Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Premier. I guess I don’t understand the reticence of this government to release papers that they’re using to base a strategy on. I simply want to make a statement to anybody who happens to be listening: Find a person on the advisory committee. Present your points to them; they’re the only ones that have input. Thank you.

Thank you to the Premier for that response. That’s all well and good, but I have to say there’s absolutely minimal opportunity for the public to have any input into the development of this strategy. I can’t stress strongly enough that we have to involve the members of the coalition and that’s not happening. I didn’t hear the Minister speak to the discussion paper. I would again ask the Minister, the Premier, when will the discussion paper be released to (a) the Standing Committee on Social Programs, and (b) the public. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can be really short. I’d like to ask the Premier where is the discussion paper to which he refers.

I don’t like to correct my colleagues but I think the Premier should well know that reports going to standing committee are not public. This report, in my mind, has never been to the public and there are many interested people in the gallery and elsewhere in our territory who want to know what was in that paper. I think I have to express some of the disappointment, as well, that some of the people in the gallery I suspect are feeling at the moment. The Premier mentioned by mid-2012 he expects that we will have a draft Anti-Poverty Strategy. Really, in the previous Assembly there was a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a great pleasure to see so many people in the gallery today. I won’t go through the list that my colleagues have already gone through, but I’m particularly pleased to see so many members from the NWT Literacy Council, from the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition, from Alternatives North and from the Y. Welcome to all of you. I’d like to specifically recognize three people, two constituents: Lorraine Hewlett and Suzette Montreuil. I would like to specifically welcome my constituency assistant, Amanda Mallon, to the House. Welcome everybody and thank you for coming.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all I’d like to thank my colleagues for their support, particularly Mr. Hawkins for calling me a champion. Thank you very much.

I’d like to just take note of two things in this motion. One is that it asks for the development of this strategy to be inclusive and to involve more than just the government. It needs to have a cross-section of society, and that was mentioned by my other colleagues. The other thing is that it asks for clear cross-departmental mechanisms for coordination and integration of actions. I think that’s one thing that if we are going to be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS the 16th Legislative Assembly passed a motion for the development of an Anti-Poverty Strategy;

AND WHEREAS work toward a clear and integrated strategy to combat poverty was undertaken during the 16th Assembly but was not completed;

AND WHEREAS every person has the right to a standard of living adequate to the well-being of their families and themselves;

AND WHEREAS in 2009, 16.7 percent of NWT families had a total income of less than $30,000;

AND WHEREAS health indicators, educational achievement, child apprehension rates and family violence can be directly related...

I’m not suggesting that consultation was not done, but when a strategy is being drafted, I suspect that there are one or two organizations within this territory who might like to have some input onto the development of that strategy. The Premier calls this paper a discussion paper. It’s for the benefit of who? Who’s doing the discussing? From what I hear it’s only deputy ministers. So to the Premier: Who is this paper intended for and is there any opportunity for the public to take part in discussing this paper? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to return to my questions to the Premier. I’d like to ask the Premier a few more questions related to some of his answers to my previous questions.

The Premier indicated that the draft strategy is being developed by a group of deputy ministers and that there is an advisory council that is assisting them. My recollection is that that advisory council is perhaps five or six members. I would like to suggest, without casting any aspersions on the abilities of the people on the advisory council, that we have a huge amount of expertise, some of which is displayed in the...

Only four months to spend their money. This hardly seems fair to me and I believe the delay is inexcusable. There’s never a shortage of Ministers acknowledging the valuable work done by NGOs on behalf of the GNWT, but when will we start respecting our NGOs in actions and not just words?

I will have questions for the Premier at a later date. Thank you.