Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Tu Nedhe we have many housing issues but we also have income support issues. The constituents are trying to make ends meet on income support. Today I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Can the Minister tell me when the last time the Income Support Program was evaluated and reviewed in the sense of the effectiveness and delivery of the program?
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The last time we had an overall review of our income security framework was in 2007. This included new incidental benefits. Benefits were increased and also employment incentives were added. Those are just some of the key topics that were changed. As we go along, our program does change over time. It was back in 2007, three years ago.
I think the Minister will agree that there are less viable options for income in the small communities. Will the Minister review the Income Support Program and its delivery and look at the issues that are specific to the rural and remote communities?
I agree there are limited opportunities in the small and isolated communities. We do what we can to make programs more effective in the communities. The review the Member is referring to is ongoing. There are always changes happening, but it has to meet the vision and guiding principles that are fair, equitable, and needs of the communities. We have changed the programming and this was an area that we could certainly look at as well.
Low employment means less money in the communities. Less money in the communities means that more people are relying on things like income support and pensions and so on, which is spread out among more people. Does the department consider that factor when they’re reviewing the program?
Yes, that does play a role in our program deliverance. Also, when we review the programming, it does take it into consideration as well. The income security area, when we review the programming, we also take into consideration the high cost of living in the community. Food, clothing, and incidental benefits are adjusted by community and family size as well. Those are the discussions that we’ve been having over the years and we’ll continue to have that.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was going to ask the Minister whether or not the department took high cost of living into account. I guess the Minister answered that question. I wonder if the Minister takes into account the remoteness or isolation of the community when they’re doing the review.
Yes, those are the information that we take into consideration. The Members share a lot of information with us and we do seriously take them into consideration. We have made some changes to the Senior Fuel Subsidy on the threshold based on the recommendations from the Members as well. The income security framework we made some changes in 2007 and that does reflect on the high cost of living, especially those remote communities that are limited with job opportunities. We do what we can with the program in the enhancement of the communities.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
