Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. To the motion. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Employability is part of Go To of 20/20: A Brilliant North, Public Service Strategic Plan. This goal makes it a priority to increase the number of persons with disabilities in the Government of the Northwest Territories workforce and includes initiatives to encourage current Government of the Northwest Territories employees to self-declare that they are persons with disabilities. The Government of the Northwest Territories Advisory Committee on Employability, we call it GACE, and the Department of Human Resources has developed a draft survey for Government of the Northwest Territories employees. The purpose of this survey is to establish the number of GNWT employees with disabilities. The survey will also aim to establish the number of employees accessing workplace accommodations or disability supports. Our target is to have the survey out in the first quarter of the new fiscal year.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to the Affirmative Action Policy and increasing the representation of the designated groups identified in the policy in order to create a public service which reflects the diverse culture of the Northwest Territories.

The 16

th

Assembly is committed to supporting the

Affirmative Action Policy, which gives first hiring priority to indigenous Aboriginals. The Department

of Human Resources cannot change hiring priorities that have the potential to negatively impact Aboriginals and the government’s commitment to increase their numbers in the public service. The Department of Human Resources believes that our employability initiatives will better fulfill the spirit and intent of the Affirmative Action Policy and changing the hiring priority. The Government of the Northwest Territories Advisory Committee on Employability has been created to strengthen relationships with government and non-government organizations, including the unions. The committee provides recommendations aimed at increasing representation of persons with disabilities within the public service. Work to date includes the development of a communication strategy to promote the Government of the Northwest Territories Advisory Committee on Employability in advance of a disability survey.

The communication strategy will be inclusive to ensure that the message of diversity and inclusion of all people and the Government of the Northwest Territories is promoted. This department is also in the development of a Disabilities Awareness and Inclusion Training Program which will be delivered throughout the public service. This training is scheduled to take place in the new fiscal year and will be available via face-to-face training and Internet-based e-training opportunities.

A diversity officer and a duty to accommodate officer are the newly created positions in 2010. They will play important roles working with managers and employees with disabilities and creating an awareness program about inclusion in the workplace and disabilities awareness. The department will review recruitment strategies for persons with disabilities based on market research and current technologies in the new fiscal year. The department is developing a framework to increase the representation of persons with disabilities in the Government of the Northwest Territories. The Department of Human Resources recognizes the percentage of Government of the Northwest Territories employees with disabilities is below the percentage of the Northwest Territories workforce with disabilities. The objective of the employability goal is to match or exceed that percentage in order to better establish a public service which reflects the public it serves.

Finally, we have already committed to a regular reporting schedule of progress on our initiatives under 20/20 and believe we are making progress under all of the goals of the motion. As this is their recommendation to government, Cabinet will be abstaining from the vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. To the motion. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe very strongly in supporting the community and I think that this motion reflects concerns out there that I’ve heard that employable offers and opportunities are very few and thin. That being said, Mr. Speaker, I also recognize the initiatives taken on by this government to help close those gaps for people with disabilities and I strongly support the efforts that government has been making to date. Is that gap wide? I think it’s still a significant barrier for many, but I believe in my heart that people are trying to meet the government half way in trying to find ways to close that. I’ll continue to advocate for people with disabilities and in my heart I feel very strongly that the government should be opening up every opportunity they can to help folks.

Mr. Speaker, I will be voting in support of this motion because I feel that it would be against what I believe in a sense of finding new ways to meet and achieve those goals, but that said, I do believe strongly that the government is attempting to meet the spirit and intent of the existing motion already with the work that they are doing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. To the motion. I’ll go to the mover of the motion for closing comments, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I’d like to thank my colleagues for their remarks. I don’t know, Mr. Speaker, how many other ways I can say it; I am not asking or this motion does not ask for the policy to be opened. This motion asks for the priority hiring lists, which are not within the Affirmative Action Policy, to be opened. Those are listed in the Human Resource Manual. I don’t believe that’s a policy as a policy approved by Cabinet. I don’t think it is a policy that was approved by Cabinet.

I’d like to also point out to my colleagues that I am not advocating that a P2 with a disability have a higher priority than a P1. I am asking that people with a disability receive a higher priority than we currently now give them. In my example, the P1 with the disability would have a higher priority than a P1 without a disability, and I would think all Members would want to try and encourage more people with a disability to be hired into our workforce.

I appreciate the Minister’s remarks and, as I mentioned, I appreciate the work that the department is doing, I just don’t think it’s quite enough. Without having seen the survey, which is going to come forward, I really have difficulty believing that a survey is going to do the same thing as what I call a reliable, confidential, trustworthy tool to measure the PWDs within our workforce. I would hope that’s what it is, but what I’m referencing and what I think we need is something which is totally confidential and totally

trustworthy, and I think many of the members in our workforce don’t believe that by self identifying that it’s going to be a confidential move.

I’d like to comment on the Minister’s remarks that the duty to accommodate officer is going to be assisting departments and is going to be doing some help, and, unfortunately, the example provided by my colleague last week in terms of the duty to accommodate in a competition at the hospital is proving that there are a few things yet to be gained. So I think an evaluation of the priorities that this government puts on persons with disabilities is justified and I encourage my colleagues to vote with me on this. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m sorry; could I have a recorded vote, please?

The Member is seeking a recorded vote. All those in favour of the motion please stand.

All those opposed to the motion, please stand.

All those abstaining from the motion, please stand.

Results of the recorded vote: all those in favour, six; opposed, five; abstaining, seven.

---Carried

Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 4-16(5), Executive Summary of the Report of the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project; Tabled Document 30-16(5), 2010 Review of Members’ Compensation and Benefits; Tabled Document 38-16(5), Supplementary Health Benefits – What We Heard; Tabled Document 62-16(5), Northwest Territories Water Stewardship Strategy; Tabled Document 75-16(5), Response to the Joint Review Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project on the Federal and Territorial Governments’ Interim Response to “Foundation for a Sustainable Northern Future”;

Tabled Document 103-16(5), GNWT Contracts Over $5,000 Report, Year Ending March 31, 2010; Tabled Document 133-16(5), NWT Main Estimates 2011-2012; Tabled Document 135-16(5), Response to the Standing Committee on Social Programs Report on the Review of the Child and Family Services Act; Tabled Document 156-16(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 5, 2010-2011; Tabled Document 157-16(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures) No. 3, 2010-2011; Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Social Assistance Act; Bill 14, An Act to Amend the Conflict of Interest Act; Bill 15, An Act to Amend the Fire Prevention Act; Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Dog Act; Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act; Bill 18, An Act to Repeal the Settlements Act; Bill 19, Municipal Statutes Amendment Act; Bill 20, An Act to Amend the Evidence Act; Minister’s Statement 65-16(5), Devolution Agreement-in-Principle, Impact on Land Claims and Protection of Aboriginal Rights; and Minister’s Statement 88-16(5), Sessional Statement, with Mr. Bromley in the chair.

By the authority given me as Speaker by Motion 31-16(5), I hereby authorize the House to sit beyond the daily hour of adjournment to consider the business before the House.

I’d like to call the Committee of the Whole together. Colleagues, we have before us consideration of tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 75, 103, 133, and 135, as well we have 156, 157, and we have Bills 4, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20; and Ministers’ statements 65-16(5) and 88-16(5). What is the wish of committee, Mrs. Groenewegen?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee would like to continue on with consideration of the main estimates this afternoon of the Department of the Executive; Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations; Finance; Justice; and the Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Is committee agreed?

Thank you. We’ll do that, but we’ll take a short break first.

---SHORT RECESS

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. We will proceed, as agreed, with the Department of Executive. I’ll start by asking the Minister if he’d like to bring in any witnesses.

Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. I’ll ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses into the House.

I’d like to ask the Minister to please introduce your witnesses.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. To my left is Penny Ballantyne, Cabinet secretary. To my right is Mr. David Stewart, ADM of Executive operations.