Thank you for that clarification from the Minister. That's all my questions on this one. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the Member. We will move on to the Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I also have a couple questions on the business plan on income security. So the business plan notes that the updates for the new income assistance for seniors and persons with disabilities that you have the option to apply to the original stream or the new stream which allows people to apply to whatever program best aligns with what they need. Can the Minister clarify how many people have switched streams? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the Member, Great Slave. To the Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I couldn't say how many people offhand would qualify for one that switched to the other. I'd have to go into it and see how many people are on income assistance for adults that are also a senior, which is information, if the Member wanted, that we could gather. Essentially, there are some people who don't want to sign up for the program for an entire year and are looking for just, you know, coverage for a month here or in a month there. Maybe they have seasonal work, or maybe there is, you know, a month where there are added expenses that are coming in and, you know, we have a lot of instances in the territory where people have fluctuating seasonal income. And so it's in order to address that and make sure that they're receiving the support that they need in the way that they need it. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. To the Member, Great Slave.

Yeah, I would love -- thank you, Mr. Chair. I would love to have a little bit more information if the Minister and her department is willing to share. I think it would be interesting to have that data to track the efficacy of having the two streams and understanding where things are best -- the best fit is for residents.

I guess also I would like to clarify in the same sort of category of questions around that program is whether ECE has encountered any challenges or confusion around the eligibility of the new program or if applicants have uncertainty about which program is more appropriate or if there is, indeed, like some difficulties for people to make that choice, either with assistance or without. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the Member. To the Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question, but also the clarification. I can confirm for the Member that 69 seniors have accessed income assistance instead of the income assistance for seniors and persons with disabilities, so the number 69. And client navigators work with the clients to walk them through the options and what the difference is between the two programs so that they can have the tools at their disposal to make that decision. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. To the Member, Great Slave.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you to the Minister for that clarification. For an item that's near and dear to my heart, and I appreciate working with the Minister on that very, very much, can she clarify if there have been new subscribers to income security now that the eligibility criteria has been expanded for folks who are applying for permanent residency on humanitarian or compassionate grounds? Thank you.

Thank you to the Member. To the Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the answer is no, no extra people. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. To the Member, Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's all for now.

Thank you to the Member, Great Slave.

I will allow round two. And I have the Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, I wanted to turn my questions now to the income assistance program and an area that I started to pull on a little bit earlier this sitting, and that is just the department's work on reforming the ongoing work, I would say, reforming income assistance and how we can better improve this program. In other words, there's been lots of talk about the productive choices, bringing that back. And I just wanted to ask the Minister a little bit more about the work that Alternatives North did with their basic income guarantee proposal. Recognizing that the full proposal may not be something that's on the table for the department right now, I can't help but emphasize yet again the potential savings for the program that the report put forward. When I heard the Minister responding to other Members' questions about the administrative burden that comes with administering income support, that is something that was proposed there and other savings that could come about as a result of changing the way income support was delivered.

So, specifically, I am curious if the Minister or her staff have done any further work on looking at our turndown thresholds and whether those are one of the factors in people who are currently on income support not seeking out or furthering their employment. Thank you.

Thank you to the Member. To the Minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'd like to pass to the deputy minister to give the department perspective as well on this one. I know I've answered questions on the floor of the House, so I will pass to the Deputy.

Thank you, Minister. To the deputy minister, please.

Thank you to the deputy minister. To the Member, Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I appreciate the deputy minister demonstrating that he's certainly read that report, and I am sure Alternatives North doesn't mind being referred to as a think tank at all.

What I was trying to get at is not so much that I am encouraging the department -- well, I am encouraging the department. But it's okay that the department is not looking at doing UBI right now. What I am trying to get at is that the turndown threshold work that was done I think could help inform our work. It's clear to me -- and I will just say this, from talking to my own constituents, I have a constituent who's on income support, and they have very clearly communicated to me that the turndown threshold that we currently have is too low. And that person is considering not working at all so that they don't -- because every single month, they have to apply for income support. It's unsure whether they're going to get it. They're worried about having clawbacks. And so it's a barrier to them being employed. So I am just speaking for one person. And I know that I've got colleagues who have many constituents who are in the same boat. So I think it's something worth looking into further.

Maybe what I would ask, to give maybe perhaps a more constructive question, is what work the department is doing on reviewing how income support is being delivered and how we can overcome this fundamental problem in the program that my colleagues have spoken so much to. I am curious to understand. And I think I emphasize -- I have emphasized this behind closed doors, and I will emphasize this on the floor too.

I encourage the department to try things, to experiment. I think that is exactly the kind of attitude that we need to have when we're working on these problems. And, certainly, if I can give my own reassurance, when the department is willing to put themselves out there and try things, I am not going to jump down their throats when mistakes are made. So I would just encourage experiment -- experimentation, trying things, you know, having the courage to be wrong sometimes but also knowing that through doing that, we might find a right way. So a lot of comments there. But looking for a response from the department. Thank you.

Thank you to the Member. To the Minister on response.