Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, October 22, 2007, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that the appointments of the following Members to the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight be revoked and that the following Members be appointed to the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning: Mr. Glen Abernethy, Member for Great Slave; Mr. Tom Beaulieu, Member for Tu Nedhe; Ms. Wendy Bisaro, Member for Frame Lake; Mr. Bob Bromley, Member for Weledeh; Mrs. Jane Groenewegen, Member for Hay River...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Then I have to ask this Premier, what was the purpose of the trip to Fort Providence, then, with the golden shovels, standing on the banks of the Mackenzie River on the very last day of this government before it dissolved? What was the purpose of that? Was there an actual contract signed in conjunction with that process, or was that just a, you know, a show of some kind of psychological commitment that we’re proceeding with the bridge? Where’s the legal document? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow up on the questions asked by my colleague Mr. Ramsay with respect to the Deh Cho Bridge. There’s a verse in the Bible, that I know Mr. Roland will be familiar with, that says, “No man builds a house without first counting the cost.” This is an anomaly; this is a public/private partnership, but we are the public piece of that partnership and I still cannot seem to get into my head whether or not we, as a government, have had the opportunity to consider the cost. I’m not prepared to sign a blank cheque. I haven’t even been asked if...

How can you discriminate on the grounds of marital status? That is against the human rights code to do that. How can you tell a couple you can have a free seat here, and then leave somebody alone, a widow or a widower by themselves trying to support an independent housing unit?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on the Saturday of the past Thanksgiving weekend, Hay River residents awoke to the news of a tragic loss to our community: the death of one of our respected RCMP members, Constable Christopher Worden. As the details came to be known, Hay River residents grieved and looked for ways to express their sorrow, support and condolences. Today I would like to take this opportunity in the House to extend my deepest sympathies to Constable Worden's widow, Jodie, and his baby daughter, Alexis, his family and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police across this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although he’s not my constituent, I would like to recognize Chief Superintendent Tom Middleton from “G” Division and thank him very much for his support to our community.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in response to a previous question, the Minister did say that he thought the duty to accommodate did not extend beyond the immediate employee of the government. By extension, this is a family obligation; this is a family member with a disability, not the employee themselves. If the existing policy does not include that provision by extension, will the Minister look at a means of revising our policy and legislation or manual that managers are guided by to ensure it does include this? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to bring this up again to the Minister of Human Resources here on the last day of Assembly, because the answers to these questions are so important and so serious to a constituent of mine in Hay River who's going to be wanting to hear the answer. One of the grounds of discrimination covered by the NWT Human Rights Act is family. Family status includes the status of being related to someone who requires your care. An employer's duty to accommodate includes accommodating, including family obligations. Family obligations could include requesting altered...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The duty to accommodate, a guide to employers, actually extends beyond accommodating that employee who may have a condition or a disability. People cannot be discriminated against on the basis of family status and if the employee of the GNWT has an obligation to provide care to a family member that might preclude them, for example, from working a night shift in an institution or in a workplace, then by extension that duty to accommodate goes to that employee in their obligation to their family member. That is what I’d like to determine, if this government adheres to...