R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the department is currently drafting the bill for the new Builders Lien Act, which will replace the existing Mechanics Lien Act, which is quite a bold piece of legislation. The legislative proposal, which is one of the very first steps in turning a need into a law, was submitted in summer of 2021, was approved in late November, and the drafting began earlier this year.

The department was hoping to introduce the bill last year but, you know, things take time and it's fallen a bit behind. Nonetheless, we are considering all the feedback that the Member referenced and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the new money from the federal government, it's about $10 million a year, and it doesn't quite double what we were already spending. We were spending $10 million in GNWT funds and about $2.4 of federal money. So there's already a significant amount of money going into the system prior to this new influx of money.

So the current funding that is flowing out that everyone knows about is intended to reduce the costs for parents. However, there is obviously additional money, and we are working to get that out the door.

So the childcare fee reduction, that's the money for...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe there's 98 organizations in the Northwest Territories all together who provide childcare and charge fees. And I can say that 100 percent of the centrebased programs that offer infant and preschool programming opted in to the childcare fee reduction subsidy for 20212022, so prior to the beginning of this fiscal year or last the end of last fiscal year as well as this current fiscal year. All but one family day home opted in to that time period as well. And all but two organizations who offer after school programs opted in for the entirety of the program...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the work is going on to create those supports so that we can go into the communities and support the teachers. So I hate to say to the Member but we are making those plans. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We've been planning to make plans, and then we've been implementing those plans. I can say that much for sure.

It is clear that we need to support small schools and the students in those schools, and that's why prior to the OAG releasing their report, we've been taking steps to better support students in small schools.

One of the biggest things is junior kindergarten. You know, that's a few years old now, but that is the age where intervention has the greatest effect. And so we've implemented that and we spend millions of dollars each year on that.

Northern distance...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Now that is not a simple answer. So what I can say is that northern distance learning has produced some amazing results. You know, I hear great stories about it. I hear about students who, you know, in small communities who are taking these, you know, advanced level courses, academic courses, and making their way to university. And it's not obvious that they would have that opportunity in their community if not for northern distance learning. So it is a very valuable project, and I'm I don't want to say proud, but I'm happy with the investments that this government and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I know the federal government is likely going to respond to this decision by the Supreme Court, but we have no influence over the Supreme Court and the laws, the common law that they create, or the federal Department of Justice and the Criminal Code of Canada, or how the courts operate or the defence counsel or the prosecution service. So it is difficult for us to do what the Member is asking.

That being said, the case that the Member is referencing was a case where someone ingested a significant amount of psilocybin I believe, magic mushrooms. So it wasn't someone...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So where there's a district education council or like the TCSA, the department provides a lump sum of funding, and there are essentially three pots of money. One pot of money has to be used for inclusive schooling, and so that's ensuring that there are supports to support students at different levels in the same classroom. One portion has to be used for Indigenous language and education. And the rest can be used for anything. We don't really have strings attached to it. The delivery of education is the responsibility of the local education body. And so ECE is quite...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What the Member is talking about is a Supreme Court case. There's a recent ruling that changed the rules on defence and the types of defence that can be put forward. That doesn't really change the situation in the Northwest Territories however. The issues that we're facing are the issues that we're facing. This is a defence that would, you know, rarely be used. I don't know if it's ever been used in the Northwest Territories. But it doesn't change the fact that we face the levels of sexual violence that the Member has already stated. So the work that the department does...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the department has considered mandatory arbitration within the bill but is not contemplating this further based on the feedback that we received from the public. However, nothing in the bill will interfere with or prohibit the application of the Arbitration Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.