Mr. Chair, there is no specific category for IT support. Again, the money that we allocate to the education authority, they can utilize the funding if they feel that it’s a priority to support more in the IT area. Again, it’s at their discretion. Mahsi.

Mr. Chair, with today’s technology and the younger generation and the learning that’s been more and more advanced in terms of the technology out there and we’re now asking our students to participate in the world of information and knowledge and work, especially in our smaller communities where the numbers of 150 computers jumped from 2005-06 to 2010-11 to 450 computers in our schools and there’s really no dedicated IT support for our children or our schools and we are struggling, the communities are struggling, the schools are struggling to find the funding to support the children in their use of the computers in all our five communities in the Sahtu. Is the Minister going to ask his department if there’s a chance that they can put a dedicated budget line item in the future on IT support where we continue to give the money to the health boards and say you go ahead, you decide where you want to spend the money?

Mr. Chair, there are so many needs in our small communities that it’s like putting a piece of bone on the floor and everyone wants to get it. It makes it hard. So will his department look at what kind of dollars it will take to have this type of support in their agreements with the authorities?

We’re talking about the whole Northwest Territories, it’s not just one region. Especially further up north, it’s got its challenges as well. The funding that we provide to the education authorities, we need to work with that. We continue to work closely with the school boards because of our IT services, as well, and have the educational link to the Internet. We are exploring different avenues, as well, Mr. Chair, about our whole fibre optic and Web band and

broadband connectivity. So this will be part of the discussion that we could have with other departments as well. Even at the federal level. So we do take note of what the Member is referring to. So this is an area that we could possibly explore and see where it takes us. Mahsi.

Thank you. I look forward to the Minister’s discussion paper or analysis in terms of IT support in our communities. Again, the Minister is somewhat correct in terms of giving the O and M money to the educational boards to decide where the priorities are going to be spent, but when you have 450 computers in the Sahtu region and no IT support to upgrade, to facilitate smooth operations of our computers in our schools, our schools again are hit with a tough decision as to where do they spend the dollars. It’s not fair that these computers are then asked to be brought into our schools to keep in line with the technology of today and for teachers to help the students to learn but there’s no funding to back it. It’s all well said and done, but I’ll look forward to where the Minister can put some serious dollars and say this is what we’re going to do with the computer support in our communities and not ask the education boards to make one less decision as to not having to worry about the computers. They could put money on some other valuable programming and services to the communities. So I hope the Minister can do something in that area. Thank you.

Yes, indeed, there are tough decisions that need to be made by the school boards and also by ECE. Again, it may not be a priority of the board, I don’t know. Because we have to hire teachers, we have to hire subs, we have to hire the staff and do programming for students, those are also priorities as well. So I have to respect the priorities of the school boards, as well, but this is an area that we need to discuss further, as I indicated earlier. Mahsi.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Next on my list I have Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My questions are on the cultural organizations and I know that there have been requests put forward to the Minister from the cultural organizations in my riding, asking for an increase in regard to the funding they receive that doesn’t really keep up with the costs of inflation and trying to retain staff. So I’d just like to ask the Minister, have they looked at the possibility of increasing the contributions that are being derived for cultural organizations in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Minister Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. The information that I have is 2009, 534 and then 2011-2012, 554. From 534 to 554. So there has been a slight increase and we continue to monitor

these and other programs that we offer to the organizations. Mahsi.

Can the Minister tell me if he knows for a fact that there has been an increase in core funding for cultural organizations?

Mr. Chair, the information that I have, I’ll probably have to get that information to the Member. I’m not sure if we have the actual information that the Member is referring to, so we’ll provide that information to the Members. Mahsi.

The other question I have is around the area of official languages and funding in that area in regard to the review that took place and the recommendations that have been put forward to this House. I’d like to know from the Minister and the department are we going to see any increases going forward in regard to the implementation of those recommendations and the proposed changes to the structure and delivery system of the official languages, and more importantly, the language organizations and operation of official languages in the Northwest Territories.

That would fall under the next business planning process. With any recommendations that are brought forward to the attention of this government, obviously there will be incremental costs. So those are the areas that we need to look at and it will be before the House in due time. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was looking at 10-18 in regard to the funding sources that are there for Aboriginal language broadcasts, official languages, Aboriginal, French. But again, it’s in the next budget, I guess. We’ll have to wait and see, but I think that because there have been quite a few recommendations put forward, that there are going to be needs for more resources to implement all those recommendations. So it will be good to see exactly what those amounts are, but more importantly, moving on some of those recommendations. So I’ll leave it at that.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Just for clarity, I was referring to the $1.1 million additional for official languages mentioned on the bottom of page 10-17. Does the Minister have anything further in response to Mr. Krutko?

Not really, Mr. Chair. Just that it will be part of next year’s budget as well. At the same time, we are implementing some of the recommendations that have been brought to our attention within our existing funding and some of the funding that’s before us in the House here today. So gradually we’re starting to implement

those recommendations, but next year will be even a bigger move to include in the overall budget as well. Mahsi.

Thank you, Minister. Thank you, committee. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to ask the Minister if he’s gotten anywhere with the education authorities’ O and M contribution funding to have elders in our schools. I know that’s been a longstanding issue for me. I’m hoping he will give me a good response.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Lafferty.

I can definitely give you a good response, Mr. Chair. This is part of the plan for the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. There is also the Aboriginal Languages Strategy that has been before this House. Implementing those is part of the discussions we are having, and elders in schools. This money that has been allocated, $148 million, that’s for the school boards. They have to set their priorities, but there are other initiatives on the way and it does highlight the elders that the Member is referring to. Mahsi.

Would we then see the elders in our schools this fall? Thank you.

We are still working on the ASA forum to wrap up by May. So more than likely, we may not see it this fall because we still have to work with the budget process. The working group is from last summer and the fall. Definitely that’s one of the targets that we’ve been discussing at the regional forums. The Member has raised that issue with us and it is part of the discussion in the regions. Almost all regions have raised elders in schools, so definitely that will come out in the package, I’m sure. Mahsi.

The issue with the elders, it looks like it’s going to be another year longer. We’ve been talking for a couple of years on this. It seems so simple, yet we make it so complicated to put elders into our schools. We talk about our culture; we talk about tradition, supporting seniors or elders. Somehow when it’s in our government system it makes it very difficult, because there are so many rules and regulations that prevent an elder from coming into our school to teach, to get them in the system. Certainly this system shows me that it doesn’t really support our elders. We say it’s nice, we say it’s good, but we certainly don’t do it. That’s my point here. A lot of these elders, we want them in our schools. They come in voluntarily, but then the federal government hits them because if they earn pay, they get a reduction in their pension cheques. The elders also complain to us that the teachers are there, they get paid, so we should also get paid for passing on the information, knowledge.

Not like the old days. A lot of these elders also pass away. We say we wish we had them in there.

I like what the Minister is saying, but not too much because it’s next year, the year after. So I’m going to have to wait, I guess, until the new government comes. I sure hope these words that he’s saying can be put in strongly by his department so the elders can actually go in the school. Why it takes so long, I don’t understand. Put them in the school. You want our kids to stay in school and help? We have it right there, but we’re not doing it.

So I sure hope the Minister can sit with his officials again and figure out a way to do something, because they certainly work fast on other issues. The system supports them. But not for our elders. That’s a shame of this government here, this department. That, I truly can say. We can’t say much. It’s like beating a dead horse in terms of trying to put elders into our school. I’ve been up here how many times? Next year it’s this, it’s this. Still can’t see them in our school system.

I’m passionate about it because a lot of good elders passed away in our communities that should have taught in our schools. I do support the Minister to work as much as he can to make this a reality. I thought for sure we were going to do it within this government, within this Assembly, but that’s not the case. So again, I’ll just say to the Minister you’re the man, make it happen. You’ve got the power. People are going to support you. It’s our education. It’s our culture. You can do it. But it seems that we have to wait longer again.

I want to thank you for listening to my frustration. Hopefully we can do something.