Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s commitment there. I thought she was at the meeting, but I’ll certainly make sure the seniors’ committee is corresponding with the Minister with that full information and request. Again, like the Anti-Poverty Alliance, the NWT seniors are calling for a coordinated and cross-government approach. Nothing new. The Minister is responsible for the well-being of seniors. Could she commit to updating her current seniors’ issues action plan with these inputs and reporting to committee again on this renewed strategy and again on the Coalition Against...

I’ll take that as a yes, the Minister’s staff will sit down with these folks.

On Monday, Mr. Speaker, I asked the Minister to report back on the results of last week’s Coalition Against Family Violence meeting. The NWT Seniors’ Society is calling, as we heard from my colleague Ms. Bisaro, for the phase 3 of the Action Plan on Family Violence to make elder abuse a priority for phase 3 work. Will the Minister include this in the debriefing from the meeting and report back to committee on how this important element of the family violence equation can be given priority? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Barb Hood, executive director, and Ron MacLellan, researcher, with NWT Seniors’ Society. I’d also like to recognize Yellowknife Seniors’ Society president Merlyn Williams, executive director Vivian Squires, and program coordinator Yvonne Quick. The NWT Status of Women executive director Lorraine Phaneuf is here, community development coordinator Sammy Dechief, and program staff Annemieke Mulders, Lois Little of Lutra Associates and Weledeh resident for sure, and of course, we can’t forget our seniors amongst them, Mr. Ed Jeske, again, one of my...

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Does committee agree?

I would simply note that the Auditor General has observed that these amendments were made to allow for the indemnity to be changed and that some of the existing regulatory requirements, including the need to give 14 days’ notice for change, this is within days if not hours of the event that transpired immediately after that. I have to ask, the amendments that the Premier mentioned, the amendments to the rules on which we base our day-to-day business, when did they occur relative to the decisions to indemnify themselves without letting Members know?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do have another question. I’m wondering, Mr. Speaker, how is it possible that this government can amend the rules rather than follow the rules and choose to avoid requirements that are in law in terms of engineering and so on in making a decision to go forward. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, just to confirm, the Minister sees no other work that the department can do in the area of prevention and early intervention other than a couple of healthy family programs for 2012-13. Thank you.

I appreciate the Minister’s comments. I know the Minister would agree that these organizations have forced growth too. The price of gas doesn’t choose to go up just for the Minister and not for the executive director of this organization. I’m asking the Minister to commit to, during the course of this year, increase the funding to the YWCA of Yellowknife for the duty that they’re expected to perform. Find the money and get it done sometime this year. I appreciate that’s the Minister’s interest in doing that. I’m asking for his commitment. Forced growth.

Mr. Chairman, that is not good enough, obviously, or we wouldn’t be here. We have stated in our report that there are, in fact, some prevention programs, but as I said, we found that the programs are starving for resources and lack capacity. The Minister agrees with us that prevention is a key part of the approach, but the Minister doesn’t realize that we are saying it needs to be a much larger part and that we will gain savings from that. That will contribute to our health delivery programs. It is the Minister’s responsibility now or ours to find those dollars.

I’d appreciate learning that. I appreciate the Minister’s commitment there. Let’s just stick with what we’ve got in front of our noses here. How much has the Department of Justice budget increased since 2009-2010 proposed for 2011-2012?