Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today: community subsidies and assistance for professionals.
Recently in one of the Nunakput communities they evaluated their subsidy contract with the teachers. As a result, they felt that continuation of these subsidies is very important. Providing subsidy and assistance for two professionals to costs such as accommodations goes to the very core of the number of issues facing small, remote communities, especially in the Nunakput region.
Due to the unique geographic challenges and enormous operating costs, our communities are continuously disadvantaged while trying to provide the same services to our residents. Many of these services are very basic, such as education and health care.
Another community concern identifies teachers having to pay rent only 10 months of the year while local housing authorities absorb the remaining costs. If we’re going to try to develop realistic solutions, then it is important that we don’t focus on identifying which community-based offices should absorb the cost. Rather, the approach should be to take all levels of government together to recognize these extraordinary costs to provide resources accordingly.
I also believe that the government must be proactive to work with all community governments, offices and industries to encourage an environment for real infrastructure development. Programs such as teachers’ housing subsidies are very important to the future success of our students. Many communities lack adequate accommodations for teachers for the upcoming school year. The recruitment and retention of teachers in small, isolated communities, such as my hometown of Tuktoyaktuk, is critical to the continuing success of our students and schools.
Recently this government initiated the Come Make Your Mark Campaign. This campaign is an attempt to attract more people to the North, but many of our residents have questions. How can we attract people to the North when the housing conditions are so desperate? Housing has been identified as the most important reason when this comes to recruitment and retention of professionals.
I will have more questions for the honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
MEMBER’S STATEMENT ON
GNWT RESPONSE TO THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL PROGRAMS
REVIEW OF THE
CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES ACT
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I’d hoped that the Standing Committee on Social Programs would have had an opportunity to discuss the Department of Health and Social Services’ response to our recommendations before we began debating in the House or talking about it in the media. However, the response was tabled and the free-for-all has ensued, so I too will now talk about the government’s response.
The Department of Health and Social Services indicated that they did not accept the recommendation for prevention and early intervention in the 2011-2012 budget because the budget had already passed. This sort of tells me that the reason for the recommendation was sort of missed.
The communities were told that a lot of issues of child protection and child apprehension was due to the addictions of the community. The Standing Committee on Social Programs recommended that the department provide support and resources to communities for such things as healing on the land. This was conditionally accepted by the department, but indicated that there was a certain amount of money being spent by the GNWT and the federal government. However, the community has indicated that they have not seen positive results.
The current Child and Family Services Act claims where the Child and Family Services Act committees would be set up in each community. This act has been in place for over 12 years and more attention was needed in this area, not just conditional acceptance with a provision that this could be done if there was more money. The Standing Committee on Social Programs saw this as a very important item in child protection.
Working with First Nations communities to create more foster homes that are culturally appropriate for children in care was also a recommendation. This would require work on the part of the department to work closely with the First Nations governments, and the department should endeavour to do so.
Many of the recommendations were accepted outright and this is a step in the right direction. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
