Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. We’ve been discussing Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, education and culture, grants and contributions, pages 10-18, 10-19 and 10-20, for the sum of $164.926 million. Let’s just agree page by page here. Page 10-18, agreed?

Page 10-19, agreed?

Page 10-20, agreed?

Thank you, committee. Page 10-21, Education, Culture and Employment, activity summary, information item, education and culture, active positions.

Page 10-23, Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to ask the Minister if there was a greater demand for apprenticeship and occupations. I notice that there’s a slight increase in the budget from 2010-2011 to 2011-2012. I’m wondering if the demand would have required a greater increase had the department met the demand of all of the other departments and agencies where an apprenticeship, even private business, I guess, everywhere where apprentice could be placed.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Daniels.

Does the department refuse any requests from private business or other departments to bring apprentices on? For example, the local housing organizations.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I’m sure that the information that the Member is sharing, we’re not aware of if any individuals have been declined.

I was asking if the department has declined any other department or private company from a request to take on an apprentice. Like I said, I used an example of an LHO. Right now we have a dire need for tradespeople in the small communities and we have tradespeople that are getting to the age where they could potentially be retiring within a four-year period. We need to bring apprentices on in order to accommodate the future needs of tradespeople in the small communities. My request is if the housing associations and authorities were to request tradesmen right across the board, I believe there’s 19 housing associations or authorities, maybe 21, but each of them have tradespeople and I’m wondering if every tradesperson that is a carpenter, oil burner mechanic, or plumber that even works for the government, as an example we could start there, have an apprentice attached to them.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Daniels.

Just shifting gears a bit into the career and employment development. I noticed a fairly substantial increase. I think that’s very positive. Maybe a 30 percent increase in the budget here. I’m pleased to hear that. Is that increase due to employment programs in the small communities or is this increase something else?

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. That category would be due to the new initiative, the Small Community Employment Support Program.

I’m very pleased to hear that. I have a question for the Minister on the same area, employment development. I’m wondering if the Minister or the department has an employment development strategy for each of the small communities like… That’s good for now. I’ll ask that question now.

We don’t have the specifics in place yet but we are developing a framework to work on that within our department to work with the small communities.

Does the department, in looking at working this area of career and employment development, use the NWT Vital Statistics to

determine where greater amounts of effort have to be put? I’ll give you an example: if we have communities with employment rates of approximately 70 to 80 percent, I’m suggesting that there doesn’t really need to be a strategy or anything, and obviously the economic wheel is moving fine on its own and the process is getting through without any difficulty. With employment rates in the 30 and 40 percent, as is common in the small communities, I’m wondering if the department is using those stats and making decisions that affect this budget area.