Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, the reason that this program was certainly implemented back in the day was in hopes of seeing more students return to the North in hopes of ultimately seeing our population numbers grow. It was part of the strategy for population growth. We did not see, as everybody knows, our population grow as a result of this program. Certainly, if the intent was to see this program returned to the budgets of the Legislative Assembly, I would not have the authority to just start doing it again. I would have to go to -- through regular budgetary processes in...

Thank you very much. Our commitment was to relaunch the program after hearing from them. So we listened to them. We took into account their perspectives and relaunched the program. Madam Chair, there was no commitments made at the meeting because, of course, needed to ensure that we were weighing all of the facts and balancing everything out and putting together a program at the end of the day that we felt was fair. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Well, Madam Chair, I would hope that at the end of the day all adults, including all of us, are being respectful of one another. But I would also love for teachers to share with my kids how to exercise their civic responsibilities and civic duties and get them involved in politics and that -- you know, politics is everything from do you think you should be allowed to wear a ball cap in a classroom. And so I think that at the end of the day making sure that while teachers aren't indoctrinating kids that we absolutely are ensuring that our kids are developing critical...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, the Yukon was able to move their nominee program up to 430 allocations in previous years. This year, because they were cut by 50 percent, they went down to 215. So that said, they are still starting from a place that was greater than our allocation but not as high as the Member indicated.

It's worth noting, Madam Chair, that different territories are in different positions as far as nominee programs are concerned. Right now, Nunavut does not have a nominee program. That being said, I hear the Member, and I'm certainly always willing to work pan...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. So, Madam Chair, what I think is really important to capture here is that there's over $5 million a year that the GNWT receives from the federal government specifically for Indigenous languages, and that funding is funneled straight to Indigenous governments, and Indigenous governments determine what their programs -- their community-based programs will do and certainly have the support of ECE for that.

I absolutely agree with the Member that revitalization of Indigenous languages across the territory is incredibly important and is one that we need to take...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. No, I appreciate the Member's consistent advocacy for the people that he serves. Mahsi.

The Member is correct. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Certainly, Madam Chair, I hear a lot about this program from my own constituents who I represent, and then in regards to advocacy with stakeholders that we had the opportunity to hear from and the opportunity to work with at the department in relation to this program here, there was the chamber of Yellowknife and the chamber of the Northwest Territories, our Chamber of Commerce Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories Chamber of Commerce, and also CDETNO, and then in addition to that individual business owners as well.

I'm wondering if the Minister could be -- pardon me, if the Member can be more specific or direct about what they would like to get to here. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. No, it does not exist in policy. Thank you.