Thank you, Mr. Chairman. All the wildlife studies that are done, for instance within the Inuvialuit region, would be done under the direction of the Inuvialuit Game Council. They have the management and wildlife responsibilities to oversee and request certain studies to be done and then, we generally provide the funding. Funding comes from the federal government to us. Then, the money sits there. It is for the Inuvialuit Game Council to tell us what the priority areas are and then, we work together with them.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just for clarification, it is this particular funding where they would identify what projects are priorities, and then, the department would, using this particular funding, carry out the project. Is that correct?

Yes.

Mr. Chairman, I do not recognize a quorum.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the main estimates we present for review today totals more than $303 million for operations, maintenance and capital. The presentation of the annual budget allows final approval of one year in a long-term planning process that includes the development of a three-year business plan and a five-year capital plan. The past few years have been ones of refocussing and reduction across government. In 1998-99, Education, Culture and Employment plans to concentrate its efforts in select areas to address the major challenges in the system.

In 1994, the department released its strategic plan. This plan is intended to guide the department's programs and services until the year 2010. While the general direction is still valuable, it is time to revisit the strategic plan to ensure it will help northerners reach their goals in education, culture and employment. Over the next year, the department will consult broadly with northerners and update the plan based on this consultation.

Accountability remains an issue for the school system. The department will soon release the first edition of a document called Towards Excellence, Northwest Territories Education Indicators Resource. This document will provide a profile of education from kindergarten to grade 12. It will use 31 sets of statistics, known as indicators, to help us track trends and changes in the system. Along with information from other sources, these indicators will provide the information we need to monitor and continue to improve the education system. The document the department will release is a baseline report that provides data for 1994-95. The next report, which will provide information for 1996-97, will be available later this year. We intend to release a report every two years from now on.

Enrolments in the school system continue to grow. The department is almost finished collecting enrolment numbers from schools for the 1997-98 school year. The preliminary results show an increase of about two percent. This is a NWT-wide overall increase. The enrolments of some individual schools have actually gone down. Student enrolments have been increasing for a number of years with only limited increases in funding. As a result, the size of classes, in most cases, has grown and teachers are feeling increased pressure.

For the 1998-99 year, we have carried out internal reallocations which will provide an additional $2 million to support kindergarten to grade 12. The increase will not reduce the pupil/teacher ratio but should allow us to maintain it at the 1997-98 level. Given the pressure on the K to 12 system, it will be important in future to carefully consider further investments to maintain or reduce the pupil/teacher ratio.

Despite the challenges, the number of students graduating from grade 12 has increased. In 1997, 295 students completed grade 12. This represents a graduation rate of 27 percent, an increase of two percent over the previous year. While the increase is modest, the trend is encouraging and we expect to see increasing numbers of young people completing grade 12.

The extension of high school programs in small communities has been very successful in encouraging students to stay in school. Education, Culture and Employment are working on a number of distance education initiatives to support the delivery of senior secondary programs in small schools. The department is also developing a distance learning policy which should be in place in the next fiscal year. This will open new opportunities for learners of all ages.

Preparing for the creation of two new territories is a major focus of the department's work. Education, Culture and Employment is cooperating on implementation of the Nunavut Unified Human Resources Development Strategy with the federal government, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Nunavut Implementation Training Committee and the Nunavut Implementation Commission.

While funding for this strategy is provided under a Vote 4 arrangement, the colleges, divisional education council staff, and departmental personnel, all participate in supporting the effort. In 1996-97, the strategy provided training for a total of 232 Inuit adults. It is anticipated that 300 to 400 students will enrol in training supported by the strategy in 1997-98. Education, Culture and Employment has prepared a report on the GNWT Inuit Employment Plan and copies will be made available to Members.

The NUHRDS strategy is funded over four years by the federal government to help reach the goal of a representative public service in the new Nunavut government. It will also help ensure that Inuit benefit from the employment opportunities in both the public and private sector that will result from the creation of Nunavut. The department will continue to offer support and work with our partners as we make the transition to two territories. The department is preparing a similar strategy for human resource planning and development for the western territory.

A good deal of the work the department is undertaking in the area of heritage also focuses on the creation of two territories. Staff of the culture and heritage division are currently developing criteria to divide artifact and archival collections. An assistant director of culture and heritage has been hired to make recommendations on the work necessary to prepare for division.

The mine training committee is another example of how the department is working with its partners to improve services. The members of this committee are aboriginal leaders and industry representatives. It was established last year to identify training opportunities for northerners and has already launched the Mine Trades Access Program, the first of a series of training initiatives. Forty northerners are currently enroled in the program, which is a collaborative effort between Aurora College and the Mine Training Committee. The department and the public colleges will continue to commit $300,000 to work with industry and aboriginal leaders to provide northerners with training opportunities in mining during the coming year.

Improving links with other post secondary institutions is essential for the north's new two public colleges. These agreements enable the colleges to offer more credit courses and allow students to transfer between institutions. Aurora College has more than 30 university transfer agreements with southern universities, while Nunavut Arctic College has more than 20 such agreements.

Accountability is important in adult and post secondary education, just as it is in the school system. Education, Culture and Employment have recently published a post secondary indicator document that will allow us to monitor the achievements of the public colleges. This document shows that our post secondary system has achieved some remarkable successes. Northerners are taking part in a wide variety of post secondary learning opportunities in ever increasing numbers. These indicators also show that the public college system has been successful in addressing equity issues, with increased enrolments of aboriginal people and women over the past few years.

Another key area for the department is Income Support. The department has been working on the broad components of a strategy designed to help those most in need. Improving the food allocation within the Income Support Program is part of this strategy. The food allocation has not changed since 1992, when it was increased by five percent. This change was based on the increases in the food price index for road access communities only. As a result, it fell short of the cost of the healthy food basket for off road communities. Given the increase in the cost of living in the past few years, the food allocation within Income Support has continued to fall behind in purchasing power.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has been working with the Bureau of Statistics to carry out a survey that will define the cost of a healthy food basket in each NWT community. The department expects that the results of the food price survey will be available by March, 1998. The department will then come forward with recommendations for changes to the food rates.

The Members of this Assembly are already familiar with the National Child Benefit and the NWT Child Benefit. The National Child Benefit is an initiative that the federal government will be carrying out in partnership with the territorial and provincial governments starting this July. This program is an important step in tackling child poverty, helping northerners move into and stay in the work force and helping build a better future for children and our society.

The department will soon be assuming an expanded role in the design and delivery of labour market development programs and services for the unemployed in the north, as we have concluded negotiations with Human Resources Development Canada. Members will remember that I made an announcement on Friday and signed an agreement with my federal counterpart to take over the activities linking our existing career development programs.

This has been a brief outline of some of the key activities of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. I will be happy to go through the main estimates in more detail with you now.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee was generally satisfied with the 1998-99 main estimates as presented by the department. The numbers complied with the figures contained in the business plan and a five-year capital plan already reviewed by the committee.

The committee made note of the following issues during its review of the 1998-99 Main Estimates of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

High School Extensions

The committee wishes to commend the department on the apparent success of this program. The committee encourages the department to improve the quality of distance learning opportunities for high school students in our smaller communities. The committee would appreciate the opportunity to examine student enrolment figures, as well as figures on the number of successful high school graduates since implementation of high school extensions to get an understanding of the true value of the program. The Minister has committed to supplying the number of high school graduates for the year in January.

Board and Community Aspirations

There is a concern that some board operations do not take into consideration the aspirations of some of the communities. We understand the Minister's position that in order to maintain the economies of scale at the board level the department cannot split every community into separate boards. The committee encourages the department to work with the people in their home communities to develop programs that are relevant to their wishes and to work with the boards to foster an understanding of the groups and communities in the jurisdiction.

Administration Costs

The committee was pleased with the department's response to our request to examine the administration costs at the board and department level. From all appearances, the department has done an exemplary job of keeping administration costs down. The committee would still like to examine these administration costs on a board by board basis.

Income Support Food Basket

Seniors' Fuel Subsidy

The committee was pleased that the department reinstated the Seniors' Fuel Subsidy Program. The committee believes that this is one program that the government receives fair value for its dollar. It is important that this subsidy continue.

National Child Benefit

The committee appreciated the department's briefing on this important new federal/territorial program. The committee strongly encourages the department and the territorial government to lobby the federal government to ensure that the National Child Benefit is permanent.

Student Financial Assistance

The committee appreciated being supplied with the report on the Ministerial Forum on the Student Financial Assistance. We look forward to the government's response and proposed course of action, as well as an opportunity to contribute.

Heavy Equipment Operators' Course, Fort Smith

The committee felt that with all the activity of diamond mining in the north, this course would be valuable in providing employment opportunities for northerners. The committee understands that the heavy equipment presently being used for training is old and outdated and encourages the department to work with the college and industry to address the problem.

Aurora College, Yellowknife Campus

The committee was not satisfied with the Minister's reasoning for the placement of the college in the Northern United Place. There is no place for student or staff parking, and the committee believes that the whole building does not provide a positive learning environment. The committee believes that the department missed an opportunity to create a permanent and positive learning environment with all the amenities in a separate, dedicated facility. The lack of public consultation on the renovation of the Northern United Place also disappointed the committee.

Health Children Initiative

There was some concern by the committee that the criteria for this program needs to be defined to ensure that those children who really need the program do not fall through the cracks in the system. The committee was pleased to hear that the department, in concert with Health and Social Services, is conducting a review of the program. The committee looks forward to being briefed on the results of the review and the department's plan to implement positive changes to the Healthy Children Initiative.

Legal Studies Program

The federal government is currently funding a program in Nunavut to train aboriginal lawyers. The committee encourages the department to work with other departments and stakeholders to develop this program in the western Northwest Territories.

Federal Training Programs

The department is encouraged to lobby the federal government to get the same benefits for the aboriginal people in the western Northwest Territories as are currently received in the east. Even though there is an established government in the future Western Territory, the level of aboriginal employment, particularly at the senior management level, remains out of proportion with the population this government purports to represent. A training program similar to the one in Nunavut might be useful in increasing aboriginal employment in government in the future Western Territory.

University, College Entrance Program

The department is encouraged to lobby the federal government for more funding under this program and to include eligibility for the Metis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, yes, please.