Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not sure if I should thank the Premier or chastise him for stealing my statement today.
Just before Christmas a group of concerned, socially conscientious organizations came to the Legislative Assembly and gave us all a Christmas present. It was a gift of 14 reports detailing the causes and effects of poverty. In addition to their presentation, the group had but one request and, to quote them, “All we want for Christmas is an end to poverty.”
Just this past weekend the NWT Association of Communities passed a resolution which urges the GNWT to proceed with the creation of a strategy for eliminating poverty. It’s a follow-up to a motion to develop an anti-poverty strategy passed in this House on February 11th. As the Premier mentioned, it’s a motion which asks the Premier to initiate discussions with the Anti-Poverty Alliance Partners and requests a response to the motion in 120 days.
In a Member’s statement in February I made the following comment: that present, the one made to the Assembly, an end to poverty for members of the alliance and for our residents is one that this government needs to start work on. I was going to upbraid the government for not having done anything, but now, some 90 days after the motion, I’m very pleased to hear that the government is ready to move forward towards an end to poverty. But I have to wonder how the government will provide the requested comprehensive response less than 30 days from now if we are only just starting the process.
As the Premier also mentioned, all Members, Regular and Executive alike, acknowledge the huge impact that poverty has on our residents. The effects are evident in our schools and in the overloading of our health care system. Poverty in the NWT is exacerbated by our isolation, the high cost we pay for food, shelter and fuel, our housing shortages and inadequacies, and just the logistics of living in the North. To counteract those effects, our government spends quite literally hundreds of thousands of dollars on income support programs for our residents.
An effective anti-poverty strategy will be financially beneficial to the GNWT as it will reduce the dollars needed for income support programs. Our people will be better off. The GNWT bank balance will be better off. We all win in the long run.
The Premier spoke of establishing an advisory committee, but I feel that’s not enough.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
We have an offer of assistance from community partners to develop an anti-poverty strategy and it’s a great opportunity that must not be ignored. We have organizations concerned for the welfare of NWT residents willing to donate their labour and advice and considerable experience to this project, but we must engage them in a meaningful manner. They want to work, not advise, and we have to take advantage of that.
I will have questions for the Premier at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
