Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks again to the Minister. I have a few more questions here. First of all, this is being funded through transition funding, but presumably once it has been funded through our devolution transition funding, it’s then going to be added to the base. So, this is an increase to our budget, I’m presuming.

The Premier mentioned that through this report and through comparing Yukon, Nunavut and NWT, the determination was to add five PYs. Does that mean that this is the final decision that we’re adding five PYs to our communications and our staffing complement is going to be 32...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have some concerns with the two items of funding on this page. The first one is under the directorate and it has to do with funding for costs associated with the communications functional review. Five hundred sixteen thousand dollars is itemized under directorate and then $335,000 under Ministers’ offices. I know we’ve been back and forth with the government a bit on this between Members and Cabinet. We have had some information about what this expenditure is for. I’d like to, first of all, I guess, ask the Minister, since this is an additional cost and I don’t believe...

Thanks to the Minister. That’s all well and good. It sounds good, but what is the department going to be doing to fill these 250 spots? There’s money here and there’s also money in ITI, so it ends up to be about $314,000. What are we using that $300,000 for? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am in the right section. I wanted to ask a bit about the $215,000 here to provide funding for increasing immigration to the Northwest Territories in support of the NWT Growth Strategy. I’d like to ask the Minister where this strategy is. I don’t believe that Members on this side of the House have seen that strategy. I would like to know what it is that ECE is doing that will contribute to this Growth Strategy to increase immigration. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Moses.

One of the ways that Bill 37 increases the focus on fiscal accountability is by providing the authority for the Financial Management Board to establish a framework for planning by and accountability of government and public agencies. As originally drafted, Bill 37 required that this Planning and Accountability Framework be tabled in the Legislative Assembly at the earliest opportunity after being established and after any amendments. The standing committee was concerned that this approach did not allow for the Legislative Assembly or its...

To the Minister: That’s rather unfortunate. We have so many jobs in the GNWT which are unfilled, whether they’re hard to fill or whether they’re just “regular jobs,” so I fail to understand why the department wouldn’t want to hire as many people as possible, fill as many positions as possible, particularly in the North, but whether they be hard to fill or not.

One of the things that we have heard much about but have yet to see written on paper is the Population Strategy that this government is working towards bringing 2,000 bodies to the NWT to try and beef up our population.

I’d like to know...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions, as well, today are addressed to the Minister of Human Resources. I’d like to start off by asking him about an event that was held about two weeks ago, not that long ago. It was open houses that the Department of HR held in seven different communities across the NWT. I haven’t heard anything since they were held as to what sort of success there was from these open houses, what were the results of the initiative, so that’s my question to the Minister initially.

Were these open houses successful? Does he have any results that he can share with the House as to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is Intergenerational Day and the day is being celebrated in over 100 cities across Canada, including Yellowknife. This is where younger and older people come together for intergenerational immersion. The goal is to create respectful relations and better understanding between children, youth and older persons. And it’s good to see so many active elders in the gallery today. Welcome to you all.

Since time immemorial there have been generational differences, but the speed of change and the technological impacts on society in the last 50 years has widened the gaps in...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have 18 seconds, so will fit another question in here. I appreciate the clarification on the funding, but we have just recently approved an operations budget in early March. We are now being asked to spend an additional $800,000.

Why was this expense not put into the operations budget which we approved just a few months ago? Why does it have to come forward as a supp? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thanks to both Ministers. I hear that this money is going to be used for five new positions, and I can appreciate two things. I can appreciate that we’ve taken on greater responsibilities, and I can also appreciate that our communications have been seen to be lacking. I am certainly one of those who has suggested that we could do things a heck of a lot better. But I’m wondering where the decision that we needed five PYs has come from. Minister Miltenberger indicated that this money is going to be used to look at things and determine where to go. The Premier indicates...