Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We hear a lot in the House about the need for better accountability mechanisms. With that in mind, I’d like to offer some observations on how the government is measuring up against its own priorities.
At the outset of the 17th Assembly, the government identified the goal of having healthy, educated people free from poverty. It subsequently developed strategic initiatives in four broad areas: to alleviate poverty, to enhance early childhood development, to renew the education system, and to better address mental health issues.
Regrettably, actual spending on these initiatives is staying on the ground. All combined, the government has allocated about $6.5 million to the current fiscal year. I did the math and it amounts to about $150 for NWT residents. That’s equivalent to the cost of a child’s winter coat or a basket of groceries, or even half of the basket of groceries, depending upon where you live.
Far too many NWT residents are not healthy, well-educated or free from poverty, and yet looking at actual spending to improve people’s well-being, there’s not much meat on these bones. In stark contrast, let’s consider spending on a different 17th Assembly priority: making strategic infrastructure investments. If spending is a measure of success, then this area of the government is winning. One infrastructure project alone, the Inuvik-Tuk highway, will see the government spend about $110 million in the current fiscal year. Again, I did the math and it works out to $2,600 per NWT resident.
So a single highway, which won’t even be regularly used by most NWT residents, is gobbling up 17 times more than the combined new spending on poverty, young children, education and mental health.
On the matter of translating priorities into meaningful action, this government’s approach is not one to emulate. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
