Jackson Lafferty

Mr. Speaker, in November 2007 I advised Members that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the N.W.T. Housing Corporation had initiated a review of the Public Housing Rental Subsidy program. At that time I committed to providing Members with results of the review and a plan of action being taken to address issues related to delivery of the program.

Members will recall that the Public Housing Rental Subsidy transfer from the N.W.T. Housing Corporation to Education, Culture and Employment was the result of the larger Income Security reform of the last government. It is under...

Mr. Speaker, I am certainly hoping to give notice of introduction of the bill later on this week. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, we will be taking into consideration what is brought forward here today, because the act is still in the works. It has been presented to the Social Programs Committee, and it will be brought to the House. I can certainly take those suggestions into consideration, work with my department, and see if we can integrate that through our discussion paper on the act itself. Mahsi.

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Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize Ms. Giselle Marion of Behchoko, who recently passed the N.W.T. bar exam. Ms. Marion is a role model among Tlicho youth. She has demonstrated to her peers that with hard work and perseverance, most dreams can come true. It is Ms. Marion’s intention to return to the North, to get back to her community. It is her wish to work with the Tlicho.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Tlicho Nation and the government of the Northwest Territories, I would like to recognize this young woman for her achievement. We are very...

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education does provide services and programs to assist with these immigrants in Canada. We do have various programs that we offer newcomers via Aurora College for English as a second language and also career counselling, job search assistance that the Member is asking for. And also the resume writing and job skills assistance. Those are just some of the areas that we are conducting at the department. I do believe that Industry and Tourism also provides various programs to assist businesses, but with our department we provide employment services programs that...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Early Friday morning, Norman Wells detachment members responded to the serious situation of a man with a gun. After 40 hours of emergency action, police were able to defuse a stand-off in a local residence and apprehend a young man before he could commit harm to others or himself.

This was a very serious situation that involved RCMP specialty teams from Yukon and Alberta, as well as our own “G” Division and all the hard-working members of the Norman Wells detachment.

There was excellent co-operation from all members to ensure safety of the public, the officers and the young...

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with the challenges that we’re faced with, with the retailers here in the North. It’s a challenge throughout the North, and also nationally. So we will continue to improve our services and programs. Mahsi.

Our Department of Education, Culture and Employment is working closely with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the federal government department, specifically dealing with the immigration status here in the North. There is an increasing number of immigrants to Canada and also specifically to the Northwest Territories. We are doing what we can as a department with the federal funding that we are receiving through immigrant settlement and adaptation programs. That is the program that we are initiating and that we are working with other departments to deal with the issue at hand. So we are...

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Sabet Biscaye, chairperson of the Official Languages Board and the Aboriginal Language Revitalization Board. Mahsi.

I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Range Lake, that Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill replaces the definition of “week” in the Employment Standards Act. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.