Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my great pleasure to recognize a colleague who I haven’t worked with for quite some time, but we still do pass by each other periodically. I’d like to say Mr. Ed Jeske recently had a birthday in January. He has recently turned 85 years young. Thank you.

To the Minister, you mentioned you’ve consulted with Sport North. I hope you’ve consulted with the other four member organizations as well. The Minister also stated in his statement that we will outline plans for implementing the SRC’s goals and objectives. I struggle to understand the relationship of the Sport and Recreation Council to MACA and the member organizations to the Sport and Recreation Council to MACA. Can the Minister give me a bit of an explanation?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I want to follow up on my statement. I referred to the Minister’s statement made on Monday of this week. The Minister, in his statement, said, “We will talk to them about their governance role as mandated by the department.” My first question to the Minister is if he could explain to me and to the public and to this House what is meant by that.

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I don’t disagree that I think our youth and our athletes in the NWT are going to benefit at the end of it. It’s interesting that the Minister seems to think I’m talking about one organization. But I’m not; I’m talking about all the member organizations of SRC. I guess I am struggling with the paternalistic attitude of MACA that I hear in his statement. Just a comment. Thank you.

Thank you to the Minister, I think; I’m not sure. I’d like to ask the Minister in terms of the Sport and Recreation Council and the member organizations within that council, that organization – there are five of them – and if we are basically telling them their mandate, have those five member organizations had any opportunity to provide input to the Minister and/or to MACA or SRC with regard to their roles and responsibilities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to provide some comments to a Minister’s statement made on Monday by the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Members probably know that I’m interested in sport – sport in general, sport in the North. I was a founding member of Sport North many years ago and I have followed the ups and downs of the administration of sport in the NWT. I was intrigued and somewhat concerned by some of the comments in the Minister’s statement on Monday.

The Sport and Recreation Council of which he spoke was established in 2005 as an umbrella organization for NWT bodies...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I bring this motion forward because I feel that there is a need to reaffirm the passage of the motion from the 16th Assembly. I feel that this Assembly needs to indicate their support for their belief in the development of an Anti-Poverty Strategy so I am bringing this motion forward basically in that regard.

I want to provide some comments. First of all the National Council of Welfare first examined the cost of poverty almost a decade ago. What they found was that poverty does have high costs for all Canadians. That certainly is true for us here in the NWT. That high...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Premier. I guess I don’t understand the reticence of this government to release papers that they’re using to base a strategy on. I simply want to make a statement to anybody who happens to be listening: Find a person on the advisory committee. Present your points to them; they’re the only ones that have input. Thank you.

Thank you to the Premier for that response. That’s all well and good, but I have to say there’s absolutely minimal opportunity for the public to have any input into the development of this strategy. I can’t stress strongly enough that we have to involve the members of the coalition and that’s not happening. I didn’t hear the Minister speak to the discussion paper. I would again ask the Minister, the Premier, when will the discussion paper be released to (a) the Standing Committee on Social Programs, and (b) the public. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can be really short. I’d like to ask the Premier where is the discussion paper to which he refers.