Bill Braden

Mr. Speaker, it’s encouraging to know that under the FAA review that we’re going to be looking further into it. I guess for now a number of organizations experience a lot of delays and uncertainty in their funding and their stability. Mr. Speaker, how can our funding mechanisms today be streamlined to improve access to funds and reduce administrative time and stress to these organizations and I would venture, Mr. Speaker, to our own civil service? Thank you.

Mahsi. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Funding for non-government organizations is an issue constantly raised with me and my colleagues and our committees when we meet with organizations doing very valuable work in the voluntary sector.

Mr. Speaker, NGOs and their volunteer efforts cut across all areas of our daily lives here in the communities; cultural, economic, educational, environmental, sporting and, of course, social programs. Mr. Speaker, there is no question that without their contribution, life in the NWT would be much different.

An issue particularly is the acute need of those...

Mr. Chairman, I, too, will be voting in favour of this motion. This is precisely the kind of thing that we expect our relatively newly minted Human Rights Commission to do, is bring forward progressive ideas that we can engage in in the interest of individuals. There is certainly an aspect of care to be taken in tying the hands of employers, Mr. Chairman, in being able to choose wisely the type of employees they wish to have. But in committee’s presentations, and anecdotally now and then, it seems to be perhaps a bit of a trend here that employers are using criminal record checks and anything...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Compensation Board.

Can the Minister provide statistical information over the past five years as follows:

the number of WCB applicants whose claim included a medical diagnosis of chronic pain;

the number of those same applicants who succeeded in obtaining temporary short-term benefits and permanent long-term benefits; and

the number of Workers' Compensation Board claimants whose benefits were affected if they were diagnosed as suffering from chronic pain.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, another aspect that I will continue to seek satisfaction on before this project gets my approval is that through it we really take on some leadership and some vision in our housing agenda, Mr. Speaker, and use this to create a sustained housing industry for the Northwest Territories. Between this project and the Affordable Housing Strategy, we are talking $300 million, something in the neighbourhood of over 1,200 housing units created here. How is it that we have not yet seen how we can use this as a springboard for the creation of a true housing industry...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions this morning are for Mr. Krutko as the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation and the arrangements of the negotiations for the Novel project.

Mr. Speaker, I share the optimism of this Assembly that this very innovative program can play a major part in helping us solve our very, very chronic housing situation. But like some of my colleagues, I have some considerable concerns about the business deal and the degree of risk and exposure that the GNWT is undertaking in this.

Mr. Speaker, it is quite apparent that the negotiation is very fluid and we...

Mr. Speaker, it’s about this time of year that the departments, all the departments begin assembling their business plans for the coming fiscal year. In this, especially in the social program envelope departments, Mr. Speaker, are the core or the service agreements with a number of these organizations. Mr. Speaker, is FMBS going to really seriously look at the variances that have been so well illustrated by a number of these organizations and the difficulties they are having in our competitive job market? Are we going to address this for the coming fiscal year, Mr. Speaker?

Okay, Mr. Speaker. So we have to ask. I will tell you where the gap analysis is, it’s in the communication strategy and the communication attitude that the Minister has about informing committees and Members about things that are going on that are very valid to our jobs and expectations and our obligation to our constituents. Mr. Speaker, why is it that the Minister puts the obligation on me or committees to have to ask to be kept up to speed. The Minister is the one with the resources; the Minister is the one with the mandate; the Minister is the one with the obligation to uphold the...

Mr. Speaker, thank you, and thank you, colleagues. I would like to continue to take up the issue regarding secondary diamond industry with the Minister, Mr. Bell. In our exchange a little earlier today he suggested that maybe I was a bit behind in my homework and my communication with the principals involved in this, and I was no where up to speed on this as he was. Mr. Speaker, I would like to be able to refer the Assembly to an appointment that I had last week, I believe it was last Thursday. I spent an hour and a half with the owners and managers of Arslanian and Polar Ice Works. Mr...

Okay, Mr. Speaker. So we have to ask. I will tell you where the gap analysis is, it’s in the communication strategy and the communication attitude that the Minister has about informing committees and Members about things that are going on that are very valid to our jobs and expectations and our obligation to our constituents. Mr. Speaker, why is it that the Minister puts the obligation on me or committees to have to ask to be kept up to speed. The Minister is the one with the resources; the Minister is the one with the mandate; the Minister is the one with the obligation to uphold the...