Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last year, or this fiscal year, the SPCA was given $13,000 from the NGO Stabilization Fund, which is under the Office of the Premier. Can the Premier find a way to provide more funding to this vital organization as if it ceases to function, we will have a big problem in a lot of communities, in particular small communities who don't have access to veterinary services, and this is an important and, I believe, a very critical service for communities. Thank you.
Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said earlier, I definitely value the work of the SPCA. Not everything that happens in the territory is government-supported, nor should it be. There are some things where the community, where people have to step up. I'm happy to make a donation. I'll commit to making a $500 donation to the SPCA here. I encourage other Members to do it. There are some things that we as citizens of the territory need to come together and support. There's other things only government can really support. So while I'd like to be able to stand up here and say every NGO gets money because they all do valuable work, the fact is that we have a certain amount of funds, and we have to ensure that we're distributing those where they're going to make the largest impact to the people of the territory. So the SPCA, again, a wonderful organization. I value the work that they do. The government values the work that they do. But the Government of the Northwest Territories can't be everything to everybody all the time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you to the Premier for the donation. I donated earlier today, and I would challenge every Member of this House to provide a contribution as well. But it shouldn't be up to members of this House or the members of the -- or the citizens of the Northwest Territories to fund veterinary care in small communities and regional centres, places where the SPCA spends a lot of their resources doing spay and neuter programming, emergency medical care, all those kind of things.
Why are those not considered critical territorial services? Because if we don't -- I mean if the Premier knows about stray dogs in a community, he knows they can be a danger to public safety. And if we're not spaying and neutering dogs, that's the kind of thing that happens. So can the Premier explain to me, because I don't understand, why this is not considered a critical service when it directly relates to public safety and the welfare of communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I think I explained earlier what we're talking about when we talk about critical services. However, I do take the Member's points. You know, from time to time you hear about the impact of stray dogs in communities. It comes and goes. Sometimes it's worse than others. But what I'll do is I will have a conversation with the Minister of MACA, I'll have a conversation with the department, and see what type of work is happening in this area and what types of supports are possible, if any. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Premier transmit that to the SPCA as well, that that commitment's been made, that that work will be ongoing and the SPCA will be involved in those discussions so they are not left waiting to see where this work is going? And thank you to the commitment. I think that's progress. But I think the SPCA needs to be a partner for this discussion just as they were during the evacuation. They were a partner back then; they can be a partner today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I've committed to work with the Minister of MACA, have a conversation with him, talk to EIA about what is possible, and so I will ensure that I do that. If it moves beyond that, I'm happy to work with the SPCA as well. Thank you.
Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.
