Hay River South

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to direct my questions on this topic today to the Premier, the Minister responsible for the Executive and for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. The Department of Executive and DAAIR hired two summer students last year. To date how many students have been hired for this year?

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to try to discuss a sometimes misunderstood program that we call Affirmative Action. This policy is our government’s attempt to achieve a representative workforce. The GNWT is a huge employer in the Northwest Territories and officials may tell me that the GNWT is not the employer of choice in the North, but I can assure you that GNWT jobs are highly sought after and valued by most people that I know.

The population of the NWT is split approximately 50/50 between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Since the GNWT is a large employer providing services to...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 10)

I’m glad the Minister clarified that, because that is a very important point. How do we then, as a government, reconcile the fact that most government jobs are centralized in the capital and the regional centres where the majority of the people are not Aboriginal? The majority of the Aboriginal people, on a percentage basis, are outside; perhaps don’t want to move to a regional centre or to Yellowknife. I mean, are our goals realistic, given those factors?

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn’t plan to have my Member’s statement coincide with the Minister of Human Resources’ statement today, but the Minister’s statement did cover quite a few of the areas that we’ve been discussing and have concerns about.

When we talk about a representative GNWT workforce, I’d like to ask the Minister what this government’s definition of that would be. Are we only talking about numbers?

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that we report progress.

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to try to discuss a sometimes misunderstood program that we call Affirmative Action. This policy is our government’s attempt to achieve a representative workforce. The GNWT is a huge employer in the Northwest Territories and officials may tell me that the GNWT is not the employer of choice in the North, but I can assure you that GNWT jobs are highly sought after and valued by most people that I know.

The population of the NWT is split approximately 50/50 between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. Since the GNWT is a large employer providing services to...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 10)

I’m sure that although this information was available to the Members, it is good for the public to know that and it is very good news. Thank you very much.

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 9)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As in her 2008-2009 report, the Information and Privacy Commissioner recommended a comprehensive review of the ATIPP Act. The act was passed in 1994, long before e-mail, smartphones and flash drives were an everyday part of government business. As well, the IPC and standing committees have made a number of recommendations over the years for amendments to the act that have not yet been addressed by government. For example, a recommendation repeated in the current report is for the inclusion of a provision to give the IPC the discretion to expand the limitation period for...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 9)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that Committee Motion 18-16(6) be amended by deleting the number “120” and substituting the number “90.”

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 6th Session (day 9)

Thank you. I’d like to ask the Minister if he feels that the seriousness and magnitude of this problem perhaps would be worthy of a specific dialogue with these organizations and communities that he’s referring to. I’m very concerned about this particular age group where it seems like we lose some of our young people where all these things that he’s referring to, somehow children, which is what they are, young people, are still falling between the cracks. Does the Minister think that in an attempt to come up with more specific solutions and specific programs that the situation would merit a...