This is page numbers 2513 - 2554 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 2nd 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 work.

Topics

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you to the Minister for that response. I'm now going to test what that might mean in dollars and cents. If indeed this is the crisis that we all agree it is, then what information is informing the work of dealing with this crisis? What is the information that the Minister is using to change hearts and minds and combat attitudes which perpetuate family violence?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

We continue to work with Aboriginal governments, community groups, and other partners. We seek advice and direction from them so that we can deal with this very serious issue.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

That was a less robust answer than I was hoping for. I believe we are agreed that combatting the brutal and unending murder of women is a priority, and redoing the family violence survey would give us the data to ensure our crisis response is an informed and intelligent response. Will the Minister commit to updating the cost of redoing the survey and including this funding in the upcoming business plan for his department?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, we of course wish to use the limited resources at our disposal in the most effective manner possible. I do note that a very similar question was asked of another Minister in March of this year. The answer at that time was that we didn't think that would be the best use of money and that we would rather focus our money and efforts on prevention and healing. I concur with that.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand the entire Cabinet is going to Inuvik next week for the energy forum. Is there not any way to make choices, intelligent choices, about where to spend money that supports the residents of the NWT other than going for a little holiday up in Inuvik? Perhaps the Minister needs a more insistent request. What if the Standing Committee on Social Development wrote to you and asked you to -

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Member. What is your line of question?

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Could the standing committee write to the Minister to ask for a commitment for this funding? Would that make any difference? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Justice.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Certainly, the committee can write to me if they wish. However, I think this matter has been reviewed. Again, it's important that we allocate our resources in the most effective way possible. I'd like to tell the Assembly some of the things the Department of Justice is doing. You heard about the A New Day Program yesterday. Well, we're hoping it will be more successful. Corrections has a new violence prevention program which teaches men in NWT jails to stop using violence. We have the Domestic Violence Treatment Option, DVTO, court options, which is new in the last 10 years. We are doing a lot of things. We are expending a lot of money to deal with this very serious issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For those watching Committee of the Whole yesterday, they would have seen at least three Regular Members pledge their support for Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Education Act. If they're true to their word, then, by the end of the day, junior kindergarten will become the law of the land. This is being offered in most countries in the developed world or they are on the way to offering it. This should be a joyous occasion. We should all be excited.

Meanwhile, I don't think anyone feels good about this decision or the way it was rolled out. The Regular Members have wasted probably hundreds of hours researching this, trying to figure out what was going on because we couldn't get information from the department. For years, this has been a sticking point, and it goes not just to the Regular Members. The education authorities, the DAs, they all feel the same way for the most part. I want to ask the Minister because this has been such a disaster, the way this has rolled out: is the Minister going to ask for anyone's resignation because of this junior kindergarten fiasco? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The process with junior kindergarten has been going on for over four years. We have 20 communities that offer great programs. We have seen some really good results and some really good successes in those communities, with an increased development in some of our students that are entering our education system. We have been meeting regularly with DECs as well as superintendents. I'm not sure if the Member is speaking on behalf of all the education authorities across the Northwest Territories, as he has stated, but we are seeing some really good headway in junior kindergarten as well as our early childhood programming in the Northwest Territories, which is a mandate of this 18th Legislative Assembly. The staff that I work with and the staff that work in the regions and centres do commendable, hard work, and we want to address some of the early childhood concerns through the EDI results that we have been collecting for the last four years. No, we will not be asking for something like that. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Item 8, written questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Justice as a follow-up to the return to written questions he presented May 25, 2017. The RCMP reviewed sexual assault complaints to "G" Division for the period 2010-2016 and reduced the rate of unfounded complaints from 30 per cent to 18.7 per cent.

Did this reclassification include a review of evidence in each case file, and:

1. Did the RCMP contact complainants and provide an explanation in the cases deemed unfounded;

2. What is the significance of reporting that 42 per cent of the new unfounded cases originated from third parties;

3. What are the reasons that the remaining 58 per cent of cases were determined to be unfounded; and

4. What was the result of the case review in Yellowknife where the original unfounded rate was 36 per cent?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to Commissioner's opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. The Honourable Premier.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled "Progress Report on the Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories - June 2017." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents entitled "The NWT Health and Social Services Patient Experience Report 2016," "Status Report on the Implementation of the Health Information Act, October 2015 to October 2016," and the "NWT On the Land Collaborative 2017 Report." Thank you Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Socio-Economic Agreements Implementation Report 2016 Annual Report - Ekati, Diavik, Snap Lake and Gahcho Kue." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following ten documents entitled "Beaufort-Delta Education Council Consolidated Annual Financial Report, June 30, 2016," "Commission scolaire francophone Territoires du Nord-Ouest Consolidated Financial Statements, June 30, 2016," "Detah District Education Authority Consolidated Financial Statements, June 30, 2016," "Consolidated Financial Statements of Dehcho Divisional Education Council, June 30, 2016," "K'alemi Dene School (Ndilo District Education Authority) Consolidated Financial Statements, June 30, 2016," "Consolidated Financial Statements of Sahtu Divisional Education Council, June 30, 2016," "South Slave Divisional Education Council Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended June 30, 2016," "Tlicho Community Services Agency Education Division Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended June 30, 2016," Yellowknife Catholic Schools (Yellowknife Public Denominational District Education Authority) Annual Financial Report, June 30, 2016," and "Yellowknife District No.1 Education Authority (Yellowknife Education District No. 1) Financial Statements, June 30, 2016." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Member for Frame Lake.