Thank you. Deputy Minister Kelly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. There are a number of initiatives that are being done by our on-the-land unit that integrate food security into them, particularly related to the implementation of the Sustainable Livelihoods Action Plan, and I would definitely say that there are other projects that are being done by the Fish and Wildlife Division, as well, caribou projects where we're looking at the relationship with food security. Some of the projects that we do on alternate harvest when caribou aren't available, so moose and fish and other food sources. This is an emerging issue that continues. We continue to look for ways to do work on this item, so I would definitely say that there is other work that will be done. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you for that. One last question: the local wildlife committees here. The actuals were $109,000, and now it's $257,000. My question is: was this due to demand? In terms of subscriptions of this line, I want to know more detail about that. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
For that detail, I'll turn to the deputy minister. Thank you.
Deputy Minister Kelly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. If you have a look at the Community Harvester Assistance Program line item, you can see that it's a little bit larger in that year and that the local wildlife committee is a little bit smaller. It's because they're generally on the same contribution agreements, and they end up being coded to either of those items. It's not that there's been any reduction. It's just how the money is flowed to communities. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Are there any other questions under corporate management? Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to turn to page 74. I just want to make a general statement first. Page 74 has a lot to do with traditional lifestyle. Traditional lifestyle of Aboriginal people is extremely important. I've sat here for two times now, and there hasn't been any increases in the CHAP program, which is really important to an Aboriginal organization. I know that, when I was at Salt River and Chief of Salt River, we were always asking for increases to some of these areas. The CHAP program is also very beneficial to the Metis Nation and all Indigenous people across the North.
It seems like everything on this page has got to do with traditional lifestyles, and we do all these plans and strategies that cost us quite a bit of money. When you look at some of these lines and $50,000 to do a country food strategy and a plan to do sustainable livelihoods and an action plan, these dollars should be going to the actual groups that actually benefit from these programs. I find that so many times in government and programs that affect Indigenous or Aboriginal people, we always have to be, there's always a plan and a strategy with almost every department here anyways. When you only have $50,000, put it in with the CHAP program and at least you know it's going to the individuals in those programs. I mean how much study can we do with such little money? I just don't understand how things are sometimes done. If you were in business, they would never be able to make it. When you make business decisions, you don't do things this way. Everything's got to be studied, an action plan, a strategy. Doesn't anybody in the department actually make decisions? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Thank you. Yes, we make decisions. We think outside the box sometimes. We try to be as creative as we can, but most importantly, we work with our Indigenous governments. We need to work with them. With ENR, we have co-management. We work with them. For the $50,000 and that request, I would have to turn to the deputy minister for further detail. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Deputy Minister Kelly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. All of the monies that are on page 74 are grants and contributions, which means that they're going out to communities or other organizations. The $50,000 for country foods is going to communities for country food work to help to ultimately develop the strategy, but we develop those in collaboration with other communities. I would also like to point out that there have been additional funds provided towards similar programs than CHAP. We're doing a review of CHAP at this particular moment in time, but this year, we did a take a family on the land program with $50,000 going out to families to get on the land. We did a regional harvesting training and mentorship support program. The funding allocated was $260,000 for a COVID harvesting subsidy as well as community training and knowledge exchange programs.
The reason that we did this is because, when we engaged with communities on CHAP, they said that there were some issues that needed to be resolved, and they told us the type of funding that they would like us put out. It's things like take a family on the land, COVID harvesting subsidies, community training and knowledge exchange programs. We're also working on a trappers' support program pilot with several communities, as well, because they said that that was what they would like us to put some funding into. I'm sure, once we've done the review of CHAP, we'll come back with recommendations, and as we've already committed to, the Minister committed to, we'll share those recommendations. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Kelly. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm glad that the Minister said he'll start thinking out of the box because someone's got to start thinking out of the box. I know that, when I was in other leadership, that was one of the biggest concerns was that CHAP program, and I think many times even in discussions, even in the last business plan that we did, we wanted an increase to the CHAP program and some of these other programs that affect the people that believe in the traditional lifestyle. That's most of us in the territory and especially small communities and regional centres.
I find that the funding is lacking in this area, and I want to know when we're going to look at this very seriously to increase the funding because traditional lifestyle is extremely important to the Indigenous people of the Northwest Territories, all people, and increases -- I've been looking at this CHAP program for, well, it's been 14 years now since I've been in leadership. It's always the same. We've always got the same amount with no increases. I just want to know when the increases are going to come into effect for page 74? Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. We're not going to put increases just to put increases in. We've made a commitment to our IGC's, our co-management partners, our communities to look at this CHAP program. We've started the process. We've made a commitment to have it done in four months, and we're bringing it to committee. If we find that we need to have an increase, then that's when we come back. Right now, we have as the deputy minister has said, we've identified other issues that communities wanted, and we started those programs now. That funding there has been part of our consultation, part of our work with them, but for further details, I'd like to go to the deputy minister. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Deputy Minister Kelly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to point out that, although the CHAP line item is staying the same because we're doing the review, there have been new programs available to get people out on the land and to practice traditional economy. Take a family on the land, there was $50,000 that was put towards that, and $260,000 towards COVID harvesting subsidies and community training and knowledge exchange programs. That funding was made available this year for Indigenous governments to apply for, and it was fully subscribed. These are programs, as I mentioned, that Indigenous governments told us during the Sustainable Livelihoods Action Plan development that they wanted this type of work done. There has been some new programs out there that Indigenous governments are able to access, and we look forward to being able to come back with the results of the CHAP review. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Thebacha.
Madam Chair, I just want to thank the Minister for thinking out of the box. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Are there any further questions? I'm going to take a short recess here, then, and we'll resume with the same activity.
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I will now call the Committee of the Whole back to order, and we are still on Environment and Natural Resources, corporate management. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I hear what the Minister says about not adding money to the Community Harvester Assistance Program for the sake of not adding money, but I do not see this as simply adding money. I see it as adding money to add food for people who are struggling, and so I do see a direct correlation there. Just to support my colleagues and their words, I do support an increase of funding to this because I think it goes directly to people. That being said, I do have people who partake in traditional economy in the constituency that I serve, including trapping and hunting, and a lot of the assistance that did come through, especially from the federal government and through the GNWT went directly to Indigenous governments. I am wondering if there is any relief that is available directly to hunters and trappers and if there is a line item here where they can apply directly to ENR for funding relief. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. My understanding is that we give it to the Indigenous governments and they then work with their membership to get it. For clarity, I am going to turn to the deputy minister, if there is a pot of money that I am not aware of. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Deputy Minister Kelly.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That is my understanding, as well, and this is one of the reasons that we want to do a review of the CHAP program because there are items like this and others that were brought forward during our review, where people have expressed concerns about process and how that works and also that they would like to have funding for different elements, like we mentioned, in the take a family on the land and regional harvesting, training, and mentorship support programs, which provided harvesting subsidies and the community training and knowledge exchange programs. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. While this review is taking place and given that there is a lot of support for increasing the amount of funding to the CHAP program on this side of the House, is the Minister willing to look at increasing funding for an access point where hunters and trappers who are kind of falling into the gaps and not receiving funding through different organizations are able to go directly to ENR in order to get relief in order for them to continue partaking in traditional hunting and trapping and traditional economy? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Hate to say it, no. Not right now. We need to do what we said we were going to do. We need to work on it. We encourage people to reach out to their Indigenous governments to get access to the programs. If we're going to increase it, then we would have to look at increasing it for our Indigenous governments that we do use the money for. If there is an opportunity for this, I'm going to ask the deputy minister to clarify if there is an opportunity, then we can talk about it. Right now, I don't see that opportunity available. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Deputy Minister.
There is no opportunity at this time. There is an opportunity for people to participate in the CHAP review and bring forward their concerns or considerations, certainly. For clarity, there are additional funds that are being put towards traditional economy and on-the-land activities that are not CHAP funds. Those programs are take a family on the land and the regional harvesting, training, and mentorship support programs. There will be a trapper support program pilot coming out because we've listened to communities and Indigenous governments through the development of the Sustainable Livelihoods Action Plan, and those are the areas that they said that they would like additional funds. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. No. I am keen to hear more about the trapper support pilot program that is going to be coming out. I definitely support the take a family on the land program and the Take a Kid Trapping program. I find that people in the constituency I serve run into the same type of thing where, for example, with the Take a Kid Trapping program, it's an application process that generally comes from a school board, say. The school puts together the application, it goes through, they decide who to hire. I can think of a particular person who lives two minutes down the road from me who is great with kids, who has really invested in traditional economy, and I also happen to have a child who is very interested in learning trapping and hunting. I am not a trapper. I am not the person to take my child and teach them how to trap, but I think that it is great when our younger generations want to partake. I have a nephew who would love to be able to learn traditional economy and be involved in his own culture and have the opportunity to learn, but the trapper and hunter who lives two minutes down the road does not have the opportunity to seek out funding to be able to get kids involved on their own, outside of the school. I'm wondering if within the review that will be taken into consideration so that, especially in our regional centres, especially in Yellowknife, people are able to take advantage without being associated with a particular organization. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. As the deputy minister said, this is an opportunity to look at things. I would encourage yourself and the other individual that is down the street to be part of the evaluation, to talk to us. Get that feedback in there because, again, we need to get as much information as we can to make an informed decision on how we can improve the programs that we have or add new programs. Again, at the end of the day, it's about consultation, working with people, and people needing to provide their feedback as best they can to us. They can reach out to maybe the North Slave office, talk to them as well as yourself. You can bring their ideas forward. We would look at those things. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Last question: what is the deadline that the Minister is working toward to have the CHAP program and the associated programs completely reviewed and kind of fresh and ready to go? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister.
Completely reviewed within the next four months, that's what we are trying to do. We're trying to have that done, completed, then we will bring that "what we heard" report back to committee. We're looking at a four month from around this time to have it completed. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Kam Lake, anything further? All right, Members, if there are no further questions, please turn to page 73. Environment and Natural Resources, corporate management, operations expenditure summary, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $14,547,000. Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. I will now move onto environmental protection and waste management, beginning on page 76, with information items on page 78. Questions? Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I want to start with waste reduction. I see that the line item for 2021-2022 under waste reduction has sunset. I'm wondering if the Minister can let us know the reasoning for that. Thank you.
Thank you. Minister.
Thank you. That was our agricultural strategic implementation. It was sunsetted. Work has been sustainable. Basically, it has been completed at this point, so we don't need that funding. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Member.
