Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a message from concerned constituents of mine.

I have been approached to deliver a message on behalf of a group of concerned constituents who live in my riding and some of my colleagues’ ridings too.

Here is what they want to say: We are small but not insignificant. We are not known for our beauty, but we have great taste. We are probably the only constituents in the NWT that are happy we had an epic fire season. We may be just a bunch of fungi living in the forest, but we have a message that is deadly serious. Okay, well, maybe not as deadly as amanita, but you...

My final question relates to the results of the Early Development Instrument, or EDI. I mentioned the EDI results because they’re a decisive measure of whether our people are healthy, educated and free from poverty. Mr. Speaker, on indicators of things like communication skills and physical well-being, our smallest communities are challenged. They are miles behind their peers in other parts of Canada.

How does the Premier balance his unbalanced focus on infrastructure when our children are so ill-prepared to face the world? What is the Premier doing to ensure people in small communities are...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for Premier McLeod. We all acknowledge, here in the North, that we need to bolster the economy here to ensure we have a vibrant society. At the same time, there are also dire social needs at the community level. As I stated a few minutes ago, new spending to address the goal of healthy, educated people free from poverty is meager next to the spending on the Inuvik to Tuk highway.

How does the Premier justify the gross discrepancy between spending on infrastructure and spending on our people’s well-being? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 12, Northern Employee Benefits Services Pension Act.

Bill 12, sponsored by the Minister of Finance, sets out the legislative framework for the Northern Employee Benefits Services Pension Plan to continue as a multi-employer, multijurisdictional public sector pension for employees of approved public employers in both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Bill 12 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on February 27, 2014, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for...

The basic needs of people in the communities are ensuring they have food and shelter. My colleague just expressed a need for school councillors. School boards’ budgets are being shifted towards communities. This week in the House, the supplementary appropriation requests are being considered. The government is asking for an additional $40 million for the Inuvik to Tuk highway and $20 million for offsetting energy costs.

Why is it so easy for the Premier to find money for these projects while other pressing issues are left completely unaddressed? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We hear a lot in the House about the need for better accountability mechanisms. With that in mind, I’d like to offer some observations on how the government is measuring up against its own priorities.

At the outset of the 17th Assembly, the government identified the goal of having healthy, educated people free from poverty. It subsequently developed strategic initiatives in four broad areas: to alleviate poverty, to enhance early childhood development, to renew the education system, and to better address mental health issues.

Regrettably, actual spending on these initiatives...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the NWT the number of people with breast cancer is in the hundreds. Of all NWT women diagnosed with cancer, over one-third have breast cancer. Nationwide, this type of cancer will affect about 11 percent of women during their lifetime.

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation encourages everyone to practice breast awareness, to know how your breasts normally look and feel so that you notice any unusual changes early and discuss your concerns with your health care provider.

Over the past 20 years, survival rates have steadily improved...

The Minister makes reference to the development of a Cancer Strategy. I understand that’s been in the making for some time.

Can he tell the House the process and timeline of when that strategy will be developed and when it could be perhaps made available to this side of the House? Plus, at the same time, will that be part of a public campaign? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I’ve been raising concerns on several matters, but this matter is regarding breast cancer.

Cancer is kind of a personal mission of mine and I want to ensure that the public is educated and has the information to understand that cancer can be beaten.

So my question is as follows: The evidence clearly shows that screening is critical for preventing and effectively treating breast cancer. What is the department doing to increase the number of Dene, Inuit and Metis women to receive proper breast screening...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does the department have specific measurable long-term targets for reducing the number of new cancer patients? Mahsi.