Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleagues, I want to talk about income assistance today. I sometimes I see it as dependence versus transition to independence. I read on the internet the other day, it said welfare dependency can be defined as a state in which person or a household is reliant on government's benefits or further income for a prolonged period of time, Mr. Speaker, and without which, they cannot manage or sustain their daily living.
Mr. Speaker, how does the department transition families from dependency to programs to independencies? I worry that the cornerstone of hope is really their plan. I don't see a graduated scale we're inspiring people to stand on their own, even with our support. You know, work instills pride, very fundamental to being a human being. A place in society that has accountability but also a sense of accomplishment leads towards healthy living. It's not a perfect path, Mr. Speaker, but it is one that does show the greatness of being human.
Being stuck on income support is a tough experience, Mr. Speaker. I know many; I have spoken to many over the years; and no one feels as if it's the best spot for them but they are trapped in that cycle of dependency. You know, income support sometimes can be viewed as, or income assistance can be viewed as the back dooring of a universal basicbasic, very basic income. It's barely enough to get by. So how do we get people on their feet? We don't know.
We eliminated the cycle of productive choices, so yet we have people in these dependency cycles and yet when we say where the system is changing and people are getting off income support, I wonder why. Is it because they stopped filing their paperwork? Did they not qualify that month? Or did they get a job and find their own way? I don't know, and I'd like to know if the department has any idea.
Again, when I talk to people on income assistance, I hear depression, anxiety, and frustration. They want to do more, they want to be more, and they can be more, Mr. Speaker, and yet we have to find a way.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to stress that the department needs to enable productive choices, get people back on their feet, let the government support them. There's no shame in giving more to those who do shoot for independence because at the end of the day isn't that our goal, to ensure that we have healthy families, independent people contributing to a northern society for one and all? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements. Member from Hay River South.
