Thank you, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS early childhood development is a priority of the 17th Legislative Assembly;
AND WHEREAS the mandate letters issued by the Premier to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment and to the Minister of Health and Social Services instruct them to work together to
develop and implement a comprehensive Early Childhood Development Framework;
AND WHEREAS the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment has acknowledged that healthy childhoods are the best foundations to develop healthy, productive adults;
AND WHEREAS the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative recognized that fundamental prerequisite of improved early childhood development;
AND WHEREAS it is widely recognized among researchers and educators that the first three years of life are the critical period of laying the groundwork for language, cognitive and social development and lifelong mental and physical health;
AND WHEREAS the development of early childhood programs for the prenatal period and the first three years of life requires a Health and Social Services lead and the development of programs for later ages requires an Education, Culture and Employment lead;
AND WHEREAS the World Health Organization has stated that early childhood is the most important phase for overall development throughout the lifespan, that brain and biological development during the first years of life is highly influenced by an infant’s environment, and that early experiences determine health, education and economic participation for the rest of the life;
AND WHEREAS a recent World Bank report concluded that no other development investment boasts a higher payoff for people and for the economies than early childhood development;
AND WHEREAS the government failed to bring forward recommendations for a new or enhanced early childhood development programming in the 2012-2013 budget;
AND WHEREAS each year of delays to the implementation of new early childhood initiatives deprives a year’s cohort of children of programming that will help them to fulfil their potential throughout their lives;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends that the Ministers of Education, Culture and Employment and Health and Social Services work together to bring forward proposals for new and comprehensive early childhood development programming to begin in the current fiscal year, including a plan and funding to assist communities with securing suitable space for early childhood development programs;
AND FURTHER, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive
response to this motion within 120 days. Thank you.