Mr. Speaker, whether there is a seniors’ secretariat or not, I think what the seniors are interested in knowing is that the government is responsive to some of the concerns that the seniors are bringing forward. The government has worked on and responded to the Seniors Action Plan along with the NWT Seniors’ Society.
Just last year we increased the seniors’ benefits, and it was indexed by communities, recognizing the differentials in the cost of living, especially in some of our smaller and remote communities. Income Security has increased the ceiling for the senior home fuel subsidy, where an increase of $10,000 as the limit that seniors can apply for has helped seniors. In terms of the new initiatives, the Strategic Initiative Committee on Reducing the Cost of Living is looking at reviewing the commercial power subsidy as well as enhancing and improving road access to remote communities.
All of these are geared towards dealing with reducing the cost of living in small communities, which at the end of the day is what the seniors are looking for, I believe.