Mr. Minister.
Debates of March 29th, 2004
This is page numbers 403 - 454 of the Hansard for the 15th Assembly, 3rd 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
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, we can do that. I'm assuming you want it broken down by table. I can do that. Thank you.
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will actually release the mike at this moment. I see other Members would like to speak, and I'll just be in the queue after them. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just with respect to Aboriginal Affairs, I did note that there were some functions with regard to Aboriginal Affairs and many of the departments. I'm just wondering if the Minister was looking at that and somehow got some plan to kind of consolidate Aboriginal Affairs maybe under this very same department.
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, if I understand the question correctly, other departments also have expenses related to negotiations and self-government talks and so on, RWED being one of the main ones. We don't have any plan to bring that into Aboriginal Affairs, but would rather leave that with each department to determine when they have to send people, how many people they would send for issues that directly affect their department. So the intention, for example, with RWED would be to leave those expenses in the department that is responsible for forestry or wildlife or whatever the issues are that they may be sending people to negotiations for. Thank you.
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was just wondering if it will be better served if we, as a government, kind of handle Aboriginal Affairs under one department and interact with the other departments. One of my biggest concerns, of course, is reducing the O and M of having Aboriginal Affairs served in RWED as well as in MACA. I was just wondering, without getting it too costly, about having a sit down just so we could look at how all these functions could be best served.
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 432
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, I'm assuming Mr. Menicoche is referring to negotiations and not to the delivery of the programs as such. It's certainly one that I'd like to consider and look at as we prepare the next business plan. It may be possible and may be useful, Mr. Chairman, if we were to give a total of how much was spent by government on any particular set of negotiations or table. If that's where Mr. Menicoche is leading, then I would certainly be willing to take a look at it as we prepare our next year's business plans.
Mr. Chairman, I would like to say that it's probably better, in my view, to leave the money in the departments, because then they have more ownership over it. If it comes over to Aboriginal Affairs, they lose touch with it
and begin to wonder whether their interests are being looked after. Thank you.
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Minister anticipated my next question, which basically was if they felt it served the GNWT to consolidate some of the activities in other departments. I was wondering if these other departments would feel sort of left out, I guess, if they did give up some of their direct input with Aboriginal Affairs in the negotiations. I was just wondering if there is interaction between the departments and sharing of information, or have there been any instances where they were tripping over each other.
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Joe Handley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, it is very important for Aboriginal Affairs to keep in touch closely with all the departments who have an interest in anything that is being negotiated. There are monthly negotiation reports that go out to each department. I think this is an item that's on the agenda regularly with deputy ministers. There is also a caucus or a meeting before each set of negotiations happens, so we do view it as important to maintain that contact with the program departments. Thank you.
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Just switching gears with respect to activities around the Nahendeh riding, not so much to...(inaudible)...negotiations, but with the actual Deninu Kue, is it under the Minister's portfolio with regard to transboundary negotiations that are happening between Fort Liard, BC government and the Yukon?
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, that is certainly within the mandate of the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and myself as Minister responsible. While there have been discussions and I have met with the Premier of the Yukon on it and we've had meetings with the legal counsellors of the Acho Dene, as well, there hasn't been a significant amount of money spent in that area yet, but there could be in the future. Thank you.
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With regard to that specific area, it's something that Fort Liard is interested in. They were quite pleased with the results of the meetings and negotiations that happened in the fall, and they wish to keep the momentum in that area. That is just to advise the Minister with that regard. Thank you. That's all the comments I have, too, Mr. Chair.
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433
Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I could just pick up a little further again on this travel question. When the Minister provides us with that spreadsheet on travel, if he could break out the size of average entourages that travel, give us an example of how much the cost of that is. What I mean by that is how many days they travel and typically how many people travel together. Can the Minister supply that information?
Committee Motion 10-15(3): Recommendation That Public Works And Services Adopt A Consistent Practice For Showing Compensation And Benefits Costs, Carried
Revert To Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 433