Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, immigration is a hot topic. I got an email whilst we were having that exchange earlier and, you know, the concerns are really -- are a live issue. In this email this individual says, quote: What makes this even more frustrating is the recent news that the NTNP program will reopen soon but with conditions that grant all applications equal opportunities regardless of how long they have lived in the North or how much they've contributed to the community.
Now, I know that the Minister has put a pause on those changes, but the perception out there is that it's still first come/first serve. Can the Minister speak to that today and confirm that that is not the case. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Range Lake. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, whatever program we decide to put in place for the Northwest Territories, we have to have it approved by IRCC. And so at the end of the day, I can't commit either way because I do have to have our tactic going forward and our way that we plan to roll this out approved first by the federal government. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the last time the NWT designed this program, did the federal government not accept what we brought forward? Because, Mr. Speaker, it sounds like there's a chance that we'll design something, we'll send it, and Mark Miller will say no and send it back to the Minister for improvement. Like, I just want to understand the process because we're not getting straight answers today and, again, people are worried. People are worried they're going to be deported from the Northwest Territories. And we can't let them -- have them living in that kind of fear. So can the Minister explain what the process is. Thank you.
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure how I'm not being very clear right now or how I'm not being -- or how I'm being evasive but that is definitely not my intent. I started today by saying that I understand that we are dealing with real people's lives and that this is very important. It is very important to the Northwest Territories on many different levels. I have long been committed to the success of this program. And we are seeing great success in the territory in this program. The way that this program works is the federal government tells us exactly how many people we get for our allocation. Next, we have to tell them how we intend to roll this out. They have also told to us how -- what percentage of people have to be from temporary foreign workers within the country. Luckily for the Northwest Territories, 98 percent of our program uses temporary foreign workers. So that's not so different. What we need to determine, though, is how we're going to allocate those 150 allocations, nominations, that we get from within the Northwest Territories. We know that we have far greater people waiting to get their hands on those nominations like the rest of the country. Every jurisdiction is experiencing this right now. There is a great number of demand, and we need to make sure that we are, A, yes, being fair, but also ensuring that there is a very notable benefit to the Northwest Territories in how we choose to roll this out. No matter what program we go forward with, I am very aware that we're not going to make everybody happy and that weighs very heavily on my heart, and that's why we're making sure that we get this as right as possible. Thank you.
Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, the reason I'm confused, people are confused, is because we have a date of February, which is a month not a date, and we're unclear on how people will be prioritized. So, again, for people who have lived in the North, who have contributed to the North and whose permits are running out, are those people going to be prioritized? That's what the chamber wants. That's what our residents want. That's what business owners want. Can the Minister commit to that or at least -- at least give clarity that that is the top consideration that is going into this framework? If she can't commit that today, is that at least being part of the calculation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely part of the calculation. I have heard from an equal number of residents, probably to the Member, who have said this needs to be part of it. But to be honest, I've also heard from an equal number of people who have said that's not fair. So we're seeing both sides of it. We're considering everything, and I'm certainly considering that piece of it. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
