This is page numbers of the Hansard for the 20th Assembly, 1st 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 know.

Topics

Question 383-20(1): Self-determination of Indigenous Governments
Oral Questions

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Implementation Act does require the Government of the Northwest Territories to work with Indigenous governments, and there is a working group actually struck right now that is working on developing that action plan. So that work with Indigenous governments is happening. I'm not sure if the Member's speaking of a group of MLAs, but we're definitely working with the Indigenous governments. Thank you.

Question 383-20(1): Self-determination of Indigenous Governments
Oral Questions

Richard Edjericon

Richard Edjericon Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Premier, for your response. Can the Premier commit to providing more transparency around the process of obtaining greater self-government and decentralization of services and provide regular timelines and updates on the work towards these goals? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 383-20(1): Self-determination of Indigenous Governments
Oral Questions

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I need a little more specificity in that request. That's a lot of reporting. We will have reporting through the UNDRIP Implementation Act plan. You know, we have a Member from Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight attending the Council of Leaders meetings. We do share negotiation updates with the Members. But if there's something that we can do, if the Member has something specific in mind, I'm happy to work with him and see what else we can make public. Thank you.

Question 383-20(1): Self-determination of Indigenous Governments
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.

Question 384-20(1): Targeted Amendments to Waters Regulations
Oral Questions

October 29th, 2024

Julian Morse

Julian Morse Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to follow up a little bit further on the questions I asked earlier. I was wondering if the Minister of ECC would commit to a year for getting this process done, so having target the amendments to the waters regs by the October session of 2025. Thank you.

Question 384-20(1): Targeted Amendments to Waters Regulations
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Question 384-20(1): Targeted Amendments to Waters Regulations
Oral Questions

Jay MacDonald

Jay MacDonald Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. This is a collaborative exercise that we work very closely with the ICGS in how we move this forward. So the department, although we may have the wish to be as timely as possible, we need to consider all of the other participants in the process and ensure that we're communicating and we're collaborating to achieve the best results. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 384-20(1): Targeted Amendments to Waters Regulations
Oral Questions

Julian Morse

Julian Morse Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the Minister doesn't want to preclude anything that happens at the IGC, but I just want to note that, you know, this is something that we've been -- that I've been raising since right at the beginning after we got elected, and we're already a year in. If we commit to 2025, we'll be two years in for a process that was supposed to be targeted and quick. So that's why I'm trying to push the Minister to commit to something. Could the Minister commit to working with the parties to set a date and come back to Members with a timeline that they think is realistic? Thank you.

Question 384-20(1): Targeted Amendments to Waters Regulations
Oral Questions

Jay MacDonald

Jay MacDonald Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, I will certainly reach out to the department and ensure that we are having the appropriate conversations with our partners to determine the best path forward, and hopefully that will result in a timeline that I can return to the Member in this House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 384-20(1): Targeted Amendments to Waters Regulations
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Shane Thompson

Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was getting phone calls, text messages, yesterday from people in the South Slave, more particularly in -- both in Hay River and Fort Smith, regarding the layoff notice the given to the Fort Smith correctional centre staff. And if I remember correctly, 32 employees work there. The finance Minister did say during Committee of the Whole back in June that they were pausing it with an uncosted plan, unplanned, but they were going to propose something, Mr. Speaker. I e-mailed the Premier last night for an update. I am going to ask the finance Minister, could she explain the initiative -- or sorry, the steps they're taking with respect to these layoff notices to these 32 people in Fort Smith. Thank you.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Shane Thompson

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Finance.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can say at this point staff are not being given layoff notices, but we are trying to take a much more proactive approach here. As such, there was an informal initial meeting held in October 25th with some senior members from the Department of Justice, Department of Finance, human resources, in order to start to communicate to staff so that when the time, it does come, that the funding here is for one year, and so if the time is coming up, rather than waiting until formal notices are provided that staff actually have information in advance, they could have choices, they could ask questions in advance, and that way when the clock does start to tick on getting a formal notice, people have the opportunity to make choices well in advance and with lots of time ahead of them. Thank you.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, my question really isn't being answered in the sense of was this just a friendly conversation that we don't know what we're doing, or what type of notice was specifically given to these 32 employees? What I'm hearing are concern that they were giving specific job action notice. In other words, your job's ending and here's your notice. Maybe the Minister could be very clear on the record to say -- to explain what exactly was told to the employees with respect to their employment. Thank you.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wasn't present at the meeting so I'm not going to try to quote anyone that was present. Mr. Speaker, whenever there is a situation where individuals or staff are facing a change in their status, we have what are called the staff retention policy guidelines. We have staff retention policy, and we always make every effort to ensure that any employee who is facing a change in their status of employment has that full benefit.

What happens is that under the staff retention policy, a staff member would get a 21-week notice period. That clock starts to run when someone gets their notice. They were not given their notice. Rather -- rather than waiting until someone gets their notice, senior members went and met with individuals ahead of the time when that notice would have to be given so that when they get their notice, they are actually able to make choices about what types of route they may want to take in order to enact under the staff retention policy.

Some individuals are eligible for retirement. Some individuals may be interested in a transfer. But, again, waiting until that clock starts to tick when you get your notice is not the way we're going here. We want to empower our staff and make sure they have all their options available to them. Thank you.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, so in other words, is the government planning to lay these employees off noting that the official paperwork of layoff notices isn't given but this 21-week articulation of be aware of, well just be aware, and we don't know yet. So I need to understand, was it just a shout out over their bow to say we're not laying you off today but we don't have a plan, which means there may not be a job for you? Thank you.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Shane Thompson

Mr. Premier.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the finance Minister has answered the question twice now. So the Member can check Hansard once this is over. Thank you.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Shane Thompson

Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, I think I'm having a difficult time, and I'm sure this will be a personal joke back or a shot or whatever, but I'm having a difficult time understanding this little dance between what a real layoff notice is. Can you imagine the employees, the 32 employees there, hearing this message. 21 weeks is 150 -- or sorry, 40 -- 147 days. It's 153 days. In other words, six days difference between the end of March 31st. So those who follow the math quickly, is it's almost 21 weeks until the end of the budget year. Mr. Speaker, my question specifically to the Minister is can she make it absolutely crystal clear what the plan is in that facility. Because we left here in June that they would find a plan and support for those employees. Thank you.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Instead of just receiving a notice in the mail, staff went there to personally speak with employees, to let them know what the options are going forward, because there is no more funding for that facility at the end of this fiscal year. Thank you.

Question 385-20(1): Fort Smith Correctional Centre Layoff Notices
Oral Questions

The Speaker

The Speaker Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Colleagues, our time is up for oral questions.

Recognizing the time, we've been here for a while, we're going to take a break so the -- our translators can rest, take a break as well. Thank you.

Returns to oral questions. Replies to the Commissioner's address. Petitions. Tabling of documents. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Tabled Document 205-20(1): Operating Plans for Northwest Territories Education Bodies for the 2024-2025 School Year Ending June 30, 2025
Tabling Of Documents

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Operating Plans for Northwest Territories Education Bodies for the 2024-2025 School Year Ending June 30th, 2025. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tabled Document 205-20(1): Operating Plans for Northwest Territories Education Bodies for the 2024-2025 School Year Ending June 30, 2025
Tabling Of Documents

The Speaker

The Speaker Shane Thompson

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Tabling of documents. Minister of Finance.

Tabled Document 206-20(1): Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission 70th Annual Report 2023-2024 Tabled Document 207-20(1): Northwest Territories Liquor Licensing Board 70th Annual Report 2023-2024
Tabling Of Documents

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: The 70th Annual Report of the Northwest Territories Liquor and Cannabis Commission 2023-2024, and the 70th Annual Report of the Northwest Territories Liquor Licensing Board Enforcement 2023-2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.