Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to highlight the Yellowknife Association for Community Living, commonly known as YACL. They are a non-profit, non-government organization that supports NWT residents, families, children, youth and adults with intellectual disabilities. The goal of the association is to ensure inclusion for their members in community life and also to provide them with an opportunity to contribute to the community. In the 30-plus years since YACL was started, they’ve met that goal time and time again.

The association provides seven different services and programs for persons...

Mr. Chairman, maybe I could get a bit of an explanation from the Minister as to what this policy would encompass. I am not exactly following, I guess, why it couldn’t be done in conjunction. What would a self-government policy describe for us? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. A couple of questions here. During business plans and actually I think it was actually a year ago, but in discussion with the department at one point we talked about a document called the Key Features of Western NWT Society. I believe it was during a presentation. At that time, there were some comments from Members that that document needed to be updated. I just wondered if I could get an update on whether that’s been updated. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a question with regard to the section on corporate communications and protocol. I believe it was in the business plans that I read that the department was doing a review of the GNWT communications standards and practices. I’d like to ask the Minister, the DM, if indeed that review was done and what the results were, can we see that report, all those sorts of questions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am totally in support of this motion. I think for me there are two main reasons why I believe that this motion ought to be passed and taken action on. The first one is, I think, respect for our elders and our seniors. I think the fact that we at the moment lump them all together for home maintenance and repair is not a sign of disrespect, but we are not respecting them as we should.

The second issue for me is that I believe, and I believe I’ve heard the government say, that we want to keep our seniors in their homes as much as possible. We want to keep everybody in...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, February 28, 2011, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that the GNWT develop a reliable, trustworthy and confidential measuring tool to verify the percentage of persons with a disability within the GNWT workforce;

And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories reassess and, if necessary, revise the staffing priorities assigned to the affirmative action groups identified in Section 101 of the GNWT Human Resources Manual to ensure the priority assigned to persons with disabilities...

Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that information that the general public does have the opportunity to go to the Department of Justice for assistance. Several other provinces in Canada and the Canadian government itself have implemented, over the last five to six years, legislation which deals with workplace harassment and bullying. I’d like to ask the Minister whether that is something that this government might consider to either change an existing act or to bring in a new act that would deal with harassment and bullying in the workplace.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a couple of comments here I have to follow up since Mr. Bromley is not here, and express, as he would, his dismay that this budget has increased by 5.3 percent instead of the 3 percent cap that we had presumably agreed on. That said, I am really pleased to hear about the single-window service centres and that they are working, that the GSO, government service officers seem to be a successful move and I look forward to hearing further updates as we get a little further into this project.

I am disappointed, however, there is nothing in the Premier’s remarks, I will...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Justice. I’ll give him a little bit of a break from the education venue. Workplace harassment and workplace bullying are something which I think we are becoming more and more aware of. I think it’s existed for a very long time and is all too common. I think we are becoming more aware that employers do not necessarily treat their employees fairly.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Justice what legislation or regulations currently exist in the NWT to deal with workplace harassment or workplace bullying.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to question here the surplus deficit. After looking at income and expenditures for this fund is a deficit of $232,000 and yet the description at the top indicates that it is supposed to be a breakeven operation. Could I get an explanation as to why this is a deficit and is it a certain point in time only? That is it. Thanks.