Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to see them extended, which is why I have put that into my request to the federal government and will be travelling to Ottawa next week to follow up on that request. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've heard from the Minister that one of the reasons we can't extend the permits is because we're redeveloping the program for 2026. So can the Minister confirm if that information's correct? Because that seems like it's our problem and not the federal government's.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are redesigning the program for 2026, but we do need the federal government's permission to be able to extend work permits. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, has the Minister been able to work -- or look at what's happened in the Yukon and crack the code? They were able to do it, so why can't we? That's the fundamental question here. We see another northern jurisdiction with a very similar program that's also maxed out its utilization rate, and they were able to do this. So what is the difference between our program and the Yukon's program? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the years the Yukon has gone one way, and the NWT has gone another way. At this point, what I am doing is I am travelling to Ottawa in order to ascertain what the difference is and how we get to a more equitable place as far as how our immigration program works in the Northwest Territories. And I very much look forward to having the conversations to talk not only about our allotment, talk about work permits, and to talk about settlement services, as well as flexibility within the program here in the territory. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, after the program was changed by the federal government in January, we were immediately advocating for that. The federal minister travelled here to the Northwest Territories last summer and heard firsthand the experiences of local businesses in the territory and the labour demands in the Northwest Territories. So they're very well aware of what it is that we need. We, again, laid out why we need these allocations. We laid out why we need them returned. I will continue to do so. But I cannot give out allocations that I do not have. We administer a federal government's program here in the Northwest Territories. I do not have an allocation. I do not have a permanent resident allocation to give somebody if the federal government has not given it to us. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, a couple things there were a little on the confusing side, and that's how I'll describe it. First of all, it's the old government, not the current government. Second of all, it's the allotment change, not the program. Mr. Speaker, the refugee deal wasn't taken. So, Mr. Speaker, on this meeting that she claims to have, why doesn't she extend an olive branch to the Members, you know, who are very interested in this, and we go down as a delegation and say we're going to take the 150 back, and we're going to ask you, Minister, Mrs. Federal Government, whatever you want to call it, meet us halfway, and get us there. Thank you. Why can't the Minister do that?

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our Cabinet, many members will be travelling down to Ottawa to meet with federal Ministers, and we intend to travel with representatives of Indigenous governments of this territory. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

So, Mr. Speaker, just to clarify the record, I'm hearing that Members don't matter. I'm hearing that only one matters are Indigenous governments and the Cabinet. This issue particularly matters to a lot of Northerners, not just in Yellowknife. I got phone calls from Hay River. I know my colleague got phone calls from Inuvik. All these places in the North. It's a northern problem. Mr. Speaker, what is the problem -- what is -- the Minister doesn't like the statement, that's the problem. I wish she'd have that fire in Ottawa, Mr. Speaker.

Member from Hay River North.

Point of order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I could try and quickly find this but from what I understand, Members are allowed to ask their question and two supplementary questions. The soliloquy, the monologue, can be at the beginning of the first question but the next two are just supplementary. And I believe the Member's had about three Member's statements in this round of questions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Hay River North. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Mr. Speaker, his point of order was intended to interrupt me. You are the judge, Mr. Speaker, on that process, and there is no defined finite rule on it. There is a framework of conversation around it, and hence it was just to interrupt the flow. He's told me this himself. Thank you.

Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

Another?

Member from Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the Member imputed motive, imputed motive twice in that statement, saying that the reason that I called the point of order was not to bring order to the House but to -- just to interrupt him. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Hay River North. Guys, ladies and gentlemen, I'm just going to make it real simple: I've asked you to ask -- do your supplementary -- or your questions, supplementary. Have your little talk, and then your little preamble to begin with, and then your questions to follow through on. That's the same with the Ministers. I've asked you to focus on your answers and move forward.

Bso I would ask the Member from Yellowknife Centre to refrain from asking -- or telling a preamble before each question, please and thank you.

Member from Yellowknife -- sorry, I need a quick second on this one.

The second one, Member from Hay River North talked about motive to it. Basically Member from Yellowknife Centre, will you withdraw the comment, please.