Debates of March 8, 2005 (day 51)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Many times in this House we have discussed the importance of languages to all northerners. The diversity of official languages recognized in the Northwest Territories makes us unique in Canada.

During March we celebrate the value and importance of languages to our northern life. March is:

Aboriginal Languages Month

March 6th to 20th Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie celebrates Francophone culture

March 20th is International Francophonie Day

The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to the support of all our official languages and this is an opportune time to profile some recent activities in this area:

The Official Languages Board and the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board have been established and the second meeting of both boards is currently taking place.

The first annual report on official languages was released in October 2004.

In August of 2004, the aboriginal languages and culture-based education directive was issued to education authorities across the NWT. This directive clarifies the ways that aboriginal language funding may be used in schools.

To support children’s development of their aboriginal language, 18 language nest programs have been funded.

Dene Kede curriculum for Grade 9 classrooms has been completed and will be made available to NWT classrooms this month.

French first language schooling offered through the Commission Scolaire Francophone de Division has been expanded this year to include Grade 10 at Ecole Alain St. Cyr.

The aboriginal interpreter-translator certification standards for testing in Chipewyan have been completed and the first exams should be administered by this summer.

The aboriginal language communities are completing 47 projects ranging from on-the-land camps to producing a documentary film on elders’ history.

Through Literacy Strategy funding, the aboriginal language communities are completing approximately 28 projects ranging from terminology development to teaching literacy to young mothers.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is committed to supporting all the official languages of the Northwest Territories. The involvement of each of the language communities working in concert and collaboration with the GNWT is essential if we are to protect, maintain and hopefully revitalize language usage. Over the past few years, the renewed emphasis on partnership and collaboration has strengthened our efforts and established a solid path for us to follow in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Strong, dynamic women have contributed to the sustained development and progress of the North. From March 6 to 12, 2005, we celebrate International Women’s Week to recognize the contribution women have made to our society. Today has been designated a special day to honour their contributions.

With the national theme “You are Here - Women, Canada and the World,” I want to acknowledge women who have helped shape the North through their wisdom and actions, both big and small. Northern women improve our world everyday, by making a difference in the workplace, representing the public in elected assemblies, nurturing their families or simply by making healthy choices and being strong role models for their families and communities. Women constantly exercise their power in positive and meaningful ways.

During International Women’s Week, we will be celebrating the contribution of women in communities across the North. Today the Status of Women’s Council of the Northwest Territories held its annual bread and roses luncheon in Yellowknife in the Great Hall of the Legislative Assembly to present the Wise Women Awards. I encourage northerners to participate in events across the NWT that celebrate women and their achievements.

Let us all celebrate the progress that women have made this week and reflect on how we can remove barriers to ensure that women are equal, respected members of NWT society.

As Minister responsible for the Status of Women, I salute the contribution of women to the healthy progress of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in honour of International Women’s Day, I would like to take this opportunity to speak about the Canadian Women’s March 2005 Coalition. This is a group made up of 10 national women’s and social justice groups committed to the elimination of poverty and violence in Canada and making the links between local and global actions.

Mr. Speaker, they are launching their international campaign today on International Women’s Day and it will go on to October 17, 2005, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Poverty. In particular, Mr. Speaker, the coalition is pushing the federal government to meet 13 demands which were first announced back in 2000. There will be events held around the world and Canada including one that will be held in Yellowknife on May 2nd. Mr. Speaker, the 13 demands, for the record, are as follows:

Restore federal funding to health care and enforce the rules against privatization of our health care system;

Keep the promise to spend an additional $1.5 billion over five years for affordable housing and build 25,000 new affordable housing units every year for the next five years;

Implement a publicly funded and publicly accountable not-for-profit national childcare system;

Increase old age security payments to provide older women with a decent standard of living;

Use the surplus from the employment insurance plan to increase benefits, provide longer payment periods and improve access, as well as improve maternity and family benefits;

Support women’s organizations for equality and democracy;

Fund consultations with a wide range of women’s equality seeking organizations prior to all legislative reform of relevance to women’s security and equality rights beginning with the Criminal Code and ensure access for women from marginalized communities;

Implement a progressive immigration reform;

Contribute to the elimination of poverty around the world;

Adopt national standards which guarantee the right to welfare for everyone in need and ban warfare;

Recognize the value of exclusion of women with disabilities from economic, political and social life and take the first step of ensuring and funding full access for women with disabilities to all consultations on relevant issues;

Establish a post-secondary education transfer and increase funds to a national system of grants;

Immediately introduce and adopt proactive pay equity legislation based on the federal Pay Equity Task Force recommendations.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the road to getting a gym built in Nahanni Butte is hard to navigate, rocky and uncertain, literally. But today, I would like to speak to you about getting to Nahanni Butte and the completion of the access road.

Mr. Speaker, the Nahanni Butte access road has been discussed in this House for 10 years, ever since 1996. In 2003-04, the Department of Transportation report on public access roads said that these roads formed an important part of our highway system. Improvement to these roads would increase safety and decrease highway maintenance costs by reducing the blading, grade repairs, granular and dust control requirements.

Furthermore, the Governance and Economic Development committee, in their review of the 2003-2004 Main Estimates, urged the department to complete the public access road projects and devote any additional funding the department receives to get this done.

Well, here we are in 2005, Mr. Speaker. The Nahanni Butte access road is still incomplete. Although the Department of Transportation has scheduled the access road to be partially constructed up to 2007-08, the bulk of the funding to complete it lies in that black hole called future years. Now that we have the tax money, let’s strike while the iron is hot and get this road finished. While we are building it, let’s throw in an innovative training program that will train some people in Nahanni Butte to be heavy equipment operators, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, while this government accelerates this program and gets this road built by 2008, some far off distance and uncertain future is not good enough. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, March 8th, today, is International Women’s Day. Traditionally, International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made in the areas of women’s political and social rights, a time to call for change and a time to celebrate acts of courage and determination of ordinary women who play an extraordinary role in creating strong and healthy communities.

The national theme for this year’s event is, “You are Here - Women, Canada and the World.” The national theme urges us to pause and take stock of exactly where women are as a group today. There have been substantial advances for women in civil rights in the ninety-some years, since Women’s Day became an international event, two notable dates for women’s civil rights in Canadian history are 1920, when Ottawa extended the right to vote to certain Canadian women over 21, but not aboriginal women. Aboriginal women had to wait until 1960 for the right to vote when the Canadian Bill of Rights received Royal Assent. Today, there are still nations where women have yet the right to participate politically.

Yesterday, in Kuwait, hundreds of women protested in the streets demanding their right to vote and run for parliament. Civil rights are important, Mr. Speaker, but they do not guarantee that conditions for women will improve. Although women in the NWT have equal rights to participate politically, the extension of a right does little to provide equal access. Right here in this Assembly, Mr. Speaker, there are only two women and there are no women in Cabinet.

Mr. Speaker, the national theme, “You are Here - Women, Canada and the World” also speaks to the grassroots character of the work that is done to improve the status of women. Real change is never handed down. Real change begins with the effort women put into improving conditions for women right here in our own communities.

In honour of National Women’s Day, I want to recognize the extraordinary efforts of women who take up grassroots leadership roles. These are the women who are leaders in the frontline jobs traditionally occupied by women, such as nursing, teaching, counselling and parenting. But these are also women who choose to enter fields that have been traditionally dominated by men, such as trades and politics.

So, Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to the women who were recognized as the wise women in the Northwest Territories. Their names are Ruth Wright, Tonya Cazon, Helen Tobie, Alphonsine McNeely, and Sister Agnes Sutherland. Congratulations to these strong, wise women. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to talk about mental health and mental illnesses, Mr. Speaker. In our modern society, mental illnesses and disabilities are viewed a lot differently today than they were even a few decades ago. We see this in many different ways, Mr. Speaker, in our own homes, in our hospitals and community care centres, in courts and legislatures. We are dealing with this terrible affliction more progressively and compassionately. There is, through the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Human Rights Acts, a much greater emphasis on the individual’s autonomy.

The NWT’s Mental Health Act, Mr. Speaker, was first developed in 1988 and has since been amended in some ways over the last 17 years. Mr. Speaker, the Mental Health Act is a powerful piece of legislation because it can take away from an individual their right to have control over their own lives. It also puts a great onus on those medical and legal professionals, Mr. Speaker, who may be compelled to do this in some circumstances.

Mr. Speaker, our Mental Health Act is quite out of date with a lot of the more modern thinking and approaches to how we should be treating the occurrence of mental illness and disability as legislators. There is, of course, the ever present influence of alcohol, but another shift in the way we need to be looking at this is a disturbing increase in the availability and the impact of street drugs. These are things that are in the medical and the court system now that just weren’t there even a few years ago. I know, for the professionals who have to deal with this, it often raises questions for them. Do they have to deal with the situation in a medical sense, or is it perhaps a police or social issue? This is why, Mr. Speaker, I believe our Mental Health Act needs to be revised. I will be asking the Minister later on today what plans we have for addressing this.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to use my Member’s statement today to address the proposed Northern Strategy. I am very happy that the federal government and the governing Liberal Party who have been in power in Ottawa for 13 years have finally realized that there is life north of 60.

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The strategy itself is long overdue and welcomed by all who call Northern Canada home. Last week in this House, Members had an opportunity to speak to the Northern Strategy. I enjoyed listening to my colleagues on this side of the House as well as the Premier and Deputy Premier. We all share a love for the Northwest Territories. This is our home, and we represent all of the 42,000 people who live here.

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The residents of the Northwest Territories have put a tremendous amount of faith in us, as leaders, to deliver and finally get the Northwest Territories a fair and equitable deal on resource revenue sharing and devolution. Our job as Regular Members is to support and encourage our government to get a deal for us. I wanted to say that I believe the Premier is doing all he can to get some action out of Ottawa. He needs all of our support in this effort. Our future depends on it.

The Northern Strategy is a huge opportunity to show how different the Northwest Territories is. We have to demonstrate to the rest of Canada that we are deserving of special attention.

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Our economy last year grew 21 percent, compared to the Yukon economy which was stagnant and Nunavut’s economy which actually shrank. We are certainly a going economic concern. What do we need in the strategy? We need some concrete examples from the federal government that shows they understand our situation. We must address the high cost of living here. With things like tax credits for interest paid on mortgage payments; a living, breathing resource trust fund; value-added industrial development to look at keeping some of the fuel here that is going to be leaving soon and some already does in the Norman Wells pipeline, so people can actually afford to heat their homes; other tax breaks; and, a beneficial tax regime. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, the other item missing from the strategy is an EDA, an economic development agreement with Ottawa.

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Why do we continue to be dealt only crumbs from Ottawa? The recent funding of $90 million over three years split between three territories is almost insulting. Has anyone even ever figured out how to access this money and apply for the funding? I would be surprised if anybody really knows the answers to those questions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today is International Women’s Day. I rise to recognize the progress and advancement of women in society, specifically in achievement by a female constituent of mine. Mr. Speaker, Ms. Jeannette Mandeville was born and raised in Deninu Kue. Although she currently lives in Hay River with her husband Roger, she still has a strong connection and attachment to the community of Deninu Kue. A well-rounded individual with an educational background on native studies and social work, she has also enjoyed being outdoors fishing and boating, just to name a few of her interests.

On February 10, 2005, during the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Award ceremony, Ms. Jeannette Mandeville, an employee at the Ekati diamond mine for more than four years, was recognized as a recipient of an award for her exceptional achievement and certification as a security officer at the mine. Mr. Speaker, as a woman from aboriginal descent in a non-traditional occupation, it is my pleasure to recognize and congratulate Ms. Jeannette Mandeville again for her achievement in the private sector.

Aside from the fact that she was one of the only two female recipients to receive an award, it is a big step, indeed, for herself personally and, more importantly, to the bigger picture towards addressing gender inequality.

Mr. Speaker, in our own public service, the percentage of women is only at two percent. Today being International Women’s Day, it is a perfect time to celebrate the achievements made by women in society and also to reflect on the journey that women have gone through and still continue to work on for the benefit of the younger generations. All I can say, Mr. Speaker, is kudos to Jeannette for setting a fine example and paving the way for the younger generation of women in their pursuit for non-traditional occupations. It is very encouraging indeed. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we talk a lot in this House about the power that the federal government has over us in terms of the purse strings which they hold. However, Mr. Speaker, what we don’t talk enough about is the power that the federal government has in the Northwest Territories when it comes to the appointees of federal boards and agencies.

Mr. Speaker, the members of the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board are federally appointed as are the members of the Mackenzie Valley Impact Review Board, and this is to name only a few. The Mackenzie Valley Land and Water board, for instance, has three main functions. They process land use and water use applications, issue land use and water licences and, finally, they issue directions on general policy matters concerning the use of land or water or the deposit of waste. Mr. Speaker, this means that these boards are deciding what development projects go ahead and which ones don’t. The appointees to these boards seem to have as much, if not more, power than our own elected officials. I think that these are the kinds of decisions that need to be made by the stakeholders and not by some federally-appointed body. By stakeholders, Mr. Speaker, I mean those people who have to live on the land and whose families have to live on the land and will have to suffer the consequences of the decisions they are making.

Mr. Speaker, when the federal Minister of DIAND is making appointments to a board, he or she has to think of what is good for the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I know these boards often include people appointed on the recommendations of the First Nations and also the Government of the Northwest Territories, but it is the federal Minister who has the final say. Mr. Speaker, it is the right of the aboriginal people of the Northwest Territories to be the stewards of their own land, but they cannot do this until the power to make decisions over land development rest in their hands and in their hands only. Mahsi.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the past week, we have spoken many times of making history in the Northwest Territories in terms of devolution, revenue resource sharing and the Northern Strategy and becoming like a have province in the Northwest Territories. We often see, Mr. Speaker, that the federal government also plays the big role of big brother in many of the areas in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, in every aspect of our life, we are affected by government’s decisions. Mr. Speaker, we would like to know when the federal government will get out of the big brother’s role and allow us, as northern people, to make the right choice for us that is good for us in the North and not have the federal government dictate as to what type of decisions or appointments that they can make to boards that will affect our lives.

Mr. Speaker, over the course of many years, we have slowly moved away from the big brother concept, from 1867 to today. However, we often wonder if the federal government is still following the policies that reflect 1867, or in 1870 when the Northwest Territories was transferred from the British to Canada.

Mr. Speaker, when will this government again take a stand with the federal government and listen to the people in the North who will be affected by the federal government’s decisions such as the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board appointments? These appointments should be done in the North and for northern people who are affected greatly in these types of decisions. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With today being International Women’s Day, I would like to recognize all women across the NWT for the contributions they make to their communities. Many times, some volunteers are needed. Women are the first to sign up. Without them, many programs would not be up and running. We have to recognize mothers who try to raise their children to make good choices in life; daughters who grow up too fast and are getting married; and grandmothers who, in many cases, end up raising their grandchildren and are the backbone in many families. Women who are in the public service should also be recognized and can serve as role models for all young women. Women like Sharon Firth with her Olympic experience, and Bertha Allen, an Inuvialuit elder, both will be recipients of the Aboriginal Achievement Awards. Ruth Wright, who is a constituent of mine, was just given a Wise Woman Award today and should also be recognized. We have two Members in the Assembly, Mrs. Jane Groenewegen and Ms. Sandy Lee, who are both Members of this Assembly…

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…and represent their constituents with such passion that many in Cabinet would rather face a man that is six-foot-eight and 300 pounds.

---Laughter

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we must not forget the wives of the NWT. Many of us here have wives who must look after the home in our absence. Sometimes they must feel like they have another child with the way we act.

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I would like to extend our appreciation to all of the women of the NWT for all that they do to make our lives better. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to focus on a serious issue that seems to be rising in our schools. It is truancy. Mr. Speaker, it takes a whole community to raise children. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to participate. Schools can only do so much. Some parents seem to leave it up to the child or teenager to take their education in their own hands. Tardiness and lack of attendance affect our children and their ability to stay focussed at school and eventually some students drop out unless there is some form of intervention.

I have spoken with staff at various schools, and the problem seems to be that the school itself is truly powerless. They don’t seem to have any status or authority, if you may, to get involved and deal with the situation immediately when it arises. Even if they had the authority to get involved, they do not have the resources to do anything about this. Mr. Speaker, there is an Education Act that does allow for parents to be charged up to $500 but, as of yet, I have not heard of any parent ever being charged under this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, as soon as truancy is identified, the schools should have the authority to step in and take control before it is too late and another child is lost to the drop-out list. Mr. Speaker, these children will simply fall through the cracks and drop out which is not in the best interest of these individuals, society and definitely not in the best interest of this darn government.

Mr. Speaker, we will have an alarming number of children dropping out. Even this year, graduation rates are slowly climbing but they are still very, very low. Truancy is a serious issue. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I wish to say two important things. Truancy is a symptom and there could be a thousand reasons as to why, but we owe it to ourselves in our roles here to ask why.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker, and finally, I should say as well, under the Child and Family Services Act, we talk about physical harm, abuse and neglect; we should certainly have a section here to deal with truancies and allow our Health and Social Services system to get out there and to ask why. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier in my Member’s statement, truancy is becoming a serious issue in the Northwest Territories. My questions will be to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Would the Minister tell me if the Education Act that permits a parent to be charged up to $500 has ever been enforced? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 563-15(3): Enforcement Of Education Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not aware of any parents having been taken to court because their children were not in school.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 563-15(3): Enforcement Of Education Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have spoken to some educators out there and they have said that when they recognize truancy and they phone these parents and there is no answer, there is nowhere for them to truly go. Why has the Department of Education, Culture and Employment never stepped in to own up to their responsibility to deal with truancy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 563-15(3): Enforcement Of Education Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to challenge one thing that the Member said and that is that truancy is becoming more and more of a problem. In fact in the last 10 years, the attendance at school has increased dramatically across the Northwest Territories.

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Ten years ago the attendance rate for high-school-aged children in the Northwest Territories was less than 40 percent; this year it is well over 70 percent. We are making impressive strides in getting children all across the Territories to attend school.

If the Member wants to look into it, I have been asked this question previously; I have looked all across Canada and have found that no jurisdiction is charging parents for not having their kids attend school, because it is not effective, it doesn’t help. What we need to do is we need to work with kids and families to encourage them to get kids into school. If the families don’t support what the kids are doing, whether you force the kids to be at school or not, it’s not successful. We have to have family support for kids to be successful.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 563-15(3): Enforcement Of Education Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate what the Minister said. On that note, what resources do we provide the schools and the district education authorities to ensure that we get these truant kids into school? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 563-15(3): Enforcement Of Education Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The chairs of the divisional education councils and I have talked about attendance as one of the crucial areas that we want to increase. The education councils know that if they don’t have the kids in school, they don’t get the money for them; so attendance really does impact on the amount of money that is available to a divisional educational authority for schooling.

I have talked to principals who go out and knock on doors to talk to families to get the kids in school. DEAs are working out all sorts of different strategies within their communities -- whatever works for them -- to encourage kids to be at school. We have land claims organizations and community corporations that provide cash incentives to get kids to attend school, so it is a community-driven initiative across the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Supplementary To Question 563-15(3): Enforcement Of Education Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister left out one specific area. As I understand it, funding is linked to attendance in roster enrollment, but that is only checked, I believe, once a year. In a certain period, that sets the funding rate for the whole education period. That being said, what is the Minister willing to do to address the truancy issue through legislation that empowers either Health and Social Services to go in and check on what is happening with these children or allow the education system and the DEAs, as he has pointed out, to go in and knock on those doors to make sure these kids are okay? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 563-15(3): Enforcement Of Education Act

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t believe we need anything further to empower anybody to follow up on things. A DEA has the authority now to ensure that kids are attending school; it could become a child protection issue if parents aren’t ensuring that their kids attend school. We already have the tools to do it from that side, but that is not going to work. That doesn’t help the kid to be successful. Forcing them to be there when their parents don’t support them being in school is a waste of time. We have to work with families to make sure that the families are supportive of kids being in school, so that the kids are there to learn. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister responsible for Seniors. Mr. Speaker, in the Sahtu region there are 199 elders who are over 60 years of age. Mr. Speaker, there are numerous government departments, services and programs that are for the elders; for a lot of them English is a second language or they do not speak English at all. A lot of them communicate in the aboriginal language of North Slavey. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Seniors whether this government is planning any type of program that he oversees which can work with other departments who are dealing with seniors, in terms of having a one-stop shop for elders to do their business, rather than to run in all different directions. Thank you.

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

Return To Question 564-15(3): Centralized Services For Seniors

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when the seniors’ action plan was done, it was done with that kind of concept in mind, where we had a number of departments -- Education, Health and Social Services, Housing and MACA -- work to come up with a strategy for seniors.

We are anticipating being able to have some federal money to better fund those different initiatives. There is an intent to try to make it as convenient as possible. We work with the territorial Seniors' Association here, we assist them with funding, we assist them with their help line where seniors can call and get services, and help sort out any questions they may have. We have some resources in place and some processes in place to do that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 564-15(3): Centralized Services For Seniors

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister is correct; I see in the federal government budget, there is $13 million provided to create a national seniors’ secretariat to serve as a focal point for collaborative efforts to address new challenges facing seniors. Would he consider a territorial secretariat for seniors, so that the seniors could look forward, within this government, to see a territorial secretariat set up for them in the regions in the Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Miltenberger.

Further Return To Question 564-15(3): Centralized Services For Seniors

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, currently I am the Minister responsible for Seniors, which gives a focal point to the issues related to seniors. We have a strong working relationship and a funding arrangement with the territorial Seniors’ Association. We have in place the pieces we need. We also have a very close working relationship with all the authorities and the boards within the regions that work on mainly seniors’ issues. We have processes in place to do that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 564-15(3): Centralized Services For Seniors

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would ask the Minister then; when would this department or when would this government roll out its plans so that Granny from Nahanni or Uncle Orville from Colville Lake…

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…could see that they can only go to one place in the communities to have all these programs under one roof? Today we don’t see it; so when can we see it? Thank you.

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