Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Programs and services are fundamental to saving our vibrant communities. To have healthy communities we must have programs and services in place in all 33
communities in the Northwest Territories so that all our children can grow up healthy, elders can retire in their home communities and not have to worry about being sent away, people can find work in their communities and raise their families, and also apply for support to local economies to support them.
Not having programs and services gives us a situation where we have have and have-not communities when it comes to programs and services. That must stop.
In every community the fundamental pillar for community self-reliance is programs, services, and ensuring that the well-being of the residents are taken care of, regardless whether it’s the aged, the ill, and the young children, so that the programs and services we deliver throughout the territory are universal, you can get a program in Tsiigehtchic similar to a program in Yellowknife.
Programs are what make communities. Without having the proper resources in place for programs and services, we have some 30 percent of communities in the Northwest Territories that don’t have wellness programs, nursing programs, policing services. Thirty percent. That has to stop. Without programs and services in all communities, core services are being delivered in the have communities and the have-not communities are suffering because of it. We must stop this practice and give all residents of the Northwest Territories the proper services and programs they require to live meaningful lives, live in the communities that they come from, and not be stuck in the situation of which community is vibrant and which one is not. We have to ensure essential services are delivered in all our communities and they do meet the requirements that the residents require.
At the appropriate time I will have questions for the Minister of Health.