Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to acknowledge the early childhood programs that we offer to preschoolers in our communities. These programs are really important. The early stages of learning and support are continuing education for the rest of our lives. The teachers and instructors in these programs inspire the curiosity that children have when they are toddlers. It is a great thing to see the kids who are given an opportunity to explore and grow in a fun way.

I would like to acknowledge the teachers and the instructors in all the communities, but especially in the Mackenzie Delta. They are very clever in the techniques that they use. Training is important. We need to make sure that we offer good education and training for the people who dedicate their working lives to our youngest children.

That is one way our government can support early childhood programs. We need to support the community-based organizations. For example, if the child care workers were paid better, that would attract our younger people to that field of work.

The education that begins early in their lives will spur our children to challenge themselves and to get top marks later in life. That is how our territory will grow and prosper.

I want to encourage our communities to teach their traditional languages to children right from birth. I know that this is happening to some degree and I want to praise those centres where our languages are taught to our children.

Our government must pay close attention to early childhood development. I want to encourage the departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Health and Social Services. They should do as much as they can as soon as they can to improve the support for early childhood development programs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure today to recognize in the gallery a resident of Hay River South and my new constituency assistant for the Hay River office. Wendy Morgan continues to work in the Yellowknife office and Orlanda Patterson mans the Hay River office.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize a couple of constituents from Weledeh: Barb Hood, executive director of NWT Seniors’ Society; and Amanda Mallon, city councillor.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a couple of constituents here as well. I’d like to recognize Kathryn Paddock, who is with the NWT Literacy Council as the family literacy coordinator. With Kathryn is Patricia Ilgok, who is the family literacy trainee. Sitting just in front of them is my

wonderful assistant, Amanda Mallon. I, too, want to recognize the seniors who have graced us with their presence today: Barb Hood, Yvonne Quick, who is a resident of Frame Lake – Yahoo! – and Sandra Taylor.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, wish to acknowledge those three wise ladies sitting at the top there. That would be Yvonne Quick, Barb Hood and Sandra Taylor. Most notably, Sandra Taylor, of course, is a constituent of Yellowknife Centre and she’s also the president of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society and she does a great job there.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. I’d like to welcome all visitors here in the public gallery today. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings today.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions.

---Interjection

Item 6, acknowledgements. Sorry, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to go back to item 6, acknowledgements.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Yakeleya, you may continue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories held its Third Annual Education Hall of Fame in the Great Hall of the Legislative Assembly. The inductees were chosen by five judges and congratulate all the chosen inductees from their regions.

The Sahtu wishes to congratulate Ms. Betty Barnaby of Fort Good Hope, who has been teaching at the Chief T’Selehye School and recently graduated from the Teachers Education Program in Fort Smith; a double winner indeed. I, along with the Sahtu region, would like to congratulate Ms. Betty Barnaby for her prestigious recognition. Truly education is lifelong learning.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to go back to item 3, Members’ statements.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Nadli, you may continue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Often it’s stated that children are special gifts in our future. I could not agree more to this strong statement. There’s a statement in Dene culture: You become a child twice in your life – in the beginning and the latter part of your life. This is what I understand is the special relationship between children and elders.

Children are the spirit of our communities. Parents and extended families play a critical role in raising our children. In the northern communities we have some initiatives in preschools, daycares, playschools and kindergarten programs. I understand governments have frameworks outlining general principles for children, but do not go far enough for a goal that we agreed to in the fall.

We acknowledge that there are pressures on the labour force in the NWT for qualified and trained workers, particularly for the need for more women to enter the workforce. This government should be able to do more to make this happen. This government perhaps could maybe consider a legislation to ensure there are fiscal commitments to ensure that more efforts are directed towards preschool initiatives and ensuring that there are general initiatives in terms of recognizing the need for programs to happen in the beginning of life for children in terms of at least from when they were born, right to when they go to school. At the same time maybe there needs to be more research and analysis towards discussion and towards achieving at least a plan to implement programs immediately.

In the fall we all agreed that we wanted to work together. At the same time there was a goal to ensure that we develop preschool initiatives. I could not agree more. We pride ourselves in the Northwest Territories that we do things differently than mainstream Canada. This is an opportunity for us to establish a very unique program for the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Item 8, written questions. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have one written question today.

Would the Premier please provide a list of all direct appointments made by Cabinet since the beginning of the 17th Assembly? The Premier’s response

should specifically note the employing departments and reasons why competitions were not held for positions filled by direct appointment.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, replies to budget address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of standing and special committees. Item 14, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 15, tabling of documents. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following five documents, entitled “2009-2010 Report of the Legal Services Board of the Northwest Territories,” “2010-2011 Report of the Legal Services Board of the Northwest Territories,” “21st Annual Report of the

Victims Assistance Committee of the NWT – Part 2, 2009-2010,” “22nd Annual Report of the Victims

Assistance Committee of the NWT – Part 2, 2010-2011,” and “23rd Annual Report of the Victims

Assistance Committee of the Northwest Territories – Part 1, 2011-2012.”