Debates of October 15, 2004 (day 21)

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 231-15(3): Income Support For Elders

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our standards for all programs are adjusted regularly, based on the cost of living. The cost of food is surveyed on a regular basis. The amount that is included in income support for food allowance is adjusted regularly. The same happens with the levels for the fuel subsidy. So I think that’s already being accomplished. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 231-15(3): Income Support For Elders

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would be just as interested to partake in those discussions, as well. In fact, there is thinking out there that our current guidelines will be below the standard of other jurisdictions. Is the Minister willing to sit down with Members on this side of the House? When will he be discussing changes to guidelines? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 231-15(3): Income Support For Elders

Mr. Speaker, that is, in fact, not right. Our guidelines and policies are more generous than any other jurisdiction in Canada. I have sat down with the Standing Committee on Social Programs and have run through our program in considerable detail to show just that. I would be happy to continue my work with the Standing Committee on Social Programs. They have had this presentation. I would be happy to offer it to other standing committees, if they are interested, and would certainly be prepared to demonstrate that we have a good program in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Justice, Mr. Charles Dent. I have brought up the issue about a health services audit at the North Slave Correctional Centre that was conducted by a health care specialist from the Drumheller institution. This was five months ago, Mr. Speaker. The Minister has mentioned getting some answers as to what that health services audit contained. I have been waiting for whatever version, watered down or not watered down, from the department for over four months now. I wonder when the Minister might be able to supply me with whatever version his department can come up with on that health services audit at the North Slave Correctional Centre. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 232-15(3): Review Of Human Resources At North Slave Correctional Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to make it clear that I never did offer Mr. Ramsay a copy of the report or a watered-down copy of the report. I did say to Mr. Ramsay that I would endeavour to advise him in a general manner, if I could, what some of the recommendations were. The report is one that will not be made public because of the implications to personnel. It’s personnel related. At this point, the report has been received by the department. Initially, as Mr. Ramsay said, it was received some time ago. It was referred to personnel at Stanton who had experience with this area and we had asked for their advice. We have just recently received their advice on the report and are currently considering it. Until this whole process is finished, it will be impossible for me to respond to the Member, even in a general way, what we are going to do to address the concerns that were raised.

If I could, Mr. Speaker, there is one other item I would like to address that the Member brought up yesterday. I may have misled him slightly in my response when he was asking about the human resources review. In that response, I said that the Department of Justice officials were working with corporate human resources. In fact, it is an entirely independent operation. Corporate human resources is not working with the Department of Justice officials. They are conducting this review on an independent basis. What they are finding is that people, while initially concerned about talking to them, once they find how independent they actually are, are having no trouble speaking to the reviewers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 232-15(3): Review Of Human Resources At North Slave Correctional Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Minister, for your response. That will lead me to the next question and I am glad the Minister started speaking about the review of human resources at the North Slave Correctional Centre. Yesterday he was asked to produce a terms of reference for this review and seeing that its out of his department’s hands as far as that goes, maybe that discussion that he was going to have with his deputy might fall under the mandate of Mr. Roland and whether we can get a copy of that terms of reference. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 232-15(3): Review Of Human Resources At North Slave Correctional Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The review was requested by the department and the report will be delivered to the department. So, no, it wouldn’t fall under another Minister’s responsibility. I am quite prepared to meet with the committee and discuss with the standing committee the terms of reference for the review. We will do that at their convenience. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 232-15(3): Review Of Human Resources At North Slave Correctional Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wonder when we might know some of the results of this internal review and how any recommendations flowing from it might be adopted. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 232-15(3): Review Of Human Resources At North Slave Correctional Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I expect that within a matter of weeks, the report, or at least the first draft of the report, will be delivered to my department and I would expect that we would start to -- if there are recommendations for approval -- act on this fairly quickly. It is not our intention, because if you want people to be able to respond openly and freely to this, they have to know that the information they are giving us is going to be kept confidential. There is no intention to release this report, otherwise you put people at risk for not feeling that they can freely participate in the interview process. So this isn’t going to become something that is going to be evident who has said what. The intention of this is not to release this report. It’s an internal report to help us do the job better. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Supplementary To Question 232-15(3): Review Of Human Resources At North Slave Correctional Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That’s where I disagree with the Minister. People want to speak up because they want something done. I think they would feel better taking part in this review if they knew that their concerns would be acted upon. By keeping the report confidential, I think that might even scare people into not saying anything, because then they will feel that their concerns aren’t going to be acted upon. I would like to ask the Minister -- he’s already answered it -- how come his department can’t black out the names? There are ways this report can get into the hands of the Members of this House so that some corrective action can and will be taken, so the staff at the centre feel confident that their participation in this review isn’t done in vain. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 232-15(3): Review Of Human Resources At North Slave Correctional Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I understand it, Mr. Speaker, close to 40 percent of the personnel in corrections from Inuvik through to Fort Smith have participated in the survey process already. That was done under some expectation of how the information would be handled. I don’t think at this late date of the process, we can go back and change that. It is a small population. It would be very easy to figure out who said what about whom, depending on what the recommendations may be. So we have to make sure we are protecting the integrity of the process and the privacy of the individuals involved. So we don’t have any intention to release that information. I’m happy to sit down with the committee, talk about the terms of reference, and I can assure this House that if there are recommendations for improvement that they will be followed up on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my written question is to the Minister of Justice. The Sahtu elders were concerned about the placement of our people who are incarcerated in correctional institutions in the North and outside the Northwest Territories. The elders would like to have a proposal for an on-the-land project in the Sahtu.

How many Sahtu people are incarcerated in correctional institutes in the Northwest Territories and outside the Northwest Territories?

How many people from the Sahtu are considered territorial or federal offenders?

What types of correction programs are offered to inmates?

Which on-the-land program today is working with the department and are there possible future programs?

What steps are there in place to reintegrate inmates back into the community, family, and society as a whole?

How much of the aboriginal concept of beliefs and values are integrated into programming in our NWT facilities?

Thank you.

My question is to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, the Honourable Michael McLeod. The youth centre in Deninu Kue has been on blocks and boarded up for the past year-and-a-half.

What steps has the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs taken to address this issue?

How is the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs assisting the Deninu Kue Community Council to make this youth centre a reality?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Will the Minister provide me with a list of communities that do not have a gymnasium? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Workers’ Compensation Board 2003 Annual Report.

WHEREAS the Northwest Territories Human Rights Act received assent on October 30, 2002;

AND WHEREAS section 23.(1) of the Human Rights Act provides that the Commissioner, on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly, may appoint one or more deputy directors of human rights to carry out the responsibilities set out in the act;

AND WHEREAS the Board of Management was tasked with implementing the Human Rights Act and has recommended an individual to the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Assembly is prepared to make a recommendation;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Nunakput, that Deborah McLeod be appointed as the deputy director of human rights for the Northwest Territories by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories as recommended by the Legislative Assembly;

AND FURTHER that the Speaker be authorized to communicate the effective date of appointment to the Commissioner.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. A motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

I’d like to congratulate Deborah McLeod on her appointment.

---Applause

Item 16, motions. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to return to item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Handley.

RECOGNITION OF VISITORS IN THE GALLERY

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to recognize in the gallery today the Honourable Maynard Sonntag, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Minister of Transportation for the Government of Saskatchewan, and Norah Saunders, who was with our government for a number of years and is now deputy minister for the Aboriginal Affairs department. I apologize if I have the names not quite right. Mr. Speaker, I might say Minister Sonntag is from my home town. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The Honourable Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s a pleasure to recognize Ms. McLeod, the new deputy director of human rights.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Roland. I’d also like to recognize in the gallery Ms. Therese Boullard and Dennis Marchiori.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. I’d also like to recognize anybody else in the gallery who has not already been recognized. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly.

---Applause

What is the wish of the committee? Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Chairman, we wish to consider the sessional statement, as well as Bill 9, Bill 10, and Minister’s Statement 49-15(3), Fiscal Update.

Thanks, Mr. Menicoche. Does committee agree?