Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I see that the government has supported community-built infrastructure and supported communities for some programming money. The one piece of the puzzle that is actually missing is our actual youth workers at the community level. I think they have recreation workers. The money is flowing to the communities. In trying to make the government understand, I think that’s probably the most essential. Providing qualified youth workers working at the community level I think will gain the greatest results for the success of the youth. I’d like to ask the Minister again if that...

That’s a good response; I appreciate that. The infrastructure that I referred to, again, is there has been a good response from the government. But again, not all the communities have the much needed infrastructure. So I guess recognizing the fact that the communities have the capital dollars in their possession to do with as they please, spending it in their community. However, I’m wondering if the department, MACA, in response with the youth, has provided some sort of support to the communities to ensure that this start of the infrastructure, this $4 million in infrastructure that has come...

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, over the past four years I have made many Member’s statements in this House on the subject of youth and the need to invest in our youth. Mr. Speaker, our youth are our biggest and our most important resource. The youth are our future leaders, and by investing in them, we begin to teach and instil in them this fact from a very young age. This government must realize that in order to set the path so that our youth are one day able to take over from us, this government must make it a priority to invest in such a possibility...

Can the Minister tell me if this government is ensuring that the Employment Support Program is being delivered at the community level? Not regional level or YK, but actually delivered at the community level. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the Education, Culture and Employment programs for small communities, the Employment Support Program. I have questions for the Minister of ECE on that Member’s statement.

Can the Minister tell me if the Small Community Employment Support Program -- I think there are three programs tied together -- has been rolled out to the communities yet? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell me why the client service officers that are already located in the small communities don’t deliver the program as opposed to using the career development officers, which are mainly in the larger communities? They are in some small communities, but mainly in the larger communities. I just want to know why the client service officers would not be able to deliver this program. Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell me if there are actual increases and individuals hired in the small communities as a result of this program? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

I talked many times during the 16th Assembly about the important issue of employment in the small communities in the NWT, specifically the low employment rates in the small communities. Although the GNWT has established the Small Community Employment Support Program Guidelines which came into effect April 1, 2011, to date I have not seen any marked improvement to the employment rates in Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution.

In my last Member’s statement on this issue, on May 13, 2011, I said that the three employment programs should be...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a quick question. Given that we’re advancing this project ahead of schedule, is there any opportunity for savings on infrastructure costs here? Thank you.

I, too, will be supporting this motion. I think that if it gives comfort to the individual land claims negotiations people that are concerned that sometimes we would pass an act in the House here that could adversely affect their ability to complete negotiations, then that’s something that we want.

This is something that provides clarity and, as it says in Clause 3, if there’s a conflict, then this is a good way to resolve the conflict, and it’s also consistent with some of the other acts where we’ve included this clause. I will be supporting the motion.