Evidence of meeting #45 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was service.
11:45 a.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Northwest Territories Association of Communities
I think it varies from community to community and how rigid they need to be about the nature of how the service gets delivered. We tend to be a little softer about how services get delivered here because we know they're so complicated to deliver here.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
11:45 a.m.
Mayor, City of Yellowknife
I think over the last several years there's been a considerable amount of talk about Arctic sovereignty and what that means, and particularly what it means for northerners. I think all northern communities can agree that it means maintaining populations in the most northern and remote parts of our country. I think a lot of communities feel challenged to remain viable and feel viable because they are so isolated and remote from the major centres, and I count Yellowknife in that category.
I think there probably are opportunities to look at that Service Canada model to see what capacity exists in these very small communities to connect them more to their national government and the services the national government provides.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC
That's excellent. Just as a case in point, we heard from the last panel about the nutrition north program and what happened there; that it was changed to a subsidy to retail services.
What are your thoughts? Is it a good idea or not to bring back nutrition north?
11:45 a.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Northwest Territories Association of Communities
I hear conflicting messages on that. Definitely there's a desire for more subsidies and that it still is pretty expensive in the communities to shop and try to eat healthfully.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
11:45 a.m.
Mayor, City of Yellowknife
We're not eligible for nutrition north in Yellowknife, so I would leave it to what Sara's hearing.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
Brenda Shanahan Liberal Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC
That's very good. More study is needed there to see if Canada Post has a role to play or not.
11:45 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Tom Lukiwski
To both panels, thank you very much for being here, for taking the time out of your day, and for your testimony.
Should you have any additional information you wish to bring forward for the benefit of our committee during our deliberations, I would invite you to please submit it to our clerk within the next 10 days to two weeks since we'll be tabling our report in Parliament probably in the latter part of November or at the latest, early December.
Once again, thank you. Your Worship, thanks for your hospitality and your warm greetings.
The meeting is adjourned.