Inside the Government of the NWT, progress had been very disappointing. Members are well aware of the call for an Anti-Poverty Strategy from 29 organizations including the City of Yellowknife and a who’s who of the NWT’s social justice advocacy groups. It’s perhaps unprecedented to see so many major groups come together with one voice on one issue calling so loudly for action by the territorial government. This is grassroots action at its finest.

Regular Members of this Assembly took up this call in a February 2010 motion calling upon the government to create a strategy in partnership with communities and business. The more than 80 participants at the October 2010 No Place for Poverty Workshop reinforced this appeal with detailed recommendations for how the government should proceed. That advice was largely ignored in the government’s response, with promise of the development of a discussion paper for NWT-wide consultations. That process has laboured along and I’m told the government’s next product will not be public until September or later, although insiders like us may get a look sooner than that.

The alliance of Anti-Poverty Strategy supporters is not letting this issue falter, despite government inaction. This morning representatives of the alliance unveiled plans to make this a major issue in the upcoming territorial election. They announced that they will be calling on all candidates to pledge their support to making an Anti-Poverty Strategy a top priority of the next Assembly. They will publicize the candidates’ responses, and when the next Assembly gathers, remind successful candidates of their commitments.

Promoting and supporting creation of an Anti-Poverty Strategy has been one of the major priorities of my work in this Assembly. Through my committee work, statements and questions, support of our Anti-Poverty Strategy motion, and participation in the public events promoting this initiative, I have stressed my support for urgent government action. We must attack poverty as the root of the many social ills crippling our society. Our GNWT response must be integrated across government and developed in full partnership with our communities, non-government organizations, and business partners.

I congratulate the grassroots commitment of this alliance and will be calling for the creation of an Anti-Poverty Strategy to be included in the transition recommendations we make to the next Assembly.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to briefly comment on the current disturbing situation regarding the Sport North Federation. I will be speaking more on this later in the Assembly but there is some urgency to comment today. Because of the complex, unclear, and even undefined processes of the sports recreational council, the Sport North Federation’s current funding application has been held up and we are now almost six months into their fiscal year. The Sport North cannot survive without immediate resolution of this impasse. In speaking to the president of Sport North, he believes simply meeting with the Minister and his officials for one hour would allow the negotiation required to resolve the situation and allow them to continue their key service operations. Without that, their capacity to continue ends next month. I seek support from the Minister of MACA to meet with the Sport North Federation as soon as possible to deal with this pending situation.

I would also appreciate the opportunity to meet with the Minister of MACA to seek ways to resolve outstanding issues that create such situations, and thereby maximize our support to our youth and community residents.

That is all I have, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.