Debates of November 27, 2007 (day 3)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 2005, the 15th Assembly released a declaration on volunteering which demonstrated the government’s commitment to work with organizations that represent the diversity of the voluntary sector and support the voluntary sector through active partnerships and leadership on such programs as the NWT Volunteer Support Initiative, which is the VSI, and the related finance action group.

Volunteering in organizations within the voluntary sector supports community wellness and helps all northerners build the kind of communities that we all want to live in, for both families and individuals. Through the voluntary sector, people have had the ability to come together, take action, and come up with solutions to the common problems that improve the quality of life for all residents of the Northwest Territories.

The sector is broad and includes voluntary organizations which support the arts and culture, actively engage youth and adults in organized sports, and provide social programming to northerners in need and/or crisis. The sector includes organizations that are purely volunteer-based, as well as non-government organizations which employ staff in order to provide administration and respond to the wishes of their membership. All add to the strength of communities. Given the nature of the sector, organizations within it are able to respond to community and individual needs far quicker than the government.

As part of the government’s declaration, it was recognized that helping others is a shared tradition of northerners and that open, informed, and sustained dialogue with the NWT voluntary sector was, and is, required between the sector and government. As such, in compliance with the government’s commitment to support the voluntary sector, the GNWT appointed the Minister of MACA as the Minister responsible for addressing voluntary sector issues and accounting for the NWT VSI. Unfortunately, although MACA has done some work with the Volunteer Support Initiative and the finance action group, the sector continues to struggle and their ability to provide services to meet local needs and advocate for the marginalized and under-represented individual groups and their cause is being compromised.

Many of the organizations within the sector feel that the lack of progress may be related to the lack of the GNWT staff dedicated to this area, as well as the lack of government-wide approach on supporting the sector itself.

May I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement?

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The catch is now figuring out where I was. Alright.

Further, they feel that some of these challenges may be overcome by assigning the responsibility, mandate and accountability for implementing the government’s commitment to the Executive under one Minister.

Mr. Speaker, later this afternoon I’ll be asking the Premier some questions regarding the effectiveness of having the responsibility for the voluntary sector under the Department of MACA and how the government intends to move forward in order to provide the support committed to the voluntary sector in March 2005. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak to government support for the volunteer sector. We know that there are many demands on government resources and that we need to stretch those resources to meet as many of those demands as we can while still fully meeting all of our goals. There are essential services that must be delivered effectively and efficiently and government cannot do it all. These services affect the well-being of all citizens in the NWT, services that deal with homelessness and poverty, substance abuse, youth justice, environmental education and protection, sport and recreation and the list goes on.

Fortunately, our government has able and willing partners to meet these needs, partners collectively referred to as the voluntary sector. Mr. Speaker, I am particularly thinking here of those working for the good of all, the common good. The annual economic value of volunteerism here in the NWT is almost $70 million. That is every year. This valuable contribution is worthy of wise investment and support by this government.

To quote the YWCA, "The voluntary sector is essential to the democratic process." Like the marketplace which creates economic wealth in our society or the government which protects institutional memory of how to effectively govern ourselves, the voluntary sector creates and expands social capital. Social capital refers to the values and networks that enable coordination and cooperation at the community level building trust, mutually beneficial relationships, inclusion and tolerance. The voluntary sector includes all self-organized groups of people committed to the betterment of human life and has a key role in the advancement of human well-being. It is all about citizen participation and engagement in community betterment.

Mr. Speaker, while the 15th Assembly committed to implementing the Volunteer Support Initiative, only modest progress has been made. While many or all of our departmental mandates overlap with the areas in which volunteer groups are active, responsibility for supporting this sector seems lodged in only one department, that of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for maximum benefits here, our government and the voluntary sector must work closely together, more closely than we have in the past. We must ensure a clear line of communication between ourselves and our partners at the decision-making level. We must ensure government policy and support is developed together with those who can draw on much front-line experience. Importantly, Mr. Speaker, we must ensure government-wide coordination and integration in implementation of the Volunteer Support Initiative and in all of our dealings with the voluntary sector. A joint GNWT voluntary sector working group under the Department of the Executive may be the best way to achieve this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause