Rylund Johnson

One of my concerns during this pandemic is that there are certainly many departments who are working on overdrive and all of those workers are working overtime. Many have been redeployed to other departments, and then I hear concerns that certain departments have essentially been put on hold, and some workers are wondering what to do. I think a solution to this is further redeployment, and also, I think one way to booth domestic tourism would be a four-day work week for some workers. I think we could start that this summer. Is that something the Minister of Human Resources is willing to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am happy to see the GNWT slowly bringing some of our workers back to the office, those who are needed. I have seen flexibility and had a number of constituents help navigate their issues such as childcare. I hope to continue to see that flexibility from the Department of Human Resources. My question is: will the department be developing a work-from-home policy that extends beyond the measures imposed by COVID-19? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate all that work that is occurring, and I know that is essentially the work in the long-term care review. I guess I am trying to get a number so I can look at the capital budget and get a sense of every one of these units and beds we build, how much this number would increase. If you don't have that right now, it could be provided to the Standing Committee on Social Development or just a projection of even a sense of what the operating costs are for each additional unit we build, and then I could probably do the math to figure out what this is going to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, a report authored by Andrew Robinson and Lachlan MacLean entitled "Climate Emergency: Getting the NWT Off Diesel, Cost-effective investments to reduce the NWT greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent within five years." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I recognize that, perhaps, times when I say it can be implemented tomorrow, the program delivery model still needs to be there, and it will take some time, and I appreciate that many of the hard-working ECE staff have been redeployed. I guess that was almost a yes that the Minister is willing to work with me and have some of these further conversations. I'm concerned that he feels he doesn't have the policy staff in the department right now. What efforts are being made such that the department has the staff who can actually develop a program or a roadmap so that we can have a meaningful...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke earlier today about a guaranteed basic income, but I would like to start by focusing on what the closest program we have to that in the Northwest Territories is, income assistance. My question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment is: is our current Income Assistance Program working? Are people actually incentivized to get a job, or is it simply just keeping people in a cycle of poverty? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that, and I will pester my other colleagues in Cabinet to try and get you some more policy staff. In the interim, to me, one of the hearts of a guaranteed basic income is allowing people to work and have that income not be penalized. I recognize that, in Section 21 of the regulations, there is a formula for how people are penalized as they earn income on Income Assistance.

Right now, I believe this punishment is disincentivizing people from working, especially if you're also in public housing. By the time it comes around, if you've been earning a little bit...

I appreciate that answer from the Minister, and I do recognize that the seniors and disability streams, the goal of those programs is not to get people back into the workforce. I do think, at the heart, both a guaranteed basic income and income assistance's goal is to get people into the workforce, but on their own terms.

I previously asked questions to the Minister regarding looking into a pilot project for a guaranteed basic income, and he said we simply don't have the policy staff. Given we are now in a global pandemic and entering into one of the largest economic recessions of any of our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In this House, we have the honour of debating and discussing some of the larger policy ideas. One you will hear me speak about over the next three years is a universal basic income.

Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate that, despite the fact that I talk about this large, very lofty program that would change the nature of government and society, and it's a program I fundamentally believe in, I don't believe, since we're having that debate, that all other conversations around social assistance programs are just kind of put on hold. One of my concerns is that I recognize that a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have no doubt that the Chief Public Health Officer has been making numerous decisions on data, and we've heard that today. We have heard numerous requests, from Members and the media and the public, to see some of that data. I recognize are is some issues with modelling, but firstly, I just want to get a sense of our capacity to really be making evidence-based decisions. I was hoping the Minister of Health could tell me how many people specializing in epidemiology we have on staff?