Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With the ECE budget tabled recently, it’s hard not to notice that the balance between forced growth and new initiatives is disproportionately balanced within the department’s budget plans. A question many of us have asked is, how is it possible to initiate such a monumental shift in program design with no new funding such as the Education Renewal and Innovation Action Plan? Moreover, with high school graduation right around the corner, many are still concerned with our territorial student outcomes.
My questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I wish to ask the Minister about his budget for the upcoming year, which is relatively flat. Actually, when you factor in forced growth, he is dealing with fewer dollars than last year, yet we continue to hear how much change is forthcoming with the ERI Action Plan.
Can the Minister inform the House how is his department funding this new initiative?