Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier’s proclaimed legacy of the 17th is devolution of powers from the federal government to the people of the North, but this claim remains a mirage, something shaky and blurry seen on a far off horizon. Like so many of the pickles we find ourselves in and leaving for the 18th to deal with, we allowed Mr. Harper to dictate our actions. The results are no surprise: First Nations groups left out in the cold, federal legislation on which to manage our lands and resources, a government that listens to Northerners worse than Ottawa does. Are our people better off now...
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just hope the Minister is right. I’m hoping if I’m ever driven to listening to our proceedings a year from now…
---Laughter
…that I am not seeing this same thing yet again. The sound system sure is a soaker for gobbling up cash. Just a comment. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Could I have an explanation of this last item of $280,000? It sounds like there was a surplus in the child and family services budget for the information system that we’ve been trying to get in place for years now. In fact, I was told there was ongoing work that we’d approved for this fiscal year and that there was even more capital dollars planned for next year to finish off the Child and Family Services Information System. If I’ve got that right, I’m questioning how there can be this $280,000 in surplus given we’re barely halfway through the year, if I’m understanding...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is something I learned about at the recent AGM, annual general meeting, of the Disabilities Council. It turns out that we did good work back in the 15th Assembly and even the 14th. Starting in 2004 there was interest in addressing the issues people with disabilities face. In 2008 there was an action plan that was produced and tabled in the House and there was some good work that went on in between times.
Between 2008 and 2015, however, there seemed to be a major shift and focus away from disabilities. This prompted the NWT council’s interest and proposal to the...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The number of people without a warm, safe place to sleep in Yellowknife is indeed territory-wide and, two, growing daily. The housing crisis in the North is the number one social issue in the North.
Where are we at in implementing a Housing First program? So is the Minister willing to adopt the Housing First approach that addresses the need of our growing homeless population? What’s our plan for moving forward? Mahsi.
Thanks for that response. The Minister anticipated my next question. The City of Yellowknife has indeed committed to the Housing First concept to try to alleviate the homeless situation here. A recent point in time count from the 150 Yellowknifers self-identified as homeless in May of 2015, that’s the spring.
So how exactly is the Minister working with the City of Yellowknife? The Minister noted he was. I appreciate that. How exactly is he working with the City of Yellowknife to help implement the Housing First program? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister has indicated he was prepared to answer my questions, so I’m wondering how the Minister sees this legislation helping us to reduce our cost of living, our energy and electricity bills and our energy consumption. Mahsi.
I did have some comments on the climate change related aspects of this, but I think since this is happening more and more often and coming up repeatedly in this supp, I’ll just save it and talk about it later. Thank you.
Another commitment not made and this is what’s slowing us down on our work to deal with the cost of living, environmental issues and so on and causing people to leave or not come to the North. So, very disappointing.
I’m wondering: will the paper, should it be done soon, as the Minister indicates it might be, actually prepare the 18th Assembly to efficiently do what we have not done, and that is put an effective and timely act into place.
So, will the promised discussion paper be comprehensive, ready and waiting and enabling for the 18th Assembly as they begin their work? Mahsi.
Thank you. I think last year, the largest year we had on record, obviously, it was a challenge. We were a little more prepared this year as a result of having that experience. But I know there was a comprehensive review done by the department on the performance during our ’14-15 year that I’m sure we drew upon for the ’15-16 year. I wonder if the Minister could tell us any areas that we improved our performance and perhaps our proficiency as a result of that previous year’s experience. Thank you.