Thank you, Mr. Chair. For the time being, they will remain secretariats but there could be change over time. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Great Slave.
Okay. I'll leave it at that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Next on my list I have is the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, just following up on a previous set of questions, so I'm looking at kind of the arts as a whole on these pages and note that we've got $1.271 million in cuts. We got $1.271 million in adds. So it's not nothing's technically being cut, it seems, but there's a whole redistribution and reorganizing. Program funding, I quote from this page here, is redirected towards a set of new programs that better supports the creative sector.
So can we can we just get a description as to how we are better supporting the creative sector? Has the creative sector been consulted on this? Do they agree that we are better supporting them? That's my first question.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, before I was even elected in the 19th Assembly, I had the opportunity to sit in on some of the engagements that were done for the NWT Art Strategy. It was pretty nostalgic because I can remember sitting in on them in the '80s with my mother. And so, yes, the changes were informed by the sector. There was extensive engagement done prior to the 19th Assembly. During the 19th Assembly, then Minister Simpson had the opportunity to release an art strategy in junction with ITI and Minister Wawzonek at that time. And so these changes were driven by that engagement. And one of the things that I can note when the changes were made was that I did hear from artists across the sector who found that the programs were more responsive to what they needed. So I hope to continue to hear from artists about funding from the GNWT and continue to hear from them as we work towards transitioning arts funding over to ITI as well. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, the one that kind of caught my eye here was that, you know, the arts organization operating funding. I know that operating funding funding for just kind of keeping the lights on, keeping the doors open, is what NGOs and arts organizations alike continue to tell us they need. And so it looks to me like operating funding for arts organizations has been reduced a bit. It was previously $470,000. It seems to be reinstated as $321,000.
Can the Minister just explain, are there any organizations who are losing operating funding through this change? Are there any organizations whose operating funding is being reduced? Or are we potentially even increasing operating funding to some of these orgs? If the Minister could please explain a bit further on that.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, when I went through these numbers, because I did have similar questions to that, the funding that I did note went from about $1.17 million within all of those pots that it has now been distributed to to about $1.426 million. So it did have a slight increase in the funding within those arts programs from one year to the next. And, yeah, I'll leave it there, and I'll wait for the next question. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So just for clarity, I believe the Minister is saying that some organizations are actually seeing an increase in operating funding as a result of these changes. Is that correct? Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, all of these pots of funding for these grants are applicationbased, and so it would entirely depend on if there were more people trying to access the same amount of money or less people for any given year. So it would depend on many different factors.
The other thing too to note, because I know there has been some questions lately about having deadlines for applications, and one of the things that's really important is that you don't see all of the money funneled into one region in the territory and that there is some equity in how funding is disbursed the throughout the territory. And so that's what these deadlines enable us to do. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Continuing on the arts theme, you know, as was raised, the switch to ITI has been announced as part of the Budget Address, and so I think that there's you know, there's reason for a little bit of concern from the arts community that, you know, the optics of putting the arts under ITI as opposed to, you know, a cultural department is that it kind of indicates that what we're moving toward is trying to kind of treat the arts as sort of a monetized or economic development initiative. And I would say that I think that, you know, investments in the arts is a big piece of economic development. But in terms of the amount of money that the arts are able to leverage, there's a lot about the arts that are culturallybased, and it's not all about just simply monetizing art. There's money that organizations can leverage from the federal government and private investment that they can leverage through kind of growing organizations, through operating funding, through kind of growing a community around the arts. So I just I want to emphasize that and just emphasize to the department that there are aspects to the arts that they can use to leverage more funding and bring more funding into the territory that are not necessarily related directly simply to monetizing their work. And I'm not suggesting that the Minister is suggesting that that's what's happening, but it's just the perception that could be had through the switch to ITI. So if the Member has any or sorry, if the Minister has any comment on that kind of perception and how the department is managing that, I'd appreciate it. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. And I'm very happy to have gotten this question on the floor because I think it's an important conversation.
I absolutely do not subscribe to the notion that artists must be starving artists. I never have subscribed to that and believe wholeheartedly that regardless of whether or not it is an elder participating in a cultural day at a school or it is somebody delivering a community performance or it is somebody who is, you know, sewing mitts, all form of arts and crafts and performances and film and writing all have value. Whether or not somebody is actually monetizing them or not, that skill still has value to it. And I think that as artists, we need to ensure that that value is upheld and that respect for the industry is upheld. And so whether or not that is in ECE or ITI, it would still have that same mentality that if you are a painter and you are doing something on the side of a building to increase the vibrancy of your community, your work and your skill has value. And so I just want to start off by saying that.
The other thing, though, that I think the Member is actually after here is reassurance that the MOU with the Canada Council for the Arts will absolutely continue regardless of what department this funding is found in. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll move to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. With the short little period of time I have left, I just want to say that, you know, I appreciate the answers from the Minister.
Does the Minister or the department have or I guess the new department that's taking it on, have any plans, you know, over the next four years to increase funding to arts organizations to help them kind of increase that multiplier effect that can come from leveraging funding into the territory knowing that this is just a piece that I feel helps to contribute to our priorities. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, part of the work under the Canada Council for the Arts grant is to do work through a coordinator whose role is funded through that MOU in order to ensure that we're doing what we can as a territory with the funding that we do have in order to multiple that by accessing additional federal funding as well. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go back to the Member from Frame Lake, information items on page 60 to 63. Is there any further questions from Members? I got to go to the Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I've always stated that our Indigenous languages are in great are in need of revitalization, especially the Gwich'in language. It's dying at a fast rate. And a lot of our elders, who don't get to go out as often as they'd like, because and we're losing a lot of elders too. So the Indigenous language broadcasting, I see is cut by $52,000. Can the Minister give me some insight on why the cut has been made? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the $52,000 that the Member referred to reduced a line item from $150,000 to $98,000, and that is a return of traditionally unsubscribed funding under the Indigenous languages broadcasting grant. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Okay. The Indigenous language revitalization, was that sunsetted, or can you bring some clarity to that? Because revitalization is very important in our Indigenous languages and seeing something, a drastic cut in that measure needs some clarity. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Sorry, Mr. Chair. Just for clarity, is the Member still speaking about the Indigenous languages broadcasting grant of $52,000? I'm just looking for clarity from the Member. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Mackenzie Delta, the Member, for clarity.
I was referring to the Indigenous language revitalization. It was revised in 2023 at 200, and main estimates for 20242025, it's cut to zero. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go back to the Minister.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. And thank you to the Member for that clarification. So that portion there is a portion of the funding for the Indigenous languages diploma program that I spoke of earlier. That was money that was put in our budget so that we would have it for Aurora College when they came forward with their diploma program. But, unfortunately, that has not happened as of yet. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So is the money still there? Can it be used in the future when Arctic College decides to use it for the language program? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, my commitment to my colleagues was that when Aurora College does come forward with a suitable and ready proposal, that I would then bring that forward to my Cabinet colleagues. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's all. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Mahsi. I'm going to go to the Member from Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Okay, this Indigenous language revitalizations, so I know that there's a lot of our community members they go south once a year to the University of Alberta, you know, enrolling to program for the language. So this is part of the project. And why I just wanted to know why there is a cut or did they like, she talked quite a few times about the redistribution so is this program you know, are we cancelling this program, or is there did it go somewhere? Because I'm sure our Indigenous students are going to be asking about that.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So Mr. Chair, this line item does not speak to the program that the Member is referring to. This line item, it speaks to the diploma program through Aurora College. So ECE has been funded for that program for multiple years but, unfortunately, that program does not exist yet. And so to ensure that we're using the dollars as committed to by the Legislative Assembly, those dollars have been removed until such time that I can come forward to FMB with a proposal from Aurora College in order to accurately request dollars for that program. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Monfwi.
Well, I see here Indigenous scholarship. I guess that must be part of that's part of the revitalization education program. So I think maybe if the Minister can explain a bit about this Indigenous scholarship.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I was able to confirm with the assistant deputy minister that the Indigenous languages line item that's found under contributions just a few line items above, for $5.36 million, is the line item where that funding is found. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to Monfwi.
