Thank you, Minister McLeod. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes., Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to direct my question today to Minister Lafferty, the Minister of ECE, and Aurora College. I’d like to ask the Minister if his department or Aurora College was contacted in any way to help to identify a location for the Arctic Institute.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Education, culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mr.

Speaker, our

Department of Education, Culture and Employment works closely with Aurora College on the Aurora Research Institute that’s based out of Inuvik. We have continuously utilized that facility for a number of years: their facility and the services they provide on research. I’m not sure what the Member is referring to by asking if we were contacted. Is he referring to the federal government? We have continued working with the Aurora Research Institute on the research of the North. Mahsi.

That was actually my question, because it was Aurora Research Institute. They’re looking at proposing a new facility up in Arctic Canada, with Aurora College working closely with Aurora Research Institute. I just assumed the Minister would have some information or have been contacted as to a possible permanent location for the new facility being proposed for Arctic Canada.

We haven’t directly been contacted by the federal government. As you know, the announcement was made just recently. I believe there are some discussions happening. We are looking forward to that particular discussion, because it does highlight Arctic research. We’re not sure exactly where the federal government is targeting — whether it will be in the Nunavut area or in the Northwest Territories. But we are certainly interested in pursuing that once the message is relayed down through our Northwest Territories department. Then we can certainly work with that. We’ll work with the committee members on proceeding with that.

I’d like to ask the Minister if the Aurora Research Institute works closely with industry. Was Aurora Research receiving any revenue from industry to operate the Arctic Research Institute?

Mr. Speaker, yes. Aurora Research Institute for a number of years now has worked with different parties — industries — most recently with Mallik gas hydrate. It’s joined forces with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation. They have contributed a substantial amount of funding toward this particular investment in the North since 2006 up to 2009, and they’ve continued to show interest.

Even before that, near Inuvik they’re well known worldwide as a test site for gas hydrate. There have been some previous international projects completed in that area in 1998 and 2002. So it is well known internationally that this is a test site and the research in the North for the Arctic.

Thank you, Mr.

Lafferty. Final

supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I make that point to confirm my case for the Beaufort-Delta region, in particular Inuvik, being the location of the new facility.

I’d like to ask the Minister my final question. We know that the adult learning centre is coming down in Inuvik, and students really have no place to go. The Aurora Research Institute’s existing building would make the perfect opportunity.

Would the Minister — I’m trying to find the word — talk to, I guess, communicate? That’s the word we

have to use in here. “Talk to” I use outside. Would the Minister communicate with his federal counterparts or whoever are the decision-makers as to their desire to possibly have the facility located in Inuvik, where it will, I think, serve the most good and provide the best opportunity for youth?

Mr.

Speaker, we’ll do

everything we can with the federal government. It has been announced for the Arctic, and we’ll certainly find out what the status is, and we’ll certainly push for the Northwest Territories.

We’ve fully utilized the Aurora Research Institute, the service they’ve provided and the facility. The Member’s comments I will certainly take into consideration through our discussions, and we’ll keep the Member informed on this matter. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr.

Lafferty. The

honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much,

Mr.

Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister of

Education, Culture and Employment some questions on curriculum.

Earlier in my Member’s statement I spoke about the residential school experience, that it should be included in our schools. I believe it could be in the history classes or social studies. How do we effect this change? That is the question I would like to ask the Minister.

Thank you, Mr.

Menicoche. The

honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. On that particular area we can certainly talk with the department. Not only that, but in the northern studies and also social studies we have highlighted the Northern perspective, the ecology of the North. That can be one of the discussions we can certainly have within our department: how we can integrate that into a curriculum.

We have to work with the school boards and the educational authorities and also within our departments with the superintendents. There has to be ongoing communication on how we can proceed with this. That will be one of the topics up for discussion.

I certainly would support the efforts of the Minister in doing that. Also, if he can convey the same concerns to our federal counterparts and press that issue on the federal

level as well — that it should indeed be part of our education system in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, we do get the opportunity to meet with federal and also provincial jurisdiction Ministers. Certainly, this message will be relayed by me, but I’m sure there will be other territorial Ministers, specifically, who will probably address this issue with the federal Minister. Those will be the ongoing discussions. It was just announced today, so I’m sure people across the country have heard. I’m sure there will be more discussion in this particular area. We will certainly share that information with the federal Minister when the opportunity arises. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr.

Lafferty. The

honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although I rose today to reaffirm my support for the Prime Minister’s policy, I didn’t have a chance to speak to my Member’s statement, which was a really good one. I’m going to have to find a way to work the preamble into what my statement was about.

Mr. Speaker, my statement would have covered a great topic in very good detail: what is the government doing about improving employee morale? Recognizing that the GNWT is no longer the employer of choice — they’ve even set up an Employer of Choice unit — I’d like to know in this House: what is the GNWT doing to improve employee morale? I’d like to point my question to the Minister of Human Resources.

Thank you, Mr.

Hawkins. The

honourable Minister responsible for Human Resources, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories has a number of programs to improve employee morale. The most significant one is the Employee Recognition Program.

That was an excellent start. He actually worked his way into my third question, so we’ll start with that one.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve talked to a number of employees. They appreciate the pat on the head. Unfortunately, the pat on the head or the back doesn’t go far enough anymore. I’ve heard and I truly believe that it’s time to stop talking about how great our employees are and start showing how great they are. What type of new benefits are we offering to make sure the territorial government turns its

reputation around to yet again become, or as it should be known as, the employer of choice?

I think what the Member is referring to are benefits that are more utilized in the private sector. As he knows, we have a collective bargaining process, so all of these benefits are negotiated through the UNW or the NWT Teachers’ Association or the NWT Power Corporation or the physicians.

Well, Mr. Speaker, I won’t argue with the Minister of Human Resources, because he is correct on that fact, but the attitudes and perspectives should be set in this House. I believe we should mandate these types of discussions to look at things like the return of the vacation allowance. That would go a long way in returning that attitude and appreciation. Employees would feel that the government cares about them. Would the Minister take a look at that initiative and consider that as an option to reinvigorate our public service?