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Statements in Debates

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the point here. The point is we don’t want to hold up the program, but we do want to make sure that a community JK, junior kindergarten, group begins that there is a fully qualified early education worker on staff there. I appreciate that amendment and this motion, this amendment to the amendment, supports Mr. Menicoche’s suggestion to delete the phrase “group before the program is implemented” and replace that so that it says there is at least one fully trained early education worker for every junior kindergarten group before that group begins in that...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Thanks to the Minister. I recognize that many of the costs he mentioned are indeed increasing. In terms of the increased travel, the intent of all our tens of millions of dollars of investments was to directly address that. I think studies have shown upwards of 50 percent of medical travel patients were out on the street an hour after they had their appointment and didn’t really need that travel. With what we’ve invested now in telehealth, electronic imaging, the direct access to physicians and so on, hopefully we’ll be saving quite a bit on that front. I’ll just leave that...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that the amendment to Motion 13-17(5) be amended by adding the following after the phrase “first paragraph after the resolution portion of the motion”: and replacing them with the words “before that group begins in that community”. I think we need one more minute, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

It sounds like that’s the hard reality and our budgeting system does not have flexibility to do this and redefine that base even conservatively. We know typically this year the numbers I have have increased about 5.5 percent. I think in the order of 4 to 6 percent is typical across Canada, so we could adjust it by 3 or 3.5 percent theoretically, but it doesn’t sound like we have that flexibility. So, onwards.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not totally sure the Minister has been hearing my description of poverty traps. This guy is stuck at home with children and when he tries to work a little bit, it gets clawed back and he’s even worse off. When the Minister or myself make an extra $1,000, we pay income tax. We are not living in poverty, so we contribute about $400 of that back to society, and I think we would agree, all of us, that that’s money well spent. But when someone on income support makes an extra $1,000, they only get to keep $150.

How can the Minister or any government official possibly...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

Thanks to the Minister. Does our budgeting process allow us the flexibility of saying we’re going to assume a 5 percent increase this year when we’re budgeting for these costs, or do we have to basically go on what it was last year and deal with the extra costs through a supp? Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

I can assure the Minister that I do track that information and we have the poorest 20 percent of people in this jurisdiction in the country and it’s not improving. I appreciate that we do what we can, the Minister does what he can, but what I’m suggesting here is ways that we can do more with less.

As I mentioned, Nutrition North does food basket surveys on what it costs to feed a family of four in our communities. Their data shows that the amount provided by income support is only half of what is needed. Maintaining our focus on the most critical element underserved here – that’s children –...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to be clear, is that for total costs for health care services for residents outside the NWT?

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

Charles now owes money for child care and still does not have enough to feed his family. I wish I could say this story has a happy ending, but Charles is having a hard time seeing a way out.

This is what I mean when I talk about poverty traps. Our Income Security programs are inadequate and the built-in clawbacks create a disincentive to work. I must point out again, that rather than providing the stable home children need to succeed, living in a poverty trap means toxic stress, leading to delays in early childhood development that will, sadly, be costly for all and for lifetimes.

This morning I...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 22)

Just in terms of there are specific goals and objectives there. I think with the Solar Strategies I think it was five communities with 20 percent, the five thermal communities with 20 percent of our solar generation meeting the load and a couple of communities, 75 percent or something in that order. The Greenhouse Gas Strategy I believe it was, I can’t remember specifically, it was a little bit waffley, so it’s hard to remember that one. But are we able to say where we’re at in terms of achieving those and an explanation of that? Thank you.