Minister Bronwyn Eyre speaks at an April 12, 2017 legislative committee. Screenshot from legislative video.
Developments continue on Northlands College’s takeover of NORTEP funding.
On Wednesday, it was revealed NORTEP had previously passed a motion for Gabriel Dumont Institute to take over all of NORTEP’s assets, which has complicated Northlands’ plans for a smooth transition of the program.
Later that night in the Standing Committee on Human Services, Advanced Education Minister Bronwyn Eyre took more than an hour of questions.
Among them, the NDP’s Ryan Meili asked why the Sask Party made the decision to stop funding NORTEP in the first place.
“Who has actually been asking for this and what has the demand been? I guess I ask that because from what I’ve been able to ascertain I’m not seeing anything publicly from any leaders, certainly not anything publicly from students,” he said.
A few different times in the committee, Minister Bronwyn Eyre explained a previously unspoken piece of rationale.
“One other quite important aspect to this is the lack of math and science teachers in the north at the high school level and that is something that Northlands has undertaken to address and we hope to address,” she said.
“The scores have been relatively low in that regard in terms of maths and science for teachers coming out of training in the north.”
She acknowledged Northlands is not currently involved in math and science teaching but said that is a future part of its plans.
The committee got emotional for the NDP’s Doyle Vermette, whose voice caught as he spoke.
“Not to be disrespectful, but many people back north were hoping you would reconsider and support NORTEP in another way. If there were areas that they could improve, why not work with the board of governors, why not work to improve that program instead of doing what you’ve done. You’ve dismantled it. You don’t even realize. I think you need to go and talk to the people that you’re saying it’s such a great process that you’re working through, I don’t know where you’re getting that information.”
He said Eyre may have listened to northerners on NORTEP when she visited a stakeholder’s meeting in La Ronge late last year, but her actions since then do not reflect the interests they expressed.
“Maybe you listened, but man, you made up your own decision at the end of the day,” Vermette said.
“What you guys have done is angered so many people, frustrated, it’s upsetting. Aboriginal people had an opportunity, northern students had an opportunity, to move forward in a very positive way.”
Eyre reiterated her belief that in the long run, this move was made, with her at the helm, in the best interest of northern students.
The entirety of the committee can be viewed here. NORTEP questions are asked between 15:22 to 79:20.