Bob McLeod

I’m pleased to recognize my Yellowknife South neighbour, Heather McCagg-Nystrom. Heather’s curling with the N.W.T./Yukon women’s curling team, skipped by Kerry Galusha-Koe, this week in Regina, Saskatchewan, at the Scott Tournament of Hearts. Other members of the team include Teejay Surik and Dawn Moses. Husband, Jeff, and daughters Jenna and Ava are cheering Heather and the N.W.T./Yukon team on. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I'd like to request a recorded vote. Thank you.

This is a priority that we’ve undertaken. We review all job ads for consistency. We also try to reduce our costs as much as possible so that we can facilitate the hiring process.

Our job-evaluation system and process does provide for that. At one point we had a great number of job-evaluation committees. We’ve now reduced the number so we would have more consistency between the different regions for similar jobs. We regularly undertake reviews and clarifying exercises.

There are a number of issues that have to be dealt with. I guess the most critical one would be for the businesses or pharmacies that dispense the drugs to have the equipment and technology to be able to utilize such a drug card.

Secondly, how do you control costs or dispensing of drugs? It would have to be a system whereby only approved drugs would be dispensed, and there would have to be some sort of cost control.

Mr. Speaker, I’m very pleased that the Member asked that question, because we always want to make sure that our employees are well treated, and we don’t want to inflict any undue hardship on our employees. I’d have to get some more detailed information from the Member, because as I understand it, employees, on a monthly basis, fill out a declaration form with the drugstore of their choice or the pharmacy of their choice, and as long as they submit this monthly form, they only get charged for 20 per cent. Having said that, I’m certainly prepared to improve the system.

I wish to table the following document, entitled 2007 Annual Report for the Public Utilities Board of the Northwest Territories.

Document 23-16(2), 2007 Annual Report for the Public Utilities Board of the Northwest Territories, tabled.

I would be pleased to do that. Also, it would help us immensely if the Member would make us aware of the job categories or positions that he had concerns with.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to correct the Member. We haven’t cut back on the tourism product diversification program. All we’re doing is re-profiling the money so we can cash-flow it better. We’re still working on the same levels that were approved previously. I think there’s a whole number of different areas that have potential.

I should point out that we keep track of our tourism numbers very closely, and while our overall tourism numbers continue to increase, what we are finding is starting to get disturbing. The numbers for the rubber-tire tourists and so on have been starting to decline...

My expectation is that after the Arctic Winter Games have concluded, we would review the policy to see how appropriate that policy still is.