Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. I know from personal experience that I've had individuals who have self-declared their disability. I've had the college say, “Well, we can work with you when it fits into our schedule,” and unfortunately, these individuals do not succeed. However, if they were down south when they do this, there is a policy, there's an action plan in place that actually guarantees these people with disabilities success. Therefore, will the Minister commit that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the college will review their existing policies and plans and enhance it to reflect the policies of other jurisdictions so we can guarantee success for our people who have disabilities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I do agree that we need to see some successes moving forward with people that are living with disabilities that want to get that post-secondary education. We want to look at ways that we can make it easier for them to access programs, get into post-secondary college, and offer the supports that they do need. I can advise the Member that the college does review these policies on a regular basis and as I mentioned earlier, they look at other jurisdictions and Canadian institutions for the best practices moving forward. I can work with the department and the colleges and learning centres to see how well they're being implemented and how we can better make those policies reflect what is needed with our residents.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

[English translation not provided] Earlier today, we had an interesting public presentation from Dechinta today at the Standing Committee on Social Development. Then last week, as an Assembly, we adopted the Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019. One point in that document states that we should be refocusing support for post-secondary institutions in the Northwest Territories. Can the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment tell this House what is meant by “refocusing support for post-secondary institutions in the Northwest Territories?”

Merci

Mahsi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member knows, we just had our mandate done last week. What it really means is we're just looking at post-secondary education and making sure we are providing the programs and that we are doing it right. As Members also know, we have a Skills 4 Success Initiative and next month we'll also be making public the Labour Market Information Report, so we want to reflect our programs to what is needed in the communities. We also want to make sure that we're aligning our post-secondary education with the vision and the priorities of the 18th Legislative Assembly moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the answer from the Minister. We have a number of post-secondary institutions in the Northwest Territories, including Aurora College, Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning and the College nordique francophone. What role does the Minister see for each of these post-secondary institutions in the future?

Right now, I believe that College nordique does offer diploma programs and that our department is working with them to look at possibly how we can work with Aurora College at the same time. I know Dechinta has been mentioned in this house on numerous occasions. They have a partnership with the University of Alberta where their students can possibly transfer to the University of Alberta. Dechinta and College nordique do not require any authority of an act to operate this way, and we do fund some of these institutions. Aside from College Nordique and Dechinta, we also do give some program dollars to other post-secondary institutions in the North.

I thank the Minister for his answer and we all understand that the Education Act allows for the granting of post-secondary education degrees, but can the Minister tell us which institutions in the Northwest Territories have such authority and for what types of degrees?

Under the Education Act, I believe it's section 130 that needs to be reviewed if anything needs to be changed with that. We have the Aurora College Act. That's the only institution I can think of that can give out degrees or diplomas.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, and I want to thank the Minister again for his answer. Earlier today, though, I just spoke about how there are other post-secondary institutions here in the Northwest Territories, including Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning and College nordique francophone. Can the Minister tell this House whether he's prepared to enable these other institutions, Dechinta and College nordique in particular, to grant degrees, and when does he believe such authority will be in place? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

As I mentioned, there do have to be some changes to one of our acts. Like I said, we have the Aurora College Act and then there's also -- I'll just correct myself here, but it is section 150 of the Education Act that provides that a university or degree-granting institute cannot be created or established in the Northwest Territories without the express authority of an Act. If those discussions need to be made right now, we just support them financially, and that's something that would need to be changed within that act if something were to move forward.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of ITI. In my Member’s statement today, I spoke about the need for our government to encourage investment in mineral exploration in the territory. It is an important way to encourage the growth of employment for Northerners and of course, wealth in the territory, but a recent media release from the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines last week called for changes. It says that time, transparency, and certainty around permit approvals for exploration projects is causing exploration companies to have lower confidence in an already high-risk endeavour. Could the Minister tell us what steps the GNWT is taking to help reduce the lengthy timeframes that companies have to wait to receive permits for exploration? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Minister of ITI, we take these reports very seriously as our exploration and mining industry depends on being able to obtain permits in a timely manner. Of course, this is a concern for the Government of the Northwest Territories and proof that we need to improve on and streamline our policies, and make the necessary changes in order to attract and reinvigorate our mining and exploration sector. We are also committed to regulatory streamlining. One of next steps in our process of devolution and evolution is to examine our legislation and related processes in support of mineral resources to ensure that they meet the needs and priorities of our territory. With devolution, the Government of the Northwest Territories is now in a better position to address industry concerns and work with our land management partners to improve regulatory processes. We also have to remember that a key piece of our regulatory framework still rests with the Government of Canada, such as the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. The Department of Lands has lead responsibility for regulatory reform. During devolution, we agreed with the government of the day that they would review the MVRMA within five years and we would make a representation to move that up faster with this new Government of Canada. It is not a quick or easy process. We have also committed to developing a new, leading edge Mineral Resources Act in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister for his answer. According to the release, on the ability for exploration companies to understand the rules and how they are applied, the NWT emerged with the poorest rating. Could the Minister please explain for this House what action the GNWT is taking to make process and procedures clearer and more transparent for applicants?

The Northwest Territories also ranks in the top in the survey for mineral potential. We have the right building blocks and are committed to providing increasing certainty for industry and other parties. We are looking at a combination of legislative amendments, regulations, and strategic policy to achieve a responsible, sustainable, and balanced approach to industrial land use moving forward. The Government of the Northwest Territories will work with stakeholders as the government evolves with this new devolved responsibility, keeping a transparent process underway.

hanks again to the Minister. It is good to hear that we have the right building blocks to build certainty because that kind of encompasses my next question. Lastly, the statement from the Chamber of Mines says that almost one third of mining companies feel “low to no confidence” that their exploration applications will be granted. How will the GNWT rebuild certainty and encourage industry to maintain and increase their investments in the territory?

As a government, we recognize that it is very important to develop confidence. We have been working very hard at it to gain the confidence of the industry. We know the importance of exploration in the Northwest Territories. Those people that are filling out these surveys, like the Fraser Institute, have long memories. Some of them have been in the North a long time ago and haven't been back since. But we’ve done a lot of work in this area. We have developed a Mineral Development Strategy, which is a strategic plan to increase mineral exploration and mine development in order to ensure residents with a sustainable economy. Some of the ways that we are encouraging exploration is through the Mining Incentive Program where we spend $400,000 a year. We also have an Assessment Work Incentive, developing a regulatory roadmap for explorers; development of a Mineral Resources Act, as I said already; education and awareness, ensuring that our residents understand all aspects of the mineral industry in the Northwest Territories, and investment in infrastructure. As Minister of ITI, we contribute to the studies being conducted by the Department of Transportation in this regard. We are very heartened by the federal government's stated plans to invest in infrastructure in the North and throughout Canada. We see this investment in strategic infrastructure as very important in helping us gain more confidence for investors to come to the Northwest Territories.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today my questions are for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Today, we learned via the media that the NWT Housing Corporation is planning to provide brand new housing units in Norman Wells, Inuvik, Fort Smith, Hay River, and Fort Simpson for the RCMP. Why is the NWT Housing Corporation taking on this role when the federal spokesman is quoted as saying that it doesn't provide value for money? Thank you.

Mahsi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.