David Ramsay

I thank the Minister for that. I know the Minister; his intentions are good and I know his office is trying to work out a solution for this student that I’m talking about, this mother of four who is encountering problems. The Minister talked about the review and I just want to get some assurance from the Minister and the government that the SFA review that’s going to be started this fall is going to be finished in time for next calendar school year so that we’re not going to affect the next two school years. If it doesn’t come in until October next year, the students that are in the situations...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment getting back to my Member’s statement where I talked about a 31-year-old mother of four children, aged six to 14, who is having her living allowance for SFA cut back from $1,550 a month to $1,040 a month. She also has been informed by the SFA caseworker that she is only eligible for another year. She is going to hit the $60,000 cap. The reason she’s going to hit this $60,000 cap is because she has four kids and she’s getting a living allowance which is just over twice what a single student...

That’s good, Mr. Chairman. I thank the Minister for that. Again I think it’s an important issue and it can’t continue to be downplayed and overlooked.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hear what the Minister is saying. Again, there aren’t any guarantees here. I appreciate the fact that they want to talk to students. They want to talk to anybody that’s interested in SFA, including Regular Members of this House I think should be heavily consulted on that. In the dealings we have with our constituents, I think we can’t leave any students out of this equation. While we’re studying this, we can’t afford to let it drag on. I think we need to get some assurances from the government that we are going to take a set amount of time and get the review done so...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a couple of general comments on Bill 19. There is a section, I think it’s 31, that talks about reporting. I had questions at committee about that. I got a response from I believe it was the deputy minister and the Minister that it wouldn’t cause an administrative burden on the various lending agencies that the government has, such as the BDIC, student financial assistance and ITI. Obviously it looks like it’s going to pass. You know, next year or the year after, are the departments, BDIC or ITI coming forward looking for new positions to deal with billing or...

I must say I applaud the tenacity of my colleague from the Mackenzie Delta on this issue. I will support his amendment that he’s bringing forward today.

I remember back to the committee meeting and I know the government is going forward with a way to be more consistent in this area with the Interpretation Act that’s going to come into play during the life of the 17th Assembly. I think we have to be consistent. We’ve dealt with other pieces of legislation that have this clause in it. I see nothing wrong with adding this amendment. I always say, better safe than sorry.

I’m going to support my...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to, in my last question to the Minister, ask how it is that the government can in a meaningful way evaluate what we are offering today in the area of addictions. How can we evaluate that in a meaningful way so that we can ensure that the money that we are spending in the area of addictions is being spent the right way and actually making a difference?

We’re hearing it from residents, business owners, and constituents about the level of crime in our community, the fact that addictions seem to be getting much worse, affecting young people in our community, and as a government I’m just wondering what we are doing about it. I’d like to ask the Minister how exactly does the Government of the Northwest Territories measure and evaluate the success and/or failure of the programs and services related to addictions in our territory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members have heard numerous statements and questions from me in regard to our justice system, and today I want to continue on with that theme related to root causes.

In May I talked about recidivism and the drastic increase in the number of violent crimes being committed in our territory, often by criminals who are committing a violent offence for the 17th, 18th, and sometimes even 30th time. The question I’ve been getting as an MLA representing a riding here in the city of Yellowknife is: how safe are our streets? When we have an RCMP inspector stating that this past...

Mr. Chairman, I move that we report progress.

---Carried