I am really pleased to hear that our government, the Minister and other Ministers, are pushing this particular initiative. I agree with the Minister; it has been an extremely successful program.

I am a little bit concerned, though, if the federal government is putting a program in place that’s a little bit different. I know that the Mine Training Society is one group that has used a great deal of this funding for very successful results. There are several other organizations as well. So my concern and my question to the Minister is whether or not there is going to be any impact at the end of March as we cross over from one program to the next. Is it going to have an impact on the Mine Training Society and other organizations using ASEP funding? Thank you.

For the interim, the three mining industries have agreed to contribute to the Mine Training Society. There’s a feasibility study that’s on the way. We, as Education, Culture and Employment, have always supported it and we will continue to support the transition period. We want to see no or a minimal impact on the Mine Training Society as we move beyond March 31, 2012. That is our goal. We will push that, again, with the federal government. With the three mining companies on board, they are adamant that we need to keep pushing for the skilled workforce that they’ll need for upcoming employment opportunities. So we will continue to work with those industries. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate the work the Minister is doing. He recognizes the importance, as do Members, of the ASEP program. So, will the Minister continue to fight, basically, for what we need for our Mine Training Society here in the NWT? Will he continue to do that with the federal Minister? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Most definitely. That is our goal and objective. We want this Mine Training Society to survive the March 31st deadline. It’s going to

happen. We have industries lined up already. We have the federal government that is agreeing to initiatives and we need to continue with this ship that we built. We need to continue to advocate with the federal government. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Early Childhood Development framework has been a key in our discussions at the forum with Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. It’s on our radar within the ECE department. We are going through the final stages of the recommendations. The changes are forthcoming and we’re finalizing that within our Education department. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate those remarks. Good to hear. I see early childhood development as the answer; one of the big answers to many of our issues in the health, education and the justice field, a huge opportunity. So we need to get these things in place. Ninety percent of what we know of the brain today has been learned in the last decade. We need to incorporate that. There are amazing relationships being discovered, and opportunities for savings and treating our people better. So will the Minister tell us when we will be getting this information and can we expect to see it in the business plans for the remainder of 2012-13?

The Member is correct about the high importance of this particular subject. Early childhood has been in the forefront in discussions at the regional forums. At all forums I have attended, that has been at the forefront of the discussion. We need to focus on the unborn child. The children are one year old or six months old. We need to start from there. So with this particular piece of work before us, as I stated, it’s been finalized within my department. The plan is to initiate that through our business planning process, the discussions we are going to be having with the standing committee, I’m hoping we will have before the 2012-2013 business planning cycle. If not, it will be at a later time, but that is part of our goals and objectives to do that, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask a question to the Minister of Health and Social Services on the cancer causing bacteria H. pylori and if there are any types of discussions that they are going to do some work in the Sahtu region. I know Aklavik has done this work and now I want to know if some of this work is going to be done in the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know if this particular type of virus is going to be investigated, but the Health department will be working with the Canadian Institute of Health Research, to do some research work in Fort Good Hope to look at some cancer screening and some things like water, diet and other things that may be impacting on the rates of cancer in the Sahtu. So we will be working in a couple of communities, one of them being Fort Good Hope, looking at doing some research looking at what may be causing the high rates of cancer. Thank you.

That’s good news from the department to look at the Sahtu. I raised this because, again, I said last night that I spoke to one of my constituents in Tulita who is being treated for H. pylori. I want to see if the investigation will be looked at in all five of the Sahtu communities of this cancer-causing bacteria. I’m happy to hear that Fort Good Hope will be looked at as a starting point. We need to look at all the communities in the Sahtu. Will the Minister look at that?

I know the department has worked with a group in the past to do this very specific testing in Aklavik. I will go back to the department to see what it takes in order to do these tests in other communities, and if it’s not an issue that... If it’s something we can do right away, we can get to it. But I don’t know the amount of work it would take, so I would like to go back to the department to have that discussion before I can make a commitment on the floor that we’re going to be able to do these tests in all the communities in Sahtu. Thank you.

Some years ago they did a successful screening test in Aklavik. If it takes supplementary funding to get this going, this test will save lives in the Sahtu. Like I said, I heard somebody in Tulita is being treated for this specific cancer-causing bacteria right now. If it takes some money, then let’s get it done and let’s start saving some lives. Will the Minister vigorously investigate in the Sahtu, come back with some numbers and say, yes, we have some in Tulita, Deline or Good Hope or the Wells or Colville and this needs to be

looked at? This is a sleeping giant that needs to be looked after. Would the Minister do that?

The health concerns of all citizens in the Northwest Territories, including the citizens of Sahtu, are of importance to the Department of Health and Social Services. So if we are able to do it without going for a supp at this time, I am able to commit to looking at that. If it is more elaborate than that and there has to be a supplementary appropriation requirement before we can do this, then I would have to discuss that with other Cabinet members and the House before we can proceed with that.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would ask that between now and whenever there is action taken, maybe all the whole Northwest Territories needs to be looked at. I’m asking right now for the Sahtu communities. Between now and then, what can this department do to advise people in the five Sahtu communities about this cancer-causing bacteria? What things should they look out for? What things should they be seeing a nurse for and asking for? This constituent of mine is being treated as we speak today for this specific bacteria. What do other people need to be aware of in their own Dene language to say yes, I need to get checked out because this is dangerous? What can the Minister advise us in the House that he can do between now and when we get the real action done on the screening?

The department can communicate with the health and social services authority in Norman Wells, and in turn, the health and social services authority can advise people in the community. I think the department and nurses are aware of what the symptoms would be for the H. pylori, so they could have the people come and communicate with people to see if individuals could come into the health centre to be tested. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, reports of standing and special committees. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills.

Colleagues, we are going to take a 15-minute break here, and we will continue in 15 minutes. Thank you.

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Mr. Yakeleya.