Bob McLeod

I would like to clarify once again. We will be releasing What We Heard papers, What We Heard from all of our consultations. We are working on a draft discussion paper. We will be working developing that in conjunction with the social envelope Ministers. We met with Alternatives North and YWCA to discuss the Anti-Poverty Strategy and they were very pleased with that approach.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to indicate that in addition to the workshop that this government funded for $40,000 which assisted us greatly, we also had consultations throughout the Northwest Territories. We had about 250 people present to the group that was doing the community consultation. We had focus groups and sessions in a number of communities. We had regional advisors from every region in the Northwest Territories. We’ve taken that information and we are releasing the document What We Heard today, and over the next few months we will be working within the government and also...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document, entitled “What We Heard from Northerners about Poverty.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We’re going to have a committee of social envelope Ministers, so all the Ministers that are involved with poverty will be directing the development of the Anti-Poverty Strategy. We’ll have a lead deputy minister that will coordinate the direction and make sure that we follow the direction of the Social Envelope Committee.

I’m sure the Member would be very pleased to hear that we’re going beyond what Nunavut has done. We’ve had 33 focus group sessions. My understanding is Nunavut held one workshop and released the recommendations that emanated. We’re going to go further than that. We’re going to draft the strategy, we’re going to have direction from the Ministers of this government, the social envelope Ministers, and when we are finished we’ll have an Anti-Poverty Strategy that will be implemented and hit the ground running.

Mr. Speaker, when our new government first met last October, we agreed on a vision for the Northwest Territories. Our vision is of strong individuals, families and communities sharing the benefits and responsibilities of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories. Developing an Anti-Poverty Strategy is part of achieving this vision. It is linked with all of our goals and will ultimately form part of the basis for our government’s coordinated approach to social issues.

Mr. Speaker, our goals as the 17th Assembly are all connected. To have healthy, educated people...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to advise Members that the Honourable David Ramsay will be absent from the House today and tomorrow to attend the 2012 Northern Development Ministers Forum in Goose Bay, Labrador.

Sorry, Mr. Speaker. I missed the last two pages.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of the motion on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories.

The Diamond Jubilee is an opportunity to celebrate the traditions, history, values and institutions that we share with all Canadians and which are symbolized by the Queen and the Crown in Canada.

The Northwest Territories has a long history with the monarchy and has welcomed Her Majesty and members of her family on several occasions, including visits by Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and, most recently, their Royal Highnesses William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

We...

I think the Aboriginal Summit and Intergovernmental Forum, I think both of those processes at the end were dismissed and disbanded because they weren’t fulfilling the objectives that they were set up for. We’re taking a much more careful approach this time.