Jackson Lafferty

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents, entitled Department of Education, Culture and Employment Response to the Auditor General’s Report on the Northwest Territories Income Security Programs; Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Committee Report 5-17(4), Report on the Review of the Auditor General of Canada on 2014 Northwest Territories Income Security Programs.

Further to my Return to Written Question 26-17(4), the Sahtu Five-Year Strategic Training Plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] We are talking about a very important issue here because we’re going to transfer a lot of power to the territorial government here. The Premier has signed the agreement and I’m very happy that that was done. Today is a very special day, and when you look at it, I want to thank all the people that work on the devolution.

In 1967, that was the last time that we had some of the issues of devolution to happen. That was the Health and Education. Since then we also had the highway put through to the Northwest Territories. But now we have a document in front of us...

Mr. Speaker, it gives me also great pleasure to recognize my constituents from the Monfwi region. First and foremost is Grand Chief Eddie Erasmus and also Chief Clifford Daniels that are here with us, leaders of the region. Clifford Rabesca-Zoe, Frances Erasmus, aka Goolie, and former chief Leon Lafferty is here with us as well and also Mike Wetrade. I would like to welcome them to the Assembly. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following two documents, entitled “NWT Arts Strategy Progress Report as of March 31, 2013,” and “Right From the Start: A Framework for Early Childhood Development in the Northwest Territories.” Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, this Assembly’s vision of healthy, educated people contributing to a strong and prosperous northern society starts in early childhood, from prenatal to five years. The departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Health and Social Services have worked collaboratively to craft a renewed Early Childhood Development Framework based on best practices and national and international research. We will be tabling this document later today.

From the comprehensive engagement process at the start of the year, the framework includes input from nearly 500 completed surveys, webinars...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Since I came to office in 2007, we have made some changes not only to income support but other programs as well. As you know, Education, Culture and Employment has a variety of programs under us, even under income support that can provide… There have been some additions; there have been some changes. I can provide that detailed list to the Member. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, we do provide basic fundamental funding to the clientele that we service, the income support clientele. The funding that we provide is shelter, food and clothing.

Again, we are working through various programs such as Municipal and Community Affairs have numbers of programming through NGOs such as we do.

As the Education, Culture and Employment department, we provide almost $7 million in various NGO funding that consists in a breakdown in the communities of various funding that is accessible by the parents, by the children, by the community members. Continuously we have been...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I do believe there were three or four questions in there; I can only answer one. With the distance that has been brought to our attention through the poverty strategy that we have engaged with the public, NGOs, it is important for us to be part of that as income support. We have made some changes over the years, even major changes in 2007 that reflect on communities’ needs. Along the way we have been making changes. We are glad we are part of the Anti-Poverty Strategy that is coming forward in this Assembly, along with other strategies as well. It is important for us to be...

Yes, we are part of the strategy for anti-poverty. We will continue to provide our resources through that strategy as well. Mahsi.

Through various stages we make changes; we improve our programming; we change policies. In Student Financial Assistance or some other income support program, there have been numerous changes as well. Even in 2007, even though I may not have been the Minister, still the department was making changes. Even when I depart there will be another Minister making changes. So all in all, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment provides funding to all these children, either in school, after school, through various venues whether it be agencies or NGOs that we work closely with.

Again, I think...