Julie Green

Mr. Speaker, the Minister's commitment to quality reporting, which he made earlier in this sitting, on government contracts will help increase accountability, or course. In 2012, the Auditor General also found cases where departments had updated their own records but not the contract registry and reporting systems report that is tabled in the Legislative Assembly like the one we saw yesterday. What has the government done to ensure this registry and reporting system is reconciled with its internal departmental records?

Today, I have two sets of questions. I'm going to start with the other set, which are questions for the Minister of Finance, and they're about sole-source contracting. These questions are important, Mr. Speaker, because they help us understand how this special set of contracts is managed, and it reassures the public that their money is being well-spent. So, first of all, could the Minister explain for the benefit of the general public, vendors, and the Members of the House, why increases to the threshold for sole-source contracts were approved and what value that brings to taxpayers? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's also important for us parents to talk to our daughters about the danger of sexual assault and how they can keep themselves safe and the need for consent. The government also needs to put a high priority on increasing awareness about consent, and responding effectively to girls and women who report being assaulted.

Mr. Speaker, sexual assault is a chronic problem in the NWT; but the biggest lesson of all is that it's preventable. What stands in our way is talking openly about sexual assault and creating a culture where it is unacceptable. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to draw your attention to a study published this year by YWCA Yellowknife titled "Hush Hush No More: Improving NWT Community Response to Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls." It contains some important recommendations about new responses by health providers and communities to sexual violence as well as prevention.

Mr. Speaker, by way of background, this study is based on interviews with women who have experienced sexual assault and service providers from five NWT communities. The study notes that men and boys also experience sexual violence but they...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, November 4, 2016, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on November 4, 2016, it shall be adjourned until Tuesday, January 31, 2017; and further, that any time prior to January 31, 2017, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Many legislatures across the globe face a common problem: Their citizens are neither knowledgeable about, nor very satisfied with them as institutions. This political disengagement, coupled with generational change, increased policy and legislative complexity, declining scrutiny by traditional media, and the growing influence of social media have all contributed to the sense of a growing democratic deficit between the public and the lawmakers.

In an effort to bridge this democratic deficit, there has been a worldwide shift towards open government. Public engagement strategies...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to congratulate all the award winners and I would like to introduce my neighbour and constituent, Karen Wright-Fraser, who helped organize today's events. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister's answer. But if the funds were sufficient, why would we have food banks? Why would we have soup kitchens? Why would we have all these organizations, not only here in Yellowknife but in Hay River and Inuvik, and even in smaller places like Tuktoyaktuk that give food to people every single day? Food security is a huge issue in the Northwest Territories, and I would like the Minister's commitment that he's going to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Thank you.

While the Minister is chatting with the Finance Minister about whether to uphold that promise from last year, I would just urge him to consider that every other per diem and allowance that any of us receive who are associated with the government rises over time, and that the price of food isn't going down. So I wonder if he could give me a rationale for not continuing to raise the level of income assistance for food?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during this sitting of the Legislative Assembly, we've been debating changes to the NWT Income Assistance Program. We have learned that the new Canada Child Benefit no longer counts as income for people receiving income assistance. We've also learned that the department that administers income assistance has taken this opportunity to end the food and clothing allowances for children under 18.

Mr. Speaker, the effect of this change is two-fold. First, Ottawa is now paying for food, clothing and other necessities for children on income assistance through the...