Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s surprising what one can find while looking for something else. Last week I found the following statement in a GNWT document titled “Framework for the GNWT Response to Homelessness,” and I quote from there:
“NGO programs need GNWT financial support. The GNWT recognizes that:
non-government organizations are the front-line service providers for the homeless;
NGOs require predictable and multi-year financial support; and
terms and conditions of contribution funding need to support the flexibility of the non-government organizations.”
That’s very gratifying to me to see those words. It justifies the position that I’ve been espousing for the last four years, but how depressing and disappointing that none of these three things are paid anything but lip service by our government. Those words were published in January 2007 and now, five years later, GNWT actions have not reflected any truth to those words.
The situation for NWT NGOs continues to be made very difficult by this government. Let me give you a case in point. Early in June 2011 a call was put out for NGOs to apply for funding available under the NGO Stabilization Fund. Some $350,000. Thirty-five organizations did their homework, filled out the forms, provided all of the necessary information and sent their applications in. The asks in those applications totalled about $1.5 million, a good indication of the need out there for more funding amongst NGOs. Then the applicants waited, and waited, and waited. For five months they waited for a response to their application.
I was contacted by a frustrated constituent in late November. She’d heard that the funds would not be awarded at all this year. I was flabbergasted that in five months our government had not been able to evaluate 35 applications, make recommendations and get approval from the Minister. It makes me think of that joke about how many people it takes to change a light bulb.
I know the wheels of government move slowly, but five months? I’m sorry; that’s ridiculous. I must give credit where credit is due and recognize that the funds have now been awarded and applicants advised, but now they have a different problem. There’s only four months left in the fiscal year to spend the money that they will soon get and one of those months includes the Christmas break.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Only four months to spend their money. This hardly seems fair to me and I believe the delay is inexcusable. There’s never a shortage of Ministers acknowledging the valuable work done by NGOs on behalf of the GNWT, but when will we start respecting our NGOs in actions and not just words?
I will have questions for the Premier at a later date. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
