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Whitehorse, Yukon

Monday, April 28, 2008 — 1:00 p.m.

Speaker:   I will now call the House to order. At this time, we will proceed with prayers.

Prayers

DAILY ROUTINE 

Speaker:   We will proceed with the Order Paper.

Are there any tributes?

TRIBUTES 

In recognition of National Day of Mourning

Hon. Mr. Cathers:   Today, April 28, is the National Day of Mourning for workers who have been injured or killed on the job. This national day of remembrance was founded by the Canadian Labour Congress in 1984 and entrenched by the Mourning Day Act passed in federal Parliament in 1991.

As stated at today’s Yukon Day of Mourning Ceremony which just concluded, we need to do more than remember those who suffered. We need to commit to keeping ourselves and others safe at work.

In 2007 alone, there were more than 2,000 injuries in Yukon workplaces out of a workforce of fewer than 16,000 people, and we lost another member of our Yukon community to a workplace fatality. Worst, these Yukon deaths were preventable. Injuries and deaths are not statistics; they are co-workers, loved ones, children, neighbours. Hundreds more will be injured in Yukon workplaces during the coming year, some will never fully heal, and some may die.

We must not let that happen. At today’s Day of Mourning ceremony, we stood together as individuals and as a community to commit to doing our part in preventing these injuries from happening and keeping each other safe.

The commitment we all made at today’s ceremony only has a meaning once it is put into action. When we gather at the Day of Mourning ceremony one year from today, let us be able to say we made a difference, that we kept each other safe, and let our reward be that not one Yukoner’s life was lost in a work mishap in 2008.

Thank you.

Mr. Mitchell:    I rise today on behalf of the Official Opposition to pay tribute to National Day of Mourning. April 28, 2008, is the 24^th anniversary of the Day of Mourning for the workers killed and injured on the job.

We in the Yukon join with the rest of Canada and more than 80 countries around the world to honour the millions of lives that have been forever changed or lost to workplace injuries.

We mourn those workers who have been injured, killed or suffer illness as a result of occupational accidents and hazards.

Most workplace injuries are preventable. Although there have been some improvements to unsafe working conditions on the job, we still have far too many lives that are unnecessarily lost or irrevocably affected by injuries because of workplace accidents.

We must do more to save lives and prevent needless suffering. All workers have the right to work in a safe and healthy environment. Safety on the job must be a priority for everyone and responsibility for safety belongs to each of us. Both employers and employees must follow workplace safety procedures. By working together then, and only then, can we hope not only to prevent and reduce, but to eliminate entirely, workplace deaths and injuries.

As we observe this Day of Mourning, we pause to reflect on and to mourn for the workers who have died or been injured at work, sadly, including another Yukon worker in 2007. We must renew our commitment to our workforce to improve health and safety conditions on the job.

As our youth enter the workforce we must educate them on how important workplace safety is, not only for themselves, but for their fellow workers. It is a sad fact that young workers are most at risk for workplace accidents. Since 2004 over 130 young Canadians have lost their lives to workplace accidents.

There have been 503 workplace injuries reported to date this year in the Yukon. That’s 503 too many. Let us join together to eliminate all workplace injuries and fatalities. Show you care by wearing a Day of Mourning pin, pause for a moment to honour those Yukon workers who have been injured or killed on the job.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the many Yukoners who have shown their support for our workers and their families on this National Day of Mourning.

Thank you.

Mr. Cardiff:   I rise on behalf of the NDP caucus to recognize April 28 as the National Day of Mourning and to pay tribute to workers and their families whose lives have been lost or severely impacted by occupational injury or death.

This year’s slogan from the Canadian Labour Congress is “Mourn for the Dead, Fight for the Living — Now more than ever”. The principle behind the slogan is obvious. Grieve for those lives that have ended prematurely and get to work to stop preventable injuries and death. I don’t think anything could be more important.

So far this year, 503 Yukoners have been injured on the job, and we’re only a third of the way through the calendar year. As we speak, the Yukon Federation of Labour is holding a three-day symposium called, “Making It Work for Me! — Keeping Yukon youth safe at work”.

One of the challenges the Day of Mourning forces us to reckon with as legislators is how we are working to safeguard the lives of young workers — a group that is disproportionately injured on the job. There is much to do to keep young workers safe and to keep all workers safe on the job.

Canada continues to have one of the highest workplace fatality rates of any OECD — Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development — country. In 2006, there were 976 workplace fatalities in Canada. That’s up substantially. It’s an increase of 18 percent since 1996. These numbers should be going down, not up.

It seems unfortunate that the principle that operates in our society is that things only change after there’s a tragedy. Tragically, we lost another worker last year.

Legislators have made changes. The Criminal Code was amended in 2004 to hold employers responsible for health and safety offences that destroy workers’ lives. This year, a company — Transpavé — was found criminally negligent of the death of a 23-year old labourer. They were fined $110,000.

What is the price of a life?

It’s only the first conviction under this change in the law, and the labour movement fought long and hard to win that amendment to the Criminal Code. It has come way too late for many people. It has come way too late for the 26 men who died at Westray, and it has come way too late for many of the others who have passed away, working on the job.

At least it’s a law. We hope this change, born from the struggle to remember and say, “Never again”, will save lives and protect livelihoods.

This is definitely a day to remember, but it’s also, as was said earlier, a day to commit. We need to do that on a daily basis. We need to commit every day when we go to work to keep each other safe.

Thank you.

Speaker:   Are there any further tributes?

Are there any introductions of visitors?

Are there any returns or documents for tabling?

TABLING RETURNS AND DOCUMENTS

Mr. Cardiff:   Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have for tabling an invitation for all members of the Legislature to an event on Sunday, May 4, called “Dumpster Dining” at the Mile Nine Dump.

Speaker:  Are there any further documents for tabling?

Are there any reports of committees?

Are there any petitions?

Are there any bills to be introduced?

Are there any notices of motion?

NOTICES OF MOTION

Mr. Mitchell:    I give notice of the following motion:

THAT this House urges the Yukon government to remove the three-percent territorial premium tax it is currently charging on the funds paid into the Yukon Communities Insurance Association property reciprocal.

I give notice of the following motion:

THAT this House urges the Yukon government to provide the funds required to backstop a liability reciprocal for the Yukon Communities Insurance Association.

Mr. McRobb:   I give notice of the following motion:

THAT this House urges the Yukon government to avoid forcing municipalities to cut programs or services or to increase taxes by allocating funds to each Yukon municipal government an amount equivalent to their shortfall due to the Yukon Party’s cancellation of the rate stabilization fund until such time as that amount is completely offset by the promised decrease to our electrical rates.

Mr. Fairclough:   I give notice of the following motion:

THAT this House urges the Yukon government not to cut any teacher positions, education assistant positions or remedial tutor positions in Yukon public schools for this upcoming school year.

Mr. Edzerza:   I give notice of the following motion:

THAT this House urges the federal Environment minister to direct Parks Canada management to negotiate a fair and equitable agreement with Parks Canada workers that does not include privatization or downsizing of public services within national parks and historic sites.

Mr. Cardiff:   I give notice of the following motion:

THAT this House urges the Department of Environment to mail one of its “Plastic Blows” reusable canvas bags to every household in Yukon, as an easy, concrete action that will reduce use of environmentally destructive plastic grocery bags.

Mr. Hardy:   I give notice of the following motion:

THAT this House urges the Government of Yukon to take decisive action to protect the environment by adopting strict and enforceable northern building standards requiring architects, designers, engineers and contractors to use materials, systems and construction practices that provide the most efficient use of energy available through existing and emerging technologies.

I give notice of the following motion:

THAT this House urges the Government of Yukon to protect Yukon consumers by adopting strict and enforceable northern building standards requiring residential architects and builders to use the most energy efficient materials, systems and construction practices possible, in order to reduce the monthly and yearly costs of heating, cooling and maintaining Yukon homes.

Speaker:   Are there any further notices of motion?

Is there a statement by a minister?

This then brings us to Question Period.

QUESTION PERIOD

Question re:  Teacher staffing

Mr. Fairclough:   I have a question for the Minister of Education.

Given that the public schools branch has taken a budget cut this year, it’s not surprising to hear some upset principals and school councils clamouring about taking FTE cuts for the forthcoming school term.

I know if I say “teacher cuts” the minister will say, “No,” because he knows that with retirement and resignations, teachers will not be given their pink slips.

He also knows that vacancies created will not be filled, and that means fewer teachers in our school next year. Fewer teachers mean the quality of our programs delivered will go down.

Will the minister confirm that the number of FTEs in our school will be reduced next year?

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    I need to put the member’s fears at ease. It’s unfortunate that he wasn’t out at some of the meetings where we have had public meetings and discussions on this.

We’ve seen investments in the public schools branch grow from $69 million in 2003, to over $92 million in 2007. That’s an increase of 33 percent. Over the same period of time, the number of teachers has grown from 432 to 473 — a five-percent increase. The number of education assistants has increased from 86 to 111 — an increase of almost 30 percent.

Indeed, we have been trying to discuss the supplementary budget with the opposition, who refuse to go into the supplementary budget, which added —

Some Hon. Member:   (Inaudible)

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    I’m sorry, Mr. Speaker, do I have the floor, or does the MLA from Kluane have the floor?

Speaker:   No, you have the floor. Go ahead.

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    We’re trying to debate with the members opposite. They only have to look at the supplementary budget to see there was an increase of education assistants.

All this has happened while the number of children in our system has reduced from 5,430 in May of 2003 to almost 5,000 today. We’re making a commitment to Yukon students and to their future.

Mr. Fairclough:   The minister is getting better and better at avoiding the question. Let’s see if he can be direct on this one.

Last weekend, the minister attended YTA’s annual meeting. That would have been a good time to hear first-hand from those on the front line about the impact of cutting positions in Yukon classrooms. He chose not to do that. Parents, school councils and educators tell me every day how taxing it is to meet the ever-increasing demands being placed on our schools.

Principals experience the frustration on a daily basis. They attempt to deal with children with learning disabilities, new programs requiring staff expertise are difficult to acquire, and parents who are rightfully demanding better for their children. This is no time to be cutting staff positions.

In just a matter of days, the Department of Education will be announcing a reduction in school staff. Why is the minister cutting FTEs at a time when we need more?

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    The Member for Mayo-Tatchun is wrong. It’s as simple as that. The member is incorrect.

Saturday was a great time to talk with teachers and educators from across Yukon. So was Friday night, at the excellence in education awards. So was last Tuesday, when the president of the Yukon Teachers Association and I co-taught a course together. Another great time to talk about education in the territory was the previous Friday, where other members of this Assembly and I were at the opening of the new Tantalus School.

This government listens to teachers; we work with them every day. The Department of Education works with them. As I said, there will be no teacher cuts. Under this government, the number of teachers has increased.

We recognize there are changing demographics and changing needs in our community, and that government must be responsive and address growing schools and areas where there is increasing pressure. We’ll continue to do that; we’ll continue to work with our educators and our administrators to ensure we have one of, if not the best, student-teacher ratios anywhere in Canada.

Mr. Fairclough:   The fact is, Mr. Speaker, that the public schools branch in this budget is reduced from last year. Last year, the minister’s department predicted a decrease of 89 students across the territory. There was in fact only a decrease of 4. This year, the minister is predicting a decrease of 77, but based on the previous year we need to be very suspicious.

You don’t cut staff and then wait and see how many students show up and hope you are right.

Let me be very clear, Mr. Speaker. This minister is cutting staff, because the minister cut the budget for the public schools branch. Somebody has to pay for mishandling the $36 million, and it’s unfortunate that our children are the ones.

Will the minister go back to the Premier and ask for more money to reinstate the cuts before serious damage is done to our education system?

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    It’s unfortunate that the member opposite has not been listening to some of the explanations going on in here; or at least hasn’t been choosing to reflect in his line of questioning the information and the facts that have been presented in this Assembly, and this one is out there too.

Mr. Speaker, what he has not recognized is the movement of the Property Management Agency and how that is reflected in our budget; what he hasn’t recognized is that a major capital project, the Tantalus School — with which I am sure the member opposite is familiar — has been completed; a construction project is done, save for some minor incidental work, and now we are working on the planning stage for the next school.

Mr. Speaker, we have an awful lot to be proud of in the Department of Education. This government has consistently invested in teachers, in programming, in partnership, and we are continuing to work with all our partners in education in order to make a great system even better.

Question re:  Carmacks bypass route

Mr. Fairclough:   I have a question for the Minister of Highways and Public Works.

The community of Carmacks has been dealing with the Casino bypass road for many years now. Both the Village of Carmacks and the First Nation are saying that in no way will they support industrial traffic through the residential part of town.

This road running through town is what the government wants to use for a truck route. It belongs to the Village of Carmacks, and they are the ones that must build a road that can hold the traffic it is designed for. They do have a say. The community of Carmacks wants a bypass road. When will the voice of the Village of Carmacks be heard?

Hon. Mr. Lang:    The bypass road has been on the agenda for awhile, and we are waiting for confirmation that Western Copper will go ahead. At that point we will be discussing the issue with the Village of Carmacks.

Mr. Fairclough:   The Yukon Party has been in government for going on six years now. This issue should have ranked very high on the Yukon Party’s priority list. This bypass road is intended for heavy road traffic to and from mines. People in the community do not want hazardous goods going through the residential part of town. The mayor articulated that very clearly this morning. The bypass road had government money put into it. The route was chosen, surveyed and partially built. In six years this government has done nothing.

Is the government interested in completing the bypass road? Yes or no?

Hon. Mr. Lang:    I would like to remind the member opposite that we did build a very nice school in Carmacks over the last five years. All previous governments had not done that, and we will certainly work with the Village of Carmacks as we move forward with any expansion of the Freegold Road. We are committed to do that and we will do just that.

Mr. Fairclough:   Wow. That answer can’t satisfy the residents of Carmacks, Mr. Speaker. They want to be heard. The village wants to be heard.

This government is sitting on a $108-million surplus, and perhaps if we’re able to access the $36 million of frozen money, we might not have this problem. Trucks hauling dangerous goods through the town pose safety concerns, and I know the members opposite believe that. Having heavy trucks running through a very peaceful part of town is not what the community wants. Their concerns should not fall on deaf ears. The bypass road is partly built and there is a lot of mining interest along the Casino Trail in the Mount Nansen area. The bypass road needs to be built. The Village of Carmacks has an official community plan and an integrated sustainable community plan with the view of a healthy, vibrant, sustainable community. That plan doesn’t include a truck route through the town —

Speaker:   Ask your question, please. 

Mr. Fairclough:   This government says it wants to work with the communities. In the case of Carmacks, how long do they have to wait?

Hon. Mr. Lang:    We certainly will work with the community on any issues the community has. We certainly have finished up the school we started five years ago. We’re looking forward to working with Carmacks on many levels, the access road only being one of those issues.

Question re:  Psychiatric treatment and assessment

Mr. Hardy:   I have a question for the Minister of Health. Last year the newest version of a very helpful pamphlet called, “Yukon psychiatric patients’ rights” was published. The first edition of this charter of rights for psychiatric patients came out in 1995.

I have a related question for the Minister of Health and Social Services on this. Is the minister familiar with this publication and does he support the principles it outlines, including the right to consent or to refuse consent to any treatment?

Hon. Mr. Cathers:   It has been some time since I’ve looked at that pamphlet. I think the member is referring to something specific, but I will inform him that we have obligations under the Care Consent Act. . The adult protection decision-making legislation sets out the structure for how the Yukon government — and professionals operating with Yukon government and the Whitehorse General Hospital — must fulfill their obligations to Yukon citizens in need of such services. If the member has a specific question, I would be happy to answer it.

Mr. Hardy:   Yes, Mr. Speaker, I do have a specific question that — well, I wrote to the minister on February 20 and again on April 11 about a case in which a constituent of mine has had both mental health and addiction treatment services terminated.

The Second Opinion Society has also written several letters on her behalf. I’ll just refresh the minister’s memory, because he had these letters addressed to him.

About a year ago, after a critical event, a group of professionals decided, without involving my constituent, that she must follow specific treatment options. When she refused part of the plan, she was cut off both mental health services and addiction services. Even worse, she lost access to her physician at the time when she was tapering off certain medications.

Now, my question is this: why is this patient being penalized for exercising her right to refuse a treatment option that was determined without her input and consent?

Hon. Mr. Cathers:   I appreciate the member’s concern, and I would be happy to discuss it with the member of course. We have had correspondence on this issue, but to discuss sensitive case files on the floor of the Legislature is very difficult for me to respond — as the member knows — without risking compromising patient confidentiality. In some cases, that information includes matters that the Minister of Health and Social Services is not privy to without the consent of the individual Yukon citizen who is affected by that.

On that issue, the member knows very well that he’s posing a question that — due to my legal responsibilities — I cannot answer for him in this venue.

Mr. Hardy:   That’s the wrong answer, and this minister knows it. I wrote two letters to this minister. I’ve been waiting for a response for almost two months — nothing. These are important principles being ignored here. Addicted and mental health patients must be given the opportunity to make an informed choice. They must have the right to agree to treatment plans or to refuse them. If they don’t agree with part of the plan, which is the case in this situation, other options must be sought. Imposing treatment simply doesn’t work.

If services are cut off, a written discharge plan must be prepared and shared with the patient. None of that happened in this case. This minister knows that. He hasn’t responded to the written questions. I’m asking him on the floor now to help this person.

Why is the minister ignoring our request for help for this patient, who has been abandoned at a very vulnerable stage in her treatment, without even access to a physician?

Hon. Mr. Cathers:   The Member for Whitehorse Centre, the Leader of the Third Party, is making the assertion that he has made a request that I haven’t responded to. We’ll double-check on that. As the member knows, I do respond to letters in as timely a manner as possible. The timelines he’s indicating — I deal with a great number of casework so I can’t recall the facts of this one off the top of my head. However, we will check into that for the member opposite.

I would be happy to discuss it with him but, again, I remind the member that these matters are confidential in nature. He knows very well that, as Minister of Health and Social Services, I cannot discuss confidential matters pertaining to a file, even if I have access to that information. Such confidential matters require the consent of the individual involved for even the minister to be informed, and for me to discuss that with the member opposite is the same situation.

Before the House is not the place to discuss a sensitive matter.

Question re:  Economic development

Mr. Hardy:   I have a question for the Premier, who also happens to be the Minister of Finance. At the start of the sitting, I asked the Premier what he was doing to prepare for the inevitable downturn in our economy as a result of what is happening in the U.S. and elsewhere in Canada. As I recall, the Premier regaled the House once again with a lengthy recital of all the wonderful things the Yukon Party has done for the economy.

Well, if the Premier has been paying attention I’m sure he’s aware that Canada’s economic forecast is not nearly as rosy as it was even a month ago — listen to the news.

What specific measure has the Premier taken right now to cushion Yukon people from some of the worst impacts of Canada’s declining economy?

Hon. Mr. Fentie:   Mr. Speaker, I’m flattered the member would suggest that I regaled the House with the many things that the Yukon Party government has done to make a better quality of life reality here in Yukon. I think, in answer to the member’s question, the member should look at the budget and he’ll quickly recognize that one of things we’re doing is creating a very healthy net financial position. That gives us options in the event that we may get some downward pressures in the Yukon with respect to economic growth.

I’m pleased to say that is not happening at this time. The trends and the indicators show that we’re not going to experience any major downturn in the foreseeable future — in the near future. We have to be very vigilant about these matters as is the national government. One of the steps, of course, is our fiscal strength, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Hardy:   Well, it is interesting that the minister brought up the national government, because I’ll tell you right now they are failing in this area. Let me review a few facts for the Premier. Fact one — the cost of housing has risen alarmingly in the past few years — out of reach of most people. Fact two — the housing bubble has burst and jobs are going down the tube across the country and it is starting to affect the western side now. Fact three — the cost of gas, oil and heating fuels is soaring.  Fact four — basic goods such as flour and rice are beginning to skyrocket. Fact five — our electric bills will be taking a huge jump in a few weeks’ time as a result of an action of this government. Fact six — over $36 million of taxpayers’ money is tied up for the next nine years — most governments actually put money aside for a rainy day and this government has not put any money aside, it has lost money. Fact seven — there is very little wiggle room in the current budget to deal with unexpected events.

Speaker:   Order please. Ask the question, please.

Mr. Hardy:   What is the Premier doing right now to give Yukoners a sense of economic assurance?

Hon. Mr. Fentie:   I think the short answer is the Yukon government continues to work on growing and diversifying our private sector economy and continues to have one of the highest investments in capital compared to any jurisdiction in the country. But I want to go back to one of the member’s so-called facts, and there are a number of them that aren’t actually facts at all; they are nothing more than the member’s opinion.

With respect to the asset backed paper investment, and the comment of loss — frankly, we haven’t lost anything. We’ve made money. What is more and what the member doesn’t recognize is what is in the budget itself with a net financial position and indeed a year-end surplus as booked. By the way, this government is not cash-poor as we were under the former Liberal government. We have in excess of $180 million cash of available today.

So not only do we have the cash to invest for our future, we also have the necessary fiscal strength to deal with challenges ahead.

Mr. Hardy:   I still don’t see a vision for the future if things start to go wrong up here, and I want to see that. I think the people of this territory deserve that.

And another point, Mr. Speaker — this $36.5 million — I’ve stood here and listened to both leaders of both parties put information on the floor that is incorrect about that. The people of this territory deserve a lot better. One says, “You are not going to lose money”, and the other says, “You are going to lose all of the $36.5 million.” I heard that last week. That member can shake his head, but I heard it; it is in Hansard. That is wrong information for the people of this territory. We have to admit what the truth is in that area.

Very simply, where are the new green jobs? Where is the regional economic development to keep rural Yukon communities alive and well? I don’t see the investment there. What is the support for locally grown or locally made products?

Does the Premier have any new programs in the wings to help stimulate local enterprises and to help Yukoners, especially the working poor, who are stretched to the max?

Hon. Mr. Fentie:   I would provide some advice at this juncture for the Leader of the Third Party: don’t listen to the Leader of the Official Opposition when the Member for Copperbelt makes presentations in this House. That’s the simple solution to the member’s problem with the information received.

The government has a plethora of programs out there that are addressing our economy. There are all kinds of assistance available in the Department of Tourism and Culture and in the Department of Economic Development. The issue of a green economy is very much on the radar screen. In fact, it was a high priority this weekend, as I understand it, at the tourism conference.

We recognize that and concur with it. This government has always said that there’s tremendous opportunity in dealing with our environment and the economic well-being we can glean from the measures we bring forward in appropriately managing and conserving our environment.

I think the member has to look at the facts and look at what’s happening in today’s Yukon. I understand the nabobs of negativity will never admit there’s a positive trend in today’s Yukon. There’s population growth, increased investment in the private sector, a very low unemployment rate and a sense of well-being in this territory, which hasn’t been there for a long time.

Question re:  Nurses, workplace violence

Mr. Mitchell:    The Yukon Registered Nurses Association held their annual general meeting this past weekend. One of the topics of discussion was violence in the workplace. The Canadian Nurses Association recently released a statement on workplace violence. Their research demonstrates that, among health care personnel, nursing staff are most at risk of workplace violence.

In 2005, three in 10 nurses who provide direct care in Canada said they had been physically assaulted by a patient in the previous year. On a local level, the lack of psychiatric nurses at Whitehorse General Hospital has resulted in several dangerous situations in recent years.

What is this government doing to improve the security and safety of our nurses?

Hon. Mr. Cathers:   First of all, as the member knows, when he refers to the hospital, he is referring to hospital jurisdiction. As I have indicated extensively in the past in the House, we have acted in a number of areas to assist the hospital, including acting specifically to assist them with recruiting some of the specialty areas, and training operating room nurses.

As well, as I have reminded the member opposite previously, this government significantly increased the annual funding provided to Yukon Hospital Corporation by roughly 50 percent from the level it was at under the Liberals, or approximately $10 million per year. So we have significantly increased the resources provided to the Yukon Hospital Corporation to run the hospital, and that includes psychiatric nurses.

But, as the member knows, there is a significant shortage nationally, particularly in specialty areas of nursing. This is a challenge that every jurisdiction — including the very wealthy jurisdictions such as Alberta — are facing in attracting nurses.

Everyone is facing some level of challenge and, through the good work of the Department of Health and Social Services staff and the Yukon Hospital Corporation, we are actually far better off than most jurisdictions in Canada in terms of retaining key professionals and bringing in new ones.

Mr. Mitchell:    The chair of the Yukon Hospital Corporation does not appear as a witness in this Assembly, so we’ll ask our questions of the minister responsible.

Mr. Speaker, the challenges that nurses face in the work environment — excessive workloads, high rates of overtime, high rates of illness, injury and burnout — are detrimental to the health of nurses, the quality of patient care and the health care system’s ability to retain and recruit nurses. Add in the potential for violence and the problems are magnified.

When there is an incident at the hospital, members of the emergency response team or ambulance attendants are often called in to help. This is not something in their job description or something they are trained for.

How does the minister intend to address this particular situation?

Hon. Mr. Cathers:   As I’ve mentioned before to the member opposite, the Yukon Hospital Corporation is working on a plan for changes within the facility that they will present to me and then I will present to Cabinet for funding approval. However, they are working on solutions to address the internal challenges, such as improved security around mental health and when patients are in there, ensuring they have an environment that is safe for them, other patients and the staff.

As part of their strategic planning that they’re undergoing right now, the Hospital Corporation is in fact developing a plan to deal with these concerns — recognizing that the challenges there, particularly in physical layout, have been status quo at the hospital since the building was built.

Mr. Mitchell:    Violence and safety on the job is not just an issue for nurses working at the hospital. It is also a problem in Copper Ridge Place. We have had several complaints about nurses spending part of their shift basically doing the work of security guards. Instead of doing rounds, checking on patients, they’re doing rounds, checking outside for locked doors and any other security problems. While they’re doing this, they are forced away from patient care, which is and should be their top priority.

There is a new emphasis on protecting nurses from violence in the workplace across the country and it’s obviously a priority for the Registered Nurses Association. Indeed, just today, we were paying homage to injured workers in the workplace.

Is the minister aware of this concern at Copper Ridge Place and what is he doing to address it?

Hon. Mr. Cathers:   Again, as the member ought to be aware, for nurses and other front-line staff, there are risks to safety and that is one of the reasons why this government acted, under me as minister, to put in place a director of risk management and quality assurance within the Department of Health and Social Services. That program has been developing and reviewing areas of the entire operation of Health and Social Services because it is our desire to ensure that the best practices, policies and procedures are in place to protect the safety of our staff, including those at Copper Ridge Place, including those in communities, and including those in every single area of the Department of Health and Social Services. That work is being done internally and the review is underway, and that includes working with staff to identify the concerns that they have.

Question re:  Elk, winter tick infestation

Mr. Elias:   I have some questions for the Minister of Environment.

Last week I asked him about the winter tick infestation and he assured us he has got everything firmly under control. However, we have since learned some rather disturbing information.

The minister’s plan was to pen the elk at a bison ranch and medicate them with corn, but now we have learned how unsuccessful this plan really was. Apparently there are still some 20 elk on the loose, and each one of them carries thousands of ticks. This presents a serious danger to our territory’s moose and caribou populations. This is of great concern as we were led to believe that effective action would be taken during this window of opportunity.

Can the minister tell us, on record, exactly how many elk are still on the loose?

Hon. Mr. Fentie:   I want to correct the member opposite’s assertions. Last week, this was not the position the government took at all. We leave this in the hands of the experts. As I said all along, we on this side of the House are not experts; we’re not biologists. The plan has come forward. I know the individuals and officials responsible in this area have been working hard and diligently on addressing this issue. This is another example of migrating species we’re dealing with, and it’s something that, going forward into the future, we will continue to derive management plans and tools to deal with.

I will again assure the House that the biologists and others responsible within the department, to the extent possible, have done everything they can and they will continue to work on addressing this particular problem.

Mr. Elias:   The minister needs to take ownership of this issue. That’s what needs to happen. The Environment minister isn’t telling us the whole story. There are too many unanswered questions and Yukoners deserve to know the truth with respect to the threat to the moose and caribou populations.

The minister’s plan to pen the elk sounded like a reasonable option at the time, and less extreme than eradication of the elk or doing nothing at all, which would have been unacceptable.

We supported the plan, if it was only given sufficient priority by the political level to be successfully carried out — that didn’t happen. The whole plan looks like it has flopped. In fact, we’ve heard that none of the elk were medicated.

Can the minister tell us on record exactly how many elk have been medicated?

Hon. Mr. Fentie:   You know, Mr. Speaker, once again it is clear that the approach being taken by the Official Opposition now puts in question the veracity of the statements from this side of the House. I would challenge the member on that. There is no evidence being brought forward by the member opposite. Right now we’re listening to what I would call idle conversation. We will let the biologists and those responsible for this matter deal with the matter.

To suggest that there was no priority placed on this is complete nonsense. The highest priority was given to deal with this particular challenge and that is exactly what is taking place today.

Mr. Elias:   Mr. Speaker, I asked the minister last week about this very important issue to Yukoners. He should have the information here and table it in this House. Once again the Environment minister is not telling us the whole story. Yukoners are concerned that the minister does not have control over this potential ecological disaster. This whole exercise has been badly handled.

First we learned how the minister failed to ensure that all the elk were penned. Then we have heard that none of the elk were medicated and the whole exercise was a flop. Now it turns out that most of the elk were already in the corral but the gate wasn’t closed and, by the time the minister’s department made a decision to close the gate, the elk were gone.

What is the minister going to do now that his plan has failed in order to protect our moose and caribou populations?

Hon. Mr. Fentie:   Once again the Official Opposition is demonstrating how little faith they have in the government employees, right to the point where they are suggesting that professionals in the department are shirking their duties. I want to make sure all officials in the government are listening to this debate, because the government side doesn’t agree with the member opposite at all.

The information was provided to the member in this House last week and again today. As far as the government side is concerned, our officials are doing the best they can under the circumstances and they will continue to do so.

Speaker:   The time for Question Period has elapsed. We will now proceed to Orders of the Day.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

Hon. Mr. Cathers:   I move that the Speaker do now leave the Chair and that the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.

Speaker:   It has been moved by the Government House Leader that the Speaker do now leave the Chair and that the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.

Motion agreed to

Speaker leaves the Chair

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Chair (Mr. Nordick):   Order please. Committee of the Whole will now come to order. The matter before the Committee is Bill No. 11, First Appropriation Act, 2008-09, Department of Education.

Do members wish to take a brief recess?

All Hon. Members:  Agreed.

Chair:   Committee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes.

Recess

Chair:   Order please. Committee of the Whole will now come to order.

Bill No. 11 — First Appropriation Act, 2008-09 — continued

Department of Education — continued

Chair:   The matter before the Committee is Bill No. 11, First Appropriation Act, 2008-09, Department of Education. We will now proceed with general debate.

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    Mr. Chair, it is my honour and pleasure to continue to debate the Department of Education’s budget today. The Department of Education is clearly a very high priority for this government. Educating our students, our youth, our folks in post-secondary institutions and our lifelong learners is a priority to ensuring that we have a healthy productive community — one that is made of people who can participate in employment opportunities, participate in local governance, and participate in really all that we aspire to be as Yukoners.

As we wrapped up debate last Thursday, there was a question on the floor regarding education reform. Mr. Chair, the government recognized that there was an awful lot of good things going on with the Department of Education, that there were many successes and many great things happening in the Department of Education. Just as we won’t shy away from our successes, we also need to recognize that there are areas that need to be improved or reformed or evolved, if you will.

As I have said before, Mr. Speaker, I have very rarely met a teacher who has done the same thing twice. They are always seeing how it affects the students, looking at new ways, looking at making it better for the next time.

Education is one of those things constantly in a state of evolution. I would caution members, in here anyway, of measuring today’s education system by the system they went to when they were students. One only has to go into some classrooms today to see the difference — to see the different approaches, to see the different curriculum and to see, to a degree, the different makeup of our classrooms.

I recognize that there is always a change in things; systems do grow and change, and indeed our education system is responding to those changes.

One of the things that this government did in response to these growing changes and to the needs of the community was create the education reform project. The education reform project was a project that was jointly managed and directed by the Council of Yukon First Nations and by the Government of Yukon.

We worked very closely with our partners on the education reform project, which would be the Council of Yukon First Nations and other Yukon First Nations.

The education reform team was tasked with going out and identifying the common goals in education that all Yukoners had and to identify any roadblocks in accomplishing them and then strategies for overcoming those barriers — strategies in order to accomplish our common goals in education.

Late last year we received the final draft of the education reform project report. This was then reviewed with the Council of Yukon First Nations, who adopted a motion to see it released publicly. Immediately upon the motion from Council of Yukon First Nations to release the document, the document was released; we invited as many of our stakeholders as we could, partners and those who have shown an interest in the education reform project, to come to a release, where they were given copies of the education reform document.

Also, the education reform document was translated into French and provided to the Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon and to other Yukon citizens who prefer to work, as is their right, in the French language.

We presented the document to them, and then the Government of Yukon and the Council of Yukon First Nations started looking at ways of proceeding and looking at how many of the ideas, concerns and issues brought forward in the education reform document could be integrated into our system. How could we go about making these implementations? How could we go about making these changes? How can we move toward the desires that were expressed by people when they spoke with the education reform project team?

Mr. Chair, we are continuing with our good work in reforming education. There are many initiatives that the Department of Education has undertaken over the last several years. These include the creation of the First Nation program in partnership unit, a stronger working relationship with organizations such as the First Nation Education Advisory Committee. It includes cooperative work on curriculum changes — these range from everything from Grade 10 governance programs to Grade 5 programs to the early literacy documents and primary school readers that I shared with members in this Assembly.

We are proud of the changes we are making in order to improve the education system for all Yukoners, and we are working forward.

The department and the Council of Yukon First Nations are working together on a project called “New Horizons”. That’s how we will go about implementing the ideas and concerns and address the issues brought forward in the education reform project.

This is co-chaired by representatives of both CYFN and the Department of Education. The co-chairs have made several presentations to many Yukon organizations, ranging from the Council of Yukon First Nations to the Association of School Administrators to the executive of the Yukon Teachers Association to the recent school councils meeting. They also made a presentation at the recent literacy forum that was part of the Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum. The forum was held in Whitehorse, and there was a presentation to literacy groups.

We’ll continue to work with all our partners, orders of government and stakeholders, with our students, parents, teachers, administrators, Department of Education officials and non-government organizations in an effort to implement the changes and address the issues that have been raised for us.

We realize that education is not something that is stagnant, or should be allowed to become stagnant, and we will work with the community to address the many needs.

I have also talked to the Yukon Association of School Councils and expressed a sincere desire that we see the school councils fulfill a role that was originally envisioned for them in the Education Act. If one takes a look at the responsibilities that are expected out of the school councils, one will find that they are far ranging and very involving.

There are many opportunities for school councils to have input to the creation of locally designed curriculum, toward the selection of school administrators, for calling on — well, the number one responsibility, I believe, is to endorse and to be part of the school plan.

There are exercises underway right now for all school plans. As well, there is an exercise with some representatives of education — I believe I listed them the other day so I won’t do that again today — to make the school planning process quicker and more responsive to the needs of the school, and really, a better one that is more involving of people.

We’re going to continue to work with all of partners in education in order to build the best education system possible. When we left off Friday, I mentioned that the New Horizons people met with the secondary program advisory committee. I’m afraid, Mr. Chair, that when I read what I thought was a list of participants was actually a list of other people who had been met with.

The secondary program advisory committee, who is looking at secondary programs in the Whitehorse area, has an intention of creating a vision of working with stakeholders to create a secondary system that will address current needs while providing flexibility for continuous improvement and the ability to respond to the demographic needs.

Their committee membership includes the assistant deputy minister of the public schools branch, Whitehorse area superintendent for high schools, principals from F.H. Collins Secondary School, Porter Creek Secondary School and Vanier Catholic Secondary School, or their designates, a First Nation programming and partnership representative, the director of programs and services, facilities project managers, the assistant deputy minister of advanced education or designate, the chairs from F.H. Collins Secondary School, Porter Creek Secondary School and Vanier Catholic Secondary School councils, and from the Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon, or their designates.

This committee also includes one representative from the First Nation Education Advisory Committee, the Yukon Chiefs Committee on Education and the Council of Yukon First Nations.

I understand that Kwanlin Dun has been asked to participate but has yet not attended any meetings. However, should they choose to participate in this, the door certainly is open.

We recognize that we have a very good education system in the territory. One only has to look at some of our indicators, for example: the per capita O&M funding, which is among the highest anywhere in Canada; the student/teacher ratio, which is among the best, if not the best anywhere in Canada; the amount of investment made in things like computers, where we have one of the best student-to-computer ratios anywhere in Canada; the willingness to work with our local organizations and to ensure that we have curriculum that meets local standards.

We also have a sincere desire to work better and to look at improving the system. That could mean things like the First Nation program in partnership unit, things like the experiential programs that we have such as the ACES program, the OPUS program — many of these are held at the Wood Street Annex. The MAD program is another example of that.

Also we have seen increases in vocational dollars to provide schools with additional funding so that they can provide additional experiential, vocational and educational opportunities.

We’re also looking, or have looked, at other models out there. The department certainly hasn’t been shy to look at good ideas in other jurisdictions and look at how these can be applied here in our situation. These could include looking at, for example, the North American International Baccalaureate program or the intensive French program. As well, Mr. Chair, more than one of our schools are looking at gender-based classrooms.

It has been said that if you do the same thing over and over again, you’ll get the same results. Our parents, our other stakeholders and our school councils have told us they want to see some different results. Well, that will involve doing different things.

So the Department of Education will continue to work in the best interests of the students. We will continue to try different models where it’s reasonable and responsible. We’ll continue to involve our stakeholders. We’ll continue to see one of the best, if not the best, student/teacher ratio in Canada, and we’ll look at ways of working to address our changing classroom composition in order to ensure Yukon continues to have one of the best education systems in Canada.

Mr. Cardiff:   I wish I could get my response to that on camera. The minister got all that down on camera. If I was the minister’s teacher, “F” wouldn’t even be good enough — I’m sorry.

The minister went on for 20 minutes and did not answer the question. Go back, read the Blues; it’s simple.

Will the minister ask the deputy minister and the person — the Council of Yukon First Nations education technician — whether or not they will provide a briefing to the NDP caucus?

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    Yes.

Mr. Cardiff:   Was that hard, or what? Give me a break. I had to listen for 20 minutes and then it was that easy. Holy smokes.

Let’s see if we can keep this up, Mr. Chair. We’re on a roll now.

The literacy strategy review report that we’ve been asking for over the last two or three years — we’ve asked for it in the Legislature, at the briefing, we’ve written letters for it — where is it and when can we have it?

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    This is a document that has been publicly available. I appreciate there was a request at the briefing for another copy of this. I do recall there was a list of questions the opposition members had asked during the briefing. That has been signed off by me.

I don’t want to upset the opposition by stating this, but I believe it’s in the mail, if it hasn’t already gotten to them. We will ensure the member opposite gets a copy of that by the end of the week. I’ll check; I’m pretty sure it has already been sent out. I want to double-check, but the letter was signed off, so it should be on its way.

The literacy strategy was completed last November, I believe, and it deals with a broad number of issues, including adult literacy, early childhood and family literacy and other areas. Literacy is obviously a very important part of participating in our community. Having the skills necessary to read and analyze, to synthesize new ideas and communicate them to others, is very important.

I am very proud that this government has been able to support different initiatives to work, not only within our education system — for example in the K to 12 program and in the advanced education areas — but also working with other organizations: Yukon Learn or the Yukon Council on Disability and other organizations that we have in our community. There is quite a list of them and I won’t read the whole list today.

We are continuing with literacy initiatives, starting with full day kindergarten and with reading programs that are culturally relevant — for example the readers that I presented to members last week, to adding, continuing and building on programs such as the Reading Recovery program and the Wilson Reading program. These are great tools that we have in almost all our schools, that build upon the reading skills of students at a very early age, when some experts tell us they can learn the most and the fastest.

We are working on those kinds of literacy initiatives as well. I know there are initiatives going on through many of our non-governmental organizations, and we are continuing to make progress in this area.

I should note for the member opposite that the Council of Ministers of Education have made literacy a priority across Canada. That was one of the reasons behind having the Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum that was held a couple of weeks ago. Yukon participated in that, and we brought together a wide range of people from across the territory to raise awareness about literacy initiatives, to look at different programming that was going on, to look at best practices across Canada, and to look at how we could all work together in the future to ensure that Canadians and Yukoners build very high literacy levels. 

Mr. Chair, some of the literacy initiatives for the 2008-09 year include funding for Yukon Learn for the home tutor program, Reading Recovery program, literacy for math, full day kindergarten, Yukon essential skills program, Yukon Literacy Coalition, Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon, Literacy Action Committee, the Whitehorse Correctional Centre and the Kwanlin Dun House of Learning.

I should add, Mr. Chair, that the Wilson Reading program currently has 25 learning assistants who have been trained and participate in our schools on a daily basis. The department continues to train staff on an ongoing basis. The Wilson Reading program is a very good program that we have in our schools, and it supplements our Reading Recovery program and our other normal literacy programs.

Also, members should be aware that schools provide two hours of uninterrupted literacy education a day and one hour a day of uninterrupted math in all kindergarten to grade 3 classes.

I will ensure that the member opposite receives copies of the strategy. If he has any other questions about what we are doing to develop literacy programs, I would be pleased to answer them.

Mr. Cardiff:   That was just a little lengthy, and I don’t think the minister understands. I’m going to clarify it for the minister. If he looks on page 3.2 of the education reform document — the 2006 review of the literacy strategy  — that is the document that we haven’t been able to table. I know that the report was done. It was given to the minister, I believe, in the spring of 2006. I will take a copy of the new literacy strategy — that would be great. It was the review that was done in 2006 that we’ve been asking to have for two or three years. I would appreciate getting an update on that.

I hope we can move this along a little faster and that the minister won’t give me a whole bunch of information I’m not asking for. I know some of it is being repeated.

I’d like an update on the committee the minister was talking about a little bit earlier, on how the secondary program review committee is going. When does he expect a report? Are there any preliminary results in? His being brief would be appreciated.

Hon. Mr. Rouble:     I provided the member opposite with the makeup of this committee a moment ago and I will expect their report. They’re working with a consultant group on this project. I expect to receive the report by the end of summer this year. Before they do that, they will be using a variety of additional analysis tools, including surveys, additional interviews, focus groups, community meetings and meeting with other stakeholders in education. They’ve been doing that since their inception.

It’s a very productive group. I’ve received a couple of different briefings on the work they’ve done so far and I’m very encouraged that these different groups are working together and having a dialogue about how they are developing a common vision for secondary school programming here in the territory.

Once we receive that document, it will guide the designers and architects in creating an appropriate structure that would then accommodate the programming.

It’s not our approach to start with bricks and mortar, but instead to look at the programs that are needed and then design space around meeting the programming needs. This will also look at demographics, the number of students we have, the different ages and their location, and all that will be factored into their decisions and recommendations.

Mr. Cardiff:   I have another quick one for the Minister of Education.

There was an article in the paper last week — I don’t know whether it was on Wednesday or Thursday — about the release of the report from the Human Rights Commission. The report is about the struggles that women and young women have with human rights violations.

My question for the minister is this: one of the suggestions was that there is a need for human rights education in public schools because, among young women, there is a lack of awareness of their human rights.

I’m just wondering if the minister supports that and whether or not there are any new initiatives coming shortly in light of that report?

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    One of the things I have really started to appreciate in my year and a half as Minister of Education is the far-ranging breadth and depth of subjects that people count on for our education system to provide. This creates significant pressures in our public schools branch. We know the priority is for literacy and numeracy.

Also, in our school day, we are also expected to include science, history, art, music, cultural appreciation, religion and social studies —

Some Hon. Member:   (Inaudible) 

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    Yes, Mr. Chair, the Member for Mount Lorne says, “Yes, that’s the one.” Social studies and social justice is another component in our education system.

Social justice studies teach and allow students to learn about important concepts such as human rights and how to be good citizens in our communities.

We take great notice of the information that has come to us from the Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Summit that was held fairly recently and from the human rights information that the member opposite put forward. This information will be shared with our curriculum people and, where possible, it will be shared with educators to ensure that it is incorporated into our curriculum and into the teaching in the classroom. This will also be part of the high school visioning exercise in looking at what additional types of programming will be needed.

As I said, it is quite a list of programming expectations. For example, Yukon students are involved with the Yukon Federation of Labour’s workplace safety awareness program. That is an important initiative to be involved in. Also, there are lengthy other topics and subjects that the Department of Education works with.

The short answer for the member opposite is, yes, we will work with human rights; we will work with the recommendations from the Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Summit to include social justice and human rights information in our programming.

Mr. Cardiff:   I would like to thank the minister for that answer. I would like to draw the minister’s attention to page 7-8 of the budget document under “Program Objectives”. One of the objectives is to cooperate with self-governing First Nations to implement the relevant obligations of Yukon government under the terms of the land claims settlements.

I am wondering what the Department of Education is doing as far as responding to the potential First Nations drawdown. Are there any negotiations happening?

How many First Nations are negotiating? Is there money from either the minister’s department or from another department available to First Nations for research? I’m just wondering if the minister’s approach here is the same as the Minister of Health and Social Services’ with regard to no sharing of jurisdiction?

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    Mr. Chair, members will recognize that program objectives have been updated since our last discussion. This is due to the ongoing discussions that the Department of Education and I have been having with our partners and stakeholders in education. It is one more step in ensuring that we’re being responsive to the needs of our community.

As the member has correctly stated, one of the program objectives is to cooperate with self-governing First Nations to implement the relevant obligations of Yukon government under the terms of the land claim settlements and the self-government agreements.

I’m very pleased to see the processes and progress that we’re making with much of our First Nation programming and partnerships, as well as the creation of the program and partnership unit and the ongoing work with the First Nation Education Advisory Committee. We are also seeing some tangible changes in the classroom. These include different resource materials such as the readers that I provided and the grade 5 module on First Nation governance, citizenship, language and clans. As well, there is a grade 12 course on land claims and self-government. There is the aboriginal language teacher trainee program, the elders in the school program, the cultural inclusion program funding, community orientation program, the First Voices aboriginal language project, new teacher orientation and the master apprenticeship program.

Mr. Chair, what we have heard from many of our partners and stakeholders in education is that they want to see academic excellence in a culturally meaningful way.

Just as with many things in education, that will mean different things to different people. What they do want to see, though, is something that is relevant to them, which means we have to provide a variety of different pieces of information and ways they’re presented.

One of the things in particular to make Yukoners more aware of the reality of the self-government agreements and what that will mean for them is for all Yukon high school students to have the opportunity to take a history course — in this case, the grade 12 course on land claims and self-government — so students will have the opportunity to learn about the environment we live in and to give all students an opportunity to find out about the history of First Nation government development and the different First Nation government structures. This will allow all Yukoners to have the knowledge needed to understand the variety of different governance structures we have here in the territory.

We’re going to work at all ages through the continuum of public school education, from early literacy programs through to high school programs, to ensure that information is presented in a culturally meaningful manner and that the information included is relevant to Yukoners and relates to the unique situation Yukon finds itself in.

One thing we’re doing to accomplish the objective the member has asked about is to educate all Yukoners to ensure they are aware of the environment they live in, so they can better participate in it.

We’ll also continue to work with all our committees. I believe I’ve stated them on the floor numerous times now — whether they be school councils, the First Nation Education Advisory Committee, or the Chiefs Committee on Education, to ensure we’re building an education system that is responsive to the needs of Yukoners.

The member opposite has also asked about self-government provisions. I certainly recognize that Yukon First Nations, in their agreements, have included education as one of the services that, should they choose, they can draw down under a PSTA, in order to provide their own education system.

Much as Yukon has devolved considerable jurisdiction from Canada to Yukon for local decision-making, it is envisioned — or I believe it was envisioned — in the self-government agreements that many Yukon First Nations would draw down the authority and jurisdiction on a variety of different areas that range from education to health care, to justice, to many other areas.

As we continue to see the evolution of Yukon and Yukon First Nations, I believe these duties and areas of responsibility will likely change. Why else would these powers have been put into the programs and services transfer agreements in the first place, if it was not expected that one day they would be acted on?

Mr. Chair, one of the first steps under section 17, should First Nations wish to negotiate various aspects of a PSTA is to make formal notification to Canada and to Yukon. I believe that is done by several different First Nations. There will be a process of negotiation that would include the Executive Council Office. Of course, there would be significant dialogue and discussion with the Department of Education, but those discussions and negotiations are housed in the Executive Council Office; that is the area of government that is responsible for these. It would probably be most expeditious and best if the member directed questions of this nature to the Executive Council Office, as that is the department that has the responsibility for working on and negotiating these agreements.

Mr. Cardiff:   The most direct answer would have been for the minister to say, “Ask the Executive Council Office.”

The minister talked a lot about curriculum and that question is yet to come, so we’ll get there. He didn’t answer that question either, but I haven’t asked it.

Last week we had a nice debate about education, and there were some comments made by the Minister of Highways and Public Works talking about apprenticeship programs and opportunities in communities for apprentices. I will draw the minister’s attention to page 7-17, where it shows the Yukon government supports four apprentices.

I would argue there are ample opportunities for this government to show far more support for Yukon apprentices. The first one would be through the Property Management Agency where they actually have tradespeople with trade certificates. We have plumbers, electricians, painters and carpenters working in the property management area, and the minister is going to tell me that this is a Public Service Commission question, so we will ask this question later this afternoon when we get to the Public Service Commission because this is about succession planning for the government.

There is the central workshop, where they fix the vehicles that service our highways: the graders, the dump trucks, the packers, the loaders, the sand spreaders, the under-body plows that don’t get installed on trucks because they don’t have the right bolts, or whatever — I know the Member for Kluane was excited about that one too.

There are ample opportunities. There should be a zero behind that number. We should be able to support 40 apprentices.

The only other question — and I know this is a Public Service Commission question — but the Department of Education is implicitly implicated in this, and that’s because apprentices who work for the most part for the Department of Highways and Public Works, work through a contract with the Department of Education. Therefore, apprentices who are working for the government aren’t treated the same as the people they’re working with. They’re not members of the bargaining unit, they’re not union members, they don’t receive the same benefits, they don’t get holidays, and they don’t get all the same benefits that would accrue to others.

That’s my understanding; this is the information that has been brought to my attention. I just think we could be doing a lot more to support apprentices. When I hear all members on that side of the House last week stand up and talk about all the good things they do for apprentices, I would draw their attention to page 7-17.

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    I recognize in education sometimes there’s a background that needs to be added so that people can fully appreciate the situation. I have tried to be succinct with at least one question for the member opposite and I will try to continue —

Some Hon. Member:   (Inaudible)

Hon. Mr. Rouble:     Sorry?

Some Hon. Member:   (Inaudible)

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    I got an “A+” for that one. I got an “A+” and an “F”, so I’m getting about a “C” right now. I’m not going to divulge my permanent record here on the floor, but I will try to answer the questions the member hasn’t answered yet and I will try to answer the questions that are for another department. 

With our apprentice situation, Mr. Chair, in the Yukon we currently have —

My neighbour, Mr. Yukon, would be quite upset. Bucky and Shirley Keobke, as we all know, are this year’s Mr. and Mrs. Yukon and should not be confused with Mr. Chair.

As of February 29, 2008, there were more than 380 Yukon residents registered as apprentices in 31 of 48 trade designates in Yukon —

Some Hon. Member:   (Inaudible)

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    I know but they are worth repeating, Mr. Speaker. It is important to recognize that we have the highest number of apprentices ever in our apprentice system, and there are growing opportunities for them to be hired as registered tradespeople and that Yukon students are recognizing that it is important to enter into a skilled trade as a profession.

Mr. Chair, we do have programs within the Department of Education. The Yukon government apprentice program is a special program for the hiring of apprentices, and it is, as I understand it, a bit different from the regular hiring involved through the Public Service Commission. This is an educational support program, similar in some ways to the student training and employment program — STEP. It is recognized that it is part of an education and training program, and it is a bit separate from the Public Service Commission.

Mr. Chair, it should also be recognized that other government departments do hire apprentices in the normal course of employment. The other departments are certainly recognizing that it is important to train and develop our youth and to bring their skills along.

It is a bit of a challenge. I believe the minister responsible for the Public Service Commission can probably elaborate on this a little bit more to address how apprenticeship programs will work in conjunction with the current contract that is negotiated with the Yukon Employees Union. We must recognize that we do work under the Yukon Employees Union contract and that it does affect how we do the hiring for some of these positions. The Department of Education will continue to strongly support the development of apprentices in a wide variety of trades and skill areas, and we’ll work with the Public Service Commission and the other departments to make sure they’re aware of the importance of hiring apprentices and contributing to their employment and training. As they gain skills in an area, they can be a valuable employee who contributes a lot to the organization.

Yes, we do have people under the Yukon government apprentice program, but there are also apprentices hired in other areas in government.

Mr. Cardiff:   I don’t know if the minister has access to the numbers but, if he does, I would appreciate seeing those. The numbers at the top of the page are definitely improving, as far as how many registered apprentices there are in the territory. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. My concern is the number at the bottom of the page. It almost sounds like we’d be better off anyway if that number were zero because that would mean the apprentices would be being treated like employees, they would all have the benefits and wouldn’t be treated like they were in the STEP program.

I’d like to ask the minister a question about the home tutor program. Apparently it was evaluated last year. We’d like to know where the report is and if it is available. Is the program still being monitored? I assume the evaluation was completed. We’d like to see a copy of it, and we’d like to know whether or not there is any continued monitoring and what type of training is available for tutors in the home tutor program?

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    Mr. Chair, the home tutor program is a pretty interesting program. I understand it first started in Old Crow in 2003, and it has grown and changed. It is interesting how it has evolved in different schools and different communities.

Funding for the home tutor program is available to support all students in all 14 rural communities as well as students in Whitehorse schools. The funds for hiring tutors can be administered by the local First Nation, the school council or other community agency or the school. There are funds available to all rural Yukon schools as well as high schools and the Gadzoosdaa residence.

Yes, there was a review done, and I expect that it is paper-clipped to the other report that the member has requested. Additionally the department will be conducting a review of this program again this coming fall to ensure that it is meeting the needs in the communities. It has changed and morphed in a couple of different areas to respond to different community needs.

As for specific training for tutors, we’ll have to take that one under advisement for the member opposite. I’m not sure if there really is any special training or train-the-trainer type of courses that are provided to tutors.

In some instances, it’s a case of an older student — probably a high school student — working with younger students to help them along. In some cases, it’s other people from the community who already have an education background working with others.

But I’ll ask the Department of Education to look into this, to find out if there is anything more formal by way of training for this. As well, we will continue to evaluate this program and support it where we can. It’s important we take a look at these programs from time to time to ensure they’re meeting the original intent. This is generally speaking. Sometimes when we look at some of our programs, we recognize they are accomplishing a different goal than we originally intended to address. If that’s the case, then we do need to re-evaluate the program and the delivery model that we’re using.

Mr. Cardiff:   On page 7-21 of the budget, I’m wondering whether there was a one-time increase — basically it’s about education support and the Council of Yukon First Nations — it’s a transfer payment. For some reason, it’s down 25 percent.

 The reason I’m asking the question is that the recommendations in the education reform report — to my understanding — are to increase funding for education support in these areas. I’m just wondering why it’s down.

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    When we embarked on the education reform project, one of the ideas behind that was that it wouldn’t stop the department from making any progress in a variety of different areas we’re starting initiatives in. So when the education reform project started, there was a different environment from what exists now. There were programs that hadn’t been started and different divisions that had not yet been created.

So when the education reform document made a recommendation — there are several instances in the document where you can go through and say, yes, they should be doing that; indeed they are doing that, because that is a change that has been made in recent years to respond to many of the issues the department was aware of.

The education support and the support for the worker and the program manager is an effort to work with the Council of Yukon First Nations in order to ease the transfer and transition from rural life to life in Whitehorse. It provides a support worker and program manager, as well as dealing with many educational issues.

The Department of Education and the Council of Yukon First Nations provided me with a list awhile ago of all the committees they’re asked to participate in, and it’s well over 110 different committees relating to education. We do have many committees and we need to make best use of them before we create new committees, especially if we’re creating a new committee to do what a current committee is already mandated to do.

The education support worker — I had a brief discussion with officials here and the previous figure also includes a revote for an accountable advance that was done under a previous year, so there was an accounting entry that creates the discrepancy. We’re very happy with the progress that we’re making with this program and indeed with the relationship with the Council of Yukon First Nations education department.

Mr. Cardiff:   I’d like to ask the minister a question again. I’d like to go back to the topic of literacy. I know the minister provided me a whole bunch of information — I don’t know if “bunch” is the appropriate word but stack of — he says “plethora.” Well, one of those words will work, anyway.

There was a list of all of the monies that the government spends on literacy and it included all of the money that gets spent in our public school system. I think if you look at the problems around the Yukon, one of the concerns that we have — and I know the minister shares this — is adult literacy in communities.

Our numbers are skewed by the fact that there is a whole bunch of highly or, in some instances, over-educated people in Whitehorse, working here in Whitehorse. In the communities, I’m not saying that they are less educated, what I’m saying is there are people who have gone through the system who haven’t been well served by the system for a variety of reasons and their literacy skills are below what our territorial numbers are — well below in a lot of instances — and that is a concern.

It impacts on those communities, it impacts on their families, and I am talking about adult literacy. There are funds. The government provides money to Yukon Learn — a substantial amount of money. There are other funds that are provided to the Yukon Literacy Coalition and other groups, but we need to respond to communities and ensure that their needs are being met.

I am wondering — this is strictly on an adult literacy level, and there is lots in the education reform document about literacy — the minister can read up on that — and there are recommendations.

But I would like to know whether or not some of these adult literacy programs are being evaluated, what statistics there are on the training and retention of volunteer tutors — because a lot of this is provided by non-governmental organizations and community groups who want to improve the lot of the people in their community. We all know that volunteers — and it is Volunteer Week and we’ll be hearing more about that later this week — but volunteers give a lot of themselves and often aren’t able to continue.

I am wondering what information we have on training and retention of those volunteer tutors, if the government is planning on expanding any of these adult literacy initiatives in communities, and whether or not there is any consideration in the department, or in talking with NGOs, to actually have some paid paraprofessionals in communities to deliver some of this literacy training — working with the NGOs of course.

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    Unfortunately, I am going to have to start this response by disagreeing with the member opposite over the statement that we have people in the territory who are over-educated. Mr. Chair, I am certainly not going to stand up and endorse that people in this community are over-educated. I think many people, indeed most Yukoners, have embraced the concept of being lifelong learners and continuing their education throughout their lives, and that this will happen in both formal and informal settings.

While we might learn something that is of particular relevance and importance to us at one stage in our life, we could change and find ourselves in a different situation where that previous learning might not be as applicable, but I believe it still has an influence on an individual’s decision-making. I am not going to endorse the concept or the realization that people can become over-educated.

However, I do appreciate the member opposite’s comment about some members of our community being very well educated, and have attained significant levels of formal education. When we do take a look at the educational outcomes that Yukoners have, we find that there are many at the extremes. We have a system that does produce many who do go on to significant post-secondary education, and we do have at the other end of the extreme, individuals that have not attained, in some cases, basic literacy levels. One of the objectives of any kind of education reform will be to close the gap between the level of low performance and the level of high performance.

We’re not going to do that by diminishing the performance levels of those at the high end, but moving those who are underperforming up. The other challenge that educators face is not only closing the gap, but raising the bar — diminishing the gap between the high achievers and the low achievers, and then raising the average level of achievement for all.

Those are a couple of the guiding concerns for education in the Yukon, that of closing the gap and raising the bar. We see this in our public school system and also in advanced education.

In our public education system there are a number of different programs. I listed a few earlier for the member opposite. Not all of those are housed in our public schools branch. I should mention to the member opposite that that is not an exhaustive list, by any means, of what we do for literacy in our public school system. It does not include all the other costs or programming or the allocation of resources we have in our public school system for literacy levels. That would include the salary of practically every individual in the Department of Education, as we’re all working toward those goals.

The initiatives housed in advanced education branch typically deal with those individuals once they’ve left the public school system. It includes the Yukon essential skills program, funding for the Yukon Literacy Coalition, the Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon, the Literacy Action Committee, Whitehorse Correctional Centre funding, and Kwanlin Dun House of Learning.

Not included in there is the variety of programming that is offered through Yukon College, both here at the Ayamdigut Campus and also at our rural campuses.

We do have a wide range of programs geared toward individuals after they have left the public school system. We recognize there are certain pressure points in our community: for example, at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre, the level of literacy among many of the people incarcerated is low and we need to make a significant effort to help them turn their lives around. One of the best ways for doing that is to increase their education level, so we’re working with the Whitehorse Correctional Centre on literacy programs.

Also, we work with the Learning Disabilities Association of Yukon and some of the other non-government organizations that deal with specific target groups or people with a recognized characteristic or need, so they can identify programs that will help.

We do work with all of our NGOs. There is a strong relationship between the Government of Yukon and those groups that we provide with funding — whether through contributions or grants — with ongoing measures, both formally and informally, of their successes and challenges in accomplishing their intended outcomes.

A moment ago, I spoke briefly about the Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum. The theme for Yukon’s portion of that was “Building Literacy Communities through Technologies”. This reflects the important role that technology plays in helping planning and programming, promoting dialogue, or communications among people in the north.

I was reminded awhile ago that, if someone is going to jump on their Skidoo and head out on the land, if they do have a problem with that Skidoo — I shouldn’t use brand names — that snow machine, that they often have to read a manual.

 Well, reading a manual is one thing, but often now you’ll find yourselves turning to the Internet to download a PDF of an instruction manual. So it’s quite interesting to see, when people do get out on the land, they also need the literacy skills to read manuals and now need the technical literacy skills in order to download appropriate information from the Internet.

Literacy doesn’t stop with learning how to read and write at a grade 8 level, but indeed, it is much broader than that. It is learning how to communicate and share information and ideas in our society. As we have so many drastic changes in technology, it is important for all Yukoners to keep up on that.

We will continue to work with our literacy partners — again, the Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum was a great opportunity to bring together many of our literacy partners to discuss the different programs that they have in place and how they are effectively addressing the needs in their community.

Also, Mr. Chair, at the recent Pan-Canadian Interactive Literacy Forum, there was a joint presentation by the New Horizons team that included representatives of the Government of Yukon and the Council of Yukon First Nations on the education reform document. It was brought out and discussed among the literacy NGOs. With their involvement we’re now discussing how to develop strategies to address the issues brought forward, the education reform document and to achieve the intended outcomes of improving literacy levels for all Yukoners.

Mr. Cardiff:   I don’t know that I really got the answer to the question that I asked. I didn’t hear any answer about whether or not there was any consideration given to having paid paraprofessionals deliver some of this literacy training in communities. I think it is an important issue facing our communities.

I know that some of this will be addressed in the secondary school programming study, but communities need for more resources for training, and what an advantage it is to have students attend school in their own communities with the support of their families. There are examples and recommendations in the education reform report about providing more resources to rural communities for public schools. There is a section about secondary schools in rural communities and the advantages to that as opposed to having students come to Whitehorse.

I am wondering whether or not there would be an appetite to make improvements — not just improvements — but to increase the level of programming in communities so that they would attend those secondary courses closer to home as opposed to coming to Whitehorse. I would like to know how the minister feels about that.

We are running a little short of time today, so I am going to load up a couple of other questions here.

The resources here in Whitehorse aren’t available in every community, and we can take some of those resources and information out to the schools in rural Yukon. There are also people working hard in rural Yukon communities who could be beneficial to the students, to our education system and to the educational outcomes of those students in rural Yukon.

There is some mention made of community education liaison coordinators in the education reform project. I know they go into schools and provide counselling and advice to students in the public schools in rural Yukon, and it would be beneficial for the department to work with those people and to give them more training in counselling skills so they can be advocates, so that they can help rural Yukon students make decisions about their future.

It’s about the path that they choose, and giving them options and providing the opportunity for those CELCs, community education liaison coordinators, to actually work with others in their communities. We are talking about addressing a capacity issue in communities at this point. Whether it’s trades — which we talked about earlier — or administration, First Nations have employment and training officers — ETOs, I believe they are called. If there was a liaison and a connection provided between the schools and the employment and training officer, the CELCs could be that link. I don’t think it would take a lot of resources to provide that connection, and it would assist.

The CELCs would be able to do a better job of guiding students through career-planning exercises that would actually possibly be more relevant to their community situation, so that they could see and work with that employment and training officer from that First Nation or the municipality, in some communities, so that they can see and get the advice about what jobs and what skills are needed in that community.

I think we’re missing an opportunity to do a good service not only to our students in the school system but we would be doing a service to our communities, to the municipalities and the First Nation governments, so they can work with students and say, “These are career paths. If you want to come back to our community and live here when you’re finished your education, work in the community you grew up in and be there with your families and your clan, these are opportunities you should look at.”

If we’re not able to do that at an early stage, a lot of times young people end up without having those goals set in front of them. If they have something tangible they can work toward, it improves their chances in the secondary and post-secondary school system.

I’d like the minister to give me a few comments in response to that.

Hon. Mr. Rouble:    Yes, I agree. I believe the member opposite would probably like me to continue on that a little bit more.

I see the number one responsibility of the Minister of Education as working to ensure that Yukoners have the opportunities they need to learn in order to become successful, contributing members of society. I share many of the ideas and thoughts and concerns the Member for Mount Lorne has just put out on the table.

It starts with recognizing that we need to have an education system — both public education and advanced education or post-secondary — that is responsive to the needs of Yukoners.

I will approach this in a couple of different ways. One of the important messages that we received from the education reform project was the need for community involvement and more community input. With the New Horizons project, that is exactly what we’re going to build on — that being, ensuring that we have a school system that is responsive to the needs of individual students and to the community that provides an individual with the education, curriculum and material that they need in order to grow up and lead a happy, meaningful life — however they define “meaningful”.

We also recognize education plays a role in the community to ensure that we are developing the next generation of Yukoners who will have the ability and capacity to participate fully in our community, employment, local governance and in leading happy, healthy, meaningful lives in the territory.

I think a lot of what the member is talking about means working with our rural communities and looking at all the assets they have and all the resources that are available. That means bringing together the school councils, Yukon College and the First Nation. That means bringing together the resources of the Department of Education, the CELCs — cultural education liaison coordinator — some of the programming under the federal labour market agreements or under ASEP — assistance to small enterprise program.

Mr. Chair, it means bringing together a lot of these difference resources and ensuring these resources turn into opportunities for the students.

A couple of ways that we see these developing are through additional distance education courses, either delivered through the Internet or through video conferencing and Web-based education, working not only with the Department of Education system but also with the college system, and with regulating and normalizing the relationship between the school in the community and the college.  In some instances we have students in our high school system who are taking college courses. It could be that college instructors have the programming and the skills available to them in order to provide that information, and that is done in some cases. But what we need to do is to work to regulate and normalize that.

Mr. Chair, in some cases students will be receiving dual credit so at the same time as completing a high school credit they will also be earning college credits. We have got to work with the variety of different resources that are already available in the community. It means working with the CELCs and the First Nation education and training officers. I have asked for a dialogue with the Chiefs Committee on Education on this very topic. The Chiefs Committee and I, along with the Department of Education and the First Nations Education Commission, have had many discussions regarding public schools, and now we need to further those discussions and include post-secondary education and training to ensure that we are maximizing the benefits from all our resources. Of course, we will need to incorporate Yukon College and other i