Madam Speaker, good oral health is important to our overall health and quality of life. Healthy mouths and teeth in children promote healthy growth, nutrition, speech development, good school performance, and social well-being. Cavities, however, are the most common chronic infectious childhood disease, and they place a substantial burden on our population. Poor oral health contributes to a child's inability to eat, speak, sleep, and learn. In adults, oral disease has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, pneumonia, and Alzheimer's.
Madam Speaker, it is important to note that, while dental treatment services are not an insured service paid for by the Northwest Territories Healthcare Plan, our government is working to reduce oral disease among children and youth through the Oral Health Action Plan released in October 2018. This plan outlines four key areas of action to improve oral health outcomes to promote oral health throughout the entire Northwest Territories population; to establish systematic supports for improved oral health services; to implement the Northwest Territories Oral Health Service Delivery Model; and to provide high quality, sustainable, and culturally-safe care.
Some highlights of what has been done since the release of the action plan include the addition of a registered dental hygienist in Norman Wells and the rollout of daily brushing programs in daycares and schools in our communities. There have also been investments in dental equipment across the Northwest Territories by the federal government to
support the delivery of dental services in communities where there are no established dental clinics. As part of this action plan, front-line primary healthcare providers have begun to integrate oral health screening and education for children and expectant mothers during prenatal and Well Child Record appointments, as well.
The Department of Health and Social Services and health authorities are also collaborating with community partners to deliver a multi-age group oral health literacy program. This program will feature arts-based learning in schools and at community gatherings. Finally, a territory-wide oral health social marketing campaign will be launched this spring to encourage better oral health self-care to promote oral health outcomes in the NWT.
Madam Speaker, research shows that starting good oral health practices in early childhood will ensure that children will continue to practice brushing and flossing as part of their daily routine. This is why we partnered with the Northwest Territories Literacy Council to provide parents with a brushing song book that they can sing along with their children aged one to four.
Our Ever Awesome NWT Brushing Song book, which I will table later today, was illustrated by Neiva Mateus and written by Tlicho Dene author Richard Van Camp. Funding was provided by the federal governments' Children's Oral Health Initiative. The aim of this book is to provide parents with a resource that makes brushing and flossing with their children something that is a fun, daily, family activity. The brushing song book also promotes the importance of snuggling, reading to one another, and sharing time with each other. It honours the gift of family by looking after their health and spending time together.
Over the months of March and April, Richard Van Camp will be touring communities in the Northwest Territories to raise awareness about the book and the importance of oral health. The book will be translated into all the NWT official Indigenous languages, and the audio files for the song will be made available on the department's website. An animated storyboard promoting oral health for older children is also being produced in all the NWT official languages. We are looking forward to the first screening of this original media project later this summer.
Madam Speaker, oral health is an important part of our overall health. This book is one of many resources that we will be developing for parents and caregivers to help them teach good oral health practices to their children. I want to thank Richard Van Camp, Neiva Mateus, and the NWT Literacy Council for partnering with us to raise awareness about good oral health.
I encourage all parents to embrace the idea of fun-filled brushing and flossing time with their children, and encourage everyone to give oral health the time and respect it deserves as an important part of overall health and wellbeing. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I want to talk about the trades and, more specifically, apprenticeships. With an aging workforce and people leaving the trades, the demand and competition for skilled trades workers will only increase. I see this currently happening not only in Hay River, but throughout the NWT.
In the digital age, the ways we work, communicate, and utilize technology are changing at a swift pace. The use of high-tech equipment in different sectors of the economy requires that trades workers possess strong essential skills in literacy and mathematics. This change in technology is becoming increasingly noticeable in our communities, which are receiving energy-efficient homes, state-of-the-art water and sewer treatment plants, solar options for power; all those are associated with high-tech equipment requiring technical expertise to maintain and operate.
Madam Speaker, in the Northwest Territories, we have many workers who, over time, have gained a wealth of experience in the trades. The problem is that the opportunity for work in the NWT is sporadic and, in many instances, short-term or seasonal, the result of employers not willing to undertake the effort, cost, and time it takes to recruit, train, and develop apprentices. The consequence is that the employee does not receive the recognition for the hours of work and training they received while on the job. Furthermore, today's employers are expected to be social workers, psychologists, therapists, counsellors, and bankers for its employees, which all results in added costs to the bottom line. Today's apprentices need more than on-the-job and technical skills. They require skills that include judgment, common sense, adaptability, initiative, dependability, responsibility, attitude, and safety consciousness.
The question is: how are we going to replace the aging workforce when we have all this going on? There is no easy answer, but we can start by providing access to a quality education for our residents. We can strive to develop a sustainable economy that promotes full-time employment opportunities. We must recognize that the mindset of the workforce is changing, and we must adapt to that change. We must reconsider legislation that impedes business through red tape. We must provide support to our small businesses as they are most often ground zero for those looking to enter the trades.
Madam Speaker, the trades can provide exciting and rewarding careers in terms of challenges and financial return, and I strongly encourage our youth to seriously look at this as a career choice. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you. Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today, I want to bring up, again, proof of income in Housing Corporation policies. A few weeks ago, I raised a concern of the corporation's practice of using T4 slips, Madam Speaker. This results in public housing clients being assessed at a much higher level than the rent scale where they should be. That's because the T4 slips show the income from the previous year, not from where they are currently. This is causing unnecessary stress to the public clients in Nunakput and across our territory. I'm trying to help them, Madam Speaker. I need the Minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation to listen to their concerns to show leadership that's needed to fix this problem. I have looked back in Hansard. I am not satisfied with the answers the Minister gave me, so I am going to ask these questions again today in the simplest language possible.
First, I want to see the Housing Corporation's policy manual. It should be available online. They call it "public policy" for a reason, Madam Speaker. It's not just a guide for LHOs to let the public know what to expect paying their monthly rent, so I'm giving the Minister a heads-up today. My first question will be: will the Minister be able to table the policy that says the LHOs must use T4 slips to determine income of the public housing clients? The second question is going to be: will the Minister commit to ensuring that the policy, and all Housing Corporation policies, are posted on their website, ASAP; and finally, will the Minister commit to making a policy more flexible so that other documents can be used as proof of income, Madam Speaker? I'm still hopeful for this Minister and her corporation, but if we don't get today, I will be looking to move a motion in this House to direct the Minister to amend the policy that requires T4 slips as proof of income. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Madam Speaker. Today, I'd like to speak about the Whati housing plan. Madam Speaker, the Minister of Northwest Territories Housing Corporation proudly announced early to mid-December that Whati was the first community in our territory to complete their housing plan. Being the Member of the Monfwi constituency, I was indeed proud of the community of Whati. I then heard through the grapevine that a big celebration was scheduled for Whati on December 17, 2019. I checked with the Minister's office. Sure enough, a celebration was indeed scheduled, and I was not notified about it. By that time, I had already committed to being at another important event on the same day, so unfortunately, I was therefore not able to attend the celebration.
Thankfully, after contacting the Minister's office, I received a letter from the Minister expressing her apologies for not informing myself in a timely manner about the celebration. Madam Speaker, she ended with "Again, I regret that I was not able to speak about this with you directly. I look forward to collaborating with you for the betterment of the residents of Monfwi." That was her statement back then.
Madam Speaker, the mentioned housing plan was finished in December 2019. The community received the actual plan and approved it in early February. On February 11th, I requested a copy of the plan. The Minister responded on the 19th that the plan would be available online on the 20th. She also mentioned that a printed copy would be made available to my office on the 21st of February. My office followed up with an e-mail on February 25th, and we did not get a response.
Madam Speaker, we are now into the first week of March, and I still have not received a copy of the housing plan, and it is still not available online. These are the questions I will definitely have for the Minister of the Housing Corporation at a later time. Masi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.
Madam Speaker, I want to revisit the issue of the Government of the Northwest Territories Affirmative Action Policy once again, because, as I see it, this policy is not serving the people of Fort Smith or the people of the NWT. The e-mail that I received from the finance Minister on February 27, 2020, is a typical government explanation, and I do not accept a response like that from a Minister. When an MLA asks for a response in confidence, I expect a more personal and detailed response.
Madam Speaker, I strongly feel that the Affirmative Action Policy across the NWT, including the riding of Thebacha, is not transparent or accountable. I have attended many meetings across the territory over my 10-plus years of leadership, with multiple levels of government, and the issue of affirmative action has always come up numerous times in a negative way.
Madam Speaker, many people have approached me about how this process is not benefitting Northerners, especially those P1s and P2s within the policy. If the Minister truly feels she wants to make a difference as a Minister of human resources, she has an opportunity to change the direction of the Government of the Northwest Territories Affirmative Action Policy as intended.
Madam Speaker, we need to develop guidelines and criteria that the human resources department must follow, without interference from favouritism, and must be based on qualifications, must be indigenous to the North, and northern-born residents must be considered. It is not to be based on friendship, personal preferences, and not who you know, and not what you know.
Madam Speaker, change must take place with the Affirmative Action Policy immediately. No more direct appointments that end up excluding all candidates that would like to apply for any position. It is crucial that the hiring policies of the Government of the Northwest Territories must be objective, fair, and the best possible candidate must be hired. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. We spend a lot of time in this House criticizing GNWT practices, trying to right the wrongs of the past, and hold the government to account. Today, I would like to focus on an initiative that has been performing exceptionally well in our government, based on my experience. One of the most helpful tools the Department of Health and Social Services has is its system navigator.
The system assists residents with enquiries in the various sectors of the department. It directs residents down the right path depending on their individual needs, both frees up resources within the department and delivers a higher level of service to residents, whether it's accessing non-insured health benefits, seniors' services, or using medical travel for the first time. Instead of being sent through a maze of e-mail chains and phone calls, you're one e-mail or call away from the answers you're looking for.
Madam Speaker, the health system navigator has helped numerous constituents of mine. It has been very helpful to my constituency assistant, and Madam Speaker, the goal in the long term is to not have our processes be so complicated that we have a navigator, but that's not the world we presently live in. There has been a lot of talk in this House lately about discussing personnel issues. I usually would not do this, but I would really like to commend the current Health and Social Services net navigator, Shoshanna Caneul-Kirkwood, on behalf of myself and all my constituents. I thank you for all the work you have done in ensuring that this process runs smoothly. Thank you, Shoshanna.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. A couple of weeks ago, we heard from the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes about the importance of oral health. I share her concerns and believe that the Department of Health and Social Services could be doing more to support good oral health and the prevention of oral diseases.
We live in a unique part of the world with unique needs. In our remote communities, access to regular dental care is not consistent, and treatment is not timely or immediate. Accessing treatment is complicated by the fact that dental services are not insured medical services under the Canada Health Act. Depending on an NWT resident's ancestry, their funding for dental care comes from different funding pots. For example, Inuit persons may have access to services through the Children's Oral Health Initiative and funding through the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program or their Inuit self-government agreement.
Unfortunately, not every community has access to dental services, and not everyone can access preventative care. If a dentist travels to a remote community and needs to choose between a preventative dental cleaning or a dental emergency like a root canal, the emergency will always take priority. Prevention programs in small communities are virtually nonexistent because of funding restrictions and lack of access to community-based dental professionals.
One of the key objectives of the GNWT's oral health strategy calls for establishing systemic supports for improved oral health services, including improving the regulatory environment. This is one of the areas where I feel strongly that the GNWT must reconsider its policy position. The Dental Auxiliaries Act stipulates that no dental hygienist shall practice dental hygiene except under the direction and control of a dentist.
Nurses work in our small, remote communities without doctors. Preventative healthcare professionals like chiropractors and massage therapists are free to work under professional accreditation, using their professional discretion to provide services to NWT residents. Given the huge demand for oral health practitioners and the known fact that prevention saves future burdens on our healthcare system, why are we not allowing dental hygienists to provide preventative oral healthcare without the oversight of a dentist?
Madam Speaker, the GNWT's oral health strategy is meant to be in place until the end of the 2021 fiscal year. With this in mind, I believe it is timely for the department to provide a progress report to this House on the work completed to date. I would also appreciate the Minister's support for changing the legislation, to allow dental hygienists to provide oral healthcare without a dentist's oversight, a win for both the final chapter of this strategy and the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Madame la Presidente. The original Environmental Rights Act was passed as a private Member's bill by the Assembly in 1990. That legislation went through its first and only review in the last Assembly. There have been only four requests under the act in 30 years, so it's obviously not very well used or promoted. Of the four requests filed, there has only ever been one investigation actually carried out.
Unfortunately, the new Environmental Rights Act only made some minor improvements to what was already in place. The basis for investigations was extended to include acts of omission, but there is now a significant harm test; you have to show that something has significant effects on the environment before an investigation or a court action might be permitted. There is to be a state of the environment report and a statement of environmental values. Those are improvements, but it's not a rights-based approach.
What was promised were things like an environmental registry, a method for the public to propose policies, programs, agreements, initiatives, and a period for public comment on those items, and, in some cases, even a response required from the department. There was to be a definition of the "right to a healthy environment," "public trust" was to be defined, and an obligation placed on our government to basically take care of the environment. There was to be a dispute-resolution mechanism incorporated into the bill, and investigations would initially be carried out by inspectors.
Most of the changes proposed by the committee were incorporated into the bill. Unfortunately, there was never a response to the recommendations from the committee that were approved by this House. Noteworthy recommendations included following:
anti-SLAPP legislation for introduction during the life of the 19th Legislative Assembly, and I will explain that term a little later;
a registry be created to capture all reporting requirements found in the various environmental and resource management bills, allowing the public a one-window access point to information;
coordination of reporting with other environmental legislation; and
a public awareness campaign around the Environmental Rights Act.
I will have questions later today for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources on the implementation and promotion of the new Environmental Rights Act. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Mahsi cho, Madam Speaker. I want to speak today about the state of our 11 official languages and what I would like to see our government doing to keep these language programs running and alive. Language preservation is important to me. It's an important part of our culture and identity here in the North, and in my opinion, if you do not use it, you lose it.
When you go for a drive on the road, you will often see signs with the kilometre markers and landmarks, such as parks, and they are primarily written and English and French. I am not okay with that. Moving forward, I would like to see more homage paid to at least one language other than English in all regions of the NWT. For example, if we go to the 60th parallel sign, I would love to go up there and push a button and have at least a welcome in all of our official languages, and when you leave, to come again, and have that in one of our official languages. I would love to see that, and that also at our points of entry like our airport, as well.
According to the ECE document, Indigenous Languages Action Plan, it states that GNWT departments should be able to offer improved public services in Indigenous languages. In consultation with some of my constituents, some departments are better at this than others. Departments such as ECE are making a lot of inroads with students in terms of language instruction, and I am very thankful for that. However, other departments, such as ITI, ENR, and Infrastructure, still have some room for improvement.
In addition, Madam Speaker, there are many public hearings, as well, I would like to speak about, and they deal with a lot of legal, medical, and scientific jargon. I feel that we need to have more language interpretation workshops to help keep our interpreters up to date. I am hoping to see them implemented on a more frequent basis.
Growing up, I was raised by my great-grandparents, and my great-grandfather used to have a little recorder and a dictionary, and he would say words in Chipewyan. For a lot of words, for things like "constitution," there wasn't anything in there. He used to sit there, record it, and then he'd put them in a box. When he passed on, a lot of that language was lost. I wish I could have access to that, but, no, it's gone. Again, I'm hoping we can see some more work like that done in future.
In closing, Madam Speaker, language revitalization is important. Again, if we do not use our language, we will lose it. It's important that we have all of our languages in written form and visible to the public, because, in my opinion, our government is not doing enough of that. However, I am hopeful that we will start doing more work in this House in having our Indigenous languages more visible. I will have questions for the Minister of ECE at the appropriate time. Mahsi cho, Madam Speaker.
Mahsi, Madam Speaker. I seek your permission to deliver my reply sitting down as I find it difficult to stand in one place for a long time.
Yes.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Last Friday, the NWT Bureau of Statistics released more data from its 2019 community survey. This latest report focuses on financial security. As my colleague from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh said in this House yesterday, the findings are shocking.
Fully one in five NWT households reported that they had trouble paying for their most basic needs, including housing, food, clothing, and transportation. Broken down by age, 2,271 children under 15 years of age are living in or near poverty. This is another shocking number, larger than most communities' populations, yet it's not surprising if you listen to statements by my colleagues that so many households and families are in dire need, and that need is heightened in small and remote communities.
A deeper dive into the report reveals significant detail about food insecurity. Almost a quarter of households say they were "often" or "sometimes" worried about having enough money for food during the previous 12 months. Again, this issue is most pressing in small communities. The place people are most worried about not being able to afford food is K'atlodeeche First Nation, the Hay River Reserve, followed by Wekweeti and Paulatuk.
Madam Speaker, the report also includes a section on housing insecurity. Across the NWT, 14 percent of households reported they have experienced significant financial difficulty in the previous year because of increases to rent or mortgage payments. That figure is highest in Behchoko, with Inuvik and Yellowknife close behind. As well, the report estimates that 9 percent of households include at least one person who would like to but does not have their own accommodation, and 242 people who said they were homeless at some point in the previous year. The bottom line is this: a significant number of households, including children, are going hungry at least some of the time, and finding affordable housing and preventing homelessness are chronic problems.
Madam Speaker, this information captured my attention because of my many years of advocacy on poverty in the NWT and also because we just started reviewing a budget that promises the better part of $2 billion in spending. My question is: how can we spend this much money more effectively to meet the needs of residents? In particular, how do we help the one-in-five households living in poverty meet their food and shelter needs? How do we help alleviate the almost constant worry of having to make agonizing trade-offs such as paying the rent at the expense of buying food? Once someone's housing and food needs are met, they can get on with other important aspects of life.
Let me start by reiterating that $2 billion is a lot of money. In fact, spread evenly among the 44,895 of us who live here, it is approximately $45,000 each. It is the highest per capita spending of any province or territory, except Nunavut. Yes, our operating costs are high, but why isn't all this spending doing us more good? Not only with respect to food and housing, but health outcomes, graduation rates, and economic opportunity. How can we help one-fifth of residents who live in poverty to live free from want? Today, I am going to do my own deep dive for answers. I am going to review our revenue and spending with a focus on what is working, what isn't, and what needs to be assessed to ensure we are getting maximum value for each dollar spent.
Madam Speaker, let's start with revenue. Our largest source of revenue is, of course, the grant from Canada, and it is forecasted to go up in the next year to $1.4 billion. The balance of our budget comes from own-source revenue streams, primarily taxation, and our taxation is focused around individuals. Personal income tax and the payroll tax account for more than half of our annual own-source revenue. Corporate income tax is very unpredictable. It was forecasted to deliver $23 million to the GNWT in this fiscal year, but instead will produce a $12 million shortfall. Non-renewable resource revenue amounts are also variable. The last budget predicted $46 million, but that figure has now been revised downwards to $39 million. The total is forecasted to drop again in the next fiscal year. We have a stagnant economy that is stable for now because of government spending, but it is not feasible to stay on this path for the life of this Assembly and beyond.
We are almost at our federally imposed debt wall. To make a comparison that is easy to understand, we have almost maxed out our federal credit card. Contrary to the advice I would give someone in this situation, the territorial government wants to increase our capacity to borrow. The question isn't about whether we have the fiscal capacity to handle the extra debt; we do. For me, it is more about how we are going to repay this debt, given our weak revenue. I am also concerned about the speed with which we have been expanding our borrowing capacity.
Madam Speaker, each year, during the budget address, I talk about the need to increase revenue, and I am going to do that again today. The most recent revenue options paper from 2016 lays out several possibilities to raise more money. A tax bracket for high individual income earners would net $2 million a year. A 1 percent increase in the payroll tax would bring in $20 million. A 1 percent increase in corporate tax would yield $5 million. The revenue options paper dismisses all of these options because they would increase the cost of living, the cost of doing business, and/or generally make the NWT a less desirable place to work and live. There is no evidence presented to support this conclusion. It is instead a Department of Finance mantra and a common talking point for those subtly arguing for austerity.
A report commissioned by the previous Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment concludes there is "a significant opportunity for the NWT to benefit more from mining." For me, that is a no-brainer. About $30 billion worth of diamonds have been produced in the NWT in the last 20 years. How is it possible, then, that we are at our debt wall and that a fifth of households live below the poverty line? What we need is an open dialogue to look at mining income specifically and revenue generation generally, based on evidence rather than received wisdom. I am pleased to hear that the Minister of Finance wants to engage all residents on the question of government revenue. This conversation is long overdue.
Madam Speaker, before I turn to spending, I want to look at the options that low-income households have to meet their needs. According to that same report I spoke about at the beginning, residents of small and hub communities are most likely to ask friends and family for money. A significant number also take on debt or sell something of value. Those who live in communities where non-profit organizations offer services use them. These solutions are obviously short-term and easily exhausted. They don't address the root causes of not having enough money to live.
Madam Speaker, someone somewhere is now asking, "Why don't the adults in those low-income families just get a job?" Easier said than done in most places, even if people have skills in demand, someone to care for their children, their health, and transportation to and from work. The overall employment rate in Yellowknife and communities outside the capital is at its lowest point in 10 years. The rate is especially low at just over 50 percent in the small communities. In the 18th Assembly, we made efforts to increase small community employment by creating a special job fund. The revised estimates for this fiscal year peg spending at about $5 million, but the budget for the next fiscal year is going down by almost three quarters of a million dollars. This area should be a priority investment for this government. A job is preferable to income assistance, borrowing from family members, or going without for those who are able to work. The other way the government has tried to create employment is through infrastructure investment. Building the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway and the Stanton Territorial Hospital created jobs, but never as many as we hoped for or for as long as we would like. After two or three years, unemployment in the regions goes up again.
Madam Speaker, the most recent disappointment is the road to Whati. I had high hopes for increased employment in the Tlicho region and the positive effects jobs would have on high rates of inadequate housing and hunger in that region, but no. We learned last week that a little less than 50 percent of the workforce is comprised of NWT residents and, of that number, only 35 percent are Tlicho citizens. Further, only 40 percent of the contracts have gone to northern businesses. What are we getting for our $411 million investment in the Tlicho road? Clearly not enough, at least when it comes to the number and duration of jobs created, and we haven't learned our lesson. It is astonishing to me that our priorities include three more large infrastructure projects that perpetuate the boom-and-bust cycle of employment. I believe we should make greater investments in the economic diversification ideas included in our mandate. My hope is that the regional economic plans will be completed sooner than the current timeline of 2023. Otherwise, we will continue to hemorrhage money, jobs, and opportunity to out-of-territory firms and workers.
Madam Speaker, you might be wondering why I am talking about roads when we are reviewing the operations and maintenance budget. The answer is because our operating budget is designed to generate surpluses, which help pay for our 25 percent share of infrastructure projects; or, if surpluses don't pan out, then we have to increase borrowing. Surpluses, Madam Speaker, are fickle. The Finance Minister of the time forecasted a $60 million surplus in last year's budget. What we are getting instead is a $70 million deficit. When the current Finance Minister says our surplus for the next fiscal year will be $203 million, I think we have to take that with a grain of salt. Likewise, surpluses in future years that are forecasted to dwindle to just $3 million in the last year of this Assembly.
We don't have a lot of choice about generating a surplus if we continue on our current path of cost-sharing big infrastructure projects with Ottawa. We need to come up with millions of dollars to pay our share of the planning and regulatory process for the Slave Geological Province and the Taltson hydroelectric system expansion during the life of this Assembly. At the same time, the GNWT is contributing $37.5 million to build a bridge across the Great Bear River, as well as additional planning and feasibility studies for the Mackenzie Valley Highway.
Madam Speaker, these projects raise a lot of questions. Can we afford to work on all of them simultaneously? Do we have enough workforce and business capacity to maximize the benefits of these projects for Northerners? Is it reasonable for a jurisdiction with such weak revenue generation to come up with a 25-percent share of the millions of dollars required?
It feels to me as if the federal contributions to the start-up costs of these projects are the tail wagging the dog. Ottawa offers 75 percent, and it seems like a good deal, and it addresses our chronic and significant infrastructure deficit but, in our current economic situation, 25 percent for all these projects is just too ambitious. We are building roads at the expense of building houses. Houses, not roads, are our greatest need right now. House construction will also produce a variety of economic benefits, including jobs, for the NWT.
If there was ever a time to think outside the box on infrastructure spending, this is it. If there was ever a time to talk with federal counterparts about changing this federally imposed requirement for large infrastructure projects, this is it, and I'm glad this government is taking this issue on.
I'm now going to turn to spending. There are some good initiatives in budget 2020 to help low-income families, including more money for those on Income Assistance to offset increased rent and utility costs; carbon tax rebates for individuals; and funding to make the Integrated Case Management program permanent. There is, of course, other government spending that will benefit all of us, but if you are looking for money for those two areas which low-income people describe as their biggest concerns, you won't find it here. There is no new money for additional housing and no new money that will help alleviate hunger. I look forward to seeing these additional investments in a supplementary appropriation on our mandate.
Madam Speaker, I'm going to circle back to the question of value for money spent by the GNWT. This issue has new urgency, given the Minister of Finance's announcement that there is just $25 million available over the life of this Assembly for our priorities. Clearly, we aren't going to get transformative change for that price. I welcome the Minister's interest in the value-for-money question and her focus on increased program evaluation. Given our current economic situation, the most important sentence in budget 2020 is: "The GNWT will undertake strategic reviews to ensure programs and services are meeting expectations and that budgeted expenditures for those programs are properly aligned with our mandate and additional revenue options are considered." This rigorous assessment holds the promise of delivering more effective programs and services without spending more money. This is a promise I'm going to hold onto.
I started this reply by reflecting on the number of NWT households who are not making ends meet for their most basic expenses. I want us all to make our best efforts to improve their circumstances, to help them get a hand up. Whether it's jobs, housing, food, or increased tax benefits, we need to develop a plan now to lift low-income families into the middle class. We need to make sure that we are not allowing our most vulnerable to continue to fall through the cracks and be left behind. We need to give these families, and especially their children, hope for a better future, right here in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. My questions will be for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Small businesses are a cornerstone in the development of apprentices. Small businesses are willing to hire and support apprentices but rely on the subsidy program to offset associated costs. I would ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment: what is the total budget amount of financial resources directed toward wage subsidies for apprenticeships? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister for Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. My first set of questions from the Member for Hay River South. It's a big day for me. The total amount budgeted in the previous main estimates was $1.072 million, and that's for the Trades and Occupations Wage Subsidy Program. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
It's a big day for me, too. Can the Minister confirm whether this budget amount is routinely fully subscribed or under-subscribed?
We don't have the actuals for this fiscal year yet, as we are still in it, but in 2017-2018, there was $948,000 spent, so nearly the entire budget. In 2018-2019, it was down to $655,000, so there was a carry-over of over $400,000, and that is due to a decrease in the number of apprentices, the new registers, from 92 in 2017-2018 to 70 in 2018-2019.
The question I have here is: what are the current subsidy rates and the maximum term of those subsidies provided to employers?
The subsidy rate is $8 per hour, to an annual maximum of 1,600 hours per apprentice, and the maximum wage subsidy support is $25,600, because it's over two years; so it's for two years, $8 an hour, 1,600 hours a year.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Hay River South, final supplemental.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. For the final question, well, first of all, it's good to hear that, in a sense, there is extra money in the budget, money that may have not been spent. Is the Minister willing to look at extending the term for third- and fourth-year apprenticeships, as well, to add another year on? I would like to see the money be spread out a bit, and it will really help small business, as well. Will you consider subsidizing third and fourth years, as well? Thank you.
I appreciate where the Member is coming from. I know it's difficult for small businesses across the territory right now, and apprentices and journeypersons are in high demand. It's difficult to compete with the wages that are being offered by the mines and by government and by big industry, so to have that wage subsidy, it helps. If you're a small business and you're going into your third year with an apprentice, you might be concerned that you might lose that apprentice, and we need to help support them, so I am definitely going to look into this. We're going back to industry and to small businesses to see how these recent changes to the program have rolled out on the ground, and we'll make the decision from there, but I'm definitely going to consider all options, including extending this if those funds are available. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today, I spoke about proof of income in Housing Corporation using the T4 policy. Madam Speaker, will the Minister table the policy that tells the LHOs in the communities that they must use a T4 slip to determine the income of the public housing clients? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Looking at the policy that we currently have for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, I see that it was more meant for consistent income. It does not meet the needs of seasonal workers, and I see that. So then, looking at this policy, I want to review it. I want to see where we are at. I think that the decision made at that time was a perfect decision for that government, and it did reflect a lot of good intent. However, now, times have changed, and it does not meet the needs of the seasonal workers, so, yes, I am wanting to go back and take a look at that. I will follow up with the Member with the discussion and outcome.
Could the Minister table the policy, though, in the House in regard to the LHOs using that to determine public housing for the clients?
