Julie Green

Can I take that as a commitment that the Minister will review shelter funding and establish a formula that levels the playing field for all the family violence shelters?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's my honour today to welcome the NWT Family Violence Shelter Network who are visiting Yellowknife this week and meeting. We have with us the women who run the family violence shelters in the NWT. Lyda Fuller is the executive director of the YWCA, Debby Rybchinski manages at Alison McAteer House here in Yellowknife, April Davies is the manager of Sutherland House in Fort Smith, Janice Elanik is the acting executive director of the Inuvik Transition House, Bessie Hagen is the executive director of the Women and Emergency Foster Care Shelter in Tuktoyaktuk...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's recently been confirmed that the Northwest Territories continues to bear the shameful distinction of having the second highest rate of police-reported family violence in Canada. Statistics Canada reports that set against a national average of 243 incidents per 100,000 persons, the NWT comes in at eight to nine times the national average, a rate eclipsed only by Nunavut. These abuses include the second-highest rates of violence against children and youth, as well as seniors and of course, against intimate partners, most often women. Eight women were...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that notwithstanding Rule 4 when this House adjourns on February 25, 2016, it shall be adjourned until Monday, February 29, 2016;

AND FURTHER, that at any time prior to February 29, 2016, 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 give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall...

Shelter funding hasn't increased since 2011, and shelters are feeling the effects with buildings that are in need of repair and a high staff turnover because the wages paid are low. I'm wondering if the Minister can make a commitment to increase the funding to the shelters to support the valuable work they do on an annual basis until all the shelters are funded equally.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, family violence shelters provide safety for woman and children fleeing violence, and there are five in the Northwest Territories. They're located in Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik, Yellowknife, Hay River, and Fort Smith. At present, there isn't a formula for funding these shelters that's based on the number of beds or other variables, and as a result, shelter funding varies outside of Yellowknife and puts those shelters at a disadvantage. I'll give you a concrete example: The Fort Smith shelter has eight beds and has a budget of $515,000, whereas Hay River has 11 beds and...

Mahsi. We all know there are dozens of priorities, but where do we make a difference if not against lowering the number of people who are being beaten, terrorized, and killed. What could be more important? I recommend the Coalition Against Family Violence’s presentation as required reading for all Members, and I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that Tabled Document 1-18(2), Proposed Mandate of the Government of Northwest Territories, 2016-2019, be amended on page 25 by inserting the following words under the “Fostering Healthy Family” section “We will reduce poverty in the NWT by implementing the GNWT commitments in the Territorial Anti-Poverty Action Plan, continuing to work with our partners to advance the plan and supporting communities' priorities for wellness.”

And further, that the proposed mandate be amended on page 26 by deleting the words “Supporting community wellness priorities that address the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Daycare affordability is a major issue for working families in the Northwest Territories, as I just said. It's usually the largest expense after accommodation. Funding for childcare comes primarily from the fees that parents pay. Just 20 per cent of childcare costs come from public funding in the NWT, one of the lowest levels in the developed world and less than one per cent of our budget. In the academic study of the feasibility of providing universal daycare in the NWT, the authors make the following recommendations about grants to daycare operators. I'm going to quote...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you very much, colleagues, for speaking in support of this important initiative, and thank you to the Minister for his remarks. I just want to reflect that I understand that the road to Whati is going in to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board for permitting without any money to build it and so surely creating a plan to implement daycare, and a timeline, for it is no more outlandish a use of time and resources by the government. What we are talking about here, as you have heard, is education. It's about care, but it's about education. Surely, our children are...