YELLOWKNIFE (February 19, 2015) – Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty announced enhancements to immigration programs in the Northwest Territories today.

“To sustain a strong and competitive economy, grow and diversify the work force and maintain the level of service to which we have become accustomed, this government is committed to increasing the population by 2,000 people over the next five years,” said Minister Lafferty. “Immigration needs to be part of that solution.”

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the House that the Territorial Nominee Program has been greatly enhanced to better meet the needs of employers and to advance the population and economic growth objectives set by this government.

Mr. Speaker, all children in the NWT deserve the best possible care, nurturing and support, so that they can develop physically, emotionally, socially, culturally and spiritually. When these supports are in place right from the start, children are more likely to grow up to become healthy productive members of their communities and society. 

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise Members of this House that starting on June 1, 2015, the minimum wage in the Northwest Territories is going up.

The minimum wage in the NWT will increase from $10.00 per hour to $12.50 per hour, making it the highest in Canada today. This is the first increase to the minimum wage in the Northwest Territories since 2011. 

YELLOWKNIFE (January 13, 2015) – Minister or Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty announced a substantial increase to the Northwest Territories minimum wage today.

Effective June 1, 2015, the minimum wage will increase from $10.00 per hour to $12.50 per hour, giving the NWT one of the highest minimum wages in Canada. The increase was based on findings from the Minimum Wage Committee, appointed by Minister Lafferty in 2013 to research, engage stakeholders and provide options on the minimum wage rate in the NWT.

YELLOWKNIFE (December 12, 2014) – Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty met last week with Aboriginal governments from across the Northwest Territories to generate ideas for a 10-year culture and heritage strategic framework. This is a new initiative of the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) which will help GNWT departments align their work with a shared set of cultural principles during the next decade. The framework will be the first of its kind in the NWT.

YELLOWKNIFE (November 25, 2014) – Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty met last week in Toronto with his federal, provincial and territorial counterparts at the Forum for Labour Market Ministers (FLMM) meetings to build on their efforts around labour market initiatives and progress.

YELLOWKNIFE (November 24, 2014) – A Northwest Territories educator received national recognition last week with an Indspire Guiding the Journey: Indigenous Educator Award. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) Jackson Lafferty presented the Indigenous Education Partner Award in Toronto to ECE’s Director of School and Instructional Services John Stewart.

YELLOWKNIFE (November 6, 2014) – The Government of the Northwest Territories confirmed today that it is no longer in discussions with Yellowknife Education District #1 (YK1) and the Commission scolaire francophone (CSF) on a school swap.

“Whatever YK1 decides regarding the use of their schools will not have any impact on the appeal that the GNWT has decided to pursue respecting the court ordered expansion to Ecole Allain St. Cyr,” said Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share the Northwest Territories three year baseline results of the Early Development Instrument referred to as the EDI results.  The EDI is a population-level tool that measures children’s ability to meet age appropriate developmental expectations at school entry.

The EDI measures five  areas of a child’s development, including their  physical health and well-being, their language and cognitive development, their communication skills and general knowledge, their social competence and the child’s emotional maturity.