Thank you very much. When it comes to e-learning, I did visit the Sunchild e-learning program. A great initiative. I tried to get that same type of programming not only for youth but young adults in Fort Liard, but at that time there was a bandwidth issue, so we weren’t able to pursue it any further. I know there are still some

issues in the smaller communities with bandwidth and that once those are addressed we can certainly move forward with the e-learning program on a small scale.

I’m certainly supportive of e-learning. I’ve seen the value of it. Like I said, I visited the Sunchild Reserve and how successful it is, but their model is quite extensive. They’ve got e-learning and they’ve got dedicated teachers to help the students and the young adults, even adults, for that matter, that participate. That’s the success of that e-learning program.

I’m not too sure what specifically Beaufort-Delta District Education Council’s model is based on, but I certainly wish them success and certainly Mr. Blake also mentioned that they are getting an increase of $500,000 as additional resources for that. Once again, we’re asking for more money, and I certainly can’t support that. I wish the motion was different. I wish it said let’s explore e-learning in all the regions and districts, and that’s where the focus should be. The Member spoke about that, about the value in other regions and districts as well. With that, as the motion currently reads, I cannot support it.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. To the motion, Mr. Yakeleya.

Just a quick note there, Mr. Chair. The motion, again, recommends that the government increase its allocations to fund the e-learning. I heard some pretty successful stories and especially for our small communities to move people into the required educational careers that they want to go into with full confidence that they’re getting the required courses. Of course, the funding is being looked at through the Beaufort-Delta District Education Council, and they’re looking beyond its regions, and I certainly agree with Mr. Menicoche on other regions taking full advantage of this type of initiative and that we start looking at avenues where our smaller communities can be under the same sort of level and on par with the larger regions who have some courses that we don’t have in our small communities. I do support the reallocation of this type of funding. It’s a very good initiative, and I certainly know that the Sahtu people, if this ever happens, it would be beneficial if Members spoke on it. So I’d like to add on my last comment to ask for a recorded vote.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion. Minister Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I am fully in agreement with the Members that we should be investing in e-learning, and that is exactly what we had done last week since we have contributed $500,000 to the BDEC. This motion is asking for additional funds which will be addressed through the Education Renewal and Innovation, through that action plan. This will definitely be a

topic of discussion, and at this point, the Cabinet cannot support this initiative since we are already moving forward on this.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. To the motion.

Question has been called. Members have asked for a recorded vote. Will all those in favour, please stand.

All those opposed, please stand.

All those abstaining, please stand.

Results of the motion: five in favour, nine opposed, no abstentions. The motion is defeated.

---Defeated

Committee, we are on page 10-17. Moving on with questions, I have Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a couple comments on this page.

Point of order has been… Committee, order please. Mr. Hawkins, point of order.

Mr. Hawkins. You’ve raised what I consider an erroneous point of order. The Member in question was indeed within the purview of the vote. No point of order. Mr. Blake, you have the floor.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Moving on here, I just wanted to commend the department for

looking into the junior kindergarten. That’s really needed in the communities. Over the last couple of years we’ve seen an increase in the demand to increase our grade levels, and I think that this is one way to start tackling that issue. I know it is a real challenge in the smaller communities to keep our grade levels up because of the shortage of teachers compared to students. A lot of times we have one teacher for two or three grades and that is very challenging, I have heard from a lot of the teachers in larger centres or even in the South. I had the opportunity to actually go to school down there when I was in junior high and high school, so I know it is a huge difference when you compare our education here in the Territories. I will use myself as an example. You know up to Grade 7 I had a 90 percent average, pretty good marks, until I went to Edmonton. It’s very different. The amount of homework you get in the South compared to here in the North is overwhelming when you don’t expect that, but it is a good experience. You also have a lot of other subjects down there, like automotives, as I mentioned earlier, and art, drama, all these different types of extra credits you can get. You know, that’s something we have to aim towards here in the North. I know it will take time, but I think we could get there.

One thing that the grade levels don’t show is how many of our students here in the North experience. That is one thing that I noticed, going to school in the South, our students here experience a lot more in their young lives than students do in the South, whether it’s hunting, camping, trapping, that is a way of life and teaches them how to survive, and you can’t put a grade level on that. I think, as they move on in their years, that will help out a lot. I think we are on the right track here.

One thing that I hoped to see and I would like to ask the question to the Minister, I see languages on here and I noticed in some of the presentations we have received, we are supposed to have an Inuvialuktun instructor in Aklavik and I just wanted to know where the department was with that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. The funding that we contribute to the school boards and also to the language centres, based on that, the programming and also the resources that are required. What the Member is alluding to is very specific to that riding and I can gather that information as to the status. I don’t have that detail of information at this point, if that individual has been hired to deal with the language itself, but we are investing tremendously in the language centre and I just indicated that we are providing additional funding to Aboriginal governments to deal with those matters at hand

because, again, they are the language experts and we need to learn from them as well. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Blake.

Mr. Chairman, that’s all the questions I have right now, thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Again, committee, just for reference point, we are still on 10-17. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to advise that when it comes to junior kindergarten in the communities, I have had constituents that are very supportive of it and it is something that we need in the communities, especially small communities, because the stats for progress in writing and reading is so low. In fact, it is so low that the department actually cancelled those Alberta achievement tests, but that is another story.

I certainly support junior kindergarten. I think that will give our younger preschool children a leg up as they enter our schooling system. It’s too bad someone already took the work Head Start, but that certainly will give our children a head start and the results will play out in about a year, after one year is up of operations.

Much concern has been in the paper about junior kindergarten, but that’s all Yellowknife-driven. That’s a fight for three years from now when they actually have to implement it. They’re doing the communities first, so yes, it is raising their ire, but that’s certainly something that can be dealt with and I believe that they will resolve it. I just want to say that, to anybody listening out there, the Junior Kindergarten Program is not bad; it’s a good thing.

Another issue that was raised, and perhaps the Minister can comment, is about the library in Fort Simpson. I have been pressing for that for many, many years. I certainly wouldn’t mind an update about that and how the department has been helpful.

When it comes to reductions, like, a point five position in a small community really affects the school. I just want to ask the Minister, is there a minimum or a baseline that we use to support small communities where if attendance is lower that we won’t reduce it past a certain amount of teachers for a school? I’ll just ask those questions, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Lafferty.