longer used.

My supplementary, Madam Speaker, is that I understand that it's perhaps undesirable to label students, but my supplementary, Madam Speaker, is I suggest that in order to identify the financial resources required there must be a way to somehow identify the students who need special assistance, especially those students who will require a great deal of attention and financial resources. So I would like to ask the Minister if categories are no longer used, then how does the Minister and his department determine the number of special needs students in developing appropriate budget estimates? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. What has occurred is that the department has completed a substantive assessment report for every region and every school across the Northwest Territories. It includes those that need the most support, those that need the least support. It includes the issue of whether or not it's alcohol related and whether or not it's other matters that have affected that individual. Special needs also must be considered in the context of sexual abuse and family abuse. Those are the kinds of considerations that have to be made. The report has been provided to me, and the basis upon which we are now considering the assessment is on that information.

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm pleased to hear that the department has done a community-by-community, school-by-school assessment of the costs of the needs of each student in that jurisdiction. What I would now like to ask the Minister, Madam Speaker, is now that this information is in hand, does the department have a method to provide specific funding for the boards of education and each school in their jurisdiction, based on the information and the database they have about the number of special needs students the department must provide support to? Thank you.

Minister of Education, Mr. Nerysoo.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. We are still using the per capita formula arrangement. Also, if you review the formula, there is consideration for those who require additional support. That is all presently part of the formula. What I can say to the honourable Member is that my colleagues have reviewed the whole issue and are in favour of addressing future needs.

Thank you. Final supplementary, Mr. Patterson.