Debates of Feb. 11th, 2021

This is page numbers 1945 - 1988 of the Hansard for the 19th 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 going.

Topics

Oral Questions

Members Present

Prayer

COVID-19 Health and Social Services System Response

Aurora College Transformation Update

Summer Student Employment

Moosehide Campaign

Men's New Day Program

Priorities as a Member of the Legislative Assembly

Mental Health During Pandemic

District Heating

COVID-19 Vaccination Program

Caribou Hunting Zones

Climate Change Reporting

2020 NWT Hospitality Award Recipient Mr. Mike Gonet

Mental Health during the Pandemic

Vaccination Schedule for Tuktoyaktuk

Diabetes Program in Small Communities

Marginalized Citizens' Needs

Climate Change Reporting

Frontier Lodge

Housing Social Supports

District Heating

Tabled Document 306-19(2): Aurora College 2019-2020 Annual Report

Tabled Document 307-19(2): Annual Report of the Legislative Assembly under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act - 2020

Tabled Document 308-19(2): Letter from Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation to Premier dated February 5, 2021 regarding MACA Licensing Requirement for Frontier Lodge / Remote Lodges Tabled Document 309-19(2): Letter from Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs to Northwest Territories Tourism dated February 10, 2021 regarding Remote Lodge Licencing

Tabled Document 310-19(2): Letter from Hamlet of Sachs Harbour to MLA Nunakput dated January 26, 2021 regarding Letter of Interest for Project at Airport Tabled Document 311-19(2): Letter from MLA Nunakput to Hamlet of Sachs Harbour dated February 2, 2021 in Support of Airport Project Proposal

Extended Adjournment of the House to February 23, 2021

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department (page 137)

Report Of Committee Of The Whole

Orders Of The Day

Committee Motion 76-19(2): Tabled Document 286-19(2): Main Estimates 2021-2022 - Education, Culture and Employment - Deferral of Department (page 137), Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

Page 1958

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. My deputy minister would like to take that question.

Page 1958

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Mr. Goldney.

Page 1959

Goldney

Thank you, Madam Chair. We are still in the process of an implementation exercise where, in 2018, there were some changes made to how communications would be supported throughout government. As we have been implementing that work, it has been a bit of a culture change, but we are seeing some successes emerge. We are right now in the process of doing some validation of that work to make sure that we are on the right track, and some of the expectations for improvements are working, so there are no plans for a further review. Right now, we're assessing some of the changes that were made relatively recently, beginning in 2018, through a communications transformation project. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Page 1959

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Goldney. Member for Yellowknife North.

Page 1959

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't want to micromanage communications. Communications are very much the bread and butter of what the Ministers and the Cabinet want things to look like, but I do have some larger concerns. I believe corporate communications holds the ultimate responsibility for the GNWT website, and then we allow other comms shops in departments to go and adjust the websites. This has led to just GNWT websites being a mess and completely inconsistent, and it's hard to find information. I think there are different understandings of whether websites are places for departments to store everything that has ever happened, or whether websites are user-friendly places for citizens to find information.

I think MLAs spend far too much time talking about communications because we get frustrated. We get frustrated when we ask to have easily shareable information and it's not done. I think, as a contrast, if we go to the WSCC website, which is arm's-length and I'm assuming that their comms staff have complete control over it, it's just a better, more user-friendly website. This isn't an impossible thing for our government to do. Are there any plans to overhaul GNWT websites and perhaps give corporate communications complete control in this area, centralize it, and let them go and clean up some of the very bad websites that still exist in certain departments or corporations? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Page 1959

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Madam Premier.

Page 1959

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. I also recognize that accessing things through the websites in the GNWT is not an easy task. I struggle myself to find things. People know that technology isn't my strong point, except for the tools I use, and so when you struggle with computer usage and things, I realize it's even harder to access those things. We have added an extra person to the Cabinet communications support, because, with COVID-19, that was the biggest thing. Corporate communications is really focused on our graphics, the corporate image of us, and then the departments also have communications. We do recognize in this government that our websites do need to be cleaned up, made more accessible, and so, Madam Chair, within this government term, we will be looking to do that work. However, I cannot say it will happen right away. We are dealing with a huge workload at this point. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Page 1959

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Member for Yellowknife North.

Page 1959

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Chair. I often hear the Premier say that they're dealing with a huge amount of work, but Executive and Indigenous Affairs is the smallest department. It's about 1 percent of our total budget. If you want to double your staff and actually take the lead on some of these initiatives, I'll vote for that. It's 1 percent of the budget; it's not going to make or break the bank. My question in regard to the website is: can I get clarification of who is responsible for GNWT websites? I believe corporate communications is responsible, and everything has to kind of go through them. Then the Office of the Chief Information Officer in Finance kind of has approval there, and then Infrastructure has the underlying IT. I just want to know: can we sort this out so that there is someone who is responsible for the GNWT websites, a clear point of authority? Because I don't believe that exists right now. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Page 1959

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Madam Premier.

Page 1959

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll turn that to my deputy minister, Mr. Goldney.

Page 1959

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Deputy Minister Goldney.

Page 1959

Goldney

Thank you, Madam Chair. I think the Member is right that there is much room for improvement on our websites, so there are those conversations happening. Corporate communications does have a role and is working to try and get some consistency in how our information is presented online, but that necessarily involves those discussions with the others that the Member has mentioned, including the Chief Information Officer and the technology folks within information shared services. Those conversations are happening with the goal of having some more accessible information available on those websites and consistent presentation. It is a bit more complicated than one might assume. There are some architectural changes that are being explored now to get a more user-friendly, accessible website, but that work is underway. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Page 1959

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Are there further questions to the Executive and Indigenous Affairs, corporate communications? Seeing none, please turn to page 116. Executive and Indigenous Affairs, corporate communications, operations expenditure summary, 2021-2022 Main Estimates, $1,473,000. Does committee agree?

Page 1959

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Page 1959

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, committee. We will move on to the directorate, beginning on page 118, with information items on pages 120 and 121. Questions? Member for Kam Lake.

Page 1959

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I am wondering if to start us off the Premier could tell us, with this new gender equity unit, what the people of the Northwest Territories can expect to see come out of that from their perspective and how this changes the operations of the women's advisor role that was existing before. Thank you.

Page 1959

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Madam Premier.

Page 1959

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. If you can, turn it to Martin Goldney, the deputy minister.

Page 1959

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Mr. Goldney.

Page 1959

Goldney

Thank you, Madam Chair. We are looking forward to adding resources to that function and enhancing the ability of the existing special advisor to not only do that liaison work but also help guide a whole-of-government approach to some of these issues. We have quite frankly noticed that we need more leadership on some of these challenging issues, and we were also facing the reality of an urgent need to respond to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry and Calls to Justice. These positions will support that work and provide some of that leadership and, as the Premier mentioned in the opening remarks, also support a whole-of-government implementation of some gender equity lenses. Some of that has already been done, but we do recognize that we need to do more. These positions will support all of that work. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Page 1959

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Deputy Minister. Member for Kam Lake.

Page 1959

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. How many positions specifically are being added to the gender equity unit? Thank you.

Page 1959

The Chair Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Madam Premier.

Page 1959

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. I believe it's a total of three positions will be added. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Debates of Feb. 11th, 2021

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