Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize the representatives from the Status of Women Council behind me. Lorraine Phaneuf is the executive director of the Status Council, Annemieke Mulders is the programs and research manager, and Samantha Dechief is the community development coordinator. I would also like to recognize a constituent of mine. I presume he’s still up there. Mr. Doug Rentmeister is the executive director of Sport North and a constituent of Frame Lake. Last but not least, I’d like to recognize Ms. Amber O’Reilly, who has been my constituency assistant filling in as a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have spoken many times about setting up an office of the ombudsman in the NWT to help our residents with their complaints about government and government services.

In almost all jurisdictions across Canada, the ombudsman actually helps solve problems and prevent them from winding up in court battles that our residents definitely can’t afford. But there’s been very little interest in this service from the current executive of our government. So I feel this Assembly has missed a great opportunity.

Elsewhere in Canada the ombudsman mission, as defined by law, is an...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to take some time today to comment on my time here at the Ledge. It’s certainly not 16 years. It’s only been four, and that’s quite short in contrast to the Premier, but I just have some comments that I’d like to make and summarize where I’m coming from today after four years here.

It’s certainly been an interesting four years, to say the least. I came to this job full of optimism and hope and looking forward to the new experience. I think I am a person who believes in planning, strategic planning, certainly, I think, is really important to me, and I...

Thanks to the Minister for his words of commitment, I think. I take it that he recognizes that there’s a lack of coordination. He indicated, I think, if I heard him correctly, that there needs to be some coordination and work done in the next Assembly, so people may be quoting Hansard from the 16th in the next Assembly.

Part of the answer that I got was that the Homelessness Interdepartmental Working Group develops programs. I’d like to know what activities in terms of developing programs that that working group has taken. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will try to be brief. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Services and the Minister responsible for homelessness. In our last sitting in May I asked some questions about the GNWT Homelessness Strategy. The response from the Minister and follow-up from his office indicated that the development of a Homelessness Strategy and framework is being led by the Homelessness Coalition chaired by the City of Yellowknife. I was very surprised at that, and I asked for clarification from the office and I haven’t received it. I’d like to know from...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We assume in this country that universal health care, the timely access to affordable health services, improves the health of our socially disadvantaged groups. A while ago, research performed by a group at the Institute for Clinical Evaluation Services tested that assumption and found, as published in the journal “Health Affairs,” that the results of the study contradict our assumption.

The research team found that people with low income and/or low levels of education suffered from higher than normal incidences of cardiovascular disease, a not surprising and well-known...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the Minister. I gather from his response that this interdepartmental group does not do program development. They simply seem to be reactive, if I understood him correctly. To the issue of the coordination and the work that needs to be done, I’d like to ask the Minister, if he is lucky enough to return to this House, will he make homelessness and the coordination of it a priority? Thank you.

I thank the Minister for that. That leads me to the question. We have a homelessness framework. It was developed in 2007. I’m given to understand that we are currently still following that framework, which is now rather outdated. I’d like to ask the Minister whether or not or he can advise me when there will be some plans in place to update that 2007 framework. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like today to recognize all the Pages who have been working so very hard for us in the last couple of weeks. I would especially like to recognize a constituent of Frame Lake, Jaida Brunet. Thanks to all of you for your work.

Thanks to the Premier for that. That was my next question, was relative to the transition document from the government. I’m really pleased to hear that it’s in there. It’s really unfortunate that we couldn’t have had greater work done in the 16th Assembly. What kind of a priority is assigned to the development of an Anti-Poverty Strategy in the transition document to the 17th Assembly? Thank you.