Kieron Testart

Thank you. So I think I made my point around this. I think often we see the solution to a lack of a a lack of a wholeofgovernment approach to public policy issues be solved with a new ADM. I don't know why it's an ADM, but it always seems to be a new ADM that will dramatically improve service delivery. And I don't know if that's historically been the case. I'm very and I'm skeptical if it will be the case here. But if you know, if this is how the department wants to expend its resources, then I wish them the best of success. But I hope that they can return to this House and clearly...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you, Mr. Chair. Your memory's been better than mine because I had forgotten where we left off. And I've also forgotten what questions I asked and what the answers were, so I will go again. I could check Hansard, but I'm too lazy.

Mr. Chair, for this particular item I'm too lazy addictions treatment facilities, so there's a drop in the budget from the revised estimates to these main estimates. Can the Minister explain why we require less funding for something which I think is a high need service of this government? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Okay, how, I guess is my question. Like, I understand what the Minister's saying. This position is going to fundamentally improve service delivery. But how? Because, you know, it's one it's the addition of one person to provide leadership over the entire division or the entire key activity and all the staff that deliver those programs. So how is this one person going to make a difference? Thank you.

Yes.

Thank you. Yes, and I appreciate that that is a requires more than one department to come up with a solution to that problem, and presumably working with municipal and Indigenous governments as well.

I will move along to the addition of a new assistant deputy minister for the language and culture division. The department has been quite capably providing this area of public policy for many, many years without this position. Why do we need it now in a time of fiscal restraint? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, we don't have to do it all at once. I think that's imprudent. We should probably look at a pilot project. The two examples in Canada that have been universally successful have lifted people out of poverty, until they've been shut down by lack of funding, you know, were pilot projects. Can the Minister at least commit to exploring a pilot project? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the department is undertaking an inventory of its land reserves. Can the Minister speak to what the objective of that inventory is. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You're very generous, Mr. Speaker.

Today is a theme day for income assistance programs so I'll get the ball rolling and ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment what is the department's position on a universal basic income in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So of the 15 full-time employees, the 17 relief employees, those are correctional officers who have been trained -- or who have received training as correctional officers, is that correct, Mr. Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Well, I look forward to the conclusion of collective bargaining, then. Hopefully we have clarity on what we can provide to frontline health care professionals.

So I'll turn to the midwifery cuts and also to the need for agency nurses to staff obstetrics at Stanton Hospital. Why is the department having such a hard time providing birthing services in the Northwest Territories or investing in birthing services? Because it seems like we're not really interested. Thank you.