Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. How does moving elders from the Mackenzie Delta communities to Inuvik for long-term care fit with the government’s priority to foster healthy and independent communities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is almost a year since the government closed the Joe Greenland Centre in Aklavik to elders who cannot live independently. Now there is a lineup of elders waiting to go to the facility in Inuvik which serves the entire Beaufort-Delta region. I am not convinced that the Inuvik facility can handle all the elders who need care. I am not convinced that sending the elders to Inuvik from the communities is the best way to care for them.

In my riding alone of the Mackenzie Delta there are more than 300 elders over the age of 60. They wonder what will happen to them if they...

How does the cutting of this position fit with the priority of this government to promote healthy and independent lifestyles?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my understanding that the wellness worker position in Tsiigehtchic has been eliminated. It was a full-time position and much needed in the community. This need is even greater in Tsiigehtchic because there is no nurse in the community. The lack of health care and service is acute.

Wellness workers encourage active living and help people shift into healthy lifestyles. They help families and stress the importance of well-being.

Wellness workers are key people in delivering one of the most important priorities of this government. I cannot understand why we would cut...

At this time I have no further questions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health. Why was the wellness worker position cut in Tsiigehtchic?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to thank the Members, Ministers and you, Mr. Speaker, for time spent on important issues. Sitting in session so close to the holidays enables us to focus on 2012 and to better serve the people of the Northwest Territories.

We have so much business to tend to. We as a government need to humble ourselves when we are faced with challenges. We need to stay positive and work directly with and for a stronger territory. As we break for the holiday season and go back to our ridings, keep in mind the day-to-day business we still have to resolve when we come...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to also acknowledge a Page originally from Tsiigehtchic in the Mackenzie Delta, Vanessa Blake-Lennie, also my niece. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement today I talked about how we can get more people into the workforce. One of the problems is that even where there are jobs, they go to people from outside the Northwest Territories instead of Northerners. My questions are to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. What tools does the government have now to make sure that NWT residents get first priority for jobs in the Territories, whether those jobs are with government or industry? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today we’re speaking about poverty, which is an issue in all our communities across the NWT. In the small communities it can be very difficult for people to get out of poverty because there are not as many opportunities. Here are some numbers that speak for themselves.

The employment rate in the territory is 67 percent, but in many of our small communities that rate drops into the 30 percent range. At the same time we have 19 percent of households in core need across the Northwest Territories. What this tells me is that if we can get more people into the workforce and if...