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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I rise once again to advocate for the new stand-alone school for the community of Trout Lake. Currently, the department is assessing the facilities and even leaning towards renovations. This is not acceptable to the community.

I’m pleased that during the Nahendeh tour in December of 2014, our Premier and the Minister of Transportation were able to see that one room schoolhouse in the current community centre. A little partition was put up last year, but I’m sure that the Ministers will concur that this is still like the one room schoolhouses that some of our parents went to, instead of a modern school.

The chief and leadership of Trout Lake always advocated strongly that to develop and prepare our youth for the future, they need a strong educational foundation. That can only be done with a new stand-alone school that has adequate teaching space and modern teaching aids for the many grade levels that are taught there. The elders even noticed this, and they tell me it is distracting when they have to teach multi grades when you have kindergarten to Grade 9 in the same room.

Our Statistics Bureau tells us that Trout Lake’s growth rate, therefore more students, is more than 6 percent a year for the past 10 years. I believe by the next school year the school will be at maximum capacity, so the Department of Education must act now that the future of the educational needs of Trout Lake will be addressed.

Our government has spent a lot of money building superschools and expensive improvements in larger centres. It is time we start focusing on small communities. They need stand-alone schools with all the modern teaching aides. These schools are too small for their student populations. I have pointed out time and time again of how this affects the ability of the students to learn and the ability of the teachers to teach effectively.

I call on the Education Minister to adjust the capital plan. The last one I saw calls for a new school in Trout Lake to begin in 2018-19. We simply must move this project up on our priority list.

I look to the support of this Cabinet to address the need for a new school for Trout Lake in this year’s capital planning process. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is on the Willow River in Aklavik.

Last year at this time, our Department of Transportation gave a contribution to the community to purchase a bridge that’s needed for this project, and I really thank the department for that. But the job is not done yet.

We still need funding to put that bridge in place by the end of this season. We have just over two months to have that bridge in place, and I’m hoping that the department will continue to work with the community to ensure we have the proper funding in place to make sure that that project is completed.

I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Nadli.

Mr. Speaker… [Translation] Today we have a few people here. I want to say in my language, thank you for being here. We have to work with them for several years. Some of them are chiefs; some of them are still young and there are new people, young people are with them. So, I want to say thank you for being here with us. They’re here for a meeting. So, thank you for being here. [Translation ends]

…the leaders, led by Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, plus all the leaders and the elders who are here as well. My colleague, MLA for Nahendeh, is going to share the responsibility of trying to recognize all of our delegates from the Dehcho First Nations. The delegates are meeting here for a couple days, so they’re meeting at the Ski Club and their hope is to have their meeting in town and also, at the same time, meet with the Premier as well.

I’d just like to recognize the delegation: Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, Chief Ted Lennie, Chief Lloyd Chicot, Fort Providence Metis president James Christie, Fort Simpson Metis president Marie Lafferty, Chief Michael Matou, Chief Joachim Bonnetrouge, and also Chief Gladys Norwegian. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My colleague Mr. Menicoche will also recognize a few people. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome the Dehcho First Nations along with Grand Chief Herb Norwegian. I wish them every success in their meetings this week. Also to the chiefs that my colleague did mention, but I’ll recognize the other delegation that we have travelling with the Dehcho First Nations this week: elder Gabe Hardisty; elder Sarah Chicot; councillors Ted Cayenne and James Cayenne; from Fort Providence, John McLeod; elder Jonas Lafferty from Fort Simpson; elder Leon Konisenta

from Nahanni Butte; elder Samuel Elleze from Providence; elder Yvonne Norwegian from Jean Marie River; and a special welcome to Chief Steven Jose, councillor Cheryl Cli and councillor Jonathan Tsetso of Liidlii Kue First Nations. Also travelling with them are various staff: Alison dePelham, Sarah McLeod, Greg Nuyli, Violet Jumbo, Mary Jane Cazon, Chris Reid, Patrick Scott and also the acting band manager of Wrigley, Ms. Ria Letcher. I would also welcome the former MLA of Nahendeh and Premier, Jim Antoine, to the gallery here today.

When I was coming over here yesterday, I was speaking with Jonas Lafferty and I said, when I welcome you here, your name is forever going to be in Hansard, even 100 years from now. So, that’s the same for everybody. Welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome and recognize Ms. Crystal Fraser. She is a PhD candidate. She is undertaking her PhD in Canadian history at the University of Alberta, and actually, she was just recently up in Inuvik where she presented her research on the history of education and residential schools in the Mackenzie Delta region. I believe she also visited Fort McPherson, Tsiigehtchic and Aklavik. I just want to welcome her to the House and congratulate her on her research and wish her the best of luck in her studies.

I’d also like to welcome all of the Dehcho leadership and their staff as well. Welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased to recognize my oldest brother, John McLeod, as well as Grand Chief Herb Norwegian and all of the Dehcho First Nations delegation.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize two constituents: Ted and James Cayenne from West Point, as well as Grand Chief Norwegian. Obviously, good to see him. We’ll probably see him this summer at some auctions, and some others. Lloyd Chicot, a good friend. Good to see them, and all the leaders from the Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the great things about getting older is I realize how enriched my life is by knowing so many wonderful people and Northerners, but one of the perils are my eyes aren’t so good looking into the gallery. I’m going to try to recognize some of the folks I do see, so I apologize to anyone I miss. Certainly, Grand

Chief Herb Norwegian, Chief Tim Lennie, Chief Lloyd Chicot, I believe James Christie, president, Chief Michael Matou, Chief Joachim Bonnetrouge, Chief Gladys Norwegian, Acting Chief Steve Jose, Violet Jumbo, Ria Letcher, Patrick Scott, and certainly Jim Antoine. I’d like to say, of course, hello to councillor Cheryl Cli, as well, at large, everyone up there I may have missed. Thank you for coming today.

The last thing I’ll say as I close is I don’t quite agree with everything my Yellowknife colleague said about decentralization, and I’ll leave it at that.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too, along with my colleagues Mr. Moses, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Menicoche and also the Premier, would like to recognize people in the gallery. I want to first recognize Ms. Crystal Fraser on her achievement of working towards her PhD and her studies. I had a good discussion with her on the residential schools in the North, so good luck with that, Crystal. Good to see young northern Aboriginal people go this far in their academics to get a doctorate degree, so good luck.

At the same time, I’d like to recognize Grand Chief Herb Norwegian with his delegation, the Dehcho government, coming to look at our government here. Maybe one day we would return the favour and listen to your proceedings. Also, at the same time, there are family members in the Dehcho leadership that are close to me, Mr. Lennie, Mr. Bonnetrouge and Mr. Chicot. I want to say welcome to the proceedings. Also, to the staff members from the Dehcho leadership. Good to see people in the gallery today and watching over us.

I’d like to welcome here today Mr. David Jones, our Conflict of Interest Commissioner, in the House today with us.

Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of 10 young men and women who are visiting us this week. They are participants in the Ontario Legislature Internship Program. I know you will join me in welcoming Clare Devereux, Christine Eamer, Justin Khorana-Medeiros, Emily Hewitt, Kristy May, Kristen Neagle, Patrick Sackville, Jakup Sikora, Mathew Stanton and Aaron Van Tassel. Welcome to the Northwest Territories, and I hope your enjoy your visit to our Legislature.

Also, I’d like to welcome everybody here in the Legislative Assembly. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings here today. Thank you for coming.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Member is raising an excellent point where we need to do something about our quality of education across the Northwest Territories. That’s part of the reason why we’re developing various initiatives such as the Early Childhood Development Framework, not only that but the whole Education Renewal and Innovation. So those are the two big key factors that we’re implementing within our department. It’s going to take some time. There is a short-term, a mid-term and also long-term arrangements as well. There are quite a few activities that will be happening and we’re engaging the communities, as well, on this particular, very important initiative. Mahsi.

Thank you. We certainly look forward to it. I’ve been wanting to ask the Minister of Education… The chief from Tulita, Chief Frank Andrew, talked about the quality of education in our communities and then he noted that at one time when the students finished Grade 12, they finished with a Grade 12. Today we question the Grade 12s who are finishing school.

I want to ask the Minister, is there a way that we are looking at today that when our students finish they do not have to go to Aurora College to upgrade to get into a post-secondary institution. Will our students really complete with a Grade 12, truly a Grade 12 that we can say yes, that’s a quality education we want to give them?

Mahsi. When I first got elected in 2007, the Member invited me to his riding in the Sahtu region. We did visit the communities and we listened to the elders and the community members about this particular subject where individuals completing Grade 12 still had to upgrade and I’ve listened carefully. Based on that feedback we’ve done a lot of research across the

Northwest Territories. Yes, it’s true that the smaller communities are somewhat disadvantaged compared to larger regional centres. So those are the very reasons why we’re establishing a very heavy workload within the Education Renewal and Innovation that will certainly capture those small communities that may be lagging behind on these particular subject areas. So, we’re serious about this initiative. Mahsi.