Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask a few questions about the Official Languages Act and our languages boards and the lack of movement on making changes.

In the wake of the report in the 16th Assembly by the Committee on Government Operations into the Official Languages Act, in response to that report, at some point, the Minister promised to table an official languages strategy and I’d like to ask the Minister, first off, was that strategy ever tabled? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a motion. I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories complete the work necessary to bring municipalities under access to information and protection of privacy legislation;

And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories renew its commitment to produce and table a full and final report on this issue no later than August 2015, identifying the steps and resources necessary to complete this work in a timely manner;

And furthermore, that a proposal be included for phasing in this work such that tax-based...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This was another bill that required a fair amount of work on the part of committee, and it was another bill where we ended up with a better product than what we started with. There was good cooperation from the department and committee both, and some back and forth which allowed us to get to a good place.

I just want to mention a couple of concerns that are raised in the report that are not specifically dealt with in the bill. We had quite a lot of representation from stakeholders at our public hearing and they raised quite a number of issues, which again, like the...

Thank you, Mrs. Chair. We wish to deal with Bill 12; Committee Report 11-17(5), which deals with Bill 12; Bill 36; Committee Report 12-17(5), which deals with Bill 36; and, time and energy permitting, Committee Report 10-17(5). Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So that’s not going to happen for about five years, then, if we go through the capital process. It’s well beyond that. This is not a new project. It’s something that’s been on the books for quite a long time.

So, if the GNWT is not willing to do the work, will GNWT accept the bill from the city when they do the work and hand over the bill? Thank you.

I can tell the Minister that that is the solution that the city is quite willing to accept. The issue of trails, the issue of lights, the city is willing to take that on. The city simply needs to have the road brought up to the proper standard, transferred from GNWT to the city, and the city will then take over and put in the safety measures that are necessary.

There have been meetings between the city and GNWT for quite some time. What is the holdup with the GNWT agreeing to do the necessary roadwork? Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I have to say it’s a little late. It’s been five years since that recommendation was made by the standing committee in the 16th. I appreciate these changes that are happening, but if the Minister wants the boards to operate the way they are right now, he needs to have brought forward legislative change.

Why has the Minister waited this long? He’s presumably going to do something next week, but why has he waited and not brought forward a legislative proposal or suggestions for legislative change? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I understand that there’s been lots of talk; there’s been lots of getting together. However, there’s been no change. I asked the Minister about what he called an official languages strategy that he mentioned he was going to table in this House.

I again ask the Minister, does that strategy exist and has it ever been tabled? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For some time now we’ve had an Official Languages Act which specifies that there shall be two languages boards, an Aboriginal Languages Board and a Languages Revitalization Board. Although these two boards and their membership is clearly laid out in the Official Languages Act, the GNWT is not following its own legislation, nor is the government, specifically the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, heeding the advice of the 16th Assembly Standing Committee on Government Operations, which did a thorough and comprehensive review of the Official Languages Act...