David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a final supplementary. Who is responsible in the Department of Public Works and Services for issuing that tender? I would like a chronology, as well, of the discussions that took place between Health and Social Services and the Department of Public Works and Services between January 11th and the date that tender was issued in the newspaper. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I am going to continue on with the message I had yesterday for the Minister responsible for the public service, Mr. Roland, and the Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Miltenberger.

I listened very closely to Minister Roland yesterday attempting to answer questions that I posed to him about the lack of representation in our public service for persons with disabilities. The Minister just did not seem to believe that his government was doing anything wrong when it came to hiring persons with disabilities, even though his own departments of FMBS...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Boy, am I ever looking forward to that paper coming to see the light of day and see the work that the $450,000 that went to an American company to study the human resources problems come to light. I'd like to see it and I'd like to see it soon, because again, Mr. Speaker, the majority of concerns I hear from constituents today come from pay and benefits and issues dealing with our Human Resources department. Bar none, it's the most. I'd like to again ask the Minister why he would continue to treat arguably the most disadvantaged and underrepresented group...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions again today are for the Honourable Floyd Roland, Minister responsible for the public service in the Northwest Territories. I guess I'll start off by just saying numbers do not lie. If you looked around the country and his Human Resources department went out and did a comparison of rates of persons with disabilities that are employed in various public services across this country, the Northwest Territories would rank absolutely at the bottom of that list, Mr. Speaker, and I think that is an absolute shame. I'd like to ask the Minister...

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Boy, am I ever looking forward to that paper coming to see the light of day and see the work that the $450,000 that went to an American company to study the human resources problems come to light. I'd like to see it and I'd like to see it soon, because again, Mr. Speaker, the majority of concerns I hear from constituents today come from pay and benefits and issues dealing with our Human Resources department. Bar none, it's the most. I'd like to again ask the Minister why he would continue to treat arguably the most disadvantaged and underrepresented group...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It has been obvious that the affirmative action policy has needed a replacement for years. This is nothing new. When will we have this new employment equity policy that the Minister speaks of and when will the disparity be addressed? I will certainly have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions again today are for the Honourable Floyd Roland, Minister responsible for the public service in the Northwest Territories. I guess I'll start off by just saying numbers do not lie. If you looked around the country and his Human Resources department went out and did a comparison of rates of persons with disabilities that are employed in various public services across this country, the Northwest Territories would rank absolutely at the bottom of that list, Mr. Speaker, and I think that is an absolute shame. I'd like to ask the Minister...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It has been obvious that the affirmative action policy has needed a replacement for years. This is nothing new. When will we have this new employment equity policy that the Minister speaks of and when will the disparity be addressed? I will certainly have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do take issue with what the Minister is saying because the affirmative action policy and direct appointments fly right in the face of what the Minister just said, because appointments are made and this government has made many of them that really don't have much merit. You can go and talk to a lot of different people and they'll tell you the exact same thing. The Minister said yesterday in the House that affirmative action didn't come into play with direct appointments. I beg to differ. They're trying to get the numbers up in one category and...