Wendy Bisaro

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister’s reluctance to state an answer right here. But I would urge that we move forward on changing the priority.

For me, it’s a no-cost item. We’re simply encouraging. We are giving people employment who deserve it, and we’re not actually spending any extra money.

One of the things I discovered in looking at this issue is there’s an interesting item on the Human Resources department’s online manual, which shows that, for management positions, persons with disabilities are not listed as P2; they’re listed as P3. They come after indigenous aboriginals and women.

I...

Mr. Speaker, I’m very pleased to hear the Minister of Human Resources indicate in his statement that his department is currently determining areas of its mandate that “need additional work.” I look forward to those survey results in June.

As I mentioned in my statement, I feel that there’s a group of residents in the Territory that are currently disadvantaged in terms of employment. Where other jurisdictions can have far more persons with disabilities employed than can the G.N.W.T., can the Minister advise why we have so few people employed and why we have such a poor record of employing...

I would like to bring to the attention of this House an inequality that exists in the N.W.T. public service. For quite a few years now, we’ve had an Affirmative Action Policy in place to enable the hiring of certain target groups of Northerners as G.N.W.T. employees. This policy is not working for a specific, disadvantaged group of N.W.T. residents who need to be recognized.

Persons with disabilities in the G.N.W.T. public service make up a paltry 0.4 per cent of the total number of employees. The percentage of persons with disabilities in the general population of the N.W.T., however, is 13...

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to follow up on my statement in which I talked about using our employees as a resource. I’d like to ask the Minister of Human Resources what mechanisms currently exist for staff to provide input into our annual budget process?

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Yes, I am looking for a formal program with monetary recognition. I think it’s important. The Minister mentioned that there was a program earlier with nominal recognition. To my mind, something like 10 per cent of the amount of savings which are garnered would be an incentive. If somebody saves $200,000 for this government, that certainly is going to give them incentive to do it. So I would ask the Minister if he would consider reinstating such a program.

So I take it from the Minister’s answer that there are no formal mechanisms and processes in regard to input for the budget.

I would ask the Minister whether or not there are any mechanisms in place, apart from the informal system that he’s already outlined, for an individual or for staff to provide input into…. Sorry. Should they see that there are efficiencies to be gained in an operation or savings to be gained, is there a mechanism for them to have input into the department’s operation?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My hearing is going; I didn’t hear you the first time.

Mr. Speaker, since the Finance Minister’s fiscal strategy announcement, which outlined the need for massive budget reductions for 2008-2009, Members have all been working very hard considering how to reduce expenditures, the implications of reductions and how to minimize the impacts of those reductions.

One of the unforeseen impacts that has resulted from the announcement of the fiscal strategy is the effect it has had on G.N.W.T. employees and the non-governmental employees who deliver programs and services for the G...

Mr. Speaker, having heard the Minister’s answer, I’m sensing that there is not a strong formal program at the moment for input from staff.

Two questions, I guess. Maybe I’ll ask them one at a time. The first one is whether or not the Minister can advise if there’s any real input from staff, any real savings, any real efficiencies that come from the various recognition programs that he outlined.

Yeah, one only.

In terms of looking after seniors, I would hope that this reference is particularly geared toward the Territorial Dementia Centre, which is sadly lacking and needed.

In terms of supporting volunteers, one of the reasons I was glad to see it in there is because I am one who is able to take part in both of these: a senior and a volunteer. I’m glad to see them both there, side by side. With volunteers, I sincerely hope that this is referencing, as somebody mentioned earlier, non-government organizations, which are, after all, very much volunteers in the work they do. They provide...

I move, seconded by the Member for Thebacha:

WHEREAS the Official Languages Act of the N.W.T. recognizes Chipewyan, Cree, English, French, Gwich'in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tlicho as the official languages of the N.W.T.;

AND WHEREAS the Official Languages Act first came into force in 1984, with major amendments in 1990 and 2003;

AND WHEREAS the amendments made in 2003 by the 14th Legislative Assembly, as a result of the comprehensive review of the Special Committee on the Review of the Official Languages Act changed the rules of the Minister...