Debates of August 15, 2007 (day 10)

Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the House. Welcome back as we sit together for the last time as Members of the 15th Legislative Assembly. I know that the summer recess has been brief and very busy for all Members. In addition to your constituency work, committees have been travelling on the public review of bills and Cabinet has continued with the work of government. In spite of the schedule, I hope you have all managed to savor a few minutes of our glorious, but all-too-short summer season and found some time to enjoy the company of family and friends.

As the summer began to wind down, the Speaker’s Outreach Program paid a special visit to the residents in the High Arctic community of Sachs Harbour on the south shore of Banks Island. This historic visit marks the first time the Mace of the Northwest Territories travelled above the Arctic Circle.

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Our visit was extremely well received by community residents. I had the pleasure of having tea with the elders, playing sports with the children and youth and enjoying caribou stew and bannock with the community-at-large. Community members, students and staff were an enjoyable audience and regarded the Mace with awe and delight.

I also had the pleasure of meeting the man who selected the stone that was placed inside the Mace to represent the voices of the people of Sachs Harbour, Mr. Geddes Wolki. On behalf of the Legislative Assembly, I extend gratitude to the residents of Sachs Harbour for their hospitality.

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the late Rosie Firth, respected elder, mother and artisan from Fort McPherson. The late Mrs. Firth is the artisan who provided the beaded Delta braid featured on the Mace of the Northwest Territories. I would also like to take this opportunity to extend condolences of the House to those communities who suffered tragic losses this summer. Our thoughts and prayers have been with you.

Colleagues, we have a full agenda for the next seven days and I know that you are all eager to begin. I remind Members to continue to act with respect for each other and for this institution, allowing us to work for the benefit of all residents of the Northwest Territories and to complete the mandate of the 15th Legislative Assembly.

It is my duty to advise the House that I have received the following message from the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. It reads, “Dear Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories the passage of Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 4, 2006-2007 and Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 2007-2008 during the Sixth Session of the 15th Assembly. Yours truly, Anthony W. J. Whitford, Commissioner.”

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome all Members back for this last session of the 15th Legislative Assembly. I know that it has been a busy summer for everyone in your constituencies and attending the various annual assemblies.

Given this is the last session of the 15th Legislative Assembly and, therefore, my last sessional statement as Premier, I want to take this opportunity to formally announce my own intentions regarding the impending election. After talking it over with my wife, Theresa, and my family, I have decided it is time to seek new ways to serve the people of this territory and so I am formally announcing I will not seek re-election this fall. I am glad to see so many people here to celebrate that.

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Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the accomplishments of our government and this 15th Legislative Assembly. At the outset of our term, we promised we would act with honesty, integrity and transparency and uphold the highest ethical standards in carrying out the responsibilities entrusted to us as a government. We committed to running a government that made decisions in a clear, competent and consistent manner. I believe we have lived up to our promise.

While it is not my intention today to speak about all the specific accomplishments of this government and Legislative Assembly over the past four years -- many of these have been outlined in previous sessional statements -- I want to highlight some of our most important accomplishments in terms of the goals we set at the beginning of our term.

After listening carefully to the people who elected us, we stated at the outset our primary goal was to achieve greater self-reliance through shared responsibility as a territory, as communities, as individuals and as northerners. In the past four years, we have worked to meet this goal by designing programs that provide residents with a “hand up” not a “hand out.”

We have made significant investments in education and training facilities and programs that have contributed to record graduation rates from high school, ever-increasing numbers of northern students pursuing post-secondary studies and more and more trained workers. This has resulted in record employment and labour force participation rates throughout the territory.

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After a significant consultation process with stakeholder groups throughout the territory, we have reformed and restructured our income security programs to better meet the needs of individuals who utilize these programs. These changes are intended to provide relevant programming that help move people who rely on these programs from poverty to self-reliance.

We transferred funding and responsibilities to community governments so they could take greater control of decisions affecting their communities. We have been pleased to work with strong, focused mayors and councils throughout our territory who are committed to taking more and more responsibility and building strong, healthy, sustainable communities.

We have introduced and supported new health prevention programs such as the Don’t be a Butthead campaign that has contributed to the decreasing trend in the number of our residents who smoke. We have expanded critical health services throughout the territory, such rehabilitation services in the South Slave and Beaufort-Delta regions, outreach services provided through Stanton Territorial Hospital and dialysis services in Hay River.

We have invested significantly in much needed new housing for NWT residents, increasing the housing stock in our communities. We have revamped housing programs to promote the transition from public housing to homeownership so individuals and families can achieve their personal goals and reach new levels of success. At the same time, we have increased resources to address the serious issues of homelessness across the territory including innovative projects such as Bailey House, which will assist homeless male clients seeking to make the transition to permanent community residences.

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We have worked towards the very important goal of eliminating the incidence of domestic violence by introducing new legislative and policy tools that remove abusers from the family environment, improve education and awareness, enhance prevention activities and services, and improve training for shelter workers.

We have developed an Energy Strategy and Greenhouse Gas Strategy with new energy efficiency and conservation programs and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Northwest Territories. We have worked to maximize our recycling efforts through programs such as the Beverage Container Program, which has dealt with over 25 million containers that would otherwise have ended up on our streets or in our landfills.

We are working to make our communities safer by increasing policing in many communities, increasing funding to victim services programs and putting in place legislative initiatives which provide our communities with new tools to address the insidious problems caused by illegal drugs and alcohol.

We agreed at the outset of our mandate to work in partnership with other governments in the Northwest Territories. We have established new funding arrangements with aboriginal governments to help build capacity in these organizations to deal with intergovernmental processes and have developed modern, forward-thinking, formal consultation processes.

Our government’s relationship with emerging aboriginal governments continues to evolve and grow stronger. As I have noted in this House in the past, governance in the Northwest Territories is changing as aboriginal rights negotiations are concluded and agreements are implemented. This environment is a complex one and future governments will have to work hard to address the larger constitutional and intergovernmental issues that are developing.

Through cooperative relationships on the Taltson hydro project, our support for the Aboriginal Pipeline Group and our active participation in the Protected Areas Strategy, we are working with aboriginal governments to advance our common goal of balanced development. I want to thank aboriginal leaders from all parts of this territory who have shared their vision, shown resolve and determination and never wavered in their commitment to building a more prosperous, sustainable future for their people.

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While we continue to have a strong economy fuelled mostly by resource exploration and development, we have made real progress in efforts to balance our economy regionally and to respect traditional economies so that no one region or community gets left behind. To maximize economic opportunities in the resource sector, we have negotiated solid socio-economic agreements with the diamond mines and partnered with other governments and the private sector to deliver successful training programs in the mining and oil and gas sectors.

Mr. Speaker, we have also worked hard to address the large issues we identified at the outset of the 15th Legislative Assembly. Our first priority was to put our own fiscal house in order by making decisions that ensured a balanced budget. It also meant negotiating and concluding a fair Territorial Formula Financing Agreement.

I am pleased to say we have been successful on both fronts. We have made significant investments in some of the key priority areas I spoke of earlier, while ensuring our overall financial position was stabilized. This was in large part because of new arrangements reached with Ottawa on territorial formula financing. This new arrangement recognizes the challenges facing northern governments in providing basic public services in a territory with a small, dispersed population, developing economy, underdeveloped infrastructure, high living costs and challenging social conditions relative to southern Canada.

We have also been successful in negotiating flexible fiscal arrangements with the federal government in a number of other priority areas such as health wait times, infrastructure, climate change and the environment. Our borrowing limit has been increased to $500 million, providing future governments with the flexibility to make strategic investments in critical infrastructure and other priority areas. This responsible approach to managing our finances resulted in an upgraded credit rating of Aa1 being issued by Moody’s Investors Service.

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There have, of course, been frustrations and it will be of no surprise that the most important piece of business that remains unfinished is the completion of an agreement-in-principle on devolution and resource revenue sharing. However, the good news is we have reached a common front with four aboriginal governments, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Gwich’in Tribal Council, Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated and the Northwest Territories Metis Nation, on this important issue.

Over the past few weeks, we have been working with our aboriginal partners and the federal government to resolve the remaining issues surrounding an AIP. I am encouraged we have narrowed the issues substantively. It is our intention to work to resolve these issues before the end of the 15th Assembly and we are hopeful this can be achieved. It is my fervent wish the 16th Assembly will achieve a final devolution agreement that will give our territory the means to determine its own future course of action with regard to development and, most importantly, ensure the people of the NWT will become, as the Prime Minister has promised, the “primary beneficiaries” of our own resources.

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We would have liked to have greater certainty the Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline will move ahead. However, our government believes the challenges facing the project can be overcome if government and industry work together to resolve them. The Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline is a basin-opening project that will provide significant benefit to Canada beyond the direct economic benefits from its construction. Our government believes the Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline is too advanced, too desirable, too necessary and too beneficial to the North and to Canada to allow it to fail.

This Assembly has worked hard to ensure northerners will benefit when this project proceeds, including our work with the federal government to establish a $500 million socio-economic impact fund for impacted communities in the Mackenzie Valley. We also negotiated a socio-economic agreement with the project proponents that include a $21 million fund and provisions for northern employment and procurement.

As I have noted many times in this House, the single greatest impediment to economic development and the growth of our communities is the lack of infrastructure. Over the past four years, we have taken a number of important steps including the completion of the paving of Highway No. 3, the reconstruction of 60 kilometres of highway, the resurfacing of 52 kilometres of road, the construction of permanent bridges and improvements to the Mackenzie Valley winter road including the construction of bypasses of Norman Wells and Tulita. We have also worked on new critical infrastructure projects throughout the territory, such as long-term planning for an all-season road to the Arctic Ocean.

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Mr. Speaker, it is also important to note the strides we have taken as a Legislature to build a strong voice for the Northwest Territories within the federation. We play an active role and have a very strong voice at national tables including the Council of the Federation and the Western Premiers’ Conference. At every meeting, we continue to gain support from the provinces for attention and action on northern issues. Last week, I attended the Council of the Federation meeting in Moncton and dealt with a number of issues critical to the Northwest Territories including the effect of climate change in the Arctic and the release of a national energy plan, developed in part by the Northwest Territories.

We have established strong working relationships with our federal colleagues. I would like to congratulate the Honourable Jim Prentice on his new assignment as Minister of Industry and thank him for his good work for the Northwest Territories. We look forward to working with the new Minister responsible for Indian and Northern Affairs, the Honourable Chuck Strahl.

Mr. Speaker, even though an election is near, we still have significant work to do in the remaining life of this Assembly. There is a significant legislative agenda remaining for the current session.

As well, we have continued to work with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation for over five years to reach an agreement to build the Deh Cho Bridge. It has been a challenging process that has taken longer than any of us thought, but I am pleased to report this project is proceeding.

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Mr. Speaker, the project, as originally conceived, was to be self-financing. A combination of savings from the elimination of the ferry and ice crossing and a toll on commercial vehicles was proposed to provide a revenue stream to cover all the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation’s expenses and a minimum return on their equity. However, due to construction cost escalation, the total project cost is now over $150 million. To address this issue, and as a result of our strong fiscal position, the GNWT has committed additional funding of up to $2 million per year to make the Deh Cho Bridge a reality. It is also important to note we can do this and meet our commitment to maintain the toll rate at $6/tonne in 2002 dollars. This is the only direct cost to consumers.

At the same time, we are continuing to work with the federal government as they develop the criteria for their infrastructure programming to ensure a federal contribution to this important project.

Mr. Speaker, we are pleased a highly reputable construction company, Atcon Group from New Brunswick, has stepped forward with a formal offer to build the bridge for a guaranteed maximum price with a completion date of fall 2010. Atcon Group’s price is contingent on starting preparatory work this fall and allowing for three full seasons of construction.

It will take another six weeks to wrap up details surrounding the financing of this project. In the interim, the GNWT will issue a limited notice to proceed. This will authorize the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation to carry out, through Atcon, up to $5 million of preliminary work, under an increase to the loan guarantee.

This government strongly supports this important project. We have taken a measured approach to this project every step of the way and are completely satisfied that this is a good and fair deal. Given the rising cost of construction in western and northern Canada, this is probably our last realistic opportunity to build a bridge across the Mackenzie River. Now is the time to bring this vital piece of northern infrastructure from planning to completion. Members of this Assembly should be proud they have been instrumental in making such an important contribution to a project that will provide a legacy of improved service well into the future.

Mr. Speaker, as I noted earlier, I believe we have delivered open, honest and competent government over the past four years. I am grateful for the enormous support I have personally received. It truly has been a great privilege to serve the people of the Northwest Territories as Premier, to have the chance to help contribute to the future of the territory in these exciting, volatile and historic times.

I want to extend my deep appreciation to a dedicated and strong team of deputy ministers. I believe our team of deputy ministers serves the people of the Northwest Territories with an energy, commitment and degree of expertise and professionalism that is exceptional for any jurisdiction. I also want to pay tribute to the many public servants in the GNWT that toil tirelessly across the territory. Their hard work and commitment to excellence and services are a credit to us all.

Finally, on a personal note, I wish to thank the people of Weledeh for the privilege of serving them for eight exciting years as their MLA. I also want to extend my sincere thanks to the staff in my office who have worked with me over the past four years, indulging in my idiosyncrasies and consuming more than enough Tim Horton’s coffee as a duty, and working to make my job easier, all with great good cheer, loyalty and wise counsel.

Mr. Speaker, for Theresa and I, it is time to seek new challenges. We will, of course, be remaining in Yellowknife. The North is in our hearts. It is where our family and closest friends reside. It is our home. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in early July, the Department of Human Resources implemented an upgrade to the Government of the Northwest Territories’ human resources information system. The older version of this system, also referred to as PeopleSoft, required upgrading as support for this version is no longer available.

While the upgrade has provided some benefits, the upgrade did not go as smoothly as had been anticipated. I recently sent a letter to all MLAs explaining the issues with the upgrade; however, on behalf of the Department of Human Resources, I would like to apologize to all GNWT staff for any inconvenience the upgrade may have caused them.

There were problems with processing pay for July 13th and 27th. Some employees did not receive their pay at the usual time; while some employees received an incorrect amount of pay. Letters of apology have been sent to these employees. This letter also offers a letter to financial or credit institutions for employees who are concerned that their credit rating may have been adversely affected. In addition, it offers to reimburse employees for charges incurred as a result of the delay in pay due to the system issues.

Although there were still some problems with processing the pay for August 10th, many of the previous issues had been corrected. HR determined that many of the problems with the system stemmed from the Absence Management module. The contractor, Answerthink, has been unable to correct the problems, and the Absence Management module has been turned off for the foreseeable future. Self-service is now fully operational again. Work is being done to ensure leave balances reflect the time taken through Absence Management. Revised leave balance sheets will go to all employees later in August for their information.

Once again, I would like to apologize to GNWT staff. Their patience and assistance have been very much appreciated by the staff at Human Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 34(6) to allow Ministers’ statements filed with the Clerk to be delivered today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. I am pleased to inform the House today that the Government of the Northwest Territories and De Beers Canada have reached agreement regarding the provision of rough diamonds from the proposed Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine, currently in the environmental impact review process.

The agreement will ensure continued support for our secondary diamond industry by making available 10 percent of diamonds by value from the proposed Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine for sale to approved NWT diamond manufacturers.

To ensure the continued integrity of our government certification program, our agreements with De Beers also include provisions that will allow us to monitor the sorting process for these diamonds.

This deal, together with the Snap Lake arrangements confirmed in February of this year, reflects the continued commitment of De Beers to the Government of the Northwest Territories value-added diamond manufacturing program.

Mr. Speaker, approximately 100 people are currently employed in various aspects of this emerging secondary industry.

Our secondary diamond industry is contributing to our region’s exports of manufactured goods enhancing economic diversification. Other benefits include increased revenue for the local retail jewellery industry and tourism spin-offs.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, the government is collecting revenues associated with trademark royalties and authenticity certification. Over 20,000 certificates were issued in 2006-07 for diamonds mined, cut and polished in the NWT. It is estimated that we will issue approximately 24,000 certificates in 2007-08.

This agreement, Mr. Speaker, is a testament to the partnership approach that we are taking to build our northern economy.

I would like to commend De Beers Canada for their support and investment in this unique and challenging economic environment, in which we are building a sustainable local and growing diamond cutting and polishing industry.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for the last few years, we seem to begin the first day of each session with an active ongoing labour dispute. Today seems to be no exception, Mr. Speaker. During the lunch hour, I had a chance to meet and talk to the employees from the Trailcross group home in Fort Smith who flew here in large numbers in order to make their cases known, their voices heard and to highlight their issues and the importance of resolving this labour dispute.

Fortunately, Mr. Speaker, if past example is anything to go by, all labour disputes that have come to our attention in this way have concluded with a settlement, and most, if not all of them, with positive results for the employees and employers and, most importantly, for the clients they both serve and the services they provide.

Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that we have also had the opportunity to get a brief update from the Minister of Health and Social Services on this issue. I have also had a chance to talk to not only the workers, but the union leaders. I also had a chance to talk to the representatives from Bosco Homes. I have to say that I remain optimistic that this can be resolved.

Mr. Speaker, I do understand that there are a couple of issues that are still a point of strong contention, but given that there are only a few issues outstanding, there is a hope for resolution soon. But both parties will need to work. In all of these labour disputes, I have taken a consistent approach to this and that is to encourage both parties to get back to the table and keep talking. I do understand that there are no more negotiations scheduled since they met last minute on Wednesday. I would like to take this opportunity again to encourage both parties to get back to the bargaining table and I will call upon the government to do what is possible within their mandate and jurisdiction to urge and facilitate this process so that we can all see this come to a quick resolution and make it possible for the group home to be open and operating again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Ms. Lee. Before I go on, I would like to acknowledge and draw your attention to the visitors gallery and the presence of a former Member of the House. Mr. Leon Lafferty is with us.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first thank my colleague from Range Lake for as well raising the issue of Trailcross in this House. I would like to briefly speak to the current circumstances at Trailcross as well.

Trailcross is a childcare facility that has a long history in the Northwest Territories in Fort Smith. In fact, in the last century, I had the privilege and good fortune to manage the facility and work there for a number of years. I know the type of work that is done, the type of children that require the service, the needs that are out there, and the stresses and the pressures of the job.

It was at one time a government facility where the staff were all employees. There was a decision to privatize it in the mid-1990s. Now we have a circumstance where there are contractual discussions that have reached an impasse. While it is part of the negotiating process, clearly a strike serves nobody in the long run. Hopefully, it will bring resolution to the outstanding issues. But, like my colleague from Range Lake, my hope is that an encouragement to both parties is to get back to the table and resolve the issues that are outstanding.

I have been in discussion with the union. I have met with them a number of times. I have been on the phone, as well, to the Minister and his senior staff a number of times, as well, encouraging them to try to move this process forward. I would like to thank both sides for their recent activity and some of the suggestions that were made.

Mr. Speaker, I know that we are close. I know that there is a willingness and interest by both parties. I hope they do get back to the table. There are a host of children that require the services that Trailcross provides. Every day that this strike goes on is every day that these children don’t get that service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak to the problems experienced by the Department of Human Resources. It does seem to be an endless list. I don’t purport to be any expert on the subject of software for human resource applications, but I know that our government has spent millions of dollars to ensure an effective and efficient system. That is definitely not what we have today.

Oracle, or the system formally known as PeopleSoft, is what is known as an enterprise resource planning system. There are several problems related to these ERP systems. In general, they are expensive; turnover of knowledgeable personnel makes them difficult to run well and consistently; installation is expensive; some programs also require costly annual licence fees; switching to another system is very costly; there are frequent compatibility problems; and, finally, an inefficiency in one of the departments can affect the overall performance of the system. These are only a few of the problems that I know of, Mr. Speaker.

Given the problems inherent in this enterprise resource planning system, given the problems with PeopleSoft which are well known and there have been many law suits launched against these folks, it makes me wonder why we bought into one of these systems, particularly this one, in the first place.

Mr. Speaker, I have heard my constituents complain about their personal banking information being exposed, requests for leave being published across the government e-mail system. That is if they are even able to enter leave at all, as the system has been down so very frequently. Mr. Speaker, employees are even finding mistakes on their paycheques. A lot of them have lost faith with the flawed system that is responsible for keeping track of their pay and benefits and keeping their personal information confidential.

Positive time recorders have suffered the most. These are employees such as nurses whose hours of work fluctuate, so they enter the hours manually into the system. Why are we causing needless stress to these employees who are just trying to get the pay that they deserve? This is a very serious situation, Mr. Speaker. I think this government needs to respond when employees begin to doubt the ability of their employer, this government, to handle the most basic functions: their pay and their benefits.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the fact that Minister Dent has apologized to the employees of the GNWT today in his Minister’s statement. However, Mr. Speaker, I still have questions about this. We had expended millions of dollars on this system. We had tried to tell the Minister of some of the problems. I, for one, have been absolutely categorically contradicted and denied access to correct information. Incorrect information has come to the Minister through his deputy. I don’t think we have begun to tally up the cost to this government of this difficulty. I am going to have questions for the Minister about that today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak today on the Gameti school addition. It is with regret to inform you that the GNWT offered the community of Gameti a totally different plan from its original plan. GNWT is offering two options to consider. One option would see the project redesigned to reduce costs and delay for a decision by the next Assembly. Another option would put off construction of a gymnasium for an unspecified time in the future and bringing in modular classroom units and tacking them on to an existing building. I, personally, find these proposed plans a poor excuse for a solution to a problem that we are facing in the community of Gameti. The plans do not meet anyone’s needs; certainly not the students, the parents or the community, Mr. Speaker.

These plans don’t help anyone, not even the GNWT. It just seems to be a poorly thought out attempt to put something in place and move on to another issue regardless of whether what is put in place is of any value.

Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time the GNWT had to deal with a hot economy and the high cost of construction in isolated communities. A similar project in Tulita, my neighbouring community, brought in debts several million beyond the government’s estimate. The GNWT found the funds for this project.

Mr. Speaker, for the Gameti project, the GNWT is struggling that a redesign is needed to come out with a cheaper school, that even redesign then must wait until after the election for any decision on funding. This is foolish, Mr. Speaker. A redesign will not make the school cheaper. The existing design is not excessive. The costs are not because of the design. The costs are because of the marketplace. A marketplace is not going to change in a community.

Mr. Speaker, a contractor is not going to find an electrical subcontractor or other trades easier because of redesign. We also don’t have to wait until another election to make this decision, Mr. Speaker. We were elected and put here to make decisions now. We can do so certainly in this session at least until the term ends.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT…

Mr. Lafferty, your time for Member’s statement has expired.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is also suggesting that classroom modules made by workers in the South and shipped to the North is a solution. This too is foolishness, Mr. Speaker. Not only do we get substandard products that are not what we really want, we also make sure that there is little work, or no work, for the communities. This is not acceptable for people of Gameti, the chief of the community and the Tlicho Government Community Services Agency.

Mr. Speaker, just to conclude, I realize there is a cost factor involved here, not only the economic money issue. As a government, we see day to day the importance of recreational facilities in a community for young people. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister at a later date. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member’s statement is on the northern residents tax deduction. In February of 2002, this Legislative Assembly passed the motion in favour of an increase of the northern residents deduction. The motion also calls for the annual indexing of this tax incentive. The Premier and the Minister of Finance were tasked to work with their counterparts in other jurisdictions to lobby the federal government in favour of the incentives. The maximum amount of a northern residents tax deduction has not been increasing since 1987. This means the real work of reduction has shrunk to half of its original value while the cost of living keeps rising. We are paying more or too much more.

We need this federal tax incentive more to keep up with the high cost of living in our communities. We heard this over and over during our budget consultations in the past two years. We continue to hear it in our communities today. The Finance Minister promised in his budget address in February that he would get the federal government to increase the northern residents deduction and would be a priority for this year. He has written fellow Finance Ministers. The territorial Premiers have met. He has established a working group on this issue. Where are the results? We want to increase the northern residents deduction to help our people live with the rising cost of living. We want this adjustment, including annual indexing, now because we cannot afford to struggle from paycheque to paycheque while the cost of living keeps rising and rising. I will have questions for the Finance Minister at the appropriate time.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, like my colleague from Hay River, would like to highlight the concerns about the PeopleSoft program. Mr. Speaker, the word Oracle, the name of our program here for pay and benefits, its definition is authoritative person who defines the future, Mr. Speaker. Did they foresee the thousands and thousands of dollars that would continue to be spent and paid for this debunked or crazy program that does not work, Mr. Speaker? Maybe that is what they saw all along.

Mr. Speaker, GNWT employees have been unable to enter leave for days on end. Their reports aren’t entered properly. Manual pay hours have to be put in by themselves or sent even off to other people. They do not know. Confidential and personal information is out there, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, even as of late, I know an e-mail that was sent out this week to groups of employees who had everyone’s pay and time leave still outstanding. So, Mr. Speaker, this is still happening, and so there continues to be massive technical errors and reworkings of the system that has continued to go denied.

Mr. Speaker, we need to focus on where we are going and what are we going to do. Mr. Speaker, this program seems unfriendly. I should say it seems fully unfriendly from the very beginning, Mr. Speaker. For instance, this system allows you to get into a program, enter a few hours and then when you are exiting, it doesn’t verify or approve of what you put in. So in other words, you can leave and short your own paycheque without even realizing it. What a nightmare this has become for people who live cheque to cheque, who have child support payments or mortgage payments that come due and the money isn’t there, Mr. Speaker. Oops doesn’t put milk on the table and sorry doesn’t work for a lot of banks. There is a lot of frustration out there on even the rollout of this program. So even that is questionable looking back to the source of the problem.

Mr. Speaker, we want an organization that works. We want the GNWT to recognize that personal information needs to be protected. All we heard is, yes, we fixed it. We heard that three months ago and it still seems to be an issue. So what are we going to do? Rather than spinning our wheels, Mr. Speaker, and begging for blood on the street, which some of my colleagues may be asking for, we should be saying, how are we going to fix this? If we can’t, let’s dump this program because it seems to be a waste of time and a waste of taxpayers' money.

Mr. Speaker, the apology given by the Human Resources Minister today, I will accept and I will move forward. But the fact is, we have to stop defending a program that does not work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today once again to raise the important issue of this government to allocate $15 million to construct a 22 kilometre access road from granular source 177 to Tuktoyaktuk.

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The access to this granular source is needed because the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk needs to address their municipal requirements such as repairs to the main roads, paths for new housing, erosion of private homeowners for repairing and upgrading their driveways. I have been in politics for over 30 years and can now say, with confidence, the people of the Beaufort are ready for the access road and for the all-weather road between Tuk and Inuvik, a distance of 80-plus kilometres. I have mentioned the Tuk-Inuvik highway because the location and access to gravel source 177 is an alignment with the proposed Tuk-Inuvik highway.

Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Floyd Roland, the Minister of Finance, in his budget address in February, indicated the federal government will include $25 million for the next seven years for our infrastructure requirements. We are now in mid-August 2007 and there has been no indication from this Cabinet on how this money will be spent. Why? Mr. Speaker, why can’t this government find it in their heart to make a decision to allocate $5 million annually for the next three years from the identified infrastructure fund of $25 million to a project that will address the long-term future for the residents of Tuktoyaktuk? By allocating capital dollars to a project such as a 22 kilometre access road from source 177 to Tuk, it will be prosperity for local and regional businesses, employment and training opportunities. I mention training because funding could come from the Department of MACA, DOT and ECE, and can be applied to conduct a heavy equipment operators course to build a road.

Mr. Speaker, discussions to date, discussions for locating access to granular sources has become a priority for the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk. They have asked in numerous meetings of the Premier, the Minister and the deputy minister of Transportation, MLA, mayor, deputy mayor of Tuktoyaktuk, the chair and CEO of IRC, the chair of the Tuk Community Corporation and the previous DIAND Minister, that they allocate $15 million for a three-year period towards the 22 kilometre access road to granular source 177. Mr. Speaker, I request time to conclude my statement. Thank you.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. A lot of time and money has been spent to meet and discuss a source to access to source 177. Let’s take what was discussed and move forward and find and allocate the money to construct the access road.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues for their continued support, patience and encouragement in allowing me to raise the issue about access to source 177. The Beatles had a hit song in the mid-'60s called a Long and Winding Road. In comparison, the access road to source 177 is only 22 kilometres and a mere cost of $15 million. Compare this cost to the cost of the proposed construction of the Deh Cho Bridge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before I start, I would like to extend my condolences for the family of Stella Bourque, a long-time resident of Inuvik, and also the family of Rosie Firth who always welcomed you into her home when you visited Fort McPherson.

Mr. Speaker, I take my role as MLA quite seriously. I sometimes use a little humour to get my message across but, Mr. Speaker, the condition of the Dempster Highway is no laughing matter, even though it is a joke.

---Laughter

Two hundred and seventy three kilometers from Inuvik to the border. I was pleased to see the Minister of Transportation and also the Minister of Public Works went and took a ride on that highway. I would like to have been part of that ride because I can see two Ministers riding together complimenting each other on the condition of the road and wondering what we are complaining about.

I bumped into people and they tell me, are you going to speak to the Dempster Highway, are you going to speak to the Dempster Highway? Of all the years they’ve lived up there, this is the worst they’ve ever seen it. Some members of AOC and myself had the privilege of visiting Tsiigehtchic in June. The drive to Tsiigehtchic and back wasn’t a privilege, but the visit was. It is a very dangerous road, Mr. Speaker. This weekend coming up is going to be a particularly busy time on the highway as many people from Inuvik are going to be going down to Dawson City for their annual Discovery Day weekend. I am sure there are going to be vehicles on the side of the road. There will be for sure. We usually have a couple of people roll this time of year. The highway is in terrible condition.

I listened, with great interest, to Mr. Handley’s comments on infrastructure and talking about the highway and the money they put into the highway, but there was no mention of Highway No. 8 or the Dempster Highway in his statement. Mr. Handley, I was paying attention to your statement. There is no money there. The money that does go into the highway I don’t think is enough. I am sure the Minister has his own personal opinion of the highway now that he’s been on it.

Our mandate of this 15th Assembly is almost over, but we have to put it into the business plans for the 16th Assembly to have a serious look at redoing the Dempster Highway and making it safer for the residents of the Beaufort-Delta because they deserve the opportunity to travel on a very nice highway. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to speak today about a topic that continues to cause some of my constituents a great deal of stress and anxiety. That is the Social Housing Subsidy Program that is now administered by ECE.

During my almost four years in this Legislative Assembly, one of the most strange and bizarre occurrences of which, Mr. Speaker, I probably would have to live many lifetimes to try to figure out and understand, is the transfer of the $30 million Social Housing Subsidy Program from the Housing Corporation to ECE. To my knowledge, Mr. Speaker, this program was working properly when administered by the housing authorities. Then the government decided to take the $30 million and put the responsibility with ECE to deliver the subsidy program. We all know when we have many discussions here in this House about the fact that ECE, in order to deliver the program, would have to hire an additional 14 staff members to carry out a program and the delivery of a service that was already being done. So we had to spend another $1.4 million a year to deliver the same program.

The problem is, Mr. Speaker, that here we are today spending this additional $1.4 million a year and getting a service that continues to fail clients, especially those clients who are disabled and unable to leave their homes with any regularity. Constituents advised me that they had never encountered problems when dealing with the YK Housing Authority. Now, on a continual basis, they encounter problems: staff being away, the power going out, computers not working, statements being lost, only one staff member being assigned to any one client. It is just so unfair and inappropriate, Mr. Speaker, that people’s health, peace of mind and well-being is being compromised on a daily basis because we do not deliver the service that we previously had done with the Housing Corporation.

Last November, at the urging of Regular Members of this House, a motion was passed asking the government to put the responsibility back with the Housing Corporation and the authorities. Members spoke to the many concerns that their constituents were having with ECE, and today those concerns are still there. Clients are e-mailing documents because they get tired of so many of their statements being lost or misplaced. Not only is this having a negative impact on clients, it is also causing undue stress to the housing authorities across the Territories who are not getting the assessments in a timely fashion. This is not a situation the authorities appreciate being in and the time has come to examine the delivery of this subsidy program, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Members of this House, the clients and the constituents we represent are getting tired of hearing of excuses on what’s wrong with this program, Mr. Speaker. It’s time we fully examine its functionality. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In our May session a few months ago, I stood here to applaud the signing of an agreement-in-principle on devolution and resource revenue sharing. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to salute the vision and the leadership shown by the Gwich’in, the Metis, the Sahtu and the Inuvialuit leaders in joining with our government to present a unified approach to Canada on sharing the wealth of this great land. We should remind ourselves, again, Mr. Speaker, that that wealth amounts to some $750,000 every single day in the value of taxes and resource royalties that are going not into our pockets but into Ottawa’s.

Mr. Speaker, we had, a few months ago, high hopes that Canada would actually see the signing of this agreement as real progress and we could actually have an AIP signed off, but that was not to be, as the Dehcho, Akaitcho and Tlicho governments have not signed on.

Mr. Speaker, in doing so, the North collectively gave Ottawa again the same excuse Ottawa has been able to use over and over to say no to us; that is that until we are unified, our quest for a real share of our resources is futile. Mr. Speaker, when are we going to figure this out? How can we come to accept that as different, special, unique, deserving and entitled as we all are in our separate governments and regions, we had this one dream, this one goal that we shared? When will we resolve that the only real power that we have is that of a clear, single voice demanding that we have a real share of the wealth coming out of the very ground we claim to be ours?

Perhaps the answer lies, Mr. Speaker, not in our meagre and limited political ability as proven by 20 years of futility. Perhaps it lies instead with the youth and artisans, the real visionaries of this territory, Mr. Speaker. I want to quote from a song that a young Dene woman named Leela Gilday wrote. She’s a Juno Award winner and she just might have the answer. In three eloquent lines from a song called One Drum, she tells us: “We are speaking the truth to the people. We are marching to the beat of one drum.”

We have tried for decades to do it. As politicians, we’ve failed. Perhaps Leela Gilday has the answer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my sincere condolences to Robert and Firth families in Fort McPherson on the passing of Rosie Firth. Rosie passed away on Saturday morning in the community of Fort McPherson. Rosie was well known and respected for sewing and beading. Rosie’s work can be seen in museums across Canada and one of her many accomplishments you can see here in the Legislative Assembly on our Mace. Rosie Firth of Fort McPherson did the Delta braid beadwork on the shaft of the Mace.

She was a great lady who contributed to not only herself, but had her house open to anyone who came to visit. She will be greatly missed throughout the Northwest Territories and the Yukon and also in the whole community of Fort McPherson. She shared her food, her stories, her knowledge and wisdom and especially the Gwich’in culture and language that she had to give.

I had an opportunity to visit Rosie before she passed away, which is something I will always cherish for the rest of my life.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Mackenzie Delta, I would like to say thank you to Mary Ross and her family, Norman and Denise Firth and their families, for sharing their mother and grandmother with all of us.

I would just like to say thank you very, very, very, very much. Mahsi cho, for Rosie will be greatly missed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure today to recognize a long-time friend and well-recognized senior in Yellowknife, Mr. Ed Jeske.

---Applause

Ed called me the other day and gave me heck for not consulting with him before deciding to retire. I appreciate the fact that I made my decision before I called him. With Mr. Jeske is Vivian Squires, the executive director of the Seniors Society here in Yellowknife. I’d also like to recognize a constituent who’s been in the gallery many times over the years that I’ve been a Member, and that’s Ms. Barb Wyness with the UNW. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of being able to recognize some of the workers from Trailcross that are here in the gallery today: Pam Gallant, Tanya Smith, Shawn Smith, Mary Bishop, Jason Decker, Lacee Abbott, Kristy Jones, Tony Jones, Gertie Rozon, Kelsey Frauts, Trent Krawec and Connie Foobert. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize the Tlicho chief executive council: Grand Chief George Mackenzie, Chief Leon Lafferty, Chief Charlie Jim Nitsiza, Chief Henry Gon. I’d also like to recognize Behchoko member Jonas Lafferty. Thanks for being here. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize a few special people in the gallery today: Mr. Ed Jeske, still one of my favourite seniors even though when he was my teacher he used to yell at me a lot at Sir John.

No!

---Laughter

Vivian Squires, as well, like Mr. Dent had recognized. There are a couple of other special people in the gallery that I’d like to make mention of: Katherine Silcock. She has her mother here from down south who’s visiting here today in our gallery. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause