Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I got my treaty book here. I highlighted areas in terms of education, and education is a treaty right. And so --
Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, it's a prop. Okay, thank you. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of ECE is travelling to Ottawa next week to meet with her federal counterparts. Would she use this opportunity to advocate to restore these recent cuts to the Jordan's Principle program before they come into place with our new MP who is now the Minister of Crown and Indigenous Relations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I share the Member's concern, and the answer is yes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If these cuts to Jordan's Principle go forward and it eliminates tens of millions of dollars from Indigenous students, will the Minister commit to working with the federal -- sorry, working with affected community school boards and First Nations to restore this critical funding over the summer? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a close working relationship with our education bodies. I meet with them multiple times a year. I'm meeting with them again in June. This has been a conversation on our agenda all year. It is a huge concern for both education bodies and myself. Those conversations will continue. This conversation has also happened with the NWTTA.
Mr. Speaker, one thing that is -- needs to be very clear here is the GNWT cannot afford to take on the programs that the federal government introduces and does not continue. When this program was introduced, and over the last number of years, officials at the department of education have reiterated to officials within the federal government that we cannot afford to take on this program should they choose not to continue it. So that is why the Minister of Health and Social Services and I are teaming up together to deliver this message to Ottawa. That is why I have teamed up as well with education Ministers from the Yukon and also from Nunavut because this has an impact on Indigenous people across this country and across all three territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Mr. Speaker, Jordan's Principle exists to close the gap in the standard of living between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. Every dollar provided to our schools is, in effect, an acknowledgement by the federal government that their needs have to be met by our own territorial government. What has the department of ECE allowed our schools to become so reliant on this federal government and what's their backup plan should they provide -- this program doesn't go ahead? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, within our school funding formula, we have accounted, within the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, for different positions within schools. The federal government, with their program, accounted for putting other positions in schools that were different from the method of supporting schools that ECE had in place. So, for example, there was program support teachers that are funded through Education, Culture and Employment. Those program support teachers have funded through our inclusive schooling directive and already last year we have jump started the process of reviewing our inclusive schooling directive to make sure that we are doing this work properly and that work is already underway. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.
