Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The amount of 60 days was agreed to be a reasonable amount of notice for the employer to advise the employee of the intent to transfer. What it does, also, is allow the teacher the option of resigning if they choose not to accept the transfer. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to make the comment that it does seem to be difficult. At times, the boards feel it is a detriment to the ability to adjust staffing, particularly with this time frame. But, I'm sure if the act allows the boards to have as much authority as it appears to, they may be able to address this at a later time. Is that possible? Thank you.

Yes, that's the case, with the exception that there has to be some consideration for the teachers, in terms of notices that are given. The intent was to make sure that both parties were cognizant of fair practice and this was one way of making sure that occurred. There may be an adjustment by the boards, but not necessarily downwards. Mutual agreement is the other way. Thank you.

Question.

The amount of 60 days is enough time for teachers to be given notice, speaking from experience. That's my comment. Thank you.

I would like some clarification on section 62.(3). Can someone clarify the intent of this clause for me, and what happens at the end of five years?

Can I ask Ms. Gail Joyce to respond, please.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Section 62.(3) means that if and when this act comes into force, five years from that date, the individuals will continue to be paid at their rate of classroom assistant that they had been paid.

Is it the intent of clause 62 to remove the terms "classroom assistants?" Is that the intent of this clause, and are they going to then be called education assistants?

That's the correct interpretation, Mr. Chairman.

I just want to make a comment. Classroom assistants, as we know them now, are quite useful participants in the education system. Many of them are ones now involved in the TEP program or who are looking at the TEP program somewhere down the line. My concern is that we're not using this clause to eliminate these types of people from the system. You can call them something else, that's fine, but I just wanted to ensure that we still have the equivalent of classroom assistants. Not everyone who enters the TEP program is going to pass, and they still have a lot of experience and provide a lot of value to the system. So, we should have a provision to employ these people. I'm hoping that's what we're doing here.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We agree. It's just a title change. It is our hope that those who are education assistants will move to become full-time teachers because they know the communities and, in most cases, they are aboriginal people as well. Thank you.