[Translation] …As a result, our children are eating convenient, ready-to-eat, highly salted, sugared and overly processed foods. The Northwest Territories has the second highest obesity rate in Canada. This has a potential to lead to a lifetime of multiple mental and physical health problems and increase our health care costs.
Canadians have less knowledge about choosing and preparing healthy foods for their families. In many cases children are arriving at school hungry and are unable to learn because they have not eaten a nutritious breakfast. Healthy food increases school attendance, improves academic performances and fosters school and community spirit.
Food First NWT is one of the leaders in nutrition education and it has developed a program for upper elementary students called Taste Makers. It teaches students about nutrition, food purchasing, food and kitchen safety and how to cook healthy foods. The goal is to build confidence, knowledge and skills for children to adopt a lifestyle of healthy eating.
Taste Makers was delivered in Northwest Territories schools in December 2013 and received good evaluations from educators and students. It has potential to be of immense value to students across the Northwest Territories.
Food First Foundation received a $50,000 Anti-Poverty Fund grant in 2014 in order to distribute and support Taste Makers in Northwest Territories schools. Over the next year, Food First will investigate logistics and cost to translate the program into French.
Mr. Speaker, this program provides the opportunity to give Taste Makers a wider scope. Food awareness and preparation is an essential skill for all of us. There is also potential for application of mathematics, science and biology from this program as students learn to buy, cook and eat the food.
Our continued multi-year financial and moral support to maintain and improve this program is critical for its success. It may take a decade to see concrete results, but it’s in the interest of our people and our government to make it work.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
MEMBER'S STATEMENT ON
SUPPORT FOR THE
COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This week is Small Business Week, and Hay River being one of the communities that I think is strongest in business, I’d like to make some of the statements about some of the products and services.
One of the industries that is definitely needed in Hay River is the Hay River Fishery. We’ve talked about this in this House before. The Hay River Fishery and the Great Slave Lake Fishery needs assistance. We’ve been working with the Department of ITI to look towards opportunities in the future. We’ve been looking at infrastructure, but we need to continue to work on training for these types of individuals, getting more individuals into this industry. We need to train some of our local people and encourage people to become entrepreneurs.
We see almost weekly from some of the fishermen, they show us pictures of the Great Slave Lake. It’s dangerous work; it’s hard work; but it’s challenging work and it’s beneficial.
We know that some of this industry is changing in other provinces such as Alberta – we know recently Lake Athabasca closed down its fishery – and we’re looking to see what the opportunities are. Does that include fishers coming up here? Does that include being able to market our fish and sell our fish in Alberta?
We need to encourage fishery in this territory. We need to help the fishermen of the Northwest Territories and Great Slave Lake fishermen. Obviously, I encourage that we continue to support Hay River fishermen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
