Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is intended to create an opportunity to help subsidize the cost of space acquisition, renovations, and repairs. It is intended and directed towards early learning and childcare programs. This would be, for example, providing non-government organizations funding for facility repairs or to address code issues and undertake retrofits in order to support having more childcare spaces. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The intended actions that would flow from this money are expected to include the development of a Healthy Family Program framework and implementation plan, which will include a made-in-the-North curriculum, so Northwest Territories focused quite specifically. As well, Madam Chair, expanding the Healthy Family Program and Early Childhood Intervention Program so that there are five additional communities who will now benefit from that program. That will hopefully be happening over the next four years, including three regional coordinator positions. Finally, that the new...

As soon as I am hearing that there is a request for statistics, I do have human resources numbers in front of me over the last year. I don't have all of the numbers since the inception of the policy, and I am not sure that I will be able to go all the way back into the 1990s, but I certainly will have statistics available over time. As I understand it, Mr. Speaker, right now, we actually do fairly well at the GNWT in terms of hiring individuals able and available and interested in the positions. That doesn't mean that, every time, the process goes smoothly or that, every time, someone is...

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, we haven't spent all of it yet. It does require an application process. I think we might have the up-to-date numbers available in terms of where we're at right now. If I could just check in, perhaps, with Mr. Courtoreille, he might have that available, or Mr. Koe, I'm not sure. Just to get a sense of an update as to what the total expenditures are to date. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Sorry. I see the $150,000 line item that the Member is referencing.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I assume we're still talking about the $280,000. With respect to that particular item, I don't have any information that helplines, in particular, have been targeted for funding through this program. Rather, again, that it is meant to support the meeting costs within certain 15 communities as well as some community training so that they can be better placed to provide those group meeting settings. I don't have any information about any helpline funding specifically. Thanks, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Affirmative Action Policy, in some form or other, has certainly been around for quite a long time, and it does indeed aim for exactly as the Member noted, which is to ensure that we have a representative workforce. It does provide an opportunity to give preferential access to certain target groups. As far as the reviews, Mr. Speaker, there have been some efforts towards a review as early as 1997. Standing committee was involved in the production of a review in 2000 and again in 2005, and there has certainly been work since then looking at the policy over the last 10...

Thank you, Madam Chair. As a starting point, Madam Chair, the federal government just this week announced a further $14 billion that they will be engaging all provinces and territories in order to determine the allocation of those different funds. I certainly am not in a position to say, right now, what proportion of that the Northwest Territories will get, only that we certainly will get some share of that. The initial money that we received was, again, part of really an emergency response. Most provinces and territories, and indeed, the federal government, are still really quite in an...

Yes, Madam Chair. Thank you. Madam Chair, I am here to present Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures) No. 1, 2020-2021. The supplementary estimates document proposes a total increase of $65.1 million, comprised of the following major items:

$36.8 million in support of the GNWT's emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding is offset by revenues from the federal government.

$13.7 million to support advancing the GNWT's mandate priorities.

$7.4 million to continue the First Nations and Inuit Home and Community Care Agreement. These costs are fully offset by funding from the...

Sorry. The $2.616 million. Sorry, Madam Chair. I am trying to read too many notes at the same time. Yes, that is the child and youth care counsellors, Madam Chair. Thank you.