N.W.T. MLAs vote in favour of creating ombudsman office

Members of the N.W.T. legislative assembly are calling for the government to establish an ombudsman's office to take public complaints about government departments. 

Thursday afternoon all 11 regular members voted in favour of a motion asking the government to draft legislation to set up the office. 

N.W.T., Nunavut and P.E.I. are the only jurisdictions in Canada without such an office. 

Wendy Bisaro, MLA for Frame Lake, says the idea first came up in the territory's legislative assembly in 1993 and it's time something happened. She says residents need an alternative to going to court if they have a problem with the territorial government.

"We all know residents who are intimidated by the court system and even though they have the courage of their conviction — they firmly believe they have been unfairly treated — they will not contemplate taking their case to court," she said.

"It's David versus Goliath and few of us take on that fight, never mind the investment of time and money that a court battle demands." 

Deh Cho MLA Michael Nadli, who brought the motion forward, says confidential investigations would allow the ombudsman's office to recommend ways to improve government services. He says it wouldn't have the power to reverse government decisions but it could fix bureaucratic mistakes. 

"It's an idea whose time has come," he said. "Sometimes there's systemic unfairness. An ombudsman would be uniquely positioned to make recommendations for improvements in such instances."

Nadli says it would be up to the government whether to extend the ombudsman's mandate to include schools, hospital, municipalities or even aboriginal governments. 

Confidentiality could lessen risk to complainants' livelihood

Robert Bouchard, MLA for Hay River North, says that confidentiality could ensure people felt comfortable lodging complaints in a region where people often work for the government.

"Whether they're a contractor who continues to do work with the department on a daily basis, they can't risk their livelihoods to make a complaint," he said.

"An ombudsman may be able to take that complaint anonymously." 

Initial estimates peg the cost of establishing the office at about $400,000 to $600,000. 

Cabinet abstained from the vote because it is considered a recommendation to the government. The government now has 120 days to respond.

Some regular members admitted they hadn't supported the idea of an ombudsman in the past but have since changed their mind.

Premier Bob McLeod spoke on behalf of cabinet, saying there are already 35 pieces of legislation that allow people to appeal government decisions.

"These statutory processes provide the public with opportunities to register complaints, request investigation or appeal questions of administrative fairness," he said. 

The premier also added that in a territory will such a small population, residents also have greater access to their MLAs than people may have in larger jurisdictions. 

Earlier this week, Ontario's ombudsman André Marin answered questions about his office's work at a town hall at the legislative assembly.