Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to also thank the Finance Minister for his budget. My comments are quite general. I will get into specifics when we get into departments.

In a general sense I’m okay with the proposed budget. I see it as a caretaker budget. I don’t see very little, actually, that’s different from the budget that we’re currently in this 2010-2011 budget year. I don’t see 2011-2012 as being much different. It’s staying the course, as the Minister has often said to us. I agree with that, but I only agree with it from a fiscal perspective.

The economy in Canada and the world is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to say that I’m distressed by that answer. It sounds to me as though the last update we had from the Program Review Office, which was some months ago, to my recollection, quite a long time ago, the Minister made an assumption based on conversations around the table and feedback from Members. I’d like to ask the Minister to confirm to me that there was no correspondence. I presume it was from the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning. Did he receive any correspondence from the committee which led him to make the decision that he did, or did he make the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Finance, as well, today. I want to follow up on the questions asked by my colleague Mr. Ramsay. He and I were obviously on the same page when we were developing our questions relative to the budget address.

The Program Review Office has been there for three years, since 2008, and I agree that it was a necessary office for us to set up. I have some concerns with the results as well. The budget address read by the Minister lists six reviews that have been done by the Program Review Office. They have done other work, I presume...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In preparation for today, budget day, I’ve taken a look back at comments I’ve made at various times during this Assembly in regard to previous budgets. I was struck by the similarity of my concerns then until now.

On May 26, 2008, in my Member’s statement, I said, “I am disappointed in three aspects of this budget: that there’s no new revenue source; that budget reductions seem to target jobs first; that there is no coordinated approach from the government for the consideration of saving the environment, energy planning, and minimizing climate change through all of our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

On February 11, 2010, the Minister announced the first increase to the NWT’s minimum wage since 2003. I was thrilled to hear that announcement and I’m sure many of our residents were as well. In the Minister’s statement that day he said that on April 1, 2010, the rate would increase to $9 an hour. So my question to the Minister: since then, since April 1, 2010, has the department done any evaluation of the impact of this increase in our minimum wage? How have businesses responded? How...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use my statement today to acknowledge the loss of a constituent, a long-time resident of our Territory and our city. Mr. Jim Wylie passed away on November 15, 2010, at the age of 84 and he will be very much missed by family and many northern friends.

Jim was born on a farm in Saskatchewan, grew up on the farm and then worked it for a number of years. In December of 1965, Jim and his family -- his wife and four children -- moved to Yellowknife where Jim would start a job as a diamond driller at Giant Mine. They arrived to minus-40 below in early January of 1966...

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that the department is doing consultations. I think that is valid. I did forget to say to the Minister that I appreciate that there has been some ongoing evaluation of the effect on businesses and workers. It is also nice to know that there is a positive response. I would like to know from the Minister when the House or when I could expect some kind of an idea as to how future minimum wage increases will be determined. When can we expect the results of the work that he is talking about? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister for that response. He mentioned that there will be an increase to the minimum wage again on April 1st of this year. I am very glad to hear that there is no change in that plan. In his comments last year, the Minister also stated in his statement that the department is considering ways to implement future increases that will see regular and reasonable increases linked to other economic factors such as inflation and the cost of living. I would like to know, relative to regular and reasonable increases linked to cost of living, what is the status of this work...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although my constituents are gone at this point, I did want to recognize the attendance earlier of Mrs. Marion Wylie and her daughter, Lea Johnston. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I guess I have to take from his answer that work has not started yet on this aspect of future increases to minimum wage. I would like to know from the Minister, he is talking about talking to other departments and getting information from statistics. I think that is wonderful. We should be doing that, but what kind of work needs to be done cross-departmental in order to determine future minimum wage increases tied to the cost of living? Thank you.