Michael Nadli

Thank you. When we did have the forum, I think everybody was there, the local leadership, the youth, the agencies, and the only missing element at the time was a representative perhaps from MACA, maybe even the Minister was absent. So I’ll give him an opportunity to make up for his absence and ask him how will his department be prepared to assist the leaders and the youth of Fort Providence in trying to follow up on this meeting and identify the next steps in trying to advance the working relationship between the leadership and the youth? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was very excited with the recent youth forum that we had in Fort Providence. It brought together the leaders and youth of Fort Providence. My question is to the Minister for the Homelessness and Youth.

Could the Minister explain the kinds of programs, funding and resources for youth that his department could deliver and that’s available for communities that may want to work with the youth.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Government Operations has concluded its review of Bill 8, Write-off of Debts Act, 2013-2014, and Bill 9, Forgiveness of Debts Act, 2013-2014, and wishes to report that Bills 8 and 9 are ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.

I think the point of my question is that, as an example, if someone has to do productive choices, say for their band council or maybe for the hamlet council or maybe for the Metis council, and they’re forced to go on somebody’s roof and they’re shovelling snow and they fall off the roof, who’s liable? That’s the point of my question. I don’t think I got a very confident answer that tells me a…(inaudible)…local organizations that have to take on these responsibilities that they’re covered, and I’m not getting an answer from the Minister.

On the same topic, why are client service officers allowed...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Income Support is a program that the government delivers and it’s targeted for the less fortunate. Usually it’s in the unfortunate circumstances that people find themselves in that they require assistance. So my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

We’re delivering the productive choices program. What is the process to ensure that host organizations have the desire and the capacity to deal effectively with clients? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to take the opportunity to express in my language the significant nature of this report, so I wanted to take the opportunity to switch to my language here today.

[Translation] …(inaudible)…standing committee and special committees in the last year. The work done in 2014, the Auditor General working on behalf of child and welfare. We have met on it, and the people that work on the special committee, we would like to thank the Auditor General Mr. Ronnie Campbell, principal Mr. Glenn Wheeler, and lead auditor Ms. Erin Jellinek, and also they are part of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It seems like the Minister and the department are taking a top-heavy approach, and if you have a top-heavy approach in terms of a system, the small person that’s involved with income support, you know, sometimes they experience a system that, again, does not make their work with income support very good. But I’m encouraged. The Minister has indicated they have evaluated the program before and they have made some changes. I would like to get a commitment from the Minister, if he agrees, that changes to the productive choices are needed.

Thank you. I don’t believe I got an answer to the question that I asked. In communities we have limited office spaces. So you’re very fortunate if you go on the productive choices and you work in an office, but most of the time you have to take your productive choices outside. That means you have to do some outdoor work. Most of the time people that have to have productive choices, there are volunteer hours that they have to amass. Some of them, unfortunately, have to go on people’s roofs shovelling snow sometimes and at this time of the year it’s usually picking garbage. So what type of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. According to the Auditor General, the department is not adequately meeting its responsibilities under the act. The department does not have an adequate accountability framework in place. Neither the department nor the regional authorities have adequate mechanisms in place to ensure key responsibilities are being met.

Even with a long-standing awareness of such problems, the department has failed an entire generation of children and families. Since the publication of previous reviews of child and family services in 2000 and 2010, little has been done in the way of...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to turn to the topic of how income assistance is administered. The Auditor General’s 2013 report contains shocking findings about failures to service delivery, things like inconsistent treatment of clients and front-line workers performing many other duties without adequate supervision.

My focus today is the productive choices requirement for clients of income assistance. Productive choices placements are mandatory for all adults in the client’s household, although exceptions only apply to anyone who is disabled, over 60, or unfit to work because of a medical...