Julie Green

Mr. Speaker, this year's budget address was pushed to the side temporarily while we discussed more immediately pressing issues. Even before the Minister of Finance finished his budget address last Wednesday, the Union of Northern Workers announced it had served a strike notice. My email inbox filled up with messages from constituents and other NWT residents. In almost every case, their rationale was fear of lost earnings. They are living paycheque to paycheque, and they can't afford to be without income for even the briefest period of time. This situation is not unique to government workers...

Can the Minister tell us how many qualified candidates Boyden Search Company turned up for this position?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in May of last year the Aurora Collage Foundational Review was completed and it recommended, among other things, that the department hire an associate deputy minister of post-secondary education. In September, on September 7th, in fact, the government announced that they were hiring an executive search company to find this associate deputy minister of post-secondary education. Here we are, five months later, without having heard a result of that search. What is the result? My question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Thursday, February 14, 2019, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that, notwithstanding rule 4, when this House adjourns on February 14, 2019, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, February 20, 2019, and further, that, at any time prior to February 20, 2019, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council of Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the...

I would have more comfort in that answer if the Minister would make a commitment to offer it in-house within a specified time frame. I think we have waited long enough.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, approximately six months ago Yellowknife MLAs met with the Minister of Health and Social Services to ask him about how he was going to establish a new adult day program for seniors in Yellowknife. He outlined a range of options, and we haven't heard from him since. Could he please provide the House with an update? Mahsi.

Again, I appreciate the Minister's response. I understand that this is a very sensitive topic for all of us. One of the things that the federal government has done is tied funding to sports to policies and prevention around sexual abuse of amateur athletes. Is there any equivalent in place for territorial funding of sports organizations?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs responsible for amateur sport. CBC's revelations this week about sexual abuse in amateur sport is a call to prevention. One clear and obvious precaution is a requirement for criminal record name checks for persons with access to amateur sports players. Can the Minister tell us whether there is a requirement for criminal records name checks, not just for coaches, but for all persons with care and oversight responsibility for young athletes? Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like the Minister to tell us whether there is money to offer the program in-house in the next budget, the one for the next fiscal year, or whether he is prepared to obtain funding through a supplementary appropriation? Mahsi.

Thank you to the Minister for that. I want to note that contacting with community organizations seems to be off the table, no results to the RFP partnership model. We have capacity issues in the non-profits, so that seems to be off the table. At what point is the Minister prepared to go to the next option, which is operating it in-house? I mean, we have been waiting two-and-a-half years. At what point does this issue achieve priority that there is, in fact, a solution proposed that doesn't only involve meeting?