Jackson Lafferty

Mr. Chair, we are working towards that and I understand there is a review that is being undertaken. We will be sharing this with the college as well. We did share with the college when the Member raised that issue a while back along with other courses that he’s highlighted. This has been addressed and we are working with the college and within our department as well. Mahsi.

Mahsi. I will provide the Member with the information that is being provided to those immigrants, whether it be the training program, the programs that are available to them and various other programs that I’ve highlighted, so that those individuals are comfortable living in the Northwest Territories and going beyond what’s out there. Recognizing their credentials, that’s an area that we are still exploring and we are working towards. So I take the Member’s notice and we’ll take it into consideration. Mahsi.

The stats that we use could be part of the tools to determine the funding for these small community employment support initiatives. Then other information that we also gather and collect determines the funding as well. As I stated, we are developing a plan for the small community employment support programming.

Mr. Chair, the quickest answer would be we can definitely explore this throughout resources, career centres in the regions. Also some students are in school who are on income support. One time an individual came up and asked about going to school and she said I have to go to school to get paid. I said don’t you go to school to get educated? It was more about getting money to go to school. So we have to create more incentives for them to change their lifestyle. That’s what we want to do. I’m willing to work with it, with the regions and MLAs. Sometimes you will get a lot of heat as MLAs and...

I can have my department work with the DEA on this matter. The Member has brought this to our attention on a couple of occasions now. We’ll definitely work with it and with the Member as we move forward. I’ll definitely agree to having my department work with the DEA.

Mr. Chair, inclusive schooling is also being looked at by a committee. It is in the works. There are changes that will be coming down and then we will definitely notify the Members. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I think the Member touched on that already. We utilize school facilities or other facilities in the community for the time. As you know, the federal government has allocated community learning centres to three communities just last year and we’re hoping that other communities will be identified as well. We’ll clearly continue to make that noise. The small communities that do not have community learning centres or an establishment that we can utilize or certain on-site equipment, this is an area that we need to continue working with either the school boards, the community...

When I recognized those social work students in the gallery, I did have the opportunity to meet with them out in the foyer as well. This is an area we are all working with the college and with southern institutions that currently deliver diploma programs and also degree programs. Some students, of course, told us that they don’t want to leave the community. They want to finish their degree here in the Northwest Territories. I did share that with the Board of Governors of the college and also the president. Mr. Chair, this is a discussion that we’ve had and we will continue to move that forward...

Mahsi. This program that we deliver through the Nominee Program, it is available to those immigrants in the Northwest Territories, and we do provide various programs, as well, to those individuals, such as a Skilled Worker and Critical Impact Workers Program, Entrepreneur Self-Employment Business Program, through various interdepartmental as well. I work closely with the Department of ITI to assist in those areas to fill and also give them the opportunity to work beyond just being a cab driver. So that information is available to them through our department. Also, there is a website as well...

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. That category would be due to the new initiative, the Small Community Employment Support Program.