Mr. Chairman, it is difficult for me to envision how a community of 17,000 people can indicate it is their wish to have guaranteed aboriginal representation on a school board, unless you do that through a vote for the school board. Could the Minister provide me with some suggestions how this could be done?
Debates of March 2nd, 1998
Topics
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1247
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1247
The Chair John Ningark
Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1247
Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, technically, all that is required is a petition with 50 signatures on it for a request like that to be made to the Minister. However, there would have to be a clear expression at the community level of the acceptance of the change that was requested for me to agree to it. There is no clear process that would indicate the nature of my response to the request. I answered the Member from Thebacha a couple of days ago, in a small community, 50 names on a petition indicate a fair level of community support. In a community the size of Fort Smith, or larger, 50 names would certainly not be seen as indicating a broad level of community support. You would have to look for other ways to find that. Outside of that approach, there is currently no option that I am aware of. The Education Act limits the changing of the governance structures in education to this method.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1247
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Educational development. Mr. Erasmus.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1247
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Thank you. Mr. Chairman, would the Minister say there was a petition with 500 signatures in Yellowknife? Would that indicate some level of comfort for the community support that is warranted?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1247
The Chair John Ningark
Thank you. Mr. Minister.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. A petition of that size would certainly start the process in this community, but if the community is, in fact, more than 17,000 in population, it is going to take a sizable number to institute a change. There would have to be some process of consultation that would demonstrate to us this was something the community was in favour of.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Would the Department of Education staff undertake this consultation?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The department would facilitate local discussion, but it is not the responsibility of the department to lead the discussion.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Minister indicated 500 signatures, for instance, would start the process. What would happen after that, the process? You get 500 signatures, what occurs next?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To be honest, Mr. Chairman, I do not know. I would have to determine at the time I receive the petition what would be appropriate to suggest as a course of action from that point.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Mr. Chairman, would you require a separate petition for each school board, one with 500 signatures for the Catholic school board and one of 500 signatures for the public school board? Could you have one petition that would suffice for both?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would probably have to get some legal advice based on the act, to ascertain whether or not it would require one or two in Yellowknife.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The other area I wanted to ask questions about was the Dene Kede curriculum where teachers are expected to develop their own materials. I do not understand when they have time to do this. I am sure there are all varying degrees of capabilities as well as education. They are paid to develop a curriculum. Why are we making teachers develop their own curriculum and using these guidelines? Should not the department be doing this?
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the curriculum is a framework document that a teacher can use to put together their day plan. It does not say, here is what you say to start the class or here is how exactly your classroom should be structured. It provides the teacher with a guideline for what is supposed to be achieved by the students over the course of study. It is then up to the teacher to come up with the day plans to achieve what is set out in the curriculum.
The teaching and learning centres can be used to provide resources to achieve the plans that are made by the teacher. It still comes down to an individual teacher to put together what is required in the classroom.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1248
The Chair Vince Steen
Thank you, Mr. Minister. For the record, the committee is considering Bill 8, Appropriation Act 1998-1999; Department of Education, Culture and Employment; activity summary, educational development, page 9-11; operations and maintenance, total operations and maintenance, $158.180 million. I have Mr. Krutko and Mr. O'Brien. Mr. Krutko.
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
March 2nd, 1998
Page 1248
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My question to the Minister is in regard to the whole area of developing skills in the school system. Students in school can also have an opportunity to not only learn the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, but also hand skills in regard to developing sewing and mechanical skills by working with small engine mechanics, wood skills of carpentry, et cetera, while they are still attending school and then off into high school. When they have the choice of what they want to become later on in life, at least they can have some basic skills of how to take a motor apart or how to build a boat and also be able to sew. Those skills would be with them for the rest of their lives. A lot of people will not finish high school. At least this gives them the ability to go out there and find a job, either starting off as a labourer, but also knowing that they are able to take on these things. I would like to ask the Minister, why is it there are differences between smaller communities and the larger centres, when it comes to delivering such programs within the curriculum of the education systems, especially in the north? Why is there a difference? Why is everybody not treated the same when it comes to delivery of educational programs, especially when it comes to mechanical programs in the schools such as workshops and whatever?