Caroline Cochrane

Again, another example of how we work together, and working together on the other side. The previous questions were about integrated case management. It kind of falls in, appropriately, to this question again. When we were doing the integrated case management, there was a lot of research done on it. The previous government, again, started this. They looked at models such as the New Brunswick framework on the delivery of integrated services for children and youth, as well as models in New Zealand. There are important lessons to be learned from other jurisdictions. Best practice says you don't...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Cabinet hasn't made a conscious decision that says we are going to have a matrix-style of organization structure as such. We have discussed the issues of the integrated service delivery. One of the guiding principles that we actually tabled in the House here on December 10, 2019, says that we will evaluate, develop, and deliver programs and services using an integrated, client-focused, and solution-focused approach. People should not have to go to six different agencies, different departments, to actually get services. It is not okay. Sometimes the stories that people...

Yes, it's GNWT only. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We have agreed to work with the NWT Association of Communities on this. There is a funding formula, but, in fairness, some communities, the $40 million gap is not across the board. Some communities, when they did the assessment, were above. Previous governments said they would be grandfathered. Is it fair that they get another share? Those are questions that we need to work with the association of communities on. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to try this one more time. I tried to explain many times the other day that hiring and firing the employment contracts is separate than appointments. I will give some firmer examples. My job is to hire and decide termination of assistant deputy ministers, deputy ministers, et cetera. Ministers are allowed to appoint to positions such as boards, presidents, et cetera. I'm going to use an example that perhaps the Member can understand, because he was a Minister, I believe, for at least four years, of education. Within that, when that was happening, under the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Absolutely, I agree to that. If you look at the timelines, I mean we're already talking about what you want to point out, Madam Chair. Just because we organized this pamphlet with housing number one and land claim number two does not mean those are our order of priorities. At no time did I hear any of the MLAs agree to which was priority 1 and which one was priority 22. My impression, every single one of these priorities is number one. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Like I said, we are working with the other territories so that we are a unified voice. There will be some action coming out of that, public announcements coming out of that. We will be doing a yearly reporting on these issues. What I would like to recommend, Madam Chair, is we are open to listening. If the Member or other Members want to come and provide suggestions, we are more than open to listening to that. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Very quickly, I'm going to try. Absolutely right, we do have to get more. I mean, and there is work. We have to stop thinking that this is only GNWT. If we settle the self-governments, we have self-governments that are wanting to draw down things, so, you know, we have to work with our Indigenous governments and our federal government. We've already gone to Ottawa. We're trying to promote the need for our housing, so it isn't something that we're just looking at as: this is it. I would like to see more than this. I'm trying to be realistic. If, in two years, when we look at the mandate -- not...

I agree, Madam Chair. We need to have some kind of a way of monitoring it and evaluating it. On one hand, over the last four years, I have heard, "Train our people. Give our people the skills. Put them in our jobs." On the other hand, I hear, "You can't have my people in there because they are friends with this family and that family." We do have to make sure that there is a monitoring to make sure that biases do not persist, especially in the smaller regions where that is more of a liability. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm a little bit cautious because I do know how big the reading is and training is not usually at that level. What I can actually request for departments is that they look at any cultural awareness training that they actually have key points from all of the recommendations and calls to action in their key points. I don't think it would be appropriate to ask every person in training to read the whole report.