Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I just wanted to speak to some of the comments that have been made by the Honourable Premier and the honourable Member for Yellowknife North around, you know, deleting this won't put jobs into communities. So I just want to point out that of this key activity, there are 38 jobs in headquarters. In languages and culture, there are 51 jobs in headquarters. One in the South Slave, and two in the Beaufort Delta. So we are not seeing -- this function of the department is a headquarters-based function. And I think this -- the Member's motion underscores the need to improve the presence of language and culture staff outside of headquarters and outside of, like, senior management level functions. And those are the points I was trying to make as well. And this does come from, I think, a place of those intentions. I appreciate what the Minister is saying, but the Minister also presented a budget where there are three jobs outside of Yellowknife to support language and culture, which is primarily Indigenous language and culture which is not residing in Yellowknife. So I just want to make that clear in kind of support of the Member's intentions for this motion, that this is a broader issue about where we're spending those dollars and how we're getting those dollars to a community. And I think anyone from the regional centres and the communities that I have spoken with in this Assembly and who represents those regions will say they need staff in their regions to effectively deliver programs and services. The honourable Member for Boot Lake has made Members' statements about the need for this -- for a regional superintendent to be the -- you know, the Premier's eyes and ears in the region to make sure things are moving effectively and smoothly in this the region. And I think that's true across the board. So when you see those numbers and then you see the addition of another senior manager and the intention is to, like, raise the profile of language and culture, I think it just leaves some people thinking, well, is this really going to work, and is this really the right way to expend those resources. So I think this comes from a well-intentioned place. And, again, 51 positions in Yellowknife, three outside of Yellowknife. That's what we're looking at on languages and culture. Thank you.
Kieron Testart on Committee Motion 9-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): Main Estimates 2024-2025, Deferral of Department - Health and Social Services, Carried
In the Legislative Assembly on June 4th, 2024. See this statement in context.
Committee Motion 9-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): Main Estimates 2024-2025, Deferral of Department - Health and Social Services, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 4th, 2024
Page 701
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