This is page numbers 71 - 108 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was students.

Topics

Members Present

Honourable Roger Allen, Honourable Jim Antoine, Mr. Bell, Mr. Braden, Mr. Delorey, Mr. Dent, Honourable Jane Groenewegen, Honourable Joe Handley, Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Krutko, Mr. Lafferty, Ms. Lee, Mr. McLeod, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. Nitah, Honourable Jake Ootes, Mr. Roland, Honourable Vince Steen, Honourable Tony Whitford.

Oh God, may your spirit and guidance be in us as we work for the benefit of all our people, for justice in our land and for constant recognition of the dignity and aspirations of those whom we serve. Amen.

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

Page 71

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Good morning, everyone. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Jake Ootes.

Jake Ootes

Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, later today, I will table a document entitled Towards Excellence: A Report on Education in the NWT.

The document presents statistical data that indicates how well students from kindergarten to grade 12 are progressing through the education system. This is the third time that such a report, often referred to by educators as the "indicators document", has been published in the Northwest Territories.

But the report I am tabling today is the first such report that deals exclusively with data from the new Northwest Territories. The information contained in this report will allow parents and the public to access tools often used by educators and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to evaluate the success of the current programs.

It provides a basis for comparison from year to year. This information gives a clear indication of the strengths of the educational system and the areas where improvement is needed. Towards Excellence reveals that there is much to be proud of in our education system.

For example, the number of students who graduate from high school in the Northwest Territories is on the rise. School participation rates are up and more than 90 percent of the students currently in the education system now have access to senior secondary schooling in their home community. The overall education level of Northwest Territories' residents has risen.

But there is work to be done in attracting aboriginal students to the teaching profession. We need more aboriginal teachers to serve as role models in their communities and to help in preserving language and culture. And we need to ensure that all students, regardless of where they live, have access to a variety of quality program offerings in their senior secondary years.

Mr. Speaker, our government is accountable to the people it serves for the programs it delivers. By presenting an accurate picture of our education system, Towards Excellence provides a framework for accountability.

The information in the report will form the basis for reflection and discussion about the school system. At the same time, it will guide the work of planning an education system that works for all of us.

Mr. Speaker, Towards Excellence is not only a snapshot of where we are, it helps us set realistic goals for our education system and for our students. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to talk today about student financial assistance, as this is something that is near and dear to my heart. I have raised this issue in this House before.

As many of my colleagues know, I attended high school in Yellowknife and went on to university in the south. I have to say that the student financial assistance, from an administrative point of view, has certainly improved. I remember the first time I applied for student financial assistance, I had great difficulty. It was very confusing. I believe things have improved.

But as I mentioned previously in this House, unfortunately, tuitions at southern institutions have doubled, and sometimes tripled, over the last 10 years. The rates for student financial assistance in the Northwest Territories are the same as they were when I was going to school. This is no longer acceptable. We do not have a positive situation when we are expecting kids to make do with less.

We can all agree the current situation is unacceptable. We have in front of us the government rolling out some new legislation which proposes to make changes to student financial assistance. It looks very good on the surface. But I am hoping we can dig more deeply here today and discover exactly what this government is rolling out. I know the former government was presented with a couple of different approaches, and they chose to support a different approach than this government is currently bringing before it. I would like to discuss the two different approaches, see which was the more equitable of the approaches, and see if we cannot talk about that.

I know we sometimes choose to support things we think we can find the political support for. But I think that is just a euphemism for the road of least resistance. I really do not think that is in the best interest of students of the Northwest Territories. I am going to be asking the Minister responsible for Education some questions about this later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our most important resource is our people. We have huge potential in our residents, but Northerners can only reach their full potential with good access to education. An important part of that access is student financial assistance.

Mr. Speaker, since becoming a Member of the Legislative Assembly in 1991, I have probably had more calls to my office about student financial assistance than any other single issue. Of course, that may be due to the time I spent as the Minister responsible for Education. But even as an Ordinary Member, I have found student financial assistance to be a large concern amongst my constituents. It was a significant concern expressed during the last election campaign.

Over the last eight years, I have heard progressively fewer complaints about the operation of the program, and more complaints about the amount of money provided by the program. I know the administration has improved. I think the responsiveness has improved. The speed at which cheques are issued is dramatically faster. But the level of funding has not changed in nearly eight years.

Everyone I have talked with understands that we most likely have the most generous program in Canada. But in the past eight years, inflation has eaten away at its value. The federal government has nearly abandoned support for post-secondary education in Canada by slashing CHST funding, which has left universities and colleges scrambling to survive. This has driven the cost of tuition up, to three or four times what it was just five years ago.

If we want to foster success among northern students, our Student Financial Assistance Program needs to respond to the changes that have taken place in the rest of Canada.

I was pleased to hear the Minister was planning to put forward changes to student financial assistance that would put more money into the hands of students. I tried, when I was Minister, to make changes to the program that would do just that, but could never achieve consensus on how it should be done.

Mr. Speaker, unless more money is put into the budget for the program, changes only move money around. It may look somewhat different, but if we all use the same amount of money currently budgeted for student financial assistance, that means if some students are getting more money, it is coming from other students.

Mr. Speaker, the problem has always been where to get new money from? What program should it be taken from? Members in this House could never agree to shift money from another program so student financial assistance could be increased.

I sincerely hope that is what the Minister is now proposing. I, for one, am prepared to discuss cuts in another area to get more money into the Student Financial Assistance Program. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

The Member for Frame Lake is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Dent, you have unanimous consent.

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, honourable colleagues. Mr. Speaker, as I have said, I, for one, am prepared to discuss cuts in another area to get more money into the Student Financial Assistance Program. And to make sure we improve the program without creating winners and losers.

Our students face enough challenges without creating class divisions among them. Mr. Speaker, let us do the right thing and give more money to our students. Let us give them the tools, and challenge them to concentrate on being successful. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lakes, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will also be following up on the statement on student financial assistance. Mr. Speaker, there has been a push for changes in this program for quite some time from organizations and aboriginal groups outside of the department to try to make it more flexible.

As we have heard, we have one of the best programs in the country. We also have one of the highest costs, with travelling back and forth. We also have one of the lowest, qualified groups in terms of grade levels of aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories. I believe that is why the program was designed, to try and support them through the system.

Mr. Speaker, part of what this program is doing right now is causing division among aboriginal groups in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I speak for the Inuvialuit in this situation. Many of the Inuvialuit students have gone south to school, qualified for the program, received their degrees and diplomas, and are greeted with a nasty tax bill at the end of their course. Mr. Speaker, that kind of bill at the end of one's schooling, when they are looking for a job, can be devastating, especially when there was no preparation for it.

Right now, we know, because of the Indian Act, that Dene people are considered status and are tax-exempt from the grants of this government. But the Inuvialuit and the Metis of the Northwest Territories are not considered in the same light. We have to pay taxes on that. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister regarding this matter during question period. In light of the differences and proposed changes, it still continues to differentiate between aboriginal peoples of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to address the issue of student financial assistance. Money is very clearly a critical issue, but as in most government programs, money is not the only issue. There are structural and process issues that can also be changed and improved on. I would like to address some of the specific areas that I wish to discuss further with the Minister.

There is the issue of travel benefits. Right now, students have to go to a travel agent designated by the department. As a result of this lack of choice, the service to the students is not what it should be. There is no incentive for the travel agent to provide the best options possible.

Student financial assistance is a program that should be delivered in the communities, but is centralized completely in Yellowknife. There is no ability for the student financial assistance officers to contact or get to know the students. There is minimal linkage with career development people in the regions. I am going to suggest, as I already have to the Minister, that in fact student financial assistance officers should be relocated to the communities, out of the Yellowknife office and into Fort Smith, Inuvik and possibly Hay River. The large centres that have the majority of students, so they can work closely with their career development and really know the students.

We have a double standard when we deal with our students in Aurora College in the North and students going south. Student financial assistance money goes to Aurora College, whereas down south, the students get the money. They are treated as adults. Here, in the North, we for some reason treat students differently because of some bad experiences with non-payments of funds and fees. We treat all students as less than adults. That is not acceptable.

We have to look clearly at how we deal with disabled people and students. Right now, there is no way to deal with them. There is no access for them. Students who are disabled and have special needs have to go to various departments with their hat in their hand, trying to cobble together financial arrangements to go to school.

There are restrictions on sharing of information. Student financial assistance does not share lists of students with other departments so they can work with students to find employment. While we have these internal roadblocks, our graduating students are being recruited in southern jurisdictions. Teachers, nurses...Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Thebacha is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Miltenberger, you have unanimous consent.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, colleagues. In effect, by not having the systems in place to support our students, we often lose the benefit of the valuable investment we have made.

We also have in the Student Financial Assistance Program, an elaborate, administrative system that is set up to mainly keep track of and oversee the students. For example, students are given travel money for Christmas, and there is no flexibility. If they do not use it at Christmas, it has to go all the way to the Minister's desk to have a decision made, when in fact the Minister should be looking at other things, like finding $1 million for student summer employment, rather than deciding if a student can make different use of the travel money they have been authorized to spend.

We have no clear way to track success, Mr. Speaker. We have a comprehensive and detailed, relentless system to track failures and debt collection, but we do not have the same system in place to work with the students that are graduating. To work with industries to find them jobs. We have to look at ways to not leave students who fail out in the cold for three years. Is there a way to give them some bridging to get them that one semester they need to get back on their feet.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we have to work closely with our aboriginal partners to coordinate the funds they have with the funds we have. This is done by the people in the Dogrib region. By doing that, they are able to compound the benefit and effect of the money they spend. Mr. Speaker, we are not here simply asking for money. There are things this government can do to change and improve the system to make it more effective for all students. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk of something that is a rather urgent matter for my constituents. Earlier this week, I made a statement regarding the accident involving a tractor trailer on Highway No. 3 between Rae-Edzo and Yellowknife.

The results of the accident were two-fold: injuries to a person and damage to the environment. Although the driver was discharged from the hospital with minor injuries, the full impact of the environmental damages as a result of the spillage of approximately 20,000 litres of diesel fuel will not be known until the summer.

On Wednesday, the Minister of Transportation took my question about the cause of the accident as notice, stating that the issue is still under police investigation.

But yesterday, Mr. Speaker, one day after the accident, the Minister announced a change in the speed limit for trucks on the unconstructed portion of Highway No. 3 from 90 kilometres per hour to 70 kilometres per hour.

The timing of these two events is very curious, Mr. Speaker. I am very concerned about what his statement implies about the dangerous condition of the highway. As the Minister admitted himself in his statement, the lowering of the speed limit was necessary for two reasons; one, to reduce the wear and tear on the road and two, to give motorists a greater sense of confidence that they can travel the highway safely.

To put it another way, Mr. Speaker, I believe what the Minister is saying is that the perfect condition of Highway No. 3 cannot handle the current traffic load of the road. At the same time, the motorists do not have a sense of confidence that they can complete the journey safely.

It is clear the huge volume of trucks travelling to the mine sites is taking a toll on the road. The road cannot take the wear and tear, and this is dangerous to the public. He had no choice but to reduce the speed limit for the trucks, Mr. Speaker. But this does not solve the problem. This can only be a short-term emergency measure. The current plan for the reconstruction of the road is more than 10 years. We surely cannot continue this way for 10 years or more.

The resource industry is already hampered by the short winter road season. The increasing fuel prices are adding to the cost of doing business. Decreased speed limit is one more obstacle because this will mean a delay in the transportation of supplies to the mine site. In the end, we all pay.

But there is a more important flaw in the Minister's measure, Mr. Speaker. And it has to do with the safety of the people travelling on the road. I am concerned that having two separate speed limits...

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Ms. Lee, your time has expired.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The Member for Range Lake is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may continue, Ms. Lee.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am concerned that having two separate speed limits would encourage small-vehicle operators to keep trying to pass the big trucks. You can see how this can be dangerous for everyone travelling on that road.

As I stated earlier, Mr. Speaker, this road is a fatality site waiting to happen. How many lives do we have to injure or lose on this road? How much fuel and contaminants do we have to dump into the lakes surrounding this highway before the road is paved and widened? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Leon Lafferty North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak on this highway issue and the issue of the Arctic Winter Games. On the highway issue, I would like to compliment the Minister responsible for Transportation and his staff on their decision to reduce the speed limit...

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Mr. Lafferty, just a reminder that you can only speak on one issue in your statement.

-- Interjection

-- Laughter

-- Applause

You may continue, Mr. Lafferty.