Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister again for his response. I am a little disappointed that we are not getting a number. Again, I don't want this to be a salary subsidy program. I want a partnership. I want to be able to give the communities the money so that they can actually employ people and get them to work and provide training so they become a better, skilled workforce. Is the department really looking at this to become a job creation or just a subsidy program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister and Ms. Haener for her answer. So just to clarify again, this Healthy Children's Initiative, all it was is the money has moved up and that's where it was before in the development of this mains? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for his answer. Can he clarify what he means by the department is doing it, or the DEAs are doing it, or the school boards are doing it? Because I am looking at a fact sheet here, and it says that the DECs are the ones in charge of putting the funding and utilizing the funding where they see fit, and now I'm hearing the department is taking a role in this. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am assuming that was a commitment to work with the Finance Minister and try to line it up to where it is. I appreciate the answer. I guess going back to small community employment, when you talked about there were 200 jobs which are salary subsidy, 69 formal training, but again it comes back to my question previously: we have 3,900 people who are on income support and we only see a small increase. Will the Minister look at these facts and information and see that we have a glowing arrow -- not an arrow, but people are stuck having to go to income support to survive in...

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that answer. So just to clarify, that is the $1 million we were talking about, inclusive schooling. I thank the Minister for that information. In regard to culture and heritage, I notice a reduction of $1.2 million. Could the Minister please elaborate on why we have this huge reduction in this area? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for his commitment, and I am looking forward to that information. Mr. Speaker, when we looked at the cost analysis of making these cuts to the program and, if we cut this program, we are going to lose potential students out there who do not want to go down South  did the department or the college actually do a real cost analysis of the economic effect of eliminating this valuable program to the territories and the Town of Fort Smith? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am going to build up on my college question about contract services: the $928,000 for small community employment, was that program utilized completely? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for his answer. Now, I am just going to be a little bit thick here. I just want to make sure I get this right. My seven schools in the Nahendeh riding will all, each, get program support teachers in their schools, to get that clarified? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Can the Minister commit to coming back to this House to say if the college actually looked at upper management?

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for the answer. The biggest problem is that, if communities don't have the money, they can't access this program, and if we can't access this program, people can't go to work, and if people can't go in to work, they have to go on income support. We are talking about a couple of months from now, trying to get this rolled out. If this budget is passed April 1st, it is going to come out. I would like to see the money out there. If we are not going to have it out there, or if you can't organize it, will the department look at maybe giving that money...