Debates of August 20, 2007 (day 13)

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to speak on something very important. It is a seniors’ home. I want to say a few words regarding that. I had mentioned this issue many times in the past. We are talking about the old folks' home in Behchoko. It’s been in existence for over 20 years and we want that facility to be replaced. So I will question the Minister regarding this later. I have mentioned this concern many times. Many past leaders have mentioned this before. So today I want to ask that same question again. (Translation ends)

…on the most important thing for the elders of Behchoko and the surrounding communities and that’s Jimmy Erasmus Seniors’ Home in Behchoko. Mr. Speaker, back in March and May of this year, I spoke of the need for replacement of or repair of the Jimmy Erasmus Seniors’ Home in Behchoko to ensure the well-being of the elders who made their home in the community. Mr. Speaker, during the May session, in questioning the Premier as the Minister responsible, it became apparent the preliminary consultant’s report is recommending replacement of the facility.

Mr. Speaker, Premier Handley also stated that the plan was to repair the building so the building would last the five years it would take to build a new facility. Mr. Speaker, I having been here a couple of years now, I know that my job is to keep the Ministers’ feet to the fire to

get a commitment that will benefit my people. I certainly hope the Premier is wearing good shoes today.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Premier for the commitment, but now we need to move forward and make sure the Jimmy Erasmus Seniors’ Home gets into the capital and that the dramatic population growth is taken into consider when designing a new facility, that a new facility meets the needs of the Tlicho elders.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I will have questions for the Premier on the final report of the facility, which was to be completed in June of this year, on the steps the Housing Corporation is taking to repair and replace this facility. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member’s statement is on the Mackenzie Valley highway, the proposed highway that is being considered by this government and past governments. One of the key issues I want to hit on, Mr. Speaker, is the isolation the people in the Sahtu are feeling. There is an enormous amount of interest by oil companies, mining companies. More importantly, the people in the Sahtu are saying enough is enough. When is this government going to make a strong commitment in pushing down the Mackenzie Valley highway, bring jobs to the Sahtu, bring the cost of living down in the Sahtu, raise the standards of living in the Sahtu and bring our interest and free our people in the Sahtu…

Hear! Hear!

…from the isolation, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the rest of the Northwest Territories, except for Nunakput, and my honourable colleague from Nunakput and other areas in the Tlicho area are also isolated; more importantly, in the Sahtu and up in Nunakput. Other communities enjoy discussions of paved roads, fixing the bumps here and there, putting a bridge here and putting a bridge there. We talk about the cost of living, Mr. Speaker. People in the Sahtu dream of your discussions.

Dream!

They can only dream of having paved roads. Even bring the standards of our goat roads up in the wintertime, Mr. Speaker. The cost of living is high. We want to contribute to the Northwest Territories. We want to be part of the Northwest Territories in terms of shaping our economy and contributing to the political structure. We can’t do it in the dark. That’s what this government is doing in terms of postponing the bridge, postponing the highway, not having a serious discussion with the federal government when they had a chance to and say open up the North.

Part of Diefenbaker’s dream was to build a Mackenzie Highway right from Tuktoyaktuk. Let’s put it through. Don’t go sidetracking to another road. Put the money where it’s supposed to be. Put the money there and free our people again in the Northwest Territories. The Sahtu people need to be free. They need to make a contribution to the Northwest Territories and bring that standard of living to everybody in the North. That’s what good government is all about. Thank you.

Hear! Hear!

Merci beaucoup, monsieur le president. One of the most frequent issues that I have raised in this House and had a little bit of an inventory done 50 times, Mr. Speaker, in the last eight years, has been the plight of injured workers. It’s not about those people whose injury or disability has been expeditiously handled by the WCB and the vast majority of cases have, indeed, been handled this way. Rather, my concern has been for those injured workers that have complex, unconventional injuries who have challenged the WCB for years. In their quest for justice, some of them have lost virtually everything in their personal and professional lives, everything that is except their dignity and their belief that the wrong that’s been committed against them must be made right.

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General’s review in the performance of the WCB in this area discovered some 30 injured workers with longstanding, regrettable, unresolved cases. In the case of one worker, Ivan Valic, I was full of optimism in December of 2005 when the Supreme Court of the NWT ruled that Mr. Valic, whose injury dates back 19 years, ruled that Mr. Valic had indeed been wronged, his Charter rights have been violated and his right to natural justice denied. Even today, 18 months after this ruling, he still waits for justice. He’s not alone. Longstanding unresolved cases like his will, I am certain, continue and should come before this Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, on a forward looking basis, this Assembly, committees, the Auditor General for Canada, the Governance Council and Ministers have done excellent progressive work on new legislation that is now before this Assembly. This is a cause for optimism that our WCB will indeed improve in the way it meets the needs of all workers and employers.

It is important for this Assembly, Mr. Speaker, for workers and for employers who pay the cost of this vital part of the society to stay engaged and involved as the WCB moves through the important changes that it faces in the future. Merci beaucoup.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Beluga whales were spotted in the Husky Lakes area late last week and once again the Tuktoyaktuk Hunters' and Trappers' Committee are concerned they may stay trapped inside the Husky Lakes if the Department of Fisheries and Oceans do not do something about the beluga whales.

The Tuk HTC discussed the issue of beluga whales at the annual general meeting and I should note the superintendent of ENR from the Inuvik region was in attendance. Mr. Speaker, subsequently, we had an opportunity to speak with an official from Yellowknife and was provided with information that generally beluga whales migrate into Husky Lakes every five years. This is the second year in a row that belugas have entered Husky Lakes, Mr. Speaker, and the HTC is concerned about their well-being.

Mr. Speaker, the Tuk HTC would like to do something about these whales. However, they do not have the resources or funding. The Tuk HTC have decided they will let nature take its course and hopefully these belugas will eventually find their way out of Husky Lakes.

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, belugas were trapped in Husky Lakes last year. Fisheries Joint Management Committee and DFO decided to let nature take its course and hope the beluga whales will eventually migrate out. Unfortunately, they were trapped in ice that formed around them. Mr. Speaker, as…(inaudible)…as it was last fall, the HTC decided to harvest the beluga whales for distribution to other Beaufort-Delta communities. The harvesting of these belugas by the Tuk HTC was conducted only because they received necessary resources from the Department of ENR. The outlying communities were very thankful to receive the muktuk.

Mr. Speaker, the Fisheries Joint Management Committee is responsible for the management of fish and water mammals around the Beaufort-Delta region. I would appreciate and request the Minister of ENR to communicate with FJMC, DFO and Tuk HTC to resolve the problems of the belugas in Husky Lakes. Mr. Speaker, in the fall season, if something cannot be done to chase the whales out of Husky Lakes, there is a possibility they will remain in Husky Lakes and die eventually.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, beluga whales are one species that the Inuvialuit depend on for traditional meat. Let’s hope the appropriate government will rise to the occasion to what is right: free the whales. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to speak again today about the Deh Cho Bridge project. In May, Members passed a motion in this House to come clean on what the costs and benefits would be for the proposed Deh Cho Bridge. Mr. Speaker, we had a briefing in July behind closed doors and as protocol would dictate, I can’t publicly discuss what things I learned at this meeting. Mr. Speaker, the fact is, there was nothing new. The public still doesn’t know what the impact is going to be and all we know is that the Deh Cho Bridge project is going ahead. The Premier and government have been quite clear about that since May. Mr. Speaker, I am having a tremendous amount of difficulty understanding how this project has gotten to the stage it is at.

The Premier is planning a groundbreaking ceremony this Friday, the day after the last session of this government is concluded. To my knowledge, Regular Members haven’t even been invited to the party, Mr. Speaker. What is so hard to believe is why the government is relying solely on a five-year-old piece of legislation passed by the last government to build the Deh Cho Bridge. Nowhere in the Deh Cho Bridge Act does it say build the bridge at any price. That act was conceived and vetted publicly when the project was 60 to 70 million dollars and tolls would be under $5 per tonne. At the time, a thorough cost-benefit analysis was done on the cost of the project. Mr. Speaker, that was five years ago. My motion in May and my standing here again today is to ask the government where is the 2007 cost-benefit analysis? The government has yet to prove to me that a bridge built for $150 million with tolls, when completed, of over $7 a tonne would not have a negative impact on the cost to consumers in the North Slave region and the city of Yellowknife. At no time in the last four years have the Members of this House had any discussion on completing large infrastructure projects.

In his sessional statement, the Premier says the additional $2 million the government required to put into the project would not come out of education, housing or health care. How is it possible for the Premier to say this? Just because we have a better formula financing arrangement with Ottawa does not mean the Members of this House said it’s okay to spend an additional $2 million a year on a bridge. That money could be used in education, health care or housing. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The 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. That money could be used in education, health care or housing. It’s just that now future governments will have no say in the matter, and that, Mr. Speaker, is a shame. Mr. Speaker, once again I will state for the record that I do support a bridge being built across the Mackenzie River but not without substantial funding from Ottawa and not without the proof from this government that costs will not increase in the city of Yellowknife or in the North Slave region. I just cannot believe the government is moving ahead with this project when it’s faced with so many questions that remain unanswered. There has been no transparency from the government on this project, Mr. Speaker, and that is the sad truth. Mahsi.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to raise the very serious issue of suicide awareness and prevention here in the NWT. This issue has been raised many times here in the past four years, Mr. Speaker, but recently has become a very sensitive issue for myself due to the fact that my family has been affected by the suicide of a close relative.

We are all aware that the NWT has more than two times the national average of suicide rates in Canada. We have not seen any real improvement in programs and services related to suicide awareness, suicide prevention or aftercare services provided by this government over the last five years.

There is definitely a real need for ongoing community awareness, community counselling, and training to individuals and affected families who have been devastated by incidents of suicide. Even years after, families are still feeling the effects of such incidents, especially how it’s affecting their families and siblings of suicide victims. As they grow up with these dark memories and without any good counselling or support networks to turn to, they may take it upon themselves to resolve their issues themselves by contemplating suicide themselves, Mr. Speaker.

In my constituency, many people have been raising this issue and have been working to develop some on-the-land programs to address suicide amongst our youth, only to be informed that there is not even health and social services dollars to move forward with a plan or there are just too many hurdles in government to get access to dollars. Mr. Speaker, that has to change. If we do not take this issue more seriously for the future, Mr. Speaker, then the talk amongst our youth about suicide will no longer be about just talk, Mr. Speaker; it will be acted upon more often. To me, this is a very serious trend that we, as a government, seem to be taking just too lightly. We have to act now to address this issue and I encourage this government to seriously review their suicide prevention programs in all of our smaller communities across the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the value of nurse practitioners in the delivery of health care in the North.

Availability of training for nurse practitioners in the North is still a relatively new undertaking. Although nurse practitioners have been present for several years in the North, their work in the larger communities is still in the pioneer phase. The primary health care model sees them as a vital part of clinics, hospital emergency wards and outpatient departments. Hay River has the good fortune of having two nurse practitioners operating in our system. We consider them to be a very integral part of the delivery of health services in Hay River.

With the relative newness of their presence in the larger communities, we believe that the model they are working with needs to be clearly defined in order to realize the maximum benefits of their training, skills and proficiency. This clearly defined working relationship with other health care providers would ensure that anyone new coming into our system would be oriented to that system whether they be administrative or front-line personnel.

Nurse practitioners have much to offer in terms of their ideas about the operation of the various settings in which they work. The network of nurse practitioners in the North are supported by professional development, resource materials, updates on best practices and conferring together. For reasons which I will pursue during question period today, Mr. Speaker, Hay River has been left out of that network to the despair of our nurse practitioners. They, too, would find benefit and opportunity to connect with their counterparts throughout the territory. This would only serve to enhance what they have to offer our community and as with all professionals, particularly in medicine, they want to stay apprised of ever-evolving best medical information and practices. Investment in this professional development is an investment that would benefit their patients.

It’s very important that physicians, whether permanent or locums, understand the role of our nurse practitioners and would then work with them in a collaborative practice that was intended. Failing to do so makes it virtually impossible for nurse practitioners to realize the unique role and responsibility that they can offer to enhance the health care delivery system.

I would like to thank all of our health care providers in Hay River and today recognize our two nurse practitioners Karen Benwell and Sue Balmer. The efforts that they have made to enhance their education and skills have been a tremendous asset to Hay River residents. Later today, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social services regarding improvements to the support for our nurse practitioners. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the subsidies that this government provides to its residents are probably the best in the Northwest Territories. We have over $118 million roughly in subsidies and there are still some inconsistencies in the delivery of these programs that causes me some concern, Mr. Speaker. A good example is there is a young man that I know who is a summer student who is working for the summer. His family is on income support. This young man is getting his wages clawed back by income support because his family is on income support. That’s not sending a very good message to this young man. He may be better off, he may think, staying with relatives and he’s paying for his family for being on income support. We have to send a better message to this young man.

Another example would be land claim agreements are included in the assessment of income for calculating how much you receive. I was under the impression that land claims agreements were constitutionally protected and shouldn’t be included in the calculation of income.

ECE, when they took over the assessments from the Housing Corporation, the policy says that summer students’ wages will not be included in the household family income. Yet, ECE includes his in his family’s income and they claw some of the money back from his family. That’s not fair, Mr. Speaker. It’s not fair, Mr. Speaker, especially to the young man who is trying to work through the summer and who is trying to get a good work ethic and make some money before going back to school. Yet, he is penalized because the support payments to his family are cut back because of the money he’s making, so he’s having to supplement his family’s income with the money he’s trying to make.

So I will have some questions, Mr. Speaker, for the Minister of ECE, because I think this is an unfair situation for the young man and we have to try to do what we can to send a good message out there and support him trying to work for the summer. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to draw attention to the plight of a constituent who is falling through the cracks of our system. This woman is suffering from a debilitating illness and, in her doctor’s opinion, requires round-the-clock care. However, she is entitled to home care services for up to 10 hours a week. The only alternative beyond that is she has been offered to be hospitalized. In order for her to be able to stay at home, her partner had to quit work to provide the care she needs. As a result, the couple now relies on income support. This couple owns their own home, but they are not able to make the mortgage payments. A family member, Mr. Speaker, a father, stepped forward to help them with this. He stepped forward to help them make those payments. However, this assistance is clawed back from their income support, leaving them to struggle to maintain their home.

Mr. Speaker, is hospitalization really the best we can do for this woman for this family? Surely a hospital bed would cost our government far more than providing more home care service hours or, at the very least, allowing them to keep the financial support from their father in order to make those mortgage payments before they are clawed back. Whose interest, Mr. Speaker, is it possibly in? Are we helping these individuals to go forward? Haven’t they been burdened enough? Why should we be making a choice: be with your family but be in poverty or go to the hospital? Mr. Speaker, those are not fair choices this family should have to make.

The system we have in place requires a greater deal of flexibility, sort of a real life real experience policy, Mr. Speaker, that takes into consideration that we are making sure we are allowing people to look after their families, not to penalize them.

Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that this government can see its way to find a solution to ensure this woman, Mr. Speaker, this family, can work together in this situation. It is my hope that this department can look through the situation and allow the dignity of this family to stay home and get the care they need. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health later today. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has been said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. I have to stay I don’t have enough of these best friends, but I don’t mind because I know that the diamonds have become best friends of Yellowknife and the NWT. I know that our friends in Tlicho will also tell you that diamonds are a Dogrib’s best friend. My colleagues in Hay River are working hard to make sure that diamonds become Hay River’s best friend.

Mr. Speaker, but I have to say that I am not sure if this government has been diamond’s best friend. The first thing is that the government has not done enough, in my view, to ease the logistical pressure in getting supplies to the diamond mines by extending the winter ice road season.

Mr. Speaker, I think they should be clear what this is about, because I am hearing a lot of confusion even in this House about what we need to do. Mr. Speaker, diamond mines and the resource industry are not looking for an all-weather road to their areas at the expense of other capital projects. Also, this is not about the race between the NWT and Nunavut as to whether or not if Nunavut builds a deep sea port first, that we will lose our chance. The lead for the extension of the winter ice road exists whether or not the port in Nunavut is built.

Mr. Speaker, what we need to know is that the worst impact of the climate change and the global warming is sitting right on top of where these diamond mines are. We have the most warming pattern in temperatures in this area than any other area in Canada. This is really placing the viability of supplying the mines through the winter ice road into serious question and jeopardy.

Mr. Speaker, all of the information is there by the joint venture committee and it is imperative that this government takes a very serious look at the situation and become an active participant on how we address it. Mr. Speaker, the government, both the NWT and federal government, has an obligation to support the infrastructure for the life of mines for the next 20 to 30 years.

Mr. Speaker, again I need to say that this is not a competition with Nunavut because if anyone who is interested in getting to the facts even if Nunavut builds a port, they couldn’t do all the work that the winter ice roads do now as efficiently or effectively. Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to finish my statement?

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Even if there is a port, we will still need to supply the mines by road. The only way to do that in the most efficient way is by extending the winter road. The way to do that is to build some infrastructure in the entry point where there are soft spots and really shortens the winter road season. There are other parts throughout the ice road that needs enforcement that this government can do to extend the ice road and to be able to withstand some of the warming trends. So, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say, for the record, that I support the joint committee’s proposal to work on this issue. I urge this government and the federal government to get on it and take care of the business. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased to stand here today and recognize my wife of almost 30 years now, Valerie;…

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…my mother of all my life, Esther; a great friend and teacher of many people across the North, Ed Jeske.

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Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize a constituent and leader in the arts community here in Yellowknife, Mr. Glen Abernethy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In this case I don’t mind being scooped by Mr. Braden by recognizing our fine visitors, but I, too, wish to recognize Mr. Ed Jeske, Mrs. Esther Braden, and I will also recognize the other Mrs. Braden and a friend of mine in the gallery above me, Mr. Glen Abernethy. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for the Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

I would like to welcome all of our visitors here today. A couple of individuals I would like to recognize: Mr. Darryl Bohnet, who was a long-time government employee and mostly worked for Diavik; and somebody who has developed a real high level of interest in politics in the last while and must be watching how much fun I have been having here, my brother Bob. I would like to welcome them both here.

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Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my constituency assistant, Ms. Donna Bernhardt, who is down here to assist me to chaperone my two Pages here from Ulukhaktok, Tyler Inuktalik and Trevor Okheena. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Pokiak. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to recognize Mr. Ivan Strang. Mr. Strang is a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Alberta for the constituency of West Yellowhead.

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He sits on a number of Alberta Legislative Assembly committees. Mr. Strang was born in Winnipeg but was raised and finished high school in Hay River and was also a resident of Yellowknife for a number of years and worked at Giant Mine.

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Mr. Strang is accompanied today by his mother. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Bob McLeod today who I think has lived in Yellowknife South since 1988. That makes him one of the original Yellowknife South constituents. The riding isn’t that old. Welcome to the gallery, Bob.

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Thank you, Mr. Bell. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s not too often you get to recognize your long lost relatives in the House. I would like to recognize Bob McLeod who is a relative of mine.

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He just found out.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we have missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the House. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It is always a pleasure to have an audience in here.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are to the Minister of Health and Social Services on the heels of my statement today, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister to agree to look into my constituent’s case to see if anything can be done to ensure this family receives the assistance they need without requiring them to move into a hospital for the rest of their life or requiring their partner to remain unemployed by making some discussions and headway on the income support policy we have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.