Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of ECE regarding the food basket. Mr. Speaker, it adds to our frustration the government’s formula for calculating social assistance. It’s simply inadequate to compare food prices between Yellowknife and Sachs Harbour. It’s just not realistic.
Mr. Speaker, the people don’t get enough money for food and our people are going hungry. People are living in poverty. No wonder; the cost of living in Nunakput is 81 percent and in some areas higher, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is not right in a rich land like ours.
So I ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment: will this government change the way the food basket is calculated for us to get assistance to the people of Nunakput who can’t afford good food? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are currently, through income security and a variety of support to the communities to deal with basic food, shelter and clothing allowances. We also have other subsidies such as seniors’ home fuel subsidy, public housing rental subsidy, which will be transferred to the Housing Corporation soon, and a variety of supports that are available such as NWT child benefits, child care user subsidy, and senior citizen supplementary benefits, along with other benefits that we do provide. We’ve made some changes to our income security in 2007 to increase our funding as well. At the same time, we just highlighted $400,000 towards a new initiative on promoting healthy foods in the Northwest Territories. The $400,000 will go directly to the children in need in the Northwest Territories, to the schools. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to thank the Minister. He’s referring to the breakfast program for the schools in the Northwest Territories and I am thankful for that. Mr. Speaker, there are many federal government programs that this government can tap into to provide the communities with affordable healthy foods. I wonder if this government is taking full advantage of these programs. I see, with the federal government changing the Food Mail Program, the subsidy will go directly to the stores in the communities. I wonder if the government had anything to say about the change. Would the prices really go down, Mr. Speaker? I would like to know, Mr. Speaker, if the federal programs this government is using to complement the assistance our government provides to our people without enough food. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we continue to deliver a subsidy program to the communities. It’s also adjusted by the region. So the higher the costs of the community, the rate changes in that area as well.
With the federal subsidy that was delivered through Canada Post previous years back. There have been some changes in that area. I believe they’re focusing on three main companies that will be delivering that for the food delivery. This will not complement what we do. We will continue to deliver the subsidy program to those communities that are in need, the 33 communities that we service. Mr. Speaker, that federal delivery program is with another department at this time, but with the Income Security we continue to deliver that subsidy program. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I brought it up more than once, you know. When you go visiting elders in the communities they always try to feed you, give you tea and whatever they can feed you to give you a meal. Mr. Speaker, the cost of living in the communities is a lot higher than Yellowknife or anywhere in the South Slave. Mr. Speaker, it’s wrong for the people to suffer. People are suffering in the communities. Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister: will the government find a way to increase social assistance so it meets the most basic needs of people even in the communities where prices are high? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we did increase in 2007 for basic food, clothing and other expenses. We have a program that’s always changing the Income Security Framework. Definitely, those are areas that we continue to look at and we continue to make changes.
Mr. Speaker, the Member is alluding to the high cost of living. We include that into our programming as well. So we’re fully aware of the high cost of living in the communities and continuously we change our programming. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the program is not enough. The funding that the people are getting for social assistance is not enough to provide proper clothing for the kids, not enough to buy food for the month -- it’s lasting three weeks. I get calls every third week of every month in my hometown. People need help. We’re not helping, Mr. Speaker, and I’m going to hold them accountable in regard to that. Will the Minister commit to me to come to the communities and walk through the stores once this food implementation program gets kicked off, to see if there’s any change in prices of food and it’s being passed along to the people? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, with the recent announcement of the power rate reduction, I’m sure that will support and also benefit the community. With regard to the Income Security Framework, we continue to provide that service, Mr. Speaker. Again, we are aware of the high cost of living in small communities. We did visit the Member’s riding. I did visit the Member’s riding when I was a Regular MLA and toured the store as well. We know the high cost. That is why we want to increase our programming as it is comes out to funding as well. We did increase the funding in 2007. We will definitely look at it again. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
