Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier in this session, I asked Members to support and circulate in their constituencies a petition on behalf of children living in poverty. This petition was sponsored by the Yellowknife Women's Centre, the Status of Women Council of the NWT and a constituent of Great Slave, Ann Marie Giroux, an advocate on behalf of children living in poverty.

Mr. Speaker, children live in poverty across Canada and in the NWT. Some schools, a very few, are fortunate to have community programs such as the Rotary Club's Kids Ahead that help out in this area. I know that many schools and teachers are expressing growing concerns that when children come to school, they do not have very much in their lunch bag because parents do not have enough to afford food. We hear the plight of our local food bank here in Yellowknife and organizations like the Salvation Army and the Yellowknife Women's Centre are working harder and harder to meet the needs of some residents.

There is particular concern among low-income families on income support about the clawback by this government of the National Child Benefit Supplement.

Mr. Speaker, the National Council on Welfare has expressed its deep concern about this clawback on many occasions. The council states: "Any program that is intended to support poor families but bypasses the poorest has missed the boat." Mr. Speaker, is our government missing the boat on this one?

Under federal-territorial arrangements, the GNWT claws back the National Child Benefit Supplement from income support assessments. The government then uses the clawback for a variety of programs for low-income families, including the NWT Child Benefit, the Working Supplement, and the Healthy Children's Initiative.

According to the National Council of Welfare, other jurisdictions, Newfoundland and New Brunswick, have chosen not to claw this back while still providing other programs for low-income families. This means, Mr. Speaker, more money in the pockets of the poorest families.

Mr. Speaker, as inadvertent as it may be, this government perpetuates children living in poverty in the NWT through its clawback of the National Child Benefit Supplement.

I would urge Members and residents across the NWT to seek out this petition, Mr. Speaker, sign it and get it in before the deadline of November 19th. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause