Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So Madam Chair, I'm not sure if I have that level of the operational details of this plan here in front of me. I'll just simply to -- I believe this would be really an operational sort of level discussion and perhaps even bring it down into the departments. It was -- again, I acknowledge that certainly not every surplus is necessarily created equal. School bodies do get their funding via the school funding framework and formula, and that does give them some flexibility to maintain their surplus so that they can obviously, you know, within appropriate parameters, but even those surpluses themselves are subject to some restrictions. So, you know, again, my -- you know, my understanding on this front, and to be clear, is that what is being asked of them is not to impact on infrastructure plans, capital plans, or any existing operational matters to which the funding was already planned or dedicated. It was really where it's sort of being held as a rainy day fund that would be -- for instance, would be where there'd be a request to support the program through the use of those rainy day funds. That means that this is really a rather rainy day when we are losing this funding. Thank you.

Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Yeah, my concern, of course, is good management, stewardship of public dollars even at the school board level, which is certainly an important level. Encouraging good management to create surpluses for the rainy day seems almost like a why bother at this point if we know that they're just going to come take it and tell us to spend it otherwise. So it almost seems like a disenfranchised principle for those who'd managed well and those who've spend. So if you've spent, you get rewarded with more money. And if you saved and trimmed and nipped, well, we're just going to take it away from you anyway. So it just -- it feels that way. Just to clarify, how many EA positions are represented by the, and I quote, this service gap? If she could help with that. Thank you.

Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, every dollar that we are speaking about, whether it's potentially the $14 million that we're requesting here now or every dollar that flows through education, culture and employment to the boards are public funds that are appropriated here for the purposes of delivering education. So I, you know, certainly would suggest that to the extent that a school board has some additional capacity, when there's a rainy day this may itself be the rainy day. So they would then potentially have more ability to draw a larger number of education assistants under the current situation we all find ourselves in.

Now, as for a grand total, as I say the $14 million was estimated to cover roughly 172 different positions. I believe there's well over 200 -- upwards of 200 positions if I recall correctly. If I'm incorrect about that, Madam Chair, I will certainly correct myself. 205, actually, is the number I'm getting that were affected just for the EA positions. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Can the department provide the breakdown of where those EA positions were lost or prescribed to in the context of where the $14 million is supporting the 172 hopefully to return?

And lastly, is there any accounting for that -- when you do that exercise, can you also inform us on the accounting of how many have actually returned?

And I'll wrap this up, Madam Chair, because time's running out, and I guess my questions are too, but the point being is in this money, you know, we wish it could have been -- we wish the conversation could have started in June, and even if it -- in this particular case, it may have made sense to inform us and said, hey, we have to proceed by special warrant to protect these jobs, and we will account for it in a wholesome form in the fall, as we are today. And the reason I say that is because my fear was at the time is when we're told we're going to lose all these positions, you know, the sky is falling and how long can you sit there if you've got a mortgage, you've got child payments, you've got kids who want dentists, and goodness, they may even want Christmas presents in the fall or birthday presents and all those things. You've got to make life plans in other words, and you can't just sit and hope that somebody will come in. Today is October 20th. If you are an educational assistant waiting for the last week of August to roll around to confirm if you had your job, I'm just going to round numbers and say you're probably close to seven weeks late on being employed, unless someone -- so I think, really, what I'm trying to underscore is I'd be surprised if most of them waited. You know, if they found jobs in the GNWT, the federal government, other provinces, in other words left or private industry, I mean, it would be pretty tough for someone to come back. So if there's any way to do an accounting on -- out of the 172 that were initially lost, how many returned, that would be really a great appreciation from a context of understanding the impact this has had. That could also lend to your argument moving forward, how that's helped negatively impress upon our economy. Thank you.

Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, so there was certainly some initial efforts made by education, culture and employment to gather details from education bodies as to what their needs would potentially be with the loss of their individual Jordan's Principle application funding. Obviously, each one having their own specific applications in and outstanding, and some were still being approved and some were not. So efforts to that regard began in June. And then this matter came first to the Financial Management Board and then comes at the first opportunity for a session, which is here. But, you know, again, certainly happy to try to parse out some of those numbers for the Member.

Again, just the same note I made earlier, I would want to confirm with ECE that we are sharing information that is about the boards' structures and not doing that in a way that would in any way cause them any consternation. But subject to that, we can share that information. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, I have Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I move the chair rise and report progress. Thank you.

There's a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion's carried.

---Carried

I will now rise and report progress.

(SHORT RECESS)

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Bill 21, Bill 22, Bill 28, Tabled Document 386-20(1), Tabled Document 387-20(1), and Tabled Document 388-20(1), and would like to report progress with two motions carried and that Bills 2021-2022, and 28 are ready for third reading. And, Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Could I have a seconder? Well, let's just pick on the lady from Inuvik Twin Lakes. I mean, lady from -- the Minister -- or the Member from Inuvik Twin Lakes. There we go, got it right. The one that's turning red over there. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried unanimously. It's going to still be the same result. Reports of Committee of the Whole. Third reading of bills.

Orders of the day, Mr. Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. This House stands adjourned until Tuesday, October 21st, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.

---ADJOURNMENT

The House adjourned at 5:56 p.m.