That’s really it, Mr. Chair. I got my budget years mixed up there and I realize August ‘12 is after the ‘11-12 budget year. So that’s it for now. Thank you.

Thank you. Next I have Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanted to first ask relative to apprenticeship and occupations, I know that the department works in conjunction with the Mine Training Society and they are doing a great job of providing training and jobs basically for many of our young people. I am somewhat concerned, though, that the funding, the federal funding for that program restricts applicants to Aboriginal persons and I’ve had several inquiries from constituents whether or not there is any space within the Mine Training Society for P2s as opposed to P1s. I’ve been advised that if there’s space, that P2s can get in there, but that’s a pretty hit and miss proposition. Both times I’ve been informed that the constituents have tried and have been advised that the program was full. So I would like to know from the Minister whether or not there is any consideration on the part of the department to hold, basically pay for, one, possibly two spaces or seats at the Mine Training Society for P2s. Thank you.

Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. The Mine Training Society does deliver programs on behalf of the federal government through ASEP, Aboriginal programming. So there is a priority for Aboriginal, of course, because of the title and it is federal funding, but my understanding is that others can also apply for training programs, the Aboriginal Skills Employment Program. Mahsi.

I’ll try again. Mr. Minister, I know that the program is funded by the feds. I do know as well that it is supported by the Department of Education, but also know that when non-Aboriginal students apply they are on a very low priority and it totally depends on whether or not there’s any space. My understanding is that there’s some waiting list of about 20, I think, persons trying to get

into the next application for the Underground Miner Training Program. So if anybody wants to get into that and they’re non-Aboriginal, they don’t have a hope.

I also know that as much as a year ago, I think it was March of ‘10 in a presentation to one of the standing committees, De Beers indicated that there needs to be spaces in the training programs for P2s. That’s one of the things that they cite as a challenge to the northern hiring for them as a company. So I understand that it’s a federal program, but what I’m asking for is for this government to make it a priority to enable one or two P2 residents to be able to take the mine training that Aboriginal students do, not with the federal funding but with GNWT funding. Is that a consideration anywhere in the realm of possibility for this Minister? Thank you.

With the current funding that we provide, not funding but the in-kind services to the Mine Training Society, that’s our partnership towards that organization. The overall funding that they receive is from the federal government and there are certain criteria that they do follow, the Mine Training Society, but this is an area that we can definitely discuss with the Mine Training Society.

As you know, their program is also sunsetting next year at the end of March 2012. So that’s an area that we are also voicing our concern about, as well, with the federal government, to possibly expand or extend the programming. So we’ll do what we can with the federal. But we as a department can sit down with the Mine Training Society and discuss this further with them to see what kind of options are available. Mahsi.

Thanks to the Minister. Two or three Members recently met with the Mine Training Society. They are totally desirous of having the opportunity to provide training for P2 candidates. They agree with the diamond mining companies that we need to have more candidates take the training and they’re funding, yes, it’s only Aboriginal, but, Mr. Minister, what I’m trying to say is, will you consider putting some money into the Mine Training Society Training Program so that P2s would have an opportunity to get a seat there? Thank you.

Mr. Chair, this is an area that, like I said, we need to look at. We’re not sure if the Mine Training Society is going to survive the end of next year and we need to explore those options as well. We can look at it and see where it can take us. We haven’t really identified funding in this budget to allocate a certain amount of dollars towards this Mine Training Society because that wasn’t a part of the plan, but I realize there will be a motion coming forward and working with them and also the federal government, but I can commit in

this House that this is an area that we need to discuss further with the Mine Training Society. If we need to allocate funding, then we’ll plan on that. Mahsi.

Thanks to the Minister and I appreciate your commitment to look at it. I do want to just add that I know of at least one young person who couldn’t get into the Mine Training Society Underground Miner Program and has since moved to Manitoba. So we’ve lost our 22 or $25,000 annual payment for that young person.

I wanted to also ask a bit about the adult basic education programs that are run in pretty much all of our communities. We as Members did get a bit of a report from the Program Review Office quite a while ago, but it did have some telling information about adult basic education programs. You know, there’s really no evaluation of those programs. Students register for a short period of time and then don’t come back or they may take one course because they have to, because that’s what income security is telling them to do. They may take a course and then not finish it because they get a job or they get disinterested. There are all kinds of things, but students are not staying, or most of them are not staying for any sort of reasonable length of time.

I wondered whether or not that review by the Program Review Office had any impact on the planning for the department for the ‘11-12 budget year in terms of adult basic education. Have you looked at the value of the ABE programs that we currently deliver, with a view to maybe making them more efficient? Thank you.

The adult literacy and basic education, as the Member indicated, is a review that is being undertaken right now. The final report is due later this spring, 2011. Coming out of that, of course, will be recommendations and if we need to make changes, then that will reflect on the budget as we move forward. So, Mr. Chair, the program review will be completed later this year. Mahsi.

Thanks to the Minister. It’s kind of unfortunate. The information I saw was almost a year ago now and yet we have not taken any action. So it’s a little disappointing.

On another note, I do want to ask a question with regard to the territorial Nominee Program. My understanding is that it’s a three-year pilot project. I think I got that information from a document somewhere and I wondered at this point whether or not the department has done any kind of an evaluation of the success of the program. Thank you.

Deputy Minister Daniels.

Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I agree with the Member that we need to advertise more. We are doing that currently with the website and working closely with employers, as well, to identify those individuals. We may have to be fed up a bit within our department that we are aware of that.

Page 10-23, Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, advanced education, operations expenditure summary, $45.908 million.

Page 10-24, Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, advanced education, grants and contributions, contributions, total contributions, $33.493 million. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Just with the college contributions, Aurora College to deliver adult and post-secondary education in the NWT. Just before Christmas on a constituency visit to Wrigley it was brought to my attention that there is no actual Aurora College facility there in terms of computer and/or training materials. The leadership were saying how are we going to advance education skills in the community if there is no equipment there. I did ask the Minister’s office how they do deliver Aurora College services in Wrigley and I think the answer was they use school facilities and some band facilities. I think the best way to do it is to have some on-site equipment. I don’t know how much it will cost, but to deliver programs and services, adult education and those things, it’s necessary in this day and age. We do have the necessary IT infrastructure for it. I’d like to ask the Minister, in a small community like

that or even other communities, what strategies are in place and what kind of facilities are available to deliver programs.

Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I think the Member touched on that already. We utilize school facilities or other facilities in the community for the time. As you know, the federal government has allocated community learning centres to three communities just last year and we’re hoping that other communities will be identified as well. We’ll clearly continue to make that noise. The small communities that do not have community learning centres or an establishment that we can utilize or certain on-site equipment, this is an area that we need to continue working with either the school boards, the community, and there’s also a lease that we can possibly work with to access space in the communities where necessary.

I realize the challenges in the small communities. We’re fully aware of it. We’ll do what we can as a department to work with the communities to provide those services or strengthen the service that we provide currently.