Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to understand the role in terms of ECE and plus the communities that are recipients of these contributions that are given to them to try and put effort in terms of revitalizing the language at the community level. What role does ECE play and, plus, what role does the language groups in terms of receiving the dollars play? I know there's been challenges in terms of monitoring at least the status of the languages, then there's been challenges in terms of ensuring that the efforts are made, that best practices are made in terms of revitalization initiatives. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Minister.
We're also currently working with the Aboriginal organizations on developing an Aboriginal language strategy and action plan. Obviously, we do fund them and through contributions, and as a result we are developing an accountability framework as well to make sure that our Aboriginal language organizations are actually using the funding to do exactly that and try to revitalize the languages in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Nadli.
Okay, thank you. That's kind of leading up to my next question, and I'd like to thank the Minister for his reply.
In terms of, at the very minimum, in the absence of having accountability framework and measures in place to ensure the transfers of resources are brought to the community level I just wanted to see, at the very minimum, what are some measureable outcomes that the department is working to ensure that progress is being made in terms of reservation and revitalization of Aboriginal languages at the community level? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Minister.
A lot of those plans with the Aboriginal governments are being developed right now. As we progress, we are going to develop those monitoring and evaluation plans as well, M and E Plans, and making sure that they're accountable for the money that we do contribute to them, and ensuring that they have some measureable outcomes in their action plans too so that we can stay on top of it.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is my final question. I think in the previous years we had perhaps, you know, mainly for broadcast organizations to be recipients of funding, to help supplement their… At least bringing information to the public and information of that sort.
There were a couple of hiccups and have those, at least that working relationship, been improved in terms of ensuring that there's consistent approaches, ensuring that a recipient such as CKLB will not have perhaps to close down their operations? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, we do fund Aboriginal language broadcasting organizations. We're always working with the groups to make sure that whether it's reporting, whether it's getting a budget in place, that we're working together to make sure that the hiccups and issues that have happened in the past are minimized and not looking to happen again in the future.
Just like every other little program and how we're shaping up the department, we are looking at multi-year funding agreements as well, so they don't have to continue to come back and apply on the same funding. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Thompson. Further questions? Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is my final question. The Minister had indicated that the department will be working with the regions in terms of the Aboriginal languages and that an accountability framework will be developed. Is there a timeline in terms of when we could be party to that and be involved with that process? Thank you.
Thanks, Mr. Nadli. Mr. Minister.
I would say by the fall. We are currently working with the Aboriginal organizations right now to develop those plans, so as those plans are being developed, we will also be creating those monitoring and evaluation plans as well. We are looking at the fall and we will make sure that committee is up to speed on those as well. Thank you.
Thanks, Mr. Minister. Mr. Nadli. Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. In case I missed it, I am going to ask what is going to be done in 201617 to implement the Court of Appeal ruling respecting the Ecole Allain St-Cyr. Was that a question? If that was a question previously asked and on the record, then I apologize, and I can certainly go back and check on that, but if not, I would appreciate an answer. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Vanthuyne. Mr. Minister.
Yes, we are staying on top of that in terms of what was put out in the court order. We are doing what the final decision was. We are working with the French groups in terms of developing that relationship to move forward in terms of: how do we adjust this? As I mentioned earlier, we are also working with the federal government in terms of trying to get some funding through their heritage plan, so there is a lot of areas that we are working on and trying to get situations addressed, both in Yellowknife and Hay River, and that is the next step.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Further questions? Seeing none. Page 58, Education, Culture and Employment; education and culture; grants, contributions and transfers. Any questions? Mr. Vanthuyne.
Mr. Chair, just for point of order, can we do an agreement on 57?
57 was recognized as information item. Page 58, questions? Ms. Green?
Yes, Mr. Chair. I am a little confused because on page 57, I thought we were going to authorize the spending on this page, and then 58 and 59 explains some of the detail there. Do I have that right?
For the Member's information here, the number $171,409,000 on page 57 has been approved on 56, which is outlined on your expenditure category, second item down. If that is approved, the information detail on 57, 58, and 59 supports the previous adopted. Go ahead, Mr. Vanthuyne.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the additional insight, but then I guess what we need to discuss is maybe a point of process. That being that I think that Members are going to naturally when we get to this point in the budgets, when we get into these divisional breakdowns, that Members like we just did spend the last hour talking about page 57, that we want to maybe not be so quick to approve the summary page before talking about the actual breakdowns. If we can be cognizant of that moving forward, then it allows us the opportunity just in case there might be a recommended change of some kind. You never know. It would be wise of us to maybe not approve the summaries prior to talking about the pages that have more detail in the grants and contributions and transfers. That would be a recommendation, Mr. Chair. Thank you.
Okay, Members. It is recommended by Mr. Vanthuyne on moving forward that we will adopt that recommendation. Recognizing Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. You have addressed my questions. Thank you.
Mr. Beaulieu.
No. I agree that we had already approved all of this, so we are moving forward.
Questions on 57, 58, and 59? Page 60? Education, Culture and Employment, education and culture, active positions, information item. Any questions? Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. There is a fairly substantial difference here. There will be six less employees in this part of ECE. Can the Minister and his staff explain those six positions and whether there are people currently in them? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thanks, Mr. O'Reilly. Mr. Minister.
Yes, there are four positions. The admin secretary, research assistant, the archivist, and then the library clerk. They were all reductions. Positions were also filled.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
Mr. Chair, you probably never want to have me as your Finance Minister because I can't even add and subtract anymore, but those four positions, have any of those people found other employment within the GNWT at this point? Do we know that level of detail? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thanks, Mr. O'Reilly. Mr. Minister.
I know with the reductions throughout the department, we did have plans for some of our employees. Some also sunsetted. Other positions were vacant. On these particular four, I don't have the update on whether or not they got into another department or into a job, but I will ask maybe my deputy minister for an update on if they were able to get employment for these four.
Recognizing Deputy Minister Stewart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is early days, but it is my understanding that one of the positions has been placed in another one of these positions. The incumbent has been placed in another position. Two of them we expect are going to retire. They are in a position that they are able to retire, but we don't know for sure whether they will do that or not. One of the other ones, though, we are still working to find placement for them.
Thank you, Mr. Stewart. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do appreciate the level of detail that's been provided, and I do understand that we're going to get regular updates in terms of what happens with the employees as time goes along, so I do appreciate the efforts of the other side to track that important information for us and to give it back to us. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Mr. Minister.
Yes, and our department will provide that information as well.
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thank you.
Recognizing Mr. Thompson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I notice that there's a reduction in another position at Dehcho. Please explain what position this was. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Mr. Minister.
The update on that position was a transfer from the Dehcho to the North Slave region.
