Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The committee recognizes the health and welfare of families are influenced by a great many factors, many of which fall under the control of other divisions of the Department of Health and Social Services, or other GNWT departments altogether. Much can be achieved by taking a unified approach to improving services that often have a profound influence on child welfare.

68. The Department of Justice must increase its

support for legal aid, and ensure access to

legal aid for children and families involved with child and family services.

69. The NWT Housing Corporation must:

a) develop and implement policies to ensure

that child and family services’ clients are not prevented from reuniting their families due to loss of adequate housing under the control of NWTHC or local housing authorities;

b) ensure that its housing stock is fully

utilized, particularly in communities with shortages of public housing;

c) ensure flexibility in dealing with child and

family services clients.

70. The Department of Education, Culture and

Employment must review its income support and assistance programs, and ensure that:

a) support is sufficient for a family to live on;

b) support is delivered rapidly and efficiently,

as called for in current policy;

c) applications and enrolment are simple and

efficient;

d) renewals and updates of financial and

personal information are required in a reasonable time frame.

71. The Department of Health and Social Services

must expand its addictions treatment programs to include alcohol treatment convenient to every region, and a basic level of treatment and support in every community.

72. The Government of the Northwest Territories

must develop and implement a comprehensive Anti-Poverty Strategy, involving all appropriate departments, that includes full consideration of child welfare issues.

73. The Department of Health and Social Services

must develop a strategic plan incorporating the recommendations of this report, starting with a response to it within 120 days.

Mr. Speaker, that concludes the overview and recommendations contained in the report on the Review of the Child Family Services Act – Building Stronger Families.

On behalf of the committee, I wish to thank everyone who helped us in our review of the act and its implementation. I thank all those who shared their stories with us, the communities that spoke of their struggles with these issues and experts and professionals that provided invaluable information and contacts.

We would also like to thank the Minister and the department for their assistance over the last year. The Standing Committee on Social Programs views the presentation of this report to the House as just a

first step and we look forward to working with the Minister to implement these recommendations.

People spoke very strongly, Mr. Speaker. We cannot forget that. It’s long past time to deliver on years of promises to the people of the Northwest Territories. Together we can build stronger families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Committee Report 3-16(5) be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The motion is on the floor. The motion is in order.

Question has been called.

---Carried

Committee Report 3-16(5) will be moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize in the gallery today two professors of social work from Alta, Norway. Jan Erik Hendrikson and Nina Hermanson are here with us today. These individuals work with the indigenous Saami people in Norway and are travelling to the Northwest Territories and Nunavut hoping to meet aboriginal groups and leaders to gain further understanding of the social services. They are accompanied by Dawn McInnes, manager of NWT victims’ services with the Department of Justice. Welcome. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure today to recognize two constituents, a newly published author, Ms. Karen Hollett, and Bettylou Mcllmoyle, who is up behind me somewhere. Thank you.

Thank you. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize Mr. Ian Burkheimer, who is the director of Partnerships with the Pacific Northwest Economic Region and accompanying him is Linda Ecklund, senior economist with ITI. Of course, I

have to recognize my constituent from Yellowknife South, Dawn McInnes.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize all the visitors that we have in the gallery today and especially Ms. Karen Hollett, who I spoke of earlier for all the advocacy work she does on disability awareness. Thank you, Karen, and good luck with your book. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure today to recognize Ms. Betty Villebrun, president of the Northwest Territories Metis Nation; Ken Hudson, president of the Fort Smith Metis Local; and Paul Harrington, president of the Hay River Metis Local. Welcome and thank you for coming to the Assembly. I don’t often get a chance to recognize folks. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize my constituent, Mrs. Davida Delorey, the closest thing to the first lady of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. I’d also like to recognize a constituent of mine, Mr. Paul Harrington in the gallery. If we have missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience in here.

With that, colleagues, I’m going to call a short break for a press conference in the gallery and invite all our guests to join us in the Great Hall to mix with the committee. Thank you, colleagues.

---SHORT RECESS

We will return to orders of the day. Item 7, acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve listened very carefully to the Member’s statement, like I always do. I have to point out a couple of things that the Member raised.

First of all, he mentioned that there are new laws restricting the landing of airplanes on the highway. That’s not a new law. That’s something that’s existed for quite some time now.

I’m not sure what gives the Member any indication that we’re pulling out the ferry. There has been no notice that we’ll be pulling out the ferry. The ferry will operate conditions permitting.

I did receive the memo from the Minister that I wrote last week. They did use the date of October 25th , that’s Monday, as a potential

date. Residents are concerned because they did get the same message from the Department of Transportation regional office in Fort Simpson. I just want to advise again that the residents have advised me that conditions are good and they don’t see the need for closing October 25th . I would once

again, on their behalf, ask the Minister to do everything in his power to see that we can run the ferry until October 31st .

I’m glad the letter referenced the letter that we sent him, because I thought he didn’t get it. In the letter we indicated that the probability would be that the 25th was the

date that weather would force us to close by. Weather conditions are what are going to dictate the operation of the ferry.

The ferry historically has run from anytime, or closed anytime from the 19th of October right to

November 1st and we’re going to make every effort

to keep running. Of course, the weather will dictate how long we can run. Ice conditions, of course, are going to be what’s going to factor in this and decide for us when we have to shut down.

I know that some members of the community of Wrigley and in the area are getting a little excited because there is some work going on at the slipways. That’s all preparation work for when the ferry is due to get pulled out. I wouldn’t translate

that as indication that we’re pulling out the ferry anytime right soon.

What type of plan is in place if shutdown is imminent, and how much warning can the community get? I know that sometimes they give 48-hour notice when they shut down in 24 hours. I’d like to ask the department to try to guard against that and try to give the community as much notice as possible. October 31st , if we can get it to

that date it will be an extreme benefit to the residents of the community.