Debates of March 9, 2005 (day 52)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Statistics over the last few years, Mr. Speaker, have shown virtually no change in our rates of children living in low income situations, so I would like to ask the Minister responsible for these programs in our government, Mr. Dent, a pretty straightforward question. Why does child poverty persist here in the NWT in the midst of so much activity and so much wealth? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 577-15(3): Child Poverty In The NWT

Mr. Speaker, I wish I had a clear, concise answer for that question. I don’t. I can’t say that child poverty exists because of one specific reason. There are a whole range of reasons that there is child poverty. We have, as a government, put a significant amount of money, as the Member noted in his statement, into programs over the last few years and I guess we must be just having trouble keeping up with the growth and the cost of living in an overheated economy. Because one would expect with the kind of investment that we’ve made with our small population, that more of a difference should have been seen. This government is struggling to find more money to put into social programs. One of the areas that we’re hoping to be able to tap into is resource revenue sharing. If we’re successful at seeing more money, then we’re going to have those resources available to put into these important social programs. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 577-15(3): Child Poverty In The NWT

Mr. Speaker, government has a primary and fundamental responsibility to help those who are least able to help themselves. Children are at the very top of that list, for me. I would like to know if in the universal review that our government is undertaking of some 17 different lifestyle and social service programs are we going to make sure that the welfare of children is at the very top of our consideration in this review? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 577-15(3): Child Poverty In The NWT

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to assure the Member and this House that the government shares that concern. Children are the most important asset that we have and we need to make sure that we protect their potential to develop as they should. Yes, I can assure the Member that the process of reviewing our income security programs that is being led by my department will keep children in mind as one of the priorities as we’re undertaking that review.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 577-15(3): Child Poverty In The NWT

Mr. Speaker, what does the Minister see as the biggest barriers that we face in terms of trying to turn this really shameful statistic around? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 577-15(3): Child Poverty In The NWT

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, it’s really tough to find one area that is the most important. If people don’t have economic opportunity, obviously their children are not going to enjoy the same sort of security that others would. You don’t have economic opportunity if you don’t have an education. You don’t tend to be as healthy if you don’t have an educated. There are a whole range of issues that we need to deal with in our society and we need to make sure that we have healthy people making healthy choices in healthy communities if we want to make sure that we deal with this. So we have a real challenge. But I think that if the Member is aware of what the Legislative Assembly as a whole has set out as our goal and strategic plan, our overall vision, that’s what we’re going to try and work for. The redesign of the Income Security Program is but one small part of that overall approach. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 577-15(3): Child Poverty In The NWT

Mr. Speaker, I would pose a question in a very objective way, I hope. That is to challenge the Minister to look within and to check our own attitudes and our own cultures and our own biases within ourselves as a Legislative Assembly, at the management levels and the senior policy-making levels of our departments. I believe that is probably where we need to start. I would leave one more question on the table as an illustration of that attitude, I guess, that we’re bringing to the table, too. That is, our consistent refusal, Mr. Speaker, to return the National Child Benefit to income support clients as a very real direct way that we can help those people lift themselves out of poverty. Why don’t we change that? Why don’t we start there? Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 577-15(3): Child Poverty In The NWT

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We certainly can examine that as we go through the whole review of the income security policies that we have. The National Child Benefit was a benefit proposed by the federal government to assist working parents, to encourage people to take that step from income support into the world of work where that was possible. All jurisdictions across Canada agreed that nobody on income support would be worse off, and we have made sure that is in fact the case in the Northwest Territories. We have increased benefits to people who are on income support since the National Child Benefit was put into place. We are going to, as part of the whole process, examine our approach. Right now, the approach is consistent with how the program is rolled out in its first inception. Thank you.