Member Nahendeh

Speaker

Shane Thompson was re-elected to the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly after serving in the 18th and 19th Assemblies representing the constituency of Nahendeh. Mr. Thompson is the Honorable Speaker of the 20th Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Thompson was first elected to the 18th Assembly in November 2015 and served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Development. Mr. Thompson was also a member of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures, and the Striking Committee.

Mr. Thompson was born on July 11, 1963, in Hay River. He has lived in Kugluktuk (Coppermine), Inuvik, Hay River, and in Edmonton, while at the University of Alberta. Fort Simpson has been his home since 1992.

Mr. Thompson previously served two terms (three years each) as an elected official with the Fort Simpson District Education Authority, spending the last four years as the chairperson. Over the past 35 years, he has served on various community and territorial boards.

Mr. Thompson was employed as the Senior Sport and Recreation Coordinator with Municipal and Community Affairs (GNWT) in the Deh Cho region before being elected as a Member.

Mr. Thompson completed the Community Recreation Leaders Program at Arctic College in 1989 and is currently working on a Masters Certificate on Evaluation at the University of Victoria and Carleton University. He also completed three years towards an Education degree at the University of Alberta.

Mr. Thompson is an active volunteer with Northern Youth Aboard, CBET and Fundamental Movement, and HIGH FIVE®. As well, he is a past member of the Sport North Federation Board, NWT Softball and of NWTRPA, and the past president of Seven Spruce Golf Course.

Mr. Thompson is the father of seven children - five daughters and two sons – and has nine grandchildren.

He has been a Justice of the Peace since 1991.

Nahendeh Electoral District

Committees

Shane Thompson
Nahendeh
Member's Office

Yellowknife NT X1A 2L9
Canada

P.O. Box
1320
Constituency Office

9706-100th Street
Fort Simpson NT X0E 0N0
Canada

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 69)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Ray Michaud, who is a former mayor of Fort Simpson and a very strong candidate for our region, and I welcome him here.

As well, Tracy Therrien, who is a long-term friend; we've known each other for a long time. Welcome to the Assembly along with everybody else. There are some former bosses of mine from the deputy minister's office, I'd like to thank them and welcome them here. Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was asking some questions of the Minister of Human Resources today about his Minister's statement. I understand the government does a great job trying to offer positions to affected employees. However, my question to the Minister previously may not have been asked properly, so I am going to ask it again: if the affected employee is offered a job and accepts it because it is the only position available at that time, and during the time he is in this position another position becomes available, is he able to apply for this position? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

I kind of didn’t get an answer, but I got sort of an answer, so I will move on to my next question. Does the affected employee have to go through the standard probation period with the new job offer?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, we have heard from the Minister of Human Resources about success in retraining GNWT public servants. I have some questions for him here. Mr. Speaker, when there are no vacancies in the community where the position is cut, does the government offer the affected employee the opportunity to move to another job in another community? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

I thank the Minister for his answer. I, too, am looking for mental health days here at some point in time. I thank him for that. My next question: what is the criteria that is being used to offer positions to affected employees besides them just being affected employees?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his commitment to finding out and making sure that people are well informed. From my last question, Mr. Speaker: should the affected employees be offered another employment opportunity within this government and they take it, but during this time, something else in the government comes up that is more suited to them, are they able to apply for that position? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

I thank the Minister for his answer. That is great to hear. Does this government offer removal assistance to affected employees who do not get offered a new position within this government?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Into today's society, we have become more conscious about recycling our waste material. However, in saying this we should be doing more.

In Fort Simpson, Troy Bellefontaine, owner of the business Beauty Mark, has taken this idea one step further. Mr. Bellefontaine has partnered with Green Circle Salons to make his business a more sustainable venture, but more importantly it has helped him divert a majority of the business waste away from Fort Simpson Landfill.

Mr. Speaker, Beauty Mark is the first salon in the Northwest Territories to sign on. He says, "We are a small salon...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 68)

I again thank the Minister for that answer. It’s good to hear. However, I’ve been in contact with some of these affected employees or even contacted myself and other honourable Members here. What happens if a non-reasonable offer is being offered to these individuals or on an unacceptable timeline? Like you’ve got three days to make a decision on this position; what can the employee do to make sure that this is addressed?

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 67)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this is a very touchy subject, and I was part of the committee that went around to the territories and listened to people. So first off, I would like to thank the committee for all the hard work that we put into this report. We met 19 times. We went and listened to people. We had submissions. So we have to realize this wasn't done willy-nilly; this was done through the work of a committee that was trying to make the code of conduct work well for the Members and for the people of the Northwest Territories.

I have to thank the research staff in the clerk's office...