Julie Green

It's said that, if everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. What I'm hearing here is that the list is just unmanageable in terms of actually getting anything done, so I'm going to zero in on a couple of specific things. What is the Minister's plan to reduce invisible homelessness among families by extending the territorial government's Housing First funding to them?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mayor Mark Heyck is my constituent, and he has served the city with a long and distinguished career as a city councillor and as a mayor. This may be one of his last appearances here in that role, and so I would like to thank him for the length and the integrity of his public service. Mahsi.

I'm going to repeat my question. The question is about extending the Housing First Program to homeless families in Yellowknife. Will the Minister provide that funding?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I stated my priorities for housing in Yellowknife Centre, with its long waiting lists for families and senior housing and also unaffordable private market rentals. I'd now like to hear from the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation and Homelessness what his priorities are. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while we were away from the House, the Premier shuffled Cabinet portfolios. When the music stopped, the honourable Alfred Moses was sitting on the chairs which gave him responsibility for Housing and Homelessness. These are the portfolios of primary interest to my constituents in Yellowknife Centre.

The Premier's mandate letter to the Minister repeats his letter to the previous Minister. It is as if the last two years didn't happen. There is no indication of priorities, just a long list of objectives, and no direction to continue with the changes started by the...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, about a year ago, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment announced that the Social Work Program and the Teacher Education Program offered at Aurora College would be phased out. He said that he made the decision on the basis of low graduation rates from both programs. When I questioned him at the time, he was unsure why the rates were so low or what barriers students faced in completing the programs. The lingering question is whether the Minister was willing to invest any effort into improving the programs before axing them.

Mr. Speaker, Aurora College...

I'm going to ask the simplest question possible: is the Minister committed to phasing out the Social Work Program?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Members on this side of the House have received variable answers about the future of the Social Work Program. We have heard both that the program is phased out, and will continue to be phased out; and we've also heard that the results of the foundational review are important to the future of the program. Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment is: which one is it? Thank you.

What I am asking the Minister is: this college is under administration, so he has a direct role in its governance. When he asks for this report and receives it, what is he going to do with the results? I am not asking him to make it public. He has a terrible record of making things public. I am asking what he is going to do with the report.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member's statement, there is a review of the social work program under way now at Aurora College. The report is due on April 10th. My question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment: why wasn't this review completed prior to making the decision to phase out the social work program? Mahsi.