Wendy Bisaro

Thanks to the Minister. I am frowning over here because the money isn’t necessarily needed after the action plan is done, but the money is needed upfront so they can do the action plan, but I will leave it as it is.

One of the concerns that’s been heard from Members, but I’m sure also from the stakeholders from the development of the Anti-Poverty Strategy and within the Anti-Poverty Coalition, has been, since 2010 we’ve been hearing about the government’s conflicting policies which create barriers to allowing people who are in poverty to advance and to get out of poverty and to become better...

Mr. Chair, I move that this committee recommends that in accordance with its program requirements, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment should review a selection of income security files periodically, to ensure that clients receive benefits to which they are entitled. The department should establish a framework to identify files to audit, based on predetermined criteria. Results should be reported to the director of income security annually.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions today for the Minister responsible for the Social Justice Committee of Cabinet. I’d like to ask Minister Abernethy some questions around the Anti-Poverty Strategy and his statement today.

I’d like to, first of all, commend the steering committee who have worked so hard to produce the Anti-Poverty Strategy framework, strategy and/or framework, whatever it’s going to be called. I understand, and the Minister referenced it in his statement today, that over the summer, he says Ministers will work together to develop action plans to coordinate responses...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to recognize a couple of Frame Lake constituents, one of whom Mr. Bromley is trying to steal. Welcome to Ms. Suzette Montreuil; welcome to Mr. George Lessard. I’d like to welcome all the dignitaries who are here today in the House and if there are my constituents behind me who I can’t see, I’d like to officially welcome them as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s hard to speak to this motion and bring something new to the debate, but speak I will and present my views and those of my constituents on this historic Devolution Agreement and this historic motion that’s before us today.

Some months ago I was highly critical of the path taken by the government following the signing of the consensus agreement. I did not, and still do not, believe that non-Aboriginal residents had adequate opportunity to provide input into the final Devolution Agreement and the impending implementation.

I still believe, although not all my...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak to the Auditor General of Canada’s report on the Northwest Territories income security programs.

This audit identified systemic problems in the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in their delivery of core programs: Income Assistance, Student Financial Assistance, the Senior Home Heating Subsidy, and the Child Care User Subsidy. A majority of files reviewed by the auditors did not comply with key legal and policy requirements for these four programs, 90 percent of the files in the case of income assistance. The Auditor General’s staff...

Mr. Chair, committee would like to consider Bill 11, Bill 20 and, time permitting, Committee Report 3-17(4).

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Premier, I understand that Cabinet and the government sees this as a top-up, but it’s obvious that the NGOs need more funding. A request for over a million dollars from all NGOs who applied last year is certainly an indication that $350,000 is not enough.

The Premier has heard many suggestions and ideas here today, and I believe would hear a great many suggestions on how to change the criteria for this fund from NGOs and for making improvements to the fund.

I’d like to ask the Premier and the Minister of the Executive if he will commit to a thorough consultative...

Thanks to the Minister for that response. I have to agree that those changes were positive. They definitely allowed the staff to process applications much faster than the previous year, and awards came within months of the start of the fiscal year, not near the end of the fiscal year as was happening previously.

In spite of this large improvement, I’d like to know from the Minister what the rationale is for the criteria within the NGO Stabilization Fund which puts new projects above projects from a previous year. I have to ask the Minister how that helps to stabilize an organization.