Debates of Feb. 20th, 2017

This is page numbers 1779 – 1836 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was program.

Topics

Oral Questions

Prayer

Minister’s Statement 138-18(2): Slave Geological Province Access Corridor

Minister’s Statement 139-18(2): Education, Training And Youth Development: Education, Culture And Employment Progress Statement

Expanding The Economy Through Investments In People

February Statutory Holiday Proposal

Return Of Fort Providence Minor Hockey Program

Regional Benefits Of Mackenzie Valley Highway Construction

Status Of Transboundary Water Agreements

Territorial Marine Resupply Services

Proposed Elimination Of Aurora College Social Work Program

Overflow Water On Beaufort Delta Highways

Connie Loutit Memorial Soccer Tournament

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Territorial Marine Resupply Services

Status Of Transboundary Water Agreements

Supports For The Agriculture Industry

Whati All-Season Road

Proposed Elimination Of Aurora College Programs

Proposed Elimination Of Aurora College Social Work Program

Status Of GNWT Open Government Policy

Overflow Water On Beaufort Delta Highways

Increased Investment In The Mineral Incentive Program

Impact Of Slave Geological Province Access Corridor Impact On Caribou Populations

Proposed Elimination Of Aurora College Programs

Tabled Document 287-18(2): Follow-Up Letter To Oral Question 525-18(2): Sahtu Regional Health Council

Bill 17: An Act To Amend The Income Tax Act

Bill 18: An Act To Amend The Health And Social Services Professions Act

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, Education, Culture And Employment, Deferral Of Education And Culture Activity

Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, Education, Culture And Employment, Deferral Of Labour Development And Standards Activity

Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, Education, Culture And Employment, Deferral Of Further Consideration Of The Estimates For The Department Of Education, Culture And Employment

Report of Committee of the Whole

Orders of the Day

Committee Motion 53-18(2): Tabled Document 261-18(2): Main Estimates 2017-2018, Education, Culture And Employment, Deferral Of Education And Culture Activity, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I mentioned, we do work with the Department of ITI. There are a couple of different streams that a person can come and work up in the North and be part of that Nominee Program. Obviously we do work with our industry partners and private companies that do need temporary foreign workers, as well as through our stream where it is more application-based working with that. I know the federal government does a good job of going out in terms of promoting the program worldwide, and we are just benefactors of the work that they are doing. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair Daniel McNeely

Thank you, Minister Moses. Ms. Green.

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, has the Minister given any consideration to actively recruiting people through the Nominee Program to come to the NWT given the value of having additional people here in the NWT? Thank you.

February 20th, 2017

The Chair Daniel McNeely

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Moses.

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We do have that opportunity when we are sitting at the FTP meetings. Currently we are going to be meeting with the Francophonie at the end of March and we are going to be working on how we can look at getting more French-speaking people into the Northwest Territories working and meeting some of the demands for that type of work, but right now it's more done at the FTP level. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair Daniel McNeely

Thank you, Minister Moses. Ms. Green.

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I realize this is a shared responsibility. The Minister's labour market forecast says that we need thousands, literally thousands, of people in the NWT over the next 15 years in different kinds of skilled professions. So is immigration not one of the ways that we are going to meet this demand for skilled workers? Thank you.

The Chair Daniel McNeely

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Moses.

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and definitely I think that we are going to need to look outside of our jurisdiction but also look outside of Canada when we are looking at the skilled labour market. We are hoping to have that immigration strategy that we are currently working on be released sometime this summer; possibly June I think. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair Daniel McNeely

Thank you, Minister Moses. Ms. Green.

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am looking forward to seeing the immigration strategy. Will it answer my questions about how we are going to get more immigrants to fill our skilled job positions? Thank you.

The Chair Daniel McNeely

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Moses.

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and yes, it should answer those questions in terms of how we are going to fill our in-demand jobs in the Northwest Territories. That document, along with the Skills 4 Success document that we tabled, is going to be reflective of each other, so it should help us fill those in-demand jobs in the North. Thank you. Mr. Chair.

The Chair Daniel McNeely

Thank you, Minister Moses. Ms. Green.

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am switching gears now to Aurora College. As we know, the Minister and the board have made a number of cuts to programming. Will there be additional cuts in administration, leasing, and other related college expenses that come as a result of the program cuts? Thank you.

The Chair Daniel McNeely

Thank you, Ms. Green. Deputy Minister Haener. Sorry, committee, I will go to Mr. Lovely.

Lovely

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So as part of the Aurora College reductions in 2017-18, there are a number of components that are being proposed, including some amounts for administrative reductions and, again, the Teacher Education Program, the Social Work Diploma Program. There are going to be rent increases and student housing increases so the contribution that is provided to Aurora College will go down because of the own source revenue that they will be able to generate. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair Daniel McNeely

Thank you, Mr. Lovely. Ms. Green.

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and, Mr. Chair, has the department studied the effect of the cuts on the communities in which they are taking place? What are the indirect costs of these cuts? Thank you.

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Moses.

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. No, we did not. I will look at some of those to the question the Member asked. With these program cuts, they are being phased out, so with the social work program, it will still run for two years. The TEP program will go until 2020. Once we have that strategy out with Aurora College, we will see where we will be directing our resources. At this time we are not even sure if another program will replace it, but we will see when the strategy comes out, how we will take those into consideration. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister Moses. Ms. Green.

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, can the Minister say whether the department is contemplating further reductions in the Aurora College grant beyond the program reductions that have been announced up to this point? Thank you.

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Minister Moses.

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, and I think Mr. Lovely with his response earlier answered that question with the future reductions going on with the college. Thank you.

Debates of Feb. 20th, 2017

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