Mr. Chairman, there's a trend in Canada right now with regard to social reform. A lot of it has to do with changing the system in order to have some kind of balance, if you want to call it that. The federal budget is making sure that there is no longer what you call family allowance, we don't have the universal program any more. We might eventually have the same sort of situation with health. The way the
programs are designed right now, give social assistance recipients something to look forward to when it comes to child tax benefits for example.
But, I'm afraid what is happening right now -- and I can only refer to the aboriginal family -- is we tend to leave a family in a position where they are cared for to a point where they are surviving, but there is nothing there for self-determination. We have a program that is designed in a way to keep people down. It is degrading and humiliating that we have to put people in a situation which really doesn't give them any kind of hope.
In the report of the department, I don't see stats which really give you a feel of where it thinks we are at in the different regions. In Fort Providence, I have to thank this government for the amount of work that is going on in that area. But if we weren't on the highway system, we would have the kind of situation where welfare and unemployment would be high. Since the government has been established up here, there must be trends in the north that indicate what areas we need to concentrate on. There are perhaps more suicides, more solvent abuse, or violence.
I don't know how you are addressing those issues. When we address violence, for example, we don't concentrate on it from a regional point of view or even from the community point of view. But, you must have some answers by now, after thirty years of government here, where this government can point to areas that need help. I will use my region as an example. There is high unemployment because most of the work that is created is not based on what is happening from the economic point of view, but because of government initiatives. Maybe that also means that in a community with greater employment, there is also more solvent abuse. Maybe, I don't know. There have to be some trends that this government is studying in order to address problem areas.
For unemployment insurance, there is an increase in the number of hours you have to work in order to qualify. How is this government addressing that? In the Northwest Territories we have short building seasons and long winters. Certainly, an announcement made by Paul Martin or the Executive must have an impact, where you, as Ministers, should be saying that down south, it sounds pretty reasonable, but it is not reasonable up here. Those are some of the concerns.
Again, pension is another area in which I believe the federal government is going to have an impact on the north, too. But, what are we doing as a government? I am expressing those concerns, Mr. Chairman. Even though much of it doesn't have to do with this government itself, the kinds of decisions that are made in Ottawa are going to impact on the average person in the Northwest Territories with regard to family allowance, social assistance, pensions, unemployment, shelters for women, suicide prevention, alcohol and drug treatment programs, everything. Everything that is going to happen is going to have a major impact on people up here. The government is saying we need to reduce those programs by a reduction in the allocation of dollars going to the Northwest Territories. How is the Minister addressing all of those major national issues that are going to be impacting the north? I wanted to touch a bit on custom adoption after the Minister responds.