Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on the recommendations of the Access to Privacy Commissioner in the last Assembly, the government also made a recommendation that the government post all salary ranges for different categories of employment in the Government of the Northwest Territories. The Member and I were both on that committee, and since becoming a Minister I have directed the department to post all salary ranges for all categories of employment in the Government of the Northwest Territories on-line. They are all there.

As far as posting individuals’ salaries and individual position salaries, we are actually limited by the conditions of the Access to Information and Privacy Act. Thank you.

Thank you. I appreciate the Minister mentioning the last part, especially about the privacy issue. In Alberta, they recently passed through an FMB directive, which is similar to our process of the Treasury Board, that actually makes this happen that I’m talking about. Ontario, which I’ll table later today, actually publishes people over $100,000 by position, name, where the position is located, as well as their specific salary.

So what is actually stopping this particular Minister from publishing this type of information that’s being published across Canada? Thank you.

I’ve seen that information and I understand that some jurisdictions, under their particular access to information and privacy legislation, have the freedom to do that. We have our own stand-alone legislation here in the Northwest Territories which we have to comply with, and our legislation does not allow that. I am happy to sit down with committee and have some discussions around this, and if they wish for us to pursue this and look at our legislation, we’re happy to do that, but right now our legislation actually limits our ability to do exactly what some of these other jurisdictions are doing. Thank you.

There have been occasions when this particular Minister has been quoted in this House about demanding that salaries get publicized. So why would this question be less relevant when he’s a Minister now? I’d like to ask specifically as Minister what has he done, rather than asking committee to make the recommendations that you can either follow or not

follow, but what has the Minister done in his capacity to bring forward the information as I’ve suggested in the manner I’ve suggested? Thank you.

I’m happy the Member brought up my past experience, my past comments. I did exactly what I’ve done already as a Minister, which is post all ranges for all GNWT positions in the Government of the Northwest Territories. I’ve said in committee, I’ve said in the House that that should be done and I’m happy to say today that is exactly what has been done.

With respect to posting individual salaries and individual position salaries, I’ve never been supportive of that, but if it’s something that committee wishes to do, I’m happy, with my colleagues, to look at that and discuss it with committee. If that is the wish of committee, we are happy to pursue that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act in 1996 from Ontario does exactly what I’m suggesting. What does the Minister have to hide from when I’ve given numerous examples as to why Ontario does this? They specifically state the institution people work on, their specific names, their specific positions over $100,000. What does the Minister have to hide from, from proceeding with this type of information on public disclosure on our website? Thank you.

Thank you. I don’t think we have anything to hide about or hide behind. Bottom line is, our legislation is specific and it talks of this particular area. We are not in a position to release that information without changing the Access to Information and Privacy Act.

Like I said, I’m happy to go to committee, have a discussion on this and if committee wishes us to change the Access to Information and Privacy Act, that is certainly something that we are willing to work with committee on. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I made a comment on acknowledging the National Cervical Cancer Awareness Week. I’d just like to follow up on it. Perhaps in a sense, maybe for some to talk openly about what happens, perhaps it’s an uncomfortable matter, but I think for a case like this talking about it, raising awareness is the mission, especially for the public out there in the Northwest Territories when we have lots of cases of cancer.

So my question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services. How are young people in the Northwest Territories taught the basics of sexual health, including the information on the human papilloma virus and cervical cancer? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health does a lot of work in the cancer area, and the department has developed a cancer awareness and response strategy that was funded during this fiscal year, and we have been doing work in various areas under the chief public health officer. I guess that’s how we’re trying to respond to the cancer awareness. Thank you.

Thank you. What about adults? In our health system, how do we make sure that adults know about the human papilloma virus and cervical cancer? Thank you.

Thank you. I see the HPV advertisements on the television, I notice that they’re put on by the Nunavut government and I don’t know that the Government of the Northwest Territories has the same type of campaign for HPV. But I know that awareness of the types of cancer that we find most prevalent are the ones that we’re trying to campaign as in colorectal, prostate and lung cancer for men, and colorectal, lung and breast cancer for women. Thank you.

It is rather disappointing that we’re not making the same effort as our colleagues in Nunavut. Why are the human papilloma virus screening rates lower among Aboriginal women and lower in regional centres and small communities than in Yellowknife? Mahsi.

I’m assuming that the Member has the information that those rates of exams or tests are lower than in the larger centres. I don’t have that information here. I think the standard, when we try to do cancer awareness or try to do early detection, is to try to do something that’s standard across the territory, except for in situations where communities are considered to have a spike in cancer rates in their specific communities. We try to work with those communities to look at all the cancer rates, but the standard is that we are supposed to be applying the same across the Territories regardless of the size of the community. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Quite some

time ago, I think it was in 2010, certainly it was in the 16

th Assembly, the Department of Education,

Culture and Employment advised Members that they would be doing a review of the Student Financial Assistance Program. I’d like to know from the Minister, it’s been quite some time since that announcement was made, it’s been two years down the road, plus some, I think. So I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not that review has been completed, and if so, is it available for the public? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The SFA was under review and there was a management response to the SFA and the availability to me as the Minister responsible. Upon that, it would be available to the general public based on the recommendations brought forward. We are looking at various areas where we can focus as a priority that we can move forward. So I have to get the specifics of it. I don’t have that detailed information at this point with me right now, but I will get that for the Member on the status. Mahsi.

I think the Minister said that the report is not public. That’s my understanding, I think. I’d like to know from the Minister if the report has been received by the Minister and there has been a response to the report. I would think that there are many people in the public who would like to know what the report says. So I’d like to ask the Minister whether it is the intention of the Minister to make the report and its recommendations available to the public. Could he table it in the House perhaps, and hopefully soon? Thank you.