Tom Beaulieu

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement, I talked about funding towards the anti-poverty initiatives for the GNWT. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the anti-poverty, the Minister of Health and Social Services, a couple of questions.

The GNWT is committed to compiling a broad set of social indicators to measure its progress on the Working Together action plan. Separate from individual departments' monitoring and accountability plans, how will the GNWT measure and report on its overall success in combatting poverty? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, in 2012, the GNWT laid the groundwork for its anti-poverty plan. One press release described it as our "tattered social safety net." It was three more years before we got an action plan called, Working Together.

Now five years have passed. Forget the tattered social safety net; we are in fiscal restraint these days. Yet Northerners living in poverty still have not seen enduring improvements.

It is not for a lack of trying, but for the lack of coordination and new investment. NGOs, community groups, and public servants work...

Mr. Chairman, I move that the Chair rise and report progress.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that committee defer further consideration.

No, Mr. Chair, I do not mind the position the government takes. What I am saying is that this should be something that stands alone. Our requests for the additional $700,000 into this budget as a request into this budget, it is not a request that you can then put under another department. We have our own issues with the other departments, and our request going to other departments. We keep them separate. We keep these issues separate. We are not having discussions with the Minister of Finance in saying, well, if you can combine this, or if you add over here, you can take away from here. All...

We on this side of the House have plans for how difficult it is going to be even to access a Small Community Employment Program under its current rules. We are trying to talk to the government about changing some of the rules so that we can access that program as an employment program, not something where we have made a request somewhere, and if we do not get that request, we are going to take that money and place it in there. This is a separate request.

I think the Minister should keep those requests separately. If this Minister is then going to say, well, this would be a good way for the...

Marci, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, there are two things I want to touch on. I know the Member from Yellowknife North touched on it, but just to add a bit to what he said.

The first one is on the Community Access Roads Program. The Community Access Roads Program is a program that is in place as a program that Regular Members are trying to get government to add money into. I believe that this money that is spent in the communities is very beneficial to the communities and has an element of people who could be doing labour work. It has people who could do slashing, chainsaw work and also people who...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement I talked about all 14 departments working together. How does the GNWT's vision for reducing and eliminating poverty in the NWT include a plan for eliminating silos between the departments? Thank you.

In the GNWT, which Minister in what department is responsible for tackling and coordinating the various government initiatives that fall under Working Together?

Okay. I'm sorry if I don't feel like it's been clearly explained or if I'm not getting my point across. There's a reduction in college contributions by a certain amount. I'm asking if that reduction has to do with the fact that they're no longer taking in first-year students for TEP because it's going to wind down in the next three years. So I'm assuming that next year we'll only have second-year, third-year, fourth-year students and then another year of social work, because that's also been reduced. So I'm wondering where that is reflected? Thank you, Mr. Chair.