Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last June, June 6th to be exact, the 17th Assembly passed a motion asking the government to establish an ombudsman office. Several weeks ago the government responded to that motion and the response was tabled in the House. The response was neither a yes nor a no, which was both disappointing and hope inducing.
In the response following a summary of what the ombudsman does not do, the government stated: “The Government of the Northwest Territories is currently reviewing these legislated-based rights, as well as a number of policy and program-based rights of appeal, to identify gaps and better ascertain what role an ombudsman office might play in the Northwest Territories.”
There’s no question that there are gaps. I have mentioned them before. Three times in the 16th Assembly I spoke of the need for the NWT to have an impartial arbiter, an ombudsman to assist our residents with a dispute or a disagreement so they can avoid having to go to court to settle it. Some of the gaps are these: landlord tenant issues that are outside the jurisdiction of a rental officer; housing or income support issues where an appeal has been denied; administrative decisions by officials at hospitals and other medical facilities; times when a resident rightly or wrongly feels that they have been treated unjustly and without fairness. I’m not sure why the government feels it has to determine the role of an ombudsman. It’s pretty well defined in other jurisdictions. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here.
I expect there also would be economies of scale if we establish an ombudsman office. It would be an opportunity to collapse some existing appeal boards and tribunals and save time and money. But the biggest opportunity is that an ombudsman can ensure fairness in the delivery of government services and programs. It will provide an avenue for clients of government programs and services – our residents – to lodge complaints outside of that program or department that they’re accessing, an avenue that does not exist now.
In the last five years, I’ve seen many instances where an ombudsman would have been of benefit to the NWT and its residents. The need for this service has not yet gone away and I will have some questions for the Premier at a later time. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
