We will endeavour to do that. Also, our fiscal strategy would allow us a little more flexibility in future years as well. We think this is a very important area, so we’ll take the Member’s counsel and do whatever we can to try to increase this amount. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Premier McLeod. Committee, we’re on 2-22. We have Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just wanted to add my voice to my colleague Ms. Bisaro’s. I appreciate the Premier recognizing this. I think it’s well understood that these volunteer groups, and many of them have paid members, paid staff and so on, but they play a real role in our society. It’s a balance in the government and the market and civil society.

One comment I wanted to ask about is real versus non-real. I know we try and really support those that are delivering government programs on behalf of government, but I don’t want to discount many hardworking volunteers and volunteer groups out there that do important civil society work that’s essential for us to be a successful society. If the Premier could offer any perspectives on that, I’d appreciate that. Thank you.

Thank you. Maybe I used the incorrect wording, I guess. I was thinking of crucial NGOs that provide or deliver GNWT funded services and, also, in the past we’ve had our organizations that are funded from other organizations that have other avenues for funding have applied. I guess what I was trying to say was that those organizations that don’t have other funding sources, we try to focus on those ones. Thank you.

Thanks for that clarification. I certainly do support the Stabilization Fund and would support it being bumped up if possible. So I’ll leave it that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I think that was more of a comment. We’ll treat it as that. Committee, we’re on 2-22, Executive, activity summary, executive operations, grants and contributions, total grants, $350,000, total grants and contributions, $350,000. Is committee agreed?

Thank you. Page 2-23, Executive, information item, executive operations, active positions. Any questions?

Thank you. Page 2-25, Executive, activity summary, Cabinet support, operations expenditure summary, $2.521 million. Is committee agreed? Ms. Bisaro.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to ask a question here with regard to the women’s advisory, and there’s also a women’s initiatives grants on the next page. The women’s advisory office does a number of things. One of the things that I understand it does is to work to try and give a greater profile across government to sort of gender-based analysis. Could I just start with that question? Is that a function of the women’s advisory office to try and enhance the understanding of gender-based analysis across all of government? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. For that we’ll go to Premier McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That’s correct and this position gives a focus to not only women’s issues, but also to promote advances in gender equity. Thank you.

Thank you. So one of the things that, in my mind, gender-based analysis should do is to put a gender-based lens on any policy or any program or service that we may put into place. So we started from what I sort of think of as a zero position and are gradually working our way up and implementing a gender-based analysis lens on everything. Could I get some kind of an evaluation from the department as to where we are at this point? Are we 50 percent of the way there, are we 80 percent of the way there? How is it going in terms of using gender-based analysis in everything we do? Thank you.

Thank you. I’d say we’re 45 percent of the way there. Our focus has been on promoting it, and also through educational processes holding workshops with the different departments and working with the departments so that there’s a greater understanding of gender equity. I don’t think we’ve reached the point yet where we analyze every project from a gender equity lens, but I think that’s something that we’re aspiring to in the future. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for that. I appreciate it does take a while because it’s a culture change and it’s a mindset change, and I guess I would just exhort the departments and all departments in the government to just try to remember whenever they are developing anything new that they need to look at it from an operational perspective, but we also have to look at it from a gender-based or a gender-equity perspective. I think one of the things that gets lost sometimes when we talk about gender-based analysis is it’s not only just looking at women. It’s looking at particularly in female-based activities, for instance, we should be looking at it from a men’s perspective as well as from a female perspective. It tends to be more often than not looking at it from a female perspective because there are more men in a lot of positions, but I just want to point out that it’s not just women that we have to consider when we talk about gender-based analysis or gender equity. So thanks, Mr. Chair, just a comment.

I think we understand that and I think it must be working because the largest part of our workforce is female, and I think our deputy minister cadre is about 50 percent male and female. So I think this helps promote gender equity in all the things we do. Thank you.

Thank you, Premier McLeod. Committee, we’re on 2-25, Executive, activity summary, Cabinet support, operations expenditure summary, $2.521 million.

Thank you. Page 2-26, Executive, activity summary, Cabinet support, grants and contribution, grants, $50,000,

contributions, $795,000, total grants and contributions, $845,000.

Thank you. Page 2-27, Executive, information item, Cabinet support, active positions. Any questions?

Thank you. Page 2-28, Executive, information item, lease commitments, infrastructure any questions?