Thank you. I agree. And part of the issue is -- just as sort of an education piece for the NGOs, you know, government is very -- almost regimented in the budgeting cycle, and we need to ensure that NGOs are aware of where we are in that cycle. You know, everyone has to be their own advocate, and so we will work with the NGOs but we also want to empower them to advocate when they need to to ensure that they're keeping us honest as well. So thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'll go back to the Member -- oh, okay. Thank you. Next on my list I have is the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So along the line of integrated service delivery and little bit expanding, I think, on what my colleague was speaking to, I note in the business plan, and from corresponding with the Minister and his team, that we are expecting that ISD will move next into Inuvik and Fort Simpson this year. Hopefully that is still on track. But my question is about functional zero goals which EIA has noted will be established with integrated teams by the -- almost the end of this Assembly, March 2027. So my question is do we have a targeted timeline for which communities we're working with first? Would it be the communities where we have ISD teams first and then moving out from there regionally, or what will be our approach? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think when it comes to the communities that we've identified as likely communities for regional integrated service sites, and again focusing at least initially on homelessness, those communities are -- Yellowknife is already there because we have an integrated team. Much work to do there. But we have folks involved in that. Inuvik would be our next site. Fort Simpson, Hay River, and we've certainly identified Behchoko as another potential, and we've broached that conversation with the Tlicho government and TCSA as well, so that's yet to be determined. But in each of those instances, there is a sequence of events that needs to occur to prepare to go and launch that initiative in those communities. First and foremost, engaging with Indigenous governments, looking at which staff need training and then delivering training, communications around that launch, and then working on things like reducing privacy barriers within those staffed, co-locating staff. So there's a work plan in development around each of those communities because each of them has unique circumstances associated with them. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'm going to go to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you for that detailed answer. That's good information. So building on the deputy minister's answer, then -- and I'm very glad to hear that he mentioned that working with Indigenous governments is key and crucial. Is there work in this envelope between EIA and the Council of Leaders of how we are seeking more dollars for these issues that are being addressed under A Way Home? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you. So it hasn't formally come up at the Council of Leaders. At the upcoming Council of Leaders, I believe that anti-poverty initiatives are on the agenda, and so there's an opportunity to broach that subject and have a discussion there. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Nothing further.
Okay, thank you. I'm going to continue on now with the Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So the -- we're talking about government and governance and service integration, and I was -- the Nunavut budget just came out, and they have been working on realignment of their departments, and they have a new Department of Community Services and the goal of that department is to establish a one-stop shop for territorial government services called Service Nunavut. Now, we have GSOs, had them for quite some time. They are amazingly helpful to small communities, to regional centres. We don't have a one-stop shop here in Yellowknife. We have some integrated service units that provide support for individual clients who need to -- and system navigators for various departments, but we don't have that kind of, you know, Greenstone Building approach like we do for the federal government here in Yellowknife for the Service Canada office. We see our sister territory moving towards this model. It's something that I'm very supportive of. We know it works because we have this great GSO officers. Is this something that the department is exploring, a one-stop shop Service NWT? Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you. And I know the Member is a fluent French Speaker, and so we do have Services TNO in Yellowknife which is sort of what the Member's referring to in some ways, a one-stop shop. But we are making incremental moves towards a -- potentially towards a service model like the Member is talking about. In different jurisdictions across Canada, they do have, you know, service, you know, whatever, whatever province you're in, that's the service department. And so that is an opportunity.
One thing that I didn't want to do here was try and overhaul everything all at once. You know, it's a lot of work, really, to integrate services and so we're taking an incremental approach beginning with this focus on homelessness, on co-locating services, looking at our website and redesigning the website to ensure it's more client-centered, and going down that path with the understanding that at some point that could evolve into something where it is a one-stop shop, and that would integrate some of the work that's being done by, like, infrastructure and finance to consolidate application processes for certain things. So we are heading in that direction, but not in this budget, unfortunately. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. And, yes, it is -- it's great if you're a Franco-Ténois, you absolutely can access one-stop shop. There's some issues there as well, but it does exist. So there's funding out there, clearly, because that's how a lot of the Francophone services we do provide are through federal government funding specifically for Francophones and, of course, the funding for other language minorities is much more limited because they're not official languages of Canada. But I wonder if there -- Indigenous Services Canada has client officers and things like that, so there's a lot of client facing public agencies in Canada that are operating to some degree in the Northwest Territories. Is it possible to do more than co-locate some of these services and actually find -- enter into like an MOU with Service Canada or with Indigenous Services Canada to get money from them, match it with our own money and build our own -- and expedite this process. Because I think the easier -- the -- if we can eliminate as many barriers as possible to Northerners accessing government services, we're going to -- it's going to improve everything, and it's going to be a big cost saver to the government as well because you won't -- you'll eliminate duplication and get service delivery working better and more cost effective. So have we explored that building on a relationship with Service Canada to have either them provide territorial services or for us to provide a hybrid model of federal and territorial services? Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you. And just to be clear, there is some structural change. It's not an overhaul but we did bring the GSOs into this division. You know, we created this division. We brought the integrated case management team from justice into this division. So we are slowly and incrementally doing the work that the Member is talking about. And I appreciate that his zeal for this, you know, I -- it features prominently in the mandate because I recognize the importance of integrating services and making things easier for residents. We do actually have an MOU with Service Canada and the GSOs can provide some of those same services as Service Canada, and so that does exist. And, you know, we'd always be happy to look at opportunities to expand that. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Member from Range Lake.
Thank you. And thank you to the Premier for this. I mean, this is an area we do agree on. I'm glad it's in the mandate. I just want to see it moving as quickly as possible. So I'll probably continue to raise this issue going forward. But I think those -- and I want to just give a shout out to integrated service delivery as well. Like I've -- we've directed many -- I've done a Member's statement on it, we've directed many constituents there, and I'll just take the opportunity to say they do amazing work. It is not an easy job to provide that care, but I know constituents and clients really do value the service they get from this unit, and all those staff people deserve a probably -- they all deserve a Premier's award. Maybe you can do that. Yeah, like, keep up the path forward, and if there's anything we can do to expedite it through, you know, our work on this side of the House, we'd be more than happy to do that. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you. I appreciate those comments.
Thank you. No further comments. I'll continue on to the Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I'm just wondering if the -- if there could be maybe some information provided why we still keep the strategic approach to homelessness under the department of the executive. Anyone I speak to seems to think it should be aligned better with housing corp and, generally speaking, I mean, it's -- just seems as if it's a line misplaced and not misused but alignment of goals, objective, you know, when you add transition or process this, housing opportunities this, I mean it would only make sense that it would be under the correct window. And that's not saying that it wasn't put here for a purpose and a reason. I sometimes recognize people have to step in. And perhaps the -- this would be a good time to talk about where it should properly be aligned. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. So in the past, there have been attempts at integrating services in the GNWT, and they haven't been successful, and so a few years ago the GNWT went out and they worked with a contractor to look at those efforts and a path forward, and what the recommendation was and, you know, was -- I think it was widely accepted among those in government who were working on this initiative as well was that instead of trying to integrate everything at once, well, they start with a specific area and build from there. And so homelessness was that area. You know, at the time it was a, you know -- and still is obviously a growing issue in the Northwest Territories and involves a number of different departments and agencies, and so it made sense to try and use that as the avenue to build that. You know, we are learning a lot of lessons from it. One of the lessons is that, you know, homelessness is all encompassing and it is a lot of focus -- there's a lot of focus on dealing with the homelessness issue of the day, which is very immediate and maybe not as much time to integrate services as we would have liked. And so I appreciate the Member's comments and, you know, I have been considering whether or not it is better placed in a different department, so I will take those comments from the Member and factor that into the decision on where this goes. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'll go back to the Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I'm not looking when I say in this next comment about hiring a fleet or futile staff, but I think some evaluation has to be put to this question which is is it better suited elsewhere. We could easily argue that the homelessness could be in housing. We could talk about a cross pollination of issues in the sense of well, there's, you know, health issues, maybe it should be in health. You know, I don't think it should be, but I'm just saying we could justify it anywhere, and I'm just asking is there any chance of evaluating and maybe we'll see this in the -- in my humble opinion, that is, that it sits under the shingle of housing which homelessness might be better tied to. So I mean, is there any chance of an analysis happening? And I don't mean, again, hire fleets of staff, just more of a -- one of those -- a danish, a coffee, and some good soul searching kind of considerations. I don't know what's appropriate, but I'm saying it doesn't need to be massive -- a massive undertaking. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Yes, no. I think we're on the same page. I mean, that's what we're doing. I've ate plenty of danishes in this building, and I drink plenty of coffee, and I contemplate things like this. And so I -- you know, I'm happy to hear that the Member's perspective on this is similar to mine and, yeah, I value the feedback. Thank you.
Speaking of danishes, I'll go back to YK Centre.
Well, for someone who hasn't eaten a danish in ten years, I'll live vicariously through the menu of the Premier. But in all seriousness, there -- are there programs that although today might not be the right day -- I mean, it's the old we could try to force it through and we both -- we all know that that'll never happen, but -- so I not suggest it. But, I mean, there needs to be sort of some overall evaluation of how we do grants, contributions, and even organize business. No disrespect to the department of MACA, but I've often questioned, like, why do we have communities and community relationships under MACA. Why isn't that through EIA because of the interrelationship of chiefs and councils and mayors and councils and regional councils. You know, they all want to speak to the Premier. I mean, I appreciate that, you know, maybe the -- maybe the MACA Minister can do a break dance or karaoke at the municipal meetings and things like that, but the truth be told is they all want to speak to the money which is the -- and the head of government. And that's probably where we have most of our meetings at the end of the day. They all keep coming in their delegations. So I mean, when we're starting to think broader, this is not an ask to do, this is ask to think about, which is we should be asking ourselves how we realign certain departments with respect to where they sit.
Some of my colleagues might say -- and might not agree with either, and that's fine -- you know, is youth better placed in education as an example. And I'm not here to tear MACA apart piece by piece, but I'd be willing to do it in the sense of the examples. You know, like, different things, you know, does lotteries belong in justice. So, I mean, in the context of EIA specifically, Mr. Chairman, I mean, there are different things that would align, I think, much better back to the interrelationships of these things, and I point it out more -- more in line of municipal issues and municipal funding under grants and contributions, especially given the nature of the councils, chiefs, regional issues, and it all lines up with the intergovernmental affairs experience. So, again, not an ask or request or demand to do. The request is really about is what thoughts could be put into it about better integration and with the leadership working with direct leadership. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you. And there's a lot to unpack here so I'll start with the -- you know, the homelessness piece and why it's here. And as I mentioned, it was about integrating services. And so we have integrated service delivery and we have basically the homelessness file, and we were attempting to -- we are attempting to advance integrated service delivery through working on the homelessness file. And the reason it's -- this integrated service delivery and homelessness are in EIA is because integrated service delivery was formerly under the Department of Justice, and it's tough to get people to listen to the Department of Justice; it's easier to get people to listen to something coming out of the Premier's office and so we can, you know, force departments' hand a bit more when it comes to integrated services. That being said, the focus on homelessness has in some ways overtaken some of the work on integrated service delivery, and so I am thinking about, you know, the placement of things like that. And in terms of the broader question about -- you know, I've heard the conversation many times that MACA could be sort of divvied up and parts of it put in other departments. I think that the access that community leaders have right now to a Cabinet Member is probably better than it would be if it was under the Premier. There's only so many hours in the day, and I want to make sure that I'm available to, you know, Indigenous leaders, you know, all of my federal counterparts, MLAs, and I wouldn't want all the mayors and councillors to be squeezed out, and so I think that having a dedicated MACA Minister who is that direct line to communities, it still has a lot of value to it. That being said, I'm always happy to look at -- we're always continuously looking at how we operate and if there's better ways do it, and I try to balance that with the fact that organizational change can suck all the air out of the room and everything else can stop moving ahead while you do that organizational change and people get up to speed on the new roles and all of that work as well. So it's a bit of a balancing act, but I appreciate the Member's comments. Thank you.
Thank you. I'm going to go back to the Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a minor comment, although it may not be exactly on this page, but I ask for your grace on allowing.
One of the -- it was mentioned by the Premier about the integrated service process, and I just would be -- I'd disappoint myself if I didn't highlight this area which is one of the challenges I often hear when it's being led by initiative and across multi-departments is no one's in charge. And, you know, so not picking on anyone in particular, but I'll just say the ECC Minister is the lead of something -- I'm just not picking on you -- but the problem is it integrates other departments and so the ECC Minister is not in charge of the staff under MACA, and hence, you know -- and health, etcetera, and everybody seems to coalesce in some way the night before the report's due but the fact is that there's no way to work with them together because they have to keep going up and down, up and down, and there's no lateral support or reporting lines; it's literally a mess, and it's difficult -- and I hear this from the staff, the management, the leadership within, that the fact is that, you know, the ECC DM or director and that can't tell an employee in MACA what to do and hence they don't do it so people are all saddled with, you know, hot potatoing issues around. So just as a reminder that, you know, as the phrase is brought up, you know, there's got to be a better way to do this. I'm not sure what the better way is, but I'm just going to say is we have some pretty smart people that I acknowledge that can find a better way to do business, and this is just one area I thought I'd mention given the opportunity. Thank you.
Thank you. Did the Minister want to respond?
Sure, yes, I can make some comments on that. So, you know, there are cases where the departments do have integrated teams, and so while you might not have the DM from one department directing an employee from another department, there is integration. So there's those internal structures in place. And the reason that this is under EIA and the Premier's office is because I recognize the difficulties in getting departments to work together. I was Minister of ECE. I was Minister of Justice. I had difficulty getting ECE and justice to work together. So I'm very much aware of these issues, and working to address them. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. Next on my list I have is the Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think it's underneath this section but within this department here. As I mentioned in my Member's statement here earlier today, and we've had some ongoing discussions with this department here for the government's presence and support to bringing food security to the Sahtu communities, and we had to postpone our last planning engagement. It's not convenient for the communities during the winter road season as they're all travelling before it closes. So we're looking at community engagements there with Food Bank Canada and Nutrition North representatives here sometime in the neighbourhood of mid April.
So I want to ask the -- I want to ask the Premier and Minister for this department, the ongoing support I would say or the continued support, I'll wait for this budget to be approved, and then I'll have my hand out knowing the numbers are going to be approved. Thank you.
Thank you. I'll go to the Minister.
Thank you. I am glad the Member has such confidence that this budget is going to be approved; I appreciate that. And I appreciate the Member's advocacy. I know the Sahtu has the highest cost of living in the Northwest Territories and, you know, we do have a number of programs to fund, you know, food, whether it's funding for a food bank, whether it's funding that goes directly to schools, or whether it's other programs we have that allow for some sort of, you know, food distribution under them. And so we do have a lot of that. We are also engaged with the federal government on the Nutrition North program that will be providing feedback to the new ministerial special representative on that as well. And I do understand that there is a -- some events happening this summer and, you know, if there's an availability to meet while, you know, in Yellowknife while that organization is here, we'd be happy to do that as well. So thank you.
Okay, thank you. I'll go to the Member from the Sahtu.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair, and thanks for the reply to that. I feel encouraged that the continued support is there. When I visit small communities, yes, the cost of living is high, cost of groceries is high, and when we hear comments and announcements made that the food program is getting another $45,000, you should see the overwhelming smiles on the parents and teachers. So it's really encouraging to keep motivated to help our communities when you see those smiling faces. Thank you. That's more of a comment there, Mr. Chair. Mahsi.
Thank you. I'll just take it as a comment and continue on. Okay, thank you. There's no -- any further questions? Okay, no further questions, please turn to page 137.
Executive and Indigenous Affairs, governance and services integration, operations expenditure summary, 2025-2026 Main Estimates, $11,435,000. Does the committee agree?
Agreed.
Thank you. I'm going to continue on. Now moving on to health care system sustainability on page 140 with information items on page 142. Are there any questions? I'm going to go to the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Mr. Chair, I move the chair rise and report progress.
There's a motion on the floor to report progress. The motion is in order and non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? Carried. The motion is carried.
---Carried
I will now rise and report progress. Thank you.
