This is page numbers 5413 - 5452 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd 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. View the webstream of the day's session.

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Legislative Assembly provide to the public a better understanding of the work of a Member, and make available a video and other visual and written materials, including information on the prerequisites, roles, and responsibilities, as well as the benefits available to Members. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Ms. Green. There's a motion on the floor. To the motion. Ms. Green.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair. In our travels, we discovered that there was very little information available to the people who attended our sessions about the roles and responsibilities of MLAs. They are often familiar with the work that we do in this House because they see the televised proceedings, or they may also read Hansard, but they have little understanding of the work that we do that is not televised, specifically the work of standing committees, special committees, constituency work, and the like. There was a request that we attempt to create a job description for the role of MLAs so that people who are interested in this work have a better idea of exactly what's involved with it.

Likewise, we found that people were not well-informed about the pay that is offered to MLAs, and the other benefits that are available to them such as living allowance if they are living in Yellowknife during the session and they are normally resident elsewhere, as well as travel allowances for themselves and their families. The committee feels that making this information more available to women will answer questions they have about what they're getting into if they decide to run for office. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you. To the motion. Minister Cochrane.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This motion is one that I hold dear to my heart and I really do support it. I hope everyone will support it. I just want to share that women are well-known within their communities as leaders; however, they tend to be on the ground in providing services that stay in the communities, and they don't usually get to the higher levels such as being an MLA or a Minister or Premier. My own experience is I worked for over 20 years with homeless women and low-income women. I came into the government not because I wanted to be a politician, but because I felt that our needs weren't being heard, and so I wanted to make change and have the power to do that. In fact, I apologize to Joe Hanley, a previous Premier. I was so unaware of politics in general that I didn't even know who Joe Hanley was. That is an embarrassment, and I should have known.

The first thing I asked when I became a Minister was, "What is my job description?" I was told, "You are a Minister. You have no job description. You can do what you want." From then on, very quickly, I was told, "But you can't do that. But you can't do that. But you can't do that." I am a firm believer that this motion is critical to not only women, but to all Members, so that we have a clear idea of what we can do and what our limitations are. I hope that all of my fellow colleagues and female colleague will support this motion. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you. To the motion. Ms. Green.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the Minister's remarks in support of this motion. I request a recorded vote. Thank you.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you. The Member has requested a recorded vote. All those in favour, please rise.

Recorded Vote
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 5423

Deputy Clerk Of The House Mr. Ball

The Member for Yellowknife Centre, the Member for Deh Cho, the Member for Nunakput, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, the Member for Range Lake, the Member for Great Slave, the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, the Member for Hay River South, the Member for Thebacha, the Member for Mackenzie Delta, the Member for Sahtu, the Member for Yellowknife North, the Member for Kam Lake, the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, the Member for Nahendeh, the Member for Frame Lake.

Recorded Vote
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 5423

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

All those opposed, please rise. All those abstaining, please rise. The results of the recorded vote: 16 in favour, zero opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Ms. Green.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Legislative Assembly take the necessary steps to assist in ensuring that information on the NWT's consensus government is made available to any group, organization, or government in the Northwest Territories involved in teaching young women; and further, that the Legislative Assembly encourage its Members to be supportive of hands-on learning activities on consensus government such as school visits to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Ms. Green. The motion is in order. To the motion. Ms. Green.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This motion speaks to advice we received in the communities to make the information about a career in politics known to young women who are still in the school system. There is a feeling that, when young women are considering careers for their post-graduation life, they may not consider a career as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. This motion attempts to take up that idea and requests that, whether it is an education group or the guides or the youth parliament, there be more effort to involve young women in activities that teach them about the Government of the Northwest Territories, specifically about consensus government, and that, where possible, young women are encouraged to come to the Legislative Assembly to see our work take place.

This responds to a well-known principle in increasing women's representation, which is that, if women see women in positions of leadership, then they can see themselves in that position, as well. This motion is in response to that principle. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Ms. Green. To the motion. Minister Cochrane.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This, again, is a very important motion. It was traditional that women were kind of stereotyped into traditional roles that were considered for women; nurses, social workers like myself, et cetera. We are breaking those barriers. Women are now in mining. They are in construction. They are in heavy equipment. We are still not at par, though. Women in politics is another area that was a barrier. We need to break all of these glass ceilings around us. This is another motion that will allow young women to see politics as a viable career. I fully support this motion, and I expect all my Members to support this, as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Minister. To the motion. Ms. Green.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I request a recorded vote.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you. The Member has requested a recorded vote. Question has been called. All those in favour, please rise.

Recorded Vote
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 5423

Deputy Clerk Of The House Mr. Ball

The Member for Yellowknife Centre, the Member for Deh Cho, the Member for Nunakput, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, the Member for Range Lake, the Member for Great Slave, the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, the Member for Hay River South, the Member for Thebacha, the Member for Mackenzie Delta, the Member for Sahtu, the Member for Yellowknife North, the Member for Kam Lake, the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, the Member for Nahendeh, the Member for Frame Lake.

Recorded Vote
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 5423

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

All those opposed, please rise. All those abstaining, please rise. The results of the recorded vote: 16 in favour, zero opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is carried.

---Carried

Ms. Green.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommends that the Legislative Assembly investigate practical measures to make the Legislature family-friendly, explore the possibility of creating a family room, installing infant change devices in bathrooms, and improving signage indicating location of family-friendly facilities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Ms. Green. The motion is in order. To the motion. Ms. Green.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If you went into most of the coffee shops in Yellowknife and you were with someone who required a baby change table, there is a good chance that that person would find a baby change table in the women's washroom. That is not the case here at the Legislative Assembly. There is nowhere for a parent to change a child except for the floor. There is also nowhere for a parent to calm a child or breastfeed or do other family-related activities.

The purpose of this motion is to make this building more family-friendly while it was designed by men and for men. Because it is a new Legislature, there are already some facilities in place for women. For example, there are an equal number of washrooms for men and women. This would take our accommodation of caregivers to the next step by providing these family-friendly facilities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Ms. Green. To the motion. Minister Cochrane.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. One of the reasons this motion is important is it is not only a women's issue. We are asking for a family room. The dynamics are changing, now. It used to be, again, that women were expected to stay home and raise children. That is not the norm anymore. It might be prominent, but it is not the norm. It is not only a women's change table in a women's washroom. It needs to be a change table in a family room that men who are caring for children also have the option to provide for their infants. Thank you, Mr. Chair.