Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Madam Chair. The process is independent. We don’t actually get to decide on it. It’s decided for us. I tabled the report, I think, in the first week of this particular sitting and it’s done and official. I can’t remember the exact totals. I think it was a $6,000 increase in year one and CPI for three.

Yes, it is a contract obligation. It is an RCMP position. We fund 70 percent of all RCMP positions.

Thanks, Madam Chair. It’s my understanding that they haven’t asked for any additional funding. When they do, we’ll certainly have that conversation with them.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The strategy still exists, the committee that’s been put together to provide recommendations to the Minister and the department on Aboriginal employment in the Northwest Territories did go through a bit of a hiccup. We did lose a couple of members after the election as a result of changes in professions. We got that back up and running about two months ago and they’ve been starting to meet again and they’re back providing us some direction and information. I’m looking forward to their input.

Before I go to Kim Schofield here, just to the Member’s last question, many of the individuals providing the court worker services can speak multiple languages. That is obviously something that is important to us. It’s just that we would never discriminate anybody if they couldn’t. I’d go to Ms. Schofield for specifics on the last question.

That is exactly what the position is about. It is not about a street on-the-ground enforcement officer. It is about the types of things Mr. Bromley is talking about.

That change doesn’t take effect until July 1st. We’re sure it will come with some workload, but it’s minimal. The board is an independent board that is responsible for their own operations and administration. We appoint the board and we provide some general administrative direction as far as keeping things affordable, but we don’t interfere with their rulings or their decisions.

I’ll direct the staff at the department to talk to the rental officer to see if he has any suggestions. Thank you.

We wouldn’t want to discriminate anybody because they didn’t have a language, but it is certainly an asset if they have it. If they do have it, it’s something that we can provide bilingual bonuses for. If we can find people who can do the work and have the capacity that speak the language, obviously that’s a real asset.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just sort of building upon the last response, as part of their planning with these community policing strategies they do set targets in cooperation with the communities, targets that are measurable and that they will try to attain. They do that with the communities. The Member is right. I mean, we want to see more RCMP in as much as possible, but it may be not necessarily more days. It might be more appropriate days or better timing or working with the communities on which times they feel that they truly need coverage as opposed to more. It may be more. That was the...