Wendy Bisaro

I’d like to thank the Minister for that commitment. We will perhaps be back from committee once we’ve had a chance to discuss it.

The Minister, in his remarks over the last little while, has indicated a focus on persons with disability numbers and on numbers of Aboriginals in our GNWT workforce. We’ve heard the Minister provide us with numbers on recent successes. The numbers seem to be going up and that’s a good thing. But I’ve heard little, I’ve heard little said, I’ve heard little in the comments by the Minister about the number of women that we have in our workforce, particularly women...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I wanted to ask a question on the housing for staff item as well. This was tried a number of years ago and it wasn’t really successful, so what is the corporation doing different this time around to try and get a better buy-in from communities to provide housing for professional staff? Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Vician. Next on the list, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to give the Minister of Education a bit of a break and address my questions to the Minister of Human Resources today. During Committee of the Whole consideration of the Department of Human Resources, Members were able to make comments and I was able to make some comments. I appreciated that, but one of the questions I asked during my comments kind of slipped through the cracks and I don’t think I got an answer from the Minister. I’d like to ask the Minister that question now. I’m not sure where the information came from, but I believe the Minister of Human...

Thanks to the Minister. I guess I would like to know, I appreciate that there’s a focus on wood pellet boilers, but I’d like to know, from the corporation’s perspective, whether or not there’s any focus on replacing these electric hot water heaters in thermal communities. It makes more sense to do it there than it does to do in hydro communities. Is that something that the corporation recognizes is a good energy initiative and it is on the radar? If they agree with me that it’s a good initiative, how soon will it get enacted? Thank you.

Madam Chair, to the Minister I guess I want to say that the defeatist tone or the defeatist words, I guess, that he’s saying are a real problem for me. Outfitters have generated millions and millions of dollars. It’s in the order of 30 or 40 million dollars, I believe, and yet we are talking $300,000 a year which is peanuts when you compare it to the 30 or 40 million dollars.

I think for the Minister to say we have to let these businesses go, this department is in the business of encouraging industry and maintaining industry. We have umpteen contributions throughout this particular department...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned, this is Education Week and I’d like to acknowledge the 800-plus teachers across the NWT working to make a difference in the lives of the students in their schools. I especially want to acknowledge the over 200 teachers and teacher aides working in our 14 Yellowknife-area schools.

Research has proven many times over that the single most important factor in a child’s success in school is a teacher who cares, but there are challenging barriers that are outside an individual teacher’s control, barriers that hinder and impede students’ learning.

In a recent NWT...

Thank you. That was the answer I was hoping I would hear. So my last question has to do with the amount of flexibility in these policies. I understand that policies are set in place to try and restrict certain things, but if it’s a unique circumstance or if extenuating circumstances crop up, does the corporation have any flexibility in how they apply their policies? Thank you.

Madam Chair, I have a question in regard to this sport hunt outfitter marketing support. I mentioned it in my opening remarks. In 2011-12, the actual amount was $494,000. This current fiscal year and intended for 2013-14 is $300,000. I would like to know why the amount has gone down. Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I’m not sure if this question belongs here, but I think so because it talks about policy. I’ve discovered over my few years here that we, unfortunately, as a government, have way too many policies that contradict each other between one department and another, particularly with regard to Income Support, Health and Social Services, and Housing.

I just wondered whether or not the corporation does any review of their policies with a view to how they conflict with other policies in other departments, with a view to ensuring that housing, people applying for housing or people in...