Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s no surprise to Members that I’m a big supporter and champion of seniors’ issues and certainly their rights. In the 16th Assembly, I brought up the issue of an NWT Seniors’ Charter. In my belief, it would complement the work here that we do in the Assembly. It would serve as a mission statement as to how the government sets out its commitment, well-being and support for quality living with seniors.
My question for the Minister responsible for Seniors is: What does he use for his guiding principle and mandate to build and work within a relationship with NWT seniors to ensure we’re meeting their needs? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m sorry; I was distracted and didn’t hear the question.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Hawkins, could you re-ask the question for the Minister, please?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can I include my preamble as before? It’s so exciting.
What is the Minister responsible for Seniors using as his guiding mandate that builds and bridges the relationship between his responsibilities as Minister responsible for Seniors and certainly the relationship and their needs by seniors in the NWT? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as the Members know, the responsibility for the Minister under seniors comes with actually no budgets. However, we do draw from interdepartmental pool where Health and Social Services provides some funding, some coordinator, some support to the seniors and the Seniors’ Society, and then the funding comes from the various departments to the NWT Seniors’ Society as an example. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, in a coordinating fashion, how do we know we’re meeting the needs of seniors? How do we measure this? How do we understand this and what type of relationship fashion is set up to ensure that the messages, their needs, are being communicated to the government? Is it the responsibility of this Minister? Thank you.
Thank you. We have a seniors coordinator within the Department of Health and Social Services reporting through the system at Health and Social Services. That coordinator works closely with the NWT Seniors’ Society. The Seniors’ Society supports the various seniors’ organizations in the communities across the Territories. That is how we coordinate our activities or any support that we may have from the government through the one individual that works through the Department of Health and she will get some administrative support within the Department of Health and Social Services. Thank you.
Thank you. Would the Minister responsible for Seniors agree that if we had a seniors’ charter, it be useful, in his view, to ensure that we’re meeting the needs of seniors, and if he does believe that being the case, what would he be prepared to do to work on a seniors’ charter for the NWT? Thank you.
Thank you. I can discuss that with the regular committees, committees of MLAs, to see if a charter would be something that would enhance support for seniors. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you. A seniors’ charter would be a mission statement of this government on its principles and support for its seniors. Does the Minister believe in that type of concept and ideals? Would he lead this initiative? Thank you.
Thank you. We have set up a structure where we have, within the Cabinet, a subcommittee of Cabinet that is a social envelope committee, which is led by the Minister of Justice. Within that committee we have the various Ministers working on that committee. We also work with the Regular Members in developing some work through the small communities, the real remote communities, to be able to have the work that’s needed to be able to assist seniors in the various communities across the small communities where they may not have the same type of support systems that are available such as the NGOs in some of the larger communities. So, yes, I will continue to work within that group and involve the seniors groups as much as possible. Thank you.
