Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to this Assembly’s goal of helping our residents become and stay healthy, educated people free from poverty. A strong territory needs a strong society. All residents of the NWT should have the chance to enjoy the benefits of living in a prosperous, well-governed territory and to participate fully in a healthy, just society.
This is why the Premier committed last year to the development of an Anti-Poverty Strategy. At the appropriate time today, I will table the Strategic Framework towards the Elimination of Poverty in the NWT. This framework has been developed in partnership with the No Place for Poverty Coalition, representatives from the business sector, as well as Aboriginal and community governments.
I want to acknowledge the efforts of the many partners on the steering committee who devoted countless hours over the past year to this important work. Not only is the framework an excellent document and a roadmap for the future, it is also a testament to what we can achieve by working in collaboration.
Mr. Speaker, poverty is complex, and to tackle this issue requires action on many fronts. Our government’s priorities all work together to address poverty. A thriving economy gives residents the chance to support themselves and their families. Healthy, educated people are better able to take advantage of economic opportunities.
The framework reflects this complexity and targets five priority areas for tackling poverty in the NWT. These include a focus on children and families, healthy living, safe and affordable housing, sustainable communities and better integration of services. Our government is already taking action in many of these areas. In this session alone we have heard about our commitments to renew the Early Childhood Development Framework, develop an Economic Opportunities Strategy, improve our relationships with Aboriginal governments, and address mental health and addictions in our communities. This work has a common thread. It is all part of our work to achieve our vision of a poverty-free NWT.
Now that the strategic framework is complete, it’s time to focus on actions.
Over the summer Ministers will work together to develop action plans to coordinate responses to this and the other frameworks and strategies that have recently been tabled. I will encourage other stakeholder organizations to do the same. As plans are developed, I will host a symposium in the fall so we can all talk about what we want to do and how we might work together.
There is a role for everyone in our efforts to create a poverty-free NWT, and I look forward to new partnerships that will have long-term benefits for all of our people. By working together, we can make progress on our shared priorities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Ramsay.
