This is page numbers 6185 - 6244 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 aboriginal.

Topics

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

David Stewart

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the Premier pointed out, we do put out a call for applications at the start of each fiscal year. This last year, for example, we got many more requests for funds than we had available. One of the ways we prioritized was to organize them by region, first off, then by, as the Premier indicated, the type of support and by whether they were looking for ongoing funding or not, and then whether they’d gotten funding in the past. We used that as the general criteria to try to help set some priorities and try to get at those organizations that were most in need.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Stewart. Page 2-22, Executive, activity summary, executive operations, grants and contributions, grants, total grants, $350,000.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Bob Bromley

Page 2-22, Executive, activity summary, Executive operations, grants and contributions, contributions, total contributions, $40,000.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Bob Bromley

Page 2-22, Executive, activity summary, executive operations, grants and contributions, total grants and contributions, $390,000.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Bob Bromley

Page 2-23, Executive, activity summary, information item, executive operations, active positions.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Bob Bromley

Page 2-25, Executive, activity summary, Public Utilities Board, operations expenditure summary, $438,000.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Bob Bromley

Page 2-26, Executive, activity summary, information item, Public Utilities Board, active positions.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Bob Bromley

Page 2-29, Executive, activity summary, Cabinet support. Ms. Bisaro.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a question with regard to the section on corporate communications and protocol. I believe it was in the business plans that I read that the department was doing a review of the GNWT communications standards and practices. I’d like to ask the Minister, the DM, if indeed that review was done and what the results were, can we see that report, all those sorts of questions.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Bob Bromley

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Roland.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The area of communications and protocol within Cabinet was one of coming up with a process of clearly establishing our links and communications internally with departments. Right now every department has their own communications portion or function. To pull that together to have a more consistent approach to that, as well as some direct communications themselves on that. We’re still doing the work, but I would say that if I recall the discussion on this, it was more to set up a better coordinated approach in our communications process between the Executive and departments. That has started to fall in place. It goes right from, for example, Ministers’ statements coordinated to the issues that may arise in a department that can have an overall impact on government and how we would respond or support a department in those initiatives. I can ask Ms. Ballantyne to give a little more content to that.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ms. Ballantyne.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Penny Ballantyne

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As the Premier indicated, the corporate communications group does meet regularly. This is an interdepartmental working group chaired by the deputy secretary for corporate communications. They have undertaken a number of reviews in their work plan. I’m not entirely sure about this specific review that the Member is referring to, but it may have occurred before my time. We would certainly undertake to get back to the Member with any specific information on a review of standards, which is, I believe, what she was asking about.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Ms. Ballantyne. Ms. Bisaro.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

I don’t have the paper right here where I got the info. I’ll look it up and let the Minister know. If people are still asking questions, I can come back to it.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. I didn’t really hear a question. Mr. Roland, do you have any comments?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

No, Mr. Chairman. Once we get some confirmation on this specific area we’ll be able to do that. What I would, I guess, put out now is that we will pull the work that we have done in the areas that we’ve worked. For example, some of this was an additional communications person that we have within Executive now that helps us and then there’s the internal coordinating and working group. The other thing we’ve done, for example, is our radio broadcasting working with Aboriginal languages and talking about in general our government messaging throughout a number of departments.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Page 2-29, Executive, activity summary, Cabinet support, operations expenditure summary, $3.156 million.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole on Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.