Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, social programs like medicare and education are the most significant identifying aspect characterizing Canadian society from coast to coast to coast. On February 4, 1999, the Premier of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Jim Antoine, signed an important intergovernmental agreement, addressing the future of social programs in this country. This agreement is called, A Framework to Improve The Social Union For Canadians. As Minister responsible for social union negotiations, I wish to provide Members of this Assembly with details of the social union framework.
Mr. Speaker, the social union is an agreement between the federal government and all the provinces and territories, with the exception of the province of Quebec. By signing this document, governments agreed to a new set of rules which set out the roles and responsibilities and the manner in which new Canada-wide social programs are funded and developed. The agreement addresses social policy and funding for new national programs in the areas of health, post-secondary education, labour market training and social services.
Mr. Speaker, the agreement is made up of six key elements. These elements include
- a set of national social policy principles,
- provisions to address the issue of mobility of Canadians, - provisions to develop a greater level of accountability for social programs in jurisdictions across the country,
- guidelines which will provide for a more cooperative development of social policy and programs,
- a set of rules which will guide the use of the federal spending power, and, finally,
- a mechanism to deal with disputes in social policy sectors.
Mr. Speaker, the agreement also recognizes the constitutionality of the rights of aboriginal peoples. The Social Union Agreement is positive for the Northwest Territories in a number of ways.
- First, it gives certainty to residents of the Northwest Territories, in matters that involve new national social programs, northern residents will be treated with the same fairness as all residents of Canada.
- Second, Mr. Speaker, under the terms of the social union, all governments have agreed to share information and best practices and to consult with each other prior to changing existing programming.
- The federal government has also agreed to provide notice and to consult with the territorial government when it intends to introduce any new social transfer.
- Flexibility is built into these arrangements, providing for equitable treatment by taking into account the diverse circumstances of the Northwest Territories.
- Mr. Speaker, the federal government has also agreed to put any disputes arising in social policy and funding arrangements into a dispute avoidance forum, something that currently does not exist. This is a positive step for social policy in Canada.
Mr. Speaker, under the agreement, all governments are committed to ensuring that Canadians, wherever they reside, can access social programs which are of a consistent nature across the country. As well, governments have agreed to monitor and measure social program outcomes, and to publicly account for the results they intend to achieve in their social programs. In this manner, Mr. Speaker, the residents of the NWT will be informed of the results and goals of northern public social programs.
Mr. Speaker, Canadians have become concerned about the state of their social programs. The Social Union Agreement will provide greater certainty to all Canadians that governments are committed to delivering the best social programs in an affordable manner. The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to delivering high quality programs and to ensuring that social programs for northern residents are affordable and on par with those delivered by all governments in Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
--Applause