Alfred Moses

I did mention that we are working with the departments to see what the overall supports that the GNWT as a whole gives to the arts community as well as culture and heritage. Once we get those numbers, we can start having further discussions moving forward, but that work has to be done first. Currently, I do not have a timeline, but, as soon as we get that information, we will be sharing with Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Any support that we get from third parties or any of our partners in terms of supporting our culture, our heritage, and our arts programs here in the Northwest Territories is greatly appreciated, and I know our staff work very hard to try to access those funds. However, I do not have that information on hand with me right now, but once I do get that information I will be happy to share it with the Member and committee and all Members who are interested in knowing how much we are supporting the artists in the Northwest Territories in taxes and other sources of funding.

Currently, work has begun to determine the current status, the gaps in services, and how to best address these gaps when it comes to busing. A steering committee has been formed which includes representation from the NWT Superintendents Association, the Department of ECE, and the Financial Management Board to make recommendations on opportunities for potential improvements in providing student transportation for services from junior kindergarten to grade 12. We're going to work on gathering that data, and look at the recommendations, and once the analysis of the status is complete, we will...

As I mentioned, each school obviously decides what courses they want to offer. Each school is different from the next. Courses that are being offered in the Sahtu might be different from what's being offered in South Slave compared to some of our coastal communities. That's why one of our programs, the Northern Distance Learning Program is so important and such a great investment that we're able to offer some of these dash-1 courses to our rural and remote communities, and that's an initiative that this government is proud of, and will continue to support, but it really is a school...

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.

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.

Obviously, we do support that as a government. We support our artists that go to national events and festivals throughout the country. We will continue to do that. We also do it in the sports sector. If you look at the upcoming Olympics, we have three athletes who are going to be going to the Olympics who have gone through the system. We also have Juno Award winners, nominees whom we have supported coming from the communities. If you look at other programs we do as a government and as a territory, such as traditional game summits that promote sport, culture, and our artists as well as the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Collectively, the GNWT supports the arts community with various departments, with various rebates, with various different supports. We are currently looking at how much we are spending in the arts sector with all departments. Before we begin those discussions, we need to see what those numbers are. We are confident that we do provide sufficient support to the whole NWT arts sector and all the programs that we have throughout the GNWT departments.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time, I would just like to welcome and recognize the staff, board members, and alumni for Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning. Welcome to the House. I hope you enjoy the proceedings. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following two documents entitled "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 830-18(2): Small Community Employment Support Program," and "Follow-Up Letter for Oral Question 912-(2): Small Community Employment Support Program." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.