R.J. Simpson

I think that the Member might be envisioning a different body than what our arts council currently is. Our arts council helps make decisions about how to distribute the funding provided by ECE. I think the Member might be thinking of something like an artists' collective in the territory or something like that. While there is, perhaps, merit to those discussions, that's not really what the arts council is at this point.

Mr. Speaker, one of the many exciting developments to expect as we get closer to the launching of the polytechnic university is increased capacity for northern research. We know that the work underway to increase the number of researchers and build effective research supports for college partners and stakeholders across the Northwest Territories will serve as catalysts for northern social and economic development.

In the areas of research, Aurora College is starting from a place of strength and great promise for the future. In December, it was again recognized as one of Canada's Top 50 Research...

This is a conversation that's been going on for years and years. I think that, from the outside, ultimately, when it comes to programs that support our residents, there should be no lack of service or service disruptions or poor service based on how its distributed among different departments. Ideally, the GNWT should be working together, sort of an integrated service delivery approach, and provide services to residents with a resident focus. How the government does that needs to be coordinated. I think that there's this coordination between ITI and ECE, and it would be difficult to completely...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. None and no. The reason for those answers is because we have been informed by the federal government that this money is not flowing to governments. It's not flowing to provincial or territorial governments. It will be distributed through the Canada Council for the Arts. What that means is that there are a limited number of organizations in the territory that will actually be able to access this funding. We have a lot of artists in the territory who are just individuals. It might be someone making slippers in their housing and doing beading. Those individuals can't...

Based on the questions that I've gotten in the House, the feedback that committee has provided during our main estimates review, both in camera and in public, there's additional work being done on the Arts Strategy. I think it's incumbent upon us when we hear things to incorporate that feedback. We will do that. We will be providing standing committee, both, I believe, Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment and the Standing Committee on Social Development with copies of the draft for additional feedback in the coming weeks and likely will table at the next sitting of this...

Thank you. For some detail on the program and maybe some of the changes and the renewed focus on it, I can ask the deputy minister to elaborate.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Perhaps I can ask the deputy minister to respond.

Thank you, Madam Chair. That is a variance due to the drug-impaired driving funding initiative sunsetting the forced-growth submission for three RCMP constables. It's a combination of those two things. Essentially, it's three new RCMP officers. I think it's the first increase in RCMP officers since 2005 in Yellowknife. Thank you.

Thank you. No, but the Government of the Northwest Territories does provide options for housing through either Income Assistance, which pays market rent, or the Housing Corporation. Justice doesn't do everything, but the government as a whole does a lot of things. Where one department doesn't do it, there are other departments to help out. Thank you.

Thank you. The Member is correct.