Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to recognize a constituent from Yellowknife South, Fraser Oliver. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to start by recognizing Dawn McInnis, a long-time Northerner; a good friend of mine, Amanda Mallon, I consider a very valuable asset to the Northwest Territories, and I am proud to say is one of my friends.

I really want to reach out and say it is great to see all of the young students who are here in the Chamber today. I want to recognize also that these youths are mostly female. In fact, I see all females, and, if I am wrong, may the lone male stand up. As the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, I really want to say it is really important to see them all here. I appreciate you being here. As Members have said, you are going to be the future leaders of the Northwest Territories. When you're ready, I will gladly step aside and let you take my seat. Thank you, and welcome to the Chamber.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Mr. Fraser Oliver, president of the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association; Adrien Amirault, executive director for the NWT Teachers' Association; and Amanda Mallon, professional development coordinator. I want to let them know that we are very appreciative of the work that you do on behalf of our teachers across the Northwest Territories.

I also want to recognize all the students who are here today. We are listening to you and really appreciate that you have made the time and effort to come and join us.

As well, we have some pages from my riding in Inuvik Boot Lake, Miss Cassidy Lennie-Ipana and Lauren Ross. We just appreciate the work that they have been doing here, in the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would just like to welcome all the students, as well, to our proceedings here. It is always great to have an audience. In the future, I hope we have more audience in our proceedings. It is always great to have public in the gallery. Masi. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that this has been a topic of hot debate and an almost consistent feature of question period, but I do want to ask the Minister of Education, just firmly on the record, if he can answer: why has Aurora College decided to discontinue the Social Work Diploma and the Teacher Education Program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I have mentioned in this House before, the executive council for Aurora College did consult and meet with our department. We looked at where we can look at reductions and look at our programs, and it is always being reviewed, and looking at how many graduates do we get out of the programs for the big investment that we put in. These two programs were recognized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Would the Minister agree with me that, in light of the lack of a new strategic plan for Aurora College, where many of the long-term goals of the college are still undecided, it is unadvisable to cut crucial programs like social work and education at this time?

We are still waiting on that strategic plan. At this time, we are looking at these programs to see where we are getting the best investments and the end product. I encourage all the students here, as we continue to support the students going through the program before they finish, that they work hard, study, and make sure to graduate because that was one of the factors was we weren't getting graduates coming out of the program for the big investment that we put in.

Earlier, in recognition of visitors in the gallery, the Minister made the comment that, "We are listening to you. We are listening to the students." The students today, I heard them loud and clear outside the building, "We don't want any more cuts to education. We want northern education."

What is the Minister doing to ensure that we have quality access to made-in-the-north education programs? If this program isn't working, Mr. Speaker, why are we cutting it instead of redesigning it so it can be successful?

This program, both the programs, have been around for a long time. When I did say we are listening, we are hearing, we are continuing to support all the students who are here today through Student Financial Assistance programming, as I mentioned before, best in the country. We are going to give them all the support they need to graduate from the program in the time that is allocated.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Apart from encouraging students to work harder so they can graduate in greater numbers than before and reminding them that they can access Student Financial Assistance to go to programs down south, what is the Minister doing to help these students today who are not yet in the program but were looking forward to taking it? The high school students, the community access students, who wanted to pursue this in the future now may not have that opportunity. How are we helping them get education here in the Northwest Territories, in the programs that they have chosen for themselves? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, we do have that Skills 4 Success document that we are reaching out to organizations as well as in the high school to look at all jobs, all programs, across the Northwest Territories. We still continue to support our students throughout the NWT with our Student Financial Assistance programs at whatever institutions that they want to go to. We have career development officers, employment transition officers. We have guidance counsellors in the schools who work with students to develop and go along the career path that they choose. We continue to support them.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, [translation] Minister of Health and Social Services, the kids that are addicted to drugs and alcohol, that is what I want to ask [translation ends].

The Department of Health and Social Services tabled a strategic framework on mental health and addictions recovery. Now, it is working on three action plans, with children and youth coming first. Can the Minister provide an update on the work towards its Children and Youth Mental Wellness Action Plan? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Member for raising this question. The framework is out. We have shared it with committee. It has been tabled. That strategic framework set out some guiding principles that were utilized in the development of the different action plans. Those items are a focus on prevention and early intervention, recovery orientation systems, personal experience and outcomes, and a whole-of-government approach. As we move forward with the different action plans, those are some of the guiding principles that we are using.

With respect to the child and youth mental wellness action plan, work has already been started. We have gone out and started doing different research on best practices in other jurisdictions, literature reviews, talking to people across the Northwest Territories. We have created an interdepartmental working group as part of the whole-of-government process that is helping us with the development. We are hoping that this action plan will be done summer 2017 in time for business planning so that we can work together with Members on both sides to move forward with the actions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

How will the actions described in this plan work with the department's future development of an addictions recovery action plan?

I am assuming the Member is referring to the child and youth mental wellness action plan. At this point, there are no actions identified. We are still in the development phase. As I indicated, all these action plans are working on some guiding principles that inter-tie with each other. Once again, it focuses on prevention, recovery-oriented systems, personal experiences, and outcomes, as well as a whole-of-government approach. To date, the department has completed a significant amount of research and literature reviews into best practices for addressing child and youth mental health challenges or mental health wellness. This information has formed the basis of the working group's work as they move forward with the development of the action plan.

I would like to ask the Minister if the youth themselves would be directly and meaningfully engaged in the development of these plans.

Yes. In fact they, already have. In the development of the framework in the summer of 2016, we held a number of different focus groups throughout communities and with youth from across the Northwest Territories. We engaged with FOXY and SMASH as well as MACA youth ambassadors. We have had youth involved.

Moving forward in the development of the action plan itself, we are intending to conduct different validation exercises with youth again to make sure that their voice is heard, that their input is included in the youth mental health action plan.