Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am sure all Members would agree that our young people are our future. As Minister responsible for Youth, I work to support all young people in the NWT. Today I would like to speak about two new initiatives that confirm the Government of the Northwest Territories' commitment to youth.
Mr. Speaker, the first initiative I would like to speak about today is the establishment of a firm mandate for the Minister of Youth. This mandate was recently approved by Cabinet and has five major focus areas: • The development and delivery of programs specifically targeted to youth, including grants and contributions; • The recommendation to Cabinet of strategies affecting youth, including overall government action plans for youth; • Advice to departments and Ministers on policy objectives and programs originating in other departments and agencies that affect youth; • Executive Council representation on youth matters raised in this House; and • Executive Council representation on youth matters to external agencies and at federal/provincial/territorial meetings.
Mr. Speaker, as the Minister responsible for Youth I promote youth issues to youth organizations, the public and government. This new and specific mandate clarifies my responsibilities and will directly enhance my ability to represent youth in a more coordinated and effective way.
There is another initiative I want to talk about today, Mr. Speaker, and that is the establishment of a Youth Secretariat within the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. This unit will assist in the delivery of this mandate. I look forward to working with MACA and the youth organizations on a number of projects under development at this time. These include the Youth Corps Pilot Program to be established in each region to test various program models. The results will serve as the basis for a summary report to Members on the youth corps concept and for recommendations on the future of the program. The Youth Contribution Policy has been established to provide contribution funding to various smaller youth development projects and the commitment to assist the NWT Youth Association with costs associated with its 2002 annual general meeting in Fort Simpson.
These initiatives demonstrate the Government of the Northwest Territories' commitment to helping develop strong, capable youth in the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to say that I look forward to working with our youth, MACA, the Members of this Legislative Assembly and our partner youth organizations in the coming year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause