Debates of August 23, 2007 (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my beautiful wife up in the gallery, Mrs. Lucille Pokiak…

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…and also my constituency assistant, Donna Bernhardt, who is here assisting with the Pages that I have.

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In the Chamber today, there is Trevor Okheena and out back here is Tyler Inuktalik from Ulukhaktok. Thank you very much.

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Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a constituent, Ms. Sue Tkachuk, who is with us this afternoon. I’d also like to recognize a former co-worker, Mr. Glen Abernethy.

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Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure and honour to introduce my wife of 32 years in the gallery, the longest serving public librarian in the Northwest Territories, Jeri Miltenberger.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to make special mention of a family here in my riding of Yellowknife Centre who recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. A heartfelt congratulation goes out to Judith and Forrest Krause, who were surrounded by friends and family over the weekend to celebrate this golden occasion. Mr. and Mrs. Krause are long-time northerners, coming to the North for opportunity and excitement and proudly made Yellowknife their home. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Bell. Sorry. The question I have for the Minister responsible for Seniors is: Is the government looking at implementing a one-stop shop for seniors in small communities where they can all go to one building, get all their services, get all their programs that they need, get the services that they need to find out about, in our smaller communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 186-15(6): Centralized Services For Seniors

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday in my statement about income security, the government’s plan is to eventually move towards providing all of our social programs, if possible, through one office in all communities. It will take some time to get there, but eventually that would be the plan.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 186-15(6): Centralized Services For Seniors

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would ask if government would make it a priority to look at the seniors first in terms of having this plan here. Give some thought to the strong recommendations that the seniors programs be looked at in terms the seniors can go to one place and deal with all their issues in one spot rather than to look at other buildings where they have to go in their communities as it is done today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 186-15(6): Centralized Services For Seniors

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government already has a 1-800 number that is delivered in conjunction with the Seniors' Society in order to make sure that seniors are able to access clear and concise information about programs that are available. As I have said, over the next few years we expect that this government will move to ensure that all of its front-line services are delivered through one-stop shopping in the communities. So I can commit to the Member that moving in that direction will be a priority for this government.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 186-15(6): Centralized Services For Seniors

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the 1-800 number. I would like to see if there’s more of a cultural relevance in terms of small communities where the elders -- their primary language is their aboriginal language -- in terms of having something else besides a 1-800 number; somebody in the community that is dedicated just for seniors that has a strong language and can speak to the seniors; one person in the community that can work with the seniors in terms of coordinating some of the programs and services they are dealing with today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 186-15(6): Centralized Services For Seniors

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It would be a marvellous opportunity if we could find a way to have a person in every community to deal exclusively with seniors but, as the Members knows, we don’t have enough of a demand in all of our communities to have staff available for such dedication. That’s one of the reasons that we’re looking at service centres, or government service centres in communities where programs like income security programs can be delivered. Hopefully, over time, we can expand the programming that they’re able to deliver to include those services for seniors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 186-15(6): Centralized Services For Seniors

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think there are lots of ways we can look at dedicating this one person. There is lots of work in the region that needs to get to the seniors that I think this government, hopefully, would make some strong recommendations as to how to coordinate some of the approaches and having some of the workers just be dedicated for the seniors. If we don’t do something like this, it’s going to be very difficult later on. So I ask again if they would look at dedicating some of this work to their staff in the communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 186-15(6): Centralized Services For Seniors

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government will work with the Seniors' Society to determine what is appropriate in each community and see how quickly we can move forward with that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today, for the last time, are for the Minister of Human Resources, Minister Dent. At the rate the Members are leaving the Chamber, I might get you all to myself for one hour. Anyway, duty to accommodate. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement today I raised a very important subject. Under the Human Rights Commission there is provision for the duty to accommodate. I want to know how does that right, how does that translate into any policy, procedure or actions on the part of this government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Human Resources, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 187-15(6): Human Resources Duty To Accommodate Policy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Under the human resource manual there is a clear definition of what is expected under the duty to accommodate and it is up to supervisors to work with employees to make sure that duty is actually delivered.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 187-15(6): Human Resources Duty To Accommodate Policy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So there is a human resource management policy in the GNWT which speaks specifically to the duty to accommodate. Does that policy reflect what it says in the human rights duty to accommodate policy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 187-15(6): Human Resources Duty To Accommodate Policy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know whether or not it reflects what our human rights legislation says in terms of what is in our policy. It does refer to the human rights legislation and it says that the employers' obligation to accommodate stems from the human rights legislation. So it does refer to it and it says that it must reflect it. So we have a duty to accommodate our employees for their disabilities and if that’s not happening, then clearly we would have an obligation to do that.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 187-15(6): Human Resources Duty To Accommodate Policy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The duty to accommodate, a guide to employers, actually extends beyond accommodating that employee who may have a condition or a disability. People cannot be discriminated against on the basis of family status and if the employee of the GNWT has an obligation to provide care to a family member that might preclude them, for example, from working a night shift in an institution or in a workplace, then by extension that duty to accommodate goes to that employee in their obligation to their family member. That is what I’d like to determine, if this government adheres to that concept and that belief. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 187-15(6): Human Resources Duty To Accommodate Policy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our policy refers only to the employees themselves. So according to our policy, the duty to accommodate wouldn’t automatically extend to another family member. However, the government does have in its human resource policies the opportunity for flex time and, depending on operational requirements, the supervisors are able to work with employees and, if their operation will allow it, can…We can see employees are given different shifts or different hours in order to accommodate. So that is something that is already accommodated in our policies, but it has to depend on the operation and the operational needs of each unit. It’s something that can be negotiated between the supervisor and the employee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 187-15(6): Human Resources Duty To Accommodate Policy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think that the policy of the Human Resources department of the GNWT has to go far enough so that it does accommodate the member of the family that that employee has an obligation to care for. It sounds like there is a lot of discretionary latitude in that policy that the Minister is referring to. That can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing. I would like to ask the Minister if he feels that supervisors and managers are adequately orientated to this particular policy and that they are equipped with the tools that they need to make a decision to accommodate an employee who must care for a family member who has a disability. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 187-15(6): Human Resources Duty To Accommodate Policy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said, our policy speaks only to the duty to accommodate the employee and not the employee’s family. Certainly we do have the opportunity, with the flexibility in the policies, for supervisors to recognize employee needs where they are able to accommodate. I’d be quite happy to ensure that the Department of Human Resources offers training sessions throughout the course of the next year to supervisors to make sure that they’re aware of the requirements in the duty to accommodate and to also ensure that there’s some discussion with supervisors around applicability of flex time. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, I’ll give it one last kick at the cat with regard to source 177. Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of dialogue between the Premier, discussions with the former Minister of Indian Affairs, Mr. Jim Prentice, and also a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Calgary, and also the Tuk Community Corporation chair, the chair of IRC, and CEO, and also with the Minister of Transportation and his department. I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation, can he give an update on how the application process is going with regard to their submissions to the ILA? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Return To Question 188-15(6): Inuvialuit Lands Administration Land Use Application

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Transportation has ongoing discussions with ILA to discuss permitting and fees associated with an application to access lands in ILA. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Supplementary To Question 188-15(6): Inuvialuit Lands Administration Land Use Application

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister, where is that application now? Is it in the hands of ILA right now? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 188-15(6): Inuvialuit Lands Administration Land Use Application

Mr. Speaker, we did not hand any application over to the ILA office. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Mr. Pokiak.

Supplementary To Question 188-15(6): Inuvialuit Lands Administration Land Use Application

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know some time back, that the department did say that they were going to work with ILA with regard to the permitting process and I’m very surprised that his department hasn’t even moved forward with that application process. I understand that there might be a little bit of loss but I think, if I may request, Mr. Speaker, that I think the Minister should get his department to at least submit that application to the ILA. Thank you.