This is page numbers 331 - 364 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 6th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairman.

Topics

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Mr. Premier, a policy question.

Return To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 343

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Policies of this government and this Cabinet are brought forward by Ministers and officials under direction of Cabinet and are designed, worded and crafted to meet the goals and objectives of government. So they are policies of government. They are not cast in stone and we try to adhere to them to the best of our ability but, as you may know, it is suggested that sometimes we fall short and miss the mark. Thank you.

Return To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 343

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Mr. Nitah, supplementary.

Supplementary To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 343

Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am happy for that answer. Mr. Speaker, the government came up with a policy of public housing. The result of that seems to be a high turnover rate of teachers in the NWT and in the schools, contributing to the low graduation rate and the low education rate of our students. Is that the goal and objective of that policy?

Supplementary To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 344

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Mr. Premier.

Further Return To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 344

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we knew years ago that other northern jurisdictions are out of the business of housing. They are able to attract professionals, doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers and other professional people who are required in our communities. So we know that the cost of providing housing in the past was very, very high to this government. Any suggestion to go back into it would be fiscally impossible to entertain at this time. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 344

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Supplementary To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 344

Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, maybe I could ask the Premier to provide me with information such as a comparative cost to government and society, of teacher turnarounds, recruitment, retention, travel, relocations, bringing them here, sending them back to wherever we get them from, compared to the cost to government when the government was in public housing. Mr. Speaker, maybe you could compare that the cost to this government is for students who are not graduating, people who end up in the social envelope of the government. Maybe they could do a cost-benefit analysis on our policy of giving out public housing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 344

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Mr. Kakfwi.

Further Return To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 344

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will speak to the Ministers who are directly involved with this issue to look at assessing the cost and time that would be needed to assess whether or not providing housing in the past or since then has impacted significantly on the teacher turnover over a number of years, and also to see if the graduation and success rates of our schools have changed as a result of the change in our housing policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Further Return To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 344

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Final supplementary, Mr. Nitah.

Supplementary To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 344

Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would ask that maybe we should have used graduation statistics because graduate students, when they have to take college entrance exams, their education level is far below Grade 12. We've seen that proven in the past. So let's gauge it towards how well we are educating our students. Mr. Speaker, the newspaper reported that housing is a major issue in the retention of teachers. For the recruitment of teachers, housing is a major role. We know that. Yet we are not doing anything about it because of a policy decision we made years ago. If we make a mistake, shouldn't we own up to that mistake? I would like to get a commitment that that comparison be done, and let's review the policy of getting out of staff housing for government. We know in our communities we are fighting for our housing already, and it's not fair for anybody to live in a church or a health centre or have to share a unit among four people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 344

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Mr. Kakfwi.

Further Return To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 344

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We can look at the teacher turnover in the last five years that this government provided staff housing and look at any five years since staff housing was discontinued and see what the change in turnover is and has been and provide that to the House. Thank you.

Further Return To Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Question 102-14(6): GNWT Position On Staff Housing
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 344

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Item 6, oral questions. Item 7, written questions. Item 8, returns to written questions. Item 9, replies to Opening Address. Item 10, petitions. Item 11, reports of standing and special committees. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Committee Report 7-14(6): Report On The Draft Main Estimates Review Process
Item 11: Reports Of Standing And Special Committees

Page 344

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a report on the Standing Committee on Social Programs, Report on the Draft Main Estimates Review Process.

The Standing Committee on Social Programs conducted its review of the draft main estimates for the departments of Health and Social Services; Education, Culture and Employment; Justice and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation between January 14 and January 20, 2003.

As is often the case during these reviews with each of the responsible Ministers and their officials, the committee made requests for additional information, or sought clarification on items of interest. For information not at hand, the Minister and their officials committed to provide the information to committee at the earliest possible date.

Very often the committee's report to the House must include information provided after our meetings in order to be factual, timely and relevant. In most cases the information is provided in a timely manner and the report is completed satisfactorily. The Standing Committee on Social Programs would like to acknowledge the timely manner in which the Department of Health and Social Services and the NWT Housing Corporation provided additional information requested during our review of the draft main estimates this January.

However, there are times when the information is not available prior to the committee's report to the House for a number of reasons. For example, there are instances where the information may be time sensitive and not available, or it may be difficult to gather and collate. In these cases the committee proceeds with its report with the understanding that the absence of certain information was unavoidable.

During our review of the draft 2003-2004 main estimates, the committee encountered two situations in particular which had to do with the timely provision of available information, which were very frustrating, and in fact entirely avoidable.

The Department of Justice was only able to provide its additional information on February 12, 2003, two days after the committee had finalized its report to the House and a full three and a half weeks after our review of the department. What is even more confounding is that the letter from the Minister was signed on February 7, 2003 - five days before it was received by the committee. Had this information been delivered promptly, the committee would have had an opportunity to consider it at our meeting of February 10, 2003, at which time our report to the House was finalized.

With respect to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, the information was provided to the committee on February 17, 2003, three days after our report was presented in House, and five weeks after our review of the department. We were upset to see that the majority of information provided was dated January 17, 2003 and some was even dated as early as May 2002. This certainly indicates that the information was available long before the date it was received.

In making this report to the House, the Standing Committee on Social Programs is hopeful that future reviews are not hampered by poor communication and untimely responses. The government may wish to consider that one may be left with the impression of a department attempting to avoid scrutiny, since all are aware of deadlines and timeframes in this process. While that may not be the case in this circumstance, the timing of responses certainly shows sloppiness in the attention to committee requests for information. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, that concludes the report of the Standing Committee on Social Programs.

Motion To Receive Committee Report 7-14(6), Carried
Item 11: Reports Of Standing And Special Committees

Page 344

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

I move, seconded by the honourable Member for North Slave, that Committee Report 7-14(6) be received by the Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Motion To Receive Committee Report 7-14(6), Carried
Item 11: Reports Of Standing And Special Committees

Page 345

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

The motion is in order. To the motion.

Motion To Receive Committee Report 7-14(6), Carried
Item 11: Reports Of Standing And Special Committees

Page 345

Some Hon. Members

Question.

Motion To Receive Committee Report 7-14(6), Carried
Item 11: Reports Of Standing And Special Committees

Page 345

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Motion To Receive Committee Report 7-14(6), Carried
Item 11: Reports Of Standing And Special Committees

Page 345

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Item 11, reports of committees on the review of bills. Mr. Roland.

Bill 2: An Act To Amend The Territorial Parks Act
Item 11: Reports Of Committeeson The Review Of Bills

February 25th, 2003

Page 345

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development has reviewed Bill 2, and the bill is now ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted. Thank you.

---Applause

Bill 2: An Act To Amend The Territorial Parks Act
Item 11: Reports Of Committeeson The Review Of Bills

Page 345

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Thank you. Item 11, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 13, tabling of documents. Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table a document called "Child of the North: A Nurtured Child - A Neglected Child" by Dr. Clair and Mrs. Clara Schnupp. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Item 13, tabling of documents. Mr. McLeod.