This is page numbers 5413 - 5452 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd 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 work. View the webstream of the day's session.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have risen on the floor of this House to address the concerns of parents around the safety for their children in online environments. I am wondering if the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment can tell me what efforts the department has undertaken to ensure parents are aware of the risks and have the appropriate tools to respond to any concerns. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes. We definitely work within our schools. We start with our Safe and Caring Schools. We provide work around informing students about bullying, supporting each other, et cetera. We re-enforce to students when they are bullied in any way on media and the Internet, et cetera, to notify the school, and we will address that. That is one piece of it.

We also do a lot more areas. We have a media smart, I believe it is called, that is available to all of the JK to 12 that people can use to inform on Internet safety. We have specialized programs for grade fours that they can actually get training on internet usage and then the high schools, as well. Part of that package also actually provides a package to parents to support their youth in Internet safety. It gives them tips around: keep your internet in a public area; don't let them have them in their room; watch what they are doing; limit times; et cetera. I expand on that because it is not only in schools that this is happening. This is happening in homes and communities. It is not only the school. Community-wide, we need to be diligent about what our children are watching on the Internet. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 696-18(3): Online Safety for Children
Oral Questions

March 13th, 2019

Page 5420

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you to the Minister. I know from my own knowledge working with the school boards that they are very good to supporting to parents at most times. Is there any work being undertaken to strengthen the curriculum that is offered to students in these learning environments? I know that my son, for example, is learning how to use computers and the Internet. He has a Google account. These are things that I didn't expect a nine-year-old to have, but he has them. Is there a focus from the department on looking at those curriculums and making sure that they are providing appropriate tools to our children?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Yes, we are always looking at upgrading what we are doing within the school curriculum. That is a normal thing.

I would like to go back to what we do for our grade four to eight students. We actually focus on five modules that provide on social networking, they talk about privacy, they talk about tricks of the trade for online advertisers, authentication skills, and judging reliably with a mock search engine, safe and wise web surfing, and the ethical use of messaging. For high school students, we use the MyWorld curriculum. There are four chapters, and they aim, again, to teach the authentication of online information, to manage your reputation and privacy online, dealing with online relationships, and acting ethically online. Again, at that age, for the high school students, we really focus on what you put out there might not be private.

We are always looking to expand and to update our curriculum, especially with technology. It changes quickly, so it is something that we monitor on a regular basis.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

I know that the Minister is fond of saying, "Nothing for us without us." How are students involved in this process, and what are the feedback mechanisms that either the school boards, or the department has working in conjunction with the school boards, and the district education authorities, to ensure that students have an ability to provide feedback to these materials and so that our policies and our supports to families and our kids are informed by young people's own experiences with the Internet and other material?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I will have to get back to the Member on that. We have 10 education authorities. We usually provide the curriculum. I am not exactly sure how they get the student feedback, but I take note, and I am expecting that they do get student feedback. If not, then I will put that forward as a recommendation. I will get back to the Member and find out if we currently do, and if we don't, my recommendation at the next education leaders meeting will be that they get as much feedback from students as possible on all topics.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to the Commissioner's opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive rule 100(4) and to have Committee Report 14-18(3), Interim Report of the Special Committee to Increase the Representation of Women in the Legislative Assembly, moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration later today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to waive rule 100(4) and to have Committee Report 14-18(3), Interim Report of the Special Committee to Increase the Representation of Women in the Legislative Assembly, moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration later on today.

---Unanimous consent granted

Committee Report 14-18(3) is now moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration today. Masi. Reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Minister of Finance.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following three documents entitled "Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2019-2020"; "Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2019-2020"; and "Inter-Activity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 (April 1 to September 30, 2018)." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documentation. Government House Leader.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Premier, I wish to table the following document entitled "Self-Government Agreement-in-Principle for Sahtu Dene and Metis of Norman Wells." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Economic Opportunities Strategy - Connecting Businesses and Communities to Economic Opportunities: 2016 to 2018 Progress and Performance Measures." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I have two documents that I would like to table. The first is a letter dated February 25, 2019, from the Giant Mine Oversight Board to the Giant Mine Remediation Project. The second document is a terms of reference for the socio-economic advisory body Giant Mine Remediation Project, dated January 16, 2019. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Whereas Tabled Document 383-18(3), Draft Code of Conduct and Guide For Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, has been tabled in this House, and whereas the Draft Code of Conduct and Guide for Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories requires detail consideration, now, therefore, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Tabled Document 383-18(3), Draft Code of Conduct and Guide for Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, be referred to the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures for review and that the committee report be presented to the Legislative Assembly during its August 2019 sitting. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

Masi. Motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Bill 48: Post-Secondary Education Act
First Reading Of Bills

Page 5421

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, who started this initiative, that Bill 48, Post-Secondary Education Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 48: Post-Secondary Education Act
First Reading Of Bills

Page 5421

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The motion is in order. The motion is non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

Bill 48 has had its first reading. First reading of bills. Member for Hay River North.