Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, Mr. Speaker, my Member’s statement was on ECE and the community of Tuktoyaktuk. Mr. Speaker, I try to go home every weekend when we are down here sitting. Every time I go home, I get phone calls from different people in the community saying their first call is always ECE. I’ve been having this problem for the last 18 months. I’m really getting discouraged here.
Mr. Speaker, case workers are sometimes on duty travel and the replacements are often flying in and flying out on a daily basis to fill the regional budget. Are the regional budgets large enough to handle this travel? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We feel that we need to meet the needs of all clientele in the Northwest Territories. We do provide budgets and funding to each department and also to the respective regions. There has been an increase in the travel budget as it has been highlighted in previous budgets and also this year as well. We continue to go out to isolated communities. It does cost us extra. Mr. Speaker, yes, we do have a budget for that. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, the department for those who most need the program do not really know what their options are. Mr. Speaker, how would the department inform the community clients of their options? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we have client service officers that get together every now and then to highlight the key changes or program that is on hand. If there are any new initiatives that the community should be aware of through any client service officer and, Mr. Speaker, we will certainly take this into consideration with respect to the Member’s riding. If there is not enough information being shared, then we need to do that and other communities as well. Mr. Speaker, we will do what we can to provide more choices and the program delivery into the communities. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, there is enough work in the community of Tuktoyaktuk for at least two case workers. Every month there is a line-up of people trying to get to see the ECE worker to get help to provide food for their kids, and not only that, to pay some of their bills. Mr. Speaker, when can the department respond to at least having two case workers in the community of Tuktoyaktuk? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we do what we can with what we have in resources in the regions, whether it be the Tuktoyaktuk client service officers and we do have regional representatives as well that go to the communities. Some communities may feel that the caseload is also increasing. Those are areas that we are looking at as ECE department where we can add resources if we need to based on the clientele, the caseload. Those are areas that we are looking at, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the Minister to get a hold of client services in regards to not only Nunakput but all over, the workers that are working in the communities to start helping the people that are asking for help in regards to productive choices. We have 65-year-old people having to go out and shovel. That is not right. Mr. Speaker, this government, is there a different list of productive choices between a place like Yellowknife than Tuktoyaktuk? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, productive choices is throughout the Northwest Territories. It is the same for clientele. The Member has alluded to an elder shovelling. There is an exemption for aged individuals that it is not required to do these kinds of chores unless they participate to do so. Mr. Speaker, I can certainly provide the list of exemptions and also the productive choices that have been highlighted is the list that we follow within the choices that have been offered. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
