Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Human Resources. The federal government, through HRSDC, the names of which I can never remember, but Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, I think, offers funding through a program called Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities. In 2008 -- that is the latest date for which I found figures -- the program offered over $218 million to the 13 Canadian jurisdictions. Of that money, which is now currently expired, the NWT didn’t get any. I would like to ask the Minister whether or not he is aware of this federal program. In my mind, it is free money which would have enabled the GNWT to advance the employment of persons with disabilities. Why did the GNWT not negotiate a labour market agreement for persons with disabilities when we had the chance? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Labour market agreements are generally negotiated through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. As far as the $218 million, I was not aware of it. I would have to check as to why the government did not apply. Typically, these federal programs are not available outside of the provinces, so I would think that would probably be the reason. We haven’t accessed it because it is probably not available to our Territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I would appreciate anything he can discover as to why we did not take advantage of this. I believe that there were other jurisdictions that were not provinces that did. I could be corrected on that.
Another program which is not yet expired is a labour market agreement. The Yukon last year negotiated some $218,000 worth of funding. Some of it, not all of it, because labour market agreement in this case was for sort of all employment, but some of it was specifically earmarked for the Yukon Council on Disability. I know that the Minister of HR has been talking with that group in terms of their work on getting more disabled persons employed. I would like to know, since this program has not yet expired, if the Minister has considered accessing funding under this labour market agreement to specifically assist people with disabilities. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as a government, we are not averse to incorporating the best practices that are out there. That was the reason we approached the Yukon government, because they are seen as having one of the best diversity programs. I would expect that we would have been aware of that program. I will find out where we are at in terms of applying for money through that program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I look forward to getting that information. I found another opportunity for free money. Well, it is matching dollars, but it is half free anyway. This is a federal program called Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities. It offers some $30 million to provinces and territories. I know it is a federal program, but I would like to know whether the Department of HR has ever taken any action to assist employers, individuals or organizations who have persons with disabilities to assist them to access this funding to increase PWD employment. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t believe that we have been doing or promoting the work of the federal government, but this is an area that certainly we can look into. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would hope that the Minister would take advantage of any funding that we have available that would increase the employment of persons with disabilities within our workforce. I would hope that he would look into this program.
The Yukon has a program called the Yukon Disability Employment Strategy. What are we doing that is similar to that kind of a strategy? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, we have met with the Yukon and we are basically following the approach that the Yukon government has taken. We are developing a disabilities framework that we will be rolling out this coming year and as well as any programs that we can access money, we will be sure to pursue it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
