Jackie Jacobson

That's a lot of good news for a question I did not ask, but I'm thankful to the Minister. Thank you so much; that's good news for me. Core funding, Mr. Speaker; that's what I was talking about. It's not the new funding. Our community governments are struggling, because we're getting less and less. It's not so much less and less; it's the cost of doing business in the community, right? Like, I sat on council for three years. We struggle, struggle, struggle. We stretch everything, Mr. Speaker.

Core funding. Has the department presented its findings to the NWT Association of Communities? If not...

MACA's own business plan has the acknowledgement that, "If the department remains unable to provide adequate core funding to community governments, the consequences could include the inability of community government to adequately deliver core services and maintain capital assets."

Thank you, Minister, for that response. I have a lot of people on income support in my riding. I think a survey would be really needed. We are privileged to have that income assistance because people go through tough times in our small communities right now. Will the Minister commit to having a client satisfaction survey in my riding of Nunakput and maybe the whole territory or northern communities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I have questions for the Education, Culture and Employment Minister. Mr. Speaker, does the Department of Education, Culture and Employment have sensitivity training in regards to local workers in our communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The mandate was to develop Cabinet-based priorities to be set by all 19 Legislative Members. It sets out what the government intends to do during its term to achieve these priorities. I will have comments on individual priorities and move through them page by page. However, first, comments to the mandate and in general.

Madam Chair, the Legislature of Ontario governs 14 million people, roughly, for every MP. For 115,000 people, Legislature of Alberta, just 4 million people, roughly. For one MLA for 49,000 people, it governs that we have a population of 44,500 people...

As part of ECE service-level commitments, the department's website says they conduct periodic customer satisfaction surveys to ensure services for the community such as fuel, rent, wood for our elders. When was the last time these surveys were done on the needs for each community?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, I spoke in this House of the stigma of social housing, and the government needs to help the people improve their lives, not kick them when they are down. The same can be said for income-assistance clients. Just like social-housing clients, many of these people are good, hard-working people who live near poverty, no fault of their own, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Unlike the Housing Corporation, at least Education, Culture and Employment has policies posted online, Mr. Speaker. That way, the requirements for income assistance are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is pretty tough when people have to come in and do T4s because they do seasonal work. You are working, probably, four months, and then, they come back home, and then the assessment that they are given, they still have to pay for the whole 12 months at that higher rate, where people are having problems paying power, food, clothing for their kids. We never did this before in the past, Mr. Speaker, in the policies. Where does it show in the policies in regard to T4 slips? It doesn't show. Can the Minister provide that information to the House? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Are there any forms of proof, such as current pay, current ways of paying using pay stubs or monthly income support for more accurate rental payment assessment for that month?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the Northwest Territories, there are 2,400 people living in public housing units across our 30 communities. Most of these people are good, hard-working people who require housing assistance in the most difficult circumstances. I believe that our job as a government is to lift these people up and to help improve their situations, not sit in judgment of them to contribute to the stigma that is attached to social housing.

Mr. Speaker, because public housing rent is geared to income, public housing tenants are required to prove their income to their local housing...