Thank you. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I noticed, in the segment "women's advisory," that the amount of money granted to the Native Women's Association and the Status of Women Council, and, in fact, the Women's Initiative Grants, have been static for the last two budgets. My question for the Minister is: how is this funding level determined for these non-profits? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Chair. In all honesty, I believe that these funding levels have been in place for many years. I can't say exactly how many years, but I do know that it's more than the last Assembly. They're on the last year of a three-year term agreement, and I think that it is time that we look at them. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate that answer from the Premier. It's time to take a look at these levels and to make them reflect the work that is being done, that there be some specific methodology to how these numbers are determined, and that they are reviewed annually to ensure that the money granted keeps up with the cost of inflation. My fear is that, while GNWT employees have received increases because of their collective agreement, the non-profits are being left behind, and I am calling on the Premier to do something about that. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The Member knows that I also come from the non-profit world. I have always advocated that the non-profit world is underfunded and overproducing, in my opinion. I am committed to reviewing these. However, Madam Chair, I am also conscious of the limitations of us financially. I do have to take into consideration that this is something that I think we need to look at, but we also have 22 huge priorities that we also need to have at the table. We will look at it. It may not be what the Member would like or that I would like, but we have to be fair in making sure that we address as many concerns as possible. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you. I do appreciate that the Minister is familiar with this background. The thing is, though, that, when non-profits fall too far out of sync, which is a variation of more than about 40 percent with the government, they can't keep staff, and then productivity goes down because they're in a constant turnover of staff. This is not big grant money compared to the totality of the budget, so I am calling on the Premier to review these. I don't expect them to be brought to government levels, but I do expect a gap to be closed between what the funding levels are historically and what they should be going forward so that non-profits can maintain their staff, keep their staff, and keep their productivity going. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I hear the Member. I empathize with the Member. I agree with the Member. However, these are two NGOs, non-governmental organizations. There are many other non-governmental organizations that are funded by other departments. We have to be fair, Madam Chair, and make sure that, if we're doing this, that it would be across the board so that we don't let other ones fall through the gaps. I am committed to reviewing them; however, again, as stated, it might not be the amount that I would like to see. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you to the Premier for that. When these non-profit contribution agreements are reviewed, is there methodology to working out how much money is going to be in the contribution agreement? Is there some rationale for that? How is that money determined, that number determined? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Chair. My understanding, at this point, is that there is no methodology. It's meeting between officials and, I'm guessing, executive directors. However, Madam Chair, I want to again extend this to all NGOs. When I say NGOs, it means non-governmental organizations. When we give NGOs money, and we don't have any kind of requirements or measurable outcomes, in my opinion, it sets them up to fail. For example, the homeless shelter that I managed for many years never got an increase, ever. It makes me wonder why. I think that we do need to review all of the agreements, and I think that we need to start moving into a place of quality assurance and that we actually have measurable outcomes. Then the NGOs can come back to us and say, "We're meeting these outcomes, but we don't have enough money to do it." Give us a tool to be accountable to the public, because it is the public purse, but also give the NGOs a tool that they can say, "This is what you asked; this is what we're delivering, and we need an increase." It goes both ways. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I agree; it goes both ways. What I am suggesting here is that there be a methodology based on deliverables and that we are assured that we are getting value for money from the NGOs as much as we are from any other government spending. I think that you can find an example of how this could work with the shelter standards. It was a long piece of work, but finally, there are standards for the family violence shelters so that the contribution of money to those shelters for their operations relates to something tangible. I think that that's a methodology that could be applicable to the organizations that we are talking about in this area. My only concern is that, knowing that the shelter standards work took years and years, we need to find a way to do this work, if we're going to do it for all NGO contribution agreements, that we do this work more efficiently. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I do remember the shelter standards, don't remember where they are right now. I didn't realize that it took many years. This agreement is coming up in the next year. It might have to be signed. My commitment, though, is that we would sit down with the executive, with the board of directors, actually, and do that process in a mutually agreeable manner. Hearing the Member's concerns, maybe we will start with these ones. Hopefully, we will move that work out throughout because all NGOs have to not only be accountable for their funds but to also have a tool that says, "We need to have more." Like you said, without that, just giving out money, is not giving them that tool, and it is not giving us the accountability. We will work towards that. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think that the Minister and I are on the same page with this. I think you could do a pilot project with native women and status of women. I think those organizations do a strategic plan and a budget. I think there are some materials to begin with to come up with some mutually agreed goals for the services that they are providing through their contribution agreement and that that could be a constructive process across the board. I don't have any further questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Madam Premier.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will take it for a comment, but I do want to state that one of the other priorities or mandates within this government is to try to look at multi-year funding. For example if we don't have time, I am conscious of the time it took for the shelter standards. Perhaps, we could move into a multi-year funding formula, and that would give us the time, hopefully, that we could use for the next funding cycle, that we could actually have measurable outcomes. Thank you, Madam Chair.