Wendy Bisaro

Thanks to the Premier for that information. Just one last question. I’d like to ask about negotiations with both the federal government and Lutselk'e Dene Band in and around the Thaidene Nene National Park. Where do we stand as the GNWT? What is our role in these negotiations? Can I get some kind of a status report on where the negotiations are at? Are they at a standstill? Are they moving forward? Are they going backwards? We haven’t heard anything about it for quite some time.

It’s a completely different situation if the position being moved is vacant or a new position. In that case, there are no people to be uprooted, no families thrown into turmoil. That should be the government’s thinking. It can be like reducing staff costs through attrition. The only positions that should be considered for decentralization should be those which are vacant or new positions.

I will have questions for the Premier at the appropriate time.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a couple of questions here. In terms of negotiations and the number of tables that we’re at and where we’re going in terms of progress or not, has there been an increase in the activity in and around negotiations and under this particular activity?

Thanks to the Minister for that. I’m glad the government is continuing to fight against the federal government on this particular situation. It is going to have a very large impact on our finances if we don’t get some solution to where the federal government wants to go and where we feel we need to go. Just a comment. I urge the Minister and his department to keep fighting the federal government on this Fiscal Harmonization Initiative. Thank you.

I guess I’d like to know from the Minister who the idea was floated with and how far and wide did he ask. Thank you.

My last question. I asked yesterday about direct appointments, and in response the Minister advised me that there was no change to the Direct Appointment Policy. I guess I would like to ask the Minister, I wasn’t so much asking about the policy itself but I was asking whether or not there’s been a change in how we apply that policy. So if he could advise me.

I had stated that I understand that we’ve made some changes in how we use direct appointments and I guess I would like to ask that question again and not to the policy but to how we apply the policy. Thank you.

So, could I get a bit of an explanation as to what engagement means? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. We would like to continue with consideration of Tabled Document 188-17(5), the Department of Human Resources to be continued, Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, NWT Housing Corporation and Justice, time permitting. Thank you.

I would presume we haven’t done any analysis since there was no reference to that, and I would encourage the Premier to do that.

It’s one thing to ask somebody to take another job, but when they are happy in their job and they’re good in their job, why are we forcing them to move into a job that they maybe don’t enjoy?

I’d like to ask the Premier, considering our current fiscal situation and the need to reconcile our expenses and our revenues, how can the Premier and Cabinet justify increasing the cost of some person years just to decentralize?

Just one last question. Can we get any kind of an indication of when we might get some kind of a resolution and some kind of an agreement on this proposed park?