Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are to the Minister responsible for Human Resources. I want to follow up on an inquiry and a bit of correspondence with the Minister regarding greening the workplace under the June 2009 Human Resources action plan, A Brilliant North. This objective calls for encouragement to employees to develop and implement environmental programs. Can the Minister tell us what work has been done to date? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just before we go to 7-10, on 7-9 I am just wondering are the savings that are gathered through the energy-efficient technologies we are using, do they turn into revenues at all? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to start off by saying that I appreciate this department’s achievement in keeping their budget on track. Having said that, I disagree with the Minister’s Department of Transportation going up 6 percent when the government’s only going up 3 percent, especially given the proven track record of Public Works and Services achieving reductions in costs and actually saving this government money. That is where we want to be investing, and aggressively. We know full well what’s happening to the cost of fuel and it looks like we’re on an accelerated rise again here. The...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been urging the Minister to get going on this, because I know that it’s an ephemeral opportunity that’s going to walk out the door on us. I appreciate the Minister going after this. I have to ask why this is so hard. Why are we dilly-dallying about when the long-term cost benefits are so clear here? Why aren’t we working these opportunities aggressively when they show up on our doorstep?

Thanks for that comment from the Minister. I’ve been in touch with the Minister recently on the case of a trained physician in our community, a doctor who only needs this government’s help to give us a physician for the future. Briefly, she is asking only for this government to arrange an internship here for her. She says she’ll intern in any specialty so that she can qualify and live here with her family, all of whom are committed to the NWT. Today I learned that she has contacted Memorial University with regard to this program and they were very enthusiastic to move her to the front-line of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to note that these things and a lot of other common-place green behaviours sound to me like the least we should be doing in our departments and not really voluntary. The Human Resources department and Public Works and Services are best positioned to make these standard practices. Why are we leaving it up to employees to separately devise and implement the most basic practices of green office management? Can we get this in place as a standard that must be achieved?

I appreciate the comments from the Minister. Mr. Speaker, this is good work. It shows motivation on behalf of our employees and our leadership. We know that improving practices involves changing habits and human behaviour such as getting people to wear seat belts or stop cell phone driving, not an easy task; one of the most difficult things to change. Strong leadership is often needed. The Minister, according to my correspondence, has indicated that at least seven departments are signed on. That’s a good start. What more aggressive plans does the Minister have to roll this out across...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Elders have a huge role to play in our education systems of today. They remind youth what wisdom is and what real education means. Their presence in schools, though too rare, brings stability and assurance to our young people that are currently wanting. Let’s work to ensure that our elders are able to fulfill their key role in every one of our educational facilities.

Today I especially want to salute the woman who is the traditional heart and soul of K’alemi Dene School in Ndilo, Mary Jane Francois, who the children call Mrs. Fwasi.

---Applause

Mrs. Fwasi is the school...

Thanks, Mr. Guy. So is the intent to eventually... Those disappear into the general revenues then. I assume and I wonder if the intent is to eventually see them reflected here as revenue. Thank you.

Thank you, committee. Does committee agree that concludes the Department of Transportation?