Okay, I'm going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Debates of June 5th, 2024
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Topics
Committee Motion 11-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Early Learning - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Denny Rodgers Inuvik Boot Lake
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that this committee defer further consideration of the activity education in the main estimates for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Some Hon. Members
Question.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
The Chair Richard Edjericon
Question has been called. All those in favour, show of hands. Thank you. All those opposed? The motion is carried. Consideration of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, operations expenditure, 2024-2025 Main Estimates, education, is deferred.
---Carried
We will now move on to the next key activity. Thank you, moving on to income security beginning on page 49 with information items on page 51 and 52. Are there any questions?
No further questions. We're moving on to security beginning on page 49 with information items on page 51 and 52. Are there any questions? Okay, thank you, I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Kate Reid Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So as my colleague from Monfwi has spoken to, very passionately in this House on many a time, there is a concern, I think, around the lack of funding for the senior home heating subsidy. So especially for elders who are on limited incomes. And I can see that in the main estimates from 2023-2024 and the revised estimates, there is a difference of approximately 500 and change thousand dollars, and now the main estimates for 2024-2025 have gone back down. Does the Minister wish to speak to whether she thinks that's adequate? Thank you.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th, 2024
Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, for the last two years -- well, probably longer than that, the department has watched this closely to make sure that they are doing anything that they can within their wheelhouse to ensure that seniors are receiving up to 80 percent of their fuel covered, seniors who qualify and who need that support. It is definitely a well-used subsidy within the Northwest Territories and one that a lot of seniors and elders are reliant on. So for the last two years, because of the increasing cost of fuel, the department has been able to issue one-time top-ups to seniors for this fund. And so continuing to watch fuel costs and uptake of the program is something that the department will continue to do and then reevaluate as and when needed. Thank you.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Kate Reid Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And similarly to the income assistance line and the program detail, it has been historically lower, not that long ago, by -- gosh, I'm going to say -- math on the fly is not my forte, Mr. Speaker. But the difference between the main estimates of this fiscal is 43 -- almost $44 million, and in 2022-2023, the actuals were close to $36 million. So I guess -- obviously that's just a tiny snapshot, but if the Minister could speak to where she sees income assistance trending over time as well, that would be helpful. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, one of the things that is important to know in these two main estimates for 2023-2024, as well as 2024-2025, is they both have the funding for the new income assistance program included in them, but because we weren't able to launch that program, the actuals were far less because we weren't able to get those dollars out the door with the new program. I think it's also worth knowing as well that we still have not returned to our pre-pandemic levels for income assistance uptake as well. Thank you.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Kate Reid Great Slave
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So just to clarify, then, can the Minister explain if she expects to need more than what is currently funded? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. The department has asked for, in this budget, what they feel they will need. And also I hope that with the increased ability for residents to keep some of their earned income and work with client navigators as well as career development officers that hopefully we will be able to support residents to create pathways to employment, entrepreneurship, as well as education by combining our business plans with the dollars that we do have available. Thank you.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Kate Reid Great Slave
Yeah, so thank you for that. I wonder if the Minister of ECE could have a conversation with the Minister of ITI around employment opportunities in our smaller communities and what we're going to be really pushing on in these three and a half years we have left to make sure there are good options for people across our territory. I'll leave it at that, Mr. Speaker.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
The Chair Richard Edjericon
Thank you. I'll take that as a comment. Thank you, I'm going to go to the Member from Monfwi.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi
I see here senior home, in this activities -- okay, no, it's not that. It's income support assistance program. Okay, there's minuses, is $187,000. But I see increase of that $187,000 in senior citizens supplementary benefit. Is that a transfer from that program to senior citizens supplementary benefit?
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, it's not a trade from one to the other. What is happening under the senior citizens supplementary benefit is we have more seniors in the territory, so we needed to increase that budget in order to account for the expected growth of that program that matches our population growth in that age bracket. Thank you.
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Committee Motion 12-20(1): Tabled Document 93-20(1): 2024-2025 Main Estimates, Deferral of Education - Education, Culture and Employment, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
June 5th
Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi
Well, senior citizens supplementary benefits, it's not huge, but can the Minister explain more what that program does.