Glen Abernethy

I sent a letter to committee earlier this week with a complete outline of the advertising and communications that we are doing to get some of that information out there, but I am happy to share a copy of that letter with the Member as well.

The legislation has only been live and active for one year. Actually, it will be one year on June 1st. It is consistent with the Civil Marriages Act from the federal government, and we want to be prepared, should and if any minors do desire to get married, that there is a process that is fair and open to them, so we are not planning to change the legislation at this point.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the previous act was actually repealed and replaced. During the life of this Assembly, we did have an opportunity to bring that bill before committee and also before this House, where it received unanimous support from all Members in the passage of that bill.

The bill actually brings us in line with the federal Civil Marriages Act. It removed the ability for minors and people younger to get married. With minors, there is the exception where they do get consent from their legal guardians. We did have debate on this bill in the House, and I have reviewed...

I truly appreciate the Member's concerns as well as the concerns of some of the staff out there. The department has taken action to actively recruit for these positions, as I've previously indicated. I anticipate that the positions will be posted in the very near future and am hopeful that we will receive applications from many qualified individuals. Mr. Speaker, while a Master's level education is identified within the job description, as is the case with all GNWT competitions, equivalencies will absolutely be considered. A Master's degree is one way that an individual may develop the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the qualifications for the child and youth care counsellors and clinical supervisors are an extension of the current structure of the Community Counselling Program, where the knowledge, skills, and abilities (which are really the key to the job) are typically acquired through a Master's level education. This has been the case from the early stages of this current initiative. We have taken timely action to actively recruit for these positions. Information packages have been sent to post-secondary institutions with applicable programs, as well as Northwest...

Mr. Speaker, I think, during the capital review last year, as well as the O&M review in January or February to March, I did indicate to the Member that we've basically done the work on the planning around the renovations around the Lutselk'e Health Centre, and we're hoping to submit those for consideration in our capital planning process. I certainly will take the Member's comments and share them with the Minister of Infrastructure and the Minister of Finance, but, as the Member knows, all projects are competing for the same capital dollars. We know it needs to get done. It's in the queue. We...

Mr. Speaker, we have a Continuing Care Action Plan that we've released and I know the Member has seen, where we want to support families and communities to help seniors stay in their homes, first and foremost, as much as possible, because all evidence suggests that the outcomes for our residents are better the longer they can stay in their homes.

To the Member's point, yes, we do know that there are times when an individual will need a greater level of support or they may not be able to maintain a home, although they are still able to live independently. To that end, thank goodness that the NWT...

As with most of our legislation, we did go out and consult with stakeholders who had an interest in that legislation, individuals who were involved in issuing licences and others. We did talk to clergy who have the ability to provide marriage licences within the legislation. Committee did have an opportunity to conduct a review of that legislation. We were working to comply with federal legislation, as I have indicated several times, the Civil Marriages Act. That is a federal piece of legislation.

If the Member has some specifics, I am always open to hear about those specifics, concerns raised...

Mr. Speaker, just a note, just so we are clear, the bill was discussed in Committee of the Whole clause by clause and did receive unanimous consent in this Assembly from all Members.

As per our normal process, the bill did go to committee, who had an opportunity to do a thorough review of the bill. We did get a letter from committee expressing some questions around this particular issue. The issue is the ability of a minor to marry. The legislation requires that, if a minor does desire to get married, they must still obtain a marriage licence. To obtain a marriage licence, they must get...

Mr. Speaker, clinical supervisors are also professional counsellors requiring the same level of knowledge, skills, and abilities typically acquired through a Master's level education, as I've previously indicated, similar to the counsellors. However, they are also typically senior counsellors who, in addition to the counselling education and experience, have often undertaken additional training in management or supervisory areas that allow them to have the knowledge, skills, and ability to provide that supervisory responsibility and/or leadership responsibility. So, yes, they both need to have...