Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week the Minister of Justice made a statement on the success of a new approach to corrections training and recruitment and I wanted to say I was listening quite closely to that statement. The department has to be applauded for getting the Recruitment Program initiated. Sadly, the reality for aboriginal employees in corrections today is that some are still having a very difficult time at advancing their careers.

I have a constituent who is aboriginal, born and raised in the Northwest Territories. He’s worked in corrections for over 17 years. He has solid performance appraisals throughout his years in corrections and he’s getting very frustrated at consistently being passed over for advancement. He doesn’t understand it and neither do I.

His story is one that I have seen many times across government. We like to say that we’re hiring aboriginal people, but, really, what support, encouragement, training and planning is really taking place? Why aren’t we seeing more aboriginal persons in senior management roles with this government?

In my constituent’s case, he and his family are now planning on leaving the North. It really is troubling to know that we are losing long-term aboriginal employees to the South when they are consistently being passed over for advancement. The sad thing is that opportunities are going to individuals with no priority hiring status. This is just not right.

Seventeen years is a long time for an employee to keep trying to advance himself, applying on numerous positions to no avail, frustrated because he’s watching others with no priority hiring status getting hired. He’s watching direct appointments being made by the department and wonders how and why this continues to happen.

I’ll have questions for the Minister of Justice at the appropriate time.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

It’s always a pleasure to have Hay Riverites in the gallery and I’d like to recognize one of my constituents. Ms. Sandy Beaulieu is in the gallery today. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re going to beat our colleague here to recognizing his family. You have one of your constituents and I have one of mine too, our colleague, Mr. Beaulieu’s sister, Louise-Ann Larocque.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Oh, no.

The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize my mother, Annie, and my sister Louise.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. I’d like to welcome all our visitors in the gallery today. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience in here.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement with regard to the Trout Lake school and the need for expansion; in fact, for creating a new one. I had this debate with the Minister of Education last year in the fall session and I just want to, of course, continue the support to the community of Trout Lake and ask the Minister about, will the Minister recognize the needs of the students in the community of Trout Lake to ensure that the budget for a new school is on our capital plan? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Trout Lake school, obviously there’s a space issue, as the Member is alluding to, but we do have the student population that’s going up and down. In 2009-10 there were 15 students attending the school. But at the current stage we have 33 students. So we have to have that in mind as well as we move forward.

There is a small capital project that’s been identified in the 2010-11 Capital Plan as an immediate measure to deal with the issue with the space. But we can certainly develop a long-term plan for the school expansion down the road. Mahsi.

I’m glad to hear the Minister’s positive response to a long-term plan of creating a new school for the community of Trout Lake. In fact, the government had promised in the past that they would actually build them a new school when the old Charles Tetcho burnt down.

Also, can I ask the Minister, in the long-term capital plan, to ensure that a gymnasium is attached to this school, because I like to think… My colleague Mr. Krutko showed me a letter that indicates that Trout Lake is one of the two communities in the North that does not have a gymnasium. Can this capital planning include a gymnasium when they look at a new school for Trout Lake? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, this particular capital plan that we’re talking about, we need to work with the divisional education council as well. Also, I need to work with my colleague the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs with respect to the recreation, the gymnasium area. We have done that in the past where we’ve had communities partnering on a certain expansion in the schools. Those are the discussions that we can certainly have with the Member and also the Member’s leadership at the community level. I think, Mr. Speaker, this particular issue that’s before us, we’ll discuss it further. Mahsi.

That’s the kind of discussion that we’d certainly like to see for Trout Lake. We’ve taken care of big schools throughout our North up to date, Mr. Speaker, and I think it’s time to start concentrating on our small and remote communities and providing facilities for them. Once again, when will the capital planning discussions begin with the education council and the Minister of Education towards planning of the school in Trout Lake? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, all the schools are our prime focus. We’re not comparing small schools versus bigger centre schools. I think we feel that all schools are the responsibility of the GNWT as a whole under the Department of Education. But with this ongoing discussion that we’re going to be having, we need to compile that information from the divisional education council, what they have on file, with our department. Certainly, from there we’ll move forward with that information on the capital planning process. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased, once again, to see the eagerness of the Minister to assist the community of Trout Lake. Like I said, the whole community is behind this initiative. I’d like to ask the Minister once again if he will commit to begin the process of identifying a school for Trout Lake in the long term. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, this will be part of the discussion that we’re going to be having on the capital projects for future discussion, along with other schools throughout the Northwest Territories. Definitely, this will be part of the discussion we will be having within our department and also the education council for Nahendeh. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services. It is in regard to dental care in the Inuvik region and, more importantly, the lack of the orthodontists in the region.

I think it’s critical that we have that service being provided. Like I mentioned in my statement, Mr. Speaker, there are quite a few people who have been calling me and also other Members of this House and, more importantly, the frustration of having to wait three years after being referred for surgery and still hasn’t heard back from the department. I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly what

is your department doing to ensure that dental care services are being provided in the Inuvik region and, more importantly, having an orthodontist in the region to provide that important service? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, let the record show that this is a two good news day for the Mackenzie Delta from the Department of Health and Social Services. Earlier in my Minister’s statement, I indicated the mental wellness initiatives in McPherson, and I’m happy to confirm that we have a three-year contract with an orthodontist for the Beaufort-Delta. We expect that he will begin service on April 1st , until March 2013.

Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, that is good news, but too bad that people aren’t hearing it outside of this building. I recommend to the Minister she puts out a press release on that good news story, because I think people are waiting to hear that. More importantly, Mr. Speaker, people are still having to have the lack of dental care in the region and also for the individuals who have taken it on themselves to bring their children to Yellowknife at their own cost to get them into the dental care system in Yellowknife. Is there a way that those people can be reimbursed for those costs associated with dental care from the Inuvik region?