Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do have a few issues in regard to the budget with this department and mostly in the area of the social program side in regard to income support, the housing supp program. I know that it’s being transferred back, but it does show up in your budget as money coming through CMHC. Again, the time it’s going to take to make this transition, I think that it’s important that we do try to implement it hopefully sooner than later.

But I do have concerns similar to my colleagues from the Sahtu and from the Nahendeh in regard to the whole policy development around income support and the ability of that policy to really do what it’s intended to do, is to be a support mechanism to allow people to make a transition from being unemployed to being employed, to being able to take advantage of education programs and services and, more importantly, have a stable system where you have some flexibility in how that program is being delivered.

I’ve had an opportunity to talk to people within the Income Support Program and through the district board of education and also through the education office in Inuvik, and they’re frustrated, because they mean well, they want to help people, but I think the policy is too rigid and I think sometimes we have ideas, but what happens is when we try to implement it, the bureaucrats get a hold of it and they make it so soundproof that it’s not flexible. I think we have to re-look at that policy and find ways to be able to work through that policy to help somebody who is in need where it is classified as some sort of emergency person who either got laid off or their house burnt down or for some reason that they’re in desperate need of support and we can’t keep sticking to these time frames and say you’re sorry, you’ve got to be here three months or you have to be unemployed for three months before we can assist you. I think there has to be some flexibility on how that policy is administered and I think it also has to take into consideration the social and economic realities of where that policy is being administered. A good illustration is going on in the Beaufort Sea right now. The economic activity has basically come to a complete halt. There is no real activity going on right now and I think that a lot of people who need the support have to be able to access that support.

I know another issue that I’ve raised is the whole area of elders payouts in regard to the Gwich’in. The Gwich’in made a motion last year at their assembly for the sake of the elders who are aged and ready to pass on, that they wanted to give them something before their days are up and that we’re able to do an advanced payment for people from ages 60 onwards so that it was a one-time payment. That was it. Once you got that payment, you weren’t going to get any more. That was the understanding. But because they got $2,600, the

government, and my understanding when Charles Dent was in this House, I know asking him questions in the past, you know, that there was an exemption when it referred to the Inuvialuit and the Gwich’in land claim. It was definitely referred in the exemption section of that policy, but for some reason, I know the Gwich’in have written letters to the department and they have requested some sort of legal opinion on exactly how is it, because under their agreement they refer more to the tax act in regards to how those dollars would be classified as settlement payouts versus dividend payouts, which they weren’t. They were settlement payouts, they weren’t dividend payouts. So there is a class of dollars how you would classify them.

Again, that is another illustration of the frustration people have, and also we have to be able to work around some of these challenges but also have the flexibility to change that program. The other issue that I raised is trying to find ways of enhancing education in small communities. I know we talk about Sachs Harbour, we talk about Tsiigehtchic, I think. I know we can do that if we just put our minds to it and put some resources either into technology, advancing those technologies that are out there in regards to Internet access to other school systems. More importantly, have the resource people on the ground that can support those high school students in those communities and try to find a way to allow K to 12 to exist in communities, and I think we can do it by way of advancing some of our technical support by way of technology, but, more importantly, having people on the ground that can work with the students in regard to the courses they require, but, more importantly, have the materials accessible to them. I know you mentioned something in your statement about you are doing something with the, I believe it is with Alberta, in regards to a program there. I think that is a perfect opportunity to try to find ways of working with communities such as Sachs Harbour, Tsiigehtchic and other communities of similar size.

Again, I raise the issue in this House about the cost of having a boarding school in Inuvik. I mean, you know, at one point we had a boarding school there, which basically was costing somewhere in the range of $500,000 and just lately they have changed the whole concept from a boarding home to actually home boarding and again that is costing you $200,000. Again with the number of children that have dropped out, it is almost half. Last year you said they were down to two students and I think that is telling us for that type of investment, they should allow the DAs or education counsel, Beau-Del counsel to have the flexibility to try to find solutions. These students want to retain their high school education in their home communities, try to work around that solution because student-pupil ratio concept that we use does not fit small communities and I think we have to find a way

around that. Again, I think it is going to take a little bit of effort on both sides to find solutions to these problems.

The other areas in regards to the Western Arctic Leadership Program in Fort Smith, I mean, if anything, that is the Cadillac that should be allowed to take place in all regions so that students that do have potential, especially in our high schools... And I know for a fact I have students going to Inuvik because they can’t get the curriculum that they need to go into the Nursing Program, or go into southern institutions and move on with regards to post-secondary education, college or university, and I think that is what it is going to take to retain the best students that we have in the Northwest Territories. Give them that extra support and that extra boost. Maybe we should consider expanding the Western Arctic Leadership Program from Fort Smith and put it in other regions so that we can see the success that that program has had and also offer it in other regions. Again, I have talked with the aboriginal leadership, I know the Gwich’in are interested in Inuvik, that is the case of having them provide the infrastructure. They are willing to seriously look at it, but again that is the type of thinking outside the box that we have to be realistic about.

Again, there is the question about the Food Mail Program and I think that, if anything, we have to find a way of increasing the food basket in our communities, but, more importantly, deal with the issue. I know we have the school program in regards to the breakfast program. We have programs that most of the band offices... You can go to the band office in Inuvik, you can go to the band office in Aklavik or Fort McPherson and you can go there for lunch, and again that is to support people that basically are going hungry and, more importantly, that people are being able to access a meal when they need it. I think that more importantly is the breakfast program than the success we see in our schools to ensure that that type of program is really active. I think we can’t see money being wasted on administration. It has to go right into the program so it is spent on the individuals, the food being provided and, more importantly, that we are not spending money on another report or some major administrative overhaul.

Mr. Chairman, I think also one of the areas that is essential for this department to look at is the area of -- I know I touched on it earlier -- working in conjunction with the holistic approach of education in regards to early childhood development, kindergarten to elementary school, high school, university. I think we have to take a look at exactly how we want to see ourselves as government administer programs, basically looking at the whole cycle of education to ensure that we are able to see the chain reaction that we have from the programs

that we have right from introductory education to students prior to kindergarten and there is pre-school and how that all fits together in our community. I think we have to work with other organizations and agencies in our communities to support that type of a concept because, at the end of the day, education is what is going to pull us out of the rut that we are in, and, more importantly, look at the support that the communities are going to need to make them self-reliant and, more importantly, have educated people so that they can take advantage of the economy and the future development that we have. So with that, thank you very much.