Frame Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 4th Session (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Premier. I would like to follow up on the questions that I addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Services yesterday and the concept of policy by commitment. I gave an example yesterday of two statements made in the House by two different Health Ministers referencing a policy which was not written and not part of the Cabinet sanctioned official policy. I would like to know from the Premier, when a Minister makes a commitment in the House, if he could explain to me and explain to Members what kind of weight that carries...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 4th Session (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Premier. I wasn’t going backwards. I was referring to the current Assembly. The Premier said that action would be taken. Does that action involve informing the Member that the information in the House is incorrect and advising the Member of what the correct information is?

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 4th Session (day 20)

Thank you. So one of the things that, in my mind, gender-based analysis should do is to put a gender-based lens on any policy or any program or service that we may put into place. So we started from what I sort of think of as a zero position and are gradually working our way up and implementing a gender-based analysis lens on everything. Could I get some kind of an evaluation from the department as to where we are at this point? Are we 50 percent of the way there, are we 80 percent of the way there? How is it going in terms of using gender-based analysis in everything we do? Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 4th Session (day 20)

Thanks, Mr. Bromley. Minister Abernethy.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 4th Session (day 20)

Thanks, at least that’s clear. I want to also talk a bit about devolution, and I think the Minister referenced figures in here, or else I saw it in the budget somewhere, but the money for negotiations will be reduced, but we’re also working on implementation for once this agreement has been reached and things are signed off. So it’s a general question in terms of implementation. I know it’s been worked on within this current budget year. So how are things going? Basically, are we going to get everything done? I think the target date is April 1st of 2014. Is everything going to be done by then...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 4th Session (day 20)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome to the House a new arts group, just a fledgling arts group. Arts Alliance NWT is here. They are a new group that is starting to get going. I don’t believe Brian Collins is here, but I’d like to recognize Brenda Crerar-Lowen, Gerda Hazenberg, Shawna Lampi-Legaree and Constantina Tsetso. Best of luck with your new organization.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 4th Session (day 20)

Thanks to the Minister. I do agree; there have definitely been some improvements in terms of the timing of when applications are received, and determined, and money gone out. It was pretty miserable there for a while but it’s been apparently really good in the last year or two. Again, this is just a comment, but I would exhort the department to try and find money to increase this fund. I think even to $500,000 would allow a number of the NGOs who don’t get money to maybe get some. For an NGO $50,000 is a lot of money. It’s peanuts to us but it’s a great deal of money to an NGO. So I would...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 4th Session (day 20)

Thanks, committee. Page 9-33, Justice, information item, corrections, active positions. Any questions?

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 4th Session (day 20)

I don’t understand the answer. Perhaps the Minister can explain.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 4th Session (day 20)

That’s good to hear. The other question I have here has to do with the reporting of the public accounts, and I know that the department has been struggling somewhat to get public accounts out by the end or the date that is legislated and by the end of the calendar year. I gather, I think there have been a few changes to the reporting of the public accounts. Is it likely that the department’s going to be able to get the public accounts out a couple of months earlier than we have seen them for the last few years?