Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke earlier about the statement by the Premier. You caught me off guard; I have to find my notes. I wanted to follow up with the Premier on the intent of the advisory committee and the work that is going to be done relative to an anti-poverty strategy. I guess I was remiss in my initial remarks in not congratulating the Premier for his statement and for actually bringing forward that we are going to finally be doing something. I would like to express my appreciation and I think the appreciation of the Anti-Poverty Alliance for that. I would like to put a bit more of a box around this particular project. If the Premier could advise me if it is a goal of he and the Executive and of this Assembly, I hope that we would have an anti-poverty strategy by the end of this Assembly. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I stated in the opening comments with this advisory group, we want to look at developing a discussion paper that would address the issues of defining and measuring the progress on poverty and also look at pulling together our current programs in developing strategic direction to reducing poverty and identify areas for further action. We are hoping to have that done within the life of this Assembly. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, that is good to hear. I am really pleased. The goal is to have something by the end of this Assembly. That is great. I do want to reiterate that I feel we have, particularly through the Anti-Poverty Alliance partners, a group of volunteers that are ready to work. I am a little concerned by sort of the process that the Premier is describing that we are going to be advising. We are going to be developing a paper. We are going to be consulting. We are going to be measuring, providing direction and then maybe implementing. It seems to be a very long process and I think we are making things too bureaucratic. I would like to know from the Minister whether or not we can kind of shorten this process and basically make a working group instead of a bureaucratic advising and developing and measuring group. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, we need to come up with a paper that this Assembly could look at and direct as to what could be implemented as we go forward, looking at this initiative and what then could be undertaken for implementation and then get down to work in that area once the Assembly has agreed that it would be wise to move in these areas. There have been times before in previous Assemblies, as well, where a working group was established and some great work done, but when it comes back to this Assembly, there aren’t the resources to do the implementation. It is important that we don’t get too far ahead of that side of the fiscal equation as well. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I do agree that we definitely will need resources to probably do some of this work, but I would hope that we are not going to not do the work because we are worried about getting the money. One of the things that the Anti-Poverty Alliance group suggested was that the very first thing we needed to do was to develop a definition of poverty. We do not have one. I guess I would like to ask the Premier how we can develop a discussion paper if we don’t first develop a definition of poverty. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, that is why the discussion paper. That would be one of the first areas that we would look into, is what the definition would be, because there are many different definitions out there used by... Even all the different jurisdictions have different levels of definition when it comes to the anti-poverty strategy that they do have in place if they do. That is one of the first pieces of work that we would have to do once we have pulled this group together. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is my point, that we do not have a definition and there are many across the country. I don’t believe that we can develop a definition by discussion. I would like to ask the Premier again if we could have a working group to identify a definition of poverty first and then develop a discussion paper to try and figure out the strategy. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t know if splitting hairs on definition of what the working group versus advisory group. We do agree that is one of the first pieces of work that needs to happen. Once we have that, then we can set about to doing the rest of the work that is required to pull this together and present something to Members of the Assembly. The advisory group, as we established it, would be able to look at that initially and then we could put the rest of the resources and pull in the work together. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
