Thank you, Chair.
Thank you all very much. Those were very interesting presentations, and we very much appreciate you taking the time to come.
My name is Mike Savage and I'm from Nova Scotia.
One of the key things that I think we need to nail down in our report is to take on the idea that some people still have, that as an economy grows, everybody benefits, that the best thing for the economy is that there is wealth generated. But we've found in Canada generally that even when times are good there's still poverty, and in some cases, poverty actually rises. It may be particularly true in Yellowknife, more than anywhere else in the country.
I'm looking at the average median annual after tax income of the five cities we're visiting this week. For private households, the average after tax income in Vancouver is $48,500; in Whitehorse, it's $58,000; in Edmonton, it's $54,000; in Winnipeg, it's $44,000; and in Yellowknife, it's $84,000. The GDP in the Northwest Territories rose 55% from 2001 to 2006, so there has been wealth generated, but it hasn't done anything to alleviate poverty. Food bank use is going up and the demand for shelters is going up, so I'm going to assume, unless somebody tells me otherwise, that you do, first of all, believe there is a huge role for government to play. In terms of direct income support, housing support, health support, community support, and support for education, direct government involvement is going to be necessary if we're going to alleviate poverty.
Does anybody disagree with me on that? I'd like a brief comment, if you could.