The Chair Lesa Semmler

I will now call Committee of the Whole back to order. Committee, we've agreed to consider Tabled Document 813-19(2), Main Estimates 2023-2024. We will now consider the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Does the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment have any opening remarks?

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Yes, I do. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I am here to present the Department of Education, Culture and Employment's main estimates for the fiscal year 2023-2024. Overall, the department's estimates propose an increase of approximately $24 million or 6.7 percent over the Main Estimates 2022-2023. These estimates support the mandate objectives while continuing to meet the GNWT's fiscal objectives to prioritize responsible and strategic spending.

Highlights of these proposed estimates include $16.9 million to support new initiatives. The amount is comprised of:

• $10.326 million in additional federal contribution related to the Canada-NWT Canada-wide Agreement on Early Learning and Child Care;
• $5.149 million in additional funding for improvements and changes to the Income Assistance Program; and,
• $1.458 million for further investments aimed at enhancements and changes to the Student Financial Assistance Program.

The proposed estimates also reflect a total increase of $5.197 million for other adjustments, which include:

• $2.028 million for additional federal contribution related to the Canada-NWT Cooperation Agreement on Minority Language Education and Second Official Language Instructions for 2019-2020 to 2022-2023;
• $1.87 million in additional federal contribution towards Building Skills 4 Success;
• $511,000 for the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association for 2020-2021 to 2022-2023 collective agreement cost increases;
• $500,000 in new funding to support the operational needs of heritage centres; and,
• $368,000 for the school funding framework to provide consistent and administrative support to small schools, which is offset by $80,000 in interdepartmental reallocation of French language communications and services budgets.

The proposed estimates also include $4.205 million in additional operations budget related to the reprofile of Labour Market Development Agreement from Fund 3, third party, to Fund 1, operations, and $51,000 in inflationary adjustment increases to core funding for non-government organizations.

The estimates are partially offset by other decreases of $752,000 broken down by the following target adjustments:

• $662,000 in contract services budget reduction that supports the items identified in the 2022-2023 Main Estimates;
• $80,000 in amortization adjustment for 2023-2024; and,
• $10,000 in insurance transfer to the Department of Finance.

The increases are further partly offset by a total decrease of $1.672 million reflecting funding scheduled to sunset on March 31st, 2023. The sunsets reflect year-over-year changes in the departmental activities in the Canada-NWT Workforce Development Agreement, Canada-NWT Agreement on French language services, Education Act Modernization Research, student records coordinators related to the federal Indian Day School Class Action Settlement records, Canada-NWT Early Learning and Child Care Agreement Extension, Specialized Territorial Support Team resources specialized funding, Education Renewal and Innovation and Northern Distance Learning budget changes.

This concludes my opening remarks. Thank you.

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister. Do you wish to bring witnesses into the House?

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Yes, I do.

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Sergeant-at-arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber.

Minister, please introduce your witnesses.

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you. On my left is the deputy minister John MacDonald. And on my right is the assistant deputy minister of corporate services, Sam Shannon. Thank you.

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. And welcome. Does committee agree to proceed to the detail contained in the tabled document?

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Committee, we will defer the departmental summary and review the estimates by activity summary, beginning with corporate management starting on page 35, with information items on page 36. Questions?

There are no questions. Please turn to page 35. Education, Culture and Employment, corporate management, operations expenditure summary, 2023-2024 Main Estimates, $10,982,000. Does committee agree?

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Culture, heritage, and languages beginning on page 38. Information items on page 39 to 41. Questions? Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Madam Chair. It's one of my favourite parts of the ECE budget. I'd like to ask about -- I'd understood that there was some kind of revenue study being done for the museum. Can I get an update as to what happened with that? Thanks, Madam Chair.

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Minister of ECE.

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you. The Member is correct; we did have a contract in place to have a revenue study completed. Unfortunately, the contractor did not deliver that revenue study. So for some information about the path forward given the challenges we've been facing, I will hand it to the deputy minister. Thank you.