Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Member for bringing this motion to the floor. I think it is important to have this type of discussion. However, I do have a number of concerns. I don't actually believe that this is the right venue to be having this discussion. I know the Member has said that this is a mechanism to get this into the floor to have those discussions.

In the Government of the Northwest Territories, if a government is moving legislation, it usually involves developing a legislative proposal based on what the MLAs, 19, heard during election campaign. From the LP, that would go to a...

If I understand correctly, the Member is asking whether I'm prepared to move a supplemental to fund more in this area this fiscal year. Mr. Speaker, we do have some dollars available in this fiscal year to help us with design. Until we actually have a design, it would be difficult to run it with a program. It would really be ad hoc, and I think what we want to do is learn from these opportunities, learn from these experiences, so we can develop the program that really meets the residents' needs.

We do have money in. We are rolling out. We will be seeking participants towards the end of this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier in this Assembly, we put $2.5 million more into homecare support here in the Northwest Territories, creating a number of positions throughout the Northwest Territories. As the Member knows, we are also intending and planning to move forward with home and/or family community caregiver program that will help elders and persons with disabilities stay in their homes for as long as possible. We are getting close to being able to roll that out. We are hiring someone to help us with the final steps before we start reaching out to residents across the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm trying to fully understand this particular motion. In listening to the Member from Kam Lake, it sounds like he was suggesting that a person who wished to be a candidate in a district but wasn't currently an incumbent might be able to spend some money in order to level the playing field. But the more I look at the motion, it sounds like anybody, whether you're an incumbent or somebody who is seeking to run against the incumbent, can spend money. To me, that doesn't really scream levelling the playing field. I'd like to ask the Member a question: can the...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that, on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, I will move that bill 32, Naturopathic Profession Statutes Amendment Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We are committed to moving forward with our Aging in Place Action Plan to find ways to help support our residents stay in their homes as long as possible. We are making an investment in this program now. We are getting individuals in place to help facilitate that piloting. Once the piloting is done, we will be in a better position to determine how much financial resources we need to support the program, but this is a model that we believe is going to be effective. This is a model that we believe is going to be helpful to our residents, and we are committed to rolling it out.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize some constituents in the gallery today. Today with us are Cameron and Erin Twa, who are the proud parents of Alice Twa, who was recognized for the Minister's Cultural and Heritage Circle recipients earlier today. Also, Alice's proud grandfather Robert O'Rourke, who is with us today, and also with us in the gallery, a constituent in the Great Slave riding is Elaine Keenan Bengts. Welcome to the gallery.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have gone through the business planning process. We are proposing the increase of positions in this area. In the meantime, I have directed the department to begin staffing in anticipation of the passage of those positions so that we can hit the ground running today to start filling those positions. We have tools and mechanisms available to us, double filling positions, anticipatory hiring, eligibility list. We are doing that work now. I will have a discussion with the Minister, I'm happy to do that, about whether or not we can expedite that given the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The property manager and the individuals who have done the construction on Stanton have been very tight on their timelines. They have met their targets. We are looking to get the building when we said. We have every confidence that they are going to be able to do the leasehold improvements to the old facility that will get us in there as scheduled.

Once it is done, we still have to do a full stand-up as we do with all facilities. The day we take possession is not the day that we move in there. There will some work that still needs to be done to stand up the building. We...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think I must have been there that summer because I have been in that building when it is incredibly hot. This is an air conditioner for that building in Fort Good Hope. Thank you, Mr. Chair.