Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled, Meeting of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers of Aboriginal Affairs and Leaders of the National Aboriginal Organizations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tabling of documents. Mr. Arlooktoo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table a document entitled, Information Package on Federal Proposal for Reform of Young Offenders System. Thank you.

Thank you. Tabling of documents, Mr. Roland.

Tabling of documents. Mr. Henry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a package of 19 letters from UNW members in my constituency, expressing their concerns with the pay equity issues and Hay Plan classification system impasse with the GNWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Tabling of documents. Mr. Rabesca.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table a package of 14 letters, signed by my constituents in the Dogrib region. Mr. Speaker, these letters urge this Legislative Assembly to ensure adequate funding is available for schools and education, which is a top priority with this Assembly. Thank you.

Thank you. Tabling of documents. In accordance with section 34(1) of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council, I wish to table the report of the payments and indemnities allowance and expenses to Members of the 13th Legislative Assembly for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998.

--Applause

Item 14, notices of motion. Mr. Ootes.

Thank you. Notices of motion. Item 15, notices of motions for first reading of bills. We will take a 15-minute break.

--Break

The House will come back to order. We are on Item 16, motions. Motion 18-13(5). Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to read the following motion.

WHEREAS the Northwest Territories has the highest student/teacher ratio in Canada; and

WHEREAS the teachers in the Northwest Territories are facing increasing challenges, including diverse and multi-grade classes with fewer and inadequate resources; and

WHEREAS nearly one half of the students in the Northwest Territories require specific supports in the classroom, and approximately half of these students receive them; and

WHEREAS the majority of Northwest Territories students who participated in the national School Achievements Indicators Programs tests ranked below an acceptable level in most areas; and

WHEREAS there are 18,000 adults in the Northwest Territories who can be classified as illiterate or semi-illiterate; and WHEREAS most communities in the Northwest Territories do not have stable funding for adult basic education with only 35 Northwest Territories communities having permanent adult educators; and

WHEREAS adult basic education includes academic upgrading, pre-employment training and personal skill development; and

WHEREAS alternative delivery approaches, supports for students, community involvement and accredited programs are necessary to achieve success in adult education; and

WHEREAS most jurisdictions have been revising their curricula to place more emphasis on the core subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics and science; to return to more objective criteria and expectations; and to return to more traditional teaching methods; and

WHEREAS about 45 percent of new jobs created in this decade will require a minimum of 16 years of education; and

WHEREAS the Northwest Territories high school graduation rate is only 25 percent of enrolment, while the national average is 68 percent.

NOW THEREFORE, I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Iqaluit that the Legislative Assembly strongly recommends the Executive Council increase base funding to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in the 1998/1999 fiscal year with a minimum of the 6 percent reduction that occurred over the past two years. Thank you.

The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. Erasmus.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Clearly the motion outlines many of the problems we face here today and actually the motion needs very little to say in addition to the facts that are related here except to point out that while our population is increasing the fastest in Canada in terms of children being born in the Northwest Territories which is adding to an increasing need for resources in the education area, our dollars have shrunk and we are now trying to keep it stable but in the past they have shrunk. We have increased our student/teacher ratio to the highest in Canada. As well, we have the most poorly educated adults in Canada and this has to change, Mr. Speaker. I will be asking for a recorded vote at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you. To the motion. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, motions are just recommendations of the Ordinary Members to Cabinet. Motions are not binding or written in stone. I wrote the Minister of FMBS on Friday, and it could be seen as illusionary because they are only recommendations made by this Ordinary Caucus to the government. I should go back and review some of the motions that we have had an opportunity to discuss, in this House, which have had some impact. Specifically, I am thinking about the motion on disclosure that was moved by myself and seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Ootes. The motion on disclosure has now resulted in the tabling of sole- sourced negotiated contracts and salaries. We also had a motion on the seniors' fuel subsidy that was introduced by ...

Mr. Picco, I would like you to speak to the motion, please. To the motion. Mr. Picco.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am trying to speak to the motion. I am just saying that the motions or explain the motions. Mr. Speaker, I will continue with the motion on education because I think education is seen as a priority of this Assembly and the Chairman of the Financial Management Board Secretariat indicated in our debate on education that if the Legislative Assembly itself saw education as a priority, then they would follow the lead of the Assembly. If we pass this motion, and I am again saying that it is a recommendation because nothing can be written in stone. We cannot add to the budget. We can only take away. I would ask that the Executive Council, the Premier and his Cabinet take this motion seriously and look at rebating the Department of Education so that our educators, parents, teachers and students will have something to look forward to in this fiscal year and the next. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

To the motion. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you. To the motion. Mr. Steen.