Robert C. McLeod

The 16th Legislative Assembly has identified youth as a priority. With the upcoming business plans I’m sure there will be an opportunity to look at increasing the Youth budget. I agree with the Member. I remember that the youth are a priority. If there’s an opportunity to increase funding for youth programs, I think it’s something that should be looked at.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. October 5 to 11 is designated as Fire Prevention Week across Canada. Fire Prevention Week is dedicated to educating the public about the importance of fire safety. This year’s theme is Preventing Home Fires.

Northwest Territories firefighters provide an important service that is not always appreciated until an emergency arises and they are called to duty to protect people and property in our communities. Many community firefighters in the NWT are volunteers; however, they dedicate a significant amount of their time to assist their communities. We appreciate the risks all...

I take the Member’s suggestion. We should have to look at any options that are presented to us by Members on the other side of the House and bring them before the departments and amongst our Cabinet colleagues to see if there’s some merit to them. I will commit to having a look into this and seeing what I can do. Like I said earlier, I have a briefing with the department this afternoon. So by tomorrow I’ll be hopefully up to speed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member for that. The communities have always asked for the right to make their own choices, and I think that under this New Deal they have that. But there is an understanding that there may be some capacity issues. I think MACA has gone a long way in trying to help the communities deal with some of the capacity issues. They’ve provided a lot of support to them in the way of advice and assistance and financial management support. They’ve made themselves readily available for any support to the communities, as much as they possibly can, to help them take...

As part of my familiarization with all the monies that are available to Youth, I would commit to conducting a review. It ties in, in part, to familiarizing myself with the Youth department and seeing what else there is that we can do out there. I would commit to having a review of the youth programs and the Youth funding.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The budget for 2008–2009 for Youth was approximately $1.15 million broken out into three different categories: the NWT Youth Core, the Youth Contributions Program and the Youth Centres Initiative.

Thanks to the Member for that. First, I’m going to work with the department and, like I said, familiarize myself with all that we can and can’t do and what’s available and what’s not available. I think once I get that done, then I’ll probably be in a better position to make a commitment.

But like I said, I’ve committed a couple of times already today — I should be good for a while — to try and familiarize myself with the department as much as possible so I’m in a better position to give good, solid, concrete answers to many of the Members’ questions. Thank you.

I’m not sure if the Member’s expecting this answer, but I’m going to give it anyway. Twenty-eight million dollars is available to community governments as part of the capital formula funding, and also there’s additional money, like $7.5 million available under the Gas Tax Agreement. There’s $43 million going to community governments under the Building Canada Fund, which is available over seven years. MACA is in the process of communicating with the communities and asking for their identification of projects by December of this year.

I would make that commitment to work with the Member for Tu Nedhe and every other Member on the other side of the floor to come up with a good youth strategy. Like I said earlier, it is a priority of the 16th Assembly, and it is a strong personal belief of mine that we have to put youth as a priority and see what we as an Assembly can do for them. I would make that commitment to the Member: I will work with the Member for Tu Nedhe plus all Members on that side to come up with a youth strategy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Unanimous consent granted.