Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Unanimous consent granted.

Oh, I meant Power Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommend that the Government of the Northwest Territories implement a plan for the training and certification of interpreters and translators, and establish a registry of interpreters and translators for all official languages.

Motion carried.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommend that in order to deliver the Public Housing programs in a fair and equitable manner and to sustain the programs over time in a cost-effective way, the corporation monitor the district offices and local housing organizations in order to ensure that policies are implemented, rent is collected and operational and financial controls are in place.

The committee further recommends that specific measures for monitoring and support be tailored to the local housing organization’s needs based on risk assessment of their compliance with existing...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My written questions are for the Minister of Human Resources. I have two.

Now that the 2008–09 budget is completed, I would like a comprehensive list of all positions that are being deleted as a result of the budget. As part of this list I would also like to know the following:

Which position were/are vacant?

Which positions were filled as of June 16, 2008?

Which positions were identified for deletion due to sunsetting? and;

Any other standard information such as department, region and location.

Can the Minister of Human Resources also provide me with a comprehensive list of...

To the second part of that question, can we get commitment from the Premier that FMBS will include representatives from the sector in the review of sector financing?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Support for the voluntary sector is a priority of this government, yet voluntary sector organizations that deliver key human services continue to struggle to find funding to help improve salaries, keep their staff, pay their utility bills and keep their doors open to those in need. Their only options seem to be to cut services or run a deficit.

Forced-growth requests from NGOs throughout the NWT have met with limited success, and some agencies are not even offered this opportunity by the GNWT. Family violence shelters have been instructed that help is on the way in the...

Colleagues, before we proceed to Orders of the Day, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and commend the work of all Members during the last five weeks. It has been a challenging session in many ways, with difficult decisions being debated and decided in the unique manner that defines consensus government.

It has also been an exciting time for the Assembly, as we introduced during this sitting both our Legislative Assembly television network and the self-guided audio tours of the Assembly in our official languages.

As we leave here today, I know you are all looking forward to...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommend that in order to deliver the home ownership programs in a fair and equitable fashion and within economic means, the Housing Corporation monitor this district office to ensure policies are implemented and mortgages are collected.

The committee also recommends that a program evaluation of home ownership programs be carried out to verify how much existing programs contribute toward the goal of self-reliance and the reduction of households with core housing needs; and further, that such program evaluation be ongoing, timely and measurable...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I made a Member’s statement on this issue yesterday: equal and shared parenting. There’s tons of evidence out there that suggests that children — and that’s who this is really about; this is really about the children — benefit from equal access to both parents, to mothers and fathers. They develop stronger relationships with their parents and with others. They do better in school. They’re often healthier. This is kind of a no-brainer. We need to be moving down this road. We need to be moving toward equal and shared parenting.

This motion goes to this government saying...