Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I heard a decision was made, but I did not hear why it was made. Thank you.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Our neighbours in Yukon are piloting a new approach to the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in jails. The Department of Justice there is funding a three-year pilot program to train people to write what are called Gladue reports. A Gladue report provides detailed information about the offender's background, including any time spent in residential schools or in the care of child welfare, family and community history, as well as struggles with mental health and addictions. The reports are named after a Supreme Court of Canada decision given 20 years ago, which asked...
Thank you, Mr. Chair. On page 381, I note that the funding for the North Slave district has decreased by $466,000, and I'm wondering, I guess, why and how money is allocated among districts? Thank you.
Yes, did the Housing Corporation look at any other ways to try to make up that difference? It is a considerable sum of money, almost half of what is allocated for this year. Thank you.
I appreciate the Minister trying to answer that question, as well. I also wonder, as well as adjusting the threshold, whether the child benefit thresholds could be sensitive by region to higher-cost-of-living situations and lower-cost-of-living situations? Would it be possible to target the thresholds in that way, by region?
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and they concern the living wage, and particularly the NWT Child Benefit. What we know from the most recent calculation, which was the same as 2017, is that this reference family of two adults and two children would not qualify for the NWT Child Benefit. My first question for the Minister is: how was the threshold for the NWT Child Benefit set? Thank you.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Minister and I share the same goal of assisting parents to help their children grow up with everything that they need in terms of food, accommodation, and so on, so that the poverty cycle is broken, especially by people who are working full-time. My final question here, and likely for the same answer, I realize, is whether the NWT child benefit could be indexed to inflation. The federal government recently took that step with the Canada child benefit, and it means, of course, that the benefit retains its value. That is an important feature, so can the Minister also look...
I appreciate the Minister's willingness to find that information. I hope she will be able to answer the next question, which is whether the thresholds can be changed, and what effort would it take to change them and raise them?
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The social justice organization Alternatives North just released its updated calculation of the living wage required by families in Yellowknife, and, for the first time, there are calculations of the living wage for Hay River and Inuvik, as well.
The living wage is calculated using a national framework to ensure results are consistent among jurisdictions and over time. The calculation is for the most common family type, two parents working full-time, one child in childcare full-time, and one in elementary school.
Mr. Speaker, the principle of the living wage is that, if you...
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to ask the Minister: is this the correct page or activity on which to ask questions about the new position of associate deputy minister for post-secondary education?