Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like my colleague from Range Lake, I have concerns for my constituents and the nominee program. I've spoken with the Minister at length. Can the Minister commit to bringing a plan forward for folks who have expiring work permits in 2026 to the House in the next sitting May-June? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, absolutely, there -- the way that we shifted the criteria, based on our reduction in allotments this year, was to really focus on those individuals who had expiring work permits in 2025. And I appreciate the Member bringing forward the concern around people who have work permits expiring at the beginning of 2026, especially given that it was February before we launched this program.
What we're doing with our stakeholder partners is spending time this year and really focusing on if we do have consolidated numbers going forward in 2026 -- we don't know what's going to happen at the federal government at this point -- but if we do have consolidated numbers again, then we need to establish a plan that really prioritizes the benefit of the NWT at the end of the day and really figures out how we can ensure that we're being strategic yet fair in this process. And so that is something that I, along with ECE, have focused on doing, is having these stakeholder conversations. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I too have planned stakeholder conversations, and I'm happy to collaborate with the Minister on this one.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the folks who are seeking asylum status, can the Minister speak to whether or not the funding is adequate, and the resources are adequate for us to be doing that currently? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is part of the information that I'm looking to ascertain from the federal government and to understand really what the resource needs would be of the people who would be identified as asylum seekers as part of this program. I know from just listening to interactions on the floor of the House, there's a huge demand, for example mental health supports across the territory, and so what kind of additional supports would we require in order to invite and welcome more asylum seekers in the territory, depending on what their health needs are, what their housing needs are, and so these are things that we need to consider as a territory and ensure that we have clear communication on that with the federal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
