Robert Villeneuve

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about a program this government has been initiating to prepare government employees to advance to higher level government positions like deputy ministers, directors and managers.

Mr. Speaker, the management assignment program, which started last year, selected 25 participants to take part in this important initiative. Out of the 25 people selected for the first round of this program, Mr. Speaker, I only saw one aboriginal person on this list of eligible participants.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad that the Premier also recognizes that it is an issue with him, and if it is an issue with him I think that is a big issue for this government, and I think that we should really pay more attention to the assessment process for eligible applicants. Let me just ask the Premier then just getting some feedback from some of the first round applicants that are involved in the program, when is this program going to start? I know a lot of these participants haven’t received any developmental assignments, any activities or any mentoring or coaching or training of any...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Premier for his answer and that information. Let me just ask the Premier is it only the director of the corporate human resources that is doing the assessment on all the applicants that he receives for the program, or is there an assessment review committee in place to review the applicants? Thank you.

After the list was sent to various government departments, I have received many inquiries from potential and very qualified aboriginal employees who have been in the government for long periods of time, some even having trained some of the individuals on the list as to why they were not considered eligible to take part in this management program.

Mr. Speaker, although the first 25 participants in this program have yet to receive any type of extra duties or responsibilities to prepare them for the higher level of positions after one year, I have received notice that this program is once again...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As I was just talking about earlier in my Member’s statement, I just wanted to go back to the Honourable Michael Miltenberger’s statement in last week's session on the treatment of the clients with developmental disabilities. I feel that when the honourable Member stated that is not our role to get involved in disagreements in the internal wranglings and differences between institutions and the Alberta government, and whatever other agencies are in Alberta, I believe that statement is not in compliance with the government policy. I think it is our role, Mr. Speaker, to...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I just want to reiterate some of the concerns I raised during last week’s session. These concerns are with denying persons with developmental disabilities in Edmonton, Alberta, who were receiving care and are now not receiving financial support from this government. Mr. Speaker, this is NWT Disability Awareness Week 2004 with the theme being, “Remember to Include Everyone - We All Benefit.” That being said, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to say that it seems that this government has not included everyone and that the nine clients and their families that we did...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for clarification for the House, I know that the Nunavut government did pull their clients, and that these clients are being relocated to an institution which this government had previously pulled all the clients out of before they all went to APYS. I just want to make a note on this Office of the Public Guardian’s professional’s comments in one of the final summaries of his report where it says information represented by professionals involved with the agency and individuals represented by the Office of the Public Guardian do not support a conclusion that these...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to go back to the letter. There is another point in the letter that basically the Minister stated that no further action is planned until the various allegations on APYS have been thoroughly investigated. I just want to ask the Minister if there are any other reports with regard to the allegations and whether they have been completed. In particular, a report from the Alberta Association of Rehab Centres, and if that report is available if I can receive a copy, because the only one that I got is the Office of the Public Guardian’s, Mr. Speaker. Thank you...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d just like to recognize a friend and former colleague of mine in the gallery, Mr. Gerry Cheezie, the manager of the housing projects in Ndilo.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to reiterate some of the comments my colleagues were speaking about in regard to Mr. Zoe’s actions, and the fact that he did accept the criticism from his peers in the taking away of his portfolios. I think that stands in itself that’s enough to discredit Mr. Zoe of what he has done or what he may have not done. I think with his public apology and his promise for restitution and seeking his own healing, that Mr. Zoe is going in the right direction. I have to agree with Mr. McLeod’s comments that the motion is a non-confidence motion, which I myself...