Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services and I’d like to continue my barrage of questions. It was on the northern grad nurses and the Graduate Placement Program. She has indicated in Hansard something that really upset the students and I’d like to ask the Minister if she’s willing to apologize to the grads publicly in this forum and explain what she had meant by that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated, there was a lot said and I tried to explain what I meant, but obviously I think I should go right to the source. What I would like to do is if they are interested in meeting me, I would like to meet with the class so that I can talk to them as a Minister about how committed we are to recruiting and retaining northern grads.
I was there when they were a first-year class, and four years later they are graduating and I want to be able to meet with them. I want them to tell me about their concerns. I will have my staff and HR people, if they will come with us, so that we can explain what options they have available, because I don’t think the communication on media clips here is helping the situation. I’m not going to presume that they want to see me, but if they are willing to meet with me, I’d be happy to meet with them perhaps after the session is over, given the schedule. Thank you.
I think that’s an outstanding offer by the Minister and I just do want to add when she had first met with the grads about two or three years ago, they were really pleased about the support that the Minister and the Department of Health and Social Services had for the grads. Once again, I’d like to get the Minister’s commitment that she will make the offer and will go over and meet with the graduate students this year. Thank you very much.
Yes, absolutely. I would even commit to the Member that his constituent who wrote to me, I will personally write her and ask her if I can come and meet with them. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In listening to Mr. Bromley’s question, it ironically was quite close to a matter I dealt with this morning. I had a constituent who came to my office from I would define an African community, and they talked about how difficult it is and challenging here in Yellowknife when we have a Nominee Program and broader, larger efforts to attract new immigrants to the North, but they find that the service levels are quite low. Many of them have said that they’ve got approximately in the range of 200 people here from the African community, but many of them have left their families in Toronto and Montreal.
Mr. Speaker, what does the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment have set up to provide a service centre that could help the immigrant community bring their families here, help them with jobs, training, education and support so we can fully have them participating in the community in a productive manner? In some cases many of them get stuck driving taxis because they have little to no options. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We do have the Nominee Program and also the staff to deal with that matter. We realize that there are people from all races and from all different countries, as well, that are coming to Canada, also coming to the Northwest Territories. So this is an area that we continue to monitor, but we do have people that deal with those individuals that may have questions, that may have an application process and we’ll do what we can to assist them through that venue. Mahsi.
Thank you. Well, one of the problems that they’ve highlighted is that there’s no real service centre. Where once we’ve got them here, it’s, like, what do they do or where do they seek further training and education about getting jobs? I mean, it’s great to attract the immigrant community or even the new Canadian community to Yellowknife in the North, but many of them are finding it difficult to get jobs. So the challenges of training, education, support and even drawing family here to the North becomes a significant problem continually for them. Does the Nominee Program have a service centre support mechanism that can help deal with many of these particular issues? Thank you.
Mahsi. This program that we deliver through the Nominee Program, it is available to those immigrants in the Northwest Territories, and we do provide various programs, as well, to those individuals, such as a Skilled Worker and Critical Impact Workers Program, Entrepreneur Self-Employment Business Program, through various interdepartmental as well. I work closely with the Department of ITI to assist in those areas to fill and also give them the opportunity to work beyond just being a cab driver. So that information is available to them through our department. Also, there is a website as well. So the information is out there. Mahsi.
Thank you. Many good people come to the North to help contribute and what we’re finding is we’ve got engineers, teachers, even veterinarians who are stuck in these entry jobs and not getting the access to tap into their potential of what they could provide and contribute to the North, and I think they’d add to the fabric of who we are. Would the Minister commit to working with the nominee office to ensure that they expand both public education and service support to this type of community? That way when we do get them here, they can work and ensure that they’re being productive in the way many of them have been trained but have not been able to access. Thank you.
Mahsi. This is an area that we have explored and are working towards that. This is a national issue where individuals come in with their doctor’s certification but it’s not recognized by different provinces or different areas. We have an understanding between the federal, provincial and territorial Ministers that we need to recognize some of those credentials that are being brought forward from other parts of the country. So, Mr. Speaker, we are working with it nationally and provincially, and also at the territorial level. So we continue to work on that. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, would the Minister commit to re-evaluating the support levels at the nominee office to see if they could offer the types of services I talked about and in turn what they would do is help support the transition and development of the credentials of the skills I talked about? For a fact, Mr. Speaker, a lot of people bring great training to Canada and to the North and I would hate to see it slip by and someone’s intended cherished career never gets utilized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi. I will provide the Member with the information that is being provided to those immigrants, whether it be the training program, the programs that are available to them and various other programs that I’ve highlighted, so that those individuals are comfortable living in the Northwest Territories and going beyond what’s out there. Recognizing their credentials, that’s an area that we are still exploring and we are working towards. So I take the Member’s notice and we’ll take it into consideration. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are a follow-up on my statement earlier today on public housing. First, I want to confirm this government’s philosophy towards housing. In face of the fact that renting or owning housing is beyond the means of most people in most communities, doesn’t the government agree that the government must meet this need by the progressive redistribution of public funds in recognition that this is a social need? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation recognize our obligations to provide public housing to residents across the Northwest Territories. We have over 2,400 public housing units in our stock and with all the other units that we have, we have over 4,500 units that we have been responsible for getting on the ground to provide housing. So obviously this government, our Housing Corp in particular, recognizes its obligation to provide housing to residents in the Northwest Territories.
Well said to the Minister. The second fact is this: no matter how much rent an LHO collects or doesn’t, people still need housing. Piling up these annual funding penalties does nothing but reduce LHOs’ ability to meet that need. Since housing is a basic social need, how does the Minister propose to meet reality and close the gap between what LHOs should and can collect so that service to all doesn’t suffer? Mahsi.
Thank you. We can work closely with some of our LHOs that have found themselves in a bit of a deficit and we have a Deficit Recovery Plan we’re working on with the LHOs. We do ask the LHOs to collect 90 percent in rental arrears or rent revenue up to 90 percent. The accumulated deficit of all our LHOs across the Northwest Territories at this particular time is $2.4 million. The accumulated arrears of all tenants of LHOs across the Northwest Territories at this particular moment are $13 million. So we have $11.6 million that these LHOs could be using to put towards their deficits and put back into their housing stock. Thank you.
Thank you. There’s quite a bit that could be explored in that statement, but I appreciate that those are the facts. The Minister will get no argument from me on the need to collect rent. People who can pay rent must pay it, but the reality is penalizing LHOs for uncollected rent does nothing but dig LHOs into debt, because the reality is all rents can’t be collected, despite best efforts. How does the Minister again propose to get assessed rents in line with the reality of rental collections? Mahsi.
Thank you. We are working with those LHOs that find themselves in deficit and we’ll continue to work with them. With the support of this government and this committee, we have identified funds that go towards alleviating some of the LHOs’ deficits and that’s something that was just recently approved and we have identified more funds in future years, because we recognize that there are some uncontrollables that we have to work with that the LHOs are trying to overcome and we recognize the responsibility that we have as the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to help these LHOs. Again, we also have been trying to educate residents across the Northwest Territories on the importance of rent and paying their rent. I think the message is starting to get out there.
I would expect that we will see the situation improve. We have been dealing with the situation that had come to a head through this transfer we had just recently. We’re starting to identify all the outstanding issues and we’re starting to deal with them.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The time for question period has expired. I will allow the Member a short supplementary. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s response there. I think we do need to look for progressive solutions, perhaps setting collectable rents at 5 or 10 percent more than the previous year’s actual rather than 100 percent, building in incentives that reward success. I’m hoping that the Minister... I guess I ask if the Minister will come to us soon with some of the specifics to respond to this dilemma.
We look forward to any opportunity to brief committee on some of the initiatives that we’re working on. Also in the course of our business here, we have private meetings where we can inform the Members, especially in their constituencies, some of the initiatives that we’re working on. I will commit to keeping all Members informed and up to date on all the progress that we’ve made with working with the LHOs and their deficit recovery plans.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled 2010 Annual Report of the Public Utilities Board of the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled Our Third Year 2011 - Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission 2009-2011 Corporate Plan.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Friday, February 18, 2011, I’ll move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that the 16th Legislative Assembly strongly urges the Government of Canada to announce the successor strategy to the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnerships Program immediately, to ensure that the partners can continue to train Aboriginal Northerners for employment in the mining, transportation, construction and petroleum exploration sectors.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 4-16(5), Executive Summary of the Report of the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project; Tabled Document 30-16(5), 2010 Review of Members’ Compensation and Benefits; Tabled Document 38-16(5), Supplementary Health Benefits – What We Heard; Tabled Document 62-16(5), Northwest Territories Water Stewardship Strategy; Tabled Document 75-16(5), Response to the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project on the Federal and Territorial Governments’ Interim Response to “Foundation for a Sustainable Northern Future”; Tabled Document 103-16(5), GNWT Contracts Over $5,000 Report, Year Ending March 31, 2010; Tabled Document 133-16(5), NWT Main Estimates 2011-2012; Tabled Document 135-16(5), GNWT Response to Committee Report 3-16(5) Report on the Review of the Child and Family Services Act; Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Social Assistance Act; Bill 14, An Act to Amend the Conflict of Interest Act; Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act; Bill 20, An Act to Amend the Evidence Act; Minister’s Statement 65-16(5), Devolution Agreement-in-Principle, Impact on Land Claims and Protection of Aboriginal Rights; and Minister’s Statement 88-16(5), Sessional Statement, with Mr. Krutko in the chair.
By the authority given me as Speaker by Motion 31-16(5), I hereby authorize the House to sit beyond the daily hour of adjournment to consider the business before the House.
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 75, 103, 133, 135; Bills 4, 14, 17, 20; and Ministers’ statements 65-16(5) and 88-16(5). What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee wishes to continue with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment main estimates.
Is committee agreed?
Agreed.
With that, we’ll take a short break.
---SHORT RECESS
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. At this time I’d like to ask the Minister of Education if he will be bringing in any witnesses.
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
Does the committee agree that the Minister may bring in witnesses?
Agreed.
