Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

So, Mr. Chair, this is a conversation that is happening within the tourism sector, with Indigenous governments as well, with investors both nationally and internationally as well. This is a conversation that has come up on multiple occasions as well when we have had conversation with ambassadors who are looking for different partnerships and relationships that can be formed and tourism is a natural one in that. And so certainly these conversations are happening and there is a mass of people out there that are looking for unique experiences in the Northwest...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, I am going to start off by saying that the experience and education that elders bring to, for example, schools and to communities is invaluable.

Mr. Speaker, the income assistance program is set up to meet the monthly needs of residents of the Northwest Territories. It does that by looking at what those basic needs are, to make sure that residents can meet their basic needs. It minuses from that any income that they might need. It adds to that the income exemptions that are available and then determines what the financial needs are from the...

Yes, please, Mr. Chair. I would like to bring witnesses into the House.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can definitely bring the Member's statement from today to the chair of Aurora College and make sure that he's aware of it, make sure that he's aware of the program that the Arctic Energy Alliance has put in place. But, ultimately, the operational direction of the college and what courses they are prioritizing is up to them. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So Mr. Speaker, as the Member knows, based on the responses from the Premier last week in regards to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People Implementation Plan, we have a committee that is prioritizing what pieces of legislation they will be reviewing first, and that committee has the authority to determine what pieces of existing Government of the Northwest Territories legislation will be reviewed and in what order. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can't have a teacher in the gallery without recognizing them. That's teacher Hannah Fournier. And I also want to make sure that Tanner is not the only one that is recognized. We also have with us today Jarrett, Natalie, Serenity, Harmony, Achiles, Jasmine, Sawyer, Arizona, Mia, Murray, Jane, Kayla, Aspen, Mia -- second Mia, so two Mias in one class -- Olivia, Carson, Emmett, Hannah, Nathaniel, Colby, Sahia, and Cameron. And so welcome to the gallery today.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, if we want to make sure that we're filling our labour market needs across this territory, we need to make sure that we are paying people a wage that they can live off. And so if that means that employers, unfortunately, have to raise their minimum wage so that people can take on those jobs, that's where we're at. But we're not in a position to go against a median wage set by the Government of Canada that is a requirement. And if people are wanting to see parity between what foreign workers are making and what Northerners are...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, we set the minimum wage here in the Northwest Territories and we work to develop a formula, and we worked with employers and an entire committee to develop this formula that's based on the consumer price index. And it was determined when that formula was produced, and come up with with employers, that not having a predictable way of determining what minimum wage would be year over year created some challenges and some unexpectedness as far as running a business. So that's where that formula was born.

Now, the median wage that is used by the...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It can be something as simple as making sure that clear and transparent program availability and kind of the flow chart of what that progression of different types of supports at different stages of operating a business looks like from the Government of the Northwest Territories right up to work that's being done right now with reviews of both the SEED program, the community transfer initiatives program, and the community futures program. So those reviews are currently underway.

Within the Fort Providence region, over the last couple of years there's been over...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

So, Mr. Chair, it is a program through the tourism mentorship fund, so not through SEED, so it is separate. And in addition to that, it's a program that was captured as part of Tourism 2025.

As far as I know, we are not receiving or not being inundated with requests for mentorship, and it is always the goal of industry, tourism and investment, if somebody is wanting to pursue some type of mentorship that has to do with business that we're going to find somebody to pair them up with and at least always make that connection. It's a department that is very much based...