Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize family of my constituents who moved from Edmonton area to my riding. Even though we don’t have VTA, the father came here to work for the GNWT and mother’s working at the bank here. Parents are not here, but I’d like to recognize Mr. Clemens Park and Mr. David Park and with them are my assistant Cathy Olson and her husband Mike Olson. Thank you.
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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, if we are going to maintain and grow our population by immigration, we need to employ a plan that would bring new and old people together and raise everyone to an equal playing field. Territorially and nationally I believe this is a sleeper issue that will challenge us a great deal as a nation unless we pay attention to this at the level it deserves. I’d like to urge this government and the federal government to address these issues, not just as an issue of number of votes, but an issue that is important to our economic and political future...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think the Minister has detail of the information on this review, so may I ask the Minister to make a commitment to look at not only the human resources review that’s being worked on at the hospital, but also the survey being undertaken by UNW. I’d just like to ask him to commit to looking at that and see what we can do to implement some of those findings. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask questions today to the Minister of Health and Social Services and it’s in regards to the human resources management review that’s being undertaken at the hospital in partnership with the management of the hospital as well as the employees there, and there was a process developed to work on that. I’d like to ask, on the eve of us leaving this session, if he could give an update as to where we are with that review? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Census Canada released results from a 2006 survey yesterday which seems to more accurately reflect the demographics of the NWT population. I’d like to acknowledge the Stats NWT for doing the work they did in assisting Census Canada with the work. When we get our funding per capita, every head counts, obviously, Mr. Speaker, and this also just shows you why we need to do more things in the North, not in Ottawa, to get the things done right.
Mr. Speaker, one of the things that emerged from the 2006 Census is that Canada now gets most of its population growth...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we’ll have to wait to get some more details and maybe the Minister will undertake to do that. I understand there is another review being done by the UNW with respect to working conditions and harassment issues or violence issues. I’d like to ask the Minister if he’s aware of that and whether he can undertake to take a look at that and see what government can do to implement the findings there in partnership with UNW. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a motion. I move that this committee recommends the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Compensation Board direct the workers’ advisor to draw up a proposal to provide for assistance to workers who need expert medical evidence or legal assistance with judicial reviews to move their case forward.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just briefly, I think it’s clear here there is a deadline here of the end of 2006, but I believe the officials at WCB are already aware of the recommendation, obviously, and in our discussions and in public hearings and the Auditor General’s report findings showed that WCB could do much better in communicating its programs and policies and its decisions and such in the letters and the way the staff conveys messages to injured workers and such. But I just wanted to make it clear that in speaking and in putting this motion forward, I think that the whole general issue...
Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a short comment I wish to make for the record. I don’t want to repeat the issues that Mr. Braden so ably put together, but I just would like to state that I think we have to look at this as a new opportunity to finally do something on this issue that has been with us for a very long time. I am encouraged. Perhaps it is not a bad thing that, as the committee presents this report that reflects the work of committee over the last number of months and it is an accumulation of the workers who came forward to tell their stories once again and the work of the Auditor...
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to speak very briefly in support of the bill. I think it’s a bill that contains lots of provisions that would clean up, so to speak, or enhance or improve our election procedures and set more clear rules and guidelines on certain areas of election rules where there are more grey areas than we would want to have had.
I am in support of this bill. This is quite a lengthy bill and one of the things that it is doing is to set the time for the election and it’s now going to be known with certainty. I don’t think a lot of people who are not familiar with this...