Julian Morse

No one thinks any less of you for it, Mr. Chair.

So knowing that we've got a number of years left, I feel like it's very obvious to point out that we're in 2025, and yet the funding has been completely cut. And so if the transformation is not scheduled to be complete for another two years, what is going to be funding the transformation and how are we going to be successful? How is the Minister ensuring that we are setting this institution up to succeed this time knowing that we already missed the rollout date of 2025 that was supposed to happen? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's all the questions I have for this section.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my first question is for the first line item on page 45 here, junior kindergarten to grade 12 education system services. I note that it's declined in the past three years from $10 million all the way down to $4 million. So can the department explain to us what is the story with these cuts over subsequent years?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just also some questions on page 212. The Member for Great Slave doesn't need to point out that I was being given an unlimited clock there.

Mr. Chair, so just on page 212 there, there's an almost $9 million -- or there is a $9 million reduction of health and social services authorities funding. There's a cut to the respite fund. There's a cut to the seniors' fund. Are all those explained by the same answer that the Minister gave me just a minute ago there?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I mean, this is certainly something we've been talking about in the House quite a bit, today, yesterday, but I thought I might be able to get into it a little bit more during budget.

So although there was an increase in the 2024-2025 Mains, clearly we're still hearing a lot of concerns from operators about the ELCC funding, the certification processes involved, the proposed wage grid. Does the Minister have confidence that they can sufficiently support this sector and, indeed, achieve their goal of growing the sector with the current funding models given these...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm going to ask a high-level question first because it may explain all of the cuts. But I notice there's about a $10 million reduction here; can the Minister explain that. And does that $10 million reduction explain everything that's being cut there similar to some of the items I asked about in the previous item?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. And so I mean fundamentally speaking, do we have a plan related to this mandate item? Like, do we have -- how do I say this. I mean, are we measuring our northern workforce, determining what is preventing it from growing, and implementing a targeted plan to grow it? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for all those answers, explaining those various adjustments in there.

The next question is can the Minister explain what progress has been made in investigating the feasibility of adding an Office of the Practitioner Experience?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I assume this is as good a place as any to be asking business plan related questions; can I confirm that?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Okay, so to be clear, no reduction in service there.

Similarly, population and public health services, there's a $1.2 million cut. Is there a service cut associated with that? Thank you.