Robert Villeneuve

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, if a P1 employee is not able to apply for a management position because a MAP person gets first dibs at it, and if none of the MAP employees are affirmative action, how will we ever change the face of the GNWT so that it is representative of the population that it serves in the NWT? Mr. Speaker, this practice is unacceptable and, in my mind, cannot and should not be defended by the Minister responsible for the program. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today my statement is about the status of affirmative action with the GNWT. Mr. Speaker, you will recall last week, I raised concerns about the future of the affirmative action policy in this government, especially with the centralization of human resources.

Mr. Speaker, I think there is a reason for all of us to be concerned about the future of our affirmative action policy. Last week when I questioned Minister Roland about the affirmative action, he assured me that his department is doing all they can at all levels to ensure affirmative action is applied as it should be....

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to start off with the comments about the Justice’s opening remarks. First and foremost is the new courthouse proposal being built here in Yellowknife. I don’t know if that is a good idea or not. I just want to ask the Minister about one of the programs that Justice rolled out in the 13th Assembly. It was the pilot project on-the-land justice program that was introduced and there were a couple of communities. Fort Resolution was one; I think Aklavik was the other. They were designated as communities where they would carry out the pilot project. I know there is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess as it stands now, the government spends about $7.8 million just to carry out the human resource functions in the various departments of the GNWT. How is the amalgamation and consolidation of the new human resources functions? Is that going to be a higher cost to this government or is it going to be less or is it going to be the same or has that even been visited yet, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board Secretariat. It’s with regard to the GNWT’s plan to phase out the affirmative action policy through their human resource consolidation. I want to ask the Minister if it is the plan of the new consolidation of the human resource function of this government. Is that an avenue to the eventual elimination of the affirmative action policy, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my brother-in-law Barrett Lenoir, another brother-in-law Vince Halushka, and my sister Cindy Villeneuve.

---Applause

I have to agree with the Minister that they do have some very challenging tasks before them to try and alleviate some of the pressures that we have in our housing crisis in the NWT. I don’t want to talk about a lot of the things that a lot of the other Members have already raised with respect to housing. I’m sure that in every community in the NWT we all have basically the same concerns and issues with housing, and options that probably could be the same options of how we are going to fix the problem. Probably everybody is along the same lines that just the delivery of the housing program...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to reiterate some of the same concerns I have with respect to some government services and why the delivery of these services is not working as effectively as many government officials seem to tell the Ministers. Mr. Speaker, I am talking about the lack of confidence and trust many residents and businesses have in our government. Many people in the NWT have had past dealings with this government and many of its long-term officials in various departments cannot and will not seek assistance or services from that particular government department...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the unforeseen cost overruns that we are going to run into here is retraining a lot of the staff that are going to be taking care of these kids here in Yellowknife. Just to go back to the mandate of the Justice establishment policy, the mandate will be carried out in a manner which respects community and aboriginal values and encourages communities to assume increasing responsibilities. I don’t know how far away you can sway from that through these proposed changes. That is way out to lunch there, as far as I am concerned, with the whole Justice savings and...