Bill Braden

Mr. Speaker, my questions this afternoon are for Mr. Dent, the Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities. Mr. Speaker, it’s long been recognized that our disabilities and income support policies can prevent some significant barriers to families wishing to care for long-term disabled family members in their homes. We have had two initiatives underway for quite some time; several years, Mr. Speaker. These include the disabilities framework and the government-wide income security reform review. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise whether either of these initiatives will address the...

Mr. Speaker, the committee looked into the area of child and family services committees in communities. It is a sad commentary that only the community of Fort McPherson has taken advantage of provisions of the Child and Family Services Act, that allow for the community agreements and the formation of a child and family services committee.

A community agreement allows a community corporation to establish their own community standards, which, as long as they meet the minimum standards set out in the regulations, reflect the realities of life in the community and the standard of care for...

A bit of the context to this, Madam Chair. Of course, parental break-up is prevalent everywhere. In the event that a child is removed from the parent that does have custody, we heard in our travels that, in some cases, the other parent, while they may be sort of separated and out of the household, could still be a very viable and a safe place for the apprehended child to go. I guess what we want to do is ask the Minister to clear the way. I think there are some barriers in place now that may prevent childcare workers from going to the separated non-custodial parent. We think that there is...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. During my two terms here as MLA, I have been approached on many occasions by constituents dealing with disability challenges in their families. This can range from parents dealing with dementia, adults with housing accessibility issues, children suffering from mental capacity issues, and caregivers desperate for financial and program support as they cope with their family’s disability.

Mr. Speaker, most disabled persons don’t want to be wards of the state. They want to remain free and independent. They are very proud of being on their own. In most instances, this also...

Mr. Speaker. I am not going to support this motion. I do believe though in putting it forward, my colleague Mr. Ramsay and those who are supporting it, were putting something constructive on the floor here, Mr. Speaker. That is that the information requested in the motion is nothing more than four years ago in the debate. Okay, I’m getting there. The government should be very forthcoming in saying we will present the revised analysis. We will present the revised risk situations, the revised traffic numbers. Here is what we are willing to put in front of people. That has to be something that...

Thank you very much.

---Laughter

…in the financing proposals. They are ideas, they aren’t nailed down yet but they are ideas that have been put out there that will indeed enable Ottawa to come to the table for this project.

I asked the question a little while ago and my colleague Ms. Lee referenced the other visionary transportation projects that are before us now. One is a port and road project that would come down from the North that would, in effect, bypass the infrastructure we already have here. What would be seriously threatened if the signal that went up from this Assembly is we don’t...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak on behalf of constituents who are connected with Northstar Counselling and Psychological Services, a local northern Yellowknife business, Mr. Speaker, which, until the first of April of this year, were the providers of the GNWT Employee and Family Assistance Program. They successfully provided this essential service to us for the past seven years with very high employee satisfaction. However, they were unsuccessful when the contract was re-bid earlier this year and lost out to a large multi-national southern contractor Shepell-fgi. I became aware...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will support the bill. It is a good piece of housekeeping and I think, Mr. Chairman, in virtually any field of endeavour of employment you will find that under almost any circumstances, even those that are less than ideal, that employers or workers will have some remuneration based on length or term of service on which they and their family can rely if and when they decide or it's necessary for them to leave. MLAs are without this right now; of course, in the circumstance that they should decide to, or be forced to, resign. I don't think that is a realistic or a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is interesting. I kind of contrast that investment with the decision by the Department of Human Resources to actually reduce investment in counselling services in mental health support to our own employees. Because of the decision by the Department of Human Resources to choose a southern-based contractor for our Employee Assistance Program, does it concern the Minister that we are subsequently going to be losing resident professionals who could be part of the mental health regime here in the NWT, Mr. Speaker?

Mr. Speaker, given the irregularities in the way the contract was administered and awarded, the principals of Northstar have requested that the RFP be re-bid, re-assessed and a new award considered under an objective and impartial process. I support that request. Will the Minister take this and indeed reopen this RFP, Mr. Speaker?