Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, to start, I'd like to take you on a virtual tour of life in the Mackenzie Delta.
Say you were from Aklavik, Fort McPherson, or Tsiigehtchic. You'd likely be Aboriginal, often Gwich'in or Inuvialuit, and chances are you were actually born in Inuvik, where the closest hospital is.
Life wouldn't be cheap, Mr. Speaker. Maybe you'd be one of our residents making less than $15,000 a year. That's 41.9 per cent of people in Aklavik, 33.3 per cent of people in Fort McPherson, and 36.4 per cent in Tsiigehtchic.
If your family income hovers around the local average of $70,957 a year, that's still little more than half the territorial average. Your parents might get worried, thinking about expenses. For food bills alone, for every $100 they might have spent in Yellowknife, they'd spend $158 to $170.
As you grew up, Mr. Speaker, you'd start to learn the language and traditions of your people.
When the time came to enter daycare, your parents might have options, like the Aklavik Childhood Development Centre, or they might not. If you were in Fort McPherson, you might join Aboriginal Head Start. Come this fall, you might enroll in junior kindergarten. One thing's for sure: like all NWT children, you have the right to quality education and a safe place to learn and grow.
Next, you'd make your way through the education system. Thanks to government investment in the Beaufort Delta e-Learning Program, students can access a wider range of course options, though you'll still have to be a strongly motivated self-starter. Last year, the Beaufort Delta Education Council reported that high school attendance had reached a "critical" low.
On the subject of education: have you ever heard of the organization Cuso International, Mr. Speaker? This non-profit sends volunteers all over the world to improve the lives of people living with poverty and inequality. I mention them because Cuso International is looking for volunteers to serve in schools in the Beaufort Delta and the South Slave.
Mr. Speaker, we need to take a long, hard look at our priorities if we want to make reductions to a K-to-12 system that's drawing the attention of international aid workers.
Back to our virtual tour. Remember, right now, you're a student in the Delta.
In the evenings and on weekends, you might be out on the land, learning from your elders, or you might be back at school. Because like I said yesterday, our schools aren't just schools -- they're also important shared spaces where people of all ages gather for public meetings, talks, feasts and dances, games and movies, and sports competitions.
Without a high school diploma, though, your chances of finding a job later drop. Adults have a hard enough time right now. Tsiigehtchic has our highest employment rate at just 49.7 per cent, compared to an NWT rate of 65.6 per cent.
Time flies, Mr. Speaker. Now you're an adult, working and raising a family of your own. Long waiting lists keep you out of public housing, while condemned units block new construction. You're also trying to take care of your elderly parents. Fortunately, new investments from the Housing Corporation mean they'll have grants to renovate their homes for safety, and dedicated seniors' units, too.
Because you're a Mackenzie Delta resident in this little exercise, Mr. Speaker, that means I'm your representative.
To prepare for today, I considered the concerns and priorities of my constituents. I listened closely to the replies of my colleagues. I thought back to the work we've done in committee and to pass budgets.
First, I'm going to draw out a few highlights. Then I'd like to go over a few places where there is still work to be done.
When it comes to our economy, we are dependent on the federal government. That is a simple fact. Outside that, our major employers right now are government and the diamond mines. When we face these facts, we can start to make real progress.
Because we have made progress with this budget, thanks to the hard work of Regular Members challenging some proposed reductions, and the hard work of Cabinet incorporating some of these changes into the main estimates.
I am pleased to see continued investment in the Community Access Program. Projects under this program create valuable jobs and real benefits for communities.
I'm also pleased to see new investment in the Small Community Employment Support Program. Regular Members were champions of this program in the last Assembly, and it shows sound judgment to build on that legacy. Jobs mean food on the tables, fuel in tanks, and clothes on backs. It's as simple as that.
The progress we have made together on junior kindergarten is a good start. There are still some wrinkles to iron out, but we're on our way.
When it comes to working together across the floor, I'm glad the Premier has suggested the joint committee on rural and remote communities.
Infrastructure projects are also key. I'm looking forward to the Mackenzie Valley fibre optic link, and I'm hoping that increased traffic through Inuvik, thanks to the expanded satellite stations, will spread benefits to nearby communities. People in my riding don't want to wait any longer for real opportunities for the Gwich'in contractors.
Moving on, Mr. Speaker.
Yesterday, the Member for Great Slave said that while the budget was not "the best," it was "good."
Well, it's my view that good is the enemy of great. All Members have been working for months. Wouldn't it be a shame to call it a day, after all this work, simply because we'd reached "good enough"?
---Applause
There are a lot of positive things in this budget. I've highlighted just a handful, but there are also several issues that we still need to address.
When it comes to transportation, we want to be more connected, not more isolated, dependent on outside workers and supply lines.
It troubles me greatly that this budget proposes to eliminate two well-used ferry services at two points in the Mackenzie Delta during winter months.
Cuts aren't as easy as just lining up the numbers, trying to make up $150 million or even $100 million. They have serious ripple effects. Residents of the small communities rely on access to Inuvik for food, fuel, and other supplies, as well as medical appointments and skilled labour. Frankly, a lack of access would put communities, including Inuvik, at risk.
To me, it is an opportunity of growth not for cutbacks. When the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway is completed, our fellow Canadians -- not to mention international visitors -- will come. Cutting off easy access to the Mackenzie Delta hardly seems the way to encourage connections or investment.
In fact, this ties in with the Mackenzie Valley Highway project. In the 17th Assembly, we talked about that road extending all the way to Inuvik. For now, that dream is waiting.
Now, a few words about position reductions in the NWT. Mr. Speaker, nobody wants to see positions cut. I believe the government has tried to protect current employees from its reductions, transferring them where possible.
That's important, and it is appreciated, but preserving an individual's employment status is not the same as protecting a position, and the government's actions have led to uncertainty. Members of the public service don't know if their jobs will survive. Parents are uncertain of junior kindergarten and when it will start and how it will impact existing programs, and how we will pay for transportation, after-school care, and inclusive schooling needs.
The Aurora College -- I know we have students in the gallery today -- students aren't sure if they'll be able to pursue the teaching and social work careers they've dreamed of. Three young Gwich'in ladies in my riding worked hard to earn their certificates in early childhood education. They wanted to give back to their community by working for Aboriginal Head Start. Now they're not sure what's going to happen with Aboriginal Head Start.
We can't blame Northerners for wondering just what is going on.
While the government's $150 million reduction target has gone down to $100 million, it was already the basis of past reductions, including some spread over multiple years. Its impacts still linger.
At the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, MLAs are sent here by our people to represent those people and to serve their best interests. We have heard concerns about hard lines drawn between Members. We have seen news articles about conflict and head-butting, but the reality is that we agree on 98 per cent of this budget.
That's right. The programs and services Regular Members are pressing for -- like truly fully funding for junior kindergarten, essential ferry services, youth suicide prevention, homecare services, and minimal position cuts -- represent 2 per cent of the overall budget. We're a small territory with a small population: small investments can make a big difference.
Today is the last day for replies to the budget address, but we're heading into the first day of budget review -- the days that will determine the fate of that 2 per cent.
My colleague described the budget preparation as a marathon. Well, Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleagues for their endurance and their dedication. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.