Julie Green

Masi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it sounds as if the CBC series was timed very well in terms of having this issue already on the radar of various government officials, such as the Minister. My final question is: if there is a young person in a small community who feels victimized by somebody who is a sports official or coach in their lives, where would that youth go now, today, to report that abuse, and what would the follow-up to a complaint like that be? Does the Minister have that information? Mahsi.

I appreciate the information from the Minister. If the Minister will send me an email with that link in it, I'll certainly make it known. Parental responsibility is obviously part of the equation here. Further, does the Minister require a list be kept by Sport North of people convicted of abuse in connection with young athletes, and is there a way for the public, meaning primarily parents and caregivers, to access it?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, many of us will have heard the shocking and disturbing revelations of this week's CBC Sports investigation into sexual abuse in amateur sport. For those who haven't heard, here is a summary of the findings.

The CBC investigation found that at least 222 amateur sport coaches in Canada had been convicted of sexual offences in the last 20 years. Those convictions involve more than 600 victims under the age of 18. Thirty-four cases are before the courts, including new charges against a Hay River swimming coach previously convicted of sexual assault in 2015. Because...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. As I mentioned in my statement, my hope and expectation is that the next Anti-Poverty Action Plan will include well-defined goals for which there is required funding for implementation, along with robust evaluation. Can the Minister tell me whether this is a realistic expectation? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Finally, my last question is: at the workshop, the Minister talked about securing business and charitable partners to leverage additional funding for anti-poverty initiatives; I am wondering if the Minister can tell us what progress he has made and what the plan is for that?

I appreciate the detail that the Minister provided in his answer. I want to go into the specifics a little bit. Food security was a high-profile issue at the most recent anti-poverty roundtable. In addition to funding food banks and soup kitchens, does the Minister have a plan to develop a long-term systemic solution to help the one in three children who experience hunger in the NWT?

Mr. Speaker, today, I am reflecting on the fifth annual Anti-Poverty Roundtable, held in Hay River in November. I appreciate the Minster's invitation to attend and being able to hear from colleagues taking action on poverty throughout the territory as well as the opportunity to see what local organizations are doing and to meet their dedicated staff.

There is no question that anti-poverty efforts have come a long way since the GNWT Anti-Poverty Action Plan was introduced. The anti-poverty fund for grass-roots projects is now $1 million. There is more support for homelessness and communities...

Mr. Speaker, I would like to go at that question in a different way. Food security is just the example, but the real point I am trying to get to is funding short-term solutions and funding long-term solutions and whether there is any intention by the government to look at a set of long-term solutions to issues like food security, which would provide solutions that don't have to be constantly updated but would be in place for all residents of the GNWT over the long term.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by saying that I appreciate the positions that my colleagues have taken. I think some of them I don't agree with, but I appreciate their efforts to make themselves understood.

Mr. Speaker, make no mistake. This is a political discussion, and we are making a political decision. This is a place in which politics happens. We are here to demonstrate leadership in the most pressing issue facing our territory at this time. It is my take on my role that I can express this leadership by forwarding this motion.

From a legal point of view, we have...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Union of Northern Workers have been negotiating a collective agreement for the last three years;

AND WHEREAS the Union of Northern Workers and the Government of the Northwest Territories have agreed to mediation scheduled to take place on February 8 and February 9, 2019, in an attempt to reach a collective agreement;

AND WHEREAS the Union of Northern Workers has served the Government of the Northwest Territories with strike notice for 12:01 a.m. on February 11, 2019, in the event that mediation fails;

AND WHEREAS the...