Debates of August 22, 2007 (day 15)

Ooh.

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I only have one seat mate and he’s only slightly to the left, but I don’t know who arranged the seating. I guess Mr. Bell is on the far right over there too. Anyway, it has been a delight to sit beside Mr. Ramsay. Again, an inspiration and I’ve enjoyed that very much.

I would like to also take this time to thank my colleague from Hay River North, the Honourable -- and we don’t use that word lightly -- Paul Delorey, for the collaborative approach that we have enjoyed in representing Hay River together.

I would like to thank my wonderful constituency assistant, Wendy Morgan, for the past eight years. I can’t even imagine what my job would be like without her support and assistance. We approach our work as a team and I know the constituents of Hay River South appreciate her as much as I do.

As has been mentioned in more detail so eloquently by previous replies, the staff who support us here at the Legislature are incredible and, trust me, they do not have an easy job. Politicians are not without their idiosyncrasies and somehow they manage to accommodate all that. So thank you to them.

Lastly, I would like to thank my family for their support. My son Jordan and his wife, Kathleen, and my beautiful new granddaughter, Julianne; my son Jeffrey and his wife, Kandace, and my delightful grandson, Grayson, here in Yellowknife; and my daughter Jillian and her boyfriend, Jonny, who also live here in Yellowknife.

This past Monday, Rick and I marked our 30th wedding anniversary.

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I wasn’t home, but we defer all these celebrations until later. Yes, it has been said that Rick Groenewegen deserves a medal. It’s true. When I was just 18 years old I made three decisions that were major impacts on my life. One was to leave south-western Ontario and move to Hay River, Northwest Territories. Two was to bypass leaving the North to go home to pursue a post-secondary education. I did not do that. Three was to marry the first guy that I met in Hay River.

---Laughter

He was the first guy I met in Hay River. I didn’t come here saying I would marry the first guy I met, but he was the first guy I met.

---Laughter

All decisions with which I am extremely happy. I have to say, as a Christian too, suffice to say that God is good and has been very good to me.

In closing, to my constituents, thank you for your confidence. To my colleagues, thank you for all and all the best to you in your future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was sitting yesterday wondering what I’m going to say to the opening replies this afternoon. I was sitting there and I got a phone call from my wife and she said that things were going around, how long are you going to be there, when are you getting back home. Then she was talking and she said oh, little guy, Scott, he’s going to school today, Grade 1, he’s going to school and he’s crying. I said, put him on the phone. Got him on the phone and he says, Daddy, how long are you going to be? Mr. Speaker, he was in his very sad-toned voice and I said I’m going to be a couple days and we talked and at the end of the phone call I said listen to your mom, say your prayers and you’ve got to go to school tomorrow. It will be okay, Dad. He made those comments and he said he loved me.

As a politician, as an MLA, I really appreciate the Members who are leaving, not because they are leaving, I appreciate them because of what they have put on line for themselves to serve their own people, the sacrifices they have made, you know. So the instances like that that we don’t really talk about amongst ourselves or to the public because we’re there to serve the people, but foremost we’ve made that choice not knowing some of the circumstances we’re going to run into. The missed birthdays, the missed anniversaries, decisions that we have to make even to attend the funeral of a loved one or to stay in the Assembly or to attend committee meetings. As MLAs, though, I really appreciate the sacrifice and the work they have done on behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories, but also, more importantly, the sacrifice they had to live with for their family and their children. As leaders, that’s what we strive to do.

It is said as leaders, Mr. Speaker, that in order to continue moving on up, you’ve got to stay up in terms of you’ve got to go up, you have to make some sacrifices. Those MLAs and to their families I have to really say that first and foremost to our own families and to our wives and, as Mrs. Groenewegen put it, to her husband and to our children the things that we really, really owe them at the end of the day when we put our head on the pillow, Mr. Speaker, in terms of the work that we do. At the end of the day, how is our family?

The people that work here in the Legislative Assembly daily, they put out, this is what they get as politicians, as MLAs, what they have put on the line for themselves also. We really need to think about this. This is a wonderful job, Mr. Speaker. You know, it says champions don’t become champions in the ring, they’re merely recognized just being there. MLAs just don’t become MLAs in the Assembly, they’re recognized in the Assembly and our work is very, very loud and clear, like Mr. Miltenberger told me when I came in, 24/7, 24/7, I still can hear. What did he mean 24/7? You know, it’s so loud and clear.

Mr. Speaker, throughout the 3.85 years in the North as MLA at a new election here, Mr. Speaker, I heard some very good discussions in the committees in this House, good discussions with our former leaders of this Assembly, discussions with our leaders amongst ourselves about working together in the Assembly and the consensus is alive and well in the Northwest Territories. I’m so proud to be in this government that has consensus as a government. That’s what we can continue to work on in terms of our vision for the people.

Mr. Speaker, I have to say that we have created a vision, it’s now putting the picture together. We know what we want for our people, we’ve heard it, you know. We also heard that we need to have a rightful place in the Confederation of Canada. We need to look at that and see where our rightful place will be one day to sit with other provinces as equal…

Hear! Hear!

…and to look and say that we could pay our own way, we could do it. You know, it’s very disheartening, Mr. Speaker, when our needs are so high and our cash is so low. Earlier today I heard Mr. Braden talk about 66 days, you know, in terms of the funding that we could get for $50 million for some projects. That’s possible. That’s a strong mission that I’d like to continue working, you know, in my short term in the next couple days before we leave and we become Joe Citizen.

Mr. Speaker, the North has many treasures right down from the border right up to the Arctic Ocean. We’ve seen them in our communities. You and I, it’s gracious that, under your leadership, you took some of the Members to my community, my region. Members here who have gone, and Mr. Ramsay named out all the communities I think, and all the Members here have gone to different communities. Even over here you’re invited to different communities. You know the treasure is in there, the old brandies, the old-timers that hunt and tell you stories how life was, the hardship they’ve gone through. Yet they still survived, Mr. Speaker. People who are not here no longer who told us to keep going. You know, they all talked about having a thick skin and it’s true, but someone else told me to keep a soft heart. Grow a thick skin and keep a soft heart. A lot of things that they say intrigue us to be in this.

So, Mr. Speaker, we have wonderful treasures. Treasures that we have that are so deep with me and my people is the land. We talked about our land so importantly, but right now we’re talking about resources on our land. We could do it. I believe so with the resources that we have and we have the strength and the power here, Mr. Speaker.

I want to say that one of my most memorable roles as an MLA is to be on the land. Last summer and this summer we walked the Canol hike. You know, we talked about it, we talked about it, we talked about it, we finally did it and we did 144 miles in two years. In 12 days it’s possible. We ate and I can’t say anything more because of the Assembly and the language, otherwise you might escort me out of the Assembly, Mr. Speaker.

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We ate and we complained politely and we talked. For me, Mr. Speaker, a leader is one who climbs the tallest tree, surveys the entire situation and yells, "Wrong jungle!" That, Mr. Speaker, is somehow interred to Mr. Handley as a leader that came as a Premier and our leader. Good or bad, right or wrong, he’s our leader. Throughout the Canol trail, Mr. Handley did go into certain situations and said oh, oh, boys, I think we’re on the wrong trail, I think we’re on a bear trail, and we’d get back onto the Canol trail because it washed out. But to walk with the people, I think that’s really important to walk on their land with them and down the Smith, Hay River or down the Deh Cho or Nahendeh or up in the Beaufort-Delta, to walk the land of the people, to know their history, to know what they’re talking about, to be there, know the language, know what the people are striving for. So I wanted to say that to Mr. Handley, that I wish him very well. I sure appreciate him being on that trail. There’s certain things I certainly can’t divulge to this Assembly because of confidentiality, as they say.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, but I wanted to say I wish him the very best and I absolutely would like to see him, God willing that he be here, do the trail next year to finish off the 80 miles that we still need to do. He is a very good role model for our young people. So I want to say that, Mr. Speaker, because he is leaving and going to spend some time with his family.

Mr. Dent, in the same light, I’d like to wish him well. Mr. Dent, I have gotten to know him on a different level at one time and I really, really want to say to Mr. Dent that when my mother passed away last year, one time you and I were talking and for a brief moment you struck me with what you told me. I sat back and I said to my wife, I said, gee, I feel so funny and ashamed because I didn’t know Charles was that type of a man. So I had a little different level with him of connection I guess or respect for Mr. Dent. He is consistent and he does seem to walk by the book, but this time he went out of the book, he went out of the box sort of thing. So I wanted to say that to Mr. Dent this time for that remark. It made a lot of difference for me.

Of course, to Mr. Bell, he’s been one that I wanted to echo Mrs. Groenewegen here. I don’t know if I’d use "top drawer," I might have a different interpretation, but he is someone that I certainly look up to as a role model and look up to as a man that would be a great contributor to the Northwest Territories and to his people and he should do other things in his life but, more important, to his family. You know, Mr. Bell and I talk a lot about our children and the sacrifices that we put them under and expect them to carry. Those little children, they carry a lot of load for us. So I wanted to say that to him. I wish him all the best and Sahtu people really saw some good things come out from Mr. Bell’s leadership. I wanted to say that on behalf of the Sahtu people of all the Ministers that I spoke of.

Of course, I wanted to say to the elder, as I call him, sitting on my left, the elderly man, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

I know Mr. Braden, at times…He's not an elder. He’s been here awhile and for me he's an elder. To call someone an elder is taken very, very serious. Sometimes I have to use another word and I think it’s appropriate to call him geezer sometimes…

---Laughter

…because some of the things we work with. Jokingly we say that. So I wanted to say that to Mr. Braden that I sure appreciate him and his vision and his discussions with us in the Assembly here.

Also, Mr. Speaker, in closing I want to say to the staff and to the people that work for us in this Assembly, saying mostly all to our people about this strong nation we have in the Northwest Territories and that for the good work that a lot of you have done on our behalf and to our CAs and to continue on. I wish to all the other Members a happy and safe summer and wish good school for our children here who are going to school this year.

I guess what I wanted to say in closing here is a quote here on legacy, Mr. Speaker, in closing. It says, “A legacy is created only when a person puts his or her organization into a position for great things without him or her.” That’s a legacy for me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, four years have passed and I’m very proud of all of our time here. There have been certainly some good days and certainly some bad days, as we all know, but I’ve gained a lot of experience from every one of those challenges that have been put before us and I’d say it’s been an incredible time, an incredible ride, Mr. Speaker.

This exciting time could not have been done without the marriage of this new family we’ve created when we walked through the doors, all 19 Members of us. Some knew each other, some didn’t, but we found a way to make it work. Just like all the families out there, they have good days and they have bad days and, you know, we can’t pick your family as the constituency picked us, but we found a way to make it work most of the time.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be here as a politician. My interest in politics has gone back a little more than 25 years. The reason I say that is many of you know, or don’t know, I am only 36, but I remember tin can TV in Fort Simpson. I certainly remember when we used to have the one channel. I used to watch Parliament on TV. I remember Trudeau, Clark and Broadbent. I used to be great fans of them and so excited to see what they were doing with issues they were discussing.

Mr. Speaker, my interest in territorial politics really came from growing up in and around the Sibbeston house. I still consider myself a great friend of Nick and Karen Sibbeston. I spent many years…I am the same age as…Actually I am in the middle years of two of their children. I spent a lot of time there. I know the family well. We had a lot of good years and certainly the inspiration and the stories I used to hear from Nick growing up certainly inspired me.

Mr. Speaker, my path to politics started seven years ago when I was elected to city council. But just before it began, my wife and I eloped and went to Las Vegas. We got married by Elvis and it was a really exciting time. She had a few more holidays left than me, so I left her in Calgary to finish her holidays and I only had a week holidays. So I had to get right back to Yellowknife. I phoned her. I said, I am going to run for city council. When she was done laughing on the phone, she said, are you really serious? I said, yes. So then she said she would do what she needed to do. So she has been a very supportive wife. I will come back to that in a minute.

Mr. Speaker, I did take that leap. My experience on city council, even with Member Ramsay, we had, again, a lot of good days, a lot of bad days. At the end of the day, it was a wonderful experience. I am glad he left council the same time as I did and we came forward over to this House.

There were a lot of highlights. I don’t know if it is worth getting into today, but there are a lot of highlights I would like to talk about. Certainly, I have decided to pare it down to just a couple. The highlights that I would like to think at this time, when I refer to achievements, are the barrier-free apartment building for the disabled. Mr. Speaker, I spent many hours down with Minister Krutko, at the time when he was Housing Minister, nagging him and complaining and whining. He kept saying, go away, go away. I would come down to the House and I would nag him and ask him more questions. He would read these scripted answers that would say go away. But eventually, I have to admit in all seriousness, we had a good working relationship on that project and he heard the need. He heard the need to the point he said we are going to send people out to interview folks and see what really needs to be done. Furthermore, if we can do something, we are going to do something. And he did do that. I am very proud that Minister Krutko is…To me, he heard the concern. He sent people down to understand the problem. Furthermore, he did something. He heard what I was trying to raise. I had constituents there. When they washed their dishes, they had to drape their arms above the water and the conditions in their washroom was absolutely pathetic. He is fixing that problem by moving forward that initiative.

I had another constituent who couldn’t reach the countertops. He couldn’t cook and an endless amount of problems, but the bottom line is he heard those problems too. This government at that time of little more than three years ago said we are going to fix it. That is one of my personal favourite projects I helped to work on here. I am very thankful. Now, Minister Krutko is no longer Minister of Housing. Minister Handley luckily got to cut the ribbon on that project and it is opening next month. It is a good project. I have always said all along, from the start of it, I think this is a demonstration of good quality work the Housing Corporation can do to meet the needs of people in the NWT, to meet people with disabilities to help improve their quality of life. I really tried hard on that. I am glad to say it is one of my personal hallmarks of success that I will always be able to look back and say that one project alone I think really meant a lot because you can see how happy they were.

Mr. Speaker, there are some things that didn’t work out. I am not going to mention a lot of them, but I am going to say when this House passed the motion to put an addictions treatment centre here in Yellowknife and in Inuvik, that was quite a disappointment. Even in motion, I often called them creative suggestions because we’re united on this side of the House. We came to identify a need. We came to identify a solution, and I don’t want to say Cabinet ignored it, but I don’t know how else to put it other than it was ignored.

Mr. Speaker, I hope some day that can be corrected. Another area that I wish we could have made a clear statement on was, again, a personal plea in the sense of I thought it was very important to the fabric of who we are as an Assembly, was I had always hoped that we could have passed the troops motion to support our troops overseas. It was not to be. There were many people who supported it. There were many who didn’t and many who found that the wording couldn’t be right, so in the end it never came forward. But every Friday, I always wore my red shirt to let our troops know here in Yellowknife, and the message was spread far and wide, that people here do care about the work that they do. Mr. Speaker, one can say, though, with those sorts of things, we can’t win them all, but we can certainly win as many as we can.

Mr. Speaker, I am a big fan of consensus government. The longer I am here, the more I think that party politics certainly isn’t meant for this place.

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Although I am a firm believer, though, consensus government needs to evolve. It needs to respond to people’s needs. It needs to be reflective of what is going on. Mr. Speaker, I am not saying that changes I suggested last Friday had to take place, but I think what I was really saying when I had my consensus government Member’s statement read out, the fact is I just think it needs to be evaluated from time to time. Nothing should go without any type of evaluation because, if we can’t stand that test, then maybe we have bigger problems.

Mr. Speaker, I would say to those who want to join party politics in this Assembly, who want to slide it in under the door whether openly or informally, I would say be careful of the wolf in sheep’s clothing, Mr. Speaker. I think it will be the demise of this Assembly, the free-flowing communication I think clearly highlighted by Minister Dent, I think yesterday, talks about one of the most amazing elements of our Assembly. If we were in a party style system, as everybody knows in this Assembly -- I think sometimes people forget -- you couldn’t bring forward an idea.

I remember when I talked about the idea of developing and coming up with a brand new product for a driver’s licence. If we were in a party system assembly, the government would just laugh and say, great idea; when you are in power, go for it. But the government here has suggested from this side of the House. They listen to them. They take them into consideration. That doesn’t happen anywhere else in Canada outside of us and Nunavut. I am very thankful and grateful that we have a consensus government.

Pre-project consultations I think have set forward a great statement from this Assembly. All the Regular Members felt that this is an important thing to start talking about what the priorities are of the people of the Northwest Territories, asking them for their input on the budget to make sure it was more reflective of the people. Someday I look forward to the TV broadcasting of our committee meetings. I think that is a fantastic step forward in accountability.

Mr. Speaker, in my perspective, I believe I have taken the time to try to understand my constituents’ concerns and my constituents’ feelings on a number of issues. I assure you I have read probably almost every single e-mail that has come in, even the long ones and some were very painful to read and some were very enjoyable. But despite the fact that I didn’t always necessarily agree with the issues, I certainly always respected the time that people took to put them together. I can’t say I have been absolutely perfect in that regard by responding to them, but I have certainly made every effort I thought was reasonable and tried my very best.

Mr. Speaker, sometimes phone calls came in on family time, sometimes at 11:00 and sometimes even 12:00 at night. Sometimes some people always had something to get off their chest and they just want to say can you believe what the government is doing? I would say, okay. Then they would go on and on. Then I would say, can we talk on Monday? They say, well, actually I have already told you. Thanks very much; I appreciate your time. Sometimes that was all it really needed.

Mr. Speaker, for that, I am getting back to what I said earlier, which was I am extremely grateful for my wife. Sue has been fantastic. She is understanding of the cause. She is committed to the process. She knows that people can be demanding on her time. She knows that sometimes we have to be at meetings instead of there at suppertime and so she is committed to the bigger picture of what we do. So I am so grateful for having a strong wife. I am blessed with that support. As I said earlier about good days and bad days, she certainly was there for the good ones and I am so thankful she was there for the bad ones. But with her demanding schedule, I can’t forget about my two little monsters. Sometimes I have to bring my two boys here at the office to read some e-mails and read some of my mail. They would be playing in my office. Now, I assure this House and everyone listening that the Thomas the Train toys were for their entertainment and not mine. Mr. Speaker, it was always exciting to look at them play there while I was able to read. They didn’t mind at all coming to the House while I worked.

Mr. Speaker, since I have come to the Assembly, I have always had pictures of my two sons and, of course, when I only had one son it was just him, but I always had them in front of me as a reminder of why we are here. I try to look at them and I use that as my sort of test of integrity. So when we bring forward an issue, I am always having them look at me. I use that as a reminder of why we are here. So, Mr. Speaker, when issues are raised, I think of them and I always step forward in that regard, always with the integrity and sense first.

Mr. Speaker, although we raise our issues in our own way, a comment that has always come back to me, which some days they sound less good than others, but people always make the point of saying make sure your issue is true. Make sure you speak from the heart. That is all that really matters. As long as you do that, you are okay.

Mr. Speaker, I am just going to close by saying a few small things in regards to Coady Summerfield. He has been my constituency assistant now for two and a half years. He is extremely meticulous. He is extremely smart and hard working. I don’t think I could have done half the work without his assistance. I would certainly say he would rival any other constituency assistant that we could ever imagine of. For him, I am truly grateful.

Mr. Speaker, personal memories in closing here will be some of the times working here late on the weekends or at night and then taking a moment or two to play with my kids and remind myself what really is important and why we do our things. Occasionally, my sons will beg me to run and chase them down the halls. I certainly hope that someday security doesn’t sort of hold me hostage with those video tapes of me making screaming noises, but to my kids, that seemed to be one of the exciting things. They had always asked, "Are we going to Daddy’s office this weekend?" That was very important to them.

Mr. Speaker, on the last note, I am going to point out that I had my second son born while I was here in office. Even though my wife was still two or more weeks away from being due, she thought it was important for me to go to Ottawa on NWT Day. As soon as I landed in Ottawa, I got the phone call and she said the water broke. Me being a guy, I said, can you hold it until I get home in two days? Well, like Mr. Yakeleya about being concerned about censorship and wording, I won’t say what she actually said on the phone, but I will say that she did say no. She called me back a little while later and said that nothing is happening. Everything is good. Then at 6:00 a.m. in the morning, I got a phone call and there was a baby crying in the background on NWT Day. She said it was here. For her, it was important that I was in Ottawa with the rest of this Assembly raising the issues, raising the profile of the NWT for the greater good. So, Mr. Speaker, as I have highlighted twice and I want to do it for a third time, my wife has been absolutely key to my success. I thank her many times over. I thank her quite often because she sometimes gets neglected because we have meetings and we have to travel. She has to find a way around to deal with the kids, but, Mr. Speaker, none of us could be here without our partners. I think, of everything I have said, that is the most important thing I want to finish with. I couldn’t be here without the strength of my wife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to just take a few minutes to give my thanks to many people who make it possible for me to be here today. First of all, I would like to thank my constituents for giving me their trust to serve them as their MLA for the last eight years. It is an honour like no other. I don’t think there is any other…I don’t even think you can call this a job. It is something that is possibly a democratic system that we have where on election day, the people across the NWT go out and put an X next to the names of people that are here. It is a complete honour. It is a trust. When you are elected into this office, it is a daunting task. Even to this day, every day, I am in awe of what the people of Range Lake have given to me for the last eight years.

I remember walking in here as the class of 1999 with Mr. Bell, yourself, Mr. Speaker, Premier Handley -- there were six of us -- Mr. Braden and myself. I remember looking at my job and going, what am I supposed to do in this job? I know I got elected and there is no manual. There is no script to follow. I remember having to think really hard about how I do my job to the best of my ability. The way I thought about it was like the people gave me this little baby, something so precious, something so honourable that I had to grow into the job. I had to become wiser, intelligent, articulate and more than anything that I ever thought possible. We all have to grow to the job and do the best we can because the people who elect us should not be burdened because or our limitations, our boundaries or lack of anything. I tried my best to do that. People of Range Lake continue to give me support. I am always in awe of that honour. I will be seeking a new mandate. I will save all of the stuff about what I have been able to do and what I would like to do for the future. I am very optimistic about the future of the North. I look forward to that debate.

Mr. Speaker, I do want to acknowledge the Members of this House. I know there is a public persona of the Members here, but the people I know here, I believe to the bottom of my heart that we are all here with honourable intentions. We all come here every day trying to do the best we can. We learn all about our weaknesses and strengths. I know lots of Members here remind me all of the time, in the second Assembly anyway, from the first one, I came in here shooting with both cylinders or speaking before thinking and just totally enthusiastic and seeing everything in black and white. I have grown so much into the job. It has just been an amazing work experience. I would not have been able to do that without having such generous people and the Members that I have had to work with. I thank you all, the Members, for giving me so much guidance for the last eight years.

I do want to wish well Mr. Bell, Mr. Handley and Mr. Braden, who are leaving and seeking other opportunities. That is my class of 1999 I wanted to acknowledge. And Mr. Dent. I don’t want to go over all of the strengths of the Members. You have been great. I know you have given all your best. I know that you all are going to continue to serve. The North is going to benefit from that. I wish you and your family nothing but the best.

I want to acknowledge my committee members. I had the honour of being the chair of the Social Programs committee this Assembly, Mr. Speaker. When I first came here as a female Member trying to prove myself, I really wanted to stay away from the pink committee, so the last Assembly I made sure I got into Governance and Economic Development committee. But in this Assembly, I knew it was important work, I wanted to do it and I was honoured to be a chair of this committee. The six members in my committee, Mr. Yakeleya, Mr. McLeod, Mr. Lafferty who came on board later, Mr. Pokiak and Mr. Braden. I keep forgetting Mr. Braden.

---Laughter

It has been a real pleasure to work with all of you who I think we did a lot of good work together. We always had a very good working relationship. We put through a lot of really heavy-duty legislation like the Public Health Act. I don’t want to go into all that, but it has been a total pleasure. I learned a lot from all of you. I thank you very much.

I want to, in particular, thank the staff of the Legislative Assembly, not only the committee but the entire staff. I think Mr. Mercer has an amazing group of staff he has built now. I would like to thank Mr. Mercer and everybody: Tanis and Haylee in his shop who are working in the back there; Mr. Moreside, Ms. Freisen, Ms. Menard and all of the staff in the finance section. I couldn’t even begin to think how much work is involved in there. I don’t think I give them as much work as some of the other Members, but I think they do a lot of work. I really want to thank them. In particular, Mr. Speaker, I really want to thank my committee staff, Ms. Bennett, sitting here. She came to us from the court services. I think losing her was the bigger blow to the judges than losing the courthouse.

---Laughter

Ms. Bennett came into our committee about a year into this Assembly. She fit in without any fuss. She has been a total professional and a woman of competence; she gets the job done. It’s just been amazing and I would not have been able to do the work that we do in committee without the level of skills and just everyday just doing the job. I cannot thank her enough.

Mr. Robert Collinson, our researcher for the committee, I still maintain that he’s completely underpaid. I think he should get paid $10 for every word that he puts into our report that makes our committee’s work very intelligent. He expresses the views that we hear from the people, what we want to say. Mr. Robert Collinson is only one of the entire research staff under the leadership of Colette Langlois, our director, and they really, really, single-handedly make our work possible. I have to tell you that some of the Members here who remember when I came here, you might have described me as a leader looking for a team, or maybe a lone ranger looking for a team, and working through the Social Programs committee, working with the staff that I have, with Ms. Bennett and Mr. Collinson, Mr. Glen Boyd, our legal advisor, I really think I found a team where I was able to be a leader of a team and I think together with the committee Members and our staff, we have been able to do some really, really good work. I’m very proud of the work we have done as a Standing Committee on Social Programs.

Mr. Speaker, the last person that I must thank is my constituency assistant, Cathy Olson. I first met Cathy Olson in the year 2000 when her family came into town. She and another lady named Janet Pacey started a magazine called “Yellowknife Living,” and I was just so excited about there being a magazine called “Yellowknife Living.” I thought any two women who would put their heads together to write a magazine have to be really driven. I met her then and I agreed to put an ad in the Yellowknife Living magazine from day one and I asked her if she could come and work for me at the same time. At the time she had lots of obligations with her family and she wanted to put that off. About three years ago she was able to free herself to come and work for me and it has been three amazing years of experience. She is a woman who like…Very few people I know who I can talk with about what’s happening on CNN, what’s happening with the U.S. national politics, we can talk about what’s happening there, how to do the quilting, what’s happening at Range Lake North School, what’s happening to the teenage life, we can talk about dogs, we can talk about weather. She just knows…She’s one who’s as interested about life and things as I am and it’s just been a complete and total pleasure to work with her. She’s given me motherly advice, sisterly advice, political advice, personal advice. She works really well under pressure. We work really well together in crisis mode and I could not have done my job without her. I really want to give her thanks, and her family. All of her family has been involved in my work and I know there’s lots going on in her life and her family life, and I just want to thank her very much for all that she has given me and I do hope that we can continue to have a working relationship.

Mr. Speaker, in parting, I want to just talk about two things that I think are really exciting and important. The first thing is that the Legislative Assembly is going to have its own dedicated television channel. It’s something that I’ve always asked for and I’m so excited that it’s coming to fruition in the very near future, possibly this upcoming session after October. I believe that young people, all the people in the North but especially the young people have to see their lives and their community reflected on television. I think you have to be a minority in a mainstream society to see how important that is. For the mainstream society, they take it for granted that when they turn on the movie, they turn on the news, they see people that look like them. But for the aboriginal population or the visible minority population, we take it for granted that it’s okay not to see themselves on television, whether it’s on the political channel, in movies, on the news, a soap opera, whatever. For that reason, that main reason, I just think that it will do a great deal of good to have a community channel where our northern people, especially the northern news, to see themselves on a television channel. For the young, community channel 20 is no different than any other fancy U.S. network channel: you’re on television and you’re a star. I think every child should feel like they’re a star and they should see themselves debating in the House, not debating in the House but in the sporting events, in the cultural events. We could not only have these sessions of the Legislative Assembly showing on television, but also a Beluga Jamboree in Tuktoyaktuk, Mackenzie Days in Fort Providence or the Dene Assemblies. I think we as a community, as a whole in the Territories, need to have a television channel that connects together, that enables us to express ourselves as a distinct and unique cultural group of people, but also very diverse, where all the communities could come together. Yellowknifers could see people and cultural activities in other communities and other communities could also see the people in Yellowknife. So I am so excited about that channel and I will encourage the next Assembly -- and I hope to be part of it -- if my people in Range Lake send me back I want to make sure that even the committee meetings are reflected on this channel so that we get to be more transparent in the work that we do.

The second thing I want to say, Mr. Speaker, is we all know that there is an election coming up on October 1st and there are lots of people who are interested in running. I think it’s great that there are a lot of people running because it speaks to the citizenship participation, it allows for vigorous debates of important issues of the day and, most importantly, it gives the people a chance to vote for a number of choices that are available. As one of the longer serving Members in this House, I’ve been getting a lot of calls from people who are interested in running for office, and in responding to those inquiries I realized that there is something lacking in the consensus government that is present in the party politics. I know in lots of replies to opening addresses in the last few days, many Members have spoken about the benefit of consensus government versus party politics. If this is an issue, and it is usually an issue during every election, I look forward to that debate, but the small element of that was my realization that we, under the consensus government, there is no means to involve the people, to educate them or to provide support for anyone who wants to run for public office. People come into this place and connect with this place at a personal level, whether people were here as young Pages or they have parents who are MLAs or government people, but I think in the interests of the wellness of this Assembly, and in the interests of attracting as many good calibre candidates as possible, I think it is very important for this Assembly in going forward to provide a packaged training program for youth, for anyone, to teach them about how the consensus government works; what should one do if they’re interested in the political process. I’ve been working closely with women who are wanting to run for office but I have found there’s a need for that for the young people, for anybody who’s interested in the process. I would really like to encourage the Legislative Assembly to look into that. I know that the NWT office is working on that but I think it’s something where we need to broaden our base to see if we can do a better job.

Mr. Speaker, on that note, I would just like to close by thanking my constituents again, and thank everybody here for making me a much better person than when I started here. I think we’ve done some really good work together and I would like to wish everyone all the best in the coming days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Replies to opening address. The Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to seek unanimous consent to go back to item 5 on the orders of the day. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to turn your attention up to the gallery. I see up in the gallery my nephew Mr. Robbie Pascal who works with the WCB. Along with him are his two boys, Matthew and Allen.

---Applause

…this time that Mr. Pascal has been accepted at the University of Alberta to further his career, so good luck. Thank you.

---Applause

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to recognize the two Pages who are from Nahendeh who are with us here this week: Ms. Hilary Norwegian and as well as Ms. Tanis Browning. I’d like to thank them for their efforts and sure glad to see our consensus government hard at work. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize a former colleague of mine on Yellowknife city council, Mr. Ben McDonald. As well, we’ve got two other city councillors who are with us today in the gallery: Mr. Kevin Kennedy and Ms. Lydia Bardak.

---Applause

I would also like to welcome everyone else who is with us here in the gallery today. Thank you.

---Applause

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight met on May 16, 2007, to review the 2005-2006 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner. The committee would like to thank the Commissioner, Ms. Elaine Keenan-Bengts, for her report and for her appearance before the committee.

The NWT Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, or ATIPP, came into force on December 31, 1996. The purpose of the act is to make public bodies more accountable and protect personal privacy by giving the public a right to access, with limited exceptions, to records being held by the GNWT and related public bodies, and by preventing the unauthorized collection, use or disclosure of personal information by the GNWT and related public bodies. The act also gives individuals the right to see and make corrections to information about themselves.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. A motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Committee Report 6-15(6) be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. A motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Committee Report 6-15(6) will be moved into Committee of the Whole. The Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 93(4) and have Committee Report 6-15(6) moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration today. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled Workers’ Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut 2006 Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Pursuant to section 32.1(2) of the Financial Administration Act, I wish to table the following document entitled List of Interactivity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 for the Period April 1, 2007 to June 30, 2007. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

  WHEREAS a Deh Cho Bridge would be a desirable, permanent road link in the NWT's transportation infrastructure;

AND WHEREAS considerable public expense and effort has been invested in creating a public private partnership with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation to complete the project;

AND WHEREAS the projected cost of the bridge has escalated from $60 million to $150 million within four years;

AND WHEREAS substantial public funds, as well as toll fees, will be required for 35 years to pay for the project;

AND WHEREAS the government has not disclosed business and economic impact models for the current project, in contrast with broad disclosure made in 2003;

AND WHEREAS other transportation and energy projects, namely the Bathurst Inlet port/road project, the Taltson River hydro expansion, may have significant impacts on the economic viability of the project;

AND WHEREAS the government has said a toll of $6 per tonne in 2002 dollars is constant, but has not disclosed rates of inflation that will be assessed to the toll fee;

AND WHEREAS significant investment in other infrastructure is anticipated and desirable, yet no current macroeconomic feasibility for the bridge project has been demonstrated;

AND WHEREAS there may be liabilities associated with the project as a result of contracting procedures used;

AND WHEREAS the Government of Canada has not committed to contribute to the Deh Cho Bridge project;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Sahtu, that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends the GNWT undertake and disclose updated economic modelling showing the Deh Cho Bridge project's anticipated socio-economic impact and benefits, as it did in 2003;

AND FURTHER that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends the GNWT defer signing any further agreements concerning the Deh Cho Bridge until after the 16th Assembly is in office.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This topic of the Deh Cho Bridge has been a topic that was discussed back in May when we were here. I even brought the subject up three years ago, Mr. Speaker, with the concerns I had over the project at that time.

I want to state, first and foremost, that my opposition to this bridge being built is nothing personal, it’s nothing against the community of Fort Providence. I think the community of Fort Providence deserves to have economic development and opportunity. My big issue with this bridge project is the fact that the government has gone ahead based on five-year-old legislation and made some decisions without consulting Regular Members of the House on how that money is going to be spent and what it is going to be used for. The $1.8 million a year that goes into the ice road crossing and the ferry operation at Fort Providence is going to be used on paying for the bridge for the next 35 years. In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, another $2 million indexed for the next 35 years is going to be required to pay for this bridge. Mr. Speaker, that’s where my issue is with the government.

At no time, Mr. Speaker, over the last four years has the government had a discussion with Regular Members of this House on that decision to spend the additional $2 million. We did not have a vote on it; we did not have a debate on it. We did not have an opportunity to discuss it whatsoever. We got briefed by the government from time to time on the project. It was we are doing this and we had no opportunity for input in that.

Every time the loan guarantee was increased over the last four years, and it happened on a number of occasions, Mr. Speaker, the government’s excuse was we are waiting for federal money to come and help us pay for the Deh Cho Bridge project, to be a partner with the Deh Cho Bridge project. So it was very surprising back in May when the Premier alluded to the fact that the bridge was going to go ahead. He came to committee and said the bridge is going to go ahead. We don’t have any federal money, but the bridge is going to go ahead. How are we going to pay for it? We are going to roll that money in, the $1.8 million, plus we are going to spend another $2 million a year on the Deh Cho Bridge.

We talk about consensus government, we talk about trying to get people the information we need to make decisions. In this instance, Mr. Speaker, and again it’s nothing personal, but the government failed in its obligation, in my mind, to come back and consult with Regular Members. Not only did it fail to consult with Regular Members, Mr. Speaker, it failed to consult with the same people it consulted with in 2002 and 2003 when the project was anticipated to cost 60 to 70 million dollars and tolls were anywhere between $4.50 and $5 a tonne.

Things have changed tremendously over the past five years, Mr. Speaker. As my colleagues know, the project is now $150 million. Tolls are now going to be $6.75 a tonne. By the time the project is completed in 2010, the tolls will be over $7. The government has been unable to come back to Regular Members and say there won’t be an adverse effect to the cost of living to over half of its citizens here in the territory, in Yellowknife, Behchoko and the rest of the North Slave region. I think the government has to deliver on the information. That has been all I have been asking for for the past four months: a similar cost-benefit analysis, as we’ve done in 2002, on the new numbers.

The government made quite a stir when it launched the macroeconomic policy shop, one that I felt at the time we probably didn’t need to hire five more people to study that in an office in the Department of Finance. Mr. Speaker, if I could, I am thinking that this bridge project would have been a perfect opportunity to test the waters on that macroeconomic policy shop. Let them run the numbers. Let them see us spending $150 million on a bridge as something the government should be doing. I know some of that would be offset by tolls, Mr. Speaker, but certainly the government, in the process, should have done much, much better. We just haven’t had a chance. To me, that’s the bottom line here.

We haven’t had a chance to discuss competing infrastructure projects here in the Territories. We know in all our constituencies we have competing demands out there. How does the bridge jump to the front of the queue? How does that $150 million become more important than other projects in the Northwest Territories? We haven’t had that type of discussion, Mr. Speaker. We haven’t had that level of discussion. That is why the motion is here again today.

This is very similar to the motion I moved in May asking for more information. I know 48 hours from now, a deal will be signed in Fort Providence. The horse is out of the barn, folks. It’s gone. The government has made that decision. Like I said the other day, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Premier, for Cabinet and I really want to be able to stand next to them on Friday in Fort Providence. It’s a great day for Fort Providence. It’s going to be a huge economic opportunity in Fort Providence. For that, that’s one good thing that’s coming out of this; but the process has been flawed, Mr. Speaker. I don’t understand how the government can rely on five-year-old legislation to make decisions that are going to affect governments for the next 35 years without consulting Members of this House.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I look forward to comments other Members may have, but this may be too little too late. Again, I want to send the message. I have been consistent all along. All I want is proof and evidence. That’s all I want. It’s nothing personal. I will leave it at that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. To the motion. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to say to my colleague in Kam Lake, thank you for this motion and having an opportunity to discuss the motion. Mr. Speaker, we say sacrifice is an ongoing process and not a one-time thing. Mr. Speaker, with the Deh Cho Bridge, it’s sacrificing a lot of people in the Northwest Territories to get the bridge in here. It’s not a one-time payment of $150 million over 35 years. I think it may be a long, long time. There is some uncertainty about some of the number and creating about the federal government’s contribution. They are the biggest stakeholders in this process here in the Northwest Territories and they aren’t even at the table in terms of making a strong commitment for infrastructure up the Mackenzie Valley highway, let alone the Deh Cho Bridge. So the biggest stakeholder hasn’t even come to the table.

I wonder if they are going to be down there on Friday along with the Premier’s invited guests to be there. We should all be celebrating this process here. We should really be celebrating. Good for the people in Deh Cho and Fort Providence. Good for people in the Northwest Territories. Why is it going to be such a sombre party? Because of some information that has not come over to our side to really have a good, strong economic political debate on this infrastructure here. We are committing our children’s future to 35 years of payments and we are making sacrifices. This is not a one-time payment. This is an ongoing process as it says here. All I am asking in this motion of Mr. Ramsay’s is that information be disclosed regarding the economic model of this project and the impacts and benefits of this project here. Ground zero is Fort Providence. I don’t really hear anything about it positively or strongly on the radio or in newspapers.

I know the Member for Deh Cho is really happy for this project here. I said it’s good news and we should be really celebrating. Who is going to be really benefiting out of this project, number one? For me, I have very strong views on it. I think the proposed Mackenzie Valley highway and putting the bridge in the Mackenzie Valley is being left out for whatever reasons. We do not want to get into those areas right now. I would like to see that any other types of signed agreements be deferred to ensure we know what we are getting into with this project here. At least go down to Ottawa and make some calls to get the federal government to come to the table.

Mr. Speaker, when we were briefed on the Deh Cho Bridge, it seemed like it was going along okay. There were certain things that need to happen before we can get solid on some decisions here, Mr. Speaker. Somewhere, somehow, we just need to get up there without some things that weren’t quite, I wasn’t too comfortable with and some of the other Members, when we talked about some of the infrastructure in our communities. Yet it seems to somewhat have been pitted against the bridge in Bear River. The Bear River Bridge seems to be falling off and all we hear is this red flag. The Deh Cho Bridge seems to have the green light to go ahead.

My colleague here has commented on three months of funding and the federal government in terms of the royalties. I think it’s 66 days, $55 million in three months. That’s what they are taking out of this beautiful land, this country. Sixty-six days he said. Mr. Speaker, maybe they should be calling that bridge "Route 66 Bridge" in terms of this issue.

I want to say to Members here that I will strongly support this motion here that Mr. Ramsay has put on the floor here. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I spoke in some detail in my Member’s statement about some of the factors that have caused considerable concern about the affordability of the project. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, not based on information I know but information I do not have access to even if it exists, because in this round of business arrangements to actually get this project underway, unlike the process that we all had benefit of four years ago, the government has not repeated to update the same kind of information that was available in extensive reports of this four years ago and this is a great disappointment, Mr. Speaker. As I said, I would really like to endorse this project but I need to be confident in what we are getting into for the next 35 years, which amounts to potentially eight more Legislative Assemblies, if you want to look at it that way, that will still be carrying the can for a project that this government wants to start.

I think it’s the kind of thing people in the Northwest Territories, when they are talking about big new ideas or big projects, we have a thirst, hunger, appetite, maybe an addiction for consultation and information. Witness the process we are going through right now with the Mackenzie Valley pipeline almost to the point of exhaustion, but this one, in contrast, we are starved for information that is willingly provided and yet is not before us now.

Mr. Speaker, going through some of the information that was provided back in 2002, I am looking at a press release that was issued on November 15 entitled the MOU, signed for construction for the Deh Cho Bridge. At that time, of course, Premier Handley was the Minister of Transportation and did a really good job of getting the project to this point. I would like to quote from that press release, Mr. Speaker. The release goes on to say that: “The president of the Fort Providence Metis Council and a member of the alliance’s bridge committee, Alfred Lafferty, says public consultation is now the most important task facing the alliance.” This is November 15th of that year. He said there will be a commercial vehicle toll on the bridge. We need to ensure the people understand the proposal and know that it’s a good deal for them. Why don’t we have the information now?

The other aspect of this that has been a major…

Thank you, Mr. Handley. I am not aware that that document has been tabled in the House and the rules do state that you are not to refer to documents that have not been tabled in the House. Therefore, I will rule that the Member has a point of order and I will advise the Member not to be quoting from a document that is not before the House. Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I respect the point of order. A further part of this whole discussion, Mr. Speaker, was that there has been a longstanding expectation and many tantalizing offers or suggestions or hints that Canada would be coming into this, recognizing what a significant piece of infrastructure this is for this region and for Canada. Yet we still do not have a tangible certainty from Canada that it’s going to say we do have a responsibility to come into something like this. We do have evidence that this is a good thing for Canada because it is a significant part of the transportation link for the diamond mines now, Mr. Speaker, that are pouring a big chunk of the $750,000 a day that Canada is getting in taxes and royalties from the Northwest Territories. Why is it so difficult for Canada to appreciate that there is ample evidence that this a good deal? This is a win/win for everybody. If you do the math, you will find out that in just over two months, that revenue and royalty stream would actually pay the $50 million that is generally expected and anticipated that Canada just might come in for.

So in the absence of that kind of guarantee or that kind of certainty from Canada, why are we pushing ahead with this now? The Premier and the Minister of Transportation have told us in meetings with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Transportation, oh, yes, there are national programs that you might quality for, that you are on top of the radar screen for, but we still don’t have it. We won’t know until at least later on this year, this fall, after the next Assembly is in place, Mr. Speaker. What is the rush to put this on?

The previous Assembly and this Assembly have pushed this along. We have taken prudent steps to negotiate and find out what the deals are. Hopefully we haven’t made too much of a mistake, because one company is already challenging some of the negotiations. Mr. Speaker, I really think the prudent thing for this Assembly to do is to sign off on the work that we have done for now, recognize that not enough is in place yet in terms of the knowledge and the information, confidence that the public and the companies who are going to be paying for this for the next 35 years are not there and also the potential. I would like to be optimistic and positive. The potential for Canada to come into this project and in the relatively near future is still there.

We are undertaking a major risk on the part of the economy, the people and the economy of the NWT for quite awhile by coming into this project at this time with the uncertainties that are still out there. I still do want to see this infrastructure done, but I want to see it done in a way that we all know about and we all have confidence about. That’s why we have asked, in our motion, for a deferral of this over to the next Legislative Assembly, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. To the motion. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker…(English not provided)

Mr. Speaker, just to summarize what I’ve said in the Tlicho language, this bridge that we are talking about here is also in our backyard, the neighbouring Deh Cho area in Fort Providence. We call it…(English not provided)…in our language.

The bridge has already been announced that it’s going to go ahead. We are here debating the accountability, the transparency. It’s true that we should have gotten more information, whether it be business and economic impact models that have been requested by colleagues of mine around the table here. We met with the Premier on the briefings. Those types of requests have been laid on the table, but here we are still asking for that information. When we look at the true consensus government, we have government in Cabinet and we also have government here. We are supposed to work side by side and not to surprise us to say the bridge is going ahead.

Loan guarantees; words are said as Members here and we really didn’t have a say in the process. That’s why this motion was brought forward, to say be transparent. Where is the information you are supposed to be sharing with us? Also be accountable. We are accountable to over 40,000 in the North. We are individuals sitting here around the table. We are also responsible for our own region. If this bridge, the way it sounds it’s going ahead anyway, how can we explain to our people, how can I explain to the Tlicho region, 3,000 people, that it’s going ahead? They may be happy because it’s in our backyard but, at the same time, there are others in the region that we have to take care of too.

Mr. Speaker, then again, reflecting back on the information that’s been requested, that’s all we are asking for. The information was requested awhile back and just recently, as well. Personally, I am not against the bridge because it’s going to happen anyways.

---Laughter

At the same time, Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear -- and this is just a recommendation but we have to put it on the record -- this is the Government of the Northwest Territories that are pushing things through. They need to have our input. This is a major project. The ceremony is happening on Friday. I am glad to see my chiefs will be coming back from Smith to attend that. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend, but just to make a note that being transparent is all we are asking for from this government. The next government needs to consider that as well; whoever that may be in the next government. It’s a consensus government, so let’s work together government to government to government. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. To the motion. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.