Glen Abernethy

Thank you. I’ve had that discussion, that exact discussion with people all over the Northwest Territories, including on Cabinet and Members themselves and members of our original action team that put together the framework. I’ll have that discussion with the group that’s actually working on the territorial action plan, as well, but the feedback I get on a regular basis is how do you truly define poverty, and I hear that that’s what the Member is asking us to do, but many individuals who might fall under what one person might consider a poverty line don’t feel like they’re living in poverty. It...

Thank you. Once again, medical travel and medevacs are different things recovered under different policies. We are currently doing the review, which I’ve talked about a number of times in this House, on the Medical Travel Policy and I look forward to sharing those results and that progress with Members as we move forward.

With respect to medevacs, we are currently out for an RFP. The RFP closed last week and we hope to have a provider for air ambulance in the coming while here, but when it comes to medevacs, the ability to have an escort could be dependent on a number of things, plane sizes and...

Thank you. It kind of sounds like the Member didn’t review the Child and Family Services Act from the 16th Assembly because the two are very similar. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Auditor General of Canada’s Report on Child and Family Services was tabled in this House. The Auditor General’s findings indicate that the health and social services system is not adequately meeting its key responsibilities for the protection and well-being of children, youth and families. This is a serious concern for all of us.

The conclusions in the report confirm the findings of the 16th Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Social Programs’ review of the Child and Family Services Act. As a participant in that review, I care deeply about ensuring that we...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If I understand the question correctly, it’s about expenditure control within the department and the authorities.

Thank you. When it comes to the Department of Health and Social Services, I decide what statements I want to make and I direct the department to draft a statement with the types of messaging that I would like to have in there, which is what I did in this case. Given that this was a Minister’s statement on child and family services, it would have been the child and family services unit and the director of that division who would have helped put together the language on that statement. But ultimately it’s my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I mean, that’s a pretty detailed question and I certainly don’t have that detail in front of me, but I’d be happy to get it for the Member. Thank you.

It’s never too late. We need to get it done and we will get it done. With respect to the 16 to 18-year-olds, I’m sure the Member recalls if an individual between 16 and 18 wishes to have services, they still can volunteer for support. To deal with some of the other changes we have all discussed during the reviews of the Child and Family Services Act in the 16th Assembly, we are going to need some legislative changes. In the meantime, it needs to be across the department, because we talked about some individuals who choose not to receive services are not eligible for things like income support...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, after the Auditor General report came out, I did send a letter to the Standing Committee on Social Programs and I was looking for an opportunity to sit with them and talk about the 16th Assembly report and also some direction that I have given to the department over the last couple of weeks and last couple of months with respect to the recommendations in that report.

I have talked a little bit about some of the foundational work that has been done, which is great, and I don’t believe it’s enough. I feel like we‘ve been tinkering around the edges, that we haven...

Thank you. I’d hardly say that we got ahead. I was talking about some of the positive things that we were doing and the Auditor General clearly indicated that we’re not. So I would say that the things I was speaking to are the good things that we’re trying to do in response to the 16th Assembly. Frankly, much of the wording in both of those documents is consistent and I would encourage the Member to maybe review or read the review of the Child and Family Services Act from the 16th Assembly. Thank you.