Robert Villeneuve

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would just like to use my Member’s statement to express some of my concerns with the new Human Resources department. Mr. Speaker, although I am in full support of the amalgamation of the human resources and public services and the intent to develop a more balanced and representative public service here in the NWT, I feel that there are some important human resource issues related to why this government moved back to a stand-alone Human Resources department that are falling through the cracks as we move forward.

Mr. Speaker, I am still receiving many...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So making this change, if somebody from the NWT has got stocks and bonds, shares on the Toronto Stock Market and they get some kind of a dividend out of that every year, with this change they're going to be gaining an extra…or $8 is less of what they're going to have to pay on every $100 that they claim? Is that the scheme?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm not even really sure how to ask this question. I know this is, this whole taxation regime here is a pretty complicated part of the GNWT's or our Finance department's responsibility. I guess I just want to, I guess just for the common man out there to try and understand how this is going to work for them, I guess just to the public dollars that this government raises through the NWT tax act, has there been any numbers that have been looked at as to how much the NWT actually loses in taxable income or corporate income tax as a result of not changing this or making...

Clarification, I guess. So everybody basically falls under section 1 of the Medical Care Act, right?

That's fine. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know under the current list that's been introduced, it's for the persons under the health care plan that are insured. I'm just wondering what about the people under the non-insured health care benefits plan. Are they included in this list when it's submitted or when it's requested? Thank you.

With the new employment equity of programs, Mr. Speaker, is the government going to be applying any special measures to improve the rate at which our qualified members of a designated group are hired in the NWT? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Okay. Well, let’s review the policy again and we’ll go over what was mandated in that policy. I’m pretty clear that there was an advisory committee that was supposed to be established. That’s all I’m saying. I don’t see why we would sway from having an objective body to oversee the operations like that. Just with respect to Yellowknife alone, the population of Yellowknife comprises of roughly 51 percent of aboriginal population here and the public service here in Yellowknife only comprises 14 percent of indigenous aboriginals in the public service in a community which...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister responsible for Human Resources with respect to the Human Resources amalgamation. Just as I was stating in my Member’s statement today, Mr. Speaker, my first question to the Minister is, the affirmative action policy since it was first mandated in 1989, there was a policy in there to put together an affirmative action advisory committee, which was an objective, independent committee that had a gender balance and a racial balance to oversee the operations of the affirmative action policy. I think if that committee was implemented when it was...

Fine. That clarifies my concern.