Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the review that has been undertaken has looked at structures of other utilities and best practices related to any of the board governance through the Power Corporation. You know, if there are changes that are going to be made going forward, I want to make sure that the future government does not end up in a similar place making dramatic changes to a future board. So this is something that we need to thoroughly look through and be able to respond to this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, I'm looking at Minister, from the -- Minister Sebert from the past government and when he stated, in 2016, which is a lot more than just the end of the last government, it was early on in the beginning of their government, that he appointed the six deputy ministers, and that was in May of 2016. So I'm just wondering how much longer does NTPC need to figure out whether they're a Crown corporation or not or what their board's going to be made up of, if it's a representative, is it people who are, you know, specialized in doing this type of work, or is it going to continue as deputy ministers? And if not, why don't we just make it a department and so that way we can hold them accountable in this House. So kind of my question related to this is all in one maybe, but how are we going to bring that into this House so that we can hold the Power Corp accountable by this Legislative Assembly so we can ask those questions like we do on every other department in detail? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It must be remembered that the Northwest Territories Power Corporation operates as a regulated utility under the Public Utilities Act. So this is meant to ensure that monopoly positions as provided and distributor of electricity does not result in unfair rates for customers. We have to recognize that as a regulated utility, Northwest Territories Power Corporation is different than other corporations. It cannot easily be converted into something that looks more like a department, Mr. Speaker. It doesn't mean that governance changes that do not require legislative amendment cannot be put in place. Mr. Speaker, a board made up of members with the appropriate backgrounds and potentially with a balanced orientation that can replace deputy ministers. Having deputy ministers on the board helps ensure that knowledge shareholders -- shareholder priorities, including alignment with our energy strategies, is ensured.

An option that might be -- that we might see continued participation of the GNWT officials as board members or observers or whatever the governance structure is also a possibility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I think that just kind of gave me a bunch of ideas for a new Member's statement tomorrow. Lots more questions on how we can incorporate the Power Corp with all our energy plans and what it's costing us. But all I want to know is when do we expect to see these changes on this governance model, and what is the timeline? Like my colleague says, like we want a date. We've been waiting -- I've been asking since 2020 when we first got in, February of 2020. So I just want a date as to when we're going to have a governance model and if you're not doing it, let us know that you haven't done any work on it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are doing the work. I mean, this is not something that just happens overnight. This is a lot of thought process going into it. And like I said earlier, some of the work that we're doing, we need to make sure we're doing it right. Also I want the Members to know that we will share the information in the near future. So just before any final decision is made on Power Corporation board governance is we get the benefit of hearing from Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Finance who has responsibility for telecommunication services.

My statement outlined reports that the Anik F2 satellite is going to fail probably by February 2023, and we may have disruptions to service to eight NWT communities. So can the Minister give us the current status of the satellite's fate and maintenance of service and how this government is working to prevent a service outage? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the satellite is one of the service assets of the Northwestel who did put us on notice as early as I think they were able to with respect to what's happening with Anik F2. There is a fair bit of work happening on this. I am looking to an opportunity -- I have been looking for an opportunity to get this information out so I'm grateful for that here.

I can say that the information I received to date from Northwestel, they've got a couple of options that they're working on in order to ensure that there are, firstly, new additional satellites that they are purchasing services from so as to cover the affected area. And also, as the Member has noted, there are indeed eight satellite communities and ensuring that they have the necessary levels of hardware to make use of the new systems and to also potentially make use of new low Earth orbits companies that are coming on line to provide their services. So a few different things in play, but all of which is to say that we are being assured that there will not be an interruption in service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. But, you know, having lived here for a number of years, I'm used to service disruptions when it comes to electricity. But, you know, one of the things that I guess I've heard is that there's a company, OneWeb's Low Earth Orbit satellites that might be helpful.

Is the Minister aware of this and, if service improvements are possible, is the GNWT taking this opportunity to urge any improvements be made permanent? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the entity, when I had mentioned that there's other low Earth orbit companies that are being engaged, that is precisely the company I had in mind. So, yes, I'm aware of them. And Northwestel is aware of them. And they are, I understand, working with them on this project and to see that they are, you know, brought into the fabric of telecommunication services here in the Northwest Territories.

I can't say to what extent they are discussing a permanent relationship with Northwestel, but it is my understanding generally that they are looking, as I said, to be more involved in the Northwest Territories telecommunications industry generally.

And last comment, Mr. Speaker, again, as I've said in this House before, CRTC has mandated that 50/10 be available in all communities in the Northwest Territories. So those service standards are mandated and they are coming and on the way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Look, either you have a satellite service, or you don't. And there's not much in between. So has the Minister asked Northwestel TELESAD for a firm assurance that alternate systems will kick in when Anik F2 goes down, and how does the Minister intend to keep the public updated, because I don't think the companies are doing a very good job. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've certainly been assured with the, you know, for the same -- I think the same concern that the Member is raising that it's every resident, every business, government services; there are many in those satellite communities that are depending on the system working and the system not having service interruptions. So it is my understandings that the mediation solutions that I just described, having other satellites in place as I indicated, this is to be in place by the end of this calendar year, which does give a bit of leeway if, in fact, there may be some delays. But, of course, hoping that there are not.

As for keeping the public updated, Mr. Speaker, there's certainly -- I can certainly ask, you know, whether we can be putting out some sort of updates. You know, I get an update and then I give an update, that's not necessarily the most ideal way of getting information out into the public sphere. But certainly if that is of benefit, then I will certainly look into what ways we can do to, again, pass on information as we are receiving it and encourage those who are the actual providers of that information to be doing a better job of getting it out. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. You know, we should be seeing a service expanding and improving, not threatened by crashing satellites. So does this government have any sort of a plan or strategy for NWT residents to get the same telecoms services as enjoyed by the average Canadian? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think there's not an average Canadian, unfortunately, when it comes to telecom services. And one thing I've learned is that many rural, remote, and particularly northern communities, struggle with their telecoms. The upside of that is that that just lends a stronger voice at federal/provincial/territorial tables for all of us that are struggling with this issue. And it's one of the few times where, you know, I would say the fact that CRTC has as much involvement as they do on our telecoms industry does give a place where we can take that voice and take those concerns.

So as I have indicated already earlier, there's already a mandate that 50/10 service levels are to be provided to all communities within the Northwest Territories over the next couple of years. We do get regular updates from Northwestel with respect to hitting that target.

And then as was generally -- you know, I do think there's a next challenge of affordability and accessibility that we do need to face. And in that regard, yes, the Government of the Northwest Territories continues to advocate very directly, I would say, on those issues, looking for very specific solutions and providing that advocacy to CRTC who are, again, the regulator over the telecoms industry here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A child's grade level, so, you know, how they might be performing in class -- and I don't like to use that term for something like junior kindergarten, I don't know if they have a grade level at junior kindergarten, but that type of information is absolutely accessible to parents. I encourage parents to have conversations with teachers so they're informed, so they can make the best decisions for the future of their child. There is information on how children are doing that is in the possession of the education bodies, and there is broad general information that's available to the public in terms of how children across the Northwest Territories are doing academically.

In this House earlier this year, I tabled the document entitled JK to 12 Education System Performance Measures Technical Report from 2019-2020. And that contains information -- a variety of information about students of all ages throughout the JK to 12 system. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I see we still have problems with collecting data, especially the grade levels which is very critical at this juncture in our education modernization. The Minister identified that the data is effectively owned by the education bodies and now the teachers and the parents. The Minister alluded at that time that the information is not at our fingertips.

Can the Minister explain what is the delay in the education bodies sharing this information with the department? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So if you look at the Education Act, in that act it lays out how information can be shared. The Minister doesn't have the same type of access to that information that the education bodies have. So there is a way for us to access that information, but it is not a simple straightforward process.

Each year education bodies table their accountability framework reports, which contains a significant amount of information, and so the department does have access to that. But there is no common shared system that ECE can reach into to look at where a child might be at a given point or even in a certain region. So the department has to reach out, have the discussion with the superintendent. Perhaps that -- it goes to the board. Perhaps the DEA has a conversation. What I can do is follow up with the Member and provide additional information, though, on some of the processes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. There is a big problem with sharing that information. You know, the grade levels, we need to really get a handle on those because it's really hurting in the small communities where we're having graduates that are not achieving the grade 12 grade level. And I'm after, you know, that information, about what actual grade levels they're attaining in the small communities and maybe in some of the larger centres. It's very critical for the future of the education in NWT. We need to know that so we need to know what we have to fix moving forward. And I'm wondering why the Minister is having a hard time getting that information, because you're going to build a university and we don't have students that are attaining the grade 12 level to attend them. You know, that's going to be a problem. I just wondered if the Minister's got any comments on that. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'll say that there is information out there. If the Member would like to know how many students in small communities scored at acceptable, below acceptable, or excellent levels on their English language arts 30-2 diploma exams, we have that information. It's publicly available. So there is a level of detail that people can dig down into. I can't tell -- I don't have that information, but I can't tell you what a particular student in a particular community, I can't tell you what their grades are. But we have -- there's a lot of information that it is publicly available.

And I will say there are lots of students who could go to a university. A lot of students do go to university. I went to university. My dad went to university. A number of Members in this building grew up in the Northwest Territories; we all went to university. So I don't think we need to put down students and say that they are not achieving. A lot of students are achieving. There's students at med school. There's students who are in law school. There's engineers. There's all sorts of students; there's all sorts of success stories in the Northwest Territories. I fully agree that there are students who we can do better to assist. But I don't want to paint a picture of all students in the territory as underachievers. We have a number of very successful future leaders right now in the JK to 12 system and off at university. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.