Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise again to speak about the plight of income support workers in my constituency and the problems they encounter in trying to do their jobs on a minimum budget.
The community of Tsiigehtchic receives approximately $4,000 to administer the Income Support Program. They are unhappy about the work that has to be done to carry out these responsibilities and the amount of money that this government provides. At this point, Mr. Speaker, the communities of Tsiigehtchic and Aklavik are considering withdrawing from administering the Income Support Program for the department. This is to be expected, Mr. Speaker, with the method the department uses to calculate the Formula Financing Program. There are certain things that have to be looked at in regard to the background materials and the notes. The case numbers are based on how many times the income support worker sees a client. However, Mr. Speaker, it does not mention the number of clients that see the income worker who are rejected or do not receive income support, also the amount of time it takes for the income support worker to spend to evaluate the client or clients who have been rejected. Working on each case load, I know of income support workers who have to take their work home and spend many hours after work to conclude the reports. Mr. Speaker, taking into account all these problem areas, the income support workers are working at below minimum wage. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister at the appropriate time, would he reconsider looking at the way this program is being evaluated? Thank you.
--Applause