Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. Yes, $25,000 is not a heck of a lot of money. However, it probably barely covers the increases to salaries and so on for those organizations, but it’s a bit, so I appreciate that.

The organizations that are doing this work, particularly the Status of Women Council is a group of three people, there are only three employees and in order for us to make advances, particularly in our small communities, there needs to be a much greater infusion of cash. So for us to expand activities throughout the territory as opposed to keeping it in Yellowknife and...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 206-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2014-2015, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 206-17(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill.

Thanks to the Minister for that response. I am very proud that we have a lot of senior managers who are women and I’m glad that the government recognizes that as an accomplishment.

The fact that the Minister says that we want to get better, I need to ask the next question, which is: How is the Minister, how is this government going to affect that vision, going to effect that change?

Thanks. Just to confirm, this is just simply transferring from the operations or O and M budget into capital. It’s not going into any particular… It’s just going as a lump sum of money into our capital budget. Thank you.

Nine boards were composed exclusively of men and 18 boards had only a single female representative. The land and resource management regimes created through the settlement of our comprehensive land claims have given Aboriginal governments equitable representation and co-management, but have not promoted gender equity and board membership.

A strong case can be made for regulators and government nudging corporations and boards towards greater diversity at the highest levels. There’s ample evidence that companies and boards with women in decision-making positions are more profitable, better...

Mr. Chair, if I’m hearing this rightly, so the Child and Family Resource Program, I am presuming the two pilots will continue as they did but there will not be any expansion. Can I get confirmation that the pilot programs will continue and that there will be no expansion of the Child and Family Resource Program in ‘15-16? Thank you.

Thanks. I’ll try the question a different way. Is the Child and Family Resource Centre Program going to be in operation in the ‘15-16 budget year? Thank you.

Thanks again to the Minister. That’s a great target date. I certainly hope that it can be met.

My other question on this page has to do with the next line item, transfer of funding from Education, Culture and Employment to support the expansion of the Healthy Family Program. I’m certainly in support of expanding the Healthy Family Program, but I’m trying to understand where the money is coming from in Education that’s going to be transferred to the Healthy Family Program. Thank you.

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

---Carried

Thanks, Mr. Chair, and thanks to the Minister. I don’t remember what the total amount would be that we have put into the pension plan for the Hay River Health and Services Authority, but I would think it’s many, many millions of dollars.

How close are we to bringing the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority in under our GNWT public service so we can bite the bullet once and for all, pay what we need to pay to get their pension plan in, similar to superannuation, and then have them as our employees going forward? Thank you.