Well, does that actually change in the sense of…. I don’t know the figures; maybe the deputy knows. But for one year, when your repayment period of coming back for borrowing money for one year, has that actually changed? I know you can borrow more money now than when I accessed the program back in the early ’90s. And I’m just wondering: has that formula changed? You could only access four at the time. Now it’s six. And I don’t know what the repayment period is.

And I guess my point really is, just trying to make sure that we’re getting good value out of these students. And if we’re giving them free education,

certainly, let’s see if we can encourage them to stay here a little longer and maybe make their lives here.

Thank you,

Mr. Hawkins. Minister Lafferty.

Mr. Chair, if I can have Mr. Dan Daniels elaborate on that, please. Mahsi.

Then you’ve sped up the process if you’ve gone to $1,000 over three months. You’ve made it easier for them to get remission. My question is: have you ever contemplated stretching it out or demanding more of a return on the money we’ve invested on that?

Mr.

Chair, one of the

areas that we also looked at is those communities that desperately need professions, whether it be nurses, social workers. So there is increased remission in that area. So we do what we can to have the student loan waived expeditiously while they’re going through the work environment. But it’s mostly in the smaller communities that’s one of the drives, because we are trying to attract more of our professions in those communities.

More of a technical question now into this area. But my question really is…. I’m informed the plan has changed on our student grant system that, if you were less successful — in other words, you didn’t complete 60 per cent, I think, of your courses successfully — you’re now put on probation as opposed to before, you would lose your year of student status and you had to come back. So have technical changes happened like that?

Just one last comment, which is I support the initiative if you want to accelerate the repayment of student loans and if you want to get people out in the communities with some type of education. I do support the acceleration in that

regard, but I don’t support it in a small community environment. I think we’re an attractive living area. The student loans are very attractive, and I know a lot of parents stay here so they can provide their children that full opportunity. It’s still a very marketable benefit of the Northwest Territories. So I’m a little discouraged by what I would describe as the department moving backwards in a remission process — although I understand now that they’re recognizing that students are borrowing more money. That said, it’s about getting good value, and I see the kids — I shouldn’t call them kids but students — returning excellent value to the Northwest Territories. Thank you. No questions.

Thank you,

Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a similar question in regard to the student grants and whatnot. I was talking to an individual who mentioned to me that aboriginal students going to Alberta can get more semesters and more years of university by way of bursaries than they can in the Northwest Territories — say if you want to go for your doctorate or your master’s or your PhD or whatever — because it’s based on the program that you’re taking, not on the semesters that you have to take to get that support.

I know in the 13th Assembly there was a cut to the

program, and they were supposed to look at it as part of the cost-cutting measures. One of the things that they cut out was the bursaries and the years that you can get added on if you go for your doctorate or for your master’s or where you’re basically able to achieve it; or even go for a law degree where you’re looking at four or six years, but you’re only covered for four years. So I’m wondering if that’s something the department has been looking at in regard to re-profiling this program by way of the student loan program and seeing exactly how we measure up to other jurisdictions from aboriginal to non-aboriginal — just see exactly how we compare to, say, Alberta next door, by way of the programs that we do deliver.

Thank you,

Mr. Krutko. Mr. Minister.

Mahsi, Mr.

Chair. We

realize there are different types of funding elsewhere, in other jurisdictions, but with our own funding we did change in this area as well. We improved it even more. We enhanced it by providing 12 semesters of grant and also eight semesters of loan to the students. If you look at it, overall it’s ten years of schooling if you want: six years of being entitled to grants and also four years entitled to loans. So ten years of school should get you at least a master’s program, or allow you to continue to a PhD. Mahsi.

So is there a difference in regard to a non-aboriginal student versus an aboriginal student going for the same type of program?

Mr. Chair, the aboriginal students do get the living allowance in a grant and the non-aboriginal students get the living allowance as a loan. Mahsi.

Is that taxable?

Mr. Daniels.

Can the deputy minister clarify what “can be deemed tax deductible” means? I think you have to apply, and in some cases you may not be accepted.

Thank you,

Mr. Daniels. Anything further, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Chair, I would like to ask the department if they will be revisiting this issue in regard to the aboriginal governments and the aboriginal rights issues, because I think there is a disparity between how this program is administered to one group over another. You mentioned one group is a grant; the other one is a loan. All you have to do is come back to the North for a couple of years and it’s forgiven. In regard to a grant program, you pretty well have to either pay it back or…. So I think there is an injustice of how that program is being administered.

Thank you,

Mr. Krutko. Minister.

Mahsi, Mr.

Chair.

Mr. Chair, the grants that we provide to aboriginal students in the form of living allowances are not repayable. We did make some changes to meet those needs to continue on with schooling, and we did increase a number of semesters in that area. Mahsi.