Debates of May 27, 2004 (day 14)

Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 153-15(3): Mould In Housing Units In The Communities Of Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister speaks about the assessment of the problem being highly technical and scientific. I'm just wondering if the department or the Minister has any plans to provide people who have this problem with information that they can easily understand. Thank you very much.

Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 153-15(3): Mould In Housing Units In The Communities Of Nahendeh

Mr. Speaker, we have hired an environmental specialist to look at this whole issue. As I said earlier, we are compiling a report that will deal with the cost, the time frame, the causes and some of the solutions. I certainly will commit to providing that to the community, to the people who live in the units, to our partners in the…(inaudible)…Housing Association, and also to the Members as they desire. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would just like to recognize the clock. The time for oral questions has expired, but I will allow the Member to ask his final supplementary. Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 153-15(3): Mould In Housing Units In The Communities Of Nahendeh

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. My final question is certainly the government is aware of the problem that exists in my riding, and probably other communities as well. I'm just wondering if they have in place any plan to raise public awareness of the problem and to educate people about the dangers and perhaps ways to avoid mould problems within their homes. Thank you.

Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 153-15(3): Mould In Housing Units In The Communities Of Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of contamination or safety or health issues in our units are always a very great cause for concern. We have standard procedures within the corporation for dealing with these issues. In this case, we have hired an environmental specialist to look at the situation. We would like to identify the cause of the problem, we would like to look at a number of issues that revolve around this whole mould issue. We are also looking at maybe upgrading our mechanical systems in the units which may be contributing to this whole issue. We take it very seriously. We will share all our information with the community, we will share all our information with the people in the units, and we also share our information with the Member and keep him up to date on what the status is of this issue. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a written question to the Minister of Justice and Education, Culture and Employment, in reference to an article in the Inuvik Drum on May 20th. A constituent of Inuvik Twin Lakes was profiled showing a $5 cheque. This incident cannot go unnoticed as the recipient has been diagnosed with a terminal illness by the Inuvik health authorities.

My written question to the Minister, in his dual role as the Minister of both departments of Justice and ECE, is will he provide a detailed written legal summary as to whether the indemnification clause in the Public Service Act gives statutory powers to all officers of this government, including the income support workers?

If so, what powers does an office have to deny a client the level of services and entitlement that is constitutionally entrenched in the Dominion of Canada?

Will the Minister provide a detailed report to this assembly on what action he took to remedy this situation, i.e. a formal apology to this client?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 8, written questions. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item number 7 on the order paper. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, the Honourable Brendan Bell.

Today the Sahtu leadership are meeting in Tulita to discuss, plan and work on the Sahtu Regional Access Team to negotiate a regional approach to land access agreements for the Mackenzie gas pipeline.

Can the Minister tell us what RWED is doing to assist the Sahtu communities:

in preparing community positions on impacts and benefits of the pipeline;

to complete community consultation to ensure public support for the regional plan adopted by the Sahtu leadership this week; and

to prepare for community development which will be made possible from the access fees and community benefits of the pipeline?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Given that the problem with mould in houses is, in some cases, attributable to homes being constructed during off season in wet conditions, does the government have guidelines or schedules in place for contractors to follow to prevent the problem from occurring?

Item 8, written questions. Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, thank you. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 7 on the order paper.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to go back to oral questions. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You have unanimous consent. At this time we'll take a short break for 10 minutes, and then we'll get back into oral questions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some more questions, in terms of the staff morale at YCC, for the Minister of Justice. This goes back to a few months ago when I asked similar questions about staff morale. Maybe he can help me out. I wonder why it is aboriginal employees in particular at YCC are being overlooked for advancement. Some of these aboriginal employees at YCC have over 15 years of experience and they are continually being denied advancement. I just wonder if he has a comment on that.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 154-15(3): Staff Morale Concerns At Yellowknife Correctional Centre

Mr. Speaker, without having some names to address, it’s a difficult one to have some comments on. I guess I should point out though that the Member makes it sound like there are no aboriginal employees in corrections. In fact, our department is ranked third in government, in the last report on affirmative action, at 34.2 percent of its employees being aboriginal. Corrections services, since that time, has increased the number of aboriginal managers by 35 percent. So of the current 46 manager and supervisor positions, 57 percent are staffed by aboriginal persons and an additional 21 percent are staffed by northern, non-aboriginal people. So, Mr. Speaker, it’s difficult to say that we are ignoring aboriginal people. I think the department, particularly corrections, has a very good record at ensuring that aboriginal candidates can advance.

Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 154-15(3): Staff Morale Concerns At Yellowknife Correctional Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s fine and good to say that the department has a good track record in terms of aboriginal employees, but given the fact that the YCC has an inmate population of about 90 percent aboriginal -- and that’s unfortunate in and of itself, Mr. Speaker -- it would make sense that we try to advance aboriginal employees into management positions. How many aboriginal employees are currently in permanent supervisory roles at the Yellowknife Correctional Centre? Thank you.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 154-15(3): Staff Morale Concerns At Yellowknife Correctional Centre

Mr. Speaker, that level of detail I don’t have in terms of the staff complement of each facility, but I am sure the Member is aware of the corrections entry level training program which is in place at the facility and the practice has been to help people advance. There are other initiatives. We are, for instance, even in other facilities, working to provide mentorship and training for candidates to make sure they are prepared to become wardens. It’s not something new to the department or that facility. There is, in fact, a considerable amount of work that goes into providing assistance and training so that candidates can advance. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 154-15(3): Staff Morale Concerns At Yellowknife Correctional Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There seems to be a tactic employed by management at the centre. That tactic is to put a person in acting capacity until they have enough experience to compete for the position. This completely shuts out a fair and competitive job competition because management has hand-picked the candidate already. Is the Minister aware of this tactic being employed at YCC and does it concern him? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 154-15(3): Staff Morale Concerns At Yellowknife Correctional Centre

Mr. Speaker, in fact, it’s not a tactic to stop people from advancing, it’s a tactic to ensure that people can advance. Rather than filling those positions with long-term employees, we have two positions that have been supervisory positions that have been used to rotate a number of people through so they are prepared to apply for supervisory jobs when they come open. So it’s an effort to provide some experience while people can have an active position to improve their skills.

Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 154-15(3): Staff Morale Concerns At Yellowknife Correctional Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was wondering when the last operational review was done at the Yellowknife Correctional Centre. Given the trouble with the health services unit and indications of many other concerns and issues with the centre, I wonder if the Minister will commit to a full operational review of this facility. Thank you.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 154-15(3): Staff Morale Concerns At Yellowknife Correctional Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, I won’t. I am satisfied that other than the usual problems you can expect when one facility shuts down and people are moved into a new facility, that there is nothing out of line there. The Member talks continually about morale problems, but the turnover at YCC has been less in the last fiscal year than the government-wide average is. So that doesn’t point to an issue of there being a widespread morale problem. So I don’t see the need for it right now. There were some concerns that the Member brought to the department about the operations of the health services, and that is been investigated. The department is reviewing the report and I am satisfied when we are able to implement the recommendations there, we will have dealt with all of the outstanding issues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, following the line of other Members with regard to conduct to one of the Members here in the assembly, my question will be directed towards the Premier and it’s in reference to Mr. Zoe. I will not be questioning his quality of work and dedication because we know it’s there to a high standard. Yet, we have concern with regard to the moral perception to some of the issues that have transpired. Mr. Speaker, as you very well know, like everyone here, that as leaders of this House, sometimes we are seen as role models, sometimes we are seen as heroes, sometimes we are loved and hated. Like in many circumstances, we can be ants under a microscope because the public eye is always watching us 24/7. Mr. Speaker, to sum it up quite quickly, I have drawn a line, not in the sand, but I have cut it into stone and I feel that there will be no second chance. Part of that, to restore credibility in my view, will be a treatment aspect of this Minister. In order to continue my support, is the Premier aware of Mr Zoe’s personal commitment for this issue not to happen again? Will he be seeking any type of treatment in order to continue that confidence, so we can move beyond this situation and get back to the government work at hand? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Premier.

Return To Question 155-15(3): Conduct Of Minister Zoe

Mr. Speaker, yes, Mr. Zoe, has told me and has also told other Members that he will be taking action to make sure this doesn’t happen. Exactly what kind of action that is, what kind of treatment it is, that’s a personal thing and I don’t want to get into any of the details of that. That is something that is Mr. Zoe’s responsibility. He has told us that he will take action to make sure this does not happen again. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, along the same lines of several of my colleagues on the issue of conduct and Mr. Zoe, indeed this is a serious matter as has been well acknowledged and it’s also an extremely difficult one for everyone in this assembly. You know, when a friend or a colleague has difficulty, one of the things that is incumbent on us as peers or co-workers or friends or neighbours is to do what we can to be supportive of another person who intends to get back on the right track in life. That is where I would like to be with our colleague, Mr. Zoe. In order to say that, especially in this political environment where accountability, openness and transparency crosses over very much into our personal lives, at least I believe it does. That’s a condition I understood and I accepted when I took this job. I would like Mr. Zoe to consider the same thing, and my question to the Premier is very much like what Mr. Hawkins was pursuing. What steps is Mr. Zoe planning on taking? I would like to know more about this because I still need to know if I am going to be supportive of Mr. Zoe. I need to have some satisfaction that the steps he is going to undertake are ones that I can understand and have confidence in in order to support him. Thank you.

Mr. Premier.

Return To Question 156-15(3): Conduct Of Minister Zoe

Mr. Speaker, as I said to the Member who had a question previously, the kind of steps Mr. Zoe is taking is something that is very personal to him. It’s one that he has to deal with. This has not been easy for him, for me or for any of us. I would encourage Members if they want to know more, that they take the opportunity to speak to Mr. Zoe privately about what he intends to do. I don’t think it’s something I should spell out the details of here. I don’t feel that’s my responsibility. The important thing to me is that Mr. Zoe has told me, and I accept his statement, that he is going to take steps to make sure this does not happen again. The exact nature of that is something that may be better dealt privately with Mr. Zoe. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 156-15(3): Conduct Of Minister Zoe

Okay, Mr. Speaker. I won’t pursue that line of questioning anymore. The Premier has made it abundantly clear that the decision is to keep that private. However, I would ask the Premier again, related to this, would these steps require that Mr. Zoe be absent from his job for any substantive period of time, and over what period of time might these steps be required? Thank you.

Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 156-15(3): Conduct Of Minister Zoe

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Zoe has indicated to me that he is taking personal time to do this. Yes, he will be away. Whether he chooses to do it during his holiday time or other days off, then that’s something that needs to be clarified further. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 156-15(3): Conduct Of Minister Zoe

Mr. Speaker, has the Premier considered, given his knowledge of these steps and what’s involved, that an option that he has would be to ask Mr. Zoe to temporarily step aside from his duties so he could concentrate on this? Is this something that is relevant to the situation, a temporary absence from the portfolio? Thank you.