Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that we report progress.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the committee would like to go to the motions that we have section by section.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I realize the Minister is just starting on working with the employment rates, but I would like to just get a feel for the communities, what is coming, so I would like to ask the Minister what the next steps would be, in gauging people as it relates to the employment rates in small communities. Thank you.
Just to be clear, I am talking about employment rates, not unemployment rates. Is there any sort of plan to increase employment rates in communities in Northwest Territories?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister indicated that they would be moving to a faster approval process for Building Canada Fund, as the Premier just mentioned. When will this faster process occur? Because what I am seeing is even from what has been approved by the last government, the bundles that I questioned the transportation minister on before, seems to be slowed down from what the original intent of those bundles were. Does the Premier have any indication of when the faster approval process will occur? Thank you.
Also, in that letter, the Prime Minister wrote about Nutrition North Canada and about increasing that program by $40 million. I would like to ask the Premier if we have any indication of which communities in the NWT would be positively impacted by that program. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize Darrell Beaulieu, a constituent from Wiilideh. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I support the motion. The idea of developing an employment strategy as part of our mandate I consider to be very important. I consider this to be probably the most important thing that could happen in the small communities that has an impact on the lives of the people in the small communities. Everybody realizes that with employment we have a lot of government social spending would be deferred, would be eliminated, essentially, so I'm feeling that jobs in small communities, the variety of jobs, I think that the small communities would be available to do...
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I guess firstly, in my language, just briefly. [English translation not provided]
Mr. Chair, I look at this mandate as a guiding document for the government as we move to try to improve the lives of our people in the Northwest Territories. I think the intention of all of us in the room is for that to happen. I think that we have the government, the people, to do that. We're able to look at the more serious areas of government, the more high-cost areas of government -- for example, health costs -- and I think we're doing things in here that will lower...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm trying to avoid a hypothetical question. Has the Minister and the department talked about the use of homecare nurses? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.