Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while I don't have that specific data at my fingertips right now, it's definitely, you know, something that I would like to work with the Member on in the life of this Assembly, is to be able to have a number of great success stories, even if it is people who are using the new income assistance program in order to generate earned income that they can hang on to and be able to work towards some additional selfreliance and be able to enter into the workforce as well. So I think this is a really exciting time as far as income assistance and being...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I will pass it to the deputy minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a program of that magnitude and of such a change in political direction of the government would need to come from this Legislative Assembly and would be something that would need to be found, I would say, within our business plans and also within the priorities of this government. Thank you.

So to the first question that the Member asked, Mr. Speaker, about whether or not they're big C counsellors or little C counsellors, I'm not sure if that means are they mental health counsellors; no, they're not mental health counsellors if that's what meant. Sorry, I was talking to fast.

In regards to what type of counsellors they are, they are people who are they fill a role, and they provide pathways. They are professionals. They understand their department. They understand how to create connections. And one of the things that reducing the administrative barriers of this program does as...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the concern of Members. And what I think I would really love for people to be able to take home is the importance of what it is that we are talking about, which I think that everybody is on the same page of that is that we need to make sure that we are putting as much of a spotlight on culture and languages across the territory. When I have had the opportunity to speak with people from one end of this territory to the other, every time we start talking about healing, it always leads back the conversation always leads back to one of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've had the opportunity to speak with multiple residents who, at some point in their lives, have been on income assistance. And one of the things that they have expressed to me is frustration about how difficult it was to find pathways off income assistance once they were on it. And so one thing that's very important to me and I know that the Member shares this interest as well is creating those pathways for people to be able to access employment, access entrepreneurship, and access education programs as well. And that's one of the reasons I'm so excited...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, for the operational detail of that one, I'd love to pass to Mr. Fulford, the deputy minister.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is asking what we previously track. And so as I'm saying that this is a new program and so going forward, we're going to have the opportunity to look at a lot more data and see what is going on. But that's not information that I have at my fingertips to be able to provide the Member right now. But I very much look forward to being able to tell the story of what this new program is doing for NWT residents and to be able to talk about those success stories. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am quite confident that I'm quite confident in the work of the communications staff at the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. You know, I hope that they won't be judged on that one incident because there have been a tremendous amount of success stories that have come out of that office, and they work very hard. They have done a lot of beautiful work on behalf of the department and have been wellresourced to be able to do that. They are a team that works exceptionally hard and takes great pride in the work that they do and the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, the department used to track productive choices when it had it as a requirement under the program, but it is not a requirement under the program anymore. If the Member had an interest in seeing the historical data on productive choices, I could definitely work with the Member to pull some of that information. Thank you.