However, Mr. Speaker, I have been somewhat concerned that Mrs. Dube has encountered some frustration in working with officials from the Department of Economic Development and Tourism. She has told me she does not feel she has received full cooperation from the department and she has had to endure extensive waiting periods. Sometimes I believe it is just a misunderstanding on both parties. Mrs. Dube is not fluent in English and sometimes I believe it is just her misunderstanding of what commitments have been made. Mr. Speaker, if we are serious about building on our northern economic potential, we must clearly place a priority on developing good ideas and invention that our northern residents bring forward. I am of the opinion that this government must begin to show confidence in the capacity of its own residents. Northerners are just as capable of inventing new products and developing new technologies as the people in any other jurisdiction. It is time for the Department of Economic Development and Tourism to realize and recognize this and take full advantage of the inventiveness of a northern entrepreneur, like Mrs. Dube. I am encouraging the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism to take prompt action to assist in any further research and commercial development that needs to take place.
Mr. Speaker, when we sit in November, I plan to ask the Minister about the progress that he is made in moving ahead with these economic development prospects. Mr. Speaker, one other comment that I do want to mention briefly is with regard to the day care facilities and in doing so, I would like to thank the Department of Social Services, that has the responsibility of day care, for the consideration it showed to the people of Fort Smith when it provided the former personal care unit for use as a day care. I believe this was a positive acknowledgement of needs that Fort Smith families have related to the government for some time. However, I am concerned that we still do not have a comprehensive day care policy. I certainly believe this was disappointing and a lapse in performance by the previous Social Services senior management. However, I am grateful that this program responsibility has not been transferred to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment Programs, and I hope at a better level of organization and follow through which exists at the senior levels in that department, it would be possible to put a high priority on the finalization of a workable day care policy for the people of the Northwest Territories.
Sometimes in as much as I know the hard working people in Social Services want to address something, they at times, unfortunately, lack the understanding of how to address it and meet the needs of the people.
Mr. Speaker, while I am on the subject of the Department of Social Services, I think it would be wrong of me not to make some comments about the dreadful state of affairs which exist with respect to the social assistance program. Through history, there have been comments that the level of humanity which a government possesses can be determined by looking at the manner in which it treats the least fortunate of its citizens. Recognizing the failure of the Department of Social Services to ensure that social assistance rates remain consistent with the cost of living, and recognizing that a great number of people in the Northwest Territories, traditional hunters, elders, disabled people, are forced to turn to welfare when they should never have to, I sometimes wonder what this says about the humanity of this government.
Mr. Speaker, when I was the Minister of Social Services, as I said when we were running for the leadership race, I used to stick my neck out for poor people. Sometimes I get frustrated that these poor people feel that they are still being overlooked.
Mr. Speaker, the social assistance rates need to be reviewed. In fact, not only the social assistance rates but the whole system of welfare needs to be reformed. I know the Minister of Social Services realizes this, and I am certain she is committed to seeing improvements in this area. However, Mr. Speaker, I urge the Minister to get her officials moving on this. If the present directorate within the Department of Social Services is unable to complete the task, then I tell her she should bring in some professionals who can because we must remember we are only in the second generation of social assistance and welfare, and I see us as a welfare state by the year 2000, if we do not address this concern now.
I would also encourage her to look closely at the need to reform the manner in which this government deals with support for the disabled. For many years I have remarked that it is inherently unfair that people with disabilities have to go to the local social services office and line up to apply for welfare. It is humiliating, it is degrading that they have to get their cheque every month. That is not a proper way to treat people. It contributes to stereotypes about people with disabilities, and it conveys a perception that these are people who are either unwilling or unable to contribute anything to their respective communities. Mr. Speaker, that is blatantly unfair and I believe it is wrong.
I have argued for some time that the Northwest Territories should be moving in a direction which establishes a system of disability pensions. We need a system whereby disabled people can financially receive support from the government, and retain the dignity as we all wish to do. I am sure many of these people do not like to go to social services. In many other jurisdictions they do not have to go to social services, there is a section for the disabled people, there is a particular division within a department, "solely to address the disabled."
Mr. Speaker, many of the same arguments can be made about the manner in which this government is forcing hunters, trappers and fishermen into the welfare system. It is absolutely ridiculous to have a system which signifies self-sufficient men and women who have made a living from the land throughout their lives to have to turn to social assistance to carry them through the lean months in the hunting or trapping cycles. I find it, at times, even more disappointing to see young people who could and should be pursuing the traditional harvesting life-styles that have sustained our people throughout the history of the north, relying on welfare. This government was supposed to have been working on an effective harvest income subsidy program for close to five years now. Mr. Speaker, I still see no program being developed.
I feel this is another example of the territorial government letting down the people of the small communities who rely on them. This year was a terrible year for hunters and trappers in the Northwest Territories. Before the end of January, many trappers took out their traps. There is no reason in the world why effective guaranteed income provisions or workable income subsidy programs cannot be developed for hunters and trappers in the Northwest Territories.
In the south, farmers receive subsidies. Mr. Speaker, I believe it takes the will and the wisdom to follow this through. I would like to ask the Minister of Social Services and the Minister of Renewable Resources get together to look at the amount of funding they give in social assistance and formulate some of that money for hunters and trappers into an income subsidy program where hunters can hunt and feel proud of hunting, not to take their dignity away when they have to go to social services when the hunting seasons are bad. I believe this is an issue that has to be addressed.
With regard to further concerns respecting social services, I have mentioned to the Minister of Social Services that I was somewhat concerned about the manner in which one of her facilities, a child welfare facility in Fort Smith, was being managed. I am grateful that the Minister is going to do a review because I am concerned that the program delivery lacks coordination and is not properly supervised.
I am concerned, as well, about personnel procedures at the senior administrative level. For example, certain supervisory staff have been allowed to attend the college classes while they are supposed to be on duty and receiving their salary, not taking educational leave but just going to the college to take different courses. I do not believe that is right. If they are going to take training while on the job where they go to workshops, takes courses, that is fine. I do not take that away from them, but to go to take college classes in a course, that is not right. Members only have to look at the large number of aboriginal people employed in junior positions within the territorial public services who are not allowed the same privilege.
I want the House to know that I have discussed the matter, and as I have said, I am pleased that the Minister has agreed to carry out a complete review of the facility, its staffing policies and program effectiveness. I am sure I can count on her to ensure that a balanced and effective review is undertaken, and that appropriate action is taken by the department to correct any inadequacy which she may identify.
Mr. Speaker, there is another area within the Department of Social Services where ministerial review and action needs to be looked at. I am referring to the alcohol, drug and community mental health services division in that department, Mr. Speaker. It has been my observation over the past two years that very little progress has been made within that program area. Salaries for alcohol and drug workers were evaluated for adjustment, and are still largely inadequate. The addictions treatment facility on the Hay River reserve is proceeding according to previous strategic planning exercises, but there is still a great deal of confusion about whether the department has made a serious commitment to funding staff levels and program design. Training programming for addiction counsellors has to be looked at. There are very limited, if any, capabilities for family based addiction treatment. There has been no significant progress with respect to treatment facilities for solvent abusers. Even though my colleague from Baffin South has raised it as an issue on a number of occasions, this is one area that we must address. What is worse is that there has been no increase in the number of community-based alcohol and drug programs since 1991. Many of the communities which have no alcohol and drug counselling facilities are probably the ones that need them the most. Mr. Speaker, over and over this program area is one that has been recognized in this House as being critically important. With so many of our social problems being barriers to economic development and our growing correctional population tied to the incident of alcohol and drug problems, I find it is disappointing that such slow progress has been made within the Department of Social Services with respect to addressing these serious problems.
However, Mr. Speaker, there is one positive thing which I believe has been accomplished in this area, and it has been the establishment of regional alcohol and drug specialists. These people are really making a difference in many regions with respect to community development and needs assessment. However, I am concerned that the senior departmental officials are not listening to the field-based resources. They are not taking their recommendations seriously and they are not responding to the community needs which have been identified. That is regrettable. Mr. Speaker, I think it highlights a significant problem which exists within the administration of the department. For these reasons, it is absolutely necessary that the board of management for alcohol and drug services be revitalized and fully used. Mr. Speaker, this is a board which has worked very well through the past years. Some honourable Members will recall that this board originally existed as the alcohol and drug coordinating council. It was revamped in 1988 to include much better regional representation and served as a mechanism through which communities and regions were able to have input into senior level policy decisions. It also reviewed funding submissions from alcohol and drug projects across the Northwest Territories and did a good job of ensuring an equitable distribution of funding.
The members of the board, Mr. Speaker, were highly respected within their communities and regions. There were people such as Nancy Peel, Dr. Ross Wheeler of Yellowknife, the Honourable Helen Maksagak, who is now the Deputy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, Rosie Oolooyuk, who now sits on the Keewatin regional health board, and former chiefs such as Norman Yakelaya of Fort Norman, and Felix Lockhart of Lutsel K'e. There is no doubt that these people demonstrated a strong commitment to improving alcohol and drug programming, and they served as excellent role models through their own modelling of abstinence and healthy life-styles. Yet, even though the members of the board of management made this significant contribution they have not been treated well by the department. There has been a lack of support for meetings and poor information flowing from the bureaucracy to the board.
We need boards like this to ensure that the Yellowknife-based bureaucrats are made aware of the situation that exists within a community. We need the collective wisdom of aboriginal people from throughout the Northwest Territories to make sure that priorities are well established and that program commitments are followed through. I believe that the board is badly needed, largely because, to be frank, I lack the confidence and the approach and awareness that has been demonstrated within the management of the Department of Social Services to address such a critical issue.
I was glad that on the first day of the session the new Minister of Social Services agreed with me and indicated that she would be making appointments to the board to bring it up to full strength. I anticipate that the board will be meeting soon to review funding submissions from community-based alcohol and drug programs.