Jackson Lafferty

The Member is quite correct in saying this government invests well over $15 million a year in support of Aboriginal language and culture preservation. That is our overall target. The GNWT and the federal government invest over $15 million annually through various programs and grants along the way and also support our goals and objectives.

I’m extremely proud to say that our government has empowered Aboriginal governments and educational authorities. I can highlight some of the key initiatives of the money that we have allocated directly to the communities: $8.4 million towards the educational...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We as the Department of Education, Culture and Employment shifted our contribution agreement to Aboriginal language organizations through their cultural funding previously administered by my department. It’s going directly to the regional Aboriginal governments so they can administer these programs.

This funding agreement also allows Aboriginal governments some flexibility, Mr. Speaker, a greater flexibility, accountability and decision-making authority for their revitalization. They are the grassroots people. They know where the solutions live.

The Member is asking if there...

Mahsi. We’re dealing throughout the whole Northwest Territories, it’s not only Yellowknife. There are other shelters that we work with. Through the NWT Housing Corporation and my department, we find the best solutions that we possibly can for those individuals in an emergency state. If there are no emergency shelters, obviously we work with the Housing Corporation to identify a suitable accommodation on a short-term, temporary basis. We provide income assistance through that venue for how we can assist those individuals. It’s all based on a case-by-case basis and there are many parties...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Income Security Program assists with those individuals who are in need of basic subsidy. Part of the transitional housing obviously falls into that as well. We’re providing a shelter for those individuals who desperately need shelter in the Northwest Territories. It’s not only my department but we work closely with the NWT Housing Corporation to identify those areas. Those are just some of the subsidies that we continue to support those individuals who are in need.

We are indeed pouring money into where it’s needed. The most clientele necessity, the most basic needs we’re providing funding towards that. That is our overall goal and objective to look after those who most need it. The ones who are in poverty, we’re providing a subsidy to them. We’re making changes to our programming, as I stated. This is what we’re doing as the Department of Education, Culture and Employment responsible for the Income Security Program. This is an area that we’ve made some considerable improvement, as I stated before, but we are putting money where our mouth is to the...

Obviously, if we had $20 million or $30 million today this is an area we can possibly explore, but we don’t have that kind of funding available to us to date. At the same time, as I stated earlier, we are making some changes effective April 1, 2015. We are proposing to increase our overall food benefits under income assistance programming. This is from a recommendation and also suggestions from the clientele, the general public that it’s time that we change our programming, and we’ve done that in 2007 and again in 2015 to meet the needs of those individual clients. That’s what we’re doing as a...

We are currently in negotiations with the federal government on French language and Aboriginal language contribution agreements. We are in the final stages of signing. I am hoping by this summer. It all depends on how the federal government plays. I have met with the Minister of Canadian Heritage and also Official Languages. I met with her in December and also in January during the Ottawa Days. I stressed to her that it’s important to sign off another four- or five-year agreement. So, the message is clear to the federal Minister that we need to have a new agreement with an increase in funding...

The fact is there are many players and it is a very complex situation because we are dealing with 11 official languages, nine Aboriginal languages and numerous regional organizations, all of whom are key players when it comes to language revitalization. If he’s referring to GNWT doing the same as Aboriginal governments, I can advise the Member that this is not the case. Aboriginal governments, as I stated before, are implementing their five-year regional language plan and we are helping along the way. We are not implementing their plan, they are.

When it comes to dealing with Aboriginal...

Mahsi. These are the very reasons why we transferred to NWT Housing Corporation to identify those 75 housing units throughout the Northwest Territories, and Yellowknife is a big factor in that. I believe there were 55 slated for Yellowknife.

These are just some of the areas that we’ve identified as core need and we need to work with it, with the various parties involved.

We’re doing what we can to the best of our ability as income security, along with our partners such as the NWT Housing Corporation and NGOs as well. Mahsi.

Through our Income Security Program, the Income Assistance program directs all individuals who are considered transient directly to an emergency shelter. That’s why we work very closely with the NWT Housing Corporation and NGOs to deal with these matters. Depending on the person’s circumstances, an individual’s family may become eligible for income assistance after their stay in an emergency shelter. There is food and shelter available through that venue.

But we, again, work with those NGOs and the Housing Corporation to assist those individual clientele as best as we can as a department...