Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a number of brands that we have developed over the years and I believe that branding is a very important concept that allows us to promote and market the North.
I’ll just give you a list of some of the branding that we’ve done. We have NWT Arts, we have Spectacular NWT for tourism, we have a host of diamond brands, Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur brand, Come Make Your Mark and, of course, the Member has mentioned the Made in the Northwest Territories brand that we developed with the Chamber of Commerce and the NWT Construction Association.
I think branding is very good. We have world-class products and a lot of goods like furs, which are some of the best furs in the world. Branding is a very good way to promote the North. We are interested in any opportunity to improve in those areas. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I raised this issue with no intent of taking away from the hard work that has been produced, but any branding expert can tell you that when you expand and harmonize a branding product, you make sure that you overlap and in particular ways. That way your target audience, clients or potential buyers can all recognize the synergy is all enveloped in your messaging. For example, you can say experiencing the NWT without taking away the spectacular concept provided and promoted by NWT Tourism, or furthermore, as one more example, you can say only in the NWT and that would help, again, for the marketing concept.
Once again, I would like to ask the Minister, would he consider taking a serious look into this particular issue and see if we can develop a synergy or a strategic approach that lends in the NWT as a focal point to build upon our great products here? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, there are a number of challenges with regard to branding. As you know, for example, when marketing at Northern House, it was brought to our attention that a lot of products were being made elsewhere and being marketed either as Aboriginal or northern, so I think a branding would go a long ways to address that. Also, you need to make sure that you have quality control so that you deliver a good product. We would certainly be quite prepared to look further into this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciated the Minister of Health and Social Services’ commitment almost a year ago when we passed our resolution on the Anti-Poverty Strategy for her department to play a key role in an NWT-wide Anti-Poverty Strategy. I realize the Department of the Executive is the lead, but I am wondering how the Minister is directing her department to play a key role on this strategy and what sort of work is happening towards that. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member is aware and as the Premier replied earlier this morning, since that statement that the Member read out, there had been a workshop and there was very comprehensive representation from all sectors of our society and all departments across the government. It involves Justice, Education, income security, Health and Social Services and Housing. Anti-Poverty Strategy, the scope of the work has expanded considerably and it goes across the government. Because of that, the Executive, and with the entire Cabinet, has taken on the work of responding to that.
Mr. Speaker, this has become a government initiative and the Department of Health and Social Services and I, as a Minister, and work through my staff, one of our directors is part of the steering committee. We are involved in responding to this initiative, as the Premier indicated earlier today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister’s comments there. I think they are essentially what I had said as the introduction to my question, that I realize it’s the lead of the Department of the Executive. I was referring the Minister’s commitment to play a key role.
Mr. Speaker, the consequences of a failure to address poverty are that people fall more and more into poverty and start getting into social issues and eventually mental and physical health issues. I know that this Minister’s staff has a huge amount of experience in this area. On that basis, I am asking how the Minister is drawing on that vast amount of experience to contribute to this strategy. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, this is an across-the-department approach and our director of policy is part of the steering committee. We provide our input, our expertise, our information into that group and obviously being involved in the...and the response and coming up with this response to the workshops and conferences and the interest that the Members in this House as well as the public have indicated to us as to the need to come up with this strategy. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Time for question period is expired; however, I will allow the Member a supplementary question. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will keep it short here. This is my last question. I guess I would ask the Minister to be prepared to give the Standing Committee on Social Programs, perhaps, a briefing on how the department is fulfilling that obligation the Minister made to Members. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, absolutely. I am always happy to go before the committee and have discussions with them. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5 on the orders of the day, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize a constituent of mine, David Yau, who is in the gallery here today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. If we missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the gallery. It’s always nice to have an audience in here.
Item 8, written questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 7, oral questions, on the Order Paper. Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to follow up on some of the questions I had earlier for the Minister of Justice. Mr. Speaker, I must start out by saying I have the utmost respect for the judicial system here in the Northwest Territories, but when there is a public outcry about light sentences handed out to violent offenders here in the Northwest Territories, the public has little recourse but to come to their elected officials and state that something is wrong if somebody is killing somebody and getting five years, or if an individual beats up their spouse and gets five months even though they have a lengthy record of a number of violent offences. I would like to ask the Minister if he is going to address the issue of light sentences being handed out to violent offenders here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The repeat offenders that the Member is referring to and also the light sentences, of course, are at the discretion of the judge. The final decision lies with the judge. At the same time, at every federal/provincial/territorial Ministers meeting we deal with various laws that may be before us in dealing with the Justice Minister and also Public Safety Minister, and these are the matters that are always before us. The lighter sentence, there is always a question of why is that and change of the legality, the legal system. Since last year, there have been a lot of changes. We are currently dealing with all of those issues that are being brought forward. What the Member is referring to is also before us every opportunity we get at that main table, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, just for the benefit of folks out there watching or listening to this exchange, I would like to ask the Minister whether or not, as Minister, and whether or not this government can have any control or influence over decisions that the justice system makes, the judges are making. Is it possible for us to instruct the justice officials and the judges in the Northwest Territories to throw the book at violent offenders here in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker? Is that possible? Thank you.
Mahsi. The judicial system is another arm of this government and as a Minister of Justice I cannot tell the chief judge or judge what to do with respect to sentencing. I have to respect their decision. The final decision lies with the judges. There’s a federal law that they have to follow as well. There are various aspects of independent cases. So I cannot interfere as Justice Minister on those decisions that are made. The final decisions are made by the judges. Mahsi.
I know the Minister talked about FPT meetings and getting together with his colleagues from across the country. One of the big issues recently that’s come to light is people getting double credit for time served in remand while they’re awaiting a court date. I’d like to ask the Minister if here in the Northwest Territories has our government and the Minister of Justice taken a position on whether or not that’s a good practice to have. Thank you.
Mahsi. There’s double time, time and a half, time. A lot of times the number of days are waiting for their trial. Those are the discussions that we had at a recent FPT meeting as well, and there’s been a lot of debate on the 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2, two times or double you can call it. So those are discussions that have been brought forward across Canada and we do raise our concerns as well.
There have been several cases, Mr. Speaker, that even young offenders have, like, 40 or 50 different cases before them, but they are free for various reasons under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and the acts are being changed as well. The recommendations are brought forward to make those changes so we can deal with those matters at hand. But this double time and time and a half is also the discussion that we are having at the federal level. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It doesn’t sound like our government has an official position on whether or not that’s a practice that we want to have here for folks in remand. Personally, I think it’s a practice that has to stop.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister if people who are in remand -- and our jail has a number of those individuals -- are available to access programs and services that other inmates are allowed to access while incarcerated. Thank you.
Mahsi. It all depends on the case that’s at hand, if it’s a high risk, low risk, medium risk. So it all depends on the case that’s before the court proceedings. So it all varies. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table the anti-poverty workshop report titled No Place for Poverty. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, February 10, 2011, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the Speaker be authorized to set such sitting days and hours as the Speaker, after consultation, deems fit to assist with the business before the House.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, February 10, 2011, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on February 10, 2011, it shall be adjourned until Monday, February 14, 2011;
And further, that any time prior to February 14, 2011, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time.
Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, February 10, 2011, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Kam Lake, that this Legislative Assembly recommends that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment reinstate the policy of sponsoring a placement in the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine;
And further, that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment fund that placement;
And furthermore, that the reinstatement of this policy includes a requirement for return of service by the graduate practicing in the Northwest Territories or repaying funds expended on the sponsorship.
Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 17, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 18, motions. Item 19, first reading of bills. Item 20, second reading of bills. Item 21, 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), Response to the Standing Committee on Social Programs 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. Abernethy in the chair.
I’ll now call Committee of the Whole to order. In front of us today are tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 75, 103, 133 and 135; Bills 4, 14, 17, 20; Ministers’ statements 65 and 88. What is the wish of committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Today the committee would like to continue with the consideration of the Department of Health and Social Services’ main estimates and we would like to stop short of getting into the Department of Education in order to convene a meeting at the rise of the House. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Is committee agreed?
Agreed.
Agreed. Thank you. We’ll take a short break and when we return we’ll go to Tabled Document 133-16(5).
---SHORT RECESS
