Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Similar to my honourable friend from Yellowknife North, I want to talk about arts as a generator of jobs. This also involves the Minister of Labour. This is an important issue. The Conference Board of Canada estimates the annual contribution of Canada's arts and culture industry is 7.4 per cent. As a gross total, that is more than Canada's mining, forestry, fishery sectors plus the Canadian Forces combined. We talk about transitioning, diversifying our economy. We have the artists who can already do this work. We have funds that are oversubscribed. Will the Minister commit to looking at arts through an employment lens and develop a strategy or modify his employment strategies to include the creative industries? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it is more than just my department that will need to take a look at this in terms of the economic work and jobs that this arts sector creates. It is going to have to be a whole government approach when we take a look at this. We will be looking at that, as I mentioned in my previous questions, and then come back to the House to give up these numbers.
I am glad to hear there is a whole government approach. It sounds like the Minister is committing to taking this on. We have brought this issue before. Today is not the first time it is brought up. What work has he been doing to fulfill these new arts commitments that he is talking about today? I don't see anything in today's budget around the arts.
As I mentioned earlier in the question period here, I am confident that we are providing sufficient, fair, and equitable support for both the arts and the arts sector as well as the sports sector. We are going to have to look throughout the government to see what our contributions and supports for the arts community is. We will come back to this House and to Members and share that with them before we get into any further discussions.
When is the Minister going to come back to the House with all this work, tomorrow, the next day, the day after that? Can the Minister give us a timeline?
As I mentioned, I am going to have to have this discussion with my colleagues. We also have an advisory board with the NWT Arts Council. There are going to be some discussions that need to happen before we come back. I do not have a timeline. In due course, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My colleague the honourable Member from Yellowknife North brought up some funding dollars. Every Member on this side of the House has brought up more funding for the arts. I am going to ask the Minister again, this time from me, if he is going to hear the majority of the House and provide more funding dollars for the arts within the life of this Assembly? Thank you.
As I mentioned, we are going to have to look at what our contributions are as a government with all our departments and work that we have with our partners and come back and see what our contributions and our supports for the NWT arts community are. I do feel that we are sufficiently supporting our arts community throughout the Northwest Territories. Once we have those numbers, we will share them with Members of this House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
