What about a more coordinated approach about bringing them together? Has the department examined that perspective?

Mr. Chair, certainly that can be one of the options we can look at as a department. We’ve got to find, like the Member has indicated, a coordinated approach. We need to meet with these organizations that do deliver essential services to the students in the early childhood area. This is one area we can discuss with him. As I said earlier, we are always looking for areas of improvement. If this area needs some improvement, we’ll take that into consideration.

I’ll take that as a willingness to hear more about the problem and, you know, assess it at that time, so I’ll leave it at that.

Thank you,

Mr.

Hawkins. We’re on page 8-17, Activity

Summary, Education and Culture, Operations Expenditure Summary. Mr. Krutko.

Under the Official Languages Division, one of your responsibilities is the revitalization of languages. As you know, the group I represent —especially the Gwich’in language — is being threatened. Now you have the responsibility that used to be under the onus of the Languages Commissioner.

Have you enhanced those dollars to go to the different cultural organizations, and is there a top-up to those organizations that have language difficulties to ensure they’re able to salvage those languages that are being threatened? I’d just like to know that. Is there ability for those groups to receive more money based on these different programs because of the circumstances they find their languages in?

Thank you,

Mr. Krutko. Minister Lafferty.

Mahsi. Mr.

Chair, this

area is one of the focuses of our department. As you know, and as the Member has alluded to, we are losing our languages in the North. It was one of the discussions of the Dene Nation Assembly, as well, to revive and revitalize our languages. We do have some agreements in place with the federal government as well. As you know, there is a Canada and NWT cooperation agreement, and we do have our own GNWT contribution to aboriginal groups that do deliver GLC program dollars. With our department moving forward, we’re going to plan on a three-year business plan, and this will be one of the areas of focus. I believe the Member did question the House, as well, about the recommendations that were brought forward by the Official Language Commissioner. Those areas have been highlighted. That will be one of the focuses of our department on moving forward. Mahsi.

In regard to the issue I raised early in the week concerning the Dene font and also having the ability to deal with it by way of the cuts and whatnot, I’m just wondering if…. Knowing that you have to have the individuals who have the technological abilities to find that technology, to find the computer hardware that you are going to need to put it in place, in regard to having an IT person that can do that so that we’re able to take advantage of that technology.... I’m just wondering: have you been able to look into that, and is that something we can see some movement on very soon?

I appreciate the Member’s suggestion in that area. There is a need for improvement in that area. We are working closely

with aboriginal groups, the revitalization and the Official Languages group. We do have within our department the language department.

There is a scheduled meeting in August to deal specifically with what the Member is referring to. I think it’s important to highlight that as one of the areas where we are saving our language. That will be one of the topics of discussion at the August meeting, Mr. Chair. Mahsi.

Mr. Chairman, in regard to languages, looking at other groups and cultures around the world, I think the most important thing in any language is to be able to use the language in regard to the day-to-day lives of the individuals that belong to those language groups.

But in the North it seems like it’s not being forced on groups to promote, enhance and speak the language as a working language. I know I had an opportunity to travel to Wales a number of years ago. They almost lost their language, but the only way they were really able to bring it back was that they had to legislate it in as a working language, where people actually used it in their day-to-day commerce, their shopping. They promoted it in their stores, in regard to their signage. They promoted it everywhere as a working language.

I know that your response and also the department’s is to maintain and enhance those languages. I’m wondering where exactly you’re going not only in trying to protect those languages, but also to enhance them and make them officially working languages.

You yourself, Mr.

Minister, know the Tlicho

language. The Tlicho communities are a very strong culture because of those language abilities. They’re able to use it as a working language by way of the Tlicho government, in regard to the speaking of the residents and using it as a day-to-day language.

I’m just wondering: are you are considering looking at and promoting languages more by way of enhancing those languages? I know the French are very strong in the North. They do everything they can to promote and enhance their language. I think that also has to apply to First Nations languages.

So again, I’d like to ask the Minister: is that something that’s being contemplated by way of financial support, to do more of that in the Northwest Territories?

Mr. Chair, certainly, as the Member alluded to, that’s one prime area of interest for our department moving forward in the next three years, three and a half years.

As we indicated earlier, the languages in this area were sunsetted. We committed a million dollars to that. Also, the Member indicated the Tlicho area and the Gwich’in. We are slowly losing our languages, so we are stressing that, and part of that means investing some more dollars into sponsoring the ALCIC program, the aboriginal language and instructor program, and also the TEP program, which will be delivered in all regions. The hope is that we are going to recruit those teachers that do speak the language and certify them to become teachers and teach in their own schools, speaking their own languages. As part of the curriculum development, I understand the Gwich’in area and the Sahtu have started that in their schools, and we certainly want to see that in other schools as well.

What I can say here is that one of our main focuses as a department is the language development. That has been directed to us by the Dene Nation Assembly a couple of months ago. We are going over the recommendations that were brought forward, specifically pertaining to our department, and one of them is language and also the youth conference, specifically dealing with the language laws and so forth.

Certainly, that’s one of the areas that my department will move forward on and improve in that area. Mahsi.

A last question: could you give me the amount of money that is going to be spent on ALCIC?

You said that Aurora College is going to be delivering the program. Is it going to be in the regional colleges or simply at one central location, say, Yellowknife? Where is it going to be delivered out of to Arctic College?

Mr. Chair,

we

are

currently delivering that in one of the regions, the Deh Cho region, and we’re going to be delivering that in other regions as well, not just necessarily the Yellowknife area. We will be delivering in different parts of the five regions that we have.

When do you expect to have them delivered in all five regions of the Northwest Territories?

Mr. Chair, the one that has been delivered just outside of here, Behchoko, I believe they are wrapping up at the end of this

month. That was just a pilot project, and then we’ll be moving on to other regions. I don’t have a schedule of the courses and where they’re going to be delivered, but we can certainly provide that to the Member.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Ms. Bisaro.

I had no questions.

Okay. We’re on page 8-17, Activity Summary, Education and Culture, Operations Expenditure Summary. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m just trying to get some details here, if this is a good place to speak to the expansion of Aurora College. I’m curious: what’s the plan on the horizon to develop some strategic initiative to get Aurora College out of NUP and into an independent campus?

Thank you,

Mr. Hawkins. Minister Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr.

Chair. I’m

trying to find it on this page, but I don’t see it. That’s part of the planning stage. That’s what I can share with the Member at this point.