Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unknown to many of us, I imagine, is the fact that today has been declared Recreation Leaders Day. Our very own NWT Recreation and Parks Association is highlighting the contribution of recreation leaders in our Territory by declaring October 26th as Recreation Leaders Day.

Members of this House often speak of the importance and the need for programs and activities for our youth. They also give tribute to those residents in our communities who step up and provide the necessary programs and activities for our youth and for all residents of our communities.

Recreation...

Six months? I guess that’s great. I’m still not sure whether or not that encompasses looking at the priority lists in the resource manual, but I’ll leave it at that.

In the Minister’s statement, he referenced persons with disabilities at one point. I know that a working group was established in June of 2008 to deal with persons with disabilities to try to make things a little easier for them and to further their employment. I’d like to ask the Minister what work that working group did some 16, 18 months ago and how is that relevant to the review that he was referencing that will be done in six...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Human Resources. I would like to thank the Minister for his statement about the NWT Public Service Strategic Plan and I would like to follow up with a couple of questions.

I note that the Minister talked about goal two under this plan: Engage: Magnetic Attraction. I’d like to know what’s in this particular plan relative to an evaluation of the GNWT’s Affirmative Action Policy, specifically in light of the priority lists as outlined not in the Affirmative Action Policy but in our Human Resource Manual. We have two lists...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker My questions today are addressed to the Minister for the Department of Human Resources. I mentioned in my statement that I feel there is an inconsistent hiring process; that there is some favouritism shown in some instances, and that the department needs to look at the process. I’d like to ask the Minister right now if he could explain to this House how the current hiring process can be said to be fair and transparent. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I’m glad to hear that the Minister is willing to look at the program. I’m also aghast that the department would consider using minimum wage as an appropriate wage for summer students; that’s not even the $10 an hour that we’re hoping we can get it ramped up to. So I hope that’s not going to happen.

This government has just eliminated a possible funding opportunity for students by cutting the Student Financial Assistance scholarship program. That was one opportunity that students had to add to their summer student dollar that they were accumulating...

I guess to the Minister that I didn’t really hear an answer that that process is fair and transparent. As each department is operating on their own, as I suggested, it doesn’t really lead to any sort of consistency.

The Minister has advised me in previous communications, and I’m glad to hear that the Affirmative Action Policy does apply to the hiring of summer students, but it’s also my understanding that no one oversees the results of that hiring. We need to have a more accountable selection process where a P1 or a P2 is going to be guaranteed their priority in the summer student hiring...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like most Members of this House, I’ve received calls and e-mails from constituents who are concerned about the selection process used by the GNWT in the hiring of summer students. In my two years here, I’ve heard many times about the importance of our people, our residents, our children to this Territory. If this government is serious about our commitment to Northwest Territories students and we really do want them to return to the NWT to work, that we really do value them as NWT born and bred, then the Department of Human Resources must develop a better process to...

That really didn’t give me the answer that I was looking for, but I guess I would have to hope that the Minister would provide me with the results of the overseeing as it goes on.

As I mentioned in my statement, I suggest that we need to revise the wages that students are paid. They’re currently paid about $26 an hour, which is wonderful if they actually have one of our precious and coveted GNWT jobs, but it’s not so great for those that don’t. So I would like to ask the Minister if he would consider setting a specific wage for summer students, something closer to $20 an hour or $18 an hour, so...

Thanks to the Minister. At the risk of debating with the Minister, I’d like to suggest that a partnership with the City of Yellowknife is required to get this process started. I’d like to know if the Minister will agree to start a partnership with the City of Yellowknife and expand that to other communities as the project gets rolling. We certainly can start a project with seven communities.

I thank the Minister for his remarks. I can’t argue with the Minister’s statement that we have communities that are lacking such things as basic cell phone service. However, the report recommends that the seven communities -- and I’ll mention them: Behchoko, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Hay River, Inuvik, Norman Wells, and Yellowknife -- that those seven communities should start the implementation of 911 and then we move on to other communities later on. Those seven communities comprise some 77 percent of our population. That’s more than three-quarters of our NWT population. They will be targeted...