Jay Macdonald

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, at this time there is a pause on lease fees for Indigenous leaseholders as we work forward with the Indigenous governments on a process to determine how we can collaborate and come up with a better way to address this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, climate change is one of the biggest challenges that we face as a territory. The. NWT is experiencing rapid warming at up to four times the global rate which affects every aspect of our lives and impacts our territory's economic, environmental, social, and cultural health. Today, the Department of Environment and Climate Change released the Responding to Climate Change in the NWT Annual Report. I am pleased to report that the Government of the Northwest Territories and partners across the territory are making real progress on this front.

Mr. Speaker, all 132 action items under the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Member, for the question. I certainly will speak with my staff and ensure that we provide you with the opportunity to have that conversation. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the 2023 wildfire season was unlike anything we have ever seen in the Northwest Territories. More than four million hectares of forest burned over a sixmonth period, with fires reported all the way from the Beaufort Delta to the South Slave. Record temperatures, drought, and very high winds resulted in extreme fire behaviour that many of our most experienced firefighters have never experienced. At times, firefighting simply was not possible due to the lifethreatening dangers crews would face.

On a personal note, I have often reflected on my experiences from past fire seasons. The...

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart as I acknowledge the recent catastrophic plane crash that occurred January 23rd in Fort Smith, which claimed the lives of six people. This tragic event has deeply impacted my community and the entire Northwest Territories. I am indebted to all the first responders and frontline staff who tirelessly assisted in the search and rescue operation, ultimately rescuing a sole survivor. Their unwavering dedication is a touching representation of how Northerners come together to support one another in the face of such devastating events. The levels of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to thank the constituents of Thebacha. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you for your trust and support in electing me to be your representative in the 20th Assembly. This journey has been made possible through the dedication and the hard work of my incredible election team whose commitment has been unwavering.

To my esteemed colleagues of the 20th Assembly, your trust and support mean the world to me. I am honoured and humbled to serve alongside each dedicated individual in this Assembly.

To my beloved family - my wife Karen...

Thank you, Madam Chair. And the Minister's numbers are correct. Those are funding contributions from ECE. Their primary funder is Employment and Social Development Canada so that's where they tend to get most of their revenue. But they may be able to fund other partnerships with individual education bodies across the territory as that's their direct link into schools. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. As the Minister mentioned earlier, I think, when responding to a previous question, the GNWT has determined that it needed to reclassify this funding. So previously it would have been categorized as funds or funding carried or programming carried on behalf of others, in this case the federal government. That's now been shifted into operations. So that's why these positions are showing up now in a different way where they wouldn't have been as visible before because it would have been federal funding. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. ECE has also applied to and received funding from the federal Department of Employment and Social Development Canada for what's called Skills 4 Success Funding Program. And this funding has been in turn transferred to Aurora College and in another instance to the literacy council for programs such as what the Member mentioned. So in the case of Aurora College, it's really to develop curriculum and the mechanisms to be able to support apprenticeships. So that's exactly what that is intended to do. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So with the supporting child inclusion and participation program, the Member is correct. For those more familiar with a JK or a K to 12 system context, it is roughly analogist to inclusion where the ultimate purpose of the program and the funding is to support in this case licensed programs to be able to more effectively support children who may have exceptional needs of some kind or another.

In terms of how the program is broken out, there is an opportunity for support for community programs, such as family and tot programs. There is also a stream within it that focuses...