Mr. Speaker, I have a return to written question asked by Mr. Lafferty on March 13, 2007, regarding culture and language programs in Tlicho communities.
- Can the department please provide detailed information on the funding to Chief Jimmy Bruneau Regional High School, specifically the culture and language programming funds for the year 2006-2007?
Culture and language funding to the Tlicho Community Services Agency totalled $1,034,320 in the 2006-2007 school year. This is based on the total number of aboriginal students in the Tlicho. Each education authority, including the TCSA, allocates funds to its schools based on community needs. The departmental directive on aboriginal language and culture-based education clarifies the types of expenditures that aboriginal language and culture funding can be used for. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment
does not collect funding information for Chief Jimmy Bruneau Regional High School because ECE does not fund schools directly.
- Can I request a breakdown on the number of person years in the culture and languages areas for the fiscal year 2006-2007 in the Tlicho region?
In 2006-2007, a total of 11.62 person years was allocated to the Tlicho region that was then distributed by the TSCA based on community need. ECE does not collect breakdown information on the number of person years in the area of culture and language in the Tlicho because it does not fund school education assistants or aboriginal language specialist positions directly.
- Can I also get a breakdown of funding on the culture and language program funds for Whati, Gameti and Wekweeti schools for the 2006-2007 fiscal year?
In 2006-2007, ECE provided total culture and language funding of $1,034,320 to the TCSA. This is based on the total number of aboriginal students in the Tlicho. Each education authority, including the TCSA, allocates funds to its schools based on community needs.
The departmental directive on aboriginal language and culture-based education clarifies the types of expenditures that aboriginal language and culture funding can be used for. The department does not collect funding breakdown information for schools in Whati, Gameti and Wekweeti because ECE does not fund schools directly.
- Finally, please provide detailed information on culture and language funds that are contributed to other Tlicho community organizations, and who delivers these important programs besides the community schools for the fiscal year 2006-2007?
In April 2006, the TCSA resumed full responsibility for administering culture and language contributions from the Government of the Northwest Territories. From April 2003 to March 2006, this administrative task had been transferred to the Rae-Edzo Friendship Centre.
Aboriginal language contributions are allocated to the TCSA that further distributes these monies to community organizations based on community language plans and proposals received for community-based language activities. In 2006-2007, the GNWT allocated $243,000 under the Canada-NWT Cooperation Agreement. This amount was for language activities in the four Tlicho communities, as well as those undertaken by the Goyaho Society for Tlicho language activities in Detah and Ndilo. Another $45,000 was allocated for early childhood language nests.
ECE does not collect information as to which organizations deliver culture and language programs in the Tlicho because ECE does not fund these organizations directly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.