Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We found out with great shock there last year that the northern bonus program was cut in the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. It was embedded into the deepest of the budget details and I, like many members, didn't realize it had been done until after the fact. My question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment is simply this: What type of analysis had justified that choice to eliminate that program that is very near and dear to many of our returning students here to the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as Cabinet, the financial management board, we looked at all programs from -- well, not all, sorry -- most programs from our departments that were not legislated or afforded through federal funding, and we evaluated what we could redirect for -- because we have a lot of spending happening in our health program, and we know from Members on the floor of this House, and even from our own constituencies, that health care is very important to residents of the Northwest Territories, and we desperately wanted to see more funding redirected to that sector. So we went through different funds, and we evaluated different programs within our departments and found that the reason that this program was instituted within Education, Culture and Employment was to try and encourage more graduates to return to the NWT, and it was not increasing the number of graduates that were returning to the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister said something probably where I was going next at the end of her last answer which was believing that it did not increase the return. Would the Minister, in a response to my previous question, be willing to table that analysis before the House; in other words, as a return to the oral questions or whatever function she wishes to desire, also with the analysis of is it actually playing out as initially planned? So in other words, have they reviewed and studied the initial decision? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the Member would like me to share with him the number of students that were returning when the program started versus last year, more than happy to do that. As far as reviewing a program that just ended, Mr. Speaker, we haven't really had space or time to see impacts of that. What is occurring here is now students who have repayable loans need to repay those loans, and students who have remissible loans are being asked to stay in the North longer in order to remiss those. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a number of constituents who are quite upset about this. As a matter of fact I even have a few of her constituents asking can we bring this back. If the Minister will table this information, I'd appreciate that. If she feels she can only send it to me, well, I'll take that too.
Mr. Speaker, I'm asking when -- often when we cut a program, we'll say we'll do an analysis after the fact, like extended health benefits, we heard that promise. Would the Minister be doing any type of 360 analysis after the fact to assess the impacts and choices made by the department? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I'm more than happy to discuss this with the Member if the program isn't there. I would like to understand what the Member is looking to understand. If he wants me to table numbers of students who come home after they complete graduation in order to see how those change over time, more than happy to share that information with this House. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Colleagues, our time is up. Oral questions. Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm requesting, Mr. Speaker, if we can go back to point number 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery on the orders of the day paper. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. He's asking unanimous consent to go back to orders of the day, point number 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Any nays? Seeing no nays. Member from the Sahtu.
