Debates of October 31, 2025 (day 72)

October
31
2025
Session
20th Assembly, 1st Session
Day
72
Speaker
Shane Thompson
Word PDF
Members Present
Hon. Caitlin Cleveland, Mr. Edjericon, Mr. Hawkins, Hon. Lucy Kuptana, Hon. Jay MacDonald, Hon. Vince McKay, Mr. McNeely, Ms. Morgan, Mr. Morse, Ms. Reid, Mr. Rodgers, Hon. Lesa Semmler, Hon. R.J. Simpson, Mr. Testart, Hon. Shane Thompson, Hon. Caroline Wawzonek, Mrs. Weyallon Armstrong
Assembly Members
Topics
Bill 35: Miscellaneous Statutes Law Amendment Act, 2026, Carried
Bill 36: Trespass to Property Act, Carried
Committee Motion 132-20(1): Committee Report 33-20(1): Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges Report on the Review of the Rules of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, No. 2 – Rule 7.3 – Written Questions Submission, Carried
Committee Motion 133-20(1): Committee Report 33-20(1): Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges Report on the Review of the Rules of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, No. 2 – Guidelines for Written Questions, Carried
Committee Motion 134-20(1): Committee Report 33-20(1): Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges Report on the Review of the Rules of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, No. 2 – Daily Order of Business on Thursdays, Carried
Committee Motion 135-20(1): Committee Report 33-20(1): Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges Report on the Review of the Rules of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, No. 2 – Sitting after Thanksgiving, Carried
Committee Report 34-20(1): Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges Report on the Review of Motion 56-20(1): Code of Conduct referral to the Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges, Received and Adopted by the Assembly
Member’s Statement 797-20(1): Deh Cho Negotiations Process
Member’s Statement 798-20(1): French Language Education
Member’s Statement 799-20(1): Premier’s Awards Winners
Member’s Statement 800-20(1): Economic Impacts of Federal Budget
Member’s Statement 801-20(1): Reflections on the Sitting
Member’s Statement 802-20(1): Education in the Tlicho Region
Member’s Statement 803-20(1): Ending Daylight Savings Time
Member’s Statement 804-20(1): Halloween Message
Member’s Statement 805-20(1): Celebration of Life for Rolande Norwegian
Minister’s Statement 165-20(1): First Poppy Ceremony
Minister’s Statement 166-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories-Literacy Council Agreement
Minister’s Statement 167-20(1): Update on Non-Government Organizations Sector Support Initiative
Motion 65-20(1): Extended Adjournment of the House to February 4, 2026, Carried
Question 905-20(1): Dehcho Negotiations Process
Question 906-20(1): NOrthwest Territories Nominee Program
Question 907-20(1): Midwifery Services
Question 908-20(1): French-first Language Education Rights
Question 909-20(1): Housing Northwest Territories Contracting Process
Question 910-20(1): Supports for Students in Small Communities
Question 911-20(1): Environmental Securities
Question 912-20(1): Building Standards Legislation
Question 913-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Procurement Processes
Question 914-20(1): Animal Welfare and Emergency Management
Question 915-20(1): Environmental Securities
Question 916-20(1): CT Scanner Procurement for Inuvik Hospital
Question 917-20(1): Rayrock Minesite Remediation
Question 918-20(1): Chipsealing of the Inuvik Bypass Road
Question 919-20(1): Government Service Delivery Training
Question 920-20(1): New Housing Allocation for Tlicho Communities
Question 921-20(1): Impacts of Jordan’s Principle Funding Changes
Question 922-20(1): Building Standards Framework
Tabled Document 432-20(1): Statement of Consistency for Bill 34: Trespass to Property Act
Tabled Document 435-20(1): Northwest Territories Hydro and Northwest Territories Power Corporation 2024-2025 Annual Report
Tabled Document 436-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 61-20(1): Remuneration of Essential Staff During an Evacuation
Tabled Document 437-20(1): 2024-2025 Annual Report: Action Plan in Response to the Calls for Justice on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People
Tabled Document 438-20(1): Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 63-20(1): Creation of an Emergency Management Agency for the Northwest Territories
Written Question 23-20(1): Healthcare Professionals Returning as Locums
Statements

Question 919-20(1): Government Service Delivery Training

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a priority of mine is public service in the sense of how we serve the public. So I did see from the BearNet recently service improvement boot camps and individual workshops for staff. So my question today is for the Minister of Finance. These programs have been going on for quite some time now, about six years. How many of these programs are fully subscribed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe for anyone watching and eager to take one of these programs, it's the certified service professional I believe. Certified service professional and certified service manager work. They have been going on for many years, but they have shifted a few years ago to being an online program so they wouldn't necessarily get fully subscribed, Mr. Speaker. But so folks who are interested certainly can contact -- it's the OCIO that actually manages this particular program as that is our contact point within the Department of Finance, and they continue to receive quite a number of attention, quite a lot of attention from public servants. So I'm not concerned about oversubscription. If people are interested, they should check in with the OCIO. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. What I really like about these programs is that it talks about citizen-centric service, so we're putting the people that we serve first. So that's really good that they're popular.

I'd like to ask the Minister is there any way that we are measuring or demonstrating that the public service is improving as a result of these workshops? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do conduct every two years the Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey, which obviously is internal, wouldn't necessarily be an outward-facing with respect to the perspective of the clients of the front-facing -- front-service providers but certainly does engage in it and measure the degree to which public servants themselves are sensing their improvement or seeing their engagement are feeling the level of delivery of service that they provide. There's a number of different measures, and, in fact, it's a little plug, Mr. Speaker, because that survey has just gone out again. I know I look at them. The deputy ministers certainly look at them. So that is one way that I would suggest we are able to measure a bit of what's happening in terms of the development and the benefit of training. Thank you.

Speaker: MR. SPEAKER

Thank you, Minister of Finance. Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.