Glen Abernethy

Mr. Speaker, it is a good suggestion. Once again, we do have the Not Us campaign and the Department of Health and Social Services have their campaigns as well. I am interested in working with my colleagues in Health and Social Services but also with Social Programs on this type of initiative. I would like to have more conversations to figure out what would be the best way to go forward with that.

In the meantime, we will continue to move forward with Not Us and allow the communities to design programs that work for themselves, rather than us telling them what the message should be. We will...

Mr. Speaker, I just want to clarify one point. The amendments proposed by Bill C10 with respect to trying youth as adults, it only would apply when the Crown would be required to consider seeking adult sentences for things like murder, attempted murder, manslaughter and aggravated sexual assault. Not every condition under any potential crime that they might commit, that there are going to be different penalties out there for youth involved in violent crime. There are, under the Criminal Code and changes to provisions around organized crime, particularly folks in drug selling and involving...

Thank you. If it’s the wish of the House and committee directs us to start exploring the legislation further, we will bring forward an LP and we’ll follow the normal legislative proposal process. Obviously, if it’s the wish of the House, I’d like to have it done in the life of this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Right now the long-gun registry is a reality and there is a requirement to register long guns in Canada. In the Northwest Territories we’ve always opposed it. We still oppose it. It’s my understanding that the bill has actually gone to third reading in the House of Commons and that if it passes it will go to the Senate. If it does pass in the Senate and becomes law, then the long-gun registry won’t exist and we support that position. We don’t support the long-gun registry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize my wife, Carolyn Smith. Happy Valentine’s Day.

Mr. Chairman, notwithstanding Rule 6(1), I move a motion that Committee of the Whole continues sitting beyond the hour of daily adjournment for the purpose of continuing and concluding consideration of Tabled Document 2-17(2), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2011-2012. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There has been a lot of conversation about whistle-blower legislation. There was certainly conversation about whistle-blower legislation in the last election. I’ve asked the department to compile the information they’ve pulled together in previous years on whistle-blower legislation and bring that to me and I was planning to share that with committee. From there I was hoping to get some direction as to whether or not this Assembly wished to actually pursue whistle-blower legislation. I hope to have the information compiled shortly, but there are a number of things...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recognizing the value and importance of hunting in the Northwest Territories and the need for long guns to do most hunting activities, the GNWT has actually always opposed the long-gun registry. Our position hasn’t changed. We oppose the long-gun registry and actually support the federal government’s position on getting rid of it.

I am not aware of a global statement that we have with respect to customer service. I believe a lot of the departments, with respect to their actual program areas, have identified a level of customer service or a level of expectation for each of those program areas, but as a global statement, I don’t believe we have one. Once again, I will speak to the department and see if we can track something down in that sense.

I don’t believe a review of that nature has been conducted. I can say that there are a number of GNWT employees who really do like the Donnie Days and enjoy getting the time off. With respect to the impact on customer service, we don’t have that information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.