Rylund Johnson

Thank you, Madam Chair. It is my intention, outside of my role as SCOGO chair but as an individual Member, to introduce a private Member's bill this sitting and hopefully get some changes to the Ombud Act in the life of this Assembly. Those are to be some of the smaller and easier changes. Some of the larger ones I think do require the government to go out and thoroughly consider them and perhaps engage with the public; you know, something beyond what a committee or an individual Member can do. And I guess this motion here is just reiterating and asking the government to once again look at the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. The committee report was read into the record on Tuesday, October 18th, 2022. The Standing Committee on Government Operations has reviewed the 20202021 Annual Report of the Ombud. The Ombud Act requires the Ombud to prepare an annual report. The report includes information on the number of inquiries, complaints received. It can also include recommendations. The Speaker tables the report in the Legislative Assembly. Once tabled, the committee reviews the report.

As part of the review of the Ombud, Ms. Colette Langlois appeared before committee on February 11, 2022...

Yeah, thank you. And I think perhaps, you know, some sort of I mean, it's somewhat ironic to me that how little information publicly available with the Office of the Chief Information Officer. You know, we rolled ISSS into, you know, one department, and there's millions of dollars there. I'm wondering if the Minister could take back the idea of perhaps you know, I don't even know how many software licences we have presently, how much they presently cost, when they are up for renewal. But I expect that if you looked at the replacement costs and the licensing costs, it's tens of millions of...

Thank you. Is anyone able to tell me any numbers about this? I know we don't do that but, you know, how much were we initially planning to spend years ago and then have we spent any money to date here in our failed procurement attempts? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess I'm going to ask one of the questions I always ask about, is I have concerns that we do not publish the cost of any projects. And, you know, I can kind of understand for tendering certain things but here I'm looking at a list of software. I guess, is there any concern that if we went out and tendered this software, and somewhere in the public record of this Assembly we showed the costs that we expected it to be, that that would affect the tender? I'll note that I have never seen a IT project or software licence come in anywhere on time or on budget to date. So I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm seeking unanimous consent to return to item 5 on the orders of the day, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment who's responsible for the Employment Standards Act. Really, all I can say is I've brought this up many times before, and will the Minister introduce paid sick leave in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Madam Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this report within 120 days. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Speaker of the Northwest Territories, in consultation with the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures and before the end of the 19th Assembly, review and amend the Rules of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly to allow annual reports of statutory officers to be released publicly once they are received and before they are tabled. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Chair, I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories, in consultation with the Standing Committee on Government Operations and within the first two years of the 20th Assembly, review each of the Ombud’s recommendations in her 20192020 Annual Report in the context of a wholistic review of the Ombud Act and amend the Act accordingly. Thank you, Madam Chair.