Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, [English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about employment in small communities. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has two programs that I will speak of. Firstly, Mr. Speaker, is the Income Support Program. This program is designed to provide income to families mostly in areas where there are very few jobs. This program is needed but should not be a way of life.
The second program I wish to speak of is a Small Community Employment Support Program. The budget for this program is limited but should be increased by transferring some income support dollars into it and put people to work. Mr. Speaker, the Small Community Employment Support Program can be used for short-term employment so that people have a purpose for getting up in the morning and sending their kids to school and then going to work. Mr. Speaker, only if it is totally necessary should a family rely on income support.
Mr. Speaker, I've spoken to many people who have told me that a lack of employment is causing many problems in our communities, including disagreements over who is getting the few jobs available in the communities. The Minister of Education knows the importance of children attending school and the best way for children to attend school is giving their parents employment. I don't have to go into the positive long-term impacts of increasing attendance in our small communities, but the obvious one is increasing graduation rates.
Mr. Speaker, just one statistic I will mention is a person with grade 12 has a 25 per cent better chance of getting a job than a person with less than grade 12. Mr. Speaker, just that statistic is not all of the other benefits are associated with a healthier working society. This should be enough to make the Minister with his department to take a closer look at the Small Community Employment Support Program.
Mr. Speaker, the solution is to transfer $1 million from the Income Support Program to the Small Community Employment Support Program. This will increase employment rates in small communities by 3 to 4 per cent based on having about four to six months’ worth of employment per year. The rest of the year perhaps they could draw Employment Insurance bringing thousands of federal dollars into the communities. Mr. Speaker, this is just one initiative that can grow the economy in our small communities. There are many government programs that can be targeted to increasing employment in small communities which will improve the lives of all Northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Kam Lake.
