Mr. Speaker, one of the priorities of the 16th Legislative Assembly is improving human resource management within the Government of the Northwest Territories through training, career planning and encouraging employee innovation. By doing this, we move closer to our goal of an effective and efficient government.
The Department of Human Resources is working towards that goal with the Public Service Strategic Plan, 20/20: A Brilliant North. We know that to provide a high level of service to the people of the Northwest Territories, we must develop and maintain a public service representative of the people it serves. The Government of the Northwest Territories is working to ensure that the diversity of northern society is represented throughout the public service, which is a shared responsibility involving all departments in establishing opportunities for people.
In addition to our ongoing efforts to hire interns and graduates, a number of initiatives are underway. The Government of the Northwest Territories Advisory Committee on Employability was formed in 2010 to provide recommendations for increasing the representation of persons with disabilities. A strategy will be developed for the recruitment and retention of persons with disabilities this fall.
As well, in 2010, the Aboriginal Employees Advisory Committee was formed to provide recommendations on increasing the number of Aboriginal employees within the public service. This year regional advisory committees will be established to bring a regional and community
perspective to Aboriginal employee issues. The Department of Human Resources is currently developing an Aboriginal Employment Strategy which will guide the Government of the Northwest Territories Aboriginal recruitment and retention initiatives. Mr. Speaker, there is still work to be done and we remain committed to the fundamental principles and implementation of the Affirmative Action Policy.
Developing our employees and preparing for the future of the public service is another central focus of our strategic planning. To develop a sustainable core of managers in the Government of the Northwest Territories, a Leadership Development Program has been initiated which will provide employees with the specific skills they need to succeed. This program is targeting a 50 percent Aboriginal participation rate.
The Associate Director/Superintendent Program was piloted this year with great success. This program provides increased opportunity for indigenous Aboriginal persons to occupy senior management positions on a developmental basis. The Department of Human Resources is preparing to roll out the next phase of this program.
While we continue to build opportunities to improve capacity of the public service, I would like to recognize that the people of the Northwest Territories are already served by skilled and dedicated public servants. To acknowledge the good work of the Government of the Northwest Territories staff, and to give the public an opportunity to meet the people working on their behalf, the Department of Human Resources has launched a new website: Meet our People. This page features career profiles of public servants in a variety of jobs in different regions and who are at different stages in their careers.
The Public Service Strategic Plan provides an ambitious 10-year framework for the development of the public service in the Northwest Territories and is guiding our human resource management. I have highlighted a few of the major initiatives that this government has developed to meet our vision of a well-staffed, representative public service. Later today I will be tabling the 20/20: A Brilliant North Action Plan and Results Report for 2011-2012.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every day our employees deliver critical programs and services to the residents of the Northwest Territories. The Premier’s Awards recognize this outstanding service and celebrate the extraordinary achievements of those employees who demonstrate excellence and innovation in meeting the objectives of work as a government.
Earlier today I was pleased to present the 2011 Premier’s Awards to 36 such dedicated public servants and 20 external collaborative partners.
Three team awards were presented in the 2011 season recognizing:
the creation of the Good Building Practice for Northern Facilities 2009 guidebook;
the in-house development of a system that collects and disseminates weather products critical in calculating wild land fire danger; and
the use of Aboriginal standards of practice and traditional values for prevention and early intervention on social issues.
The Premier’s Collaboration Awards recognize the work of teams made of GNWT and non-GNWT employees who work together to enhance government programs or services. Collaboration Awards for 2011 were presented for:
the use of environmentally sustainable technology that blends traditional and western science knowledge;
work on our government’s multi-year intervention at the National Energy Board hearings on the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project; and
development of the Northern Voices, Northern Waters - NWT Water Stewardship Strategy.
An individual Premier’s Award for Excellence was presented to Mr. Benoit Boutin for his work on the implementation of communications and services in the French language.
This year a new individual award was introduced in honour of the late Dave Ramsden, a long-time GNWT employee, former deputy minister and secretary to Cabinet. This award recognizes an individual with a demonstrated history of commitment to excellence and public service over the course of their career.
The 2011 Dave Ramsden Career Excellence Award was presented to Mr. Sukhdev Cheema. During Mr. Cheema’s nearly 30-year career with the government, he has guided building design decisions on major infrastructure projects throughout the North, promoted and demonstrated sound energy management practices, and played an instrumental role in bringing northern building science and technology issues to the international level.
Each Premier’s Award recipient today received a plaque featuring porcupine quillwork on birch bark from artisans from the Fort Liard area. The Dave Ramsden Award features original artwork by Jennifer Walden.
Encouraging innovation among our public servants is one of the priorities this Assembly identified to help pursue its goal of effective and efficient government. The leadership, cross-agency collaboration and innovative ideas demonstrated by the recipients of this year’s Premier’s Awards and their working partners is a model for us all and has resulted in enhanced productivity and improved services.
I invite the Assembly to join me in congratulating award recipients and extending our appreciation to all members of the public service for their professionalism, resourcefulness and hard work.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later today I will table the new NWT Seniors’ Society Action Plan: Making Connections – Building Networks to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults.
Seniors and elders are the fastest growing segment of the Northwest Territories population. Unfortunately, the vulnerability of many elders leaves them open to exploitation, often by relatives or others in their community. The Northwest Territories Seniors’ Society reports within its new action plan entitled Making Connections – Building Networks to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults that 71 percent of older adults say the abuse of older adults is a problem in their community. While all forms of abuse exist, the most common forms are financial, neglect, emotional and verbal.
Protecting the health and welfare of all NWT residents is a priority of the Government of the Northwest Territories. I would like to thank the NWT Seniors for this action plan. The Department of Health and Social Services will consider these recommendations in our new five-year strategic plan.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services has included elder abuse prevention as part of the overall strategy to prevent family violence.
The department considers senior abuse an important issue. We have provided $187,452 to the NWT Seniors’ Society, and $90,000 of this funding was used by the NWT Seniors’ Society for community outreach work to support their Building Networks to Prevent Elder Abuse Symposium.
The NWT Seniors’ Society Action Plan includes many valid recommendations to address abuse. It is the role of governments, NGOs, community leaders and northern society as a whole not to turn a blind eye to elder abuse. We all have a responsibility to prevent the abuse of our elders. We all must stand together and say this is not acceptable in our communities.
The Department of Health and Social Services continues to pursue initiatives to provide enhanced services for NWT seniors, such as long-term care planning, injury prevention for seniors, developing new continuing care strategies, and elder abuse awareness and prevention.
The department’s Foundation for Change Action Plan recognizes the importance of working with our stakeholders and partners on policies and programs for seniors and elders. We will continue to work collaboratively with the NWT Seniors’ Society towards eliminating elder abuse and ensuring our seniors enjoy the benefits of healthy aging and a better quality of life. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Public Works and Services, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, the Department of Public Works and Services is proceeding with the delivery of the combined schools project for the replacement of the Samuel Hearne Secondary School and Sir Alexander Mackenzie School in Inuvik. This combined facility is one of our largest building projects in the history of our government and will support this Assembly’s goal of healthy, educated Northerners.
Mr. Speaker, it’s only been 30 months since the start of construction of the Inuvik Schools Project and it’s already over 66 percent complete. As a result, I can inform Members today that the general contractor for this project has advised the department that this state-of-the-art facility could be open to students in the community of Inuvik in the fall of 2012. Mr. Speaker, this is a full school year earlier than originally planned.
The progress we see today is an example of what northern contractors, engineers, architects, tradespeople, business and government departments can achieve through working together.
This modern facility will accommodate up to 1,050 students from kindergarten to grade 12 in 54 teaching spaces. It will replace two schools that have reached the end of their service life. The completion of this new facility will help address a portion of the GNWT’s deferred maintenance deficit.
Mr. Speaker, the Inuvik Schools Project is progressing on budget and is providing significant economic opportunities for northern and for local businesses. To date, over 74 percent of the total expenditures for goods and services has been to northern contractors and suppliers, with 51 percent of total spending going to local companies as listed by the government’s Business Incentive Policy. Approximately 34 northern businesses have been involved with the project, with 22 of these businesses listed as locally owned.
Northern workers are also benefiting substantially from this project, with 53 percent of the workforce hired being northern and 46 percent hired being local.
Although the project’s delivery is accelerated, we’re diligently ensuring that it’s being constructed to the highest standards of quality and workmanship. This includes making sure that we deliver this government’s alternate energy efficiency priorities. Recent independent testing analysis confirmed our efforts, Mr. Speaker, as the Inuvik schools building is projected to be 56 percent more energy efficient than the model National Energy Building Code’s reference standard. Building projects to this high standard not only helps manage the energy costs of GNWT facilities but further advances our government’s greenhouse gas emission goals.
Mr. Speaker, improving the GNWT’s approach to support capital has been one of our achievements under the Refocusing Government Strategic Initiative. The Inuvik Schools Project is an example of how we can better deliver capital infrastructure projects that benefit our workforce and our economy. I look forward to the ongoing progress of this project in the coming year and hope to see its achievements applied to other projects as we continue with our vision of Northerners Working Together. Mahsi. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Contracts are a means to develop economic growth in our communities, but more importantly, government infrastructure such as housing, replacement of schools and public facilities. Mr. Speaker, I’ve asked through a written question in this House how many negotiated contracts were let in my riding, the Mackenzie Delta, for the last five years. Surprisingly, it was $876,000 in five years.
Mr. Speaker, out of a total capital investment of almost $12 million, $9.6 million was expended to contractors from outside my constituency.
Mr. Speaker, economic development is a key component to deal with the socio-economic development of our communities. Without the contracts government lets, capital investment in our communities, those capital investment dollars should be expended in our region and our ridings so that it can generate employment and business opportunities and allow for our workforce to meet its needs by way of apprenticeship programs, skill development and, more important, employment.
Mr. Speaker, in my riding there is some 60 percent unemployment in two of my communities. Mr. Speaker, it is pretty obvious that this government’s policies and procedures when it comes down to contracting, negotiated contracts, sole sourced or even public tendering, is not meeting the needs of our smaller communities. It’s meeting the needs of people in the larger regional centres, where a large portion of our capital investment is being expended to the tune of almost $10 million in my riding alone, where only less than 10 percent is being expended in my riding.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be asking the Minister of the Housing Corporation how he can justify this imbalance of capital expenditures in my riding.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are significant hydro opportunities here in the Northwest Territories. Given the rapidly increasing fuel rates and the environmental impacts of our reliance on diesel fuel for power and heat throughout the Northwest Territories, we must remain focused on building upon and maintaining our hydro potential.
Earlier this year the Northwest Territories Power Corporation decided to put more time into development of the business case for the Taltson Hydroelectric Expansion Project. I believe it was the right and most responsible decision. If previous assumptions about customer usage are not proven out, the basis for the project needs to be re-examined.
Today, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to talk about another NCPC project. In the fall of 2009, the replacement of the Bluefish dam was deemed to be an emergency. The Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board granted an emergency exemption for preliminary screening for the required permits for the replacement of this dam. Construction materials were to be brought to site during the winter of 2009, but unfortunately the project is now slated to be in service in the fall of 2012.
Mr. Speaker, the cost of the replacement dam is a concern. I was very surprised to read in the media in late April that the cost of the project had increased to over $33 million. Constituents came to me after reading the same article. They are concerned about the impact of the higher cost of the Bluefish replacement on their families. They are worried the increased costs will be passed on to them. Many of them are having a hard time making ends meet now.
As a Member of this Legislature, I was only aware that the cost of the project was going to be less than $20 million. I think it’s important that the public of Yellowknife be aware of the increased costs for the project, and potential implications for their household and businesses. Gas prices have already increased for our residents, going from $1.16 a litre before Christmas to over $1.30 now. According to our Bureau of Statistics, consumer prices for water, fuel and electricity in Yellowknife have risen by over 10 percent between March 2010 and March 2011.
I think we’re in danger of pricing many people out of our capital and out of our territory. They won’t have the means to cope with an ever-increasing cost of living. This could have serious implications for the GNWT programs and services available to our residents.
I will have questions at the appropriate time for the Minister responsible for the NTPC regarding the impact of the Bluefish dam replacement on power rates in Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories as a whole.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to draw attention to Aboriginal elders who are in long-term care. We have an excellent facility in Fort Simpson and I have praised it before in this House. Our elders are very well cared for. That care comes at a price to them. Every elder, including elders with treaty rights, pay $712 per month for accommodations and meals. That payment eats up the lion’s share of his or her old age security money. To make matters worse, this government is increasing that fee to $729 a month on June 1st. It is truly shameful.
On one hand we love and respect our elders and on the other we chip away at their meagre incomes and leave them with little to enjoy in their last years on this earth. Seniors in public housing pay little or nothing for rent. Why is it that those elders who need the most help have to pay for their accommodation while those who are able to look after themselves do not?
Why is it that Aboriginal elders with treaty rights to medical care have to pay for their long-term care? Why isn’t our government collecting these fees from the federal government? The agreement with the federal government is that they provide medicine chests to Aboriginal people. It is probably much easier to chisel $729 a month from our elders instead, but that doesn’t make it right.
For the sake of convenience, we ask our elders to pay when we could be helping them live more comfortable lives. This government should let our elders keep their old age security pensions and do whatever it takes to make it happen. They must speak with Ottawa and get this issue resolved.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier and the Finance Minister do not like to miss any opportunity to talk about the $450 million spent on capital projects here in the Northwest Territories over the past few years. Yes, this spending is unprecedented capital dollars that are being spent in our communities when our economy needed it the most.
I’d like to again thank the federal government in Ottawa for all the millions of dollars that have flowed North through the various infrastructure stimulus programs that they have offered our program.
As a government we have always seemed to have an issue with carry-overs where capital dollars are approved in one year then never get spent because the project does not get finished. We took a step in addressing this carry-over issue by approving the capital budget in the fall of the year as opposed to with the operations and maintenance budget which we deal with in February and March. This move was supposed to help alleviate the carry-overs on an annual basis. Yes, we’ve had an inordinate amount of money to spend, but why are we again this year carrying over close to $130 million in capital, $72 million alone in the Department of Transportation?
What I hear from mid-sized construction companies in my riding and in the Northwest Territories, and the Northwest Territories Construction Association, is that they really wonder where all the money was spent. Big projects like the Inuvik School Project and highways and bridge projects ate up the majority of that money. Missing in the equation are projects that medium-sized construction companies could have bid on. Large projects are cutting out small to medium-sized construction companies who employ hundreds of people in our territory. These companies have not gotten much benefit from this unprecedented capital spending by this government. Perhaps what we need is a breakdown of where and for what all this money has gone to.
The smaller companies are getting scared. They have payrolls to meet, overhead and operational costs to bear, and all they see our government looking to is to shrink our capital plan back to more historic levels of around $75 million a year.
The Minister of Public Works and Services earlier today stated that we’re improving the government’s approach to capital and we are delivering capital infrastructure projects that benefit our workforce and our economy. Why is it, then, that there is so much concern out there amongst the small to mid-sized construction companies who indicate they are not getting the work...
Mr. Ramsay, you’re time for your Member’s statement is expired.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Why is it, then, that there is so much concern out there amongst the small to midsized construction companies who indicate they are not getting the work or benefit of this spending?
We need to ensure as a government that we are spending as much of our capital dollars fairly and that there is a balance between large, medium and smaller capital projects around our territory to benefit our economy the most and the companies that depend upon it.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to try to discuss a sometimes misunderstood program that we call Affirmative Action. This policy is our government’s attempt to achieve a representative workforce. The GNWT is a huge employer in the Northwest Territories and officials may tell me that the GNWT is not the employer of choice in the North, but I can assure you that GNWT jobs are highly sought after and valued by most people that I know.
The population of the NWT is split approximately 50/50 between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Since the GNWT is a large employer providing services to all residents of the NWT, the goal of achieving a representative workforce is a worthwhile and needed endeavour. How it plays out in reality in the offices and institutions of our government across the North is a little more complex than it sounds.
How do we get people to move to the regional centres in our capital where there is such a high concentration of public service jobs if they live in their own communities and don’t want to move there? We don’t very often talk about decentralization around here, I notice.
There are also some activities in the government that have traditionally attracted more people from a distinct group that comprise our population. For example, there are undeniably more Aboriginal people drawn to and employed in areas such as renewable resources, wildlife officers and corrections than there are Aboriginal people, for example, working in the towers here in Yellowknife in policy and finance analyst jobs.
Will there ever be a greater balance of people in these areas of administration and finance if we don’t make a concerted effort as a government to create capacity in these areas? Are there certain positions that one group would have more affinity with given a stronger connection to the land, such as the areas that I’ve mentioned: wildlife management, human sciences, counselling, social work?
Some people are not cut out for nine to five jobs and I often hear that from people. They’re not interested in sitting in an office from nine to five. How do we set targets, and when those targets are reached in an individual department or activity, do we say mission accomplished and stop applying priority status to those positions?
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
It’s hard to believe in this day and age, in this territory, that there are still systemic barriers to Aboriginal people finding employment with the GNWT in positions for which they are qualified, yet we continue to hear evidence of such instances. If this is true, this is something that needs to be documented and addressed. On the other hand, if we’ve reached departmental or regional representation goals, what do we do for the people who want to find employment in those activities but cannot and feel that this is because they are not a priority hire candidate?
In the absence of any kind of appeal process for people looking for employment in the GNWT who are not already employees, what mechanism is there to register these kind of concerns from Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal people?
I’d like to thank the Minister of Human Resources for his statement today, which kind of ties in with the kinds of things I’m addressing. That’s not my entire statement but I’ll stop there and perhaps save some for the preamble in my questions.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently I attended the two-day conference on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation sponsored by the NWT Association of Communities, Pembina Institute, and Ecology North. I salute that expression of the sense of urgency civil society places upon climate change action and the support NWTAC received from government departments.
I also attended a local consultation on a new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy. Attended by a small but dedicated crowd, the meeting spent considerable precious time dwelling on highly outdated goals and objectives of the old plan. Subsequent discussions, though, were more in line with the public’s experience on impressive early impacts of climate change and their expectation of a progressive and meaningful response.
We must show we mean business and take real action to provide the leadership needed to meet our responsibilities. In fact, the Premier and the Minister of ENR have stated that in the absence of progressive work at the national level, the ball is clearly in our court.
We need clear NWT-wide reduction targets consistent with the best science, not just controls on GNWT emissions. We must have a list of clear actions and an implementation plan based upon the estimated achievements possible from each action for meeting targets. Specifically, we need NWT-wide building and appliance standards, and timely adoption of transportation measures, including vehicle emission and mileage standards. We must aggressively install community district heating systems and increase focus on local renewable energy sources like hydro and biomass. We must promote community businesses that meet not just energy, but food, shelter, and cultural needs from local resources. We need a carbon tax that takes a revenue-neutral approach with special consideration for low-income families and rural and remote communities. Specific provisions are required for a few large industries with mandatory requirements to meet carbon targets through energy efficiency, renewable energy, and access to carbon trading markets.
Advancing this initiative requires partnerships with all sectors and with Aboriginal governments. The best science shows that to avert environmental disaster, we need a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and a 90 percent reduction by 2050. Our public understands this and expects an intelligent response. Let’s not fail them.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e there is a huge issue with land tax and land lease arrears. The problem is that taxes and leases are levied on people while the common understanding from the people is that all charges for land and taxes on their properties will be sorted out after the land, resources and government negotiations with Akaitcho are completed. Right now Akaitcho is engaged with the federal government and territorial government in negotiations.
However, invoices are being sent out to people in both communities and now some of the invoices are in the $20,000 to $30,000 range, most of which is interest. It appears as though the Department of Finance is not considering the understanding of the Tu Nedhe residents and their negotiations with the governments.
At this time many of my constituents are beginning to panic under such large bills and the fear that if they wait until the negotiations are complete, they will either lose their properties through tax sales or accumulate bills that are well beyond their ability to pay. Some constituents are now at that stage.
I’ve spoken many times in this House about low employment rates, poor housing and the high cost of living in Tu Nedhe. All of those are factors that contribute to the problem that I present today.
With limited incomes, Tu Nedhe constituents are asked to deal with their own housing repairs, because up until now land tax arrears made them ineligible for any sort of funding from the NWT Housing Corporation to fix their house. Also, the people in Tu Nedhe live in communities where there is a very high cost of living. Food is expensive, and gasoline needed to harvest traditional foods is also very expensive.
I don’t have to draw a full picture here. I think the government can see when there are limited income opportunities and high cost of living, there is nothing left over to pay property taxes. The people in Tu Nedhe are left with an option: you pay your land taxes or feed your kids. I know what most people will do.
Later today I will have questions for the Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Rental arrears in public housing is a chronic problem for the Government of the Northwest Territories. When we reviewed the main estimates earlier this year, average rent collection was only 76 percent at a debt balance of $13 million outstanding. Collection needs to be at 90 percent in order to maintain the LHO, and that’s from the Minister as well as the department, Mr. Speaker. Clearly, we need action on these rental collections and certainly the arrears. However, if you think that’s bad, Mr. Speaker, well, mortgage collection rates are at 40 percent, so accountability clearly isn’t a concern for anyone over there.
We constantly hear the same response from the Housing Corporation on this issue: the Corporation continues its efforts to increase rent collection or mortgage collection; the Corporation works closely with the clients and LHOs; we promise that the situation is improving. But, Mr. Speaker, rent collection is still well below 90 percent in many LHOs; we’re still not hearing about a real action plan to increase rent collection. And speaking of action plans, the Auditor General recommended that the Housing Corporation jointly develop an action plan with each LHO that has difficulty collecting 90 percent of its rent. That was in 2008. Again, accountability seems to be missing here, Mr. Speaker.
The Housing Corporation has tried to make payment simple for clients. Yes, many housing tenants are good tenants and they do pay their rent on time. But 76 percent is not enough to sustain the Housing Program, Mr. Speaker. Why does that seem to bother people in the sense that they can’t get past that? Why does the department of housing not want to address it?
We need a plan to target the real cause of these non-payment issues, Mr. Speaker, the inconvenient truths under the shadow or dark cloud of public housing.
Mr. Speaker, in my view, there has been very little done to address these problems of arrears in the rent and mortgages over this term other than rhetoric and a little re-jigging of the numbers, so I’m doubtful at this point if we will ever see much accomplished or anything real truly realized.
Mr. Speaker, if the department truly is listening and wants to advance this issue to some useful practical solution, then what about equalizing payments over a whole year? Mr. Speaker, we could term the payments over a full year reflective of what true annual income is, and then we could work with people who get part-time jobs so they don’t get the shocks of high rent and then the re-jigging. It would save a lot of time for the LHO and it would save a lot of stress from those clients in subsidized housing.
Mr. Speaker, later today I will have questions for the Minister responsible for Housing and hopefully we will find a better solution for this particular problem. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Approximately one month ago our federal counterparts in Parliament, for the first time since the federal election on May 2, 2011, the first order of business of the new government will be to pass the budget. Mr. Speaker, hopefully, our $150 million for the all-season road from Tuk to Inuvik will be included.
This Assembly and this government should do whatever it can to make this happen. Northerners working together. I believe we have one chance at this to make sure the budget includes the Tuk-Inuvik highway.
Mr. Speaker, this government has to deliver projects, not just to let it sit on the books with the future promises. Mr. Speaker, this government has promised the northern region will get their fair share of capital infrastructure and spending, but recent spending shows the opposite. Projects like the Deh Cho Bridge are draining a lot of the resources and the funding time, while projects seem to be on the back burner.
Mr. Speaker, several months ago the federal government tabled a budget that included $150 million for the road from Tuk to Inuvik, finally linking Canada coast to coast to coast. As mentioned last week, this is a result of many, many years of lobbying and work from the community governments, my office and other organizations. Unfortunately, this commitment was then questioned when the country went to the federal election. If this project does not happen, the economic conditions in the northern region will be severely hampered in years to come. This will definitely be a huge shot in the arm.
Many regions, including Nunakput, are enjoying a robust economy from the diamond exploration and the huge infrastructure spending. Mr. Speaker, this project would not only generate huge employment for the region but would also provide infrastructure to industry. This project would also seriously reduce the high cost of living in the small communities in Nunakput. We are in a very delicate situation and a limited window of opportunity. This government must not allow this commitment to fall through the cracks, especially near the end of this government. Mr. Speaker, I believe that this year will be a year where the northern region will get their fair share.
Mr. Speaker, thank you. I will have questions for the Minister of Transportation at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use my Member’s statement to comment on an article from the Globe and Mail regarding health care that recently caught my eye. In Canada it’s generally assumed that universal health care -- and that means timely access to affordable health services -- improves the health of socially disadvantaged groups. Research performed at the Institute for Clinical Evaluation Services tested that assumption, but as published in the journal Health Affairs, the results of the study contradicts the 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. It’s no surprise and a well-known situation. The researchers tried to determine if universal access to health services would alter that finding. The research showed that the poor use more health services than the wealthy, but that does not mean they get better health outcomes. To quote the Globe author: The poor visit physicians and hospitals more often, not because it’s free, but because they are sicker. All of us, whether rich or poor, use health care services when we have to, when we are sick. Few of us use health care services in a preventive way.
The message in the research finding is this: universal health care does not get us healthy and keep us healthy. Medicare is not the silver bullet to ensure a healthy population. What we need are tools to get us healthy in the first place, to attack the causes of poor health.
In Canada we spend about 40 percent of our budgets on health care, about 25 percent on education and only 15 percent on social welfare programs. By comparison, European countries spend twice as much as we do on social welfare programs, and the result of that spending is that Europeans spend less on health and have better health outcomes.
We need to put greater effort into tackling poverty, low education levels, poor and inequitable housing. Improvements in these areas will create healthier environments and, by default, healthier citizens. As we embark on the development of an Anti-Poverty Strategy or framework, Mr. Speaker, we would be well advised to consider these findings. Throwing more money at health is not the answer. Universal health care is not the answer. Until we improve living conditions for the socially disadvantaged in our territory, we cannot hope for universally healthy residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will have a homeless problem in the Sahtu very soon if we don’t deal with the ever-increasing eviction notices in our communities. We must, as a basic human right, house our people. It’s the only right thing to do, Mr. Speaker, to keep our children and people from being thrown out and then wait for a year to see if they are welcome back into a house, a government house.
Now, the Minister states that the Housing Corporation is not intent on evicting. However, it is the last resort to collect money from people for staying in housing in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, how did we allow Housing to let arrears get so high? Why did we not go to the tenants and talk? I mean, talk and then follow up on a weekly basis to encourage and to support our people to assume the responsibility of debt payment.
We need to walk with our people on this very serious housing problem. It may even mean holding their hands and doing whatever it takes to let people know that these houses are theirs today.
Mr. Speaker, some of our units are old, some have mould issues, some have broken windows and doors. Other units are well kept and people are very proud to have a house, and we need to acknowledge the ones who pay on time or make every effort to keep up with the rest of their payments. We also have a mix of housing versions by our people such as housing is a treaty right or how did the promise of paying $2 a month for a house get to almost $1,800 for a client. Where did the government change its promise? We’re waiting to hear when that decision was made.
Mr. Speaker, we have so many houses boarded up, we have so many people on eviction notices, we have children who will not have a home. Mr. Speaker, we live in a rich territory, yet people will be living, and are living, in warehouses. Now we also have the highest core needs in the North, according to the 2009 NWT Housing Survey.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
