Julie Green

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the report from the Office of the Auditor General delivered a message about the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs that's both loud and clear: the department is not delivering enough support to communities that provide essential services to their residents. MACA can't simply transfer money to communities for drinking water, waste management, fire protection, and emergency preparedness and hope for the best, especially when the health and well-being of residents is at stake.

But that's more or less what's been happening. The most shocking finding for...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is no question among the people on this side of the House that money invested in early childhood development yields fantastic returns. We want people to have good school readiness, to graduate from high school, to attain the skills they need to realize their full potential, whatever that looks like for them. We want them to have as many opportunities as possible.

Mr. Speaker, junior kindergarten is not the only way to achieve this goal. There are other ways, and I've mentioned some of them. Aboriginal Head Start is one that has a proven track record and is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Whereas the Department of Education, Culture and Employment confirmed plans to introduce junior kindergarten in all 49 NWT schools in the fall of 2017;

AND WHEREAS the goal of junior kindergarten is to promote the development and school readiness of four year olds with free programming;

AND WHEREAS, the importance of early childhood development is a value shared by professional and licensed programs across the territory;

AND WHEREAS, early development instrument testing reveals the greatest need for readiness exists in our smallest communities and these communities often...

Mr. Speaker, the Office of the Auditor General identified the problem within MACA itself, not within the communities. I'm aware of the New Deal program but it seems to me that it is, in fact, a paperwork problem; it's providing oversight and looking at reports and validating them and so on. So what kind of resources does the Minister need to bring the department up-to-speed on implementing the New Deal?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I know the Minister is new to this department but I have this general question: does the Minister believe the department is adequately staffed to fulfil its mandate especially when it comes to supporting communities and providing essential services? Masi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I don't object to having criminal record checks for vulnerable sector individuals or for any others who require them. What we are talking about here is providing records that say that there has been an interaction with the law but not a conviction.

The Minister has said that the 2012 territorial policing contract was designed so that the RCMP remains independent of political influence, and yet has the ability to apply the rule of law as determined by and in consultation with the territorial Minister of Justice. My understanding of the rule of law is that people are innocent until...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms provides that every citizen has the right to vote in elections for Members to the House of Commons or Legislative Assembly and to “be qualified for membership therein.” However, the right to run for office may be limited in ways justifiable in a free and democratic society. Court decisions to date show that such restrictions, when challenged, will be carefully scrutinized to determine if they are absolutely necessary to ensuring confidence in the election process. Within those parameters, provinces and territories may set criteria for...

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the talks need to have limited numbers of people, but we're talking about the shape of our future governmental relationships between this government of the Northwest Territories and the Aboriginal governments, and it seems to me that this is an issue that everybody in this House has an interest in and a stake in.

So I'd like to go back to my point about how the Minister can involve us if not through prior consultation about meeting project topics, then in what other ways he can involve us in shaping these relationships?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions now are for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations. Last week the press secretary issued a media advisory announcing the third annual meeting of the Intergovernment Council which comprises of course the GNWT and nine First Nations, as well as the Inuvialuit Government. To quote the advisory, they were meeting to cooperate and collaborate on matters related to lands and resource management. I'm wondering if the Minister can give us any more detail of the topics on the agenda? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the 2012 media release announcing the new territorial policing agreement said, "With the formation of a new contract management committee, the Government of the Northwest Territories, together with other provinces and territories will have influence over cost and service decisions in an ongoing and co-ordinated way." Will the Minister put this issue on the agenda of the next contract management committee meeting and call upon the RCMP to cease issuing records of non-conviction in the NWT?