This is page numbers 5257 – 5290 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 ombudsman.

Topics

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Member that these veterans should not be forgotten. They are a part of our history and also our identity, so we need to honour them. This is an area that I will be pushing with my school boards, that I work very closely with, to have their

presence in our school system, some visibility of the history.

I will commit to the Member that this will be addressed. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know Veteran Affairs is a federal department. We should look into working with our vets, even those who are retired from peacetime or recent servants in Afghanistan.

Are there any educational credits for retired veterans that can apply to further their education?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, there is a variety of programs within our department, not only my department but other departments as well. We need to find out if there is such a program specifically for the targeted individuals. I’m making a commitment in this House that this is an area that we should seriously look at, because we go through the process every year, remembering our veterans on Remembrance Day. There could be some sort of a…(inaudible)…that the Member is asking about. It will take some time to get to that stage, but I will be following through with the stakeholders. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Mahsi, Mr. Lafferty. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Question 535-17(5): Building Canada Plan
Oral Questions

November 5th, 2014

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we all know, at the end of March the Building Canada Plan expired and a lot of projects came to a halt.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation, will the new Building Canada Plan be ready for the upcoming year and projects continuing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are continuing negotiations with Infrastructure Canada on the Building Canada Fund. The thought was that this actual construction season that just went by would be at the time we would be able to roll out that money, but that didn’t happen. So, we are continuing to work with them.

We’re very positive, as a department and as a government, that we will be able to sign the necessary documents and roll out that money for this upcoming construction season. Thank you.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

I would like to ask the Minister again, come April 1st , will this new funding roll out and the

project continue over the upcoming summer? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

That’s certainly our hope. We can’t commit to something where we haven’t signed on the dotted line at this point. But like I indicated, we continue to work – our Minister of Infrastructure and their Minister of Infrastructure – and we’re sorting out the details. I feel that once all the details are sorted out and they have a clear understanding of all the projects that we presented in our plan are projects that the federal government Infrastructure is prepared to fund, I’m positive we will be able to roll out new money in the upcoming fiscal year. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask Minister Lafferty, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, a couple questions about Junior Kindergarten.

I just want to note that I feel the general population has understood the delays in the larger communities. It’s still going forward in the other 23 communities for this year that want it. I also want to say that I don’t believe the delays were caused by the middleclass, the low-income people and single parents out there that could not use the daycare or daycare operators anyway.

I’d like to ask the Minister, how well is Junior Kindergarten received in the 23 communities that use it? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The decision came down from this government to continue with the 23 communities this year and also next year. Part of the process, obviously, is to re-evaluate the programming that’s going to be happening over the coming months, within eight months. The feedback we’re getting to date has been positive overall, and there hasn’t been major issues pertaining to delivery of JK. There were some questions about specific areas of clarification, so those are some of the information and also calls and e-mails that came to my department. There may be others out there that we may not aware of, but what came to our attention is there haven’t been any major issues. Mahsi.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

I know that we heard that there were funding fears out there.

I’d just like to ask the Minister, with the 23 communities that are using it now, how is it being funded and what are the plans for the future? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi. Part of the decision that was made by this government is to

continue with the 23 communities this year and the following year based on the funding allocations from PTR of up to $1.8 million a year. So that will subsidize the 23 communities where the research has found it’s mostly needed in the small, isolated communities. So that’s where we are currently delivering Junior Kindergarten.

But keep in mind that we are in the process of re-evaluating our program delivery over the coming months as well. Mahsi.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

When the Minister talks about evaluating in the next coming months, does he have a time frame that he can let us know? Is it in December and once again at the end of the school year? How frequent will the evaluations be? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

It’s very important that we reach out to the stakeholders, the parents and educators to share their perspective, the community members. Those individuals are currently delivering Junior Kindergarten, as well, in the communities. So, the Premier made a statement that within the coming months, within the eight months from now, we should have the final results of the overall review of our programing. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad that we’re working towards evaluating it, because it’s a much needed program, I believe.

As we move forward, can the Minister know… Will he compile an overall report for this House? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Once the review is completed, I would have to share that information with the standing committee, so that should be coming within the next coming months. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Robert Bouchard

Robert Bouchard Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will do a follow-up to my Member’s statement about decentralization. My questions will be for the Premier of the Northwest Territories.

This Assembly is going into its last year. Is it a priority to do decentralization? Is the government any closer to solving some of the housing issues and some of the office space issues to do decentralization throughout the Northwest Territories?

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honorable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we are. We have identified $21 million over the next three years, and we’ll be, as well, investing in the housing market in the communities, so our expectation is we will have approximately 178 new houses in the small communities that are predominantly identified for decentralized positions. Thank you.