Tom Beaulieu

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a couple of questions. The first on the seniors heating subsidy. We have a lot of seniors that are eligible for the seniors fuel subsidy and then lose their eligibility if one of their children move home or anything like that where they can, indicating, I guess, from the department, that there’s any income that person has or the history of the income goes toward the senior and they lose their fuel. In reality the individual is not contributing to assisting the senior with the cost of operating a house. It puts a burden on it and it’s difficult for the...

Mr. Speaker, part of the infrastructure of daycares includes adequate landscaping and outdoor play equipment. Will the Minister commit to ensure that daycares in Lutselk'e and Fort Resolution go into the capital plan complete with proper playground equipment and proper landscaping? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I talked about infrastructure needs for daycares in Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment questions on that. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit to reviewing the education plan of Lutselk’e and communicating with the local district authority on the plan? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to see that there is more money being put into repairs and renovations by NWT Housing Corporation. I think that is a substantial increase from when this government first started. I do believe that the original repair and renovation budget was $792,000. It went up to $2.1 million and then now to $8 million, so this is very good news.

I hope that the money is able to get out to communities that have the higher needs and up to the groups that have the higher needs as well. When I speak of the groups with higher needs, I am referring to the different groups...

Just on the public housing rental subsidy Income Support Program. I’m pleased that the government has returned the subsidies back to NWT Housing Corporation. However, in this business plan the 34 million-odd dollars plus the $12 million recoveries from CMHC are still in this business plan. I understand why, because we’re going to do the transfer back during the next fiscal year. I’m wondering if the department and the Housing Corporation could maybe work together to speed the process up. I feel it should be a fairly simple process to transfer it back. We have a month and a half to be able to...

Mr. Chairman, I thank the Minister. As opposed to at this point I actually thought about what the strategy is for the government. This breakdown, my feeling is that in the area of career and employment development that the government, I think, has an obligation to maybe look at the areas of the greatest amount of unemployment and not using unemployment statistics, of course, because those are only if you ever get to the position where you can draw employment insurance. I am wondering if the government would look at employment rates in the small communities. I know that the employment rates are...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On page 10-23, apprenticeship and occupations, I just want to ask the Minister if there’s an expansion in the program. There is a couple hundred thousand dollars added to from the revised amount. There’s a real need in the small communities for apprenticeships. My feeling is that all tradesmen in small communities should be given an apprentice to create all kinds of economic possibilities in small communities, whether it be Public Works, NWT Housing Corporation through the housing authorities and whatnot. I know in my communities we have tradesmen that don’t have...

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to looking at options for increasing GNWT positions in smaller communities, whether it be by creating, replacing or reallocating positions so that these jobs can be filled by aboriginal people and increase aboriginal content in the GNWT? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I talked about the hiring practices of the GNWT and how it places a higher emphasis on education and less on equivalencies and experience. I have a question for the Minister of Human Resources.

Mr. Speaker, almost all of the GNWT job ads have the “equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.” If you ask an aboriginal applicant who does not have a degree or a masters but has years of related experience, they would say that equivalencies are not taken into account. I’d like to ask the Minister: how does the department assess the...

Mr. Speaker, the hiring practices of the GNWT are flawed and need to be reviewed so it can reduce the high turnover costs and, more importantly, allow equal opportunity for those who do not possess specific education requirements but do possess the related experience to do a good job. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.