Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be succinct. Yesterday it was reported that the federal Minister for IRCC said that some nominee programs are getting a boost to numbers. Can the Minister let the House know if that includes the NWT.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to report that the Northwest Territories has negotiated the full reinstatement of its nominee program.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good news indeed. Mr. Speaker, many newcomers experience great anxiety as goalposts shift and changes are made without prior notice to the program which creates excruciating uncertainty for applicants. Will the Minister commit to be providing more information on the amount of spaces, the timeline, and process for applicants to anticipate in the 2026 intake. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member reflected in their statement about the fact that I was just in Toronto at our meeting with Ministers from across the country. This was something that I raised at the table, was the uncertainty that repetitive kind of announcements of new allotments has created and also the late announcements of what our 2026 will look like. So I have asked for more advanced notice so that we know what levels will look like and more forward-looking outlook so we're not finding out year after year in that same timeframe. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister speak to whether ECE's recent engagement campaign this past September, whether or not that campaign has identified a need to support newcomers who have been in the NWT the longest; that is to say, the current program supports folks whose work permits are expiring but folks who have been here the longest extend. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Education, culture and employment's currently working on the What We Heard report in order to gather all that information and be able to publish it for everybody to be able to see what feedback we were receiving. I can say or share with the Member that just in emails that I've received from people across the territory who are living here and wanting to participate in the nominee program that responses really vary. People's circumstances are so unique, and, really, people are looking for that certainty and they want to call the North home. And so I expect that we'll see a diverse range of responses and that we'll need to make strategic decisions that benefit the territory at the end of the day but also balance the need of Canadian newcomers and employers. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
