Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, I said I was going to address the questions around the summer student program. The summer student program, as you know, is a vital backbone to the next generation accumulating and generating their education to further seek their career of choices. As mentioned earlier, they face many challenges, and it's always comforting to know that, when they do come back home, this government is trying every which way to assist. I would like to ask the Minister responsible: what initiatives are under way for this current summer program? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Human Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as always, the Department of Human Resources has set up the Summer Student Employment Program whereby we ask students to provide us with their resumes. We include them in a database which is shared with departments. Ultimately, the hiring of summer students is a department responsibility, each one of the individual departments. We do collect those resumes. When the departments indicate that they have a need, we forward the resumes that meet the job criteria that they're looking for, and we actually help facilitate the hire, but the hires are actually, ultimately, the responsibility of the individual departments. To support some of the departments, we do have the summer student Related Experience Program where we do provide some financial assistance to the departments to offset some of the costs of hiring summer students, and we also facilitate the Related Experience Program offered through health and social services. There's a number of things we do to support departments, but, ultimately, the hiring of summer students is the responsibility of the individual departments, boards, and agencies of the GNWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Looking at the latest report results on the numbers that show that the program is working, and I want to commend the Minister responsible for that. As I recall, some weeks ago or at the last session here that the Minister made a point in saying that the numbers were going to be met or increased from last year. This year, we're still below. When I look at the some of the larger centres, they are quite very high compared to the smaller areas, so would the Minister improve, by working with the regional leadership and the school principals or superintendents, to develop and increase those numbers in the smaller areas?
Once again, the individual departments, boards, and agencies are responsible for hiring summer students. On Friday, the Premier of the Northwest Territories did send a letter to all of the Ministers as well as the deputy ministers, directing them to hire more summer students. Our numbers are a little bit lower than they were last year. Currently, we have 217 summer students hired. Last year at this time, we had 273. By the end of the year, we had about 341. The Premier has already given direction to have all the departments hire more students to try and get us closer to the number where we were last year.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On my last visit home, I had the opportunity of talking about this issue with Imperial Oil, a large employer in Normal Wells, and they reinstated their program. At the time here, they had five students. Looking at the numbers here, this government has five students. I think there's room for improvement. Would the Minister target for ten by the end of this session?
Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct. Last year by this time, we had hired four summer students in Norman Wells. This year, we've already hired five summer students in Norman Wells, so we're a little ahead of where we were, but we're on par for where we were by the end of the year. I have already directed my departments, Human Resources and Health and Social Services, to hire as many students as they can. There has to be meaningful work. They can't just be hired to sit around an office and do nothing. There has to be work for them to do. I have directed my two departments to hire the same number or more than they did last year, and I know that the Premier has already given that direction to the other Ministers, to hire as many summer students as they did last year. They will be moving forward trying to hire as many as they can.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.
Would the Minister agree to hiring 15?
Laughter
Mr. Speaker, I can't speak on behalf of the other departments. The other departments have to look at their budgets. They have to look at their workload. They have already been encouraged by the Premier to hire as many students as they can, with a focus on getting in as many hired as we had last year.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
