Julie Green

Thank you. My final question has to do with the languages commissioner. It's my understanding that this position has been vacant for some time, so can the Speaker tell us what the spending in this fiscal year is for? Thank you.

Thank you. I note that the Human Rights Adjudication Panel amount has gone up over last year and the year before. Can the Speaker say why that is? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I agree; it goes both ways. What I am suggesting here is that there be a methodology based on deliverables and that we are assured that we are getting value for money from the NGOs as much as we are from any other government spending. I think that you can find an example of how this could work with the shelter standards. It was a long piece of work, but finally, there are standards for the family violence shelters so that the contribution of money to those shelters for their operations relates to something tangible. I think that that's a methodology that could be...

Thank you. I do appreciate that the Minister is familiar with this background. The thing is, though, that, when non-profits fall too far out of sync, which is a variation of more than about 40 percent with the government, they can't keep staff, and then productivity goes down because they're in a constant turnover of staff. This is not big grant money compared to the totality of the budget, so I am calling on the Premier to review these. I don't expect them to be brought to government levels, but I do expect a gap to be closed between what the funding levels are historically and what they...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I noticed, in the segment "women's advisory," that the amount of money granted to the Native Women's Association and the Status of Women Council, and, in fact, the Women's Initiative Grants, have been static for the last two budgets. My question for the Minister is: how is this funding level determined for these non-profits? Thank you.

Okay, let me be the first to call the Minister a party pooper. What I'm interested in knowing is: in the event that it is possible to build childcare spaces in schools, what would that look like? Would it be on a partnership model with respect to service delivery? Would the partners need to bring money to the table? What are the Minister's initial thoughts on how this would work?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I spoke today about the need to provide more accessible and affordable childcare by investing in spaces in which childcare can be offered. Has the Minister considered providing childcare space in new or renovated schools as a way to provide suitable space for childcare in communities across the NWT? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Obtaining licenced childcare is a significant problem in NWT communities, and in Yellowknife, as well. Parents face long waiting lists for space, and the cost is through the roof. In fact, I know of families who get themselves onto waiting lists as soon as the pregnancy is confirmed.

A large part of the problem is finding a building for childcare that meets building and fire code requirements. These are exacting standards to ensure our children are safe and, of course, I have no quarrel with putting safety first. The fact is, however, that it is next to impossible to...

Thank you. My next question has to do with the Information and Privacy Commissioner. I note, in the Speaker's opening remarks, he talked about a greater workload. Is this funding for just one position, or what exactly in terms of staffing does it cover? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think that the Minister and I are on the same page with this. I think you could do a pilot project with native women and status of women. I think those organizations do a strategic plan and a budget. I think there are some materials to begin with to come up with some mutually agreed goals for the services that they are providing through their contribution agreement and that that could be a constructive process across the board. I don't have any further questions. Thank you.