Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We wish to deal with Committee Report 13-17(5) and Bill 42. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks, Mr. Dolynny.

The committee began its review with an exhaustive examination of previous committee reports and briefing materials related to the management and delivery of official languages programming.

The committee examined the GNWT’s “Response to the Standing Committee on Government Operations Review of the Official Languages Act” – “the 2009 response” – tabled October 5, 2009. The committee was troubled by the tone of the response and the lack of commitment by the department to follow up with the standing committee regarding progress on implementing the...

Thanks to the Minister. There are specific policies that are listed, so I don’t think we have to take anything out of an act. I heard him say when we’re going to start but I didn’t hear an end date, so that will be interesting.

I’d like to ask the Minister another question about it. I don’t believe this is a policy, but it’s something that has come to my attention. I do believe that we have a fair number of GNWT employees who work for the GNWT but do not live in the NWT. They have moved out. They may be contracted on an annual basis but they are not living here. They are working from home in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions today for the Minister of Human Resources. I’d like to ask some questions about the policies that I referenced in my Member’s statement.

I’d like to, first of all, ask the Minister in regard to the Human Resources Manual. I found it extremely difficult to get information when I was researching policies in HR, and I found the HR Manual had absolutely no information on voluntary separation. I had to then go and find a number of policies elsewhere, which I did find but took a little digging.

I’d like to, first of all, ask the Minister why do we not...

Thanks, Madam Chair. This report had one motion, but it had a number of recommended actions. I just wanted to mention a couple of the recommended actions and some of the discussion that happened at committee in the development of this report on this bill.

First of all, there was quite a bit of interest, and I want to compliment the Department of Justice for the consultation process that they went through. They did get quite a bit of interest from stakeholders, quite a number of submissions, and they considered all of the issues that were brought forward by the stakeholders who made submissions...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the mover and the seconder for bringing this motion forward. I am in support of this motion, and I just have a few brief comments.

We have a very high incidence of domestic violence in our territory, unfortunately, and that’s been pointed out already. The thing that I struggle with, that I have difficulty with is that we can’t seem to find a solution. It’s a very complicated issue, but we continue to work to try to make things better, to try to reduce the incidents of domestic violence in our territory.

One of the organizations that are doing good work and...

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I have to say it’s a little late. It’s been five years since that recommendation was made by the standing committee in the 16th. I appreciate these changes that are happening, but if the Minister wants the boards to operate the way they are right now, he needs to have brought forward legislative change.

Why has the Minister waited this long? He’s presumably going to do something next week, but why has he waited and not brought forward a legislative proposal or suggestions for legislative change? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I understand that there’s been lots of talk; there’s been lots of getting together. However, there’s been no change. I asked the Minister about what he called an official languages strategy that he mentioned he was going to table in this House.

I again ask the Minister, does that strategy exist and has it ever been tabled? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For some time now we’ve had an Official Languages Act which specifies that there shall be two languages boards, an Aboriginal Languages Board and a Languages Revitalization Board. Although these two boards and their membership is clearly laid out in the Official Languages Act, the GNWT is not following its own legislation, nor is the government, specifically the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, heeding the advice of the 16th Assembly Standing Committee on Government Operations, which did a thorough and comprehensive review of the Official Languages Act...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don’t need to comment much more than I already have. This motion is the result of the work of committee and the need that we felt to support the Information and Privacy Commissioner in her desire to get legislation for access to information and protection of privacy legislation for municipalities. This is the result of that work.