Julie Green

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to welcome to the gallery Katie Johnson, who does great work with the Literacy Council here in Yellowknife. She is one of my constituents and neighbours.

I am also pleased to welcome the Chynoweth family, Peter and Sharon Chynoweth, their daughter Heather Black, and grandson Kieran Black, who are with us today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Could the Minister tell us what kind of a dent that is going to make in our core housing need in the area of availability? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This side of the House proposed that there be a safe-house pilot project take place in the last fiscal year or in the current fiscal year, I think it was. We proposed it again for next year. Can the Minister give us an update on the status of that request? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, could the Minister tell us how many new units will be built in the next fiscal year, anywhere in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you. How much confidence does the Minister have that this base building work will be completed in the 2019-2020 fiscal year? Thank you.

The Minister can't have it both ways. He can't say that he's doing everything possible to help Child and Family Services, and then at the same time acknowledge that the Auditor General has again come up with another 11 recommendations that address children in jeopardy. These are not lightweight issues. They are the most, as my colleague from Hay River North said, "the most vulnerable people in our society." Many of these recommendations have been repeated. Why are we waiting another four years for the Minister to do what he already said he would do, to the Auditor General, in 2014?

Mr. Speaker, that means the Minister has heard this call to identify the resources needed to provide these services at least three times, and the problems not only persist, they are getting worse. The children who needed his help nine years ago are now adults or well on their way. It's worth remembering that these children, all children, have but one childhood. Our priority must be to help children not only survive it, but to thrive in safe and supportive environments. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I note that this is the biggest ever, apparently, Infrastructure budget, the bulk of which is going towards roads and the bulk of which is being driven by the federal government's shared-cost projects that are going on at the moment.

I recognize that these projects are an important generator of labour income in communities throughout the NWT, but it is not clear at all how much of that labour is NWT labour, especially given the scope and size of these projects. I wonder, as well, given that, whether it would make more sense to spread the money out. It seems as...

I think there's a misunderstanding here. The Minister knew about these problems in 2009. He knew about them in 2014. He's been reminded about them this week. My question is: when is the Minister going to show leadership on this issue? It is he who fights for the budget and argues over the spending priorities. Why, over all these years, has he been unable to make the business case to adequately finance Child and Family Services?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. When he was a member of the Social Programs Standing Committee, he and his colleagues made 70 recommendations on the Child and Family Services Act. The committee report says: "We also recognize that some of our most important recommendations will require investment. The committee believes very strongly that the future of the NWT children and families warrants this investment." That was nine years ago. What happened to those recommendations? Mahsi.