Mr. Speaker, perception is everything. How we view the world around us determines how we live our lives. Our perception of the challenges and opportunities we face every day informs our actions and thus plays a major role in each situation's outcome. Many Northerners face challenges in which often the last resort they approach the GNWT for solutions. In tough times, there's already a feeling of desperation so the perception that these services are difficult to access can be a serious detriment to whether or not a service actually reaches the person it's intended for.
Unfortunately, the often Byzantine nature of our departments can make these services appear out of reach - high, aloft, separate, confusing towers of bureaucracy that must be scaled through confusing applications, intimidating policies, and frantic searches for the relevant staff. This is precisely how government silos make delivery of vital services difficult especially when the trickiest situations call for access to multiple programs which exist across different departments.
Honourable Members have all worked with constituents facing these tough times who feel frustrated because they perceive the solutions are obscured behind unnecessarily complicated barriers. They may need access to public housing, social services, income assistance, or to be connected to an NGO in their community, but the policies, programs, and paperwork seem too overwhelming and, sadly, our constituents may not get the help they need on time.
Thankfully, our government has created the Office of Integrated Service Delivery. This was created to specialize in breaking down departmental barriers and provide resources and knowledge in services offered by both government and non-government organizations. This is a tool I referred Range Lakers to when complicated constituency files require more support. Very rarely do constituents come back from the integrated services unit without the support they needed broken down for them in easy to follow strategies. Even when a constituent does not meet the threshold for ISD, staff are more than happy to provide some quick, crucial advice or a package of programs and applications that would have otherwise taken much effort to gather.
Let's all celebrate the innovative nature of this office and all the hard work staff there do to ensure the services each department works hard maintaining are wildly accessible to those who need them. The success of this unit here in Yellowknife is a model for the entire territory, and I hope we will see more of it in the years to come. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.
