I understand that change takes a while for it to be processed. It’s good to hear that we have at least two more people hired who are persons with disabilities, but that still doesn’t bring our percentage to any kind of a limit that is representative of our workforce.
In June of 2009 the Minister made a statement and he talked about the development of a recruitment strategy as a long-term goal, and this is a recruitment strategy for persons with disabilities. The percentage of persons with disabilities in the GNWT workforce has been at about .4 percent for quite a number of years. I’d like to ask the Minister how this long-term strategy is going to assist in increasing the number of persons with disabilities now and prior to the end of this fiscal year. Thank you.
I get the impression that the Member has some issues with self-identification. The Member is correct; .4 percent is the number that has been on our records for the statistics for employing people with disabilities. We have undertaken surveys with regard to our Human Resource Strategy, and of the 1,200-plus people that have identified, at least 1 percent have identified themselves as being disabled. So that would be approximately a 60 percent increase in the number of disabled people within our workforce.
Having said that, we are taking a very logical approach to increasing our statistics. We are looking at what others are doing. We’re working very closely with partners, we’re setting up committees that can ensure some real change, and we’re working with our management teams so that they are sensitized and that they make real concerted efforts to hire people with disabilities. Thank you.
I thank the Minister for the answer and I understand that, again, as I say, I know that change takes time and I guess to the Minister’s comment that I’d have a problem with self-identification, I do, but I think perhaps we’re on opposite sides of the fence on what the problem may be. If we look at .4 percent of our workforce as being persons with disabilities and if we consider that it is the policy of this government that our workforce should represent our general population, we should, therefore, have about 15 percent of our workforce be persons with disabilities. So the Minister says we’ve had an increase, and yes, I agree, but a .2 percent increase is not enough.
Yesterday the Minister talked about the strategic plan and goal number two. I’d like to know from the Minister how the Employability Working Group and the actions that it has done go toward the accomplishment of goal number two of the 20/20 brilliant plan. Thank you.
I’ll just clarify that I think our objectives are the same when it comes to increasing the employability of people with disabilities and, again, you know, somebody said there’s statistics, damn lies, but I’m probably misquoting it.
The statistics, if you look at the workforce for the Northwest Territories, it should be around 8 percent, and I think that’s something we can probably reach agreement around what percentage we should be working towards. But nevertheless, I think what we’re setting in place with the Employability Working Group with looking at best practices with sensitivity training, working with groups that directly work with persons with disabilities, I think we will identify different jobs that could be made available and then we would identify people that could step into those jobs. So I think that’s where we see us going forward. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I appreciate that the department is doing things. What the department is doing is long term and it’s not going to assist us right now in increasing the percentage of persons with disabilities in our workforce.
I talked yesterday about priority lists. I’d like to ask the Minister what priority does he put on the increasing of persons with disabilities in our workforce. Thank you.
Thank you. I could answer that and give my own opinion, but this is a government and we deal with the government policies. So right now, P1s, or affirmative actions, are the top priority. P2s, people that have lived more than half their lives in the Northwest Territories, are second priorities, and then we have P3s. I think that what we’re reviewing is what would it take to give persons with disabilities a higher priority in our Affirmative Action Policy, and that’s what we would be looking at. We are looking at ways and then, at that point, we would bring it back to see if we could change our policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member’s statement today was adequate resources to counsellors in every community of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, given all across the Territory community governments and organizations are saying the same thing, that the communities’ number one problem is not enough counselling and support, will this government commit to a small, fully functional, around-the-clock, fully equipped addictions centre or just assisting the communities in what they’re trying to do to try to help their own people, instead of the communities taking all this on themselves? Hopefully the government will come on side and help us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the government does support communities. The Department of Health and Social Services is currently in the process of conducting a review of mental health and addiction services across the NWT. The purpose of this review is to examine the services offered in various regions and communities and how well they fit the needs of the residents. The Department of Health has also been working closely with aboriginal organizations to establish community-based, culturally relevant addictions programming options in the Beaufort-Delta region. These pilot projects will be offered as a part of a continuum of services, which includes regular program, Community Counselling Program, and residential addictions treatment, both northern and southern. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As I mentioned in my Member’s statement, community leaders are identifying the lack of professional and social support as one of the most serious issues in the communities. People are very passionate about this issue; they have a lot to say. As a government, we must listen. We must act so that the government is to review the current territorial strategy on addictions and other counselling programs to conduct a comprehensive community-based decision to develop a go-forward plan.
Yes, we are listening to the community leaders and communities. We agree that it is time to act and this is why we are doing a review. As well, Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned previously, I will be releasing the Foundation for Change Action Plan next week, which includes a number of actions related to mental health and addictions.
So, Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Member and I am listening. This is an area that we need to focus our energy on and work hard on, and I look forward to working with the Member to advance this. Thank you.
Just to go back to what the Minister said, too many times, as a government, we go on too many reports and audits and different things. What we have to do is we have to act on it, and I’m happy to hear her say that, but again, I’m going to invite the Minister to my communities as soon as it’s convenient in the next few months. Thank you.
Yes, I want to let the Member know that I am available most of November and December, except for the holidays, to visit Tuktoyaktuk and his other communities, because I have not been able to get there with the Member.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to assure the Member that this is a priority for the department and for the government. We understand that we need to do things differently in delivering mental health and addictions programming, and I commit to the Member that we have an action plan in place and we will work on those. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions today for the Premier and it gets back to my Member’s statement. Here in the Northwest Territories we’re on the verge of some pretty substantial undertakings. I know the JRP report is due out soon, we’re also talking now about an extension of the Ingraham Trail -- that’s the seasonal overland route into the Slave Geological Province -- which gets me to thinking, the last time I saw the numbers that the Government of Canada took out of the Northwest Territories in terms of resource revenue is somewhere near $300 million, and projections once the gas is flowing down the Mackenzie pipeline, once its constructed, is going to be over $1 billion. Now, if you add into that potential mine development in the Slave Geological Province, it’s a tremendous amount of money.
I’d like to ask the Premier today, what is the current state of negotiations on a resource revenue deal for the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The area of discussions right now on resource revenue sharing tied to devolution is one that we’re starting to look at a reengagement strategy with the federal government. There have been a couple of recent meetings that have been held at a staff level that shows that the federal government is interested in coming back to the table. I’ve contacted regional leaders about reengagement, as well, and we’ll be having further discussions on that.
There have been no real negotiations for quite some time and the numbers the Member has used, when you look at what was put on the table by the last federal Finance Minister, I believe the one that’s in place today, limits what we can do. There is a 50/50 scenario, as we call it, where we’d keep 50 percent of it and we would lose 50 percent through our transfer payments to a yet determined cap. We’ve since learned of that cap and that’s become an issue for us in meetings I’ve had with the Prime Minister and I’ve highlighted that’s a very serious concern for us. That is why I’ve taken the approach of looking at an infrastructure plan that would be tied to devolution and resource revenue sharing for future years. Thank you.
I personally am of the opinion that resource development is the key to the future here in the Northwest Territories and I subscribe to a lot of the things that the government is trying to do. But when we’re going out to the communities, especially in small communities where, you know, they’re disadvantaged, they don’t have the opportunities that larger communities have, it’s a hard sell. So I’d like to ask the Premier, how can Regular Members help this government deliver a resource revenue deal for our residents here in the Northwest Territories. Is there anything that we can do, as Regular Members, to help the government achieve that goal? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I think there’s a lot Regular Members can do in helping us get the message out there, whether it’s to our northern leadership, aboriginal leadership, how we work together, the information, if there’s a request for more information. If you’re hearing back that there needs to be a certain type of information put out, let’s get together and develop a package we can put out there. The message we send to Ottawa is an important one. They pay attention to what we say and do in this Assembly. So I think there’s much we can do together in getting the message out about the North and the need for moving on with devolution/resource revenue sharing. Thank you.
I thank the Premier for that and do look forward to us trying to work together to arrive at that goal. I threw some numbers around earlier and, you know, the $300 million and the potential for upwards of $1 billion on resource revenue taken by the federal government from the resources here in the Northwest Territories. I’m wondering if the Premier and the government can put together what is at stake here. What are we talking about in terms of the revenue that Ottawa is taking, what our stake is under the plan that the Premier has talked about, the 50/50 with the cap, and what that really means to the Government of the Northwest Territories going forward? Can he provide us with an updated forecast? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, in fact, I’d be pleased to put that information together and set some time up for Members of the Assembly to look at where things are at, and to look at this reengagement process we are now having some discussions on and looking to move forward in that partnership. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know I’m not supposed to ask opinions or ask Ministers for their opinions, but I’m going to go with this. I want to ask the Premier whether he believes that he and his government can deliver a resource revenue deal by the end of the life of this government for the residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I’m optimistic that we can, working together as leaders across the Northwest Territories. Not just the Government of the Northwest Territories but the aboriginal leadership across this Territory, the community leadership across this Territory can work together to develop a plan to bring that plan forward together as one group of people in the Northwest Territories. Not a difference between who we are and who we represent, but one people of the Northwest Territories representing a diverse group, of course. But I believe if we decide to work at this and put some effort and energy from our side in the North, I believe we can address the issue of who should be making decisions in the Northwest Territories and who should benefit from those decisions. So I believe we can put a solid plan in place and we have to work together to get that done. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I talked about programs and policies of the NWT Housing Corporation. I would like to follow up my Member’s statement with questions for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me if an evaluation of the four new programs, or programs that were introduced a few years ago, has been undertaken to determine their effectiveness in taking clients out of core need? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will be undertaking an evaluation of the programs in 2010-2011. We had originally intended on doing it this year, but we spent those resources making some adjustments to programs because of affordability issues. I have also directed the department that the evaluation used to identify gaps between programs and some recommended solutions for those gaps. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, it takes different types of programs to address different types of need. For example, seniors groups and singles groups may have different programs to address their needs. I’d like to ask the Minister if the Minister can tell me if the NWT Housing Corporation has a strategy to address core need levels of the various groups such as seniors, singles and various sized families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we’re just in the process of finalizing our housing needs survey and that goes a long way in evaluating how our programs fit the specific target groups that were mentioned by the Member. If we need to adjust our programs and that, to meet some of the needs, this is our opportunity to do so. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as is the case for addressing specific groups like seniors and singles and so on, specific communities also have different priorities and different core needs. Can the Minister tell me if the NWT Housing Corporation has a strategy to address communities with the highest need on a priority basis? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, again, the housing needs survey will go a long way in determining the needs of some of the communities in the Member’s riding, and we use this as an opportunity to adjust our programs and services and concentrate on some of the priority communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Assuming that the needs survey is roughly along the lines of the past needs survey as far as core need goes, can the Minister advise me if you will provide direction to the NWT Housing Corporation to ensure there are strategies in place to specifically target core need? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Housing Corporation is working hard to address the needs of all communities across the Northwest Territories and all the Members. But I can advise the Member that I have provided direction to the Housing Corporation and we are taking very seriously the needs of a lot of the smaller communities and we will be working with the communities. When we have the results of the survey, I’ll look forward to sharing those results with Members and all interested stakeholders. From there, we can map out some direction for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Thanks.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I raised the issue of the NWT Housing Corp and the response to the Auditor General’s report, and certainly the follow-up report by the Standing Committee on Government Operations. Mr. Speaker, my first question would be focussed, obviously, to the Minister, which is: in the report it clearly says there will be a revised statement to be released in early 2009 on how to address many of the symptoms and issues raised in the committee’s response and certainly highlighted by the Auditor General. When can we expect that response to this House? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re currently working on our strategic plan and we’re looking to have that released very early, and this will identify some of the progress that we’ve made to date on some of the recommendations from the Auditor General. Once we have that done, we will be sharing it with Members of this Assembly. Thank you.
Some of the issues that were raised in that report, certainly committee’s response, was the question of arrears and how it’s done. Mr. Speaker, does the Minister have any opinion or comment on how the Housing Corporation has been addressing that issue, and where does the issue of arrears and clearing up arrears stand with the Housing Corporation? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, we’re working very closely, as far as public housing arrears go, with the LHOs to try and address some of their arrears issues and provide any input and help we can to them. As far as the mortgage arrears for homeownership, there’s been some good progress on those. We’ve had a lot of people who have refinanced and they’re making some excellent progress on the collection of mortgage arrears. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Further to my statement, Mr. Speaker, I highlighted the issue of the appeal mechanisms only come into force as of April 1st this year, and I’m just wondering what highlights the Minister can provide us to find out if it is working or if it isn’t working. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the appeals mechanism was implemented just recently and we really haven’t had time to evaluate it yet. Once we do, though, we will be providing that information to the Members. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
