Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my questions had to do with the income support situation in Tuk with the voucher system being implemented September 1st. I had more than a few calls that we were rushing into this, to step backwards to try to keep people independent, giving them independence and make the right choices. It’s bad enough that they are on income support and there are no jobs in the community. Mr. Speaker, I just wish this pipeline would get started so we would have work and the...(inaudible)...would get going. But, Mr. Speaker, until then we are on income support, a good majority of Tuk.
We are rushing into this. Could the Minister reconsider his decision on the voucher system that was supposed to start September 1st of this year? Could the Minister defer this until April 1, 2012, so we can have a proper implementation for the community and maybe put it to a community vote? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It is a credit system that we’ve been talking about since fall 2010. The Member approached our office and also the Tuk Hamlet Council also supported the process. The DEA also supported the initiative. Based on that, we decided to go ahead from what we heard from the community leadership.
If the Member wants to have this deferred, I need to have some confirmation from the DEA and the Member himself and also the Tuk Hamlet Council that they want us to defer the matter until the new fiscal year. I am more than willing to work with that, Mr. Speaker, but I need some confirmation from the community of Tuk. Mahsi.
I was a supporter of this because, like I said before, I support anything my leadership of the community of Tuk, the mayor and council, supports, and the DEA.
Mr. Speaker, if I was to get these letters within the next few days from the Hamlet of Tuk and the DEA and myself, is the Minister committing to me that he would defer this until April 1, 2012? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
If that is the wish of the community of Tuktoyaktuk, then I’m willing to work with that and we can make a decision to defer this matter once the confirmation letter comes in from the three parties. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
