In regard to the needs of students, I am going to give you the provincial perspective of what we know or what we've identified as the kids needing to know. Perhaps, then, it's up to the federal government and of course representatives to make their decisions based off of that.
In the province, we know there are fundamental pieces that kids need in order to learn, those being a welcoming place they belong, mental health supports and the social dynamics of their being prepared to learn. When you take away those Maslow's hierarchy of needs aspects, when they come to school they're ready to learn.
As educators, there is a fine line in providing those types of services; however, it is up to the Ministry of Education and other government ministries to work collaboratively to support those kids.
If there is one thing we've learned as a province, it is the siloed approach to governance in terms of how we provide educational opportunities to kids across the province. Whether it's the Ministry of Social Services, whether it's the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training or whether it's the Ministry of Health, we as ministries have a responsibility to work collaboratively for those opportunities. Until those barriers are brought down and that collaborative nature is imposed, kids will have a difficult time learning because the needs are significant.