Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, ITI went through a very extensive review of their entire org chart and rewrote, actually, 83 job descriptions as part of this work to make sure that people's roles would be shifting, that we were trying to work within the staff means that we had within the department. And the need for an added director is because there is a requirement to ensure that we are separating the regulatory versus the mineral promotion roles within the department, because the roles have changed and the expectation on the department has changed as per the co-drafted...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as with much of what we do, we try to be as transparent as possible. So absolutely there will be a public publication of the report itself, the review itself, as well as a management response. And we want to ensure that at the same time we are aligning the MRA regs and so my understanding is that we're looking at next winter for that, but I would want to confer with the department and come back to the Member with a more definite timeline on that. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So certainly there's the increased demand on the funding mechanism but these positions do a lot more. They are managing multiple programs, including the producer incentive program, the film rebate program. There's also the SEED for film sector funding schedule. Currently, there is very minimal staff that work within this. But they're also supporting the film producers themselves. People often call to the territory and are looking for, okay, we want an old bridge, where is there an old bridge in the Northwest Territories? Or, hey, we want to film another season...

Waiting for -- oh, there we go. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, new jobs, we always ask if they can be regionally located, and then in addition to that, we ensure that we are also using policies, for example, the remote work policy so that if somebody wants to apply for a job from another community and live in their home community and not relocate for it, that we are always using the policies that we have available to us. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for continuing to keep the conversation around internal trade barriers alive and well in this House. Much appreciated.

So, Mr. Speaker, last year we had really an unprecedented year as far as focus on internal trade barriers across this country. That included health care, of course. And often really what we saw was due to duplication in licensing and regulatory requirements of different supplies. That's where those real cost increases were coming. Last year we ended up with a 30 percent reduction in party-specific exceptions across...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, just to reassure the Member and all Members in this House that we have not stopped talking about this at all over at the Cabinet table and with departments. We are very much having the same conversations and working through the same motions that the Member speaks of and that it is not just ITI; it is absolutely every single department. If you are all of a sudden having to stand up significant projects in this territory, that has an impact on housing. It has an impact on health care. It has an impact on our roads to be able to bring material up to the...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, we previously had federal funding for community engagement position roles, so supporting with helping communities do engagement across the territory. And in addition to that, the funding that you see in this year's budget, and we're trying to make sure that we are only requesting funding that is needed for the implementation of the MRAR, as well as getting all of that done. And that is a key focus of the department in the life of this Assembly, and so what this also includes is a director position that will be required. It is the director of...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, both from a political and operations level, we'll make sure that it is shared. So I will make sure that I share it with my colleagues at the Cabinet table. And in addition to that, the deputy minister will be sharing it with her colleagues as well. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, absolutely our program funding is fairly consistent year over year, and for the most part all of our programs are oversubscribed which means that we've got evaluation committees that have tough decisions to make. But whether it is tourism programming, SEED funding, community transfer initiatives, and film funding, there's a lot of competition for programs in the territory. We have seen an increase in, for example, film funding because we recognize the multipliers that exist within that industry so really trying to see a growth in that sector given...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, industry, tourism and investment also uses the Indigenous career gateway program which is essentially training positions where the department can gain access to training funds for an employee through that program, and ITI always looks to do that first and foremost with any hiring opportunities. Thank you.