Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a followup to my Member's statement earlier, I've been told that each program is going to get more money or get new money for a proposed new funding mechanism. But when asked, they couldn't tell me, for example the Children's First Society in Inuvik, what that amount would be. For the new funding mechanism, if the department knows all the programs who get more money, why can't the CFS, Children's First Society, get those funding numbers now so they can plan for it? My question is for the Minister of ECE. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister from ECE.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you very much to the Member. I was very excited to hear the Member refer to the virtual meeting that NWT Early Childhood Association had with their stakeholders because I was able to sit in on that meeting last year as a Regular Member, and it was I found it very helpful to be able to hear the personal stories of what people in the territory are going through.
Mr. Speaker, what I can tell the Member is that the Government of Canada has announced overall funding to this sector and, specifically here within the GNWT, for $49.5 million over a fiveyear period, and that's the Canadawide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement. In addition to that, we have the Canada NWT Early Learning and Child Care Bilateral Agreement in the amount of $10.2 million. That's over a fouryear period. And I'll leave it there and wait for the next questions from the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, has the department determined how that money will be allocated to each region and each Children's First Centre?
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the dollars aren't awarded or allotted by region. They are subsidies that are provided to child care providers across the Northwest Territories. So it would be the subsidies would be in relation to how many children, if those children are fulltime or parttime, and information that is specific to each child care provider, whether or not that is a daycare provider or a day home. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, have those numbers been provided to each individual daycare what that subsidy will be?
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've had the opportunity to actually at this point, in my term as Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, to sit down with the association and have a very frank conversation with them about their concerns and about what they're looking for. I know that the department right now is working with the sector in order to do engagement and feedback on where they're at with establishing what the wage grid is. And so given that that information has not been solidified with the sector, that's why there is no final determination of what those dollars are. So right now, the department is working with stakeholders in order to find out, based on the dollars that we have in the territory, where they can work with one another for what the sector is looking for in conjunction with the dollars that we have within the territory for child care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister mentioned the wage grid, and I understand that the wage grid has been provided and the wage grid has been broken into zones for the territory. The concern for the Children's First Society in Inuvik is that they are in zone B while the surrounding communities are in zone C, and I wonder if the Minister can provide a little update as to why that is. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this isn't yet a done conversation. The department is still working with this sector in order to figure out what works best for everybody involved. And this is a relationship that I am absolutely committed to. I have spoken with the association and let them know that I consider our first meeting the first of many. I want to maintain that open working relationship, and child care is something that I absolutely have benefitted from as a working parent in the territory, and I intend to see other working parents receive the same benefit as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
