Debates of August 15, 2007 (day 10)

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have all the names but I’d just like to recognize the UNW executive in the gallery: Mr. Parsons, Ms. Wyness, and sitting next to him, he’s not with the UNW, but Byrne Richards, who works very hard on the Aurora Oxford Home. I’d also like to recognize Sue Glowach and Lydia Bardak. Thank you.

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Thank you, Ms. Lee. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize all the visitors in the gallery today, but in particular the president of the UNW, Mr. Todd Parsons, the vice-president, Ms. Gayla Wick, and we already mentioned Ms. Wyness. Welcome everybody and welcome to all the folks from Fort Smith at Trailcross. In addition, city councillor Bardak, welcome. I hope you enjoy the proceedings. Mahsi.

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Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize the president of the UNW, Mr. Todd Parsons, a constituent of Great Slave; and Barb Wyness, public relations and research officer with the UNW. I believe I earlier saw a long-time family friend, Mr. Brad Enge in the Assembly, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Braden. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a Yellowknife South resident, Amy Hacala, in the gallery. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although he’s not my constituent, I’d like to recognize Patrick Scott in the visitors gallery today, a long-time northerner who’s made many contributions to the North, not the least of which are his six wonderful children.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased today to stand here and acknowledge Patrick Scott, the North’s newest author. For cultures with an oral tradition, Mr. Speaker, storytelling is a particularly important way of passing on people’s history. But I would like to congratulate Pat on the release of his book, “Stories Told: Stories and Images of the Berger Inquiry”, published by the Edzo Institute.

Pat served as a CBC cameraman 30 years ago during the Berger Inquiry and his book recounts the incredible stories told to the Berger Inquiry about the land and the people, and his writings connect this historic event, Mr. Speaker, in a very timely way with the current debate and issues of the Mackenzie gas project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Braden. Acknowledgements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’m happy to advise that on May 25, 2007, fire chief Urban Antoine of Tulita was honoured at a luncheon organized and hosted by the Hamlet of Tulita in recognition of having him being chosen as the recipient of the 2006 Territorial Fire Merit Award.

The Department of MACA and the NWT Fire Service Merit Award Program annually acknowledges and recognizes important contributions made by community firefighters. Urban was chosen as the recipient for his dedication to training and maintenance of community equipment and for hosting the successful Fire Prevention Week open house with the Tulita Fire Department. The luncheon hosted by the Hamlet of Tulita was an opportunity for all of us to say mahsi cho to Urban and to publicly recognize his past and ongoing contributions to the community of Tulita. Congratulations, Urban; a job well done.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question today is to the Minister of Transportation. It’s in regards to something that I have been working on with his department and it has to do with the driver's licence. Mr. Speaker, lots of coverage has been made in the issue. The new format, while it’s very good and very needed, and it takes up security questions, but it doesn’t have the system in place to accommodate long names. I know that department…and people could have all kinds of reasons for having long names. My constituent, in particular, has four names she was given by birth and she goes by the fourth name. Mr. Speaker, the Minister has indicated that the software is being changed to accommodate this, but it has been delayed and delayed and delayed. So I’d like to ask the Minister, what is the most recent update on that issue? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Menicoche.

Return To Question 116-15(6): Driver’s Licence Formatting Issues

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to say that the department has been working hard with the providers of the software and there have been software changes made. We’re continually testing it in the next couple weeks and we expect to roll out the new changes by close to the end of September, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 116-15(6): Driver’s Licence Formatting Issues

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate his answer but I have to tell you that this has been an ongoing issue for a long time and the last deadline I had from his officials was that they were hoping to have it in place by the end of July. The latest date I’m getting is by the end of September. I’d like to accept the Minister’s answer for what it is, but I have to believe there must be other reasons why it’s delaying that. I’m wondering if he could give reasons as to why the complications and could he communicate with us, to me, in writing, as to exactly what’s behind it, why the delay, and why is it that he’s sure that it will be in place by the end of September? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 116-15(6): Driver’s Licence Formatting Issues

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Certainly the changes of the new computer programming or general identity card system, the problems have been that there are only 45 characters allotted on the first line and so we usually run into issues when we’re providing many names there, Mr. Speaker. That was one of the complications that we have had. The software changes have taken a lot more time than anticipated. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Supplementary To Question 116-15(6): Driver’s Licence Formatting Issues

I don’t know. These software problems. Mr. Speaker, could I just ask the Minister to make a commitment to either make a statement in this House to confirm that he’s going to do this, when he’s going to do it so that I have something in writing, or he could write me a letter so that I could have a commitment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Mr. Menicoche.

Further Return To Question 116-15(6): Driver’s Licence Formatting Issues

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would be glad to provide the Member with more details. I’ll simply go back to the provider, the people doing the testing, and get a firm date for the Member to answer her request. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Services in follow up to the Members’ statements by myself and the Member from Range Lake and it’s to do with the current labour dispute at Trailcross. I’d first like to acknowledge the efforts of the Minister to try to resolve this, but I’d like to ask the Minister if he could update this House to the most current circumstance in terms of what is happening with the strike? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 117-15(6): Trailcross Labour Dispute

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ll have to be very careful in responding to this issue. As the Member is aware, there is still a process in place and all those negotiations have halted. There are some discussions still going back and forth. Our first priority, as a Department of Health and Social Services, was to ensure that the youth in that facility were taken care of in other facilities and we’ve done so and we’ll continue to monitor that. On the other side of the equation, we’ve done our part through the Fort Smith Health and Social Services Authority in contacting the contractor to see how things are going and to encourage a settlement in this area. I, as well, have spoken to union officials and encouraged that we would come up with a successful conclusion and I believe we’re, in fact, quite close to a conclusion, hopefully, that they can reach soon. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Miltenberger.

Supplementary To Question 117-15(6): Trailcross Labour Dispute

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Minister for the update. I as well understand that they are very close to a settlement. I’d just like to ask the Minister if he would commit to continue to use the powers of his good office to try to encourage the parties to come to some resolution so that everybody can get back to work and the children can get the care they need? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 117-15(6): Trailcross Labour Dispute

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, to the extent we’re able to. We have to recognize the fact that this contract and the union negotiations are going outside our processes. So I’ll have to be careful that we’re not deemed to be influencing process on either side, but we’ve been monitoring it on a regular basis and we’ve had our contact to see what was happening in the current settlement. We will continue to do what we can within our realm of authority to try and ensure that this comes out to a successful conclusion; the sooner, the better. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, I spoke about the motion that this government looked at, instructing the Government of the Northwest Territories to work with the counterparts of the jurisdictions to increase the index of northern residents reduction. I would like to find out from the Minister of Finance what progress he has made to date to have the federal government increase the northern residents deduction. In January, the Finance Minister started discussions with his territorial and provincial counterparts and they wrote letters to the Finance Minister. Will the Minister tell this House if he heard back from his colleagues and if he’s able to secure their support? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Finance, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 118-15(6): Northern Residents Tax Deduction

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the area of the northern residents tax deduction, I have contacted my fellow colleagues across the country, in the territories and provinces. We are beginning to get their responses back and many of them are favourable. We have another opportunity, in fact. Coming up in September, as the House finance committee launches their pre-budget consultation, we’re working with the three territorial Finance departments on a joint presentation and this will be one of the items that we’re hoping to include in that consultation process.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 118-15(6): Northern Residents Tax Deduction

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Finance Minister give some strong indications to the people in the Northwest Territories in terms of an outline of somewhat of a time frame to see that they will hopefully receive this type of benefit from the federal government in terms of securing support from the other jurisdictions in increasing the northern residents deduction?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 118-15(6): Northern Residents Tax Deduction

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it would be difficult to give an absolute timeline as, number one, to try and get a schedule together of all Finance Ministers where we have our joint meetings and, secondly, to get the agreement that we will put that on the agenda that would also include the federal government. On a provincial and territorial side, as I stated, we’re starting to get responses back that are favourable and can see that we can put that on a provincial and territorial agenda, but the meeting dates have not been finalized or discussed at this point. Secondly, from that table, to bring it up to the federal/provincial/territorial Ministers table is another initiative that we’d have to go forward on. Again, that’s an area of trying to get dates established. Sometimes it is short notice, but we will continue to work on that. The first things are to ensure we’ve got support with other jurisdictions and that is coming in now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 118-15(6): Northern Residents Tax Deduction

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we know from previous discussions on devolution and resource revenue sharing, this issue here is very important to the people in the North in terms of getting it on the federal government’s agenda and having some results. Given that the Public Service Alliance and the Western Arctic MP started a lobbying campaign for a substantial increase of the northern residents deduction, what else does this Minister suggest the GNWT can do to finally get results providing this incentive to its citizens in the North?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 118-15(6): Northern Residents Tax Deduction

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have started the process that I think would be the appropriate one. Ultimately, we need the federal government to make that decision. As I stated, we’re working with our colleagues across the territories and provinces and we will be addressing the federal committee of finance or the committee that’s reviewing pre-budget consultation on the federal budget and will be making a presentation there as well. So we’ve got a number of processes in place and we’ll continue to proceed and push those forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 118-15(6): Northern Residents Tax Deduction

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was hoping that the Finance Minister would give some good news to the people in the Northwest Territories prior to us leaving this Assembly in terms of this issue here. I hope that we see a little more progressive steps taken, not like the devolution and resource revenue sharing. So, again, what type of a letter of comfort maybe to the people of the North in terms of this issue as being taken seriously by Canada and the other counterparts so we can see that this issue be front and foremost in terms of this issue being dealt with in the near future?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 118-15(6): Northern Residents Tax Deduction

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we’ve seen from our results and many discussions that involve the Northwest Territories and other provincial and territorial Ministers of Finance, as well as the federal government, the process can be rather involved. We are working with that. We have initiated the contact and we’re starting to get those responses. As well, we have the opportunity and actually, as I stated earlier, we’re going to be working together with our territorial colleagues in making a joint presentation in Iqaluit on September 24th as the House finance committee launches their pre-budget consultations. So that’s another avenue that we’ll be making a presentation and doing recommendations, as well as continued effort on the territorial and provincial side in getting this onto the agenda with the federal Department of Finance. Thank you.