Wendy Bisaro

Thank you. That didn’t really go very far to answering my question about what kind of activities have been in the works, but I’ll wait anxiously for the updated report.

From my information, MACA’s volunteer budget this year is some $263,000, and that, I understand, goes to staffing and management of the two programs that I mentioned, but only $70,000 of that $263,000 goes to the actual programs. It would seem to me that it would be possible for the department to re-profile $50,000 out of that $263,000 so that we could have a Volunteer NWT back in business. I’d like to ask the Minister whether...

I will now rise and report progress. Sergeant-at-Arms, could you escort our witnesses from the Chamber? Thank you.

Here in the NWT we also provide money for training purposes. What is missing is the core funding which would allow for enhanced training and centralized help for volunteers. Our hundreds of volunteers deserve the financial commitment to match our verbal commitment. I expect MACA’s 2012-2013 business plan to include core funding for Volunteer NWT to show our commitment.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The motion is in order. Motion is on the floor. Motion is in order. It’s just being distributed. We will wait a moment until people can see it.

Members, everybody has the motion, I believe. To the motion.

Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Anything further, Mr. Moses?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister Ramsay.

Thanks to the Premier. I’m pleased to hear that Alternatives North and the Y are very pleased. There are a few more organizations than that, though. I believe the Anti-Poverty Coalition has some 25 or 29 organizations and I would hope they would also all be very involved.

The Premier mentioned a committee of Ministers or DMs. I’ve lost the thought now, but I’d like to know, most initiatives that we have within the GNWT have a lead Minister, and I’ve heard no reference to who the lead Minister for the Anti-Poverty Strategy project will be. Can the Premier advise me of that? Thank you.

Thanks to the Premier. I think my question was more to the details as we go forward. I’d like to mention that Nunavut is well into the process of developing an Anti-Poverty Strategy and one of the things that they did was to have a public engagement process culminated in their strategy. It basically took them about a year and I’d like to know from the Premier whether or not our process is going to be similar to the Nunavut public engagement process. They had a team which was representatives of government, Inuit organizations, non-profit organizations and the business community. They travelled...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m becoming increasingly concerned with how this government defines consultation. Not the high-profile, legal definition of duty to consult; no, I’m concerned that we as a government are ignoring the spirit and intent of consultation with our residents and NWT organizations. I’m feeling a shift in the way that our government does business. That a we-know-what-we’re-doing, we-don’t-need-your-help, leave-us-alone attitude is even more prevalent than the last Assembly.

The government seems to have fallen into the habit of preparing a policy, a framework, or a strategy in...

Thanks to the Minister. I guess a follow-up question would be: Can the Minister give us any indication whether the full budget that’s coming up will continue to provide for energy projects which are either in the works or which we saw in the last Assembly as planned for future years? Will any of those be in the next budget, or are they going to be special initiatives that may need extra money that we don’t have at the moment?