Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement. I have some questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment with regard to the focus that we put on heritage in the NWT and in the activities of the department. I’d like to ask the Minister if he could explain to me and to the House what we currently do to support heritage activities. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As you know, currently we provide some funding allocation to culture and heritage organizations. Within that, there are approximately 15 different organizations that we sponsor. Out of the 15, there are approximately seven of them who are with respect to the cultural projects, heritage, Yamozha Kue Society, the museum, historical centres, heritage centres and so forth and also the Minister’s Cultural Circle is another venue that we recognize for valuable contribution towards the Northwest Territories on preserving our culture, language and our heritage. Those individuals will definitely fall within the groups and organizations and also Minister’s choice. Those are venues that are available to them so we continue to strive towards that. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that we do, as a government, provide some funding for heritage activities, but the Minister received this letter from the nine organizations who are looking for more funding, obviously, everybody wants more funding, but they are also looking for a little more assistance, I think, to sort of profile some of their activities.
To quote from the letter, the activities of these nine organizations create an enhanced learning, research, tourism, employment and business opportunities across the NWT, and that’s a pretty broad reach. I’d like to know from the Minister – he’s mentioned the number of activities that are out there – how much funding. What are the dollars that are available to these nine heritage organizations to promote their activities and to actually do their programs? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as I stated in my response to the letter, I was in full agreement with the suggestion of the heritage, culture and history. They all complement each other. I would like to take this opportunity to better inform the new part of the Minister’s Cultural Circle Recognition Program. With the funding the Member alluded to, I can certainly provide the detailed list. I do have approximately $2.2 million that is going towards all 15 different organizations. Out of that, it will be what the Member is referring to, those nine organizations, and I can provide the breakdown. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that commitment and I look forward to the information. I think the Minister said that he has responded to the letter that came from the nine organizations. I don’t believe the Minister copied us on that letter. If he did, I haven’t seen it yet.
I’d like to know from the Minister what the Minister’s response was to the four or five requests that were in the letter that he received in December. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the letter I was referring to was a response to the NWT Mine Heritage Society, that letter I received, and I responded to the individual, the president. Also, there was a distribution list with all the MLAs. The information has been sent and shared with the NWT Mine Heritage Society as a response. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not having seen what the response to the group’s requests were, I know the letter came on letterhead from the NWT Mine Heritage Society, but it certainly was signed by nine different organizations. I’d like to ask the Minister if he at least is considering expanding the Minister’s Cultural Circle to be a Minister’s culture and heritage circle in terms of the awards that he presents on an annual basis. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister’s Culture Circle, again, does highlight those individual groups and organizations, also individuals. There are elders, youth, and Minister’s choice. It does consist of heritage as well, so it’s not exclusive just to the culture and language. It covers heritage as well. In order to fulfill those requests, we need to have those discussions with the various groups. We’ve done that with the Minister’s Culture Circle before we initiated the project, but to consult and engage with public stakeholders. We do have a program in place that already has been very successful to date, a couple of years now. The Minister’s Culture Circle will continue to promote that. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
