Yes, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we will make that commitment. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister is advised by his department who are in touch constantly with other health officials in the provinces and with Health Canada and he will deal with the concerns raised by the Member in a thorough way. So I assure him that we will ensure that the Minister reviews and addresses this issue in the way that it deserves. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is always our responsibility to support our Ministers and to take comfort in the way they handle their portfolios and responsibilities. This is the approach that all of us on Cabinet take and we will support the Minister in handling the issue and ensure he does it in a full and comprehensive way. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Jim Antoine will be absent from the House today to attend the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada annual conference in Toronto. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the more than 4,000 public service employees who work for this government are the backbone of our programs and services. It is their efforts, skills and abilities that allow us to deliver top quality programs to Northerners. Today, I would like to speak about two initiatives that allow the government as a whole to better support our employees so they, in turn, can continue the work.

The first initiative is the introduction of a new employee recognition program to promote and recognize the efforts and achievements of public service employees. In last year's recognition survey of all government employees, staff suggested ways to improve the frequency and nature of recognition. This program is based in the results of that survey and provides a broader approach to employee recognition.

In addition to improvements in the existing retirement and long-service awards, there are new parts to the program.

Departments are able to implement their own employee recognition program. Department recognition may be formal or informal and will recognize outstanding achievements of employees or teams that support departmental goals. Service application awards have been created to recognize the commitment of long service employees who are leaving the GNWT and are not eligible for retirement.

As well, I am pleased to announce that the Premier's Award for Excellence will be given on an annual basis to teams or individual employees for outstanding achievements that have had a positive effect on government. In honour of those achievements, the Premier's office sponsors an annual award event in June during Public Service Week. Recipients are chosen through a simple process that is available for anyone wishing to nominate an employee or team. The process for nominating individuals will be available shortly.

Awards will be given to employees or teams whose achievements demonstrate excellence and innovation in meeting the objectives of government. Examples of the types of achievements that could be recognized are:

- creative solutions resulting in improvement to government-wide systems or processes;

- exceptional performance on an ongoing basis;

- outstanding commitment to complex projects or ongoing activities;

- unique contributions that demonstrate excellence and innovation; and,

- personal milestones that support government objectives.

Mr. Speaker, the government is also taking steps to assist employees with strong management and leadership potential to gain the skills and experience necessary to take on progressively more senior management roles in the future. The management assignment program will get underway later this month and will provide individuals with assessment, training, developmental assignments, coaching and mentoring to help them develop their professional skills.

Mr. Speaker, we recognize and appreciate the dedication of our public service. These programs demonstrate our appreciation and the government's commitment to supporting those who are carrying out the programs and services necessary to serve the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had initially asked Cabinet to consider abstaining on this motion mostly to show the type of leadership that would indicate we are prepared to consider in spite of the support we have for the initiative. We are concerned if even one MLA has concerns about any initiative we undertake. We were going to do that by abstaining, so we would indicate we are listening and we are concerned. We wanted to show the respect for the Members for the Deh Cho, Tu Nedhe, North Slave and other Members who were voicing some concerns about the way in which we were implementing and proceeding, but because the Member for Hay River had defined it differently, we no longer had the option to see it as a recommendation.

So we will vote and I am asking Cabinet now to vote against the motion.

Having said that, I want to indicate again to Members, we are listening and we are obligated to consider the issues that are raised here, the concerns that have been expressed by the MLAs in the smaller communities. It's unfortunate that the motion is no longer and can be seen as simply a recommendation. I can tell you that we accept there are some problems, concerns and issues there. We will commit to reviewing those to make sure that as we proceed with implementation, that we do it in a fair, clear and consistent way. So we will be voting against the motion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the Member is correct and there is a perception problem, then we will correct that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, all students are encouraged and supported in their initiative to find summer employment, both with the government and with the private sector. This government will continue to try to find ways to support that, to facilitate it, but it is, as far as I know, not essential for them to register with us in order to gain employment with us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.