Joe Handley

Yes, Mr. Chairman. I’m pleased to speak to Bill 15, Tlicho Community Services Agency Act. This bill was developed in consultation with the Tlicho Treaty 11 Council team and is the final piece of territorial legislation required to ratify the Tlicho agreement. It follows the Settlement Act passed by the 14th Assembly in October 2003 and the Tlicho Community Government Act passed by our government in June 2004.

I want to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Tlicho, GNWT and federal negotiating teams that have enabled us to arrive at this final stage of the legislative process.

Before I...

Mr. Speaker, I have a difficult time and I certainly want to read Hansard to figure out what the problem is. If an NGO or anyone we fund has an issue with the agreement that they have, the contract they have, they would go to the appropriate Minister.

I don’t know that there is a big problem that covers everybody, because we do consider multi-year funding, as I have said before, but it is all subject to the appropriation in the House. I don’t understand what the big problem is. Individual agencies though go to the appropriate Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we deal with a lot of NGOs, who have a lot of different mandates. Most of them are ongoing, but some of them do sunset from time to time. All that has to be taken into consideration.

Mr. Speaker, if there are NGOs out there who have been filing and filling out applications every year, filing these with the government and then repeating the process next year and want to talk about multi-year funding, they simply have to go to the appropriate Minister and negotiate that. We are open to that, we do it all the time.

Again, I say, they still have to account for the money on an annual...

Mr. Speaker, I’m not really sure what starving stability is or isn’t.

---Laughter

But, Mr. Speaker, with regard to the issue of multi-year funding, our government has and continues to negotiate for multi-year funding with non-government organizations. We have done that, we’re doing it and we’ll continue to do that. Mr. Speaker, I have to say though that every multi-year funding agreement is subject to the appropriation being passed in this House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Chairman, no there won’t be a change. The GNWT is obligated to provide the funding at the same level as we have in the past. The agency is subject to the same reporting requirements as any of our boards and agencies under the Financial Administration Act. So I think the accountability is going to remain the same as it is now, just through a new agency. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I’ll answer the last question. Yes, it is the policy of our government to support non-government organizations within the mandate that we give them. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, there won’t be any immediate noticeable change that we will see in terms of the program delivery and the quality of the service. I think it will continue for the time being. The Tlicho government has agreed that they do not want to take over new responsibilities or draw down any responsibilities for 10 years. So it will continue much as it is now. The biggest change that will result from this legislation will be the new agency. There will be some consequential amendments to some of our legislation, the Financial Administration Act, Public Service Act, in the access to...

Mr. Chairman, the Education Act provides, as a provision, that the language of instruction can be in an aboriginal language; in Tlicho, in this case, from kindergarten to Grade 3. If the Tlicho wanted to go beyond that, then they would have to consult with us and we would attempt to negotiate an arrangement that is fair to everyone. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, the new agency being created through this legislation basically takes on the same services and programs that are offered through the Dogrib Community Services Board.

Mr. Chairman, as an agency it has, through the Tlicho government, the authority to be able to make changes to any laws with regard to the mandate of the agency. Before they would make those changes, they would have to consult with the GNWT. They would also have to assume responsibility for any incremental costs. If for some reason GNWT considered that the proposed law would make it difficult for us to operate, we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS the governments of Canada, the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Nunavut jointly released the document "Nation Building: Framework for a Northern Strategy," on December 14, 2004;

AND WHEREAS all four governments have agreed to use this document as a basis for further consultation with all northerners leading up to the finalization of a Northern Strategy;

AND WHEREAS all four governments have committed to involving aboriginal governments and organizations in the consultation process;

AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories will be consulting with...