Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. No, Madam Chair, absolutely hear the Member, multiple Members on the floor of this House. So there were changes made to the income assistance program in the last Assembly, and one of -- what I think is one of the -- well, two of the greatest changes were, one, the division for income assistance for persons with disabilities and seniors, and so that allowed persons with disabilities and seniors to enter into an annual program, so it reduced the administrative burden. And then within the other program, so the income assistance for adults program, that -- one of...

Thank you so much, Madam Chair. So a laddering program is a program that you take, you know, this course here, and that course there affords you also the experience that you need and the credentialing that you need to get to the second part of the course. And so a great example of that -- not one that we have currently in the Northwest Territories, but that I would love to one day see -- is, for example, if you sign up for a nursing program through Ryerson College today and you for some reason have to withdraw after the first year, they ensure that you finish with your personal support worker...

Thank you very much. Learning for residents is certainly referenced in the mandate letter, but the specific details of what that looks like and with our agreement with Aurora College is found within the memorandum of understanding. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that is what is ultimately the most important here.

Mr. Speaker, in relation to the entire legislation, ECE is working in consultation with Indigenous governments, and that work and the speed of that work will really be determined through the protocols with Intergovernmental Council. Specifically for this individual case here, you have the absolute commitment of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and myself to work as quickly as possible through the decision points that do remain but also with the associated consultation that needs...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Yes.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, can I pass to the deputy minister to speak in detail on this one. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, increases to minimum wage are certainly incredibly important. They allow us to stay competitive as a jurisdiction across Canada, and so I think, you know, not only comparing ourselves as far as the formula and to previous years within ourselves but making sure that we're also comparing ourselves to other jurisdictions across Canada is incredibly important. I think what the Member might be leading me towards is conversations on a living wage versus minimum wage, and certainly there is a discrepancy between the two of those, but I do absolutely...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, when I'm talking about the programs, I'm talking about all of our labour market programs as a whole have not been all fully subscribed. To compare the numbers of where each of them have been at, I would need to get back to the Member as far as their subscription rates. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, there's still a responsibility to ensure that adult education is accessible in communities across the Northwest Territories. And so that's what I'm referring to, is at the end of the day we have a contribution agreement with Aurora College that speaks to adult learning and basic education. And if the pieces of that contribution agreement and MOU are not being satisfied to their full extent, then obviously we need to figure out how the funding responds to that. And then if there is a gap left over, how that would be addressed by the Department...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Member first and foremost for raising this very important intersection of legislation and how it impacts the lives of Northerners. And I think that's really very important that we always take a look at, we always keep in mind, and making sure that our legislation is responsive is incredibly important.

Mr. Speaker, under the Archaeological Sites Act, Justice has provided a legal opinion that this legislation does include ancestral remains of Northerners. Mr. Speaker, I think it's incredibly important to note here that this is a piece of...