Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier.

Now that we are moving into phase III of decentralization, describe any and all analyses of the government’s decentralization actions to date.

Of the 150 GNWT positions decentralized (per Premier McLeod in Hansard, February 10, 2015), advise the job title for each position, the original community for each position and the new community for each position.

Of the 150 GNWT positions decentralized, advise how many of the positions were vacant at the time the positions were transferred.

Of the 150 GNWT positions decentralized, advise how many of...

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. I’ll repeat the question that I just asked the Minister. When was the last time that the daily subsidy for daycares and preschools was increased? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think the question was probably heard. I would have thought that the methods for the Liquor Commission and the GNWT in terms of accounting would be the same. Perhaps I could get an explanation as to why one of our, sort of, subsidiary organizations doesn’t use the same accounting methods that we do.

I hope the Minister was stating or suggesting that he did some consultation with daycares and with preschools in order to try to arrive at a reasonable figure. The fact that we have the lowest paid early childhood educator workers suggests to me that we have daycares and preschools that struggle to make ends meet.

So I’d like to ask the Minister, second of all, the Minister seemed to indicate, and I think he indicated in his statement that this grant or this subsidy, whatever you want to call it, has to go directly to the staff person. Does it go there and does it have to go there? Thank you.

Thanks to the deputy minister and, yes, I did remember. I just wanted to make sure that anybody who was looking at numbers would understand the rationale. I’m very glad to see that we have a more reasonable number, so to speak. Where has the extra $4 million gone? I’m presuming it went into general revenues, but could I get that clarified? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s a big emphasis on the need for economic development in our territory from this 17th Assembly government. I recognize the need for it, but our approach is somewhat flawed, especially around the issue of fracking.

This is a very controversial topic and a very confusing one. The average NWT resident hears either no info or too much info, and what they do hear is often contradictory. On the one hand, the message is fracking is all good, it’s safe, and we should allow the practice. On the other hand, the message is that it is a practice fraught with dangers and...

Thanks to the Premier for telling us what has been done. I asked what kind of a plan the government has going forward to review devolution legislation. It sounds from that, that maybe we’re done. I would certainly hope not.

These are very complex pieces of legislation. The education and the advertising campaign that were done, I think that’s great. We needed to advise people of that.

I’d like to know from the Premier, what consultation with groups has been done, or hopefully will be done, because I don’t think it has been done. So, what consultation is planned in order to gauge the interests of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Information and Privacy Commissioner often chooses to highlight topical aspects of her work in her annual Commissioner’s Message. This year the Information and Privacy Commissioner pointed out that the 2013-2014 Annual Report marks the 17th year since the ATIPP Act came into force in the Northwest Territories. The committee takes note of the observations made by the Information and Privacy Commissioner in her Commissioner’s Message, in which she discusses how much has changed in the intervening years. She notes that the public is becoming more aware of matters...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move we report progress.

---Carried

To the Minister, yes, I know there is no legal obligation, but I think there is a moral obligation on the part of government to respond to recommendations from people that we hire to try to make life better for our residents. I would encourage the Minister to think about providing some kind of a summary of coroner’s recommendations and how they have been handled by various departments in the government. Thank you.