Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement I talked about all 14 departments working together. How does the GNWT's vision for reducing and eliminating poverty in the NWT include a plan for eliminating silos between the departments? Thank you.

In the GNWT, which Minister in what department is responsible for tackling and coordinating the various government initiatives that fall under Working Together?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Regular MLAs are the ones who want to do just that, through increases in the Small Community Employment Support Program.

However, the government wants to try to deliver that program with no changes in the policy, which means they will continue to have problems getting the money out the door. The program is just not deliverable in its current form, Mr. Speaker.

At the end of the day, to truly tackle poverty, we need a well-funded, well-coordinated government-wide approach to guide investments and programs showing the best returns.

We must empower Northerners to take jobs...

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move that committee defer further consideration of the estimates for the Department of Infrastructure at this time. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

No, that is good for me. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and just as firm as the Minister wants to be on not budging off this and saying that he is not putting any extra money into. This side of the House, it is just as firm also. We are asking the government to put the money in. We are aware of the fiscal situation. We are not going into this blind. We know what we are talking about. This money would go, and then it would be well-used. It will be well-leveraged, and it will have benefits to the government. If we start employing a few more people, it will benefit the government. We are taking people off income support. That is...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to add to what I said earlier, and what Mr. Blake had just said about the Community Access Road Program. When the Members from this side of the House talked about the Small Community Employment Program, we certainly were not thinking that this was going to subsidize a Community Access Road Program; completely different type of projects in our minds. To try to now jam all of the requests that we have for around the various departments into the Small Community Access Support Program, it is not something that we support.

This Access Road Program, we are...

Marci cho, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee wishes to consider Tabled Document 261-18(2), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2017-2018, and we would like to consider the Department of Infrastructure. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

What new, not continuing, actions or initiatives have come out of the most recent Anti-Poverty Roundtable?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the ADM is telling me that there is no reduction as a result of the plan to eliminate TEP at this point or in this budget. Is that correct? Thank you, Mr. Chair.