Madam Speaker, as Legislative Assembly Members we’re obligated and also responsible for the people of the Northwest Territories. We’ve reached out to the people of the Northwest Territories, the 33 communities, the leadership, the parents, the grandparents, through the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. This is building on that. The Early Childhood Development Framework, the action plan that has been brought forward will certainly highlight the importance. We have all these stats, through the renowned researchers across Canada and internationally. Those are some of the areas that we continue to focus. With our department working with the Assembly Members, this is an area that Members refer to $511,000 and 33 communities, that’s an area that I wish top-up for those staff or early childhood workers. That’s separate from junior kindergarten that we’re introducing into the school system.
This is a new initiative that we’re embarking on based on the input from the parents, based on the input from the general public. Members ask if there is any support. We sought support, we sought guidance from the general public and there is support. Based on the feedback we are going to be receiving from the MLAs, at the end of the day we’re going to see how much support there is when going through this budget.
There is support from the general public in the Northwest Territories to move forward, especially in the small, isolated communities. Ten of the communities do not have a licensed child care program, so it will certainly benefit them. With Yellowknife, they currently deliver they call it pre-kindergarten but it is a Junior Kindergarten Program within their existing establishment at cost for the parents. This will be at no cost for the parents, what we are pursuing. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.