Blues
Whitehorse, Yukon
Thursday, December 13, 2007 -- 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: I will now call the House to order. We will proceed at this time with prayers.
Prayers
DAILY ROUTINE
Speaker: We will proceed at this time with the Order Paper.
Tributes.
Introduction of visitors.
Are there any returns or documents for tabling?
TABLING RETURNS AND DOCUMENTS
Hon. Ms. Taylor: Mr. Speaker, I have for tabling the 2006-07 annual report for the Yukon Arts Centre.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I have for tabling today the Yukon Child Care Board annual report for April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007.
I have also for tabling the Yukon Hospital Corporation consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2007, and a statement of revenue and expenditures of the health care insurance programs, health services branch, effective July 31, 2007.
Mr. McRobb: Mr. Speaker, I have for tabling a few documents.
Mr. Hardy: Mr. Speaker, I have for tabling a document for the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Edzerza: Mr. Speaker, I have a document for the Minister of Justice.
Speaker: Are there further documents for tabling?
Reports of committees.
Petitions.
Are there any bills to be introduced?
Are there any notices of motion?
NOTICES OF MOTION
Mr. Hardy: I give notice of the following motion:
THAT, in the interest of making the proceedings of the Yukon Legislative Assembly more accessible, accountable and relevant to the Yukon people, the Public Accounts Committee hold a minimum of four regular meetings each calendar year, at the call of the Chair, in addition to other meetings as requested in writing by two or more members of the committee.
I give notice of the following motion:
THAT, in the interest of making the proceedings of the Yukon Legislative Assembly more accessible, accountable and relevant to the Yukon people, this House allow members of the public to appear as witnesses to make presentations.
I give notice of the following motion:
THAT, in the interest of making the proceedings of the Yukon Legislative Assembly more accessible, accountable and relevant to the Yukon people, this House establish reasonable time limits for questions and responses during Committee debate on departmental budgets.
I give notice of the following motion:
THAT, in the interest of making the proceedings of the Yukon Legislative Assembly more accessible, accountable and relevant to the Yukon people, this House direct the Government House Leader to set the order of budget debates of departments according to the amount of money in departments, from most to least.
I give notice of the following motion:
THAT in the interest of making the proceedings of the Yukon Legislative Assembly more accessible, accountable and relevant to the Yukon people, articles 75 and 76 be removed from the Standing Orders.
I give notice of the following motion:
THAT in the interest of making the proceedings of the Yukon Legislative Assembly more accessible, accountable and relevant to the Yukon people, this House set a limit on the time for each member's questions when witnesses are called to the House.
I give notice of the following motion:
THAT in the interest of making the proceedings of the Yukon Legislative Assembly more accessible, accountable and relevant to the Yukon people, this House adopt a rotation of private members' motions based on the number of private members, rather than on party affiliation.
I give notice of the following motion:
THAT in the interest of making the proceedings of the Yukon Legislative Assembly more accessible, accountable and relevant to the Yukon people, this House adopt fixed sitting dates for the commencement of the Legislature under article 73 of the Standing Orders.
Mr. Edzerza: I give notice of the following motion:
THAT it is the opinion of this House that
(1) since the onset of industrialized fisheries in the 1950s, the resource base for entire communities of large fish species from the tropics to the poles has been reduced to less than 10 percent;
(2) overfishing by commercial trawlers threatens our marine ecosystems, the sustainability of the fishing industry and the livelihoods of people dependent on the resource;
(3) by-catches of salmon, particularly chinook salmon, caught by pollock trawlers off the coast of Alaska have been identified as a key factor in the closure of salmon fishing in the Yukon;
(4) without steps to mitigate the effects of trawlers fishing in the Pacific Ocean, salmon stocks are in danger of collapse;
(5) the Pacific Salmon Treaty signed in 1985 by Canada and the U.S. states that both countries must "maintain efforts to increase the in-river run of Yukon River origin salmon by reducing marine catches and by-catches of Yukon River salmon"; and
THAT this House urges the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to advocate for Pacific salmon and the people whose subsistence lifestyles are dependent upon salmon fishing, by pushing for restrictions on pollock fishing in the waters off Alaska, as well as effective, enforceable penalties.
I give notice of the following motion:
THAT it is the opinion of this House that
(1) the Government of Canada's obstructionist manoeuvres at the Bali conference on climate change should not distract from the work the Yukon government must undertake;
(2) the Yukon government has no plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in its own operations;
(3) the Yukon government has no transportation policy or plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, which are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the territory;
(4) the Yukon Minister of Environment has abdicated responsibility by minimizing Yukon's emissions as being "almost immeasurable";
(5) the Yukon government's focus on adapting to climate change must be strengthened to include measures to mitigate climate change; and
THAT this House urges the Yukon government to accelerate a climate change action plan by immediately instructing its departments to look for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption.
Speaker: Are there any further notices of motion?
Is there a ministerial statement?
MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS
New program for children with disabilities and their families
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise today in the Assembly to inform all members of a new program that will be offered through Health and Social Services to benefit children with disabilities and their families. Through its many programs, the department has either paid for or offered an array of services to children with disabilities and their families over the years. This response has met some needs while not meeting others. This new program, however, brings everything together under one roof and will coordinate, expand and enhance services.
In last year's Speech from the Throne we committed to a future where children with disabilities would receive the therapies and support services they need to fulfill their potential and live active and happy lives. Today I am announcing how we will meet that commitment.
According to the participation and activity limitation survey numbers released last week, an estimated 4.4 million Canadians, or one out of every seven, reports having a disability. For the first time, the three territories were included in the survey, and the Yukon rate of individuals reporting a disability is at 13.5 percent.
We need to think of the children today to help improve their lifelong potential. We have spent considerable time researching delivery models across Canada and have selected the Alberta model family support for children with disabilities program as a framework. Our program will build on existing services and will allow us the flexibility to meet the individual needs of children and families. Because our numbers are small with a large variety of unique disabilities, we need to have the ability to respond to the changing needs.
Ultimately our goal is to assist and support families to care for and support the development of their children with disabilities and give them greater involvement in choosing the therapies and supports for their children. We will provide coordinated access to services and interventions and support early interventions to maximize potential.
We will also strongly support the inclusion of children with disabilities in community life. We've involved the Child Development Centre, the Department of Education, Autism Yukon, other agencies and, most importantly, parents of children with disabilities in the work that has taken place on developing the program.
We anticipate that all the preparation work and establishment of program guidelines will be completed and the service formally up and running by April 1, 2008. The new program will include expanded supports, for example: provision of more respite; aids to assist children in participating in community and recreational activities; expanded behavioural therapies for children with FASD, autism and other disabilities that require behavioural interventions; the creation of a multidisciplinary team that will review treatment plans using both Yukon experts and outside professionals.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, we will increase training to improve the capacity of frontline workers, Health and Social Services staff and local professionals to meet specific needs and to work with individuals whom the families hire themselves to care for their children.
Down the road we anticipate hiring both a speech-language pathologist and an occupational therapist to work on the therapy component of the program. We have done a lot of work and we have a lot more ahead of us, but ultimately those children and their families will benefit now and in the long run. To have a disabled child is a challenge, and one that parents meet willingly and gladly. Parents are advocates for their children and we believe that with this new program we will reduce the additional load that parents of children with disabilities must shoulder. I'm proud of what we've done here today and thank you.
Mr. Mitchell: I'm pleased to rise today on behalf of the Official Opposition to reply to the Health and Social Services minister's announcement of this new coordinated approach to assisting children with disabilities and their families.
My colleagues and I are certainly in support of this initiative. It is a positive initiative and speaks to what governments should be doing. We have stated in the past that Yukoners with disabilities face special challenges in our society. We recognize that more needs to be done to ensure that people with disabilities and people with differing abilities can participate fully in our society, so we're extremely glad to hear that this new approach will build on existing services, coordinate with non-government organizations and existing agencies, and allow the flexibility to meet individual needs.
As we all know, for any program to work we need to have the involvement of all stakeholders. The biggest stakeholder is the family. They need to have the biggest involvement. Doing this gives parents the input and control they need to help determine the kind of therapies that work best for their children.
Fire alarm sounds
Speaker: This House now stands in recess until we deal with this fire alarm.
Recess
Speaker: I will now call the House to order.
I'll just consult with the Clerks.
The Leader of the Official Opposition has some time left in his reply to the ministerial statement. Leader of the Official Opposition, you have the floor, please.
Mr. Mitchell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Was it something I said? I'd like to reserve my do-over for Question Period if I might.
I'm pleased to rise today on behalf of the Official Opposition to reply to the Health minister's announcement of this new approach to assisting children with disabilities and their families. My colleagues and I are certainly in support of this initiative; it is a positive one and it speaks to what governments should be doing. We have stated in the past that Yukoners with disabilities face special challenges in our society. We recognize that more needs to be done to ensure that people with disabilities and people who are differently abled can participate fully in our society. We are extremely glad to hear that this new announcement of a coordinated approach will build on existing services and allow the flexibility to meet individual needs.
As we all know, for any program to work you need to have the involvement of all stakeholders. The biggest stakeholder in this case is the family, and they need to have the biggest involvement. Doing this gives parents input and control that they need to help them determine the kind of therapies that work best for their children.
Mr. Speaker, we do have a couple of questions that come out of hearing the ministerial statement today. While the minister has announced that the program and the services will be formally up and running by April 1, 2008, he has also mentioned that down the road we anticipate hiring both a speech-language pathologist and an occupational therapist to work in the therapy component of the program. We would ask if, in the minister's response, he could give us a little bit of a definition of when we might anticipate these new positions being hired. "Down the road" -- the road can be a pretty long road and we'd like to have a little bit more detail of the timing.
Also, if the minister is able to tell us how many new positions, as opposed to simply coordinating existing services, the department anticipates that they will require to provide these services, it would be helpful.
In summary, we will support this announcement, and we will support any programs created that will ultimately benefit Yukon families, especially Yukon children and children with disabilities.
Thank you.
Mr. Edzerza: I am pleased to rise today on behalf of the third party to respond to the minister's statement on children with disabilities. This is mostly good news. We support the ideas of the expansion of programming, coordination of access to services, efforts to support the inclusion of children with disabilities in the community, expanding support programs, such as respite, aids for recreation, more therapy and a team of experts reviewing treatment plans. These are all good things.
However, specifics on how these goals are to be attained are not in the statement. Preparation work will not be completed for nearly another four months. The amount of budget commitment isn't mentioned. They will hire a speech-language pathologist and an occupational therapist down the road. How long is the road? Five kilometres or one million kilometres? Is this just another pre-announcement before the next pre-announcement?
The third party has some questions for the minister. How are disabilities defined? What disabilities are eligible? What is the range of disability eligibility? What about adults with disabilities? The minister mentioned FASD in his ministerial statement. Does this mean the government is finally recognizing FASD as a disability?
Will residential care be involved? What amount and type of respite is envisioned? What about parents who need in-home assistance to care for a disabled child? What about the expense for families of transportation, medications, special clothing and diet, home renovations, et cetera? Is there any financial support in this area?
How will parents who need the latest information on their child's disability and interventions be supported?
The education of disabled children is also very important. The more often children are spoken to and read to in a nurturing environment, the more they respond and develop. Isolation and lack of stimulation can stunt and negatively impact any child's development. Early stimulation and intervention programs are critical for children with disabilities. How will the Department of Education be supporting disabled children in preschool and in the schools?
Not all disabled children are born with their disabilities. The causes are many and varied, ranging from accidents to disease. Will the definition of "disabled children" include an age range and causes other than being genetic? In some instances, the sad truth is that the disability is preventable. What is the department doing about education, about preventing disabilities?
Modern technology can assist many disabled children to be more independent and would allow them to become more self-sufficient, thereby enabling them to contribute to society rather than be dependent. What provisions are made in the expansion of programming for the purchasing or loaning of medical equipment or educational supports such as voice-activated computers, et cetera?
Many parents of disabled children have found that they have had to move outside the Yukon to receive the support they need. We trust that expansion of the program for disabled children here will eliminate that sad development.
Thank you.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: It is a pleasure to rise and respond to the comments of the members of the Official Opposition and of the third party with regard to our announcement today of enhanced services for children with disabilities and the creation of the unit within the Department of Health and Social Services offering supports to children with disabilities.
In answer to some of the questions that members asked, I can tell them that the supports are going to be reviewed by a multidisciplinary team. The focus with the announcement today is to build on the enhancements that in the last mandate we provided to families of children with autism and to those children to build on that both for children with autism and children with other severe disabilities as well as providing other supports to children with less severe disabilities. A key focus will be assisting parents and those who have severe disabilities, including cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Down syndrome. This also was a key election announcement and commitment. In 2006 we committed to moving forward with this program and to establishing this unit. I'm pleased that we will be doing so and we'll have the program up and running on April 1, 2008.
With regard to the members' questions as far as when occupational therapists and speech therapists will be hired full-time, I can inform the members that a key part of the program will be helping parents access the appropriate therapies for their children and involving them in the decision of what is the appropriate therapy and programming for their children, and that the program is specifically designed to allow contracting of services. With regard to the two positions mentioned, it is foreseen that, likely in 2009-10, there may be a need to hire a full-time staff. In the interim they would be contracted or, in some cases, potentially the existing resources with the Department of Education or the Child Development Centre would be used.
Mr. Speaker, the key focus here is increasing the involvement and the choice that parents have in controlling and choosing the appropriate therapies for their children, in helping their children, to the greatest extent possible, to become fully participating members of society, and, as indicated by the Member for McIntyre-Takhini, helping them -- in some cases it is possible through the appropriate behavioural and physical interventions -- to overcome to a great degree the disability that they have. This varies depending on the disability, but that is the ultimate objective -- to help these children overcome their disability to the greatest extent possible so they can become fully participating members in society who do not have their ability constrained by their disability.
There are three new positions associated with the support in the initial year. There is also the ability in the structure to provide in-home assistance, therapy and equipment. It is not, at this point, a program with a residential component as asked by the member opposite. This is a service that is focused on therapeutic supports, assistance, equipment, et cetera, appropriate to each child and each disability with the involvement of a multi-disciplinary team of professionals, assisted by staff of the department and focusing on the involvement of parents in choosing the appropriate support for their child.
Speaker: This then brings us to Question Period.
QUESTION PERIOD
Question re: Government investments
Mr. Mitchell: I have questions for the acting finance Minister regarding Yukon's ill-advised investments into asset-backed commercial paper trusts, Opus and Symphony. Our investment of $36.5 million in these trusts was meant to be short-term but has been frozen due to the liquidity crisis that has developed because of a loss of investor confidence in these trusts and others like them.
The minister has stated on several occasions that we would have a resolution of this problem on December 14 when the so-called Montreal Accord will announce what will become of these trusts. We are now hearing numerous reports that we will not be seeing a make-good resolution whereby everyone gets all their money back. Instead investors will be asked to roll their funds over into new long-term investments, for terms as long as nine years. In addition it appears that in some cases there will be a loss of principal amounts as well.
Can the minister tell this House if her officials have learned whether our trusts are among the ones that may have to share in the losses and whether we are being asked to convert our investments into a much longer-term investment?
Hon. Ms. Taylor: Our government -- this government -- prides itself on the very fine financial investments that we have been making over the last number of years. We pride ourselves on the financial leadership that we have been able to show over the last five years, and I refer to five consecutive years of a clean bill of financial health as seen by the Auditor General of Canada.
Just earlier this week Stats Canada released its study of the state of finances showing that Yukon's per capita ratio of excess of financial assets over liabilities in fact led the nation again for another year, last year. We even beat out oil-rich Alberta, Mr. Speaker.
The member opposite makes reference to "ill-advised investments" by our Finance officials. For him to actually say that these decisions were ill-advised is to also say that his counterparts in the Government of Ontario were also ill-advised, as were Alberta -- they were ill-advised -- and Canadian Pacific Railway, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Toronto Hydro, Ontario teachers' pension, Air Canada -- certainly in the hundreds if not thousands of organizations and corporations throughout North America and indeed Europe. Mr. Speaker, as I've articulated --
Speaker: Thank you.
Mr. Mitchell: Mr. Speaker, the minister talks about five clean audits. If this government were to lose $36 million but accurately report that they've lost it, they would get a clean audit, but it wouldn't make it good news.
Mr. Speaker, this government has made many grandiose announcements of future large capital projects and programs. They promised there would be a new correctional centre by 2011. They're studying whether to refurbish or rebuild F.H. Collins Secondary School. They intend to spend $31 million plus on the Robert Campbell Highway. They're promising to build a new multi-level health facility in Dawson, and will research building a new health care facility in Teslin. There's consideration of a new ambulance station near the Alaska Highway. They've studied the possibility of a new school in Copper Ridge, but they're going to study it for a few more years. The list goes on, Mr. Speaker.
They made many promises, and Yukoners want to believe in those promises. Can this minister tell this House which of those projects will have to be deferred or cancelled if Yukon has $36.5 million frozen for up to nine years?
Hon. Ms. Taylor: Mr. Speaker, we are, in fact, awaiting the restructuring process's unfolding by December 14. Now, I can certainly appreciate the member's anxiety in reaching this restructuring. So are we, as the Government of Yukon. We are looking forward to a positive resolution as the outcome of these particular investments, as are many other governments across this good country, as are pension plans, agencies and so forth.
We have been fully transparent on this issue. We have fully disclosed these transactions, as articulated in the Public Accounts 2006-07, despite the fact that these transactions took place after the fact. Mr. Speaker, we are not alone. We are joined by many, many others in this good country. We have, in fact, made very good investments over the last number of years. Of the last three years, I will articulate that $18 million in interest accrued from those particular investments -- interest that has enabled the Yukon government to make further investments, in particular into social assistance increases, childcare, and children with disabilities, a new unit that was just recently announced by the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Mitchell: I think the minister just told us that misery loves company. She is in good company that is hoping to pull a large rabbit out of a hat tomorrow.
This government has failed to demonstrate any vision or ability to manage the finances of this territory. They have failed to be prudent with the money entrusted to them. They failed to be good stewards of the public purse, and they have failed the people of the Yukon who put their trust and faith in this government.
For weeks the opposition has tried to hold this acting minister and this government accountable, and day after day after day all we get are the same briefing notes and the same list of past audits. Where is the accountability and responsibility in that, Mr. Speaker?
Under investigation by the Auditor General and with December 14 only one day away, my question for the acting minister is this: what plan has this acting minister developed to deal with impending cuts to programs and services as a result of either losing taxpayers' money outright or having it tied up for years? Or is the plan to keep stumbling from day to day and from crisis to crisis?
Hon. Ms. Taylor: It is very interesting to note that the member opposite, the Leader of the Liberal Party, again has been making references to ill-advised decisions. The member opposite would like to make reference as to whether or not these investments were made from a policy perspective. In fact, it was the Liberal administration that first made these investments back in 2001. Call it what you will -- whether or not it's third-party backed assets or bank-sponsored assets or particular investments, it's the same structure. It's the same backing, the same liquidity facilities; it's the same single rating agency that was used -- same, same, same.
If the member opposite wants to talk about ill-advised decisions, I would make reference to the qualified audits that the Liberal administration received. I refer to breaches of the Financial Administration Act that were certainly made on two occasions during their watch in 2000 and 2001.
Our government has been making very good investments. We have been taking the good advice of the Finance department officials. We will continue to do so, and we look forward to tomorrow.
Question re: Climate change action plan
Mr. Elias: The Yukon Party spent its first term in office denying that climate change was even an issue. Only a few short years ago the former Leader of the Yukon Party also denied the link between burning fossil fuels and climate change and called on the Yukon to abandon the Kyoto Accord.
The way our Canadian government conducted itself in Bali was simply shameful and embarrassing. It is clear that this Yukon Party government supports their obstructionist Conservative counterparts in Ottawa by refusing to sign a letter to the Prime Minister and, most importantly, failing to represent Yukoners' interests at the most important climate change conference of our time.
When is the government going to make this a priority? When will we see a climate change action plan?
Hon. Mr. Kenyon: This government certainly takes climate change very seriously and appreciates that fact that unfortunately, while we have precious little to do with the cause, we certainly have the greatest effect and we're well aware of that. We certainly should do everything we can in terms of automotive conservation, fuel conservation, programs of the Yukon Housing Corporation to increase the efficiency of homes, and this sort of thing.
We're very happy to have two Environment Yukon representatives who attended the Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, or COP 13, in Bali. We were part of the Canadian delegation, and CYFN representatives were also attending.
We look forward to getting the information they will be bringing back about the good discussions they had, and we will continue with our climate action plan.
Mr. Elias: I do wish I could stand up and give credit where credit is due, but let's get some facts straight. The Yukon Party government has refused to attend several national and international meetings on climate change. They have refused to go to Washington and educate on the permanent protection of the Porcupine caribou herd. They have refused to bring forward a current state of the environment report, something they are required to do by law, and they have refused to challenge Alaska on its mismanagement of the chinook salmon fishery, which leaves Yukoners with no harvest.
So this minister's words are simply not backed up by action. Will the Acting Premier commit today that when we reconvene in a few months, there will be a climate change action plan in place?
Hon. Mr. Kenyon: The main instrument for implementing the climate change strategy will be through the development and implementation of the Yukon government's climate change action plan. The development of the climate change action plan is currently underway, as the member opposite well knows, with a draft expected in the coming weeks. Public consultation will take place during January and February of 2008 and a final plan will be released in late spring 2008.
We're very proud and pleased to be proceeding with this and to have been well-represented by good staff members in Bali and to continue to work with the First Nation of Vuntut Gwitchin in their effort to support the Porcupine caribou heard.
For the member opposite, as he well knows, I will be in Washington in a few short weeks to have meetings with the U.S. government officials and in the State of Alaska to meet with them. It is unfortunate that the member opposite chose not to get involved in those discussions.
Mr. Elias: Our Yukon is under attack by climate change. Yukoners are on the battlefield and ready to go. But do you know what is missing? This Yukon Party government to lead the charge.
Let's go over their report card. The Environment minister has lifted the conservation and public safety regulations on the Dempster Highway, putting the Porcupine caribou herd at further risk. Unbelievably this Yukon Party government had no political presence in Bali, Indonesia, to represent Yukoners' interests. There is no climate change action plan. There is no standardization of water quality in the Yukon and they won't even consider a harvest support program for Yukoners.
This government continuously fails to meet expectations and is seriously deficient. Therefore, they get a D in all categories. When will this government stand up and fight for the environment and Yukoners' place in it?
Hon. Mr. Kenyon: For the member opposite, I think perhaps he should consider changing to decaf.
In terms of the Dempster Highway and the corridor --
Speaker's statement
Speaker: Order. It's not within the bounds of this House to make personal comments about a member. Just keep it to the issue, please. The minister has the floor.
Hon. Mr. Kenyon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
In terms of some of the things that he mentions with regard to the Dempster Highway, for his information our department constantly monitors the herd, and I believe that most of them never got anywhere near the Dempster Highway.
In terms of Bali, we were well represented by very good bureaucrats and members of the Department of Environment, our climate change specialist. We are very pleased to have them over there. Yes, we would have sent political representation. But unfortunately the member opposite, when asked in this House to pair, declined to answer. So, in the absence of any answer, we were not able to go. The member opposite quite knows that.
In the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region is the place --
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Hon. Mr. Kenyon: Mr. Speaker, could you perhaps rule on who has the floor here? If the member opposite is interested in hearing answers, perhaps he should be quiet and listen -- a novel concept.
I had made the offer to involve the member opposite in the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region to meet, and he refused.
Question re: Fleet vehicle supply contract
Mr. Hardy: Yesterday in Question Period, the Minister of Highways and Public Works made the following statement: "On this side of the House, we deal with everyone equally."
A few moments later he said, "We will work with all Yukoners."
The problem we have on this side of the House is that the minister's words are not in sync with the minister's actions.
I'd like to explore exactly what the minister's words actually meant. Is the minister saying that any vendor who is not happy with what they were charged for late delivery on a contract will now get the same deal as a local car dealer who got the Premier to go to bat for him? Is he actually saying that?
Hon. Mr. Lang: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take this moment to wish everybody in this House a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
Now, going back to the question at hand, this side of the House is open -- the government of the day. If any of his constituents have an issue on how they were charged or the amount of money they were charged and there are questions, it certainly will be addressed inside the department. That's exactly how government works. If his constituent or any Yukoner feels that they were not dealt with properly or they were penalized improperly, then the government is open to discussion, and that is the long and the short of it, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Hardy: Well, Mr. Speaker, I also wish the member opposite a merry Christmas, and best wishes for his family.
However, we have some serious issues here, and we have to still deal with them. I'd like to stay in the Legislative Assembly right up until Christmas to deal with them.
The minister said he deals with everyone equally. It would be more accurate to say that some people are more equal than others under this government. To use the minister's words from last week, if you accost the Premier, the Premier will act as a messenger to the minister, and the message the minister will give through his department is, "Come on down, let's make a deal." -- another famous Canadian. Since this issue came to light two weeks ago, what effort has the minister made to contact all Yukon businesses that have paid late delivery penalties and tell them they have now qualified for a 50-percent rebate?
Hon. Mr. Lang: In addressing the member opposite, I've said many times in the House here, if any Yukoner who has dealt with the government on a business transaction feels that in some way they were not heard or they were penalized or they were not treated in a proper fashion, I recommend and encourage Yukoners to come back to this government. There's nothing wrong with that. That's called dialogue. The dialogue is that if you feel -- Yukoners -- that you are going to be penalized unjustly, then come to your government. That is what our government is here to do.
Mr. Hardy: Obviously the minister actually supports political interference.
The minister made another interesting statement yesterday and he just made it again today. He said, "If another Yukoner has an issue, I would certainly recommend they talk to the department." That's not the way this one was done.
The dealer who was charged $45,000 for late delivery on 10 trucks did speak to the department. He was told to phone the minister. The Premier's political interference, which this minister thinks is perfectly acceptable, has hamstrung the public employees who deal with the contracts. They don't know what to do now. The minister has tossed the rule book out the window and public servants have no choice but to say, "We don't know what the rules are any more."
What is this minister going to do to restore the integrity and credibility of the government's contracting process and to keep it free from political interference in the future and support the workers?
Hon. Mr. Lang: What this minister is going to commit to do is to review the contracting and procurement rules that are place today and modernize them for that exact reason. We are in the process of doing that as we speak here in the House.
Question re: Victim services/family violence prevention unit
Mr. Hardy: I have a question for the Minister of Justice. This issue has come to our attention again from a very dedicated former employee who has left the government and now feels safer in speaking out. The strategic plan for correctional redevelopment that came out about a year ago contains a number of references to a client-centred correctional system.
One of the very first pages states that victims need support to rebuild a sense of safety and security. On page 9 it talks about creating an environment that encourages staff and volunteer development. Given all these commitments, can the minister explain why legitimate concerns of front-line staff in the victim services/family violence prevention unit were completely ignored in a recent management decision to move victim services to another location?
Hon. Ms. Horne: Mr. Speaker, this is an operational issue that I'm not privy to.
Mr. Hardy: Well, it is an operational issue; it is about victim services that this minister had better be aware of because this is ongoing.
Until this summer, the victim services/family violence prevention unit and the sexual offenders treatment programs were in the same area. Here is a little history for her. This allowed workers in these treatment-based programs to deal with case management issues in a coordinated way. The physical layout was convenient and welcoming for clients of victim services, especially those who have to contend with young children.
Victim services have now been moved upstairs where there is no reception area for victims and families. It shares space with programs that are quite unrelated to each other. Staff have expressed concerns about safety, confidentiality, storage of records and the physical separation from colleagues they have worked with successfully for years. What is the rationale for splitting up the services that fall under the same manager and that have had a proven record of success in serving clients and working with non-government agencies in a coordinated and collaborative manner?
Hon. Ms. Horne: I reiterate that this is an operational issue. Before any office is set up, the location and what is available to that office is very carefully studied. If this is a matter of urgency to him, I will look it up and get back to him.
Mr. Hardy: I wish the minister knew what was going on in the department that she is paid to manage. She's the minister. The minister has promised a correctional system that is second to none, yet this kind of arbitrary decision, which ignored the expressed wishes of the front-line workers, has undermined employee morale and created a situation that may be a step backward for clients of the victim services/family violence prevention unit. There is a related concern that calls into question just how committed this government is to addressing the needs of victims of crime. She doesn't even know about it.
As part of the correction reform process, a program and service advisory committee was established. It included representatives of the Justice department, First Nations and a number of non-government organizations. Can the minister explain why this important committee has no representation from either victim services or the family violence prevention unit? Maybe she knows that.
Hon. Ms. Horne: Mr. Speaker, we were just criticized for micromanaging a department. We do not micromanage. We leave these things up to the operations of the department. If the member opposite has information that we are not privy to, perhaps he could come forward.
Question re: Whitehorse Correctional Centre rebuild
Mr. Inverarity: Mr. Speaker, I have some general questions for the Minister of Justice. On several occasions I have asked this minister about the progress toward constructing a new correctional facility. The response from the government is, "A jail will be constructed by 2011", or "The interim space plan will be ready by March 31, 2008, and will address the current space problems." Mr. Speaker, the existing building is condemned. The jail is overflowing. The clients are complaining, and the interim space plan will not increase the available space in the jail. Will the minister tell us when construction is about to begin?
Hon. Ms. Horne: Mr. Speaker, as I have reported here earlier, in 2008. We have accepted DGBK Architects to prepare the schematic designs, which I have reported, and those will be completed very shortly. We are on schedule to open the new facility in 2011.
Mr. Inverarity: Mr. Speaker, I have asked the minister on a few occasions about measuring the effectiveness of SCAN and the street crime reduction team programs. There is no doubt these programs are important to Yukoners. My concern, Mr. Speaker, is that we have no way of knowing if we are, in fact, reducing crime or just relocating it from one neighbourhood to the next. The minister has said that the measure of success is to look outside and see if the streets of Yukon are crime free. I'd say she'd better have another look, Mr. Speaker. Has the government given any further consideration to establish performance measures to prove we are getting good value for our money?
Hon. Ms. Horne: I do not remember making any quotes about looking out a window to see how our crime reduction is doing.
I would like to address the question from the member opposite and his comments and concerns about crime in our territory. We know that substance abuse is the biggest contributor to criminal activity in our territory. Let's think about what we are doing. Drug traffickers are in it for the money and for them to make money, they need a supply system. They need a market and they need a distribution system. We are working with the RCMP; we are resourcing them.
Mr. Inverarity: I've asked several questions about legislative reform as well. Last spring this government closed down debate on a minor amendment to the Human Rights Act. I've asked on a number of occasions about this government's commitment to review the outdated act and have received the same response: "This government is committed to exploring options, consultation and creating the best justice system in Canada."
Unfortunately for Yukoners and the Human Rights Commission, nothing has happened. This government has delivered yet another list of empty promises and failed commitments.
When will the minister inform the Human Rights Commission that work is actually begun on the Human Rights Act?
Hon. Ms. Horne: I don't know where the member opposite's head has been, which hole in the sand it has been in. The Corrections Act consultation has begun and will result in a new regulatory framework that will be the foundation for the best correctional system for the next decade. Our Corrections Act consultation team and our First Nation partners are working together to carry out this important consultation. To do something right takes time and thought, and that's what this government is doing; we are doing it the right way.
Thank you.
Speaker's statement
Speaker: I would like all members to keep in mind -- please do not personalize the debate.
Question re: Cabinet minister, resignation request
Mr. McRobb: <SPAN lang=EN