Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We come to these sessions several times a year and express our concerns from our home communities and our region. Some of our concerns are serious in that we bring them up every time we are here, and hoping and demanding the government act upon their commitments.

One of these issues is a lack of counsellors and social workers. Some of the communities never have access to counsellors, social workers, or the system lacks necessary resources and the effort seems unnoticeable, and that seems a shame. All across the Territory, communities, government organizations are saying...

As I mentioned in my Member’s statement, community leaders are identifying the lack of professional and social support as one of the most serious issues in the communities. People are very passionate about this issue; they have a lot to say. As a government, we must listen. We must act so that the government is to review the current territorial strategy on addictions and other counselling programs to conduct a comprehensive community-based decision to develop a go-forward plan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Capacity building with real social supports is very important and it’s very critical that government commits and delivers the required support, not just deliver the rhetoric on local communities. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Thank you.

That’s almost as quick as Jane getting responses from the Minister of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, given that local governments know their communities and issues best, the best ways to administer programs, making sure that we consider given the housing conditions and the program implementation, especially for small remote communities has been in a crisis situation for quite some time given the recent changes, I’m just making sure that the Minister and his departments, in the smaller communities, they actually go to the communities and meet with the government and local leadership. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I urge this government to transfer the administration of the Public Housing Subsidy Program back to local housing authorities, with adequate resources to properly administer the program. Local governments know their communities and issues best. They know the best ways to administer the programs.

Mr. Speaker, I’ll have questions for the appropriate Minister. Thank you.

I’d like to invite the Minister to my riding of Nunakput, once he is planning to go there to do a community tour. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in my Member’s statement I was talking about the housing situation that we’re having up in my riding in Nunakput. In addition to all Regular MLAs passing a motion urging the government to review its current conditions, because clearly it’s not working, will this government participate in an intergovernmental regional discussion to review all concerns identified in the petition? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement is on the Local Housing Subsidy Program. Several sessions ago we gave the government instructions to review the Public Housing Subsidy Program, because since transferring administration from local housing organizations to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment there has been some serious problems on the delivery of the program.

Years ago when the government was first considering transferring the administration to ECE, many local housing organizations told the local government what the real problem was, and that was that the local...

Will the Minister commit to working with me with the various departments and agencies and the airlines to prevent future patients from having to wait for long periods of time in the communities and when they’re trying to return home after their medical, from seeing the doctor, because of flight cancellations due to the number of passengers? Thank you.

Today I’d like to recognize my son Mitchell Jacobson, who is visiting me down from Tuk. Welcome.

I’d also like to recognize Carol Beck, as well.