This is page numbers 4923 – 4960 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was communities.

Topics

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi. Again, this Junior Kindergarten has been a topic of discussion for a number of years, even before I got on board as Education Minister in 2007. Through the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative and also earlier engagement, that the pre-learning should be first and foremost a priority of this government. That’s why we laid down the early childhood development, the overall framework, the 10-year agreement. So this is an area that I feel will benefit the communities and the 23 communities that we service. We have the teachers here today being trained on the EDI, we have teachers that went through training programs last spring and last fall and it will continue with regional teachers as well.

So when it comes to the second phase for regional centres, such as Hay River, we need to seriously look at how we deliver JK in the 23 communities and what have we learned, the experience. At that time we may be in a different financial position, we don’t know at this point today. So we’ll continue to press that forward. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to ask a question here today. I’m going to follow up on similar questions and not let the Minister of Education off the hook. I think my MLA colleague Mrs. Groenewegen is quite right. I mean, we were there to solve the problem and, as such, it was things about providing child care support for families in small communities and we’ve done completely the opposite, we’ve made a mess.

In short, no one is against the concept of Junior Kindergarten, but now we have day homes at risk. The Minister is poaching one-third of their students; he’s turning Aboriginal Head Start into a mess.

So with all these little policy changes he’s done, and he’s ignored a duly appropriate motion passed in this Assembly to stop what he’s doing, what is his intent to do for the day homes that will be losing one-third of their children, which is in fact one-third of their stream? He’s going to collapse, singlehandedly collapse the daycare system in every large community. What is he going to do?

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’ve already answered this a couple of sessions ago, that my department is working very closely with organizations, whether they be early learning, the daycares, all those organizations that could be potentially impacted, whether it be positive or negative. We are, as a department, and I’ve instructed my department to work very closely with them, all over the Northwest Territories, not just Yellowknife and Hay River and the larger centres but all communities. We will continue to do that, and if there are any ripple effects, then my department will follow through immediately. So, we are closely monitoring it. We’re working diligently with the organizations as well. Mahsi.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, this Minister has scuttled the daycare ship and he’s now coming up with policy about not shooting holes. He’s singlehandedly ruined the daycare system out there and is now saying, oh well, we’ll develop policy when we come across that bridge. This Minister should be proud that he’s going to go down in history as the person who has ruined daycare in the Northwest Territories.

With all of these changes, wouldn’t you have thought it would have made a lot more sense to develop policy to know what types of bridges we’re

going to cross before we blow them up and ask ourselves, geez, how do we get across now?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi. When it comes to whether it be family day homes, the daycares, we’ve made some changes already. There’s been some recommendations brought to our attention by those operators and we’ve listened to the operators, we’ve heard their concerns, we’ve made some changes. From here until we deliver to all the communities, we’re going to make those changes along the way. We have done so and we will continue to do so. Mahsi.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

The Minister introduced this. Let’s find out what changes he’s referring to, because the last public meeting the daycare folks went to the department told them to suck it up and find a way. So, what are those changes?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi. I don’t think that’s an appropriate word to say in this House, but I’ll answer some of the questions. Family day home regulations to allow family day homes to have more flexibility of children aged two to five, so that’s the changes we’ve made based on the recommendations brought to my attention. Along with other recommendations brought to my attention, we will make some changes as well.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll concede I probably could have put that a little nicer, but that’s the truth and the public wants to hear the truth. Sometimes they want to hear it exactly for what it means.

The last question is: When you’ve got deputy ministers telling these day home operators that even though you’ll lose one-third of your income, it’s up to you to start budgeting better, it’s time for you to accept the fact that the loss is yours and you need to start accepting this, these are quotes from family people who went to your meeting organized by you.

Does the Minister stand by that policy and he has not delivered a single iota of information, vision or fact on how we’re going to solve this problem? Does the Minister stand with that position?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi. I stand by how we can work closely with the daycare operators, the preschool operators, all of those operators in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Time for oral question period has expired.

Colleagues, before we go on today, I’d like to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of our current and soon to be former Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. David Brock.

---Applause

Mr. Brock has served as the Chief Electoral Officer from the 2011 General Election, which resulted in each of our elections here in this House, and he must have done a good job.

---Laughter

He was also the secretary in the most recent Electoral Boundaries Commission and provided expert and balanced advice to both the commission, to Caucus as a whole, and has appeared before this House and standing committees many times during his term, and he has always fulfilled his duties with professionalism. The objective and wisdom required is expected of an officer such as this.

Members, please express our gratitude to Mr. Brock for his public service and wish him well in his future endeavors. Thank you, Mr. Brock.

---Applause

Also with Mr. Brock in the House today we have Ms. Nicole Latour, who will be nominated to fill the office of Chief Electoral Officer later today. Welcome to the House.

---Applause

Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker I seek unanimous consent to return to item 6 on our orders of the day, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Revision)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I use the opportunity to recognize Mrs. Cindy Dolynny in our gallery here today. She’s sitting next to a particularly friendly person we all know very well today. I’m not allowed recognize them in particular, but that said, I’d like to recognize Mrs. Dolynny in the House.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Revision)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. McLeod.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Revision)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize my constituency assistant. No, it’s not Wendy; it’s Leah Ipana, my constituency assistant. Welcome, Leah. Thank you.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Revision)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 9, written questions. Item 10, returns to written questions. Item 11, replies to opening address. Item 12, petitions. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Public Accounts 2013-2014.”

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Mr. Ramsay.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Northwest Territories Coroner Service 2013 Annual Report.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a letter from ENR to the chair of the Wek’eezhii Land and Water Board, entitled “Response to Board Requests for Comments – Ekati Reclamation Security.” Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table photographs of the Tulita health facility showing some mousetraps and other things of interest.

I would also like to table a document, called “Oil and Gas: Contaminated Drinking Water Linked to Faulty Wells, Not Fracking.”