I guess we need to have more discussion as to what the Minister is saying. Certainly it has been noted that is someone said that certainly if they can get up and walk to the income support office they certainly can walk to work. We have certainly changed our lifestyles in our communities. There are some young people who are really trying hard to make a go of it in life, there are other challenges that they have to put up with. Income assistance is one of them. There are also other people out there that know how to use the system and they think now that welfare is a right for them. We have created a generation of dependent people on our system and it is certainly eating up our resources. We talk about the fuel subsidy program for our elders and so we make it very difficult for our young people even to get a load of wood for our elders and that is where we need to have some discussion.
I know what you are saying; we need to really take a hard look at if we are doing any favours to our younger generation or to some of the people who are in the Income Assistance Program. I see the benefit of the seniors. We need to really take care of our seniors really well, especially of the young mothers with the young children, especially the single mothers with young children, but there are lots of able men and able women that could be
helping and working in the communities. So that is why I ask if this department sat down with the regions and said, what are the results of our Income Assistance Program?
If you look in Deline, it has been noted in a meeting with the Premier and I in Deline, the employment rate in Deline sometimes is about 80 percent unemployment. That is a high number for unemployment in Deline, 80 percent. This is where he is saying the programs are beneficial, but there are a lot of people that could work. We are creative in our progress. I guess we need a larger forum to have this type of discussion in terms of this Income Security Program to really help our people, otherwise we are just maintaining the status quo.
I know what the Minister is saying, I am not too sure if the information is coming back to us in terms of are we really helping the young people, are we really helping our communities, are we helping our recipients, because people are telling me that they are recipients there that are experts in using the programs. They know all the regulations and policies. I am very, very concerned that we are going to have a hard time.
Imagine if we just cut the Income Assistance Program tomorrow. That is going to force a lot of people out of their houses and doing something, I am just thinking out loud here in terms of how do we help our young people, really help our young people. I want to ask the Minister in terms of getting a good evaluation, a good, true picture of income security programs, especially the Income Assistance Program that we deliver in our communities. That’s it, Mr. Chair.