Thank you, Mr. Speaker. An interdepartmental committee consisting of members of the departments of Health and Social Services, Education, Culture and Employment, MACA, Justice and the Executive are working on this initiative. The committee expects to complete its assessment of the feasibility of a specialized court by March 31, 2013, at which point I’ll will be coming to committee to share the findings as well as the options that exist, and looking for committee’s support on moving on one of those options.

The judiciary has expressed a significant interest in a specialized court but had some...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize a friend and constituent, Amanda Dei. Amanda passed away last week after battling ovarian cancer for well over a year. She was a loving mother, daughter and friend. Amanda will be greatly missed by her daughter, Madilynn; her sister, Kim Lambrecht; brothers Robert Langlands, Trevor Lambrecht and Joel Dei; nephew, Alex Lambrecht; and father, Norman Dei, who is with us in the gallery today.

In addition to her loving family, Amanda had a huge circle of friends, often referred to as the No-Pants Army in recognition of Amanda’s distaste for pants...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize 22 international students visiting Yellowknife as part of the Rotary Club’s Tip Toe with the Caribou program. The Rotary Club hosts exchange students from around the world for one year within Rotary District 5370, which encompasses parts of Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The students with us today drove from Edmonton, stopping in Hay River and Behchoko before arriving here for a four-day visit. They will be touring Yellowknife and experiencing all that the city has to offer, and while they’re here they’re going to...

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to confirm that the Government of the Northwest Territories has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Union of Northern Workers on procedures for employees to safely disclose allegations of wrongdoing.

I want to be clear that we have always encouraged our employees to feel they could safely disclose information about illegal acts; gross mismanagement of public money or public assets; or substantial and specific dangers to health, safety or the environment. Our staff is our most valuable resource. We trust them and respect their judgment. When they suspect...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Oh, I thought you said Abernethy.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, the program starts off with a $10,000 initial payout and then $5,000 in subsequent years. Because we haven’t had all 33 communities come on at one time, they have been coming at a staggered approach, the budget that we had is, actually, we are able to use that to cover the $10,000 where a few communities start in a year and then the rest are $5,000. So we actually have enough money to maintain them. Right now, as of January 13th, we have three more communities who have indicated a desire to start a Not Us! campaign. That is Fort Simpson, Norman Wells and...

Mr. Speaker, sustainable, vibrant and safe communities is one of the goals of this Assembly. To help achieve this goal, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made it a priority for all NWT communities to have a community policing plan in place. Last year was the first year all 33 communities had dedicated plans in place based on their own needs, resources and priorities.

These formal plans and the reporting structure were put into place several years ago. The difference the plans are making is evident. We now have communities participating in a full consultation to outline their...

I’ve had a lot of conversations with the commanding officer of “G” Division where I’ve indicated that education is very important in the Northwest Territories. Having the RCMP engage with students is a priority. I do know that a number of the detachments have been very active with community groups and things like the Not Us! campaign. As I’ve already indicated, I do know that in a number of communities, the communities have made that a priority as well. I’ll continue to have the conversations with the commanding officer of “G” Division and continue to encourage him to engage our communities...

I don’t have that information at the tip of my fingers, but I will commit to getting that information for the Member and committee. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time, we’re not planning a thorough review of the Affirmative Action Policy. We were always looking for input, guidance and advice on how we can improve our policies and procedures in the best interest of our employees and, by default, the residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.