David Ramsay

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Compensation Board locate the Appeals Tribunal offices separate and apart from the Workers’ Compensation Board and that this relocation be undertaken as an immediate priority. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, with me I have Mr. Mark Aitken from the Department of Justice, legislative branch, the director; to my right I have the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Tim Mercer.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I am pleased to provide opening comments to Bill 17 on behalf of the Legislative Assembly’s Board of Management.

Bill 17 amends the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act to set out certain rights and privileges of the Legislative Assembly to clarify the responsibilities of the Speaker, Board of Management and officers of the Legislative Assembly to define and ensure consistent use of certain terms and to make a number of minor changes to the act.

Madam Chair, Bill 17 is the result of a comprehensive review of the NWT Legislative Assembly and...

Thank you, Madam Chair. With Bill 15, the fact of the matter is, communities are responsible for any plebiscites they would have at the community level and the type of stringent guidelines the Member talks about is not part of Bill 15. It would be up to the communities to set their own guidelines in that. Thank you.

Yes, I would, Madam Chair. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess it’s quite obvious, given my line of questioning here and my Member’s statement today, that I don’t think we’re doing enough as a government to address the area of day care and the space that’s provided, the training for childcare workers and whatnot, and I’d like to ask the Minister, given the fact that all these problems are evident, can he come up with a research method or some kind of strategy or if he needs more help I think we need to explore all of our options here in this area and I’d like the Minister to commit today to doing that. Thank...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to that taking place and the fallout of what that might be after the discussions take place with the day care providers. Mr. Speaker, the federal government has developed a program that pays each family $100 per month for each child under six. I am wondering what the intent of the Government of the Northwest Territories is to work in conjunction with that federal program to offer how we might augment that program with something we could offer here in the Northwest Territories to parents looking for day care space and some help. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to speak today about day cares and what our government is doing to address the need for more spaces for our children; the inequities that continue to be allowed to exist amongst day care providers, the low number of trained childcare workers, and options that the government should be exploring in addressing the issue.

In February, during our budget session, I asked the Minister of ECE a number of questions regarding the government’s role in addressing the need for more space and the fact that inequities are allowed to exist via charity leases and that some day...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that this committee recommends the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Compensation Board direct the Governance Council to overhaul its reception protocols, security practices and client and public relations functions to provide a more accessible and responsive level of service. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to start off by thanking everybody that was involved in putting this report together. That includes the Workers’ Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut and, as well, the injured workers who were talking to many of us through this whole process, and the Auditor General of Canada who took us by the hand and helped us through this process. I think they are owed a great debt of gratitude. As well, I do want to mention Mr. Braden and his work in the area of helping injured workers. He is a real champion of the cause for injured workers...