Jackie Jacobson

Just for the Minister. Let’s just pick one and we could start somewhere. These issues are big in the smaller communities. Once you walk out of this building, you see it in downtown Yellowknife. We have to start somewhere. If the Minister and government are willing to work with us, as the Regular Members, to do something about it, I really urge them to.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I briefly mentioned homelessness in the smaller communities. Today I want to say that this is an issue common to many northern communities. Some people end up in larger centres like Yellowknife and Edmonton, but we do have some who fall through the cracks and are homeless in their own home communities. Even though I have heard new budget pledges to build new, affordable houses, we are concerned that there will still be homelessness for some.

I’ll be asking the Minister responsible for public housing if the department has any reliable information on the number of homeless...

Foods from the land: caribou, moose, fish, ducks and berries.

Then, again, they are faced with the increasing cost of fuel — $1.64 a litre in the community of Tuk. Equipment such as boats, motors, sleds, et cetera, is getting more expensive. They are good harvesters but just can’t afford to go out on the land.

My generation is in some ways very fortunate. We have access to training, instant communications and many other benefits of modern society. It’s the situation of the older generation and single-parent families that worries us. Do they have enough to make ends meet? Do they feel safe and...

I just really want to stress that the job cuts in the smaller communities…. Families are not always willing to move and are unable to. It just really puts them…. A really pretty bitter taste, I guess, in the GNWT workforce in the communities if they’re just cut like that. But I’d like to see this affirmative action. If the Minister could just make sure that the smaller communities that are being affected — that the opportunities are given to them.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins.

Department of Executive

On April 3, 2008, members of the Standing Committee on Government Operations met with the Premier to review the Draft Main Estimates for the Department of the Executive.

The committee members made note that the department is proposing to spend $12,976,000 in operation expenses for the Executive offices during the fiscal year of 2008–2009.

The committee members offered the following comments on the issues arising out of the review of the 2008–2009 Draft Main Estimates: mandate of the functions of the Executive and the Department of Aboriginal Affairs...

That was quick, Mr. Minister. Thank you.

Would the government, perhaps the Minister of ECE, consider setting the task force to study homelessness in the smaller communities?

Mr. Speaker, it’s my honour and privilege to recognize Ms. Jean Gruben, one of my constituents from Tuktoyaktuk, in the House.

Mr. Speaker, in the small communities there are many people who are economically challenged and, therefore, end up depending on government to make ends meet for themselves and their families. Government agencies, especially the Department of Health and Social Services, periodically determine what a family might require for the basics and then use these figures to assist their clients. However, there are cost differences in larger, more accessible centres such as Yellowknife, and then there are smaller rural communities in which these differences are dealt with by private and public sectors...

Mr. Chair, getting back to my colleague Mr. Krutko’s questions in regard to being reassigned, in the smaller communities what choice will they have in trying to keep their job available? Or would they be given another chance elsewhere?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have none at this time.