Wendy Bisaro

We have the Coalition Against Family Violence which consistently raises the issue through initiatives like Family Violence Awareness Week. What we don’t have and do need is legislation to formulate and coordinate an approach across the GNWT and across the whole of our territory to address bullying and family violence in our schools and homes in our territory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this motion. The second whereas of the motion talks about NWT rates of substance abuse. We are among the highest rates in Canada. It seems to me that we have been doing the same thing to deal with our addictions and our substance abusers for a very long time. Our treatment programs really haven’t changed a lot. We have gone probably down in the number of treatment programs that we have over the last number of years. In my mind, we haven’t been successful doing the same thing over and over.

I think it is time to reconsider what we are doing. It is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that it is going to be on the list of things to discuss with board chairs, but my question to the Minister was whether or not the department would take the lead and would initiate some action to coordinate bullying. I would like to ask him if he is willing to do that. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for that commitment. I guess I would like to know from the Minister, the work that’s been done, the information that he’s about to provide to us, has that been looking at a method to provide for ongoing, considered and regular increases to minimum wage? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My usual question to the Minister: If we’re developing a strategy, when are we going to see it?

Thanks to the Minister. I’m pleased to hear the department is doing some work. I guess I’d like to know from the Minister what kind of timeline we’re on to do this work and to get the coverage that’s required for the people who are not currently covered in terms of our health program. Can he tell me when Members will be advised of the work that the department is doing and what kind of a time frame we can expect to see this coverage in place?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was several years ago now, although it seems like just yesterday that the GNWT decided to implement the Supplementary Health Benefits Policy. The intent of the policy dated September 2007, was to provide consistent health benefit coverage for NWT residents who were not covered. But it also proposed to change the GNWT Extended Health Benefits Program to an income-tested model. Not surprisingly, there was considerable consternation, especially among seniors and residents with medical conditions requiring extensive treatment with expensive prescription drugs. There was...

I guess I need to ask the Minister my usual question as to timing. I did ask that question a year ago and I was advised that the Minister would check his findings and get back to me. I haven’t heard anything in the ensuing 12 months, so I would like to again ask the Minister when I might expect to get some information from the Minister and the department as to how we will have steady, and planned, and regular increases to minimum wages in the future.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I would like to ask the Minister to give us a bit of an update on minimum wage. It was a year ago on April 1st, and it wasn’t a joke, but we had our second planned increase to minimum wage. It took effect on that day. A year prior to that, at the time of the first increase in February of 2010, the Minister told us that he was considering ways to implement future minimum wage increases. At the time of the second increase, the Minister advised that there was work that needed to be done. He...

To the Minister, I guess if the Minister is needing costing, I have umpteen documents in my files which I can provide to him. That work was done when the Joint Working Group met over a year and a half, two years ago. One of the recommendations in the report was to look at a pharmaceuticals plan for the NWT and/or to work with Western Canada provinces and territories to try and develop a plan to reduce the costs of our drugs. It’s well known that drugs are our most expensive cost. Can the Minister tell me whether or not any work is being done to develop a pharmaceuticals plan either within the...