Floyd Roland

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this point within the Executive and within the departments, we’ve done what we can at this point. I just responded to a Member to say that if Members of this Assembly want us to do further work in there, let’s put it in writing I guess is one way to do it. Too often we make a commitment and find out that it wasn’t supported by enough of the Members of the Assembly and we end up backing down or it doesn’t get completed. In this area of finding a definition, I’m sure we could look at doing something like that, and again, through the Department of Municipal and...

Thank you. The blood is always pumping.

---Laughter

Many would say I’m passionate about my work. Mr. Speaker, the area that we want to pull together and the people together and the time frame, as I said, this is an important initiative for us. We’re reacting and acting with the Members, in a sense, to pull all of this information together.

It is early for us in response. You know, I apologize if the Member feels we’ve been delayed in doing this, but we are here, we are moving forward with this. I say that with the opportunities before us we’ll be able to pull a plan together and that’s where we...

Thank you. If the Members of this Assembly feel that we should put that as an initiative and identify it in our upcoming business plans, I’m prepared to work with the Members of the House on that. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we are looking at across-the-board representation to seek membership in the advisory group. We will have representation from across the field of organizations involved in the anti-poverty work that happens here in the Northwest Territories. I don’t have details to that but, again, I’m prepared to have our staff sit down and pull as much as we have together and have that presented to Members for their input. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We did do the work as highlighted by the Member and looked at the funding pieces in trying to strategize on how we could better work with the NGOs throughout the Northwest Territories. We haven’t gone to a central office because a lot of the supports that would be required we’d have to go back to the departments anyway to get a particular support. So I’d either have to build up my office staff so that they could go directly to other Ministers to get that information. We haven’t gone forward on that step. Of course, every year that we do review our business plans...

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, a committee on Rural and Remote Communities is looking at how we do business as the Government of the Northwest Territories in a whole number of areas, and again, I am sure that that committee will be happy to pull their resources together to look at these types of initiatives to see what we can do.

Let’s not forget, Mr. Speaker, for example, our capital plan, what we are doing to keep people in businesses operating in the communities of the Northwest Territories, our infrastructure program with airport expansions, renewal of many of our infrastructure habits...

Mr. Speaker, that is why the discussion paper. That would be one of the first areas that we would look into, is what the definition would be, because there are many different definitions out there used by... Even all the different jurisdictions have different levels of definition when it comes to the anti-poverty strategy that they do have in place if they do. That is one of the first pieces of work that we would have to do once we have pulled this group together. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Member has actually highlighted another area this government has taken an initiative on. It is forming a committee, between Regular Members and Cabinet, on small and remote rural communities. I would say that would be an avenue that we could use if that group wants to seek some input as to what options they may be able to work on and present back to the Members of the Assembly. I think we have an avenue there. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I stated in the opening comments with this advisory group, we want to look at developing a discussion paper that would address the issues of defining and measuring the progress on poverty and also look at pulling together our current programs in developing strategic direction to reducing poverty and identify areas for further action. We are hoping to have that done within the life of this Assembly. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in February, this House passed a motion calling on the government to develop a comprehensive anti-poverty strategy for the Northwest Territories. This motion also noted the need to work with key stakeholders to develop a definition of poverty and to include measurable targets and mechanisms for cross-departmental coordination.

As Members know, addressing low income in the Northwest Territories is a complex matter that is linked to social, economic and cost of living conditions that exist in our communities.

Poverty strategy from jurisdictions in Canada often...