Caroline Cochrane

At the current time, right now, we don't do the indexing, but we have made a number of enhancements to the programs just in the last few years. We have increased our senior citizen supplementary benefit. We have increased the NWT child benefit. We have improved our senior home heating subsidy. We have extended our rental allowances for single applicants. Then, of course, in our proposed mains for 2019-2020, we proposed an increase for disabled and age allowance for people. I am looking forward to the results of all of the MLAs and Indigenous governments. If that is a concern, then I am looking...

This was before my time. It's a great initiative, and I am going to support it right through, is we have regional Indigenous language coordinators in every region, and their responsibility is to work closely with Indigenous governments and to lead and manage their regional Indigenous plans, their language plans. As well, we have the Aboriginal language revitalization boards that we work closely with. Those groups are used to consult with, to give us advice, and to provide their opinions as we go into any kind of negotiations or any kind of programming around Indigenous languages or Indigenous...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to be careful how I state this one, because I don't want to start a war between French people and Indigenous people.

There is a difference. There is a difference based on constitutional standing of French in Canada and the rights right across all of the territories and provinces within that. It is one of the two official languages for Canada, so that is recognized. All of the work that we are doing with Indigenous languages is exactly around revitalization because we are losing them. It's a concern of mine. It should be a concern for every Indigenous person in...

I am a little bit confused about the question, but I will try my best to answer. Many organizations apply for the Women's Initiatives Grant. We only have $50,000. We try to allocate them, usually, around $5,000 each, sometimes more, depending on the number of proposals and the needed requests. Many of those organizations, Mr. Speaker, access additional funding for their projects. It is not unusual for many people to look for lots of opportunities for funding, and I encourage that. People need to look for funding as many ways as they can.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Wise Women Awards is a very important event. It recognizes the contributions that women have made in society. We did talk about it. I met with Violet Camsell-Blondin, actually, on January 15th to talk about many things. That was one of them.

We had talked about different things. They were talking about maybe changing the time to coincide with October, with Women's History Month. That is probably why you haven't seen anything in the paper now. My women's special advisor has been working with them to look at alternative fundings. We have applied to a few of the mines...

I am actually quite disappointed to actually hear that question, because it is a major concern for me. People cannot afford to just get penalized if they are on income support. They are some of our most marginalized populations. We need to work with them. It is not okay to just cut them off. I inquired with the department, and my understanding is that we try to work with them so that there is not a financial hardship. The minimum repayment is $25 a month. One of the critiques that I did hear from the NGOs, and I am thinking that is part of our problem, is that we are not good at communicating...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What we have done so far with the Income Support Program: I know that our department regularly reviews the Income Support Programs to make sure that they are updated regularly, but I have taken it a step further. I have actually met with all of the NGOs, as many as possible that I could, recognizing that time was not on my side in this endeavour. I met with the NGOs. Every NGO was invited to bring one person who is accessing income support at this time so that we can have a voice from them. "Nothing about us without us" is my philosophy.

Since we compiled that...

Yes, we are actually planning at this point, now. Right now, we are looking at the money that we got, its impact, how it's used, and the outcomes, and we are using that information as well as working with our community partners to look at the new negotiations that will be coming. We are conscious that there will be an election, though, so we are hopeful that whatever government comes in will support this initiative, as well. We are working closely. We are looking at outcomes, and we are looking for as much support as we can get.

When I first assumed this position a few years ago, actually, I had made the wrong assumption, I guess, that the Status of Women actually worked in closer partnership with myself as the Minister responsible for the Status of Women. It was very clear from standing committee that they wanted us to have a hands-off approach and let the Status of Women be their own entity.

I heard that loud and clear, so I have been walking on very thin ice with them in trying to be supportive versus directive. They are not a government department. They are an independent agency, so, therefore, there would be...

I take it I wasn't clear enough. The Status of Women Council will be able to access funds through the Women's Initiatives Grant, which is from the GNWT, Government of the Northwest Territories. The special advisor who works with my position, with me, is working with the Status of Women to assist them to write proposals to the mines to access additional funding for that.