Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr.

Hawkins. The

honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. In

February I asked the Minister of Human Resources some specific questions on bonuses for deputy heads, senior managers and excluded employees of the GNWT.

At that time I was informed that approximately $1.65

million is paid out annually to these

employees. Further, approximately $550,000 is paid out annually to senior managers of the head staff of the NWT Power Corporation. This is around $2 million per year.

Given current fiscal realities, it’s definitely time to reconsider how this government awards bonuses to senior managers. Currently virtually every senior public official gets a bonus. It’s time for senior management to earn their fat bonuses. When bonuses are expected rather than earned, it breeds mediocrity. It even encourages senior managers to keep their mouths shut about problems, and it does not encourage thinking outside the box, which would have been really useful during the budget process that we’re currently going through.

We can’t afford to reward senior managers who happen to have technical skills, or are very gifted technically, but are lousy people-managers or run over their staff in order to get results.

Recently the federal government developed a more rigorous assessment process for their performance pay. With their new plan and process fewer than 20 per cent of their senior executives will receive bonuses. Under the federal program senior managers are assessed based on performance targets and a 360-degree review, which includes input from fellow senior managers, colleagues, ministers and others.

Implementing a process similar to the federal government’s will ensure that when bonuses are earned, they will be paid, and when they aren’t earned, they won’t be paid. This ensures that we can remain competitive with the private sector by providing our high-quality performers with financial incentives, which encourage their continued commitment to the GNWT, as opposed to jumping ship and seeking employment with the private sector.

It’s time to review how bonuses are paid. It’s time to ensure that staff are rewarded for outstanding performance — performance that is above and beyond expectations — for thinking outside the box, for streamlining government through increased efficiencies or better use of resources rather than cutting jobs, which is the easiest solution.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I’ll be asking the Premier some questions concerning bonuses in the GNWT.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to give voice today to some concerns about the proposed budget that have been heard from our communities.

NWT communities are generally pleased with the budget, except for the process followed. Budget development lacked any public consultation and effectively handcuffed the communities’ own budget processes.

As a result, at the NWT Association of Communities’ annual general meeting, held in Simpson last month, the membership passed the following motion:

“Whereas the Government of the Northwest Territories…announced in January that it will cut approximately $135 million in expenditures; and

“Whereas it is unknown what impacts the cuts will have on public services.…

“Whereas no consultation has been undertaken by the GNWT, and no rigorous fiscal analysis providing justification for the proposed cuts has been made available to the public or community leaders, and given the negative impacts the cuts would cause to families and communities in the NWT.

“Therefore be it resolved that the NWTAC immediately urge the territorial government to defer any decision on job cuts until the government’s analysis and rationale for the need for the cuts has been made available for public review and consultation.”

While the NWTAC is appreciative that core funding for communities will not be reduced — that it will remain at last year’s levels — they’re very concerned about core funding for future years. As the motion from the AGM states, NWT communities are concerned about the effect position cuts will have on our communities.

As well, communities have been adjusting to the GNWT’s New Deal for several years. Control of one’s own destiny and resources is great, but communities, especially small communities, lack the human resource capacity to take on these downloaded responsibilities.

To MACA’s credit they’ve been providing assistance to communities to help them over this hurdle as much as they can, but that assistance has been shrinking every year.

A particular concern of the NWTAC is the projected loss of the position of emergency planning coordinator. This position exists to assist communities in developing emergency plans and to work with communities after a disaster or an emergency has occurred.

The emergency planning coordinator is, at this time, still dealing with the aftermath of the Fort Good Hope flood in 2005 and the Aklavik flood in 2006, trying to get home repairs done for the impacted residents. Who will help our communities be adequately prepared for any and all emergencies when this position is gone?

Mr.

Speaker, I request unanimous consent to

conclude my statement.

Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues.

Who will help our communities be adequately prepared for any and all emergencies when this position is gone? Who will help our residents, following a flood or a forest fire, to access the

federal funding they are due when this position is gone?

In closing, our residents, our voters, through their elected local governments are telling us to delay this budget — that it lacks analysis, rationale and that the proper consultation was not done. Sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have heard a lot in regard to residential schools and the high number of children that were mentally and physically abused in residential schools.

The Auditor General of Canada reported on the high number of children on reserves that are in foster care and in permanent custody of the provincial government. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is no different. In 2002 in my constituency, there were 58 children in care in the three communities I represent. Compared to other jurisdictions in Canada and other groups in Canada, aboriginal people have the highest number of children in care.

This government is budgeting almost $11 million to deal with this matter in the Northwest Territories, which is a million dollar increase from last year.

In Fort McPherson alone — I checked in regard to government expenditures — they spend some $30,000 a month to deal with children in foster care, which is a cost of $360,000 a year.

We must move away from putting people and children in care, regardless of whether it is an institution or a home. What we have to do is remedy the situation by avoiding the situation that happened in the first place and working with families, children and the communities to find solutions on how to keep families together in their home communities and to be able to give those communities the tools they need to confront these problems.

One of the biggest drivers for children to be apprehended is alcohol abuse in the family. The communities have been looking at ways to deal with substance abuse in their communities by way of prohibition orders. By giving the communities the legal tools to take on these challenges and keep families together, keep communities together and, more importantly, to reinvest….

Mr.

Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to

conclude my statement.

Unanimous consent granted.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, the communities need to be able to reinvest the $360,000 that’s presently expended on children in foster care to those types of programs and services that reunite the communities, reunite our families and bring the communities together to work to find solutions to the problems of children being apprehended.

At the appropriate time I will be having questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Members’ statements, the honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Speaker, as we are all aware, there are a number of issues which impact on our ability as a territory to attract and retain physicians for our communities. There is competition for doctors’ services both at the national and international levels. This means we have to be realistic in wages that we pay doctors and offer the same incentives and inducements that other jurisdictions provide.

For the most part we are competitive. We can promote the positive lifestyle and virtues of living in smaller communities all we want, but if doctors can easily make more money in another jurisdiction, we will lose them. This is what is happening right now because of the legislative gap, and it is impacting on our ability to attract and retain doctors to actually live in the North.

Because doctors can incorporate as a professional corporation in other Canadian jurisdictions, they are taxed at a lower rate and can make significantly more money. For example, if a doctor was professionally incorporated in British Columbia and making a good living, why would they take a pay cut to come to the Northwest Territories?

I’ve also heard that there are locums, which are doctors that we pay to fill in when there is a short-term need, that would consider moving north if there were the ability to professionally incorporate. Using locums to fill doctor positions is a costly way of meeting the health care needs of Northerners.

I understand that this inability to professionally incorporate also impacts other professions, like lawyers and accountants, and is actually

discouraging people from moving north and setting up practices.

Mr. Speaker, we need to move on this before we lose any more doctors. We need a legislative regime that encourages professionals to move or return north and put down their roots in our communities. We need a professional corporations act.

Later today I will have questions for the Minister of Justice about what we can do to respond to this need in a timely manner. This is something that has just this past week affected Hay River, and it is something of very critical importance.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Members’ statements, the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

[English translation not provided.]

Today I would like to talk about a situation that puts single parents at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing public housing.

Many of our constituents are single parents with young children, who are trying their best to earn a living and provide for their children. Unfortunately, many of these single-income earners are struggling to make ends meet. Some have families and friends to assist them, but many rely solely on government assistance.

One such program is the social housing program at the NWT Housing Corporation. Under the current policies individuals can become eligible for housing assistance if they are within the Core Need Income Threshold.

The Core Need Income Threshold is a total of both assessable and non-assessable income used by Housing to determine eligibility for public housing units. The criteria which are used for determining an applicant’s Core Need Income Threshold do not fully take into consideration the costs associated with child care.

Interruption.

You may continue with your statement, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. Yes,

numerically they are factored in, but the nature of these costs is not. That is to say, child care expenses would be considered the same as a car payment.

Of course, costs like these represent two completely different circumstances with varying

degrees of need. As such, more often than not the applicant’s true discretionary income is not really captured, so a single parent’s eligibility many times falls just over the predetermined Core Need Income Threshold, and they become ineligible for public housing. This is happening all too often to single people who are making an effort to provide a better living for themselves and their children. I feel we need to do something immediately. We need to do an immediate review of the policy so that special circumstances associated with child care costs are properly factored in determining an accurate evaluation of an individual applicant.

Today I will have questions for the Minister Responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Thank you.

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From my spot I don’t know if they’re still up there, but I certainly would like to make recognition of Cecily Hewitt and Bill Burles, both constituents of mine. When I came in earlier, they were both in the gallery. I certainly hope they’re still there.

I don’t know whether I’m his constituent or he’s mine, but I’d like to recognize Chief Stanley Sanguez.

I would like to recognize staff and board members from the Yellowknife Association of Community Living and the NWT Council of Persons with Disabilities. First of all, the executive director of YACL, Jane Whyte. Then the board members of the NWT Council of Persons with Disabilities: Judy Sharp; Bill Burles; Don Gillis with his wife, Ann Gillis; and the staff who I believe were here earlier, Corine Nitsiza, Beth Lenardon, Linda Noseworthy, Heather Clarke and the executive director of NWT Council of Persons with Disabilities, Cecily Hewitt.

Welcome to everyone in the gallery today. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. My

questions will be directed to the Minister of Transportation today.

In my Member’s statement I talked about good public discussion on issues such as using cellphones while driving and, of course, smoking in cars with children. As a package issue would the Minister be willing to get out there and see what Northerners want and what they’re willing to have as new, or potentially new, road-safety rules?

The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My department is always very committed to the safety of the travelling public, and I’d be happy to listen to what the people of the Northwest Territories have to say about these two issues that the Member has raised.