Mr. Speaker, further along in the resource development area, of course, is the falling gold prices which has caused layoffs and even mine closures. Mr. Speaker, again this government and the federal government can do things to help the mines remain open, as well as to help the miners who have run into hard times. I believe it has been said quite a few times this has been done in other areas and I would urge both governments again to do whatever they can to assist in this area.
In the area of the P3, which has also had a lot of air time in here as well as on the radio and in the paper and what not. The Public/Private Partnerships Programs, it has to be recognized that this is not a new idea. It was used in many countries to generate revenue and partnerships. I applaud the Minister for coming up with the policy to implement in time for this year. Many of us have been supporting him in this endeavour. One thing, Mr. Speaker, I wanted to urge was that there has to be transparency in the delivery of this program, accountability and, Mr. Speaker, all partners have to share the risk. The territorial government cannot carry the risk alone. The last issue that I wanted to bring up on this particular area is, Ordinary MLAs have to be involved in selecting the projects as well.
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Mr. Speaker, I wholeheartedly agree that this government should determine that each and every citizen north of 60 will have the same standard of living and quality of life enjoyed by other Canadians. I am glad to see there is going to be an additional $40 to $50 million over the next two years to meet immediate demands to homeownership assistance and I certainly hope this helps to cross the bridge so that we do not see homeless people wandering the streets looking for a place to eat and looking for a place to sleep at night. The Minister responsible for Housing was kind enough to indicate the other day when I was questioning him he would work with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to try and find a solution to this problem. I look forward to some meetings in the near future with them on this particular issue.
The social program area, Mr. Speaker, we know that we have many problems with our birth rates and forced growth because of the birth rates. We have to do what we can to work in this area. One of the things, of course, that is being done is the National Child Benefit Program by the federal government which is meant to improve the life styles and the way children are raised in this country. I like the way the Northwest Territories Child Benefit Program is being provided and that it encourages people to work while they are receiving this benefit. The way it was explained to us, it encourages people to work because your income is not influenced that greatly until you reach a certain level. Mr. Speaker, those are the areas the Finance Minister had touched on in his speech.
In conclusion, I have to make some comments, of course. No speech of mine would be complete without talking about education and community empowerment. We have heard from many MLAs, as well as the committees indicating, in order to properly implement community empowerment, community people need training. I think the problems that are being experienced today in the different regions are exemplifying the situation. We need training for community people. I am not talking about a two or three day workshop. Mr. Speaker, that is not training. It is just a start to peak people's interest, perhaps, just to keep things operating at a piecemeal rate. What we need are full-fledged training programs.
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that we develop, along with the college, a community development program. A one-year, perhaps a two-year community development program people can go to school for a full year and go back into the communities. This would help people in the communities from getting burnt out. We have very well meaning people in the communities and some of them work hard. They may or may not be educated; but in every community, Mr. Speaker, there are only a few people who seem to be doing all of the work. What we need is more trained and educated people to help these people and to implement the devolution of power to the communities. What I am suggesting, again, Mr. Speaker, is that we should develop a community development program along with the colleges and that this could be a one-year program. I would suggest that it could be the first year of a two-year program. Actually, the first year could be alone and the second year, you could specialize in a law program or an alcohol and drug program or a social work program, but the community development program should be a requirement so that people know how to deal with various social problems and address that in the communities.
Mr. Speaker, the other area I wanted to touch on was the upgrading and the university/college entrance programs. This government has supported upgrading programs for many years. The problem is, in order to go to upgrading, people need some type of program in order to live. They need an allowance of some sort. When we send students to university or college, we give them an allowance, but the people taking upgrading who have very similar costs and who may have the same or more children, do not get a similar allowance. This should be rectified. Similarly, the university and college entrance program is a piecemeal affair. We receive funding from the federal government for allowances, but I do not think that this government fully supports it by also making sure there are instructors and courses being offered in the communities where there are students who wish to take the university and college entrance programs. For instance, I know several students who had to go to Edmonton in order to take the university/college entrance program. Mr. Speaker, that is just a waste of dollars. Why should people have to fly down south, leave their family in order to take upgrading to get into university? We should be offering that here, especially in the larger centres like Yellowknife, Rankin Inlet, Fort Smith. I would urge this government to please look into this.
With that, Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I would like to say while I am glad we have produced a budget that is a balanced budget and, indeed, will save us a few dollars, we still have some work to do. I think we are all here to try and do that. So let us roll up our sleeves and try not to be too sarcastic and divisive. Let us be constructive and get the work done. Thank you.
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