Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to use this opportunity to pose a couple of questions to the Minister of Human Resources. As he knows very well, I believe strongly in a diverse and representative government and certainly our government’s efforts to reach out to all communities, the Aboriginal community, the disabled community ensuring that we’re an equal opportunity employer for everyone. Mr. Speaker, some of the questions that I’d like to ask are specific to hiring policies and how we encourage a culturally diverse workforce. I’d like to ask the Minister what does his department do to...

Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to provide a copy of my Member’s statement I made today as well as a copy of the House of Commons’ position on a seniors charter. Mr. Speaker, knowing full well that this issue has never specifically been brought up in the government certainly in my time, is the Minister saying clearly she would be willing to take this issue, address this issue and bring it to the Cabinet table to work towards developing an NWT seniors charter? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the priorities of the 16th Assembly has been to develop healthy, educated people. When reading our 16th Assembly priorities, I noticed that seniors and elders are missed in our collective statement.

As leaders, we have made a commitment to our present and future generations. One of the ways I feel strongly that we can work towards achieving a goal of supporting our seniors is to develop and adopt an NWT seniors charter. In 2006, our very own House of Commons adopted a similar concept in recognizing seniors. As such, they adopted the Seniors Charter of Canada.

The...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. What would stop the Department of Health from making this a requirement of the service level agreement we do sign with these agencies to set up a phone number where people, not just a phone number, but also requiring the counsellors to do follow-up phone calls with people who have worked through a treatment process? What would stop the department from doing that? If you made it part of your agreement, perhaps it wouldn’t cost significantly anymore for asking them to do some follow-up. Thank you.

My question really wasn’t about the radio smoking cessation Quitline. It was more to draw a parallel that this government has sought out in one manner or another whether the federal government came knocking or we went looking, as a government, looking for money to help sponsor that type of addiction treatment, which I think is good value for people. But by and large, the bridge I was trying to demonstrate in the sense of comparison is the government works to provide a phone line for people to talk, or I guess, talk out their problems about why they want a cigarette and perhaps someone on the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What I mentioned about a reflective public service, I certainly wouldn’t want to say that I didn’t think Gender Equity Policy and issues need to be representative in that particular vein. So it was remiss to mention it at the time.

Mr. Speaker, my last question is that I’m very well aware that the Department of Human Resources does an exit strategy and I know, from a bit of research, there was approximately 50 of them done in the last year. I’m just curious as to what are some of the fundamentals learned by the exit strategy and what is the government doing to encourage...

Thank you. The Aboriginal Advisory Committee and the Employability Committee, have they had a chance to develop or, I should say, seek out responses from employees to ensure that the employer, which is obviously the Government of the Northwest Territories, is certainly meeting the needs of a diverse and sensitive culture that we’re trying to build in our government? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the answer from the Minister, the willingness to pursue something new and different. Mr. Speaker, does the Minister see a problem in the existing state of affairs where seniors’ issues are spread out throughout the government without a clear mandate or a coordinating role, and that being said, a Minister directly responsible for seniors and elders program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about the need for an NWT charter for seniors. I think we could develop something that brings clear focus to your beliefs and principles on caring for seniors and elders. If you look across the government, there is no clear coordinating role. The Minister responsible for Seniors is title alone. There is no direct mandate to seniors and certainly as the Minister responsible for Seniors, they have no specific money targeted in order to help and support seniors.

Mr. Speaker, I think that’s a sad state of affairs, and I certainly hope...

Mr. Chairman. Perhaps the more efficient way of doing it is making it a part of our service level agreements we’ve cast in...(inaudible)...some type of compromised negotiation in having the agencies that we actually negotiate directly with. In other words, the Department of Health directly negotiates and draws up service level agreements with certain groups. Why don’t we have them have these groups phone people as part of the Aftercare Program on a contiguous basis of some manner to make sure people are on track with their programming? Would it not serve some interest in everyone’s efforts, be...