Julie Green

How did the NWT Housing Corporation arrive at a price for that land and building?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for that answer. I think one of the major issues here is that I needed the help of the research department to understand exactly what was going on in the administration of these benefits. I stand by the remarks that I made, that every example shows a decrease in both food and clothing allowances.

I understand the Minister doesn't believe that this is the case, but that's what my research shows. So maybe -- and this is going to turn into a comment rather than a question. I'll follow up with written questions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate that the Minister has now enabled income assistance recipients to keep a wider range of income than was previously the case. However, the amount of money paid for both food and clothing has been reduced for income assistance recipients. How can the Minister justify reducing these assistance amounts when they are meant to alleviate poverty for the people who are most in need?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the passing of my great friend and mentor Ruth Spence. Mrs. Spence was a force to be reckoned with from the time she arrived in Yellowknife. She was the first executive director of the YWCA in Yellowknife. She built the Y from a 12-bed home for single women to the 84 apartments at Northern United Place.

Mrs. Spence served several terms on the Yellowknife City Council, was chair of the Stanton Territorial Hospital, and the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority. She was honoured with one of the first Orders of the NWT last year. She lived the...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today is an important day. It is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, as declared by the United Nations and marked each year on this date since 1987.

I believe all of us understand that poverty is a problem here in the Northwest Territories, as it is in much of the world. According to 2014's CRA tax filer data, 17 per cent of families and 22 per cent of children live in poverty in communities across the NWT.

In March, the federal government announced it would help families with income under $80,000 a year with the cost of raising their children...

I wonder if the Minister could give me even some preliminary thoughts about what this review might look like, who would do it, when it would be done and so on and so forth? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I'm tempted to ask for even bigger and better things since I've got the Minister mostly saying yes.

Laughter

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. So, back to my question about oversight, when the same consultants are repeated beneficiaries of solesource contracts, shouldn't we occasionally look to see whether other suppliers might not provide value for money? The only review of solesource contracting I can locate is the 2009 Auditor General's review of GNWT contracting. The OAG reported that one in five solesource contracts was not properly awarded. Mr. Speaker, the increased limits make the stakes that much higher. I will have questions for the Finance Minister. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Finance Minister for that. One of the points in my statement was that some people seem to benefit disproportionately from solesource contracting. I mentioned deputy ministers and consultants who had multiple contracts among them for quite a steep value. I wonder if the Minister would consider, as part of his review, looking at whether there need to be some limits on the number of contracts awarded to a single individual or, alternatively, a total value of contracts awarded to a single individual? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Could you reverse the 100… no? okay.

Laughter