Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. That would be part of the ongoing work that we’ll continue to have with the Interdepartmental Working Relations and ensuring that this consultation framework remains current and consistent with the evolving laws and best practices across the board. Also communicating changes and updates to the framework to GNWT departments on a timely basis. Those are just some of the areas that we’ll continue to work with departments.
Debates of March 1st, 2011
This is page numbers 6245 - 6300 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 5th 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 agreed.
Topics
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
I’d like to call the Committee of the Whole back to order. Prior to the break we were on page 9-13, services to government, operations expenditure summary. Mr. Bromley.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to just reiterate some of my colleagues’ concerns and I suppose it’s really just a comment. I’d be happy to have any remarks from the Minister, but I disagree with this Aboriginal consultation unit. My goodness grief, I mean, we have been dealing with Aboriginal people, we are Aboriginal people, our society is Aboriginal. I think we have to start drawing a limit here. There are so many competing demands, as we’ve heard repeatedly today, for these dollars and for this department, which already has the legal expertise to start creating positions like this and
using these valuable dollars is just not appropriate, in my mind. I’ll leave it at that as a comment.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Jackson Lafferty Monfwi
Mahsi, Mr. Chair. This is, again, across the board consulting with various departments. It’s a GNWT consultation unit so this is before us and we need to work with this initiative. We feel that it’s a valuable tool that we need to move forward with, so that’s where we’ve engaged the GNWT departments’ engagement in this area. Mahsi.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
I guess the Minister has elevated my concern if this is happening across all departments. I mean, again, I say good grief. We have so much experience in this area. I mean, I just can’t feature it. This is a waste of valuable resources. We have so many competing demands. We’re talking about kids’ lives here today and we have to start getting real here. Thank you.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Jackson Lafferty Monfwi
Mr. Chair, this is the only unit that we have that deals with across the departmental discussion. I take the Member’s concerns and issues that are being brought forward, but this has been in the works for quite some time now and we feel that it’s needed and it’s part of our consultation process. Mahsi.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
I guess I don’t buy that, Mr. Chair. I think the department’s been doing a good job and I think they’ve got lots of good programs going with a lot of Aboriginal people and I think that’s only going to enhance their already obvious capability of consulting with Aboriginal people. Thank you.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Jackson Lafferty Monfwi
I’m not sure what else to add but it’s a government-wide initiative and it’s a unit that deals with Aboriginal organizations on projects and initiatives that will affect various spectrums of issues that may be brought forward. Mahsi.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
Again, that just elevates my concern. Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations spends hundreds of thousands on this. I mean, that’s our lead. They’re there to provide advice, I learned yesterday, and that’s who should be doing this work. We just have so many competing demands that I totally disagree with this new decision to spend yet more hundreds of thousands of dollars in every department on Aboriginal consultation units when we are Aboriginal people, we deal with Aboriginal people every day, we hire Aboriginal people, our staff are Aboriginal people, we are Aboriginal people, a lot of us. I think we have decades of experience as the field has changed and the legal situations have developed to set rules. We have extensive experience in this area. I disagree with this in terms of the many competing demands for these dollars.
As I mentioned, we’re talking about very important other priorities that need dollars.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Jackson Lafferty Monfwi
Mr. Chairman, this is an area that is part of the specialized unit across the board dealing with the Aboriginal organizations. It has been established with expertise when it comes to lawyers in different areas. We do have lawyers but they are dedicated to their own respective roles as well. This is specifically in a target area. I will get my deputy to elaborate a bit more on that process. Mahsi.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Watters
Mr. Chairman, this unit is actually created. It is a government-wide initiative. This was not an initiative of the Department of Justice alone. The need was identified because of the increase in the need for the consultation around economic and resource development, around conservation and the environmental issues, that has become very apparent that the need for consultation was certainly going to increase. It was not going away. The investment in this unit I think is actually much less than the investment that would be required should we fail just once to consult appropriately.
This unit was established. The decision to have it in the Department of Justice was made so rather than having just one lawyer who would be assigned the file, there would be access to a bank of lawyers with expertise. It didn’t have to be in the Department of Justice, but it was felt that that was the most appropriate place for it. It is very definitely to provide services to all departments to ensure that the framework is maintained, to ensure that people are appropriately trained and training has been going on and to maintain that level of training to enhance the training and to provide support, to provide policy and legal direction. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Bob Bromley Weledeh
Mr. Chairman, I guess I will just add I was saying I think this and I think that, but I have to say that it was an Aboriginal person that brought this concern to me. I will leave it at that. Thank you.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
Thank you. We are on page 9-13, activity summary, services to government, operations expenditure summary, $10.459 million. Agreed?
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
We are moving on to page 9-14, activity summary, services to government, grants and contributions, grants, $49,000.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
We are moving on to page 9-15, information item, services to government, active positions.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
We are moving on to page 9-17, activity summary, law enforcement, operations expenditure summary, $35.120 million.
Committee Motion 39-16(5): Defer Consideration Of Health And Social Services Department Summary, Carried
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.