This is page numbers 4415 – 4436 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

I have said on numerous occasions in this House that the department has been engaged with superintendents of all the school boards since last summer, and August 21, 2013, was our first, initial meeting we had last year, September 18th ,

November 27th and also January 22nd with the

superintendents of all the school boards. So they’ve been fully engaged in our discussions and we will continue to have that dialogue with all the superintendents as we move forward for the next three years of our phased-in approach. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

School board surpluses are used by school administration to enhance programs or offer unique opportunities for our students which are not funded by any other means.

Can the Minister indicate what effect removing these surpluses will have on such complementary programs for our Yellowknife students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

When we first introduced junior kindergarten as part of our discussions, obviously we don’t want to have impacts on other programs in schools. With this approach, the school programs should not suffer, as the department funds school boards as part of our contributions. Nobody needs to rely on surpluses to fund education. We already provide funding for educational programming for the Northwest Territories, the 33 communities we contribute to on an annual basis. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister may want to go back and talk to his superintendents because the superintendents are being very clear this surplus, a lack of, will affect programming. This approach to funding junior kindergarten effectively curbs the autonomy of district education authorities.

Can the Minister explain what is the rationale behind this autocratic approach? Isn’t there a risk in creating embittered relations between the department and Yellowknife school boards? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

The district education councils we’ve been engaged with have a considerable amount of authority in the present stages to make those decisions on education

issues and programming in the communities and regions. The Education Act does not define them as autonomous. In fact, we have one education system and it’s paid entirely by the GNWT, with the exception of Yellowknife where approximately 18 percent for YK1 and 15 percent for YCS total revenue for municipal taxes. I would just like to highlight as Minister of Education, the buck stops here with me. I’m in charge and I’m acting in the best interest of all residents, including Yellowknife. Change can be difficult; I know that. I have confidence by this time next year, those experiencing junior kindergarten in communities, we’re going to be seeing positive results. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to keep the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment going up and down for another few minutes yet. I would like to return to the issue that I discussed with the Minister yesterday and that’s the impact of junior kindergarten on the Aboriginal Head Start program.

Yesterday I mentioned it was a federally funded program fully funded by the federal government. The Minister, in answering my colleague’s question, I didn’t really get a sense that he understands. He referenced a number of communities that don’t have daycare; he referenced the need to put junior kindergarten into 29 communities, and I do not disagree. Junior kindergarten is a good program and, yes, we should be implementing it. However, we have Aboriginal Head Start in eight communities and I think we could already say we have junior kindergarten in those eight communities. Aboriginal Head Start services three and four-year-olds. Junior kindergarten is four-year-olds.

First, I’d like to ask the Minister why Education, Culture and Employment does not openly endorse the Aboriginal Head Start preschool programs in the eight communities in the NWT where it is operational. Why does the Minister not endorse these programs and use them as junior kindergarten? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, I’ve already answered that question for Mr. Bromley. This is federal programming, the eight communities the Member is referring to. We’re working with them. Junior kindergarten is a prime example as part of enhancing the program. Again, it’s optional. We’re not forcing parents to send their kids to junior

kindergarten; it is optional for parents. At this point, I’ll have to take that question as notice. Mahsi

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, have a few questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. As junior kindergarten moves forward, we had a presentation earlier this month on what they plan to roll out. I would like to commend the Tlicho Government in taking over junior kindergarten and offering it in their language. I would like to see a lot more of that in the other regions as well.

Will the Minister work with other regions to ensure that happens? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Tlicho language is one of the prime examples, along with Fort Providence and the immersion programs and other communities who have initiated their own immersion programs as well. That’s part of our overall goals and objections in introducing junior kindergarten. They can work very closely with the learning communities, as well, when it comes to culture and language preservation. I agree with the Member that we would like to see all 33 communities deliver similar to what Tlicho have initiated. I support that. We need to work towards that. I believe the three-year phased approach for junior kindergarten will cover all 33 communities. That will offset part of the initiative as we move forward to touch on the Tlicho immersion program in the Member’s riding and other Members’ ridings as well. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you. There’s been a lot of talk these last couple days about junior kindergarten and there doesn’t seem to be much support from here in Yellowknife and I can understand that. It will affect a lot of the daycares here in the city and my biggest concern is the education in the North. It’s quite clear that we’re well behind other provinces and jurisdictions. We need to do something and I believe junior kindergarten is a good start.

Will the Minister ensure that they follow through with the plans that they’ve had to implement more programs this fall? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi. That is our overall plan, starting 2014, the new school year, we’re going to be reaching out to 29 communities, especially those 10 communities that are without licenced child care programming. The Minister’s riding is a prime example. He’s part of a community

that would benefit once we roll out the program, and other communities as well. This has huge potential, very beneficial to the communities, especially those isolated communities that do not have this programming. The Member is quite correct that some of the communities are not in the same position as the larger communities. I totally understand that. So this is an area that we’re moving forward with and it will capture that. Mahsi.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

The Minister must know something that I don’t, because last time I looked, I’m a Regular Member.

---Laughter

But I would be interested in being a Minister down the road. To the question. There doesn’t seem to be support here in the larger centres for junior kindergarten, so will the Minister look at possibly not rolling that out into the larger centres and focus more on the smaller centres? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi. Our role is we want to capture all students, all children as best as we can and that means covering all 33 communities, small communities and larger centres. As the Minister responsible for 33 communities, I want to capture those students, even the unborn students as well.

So we are going to be rolling it out to 29 communities and then the following year we’ll be in Hay River and the last phase will be to cover the Yellowknife sector. So this is an area that has been the prime focus. We are going to be rolling out this fall for the next three-year approach. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m rising on the heels of my Member’s statement, which I want to continue the questions about working for the everyday family, which, of course, cost is pretty tough on them. Speaking to the question of gasoline, payday loans and cell phone contracts, heavy scrutiny needs to be put on these things.

So my question is to somebody over there in Cabinet, I’m not sure to who we will direct the question to, but the question is: What powers and opportunities avail themselves to the consumer affairs division to deal with these types of problems to demonstrate there is transparency when it comes to fuel pricing, payday loans and cellphone contracts for Northerners? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the fundamental question is what type of government or what kind of society does the

Member envision. He’s calling for government regulation quite regularly in all areas of people’s lives and there is some free market characteristics here that we have in our country that are important. There are things we can do with gas, there are things we can do in some areas, but the fundamental question is what type of society is the Member proposing? What level of government regulation does he expect this government to create so we don’t exist in every facet of everybody’s lives? Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you. I guess it’s my job to answer my questions and not be posed them by the government, I guess.

My next question, if the Finance Minister wishes to answer rather than pose a question back to me is, of course, what powers of investigation does the consumer affairs division have in their own ability under the Consumer Affairs Act to go out, scrutinize some of these particular issues as I’ve highlighted, which are gasoline pricing, payday loans and cellphone contracts, in the public’s interest? Thank you.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you. We have authorities, two in fact, that go out under the consumer affairs bill to look at areas where there are complaints, where there may be concerns. When those are brought forward, they’re dealt with appropriately. Thank you.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you. I really wish we had an expert on the act here today because the act only gives a reactionary power. What is the government willing to do to provide proactive powers to do investigations that protect consumers, protect working families, especially in the area I’ve highlighted, such as gasoline, payday loans and cellphone contracts, that put Northerners first? Thank you.