Debates of August 23, 2007 (day 16)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories and across Canada have fought long and hard to have their aboriginal rights recognized. It is important that all governments, including ours, do their part to recognize and uphold these rights. This means the GNWT must consider how decisions we take might infringe upon our asserted or proven aboriginal or treaty rights.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform this House we are formalizing the GNWT’s government-wide approach to consultation with aboriginal governments and organizations as an expression of our government’s commitment to ensure aboriginal and treaty rights in the Northwest Territories are protected.

We will be implementing a government-wide approach to consultation with aboriginal governments and organizations to ensure the GNWT undertakes consultation in a consistent manner, leading to transparent, accountable and flexible consultation processes for all parties. As part of our work to implement this approach, and because jurisprudence in this area is evolving at a rapid pace, we will develop training materials to ensure our staff have any additional tools and resources they need to keep pace with developments in this area.

This approach will ensure the GNWT upholds the “honour of the Crown” as it fulfills its legal duty, undertaking consultation in a spirit of good faith, ultimately contributing, over the longer-term, to mutually respectful relationships with aboriginal governments and organizations.

This new approach will guide our consultation practices in those instances where the legal duty to consult arises under common law. In addition, it will complement and support the work we are already doing with regard to our consultation obligations contained in land, resources and self-government agreements, interim measures agreements, existing legislation and policy. Although the federal government still has authority over non-renewable resources and Crown land in the Northwest Territories, the government-wide approach will provide for

coordination between the GNWT and the federal government’s consultation efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I have written to the leaders of those aboriginal governments and organizations having asserted or proven rights in the Northwest Territories, informing them of our new government-wide approach. I stressed to aboriginal leaders that, in order for consultation to be truly effective, not only does the GNWT have a duty to consult but aboriginal governments and organizations have a reciprocal duty to engage and participate in the consultation process.

Mr. Speaker, I fully expect our new approach to consultation with aboriginal governments and organizations will evolve as case law develops and as we work with aboriginal governments and organizations to develop consultation processes that meet the interests and needs of all parties. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since 1999, the NWT has had the fastest growing economy in Canada…

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…with an average annual growth rate almost three times the national average. This rapid increase has led to higher income levels in the territory and a labour market operating at close to full capacity.

Looking ahead, the NWT will see the completion of the Snap Lake diamond mine later this year, along with additional investment at the Diavik and Ekati mines. A fourth diamond mine is under assessment. These developments will result in continued strong growth in our economy, placing increased pressure on an already tight labour market and on the NWT’s industrial and social infrastructure. Other opportunities, like the Mackenzie gas project, will bring significant economic benefits but also increase pressure on the territorial economy.

Even with good news about the NWT economy, there are some important challenges ahead. Fiscal resources are limited and that affects this government’s ability to take steps now to ensure the full potential of economic growth across the territory is achieved while managing its impact and preserving the values that are important to northerners.

Since February 2006, the Department of Finance has been working on a macroeconomic policy framework for the NWT. Last fall, I announced a broad consultation process, including a series of roundtable discussions, asking Members of the Legislative Assembly, government departments, the business community, aboriginal and community governments, social and environmental organizations, recognized experts and individual residents for their input into the development of this framework.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the economic roadmap consultations for their valuable contributions. Participants told us that the future economy for the NWT should be balanced, diversified and sustainable, based on multiple industries, building on the traditional economy in the North and involving big and small businesses, large and small communities.

Participants also identified four key priorities for government action and investment:

Education is the key to ensuring NWT residents can benefit directly from the jobs and business opportunities created by development;

Communities -- especially smaller communities -- need the capacity to plan, address issues, and make decisions about economic development;

Improving and expanding infrastructure, especially transportation infrastructure, is essential for people to access jobs in other locations, to reduce the costs of living and doing business and to grow economies in smaller communities; and

Protecting the NWT’s environment means paying attention to the special features of the NWT, including its natural beauty and diverse ecosystems.

Based on the results of the consultations and on economic studies and analyses undertaken in recent years, the GNWT has completed a macroeconomic policy framework. The framework provides a reference point for the GNWT to evaluate the individual and combined impacts of different policy options, to help coordinate policy development and to guide overall fiscal and other policy decisions. Most important, it will provide a roadmap for achieving the kind of balanced, diversified and sustainable economy people in the NWT want and expect.

This framework is meant to improve the economic impact of government decisions. Based on a vision for a future economy that is balanced, diversified and sustainable, it will be used to guide future decisions about government spending, investment, taxation and borrowing. Putting measures in place to track progress and ensure accountability is an essential part of a policy framework. The document lays out indicators of progress so that the government’s policies can be assessed against overall economic results.

Later today, I will be tabling both the final report on the consultations and the macroeconomic policy framework.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that significant progress is being made on homeless initiatives by this government and our community partners. The Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes the need to support communities in finding local solutions to assist the homeless.

The Framework for the GNWT Response to Homelessness was released in January 2007. With the support of Members -- and thank you, Members -- the ongoing funding for homelessness initiatives were included in the 2007-08 Main Estimates. The framework confirms the social program departments are working together to increase homelessness support across the NWT, including emergency housing and a transportation fund.

Mr. Speaker, a small community homelessness fund was developed and proposals sought from local community organizations to begin to address some of the challenges in our smaller communities. Up to $40,000 is available to individual communities to provide emergency shelter options for adults. In addition, up to $10,000 is available for projects aimed at addressing community homelessness issues.

I am very pleased to announce that some excellent proposals were received and program funding will initially be allocated to eight homelessness-related projects.

Mr. Speaker, the proposals received demonstrate strong community partnerships, the mobilization of local resources and the development of creative solutions to address the challenges of homelessness in small communities.

I would also like to report on progress on Bailey House in Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, construction of Bailey House is proceeding on schedule and the facility is expected to open in January 2008. I would like to thank the Homelessness Coalition, the Salvation Army and Diavik Diamond Mines Incorporated for their ongoing commitment and support to this important project.

Many of you attended the signing ceremony held today to formalize the project funding agreement reached between the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, the Salvation Army and the City of Yellowknife for this important project. The NWT Housing Corporation provided a total of $1.748 million in funding through the affordable housing initiative and the sale of a house. Funding for the affordable housing initiative is matched by the Government of Canada. Beginning in April 2008, the ongoing operations of the Bailey House will be supported by a $200,000 contribution from the Department of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, the government is making significant progress in addressing homelessness challenges across the NWT. The government looks forward to working with communities and concerned stakeholders, to ensure that disadvantaged residents have access to services and programs that get them back on their feet and that they can move forward to live productive and rewarding lives. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to provide my colleagues with an update on the status of the joint work being undertaken by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the Department of Health and Social Services on ground ambulance and highway rescue services.

Over the past several years, community governments and other stakeholders have raised concerns about the lack of a comprehensive, coordinated system of ground ambulance and highway rescue services in the Northwest Territories, and about the need for clarity with regard to service levels, responsibility for service delivery and associated funding.

Municipal and Community Affairs and Health and Social Services are working together to address this matter through a two-staged approach. This process will address short and long-term issues. In the short term, the departments are providing funding to address immediate pressures experienced by some community governments in the provision of these services. One-time funding of $200,000 is available on an application basis for communities who provide these services. Six out of seven eligible community governments applied for assistance by the deadline of August 1, 2007.

MACA and Health and Social Services are jointly reviewing the applications received and funding is anticipated to flow to community governments by the end of August 2007.

MACA and Health and Social Services are also in the process of developing a work plan to achieve the long-term goal of a policy framework where the GNWT legislates and delivers ground ambulance and highway rescue service. This work plan includes several aspects including the development of a service levels model that outlines appropriate service levels depending on the community, the development of an appropriate funding framework, and, eventually, programming that is consistent with the regulatory service levels and funding framework.

The departments anticipate that it may take some time to develop the required policy and legislative framework, given the need for data collection and to undertake the required research as well as to gather baseline data. In the interim, MACA and HSS are committed to continuing to consult with effected stakeholders as required, in order to achieve a comprehensive, coordinated system of ground ambulance and highway rescue services in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in early July we heard the sad news that a young northerner had lost his life in Afghanistan.

Corporal Jordan Anderson, of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton, Alberta, was born in Iqaluit, Nunavut, and raised in Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik, Northwest Territories. He was stationed in Afghanistan where his regiment operated to ensure the safety of local people. On July 4th, a roadside bomb detonated under a vehicle Jordan was riding in and he was killed.

Until that time, the war in Afghanistan seemed a long way away, but it certainly touched the people of the Northwest Territories on July 4th. It is tragic that Jordan’s life was cut short, but the life he chose to lead as a soldier had meaning, pride and dignity.

Mr. Speaker, we offer our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Corporal Jordan Anderson. It is because of brave and selfless soldiers like Jordan that the world is a better place. We are proud of him and grieve his loss. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to mark my final Member’s statement in the 15th Assembly by honouring the accomplishments of an outstanding young man from a family in my constituency, Mr. Jay Bran. Mr. Speaker, Jay was called to the Bar of the Northwest Territories on August 10, 2007, becoming one of the few but ever growing group of northern grown and aboriginal lawyers from the NWT.

Jay and his family moved to Yellowknife when he was three years old. He attended St. Joseph Elementary School, William MacDonald Junior High School and Sir John Franklin High School. He played professional hockey in a junior league in Alberta and worked as a corrections officer in Yellowknife before pursuing his post-secondary education which eventually led him to obtaining a law degree at the University of Calgary. I have also learned that he even did a summer job stint in this very Assembly as a Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms.

Mr. Speaker, his mother is someone who is very well known to us. Eleanor Bran worked as an aboriginal language interpreter in the Legislative Assembly. She is originally from Fort Simpson and first cousin to Senator Nick Sibbeston. I think Jay may be too young to know this, but I have had the good fortune to work with not only his mother in the Assembly but also his late father, Barry, back in the early 1980s and with his big sister Lisa in the mid-1980s when she and I worked in what is now ITI when it used to be called not RWED but, before that, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

Mr. Speaker, Jay also has a brother Derek and another sister Kim. I know if his father were here today, he would show all of us, in his very special way, just how proud he must be of Jay. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to advise this House that Jay has decided to start his legal career serving his people as a legal aid lawyer in the North specializing in criminal law. He enjoys litigation and, from all accounts, he has established himself as a highly skilled, promising young lawyer already. But I must say I was even more happy to learn that his dear wife, Pam, is a nurse. Pam Baert s a nurse at the OBS unit at the Stanton Territorial Hospital.

Mr. Speaker, given the enormously high demand and value we place in having more northern nurses and legal aid lawyers, this certainly is a power couple indeed. Mr. Speaker, may I seek unanimous consent to finish my statement?

Thank you, Ms. Lee. 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. I think I have the permission of this House when I say we collectively pray and sincerely ask that they will stay in the North, live and work, raise their families and retire here. Mr. Speaker, I also know that Jay’s family and especially his wife, Pam, was at his side before, during and after law school. They share every bit of Jay’s accomplishment today.

Mr. Speaker, as someone who has had the firsthand experience of going through our wonderful NWT education system in the North, going through law school, which is often compared with the military boot camp, and working in the very challenging but rewarding profession of law, I know there will be many exciting, interesting and rewarding years for Jay and his family. I want to take this opportunity to send my heartfelt congratulations to Jay Bran and his entire family. Certainly, this is a happy event worthy of a celebration in this House by all Members of this House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to use my Member’s statement to draw attention to a potential gap in the guidelines for applying the duty to accommodate for employees of our public service. The human rights legislation is quite clear that the employer has the duty to accommodate when an employee has an obligation to care for a family member with a disability unless it can be proven that this accommodation causes undue hardship to the employer.

Managers in our public service should have reflective policies that allow them to make these accommodations within a clearly defined set of circumstances. Employees of our public service should not have to resort to making an application under the Human Rights Commission to assert that accommodation.

I believe that the GNWT would like to be seen as a fair and compassionate employer when it comes to a matter of accommodating employees who could not, for example, work a nightshift in order to care for a family member with a disability that would not allow that family member to be left alone at night.

Understandably, without such an internal policy, managers would be in the unenviable situation of trying to arbitrarily decide on requests that would come before them for any number of reasons to accommodate the needs of their employees. I would like to know what committees or decision-making bodies exist within government departments to consider the requests of employees when employees make an application to be accommodated in this way.

In the absence of clearly defined policy, which should be in keeping with the human rights legislation, the possibility of abuse of this accommodation for less than serious or frivolous circumstances could put the manager of that employee in a very difficult situation. They could be seen to be making such decisions in an ad hoc manner.

Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of employer and employee, in the interest of treating our public servants with fairness, dignity and respect, I believe that such policies, if they do not exist today, should exist. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I recently read and watched, with interest, the news that Newfoundland/Labrador and Premier Williams had successfully negotiated an agreement with Chevron for the new Hebron fields. I remember, as well, months ago when the negotiations broke down and the oil companies left, saying that the Premier and Newfoundland/Labrador were being unreasonable and asking too much. From what I understand, the Premier stood his ground. He knows, like we do, that the land is their bank. If they are going to allow access to those resources, they have to get the best deal possible. He also knows, as do we, that the world needs those resources and that they have been there for millions of years but the demand is there. They are beating a path to their doorstep of Newfoundland/Labrador as they are to the Northwest Territories. I would like to just acknowledge and recognize the fact that he did stand his ground. He did not feel that he had to be grateful for the attention and benefits that the oil companies were prepared to give him, but that they were equals. They want something that we have. We have an obligation to strike the best deal for the people we represent and at the same time protect the environment.

I believe he did that. I believe there is a lesson there for the incoming 16th Assembly as we look at resource development, at the macroeconomic policy, and the duty to consult, that we keep those things in mind. We do not have to be a humble mendicant shuffling our feet and tugging our forelock as we deal with big business. We have what the world needs, but we also know that we have an obligation to be careful because the land is our bank. We have an obligation for all the generations yet to come to ensure that while we make the maximum use of those resources, we also protect the land and the environment.

We cannot have a macroeconomic policy that does not consider, front and centre, how you keep a healthy environment and healthy people. So we should take a page and learn from the Government of Newfoundland what can be done. We have some good pieces in place with the macroeconomic policy and duty to consult, but let’s not forget that we should stand tall and proud as northerners and be able to look these multi-national major organizations in the eye and deal with them from that basis. Thank you.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In Canada, volunteer sectors employ more than 1.3 million Canadians with salaries and benefits packages in excess of $40 billion a year. Here in the NWT, 53 percent of adult NWT residents volunteer with a group. An estimated 86 percent of us volunteer informally on our own. Collectively, it is estimated that the efforts of all these NWT volunteers contribute an estimated $50 million in value to our economy.

Mr. Speaker, in the 2005 pre-budget consultation documents, a statement was made that the value of the work of volunteer organizations cannot be underestimated. So last year it was with great disappointment that our colleagues in the federal government cut from the NWT volunteer initiative and many other NGOs across the NWT, but from the volunteer initiative that was underway here, $160,000, or 95 percent of its funding. Needless to say, that organization had to fold.

I know from being a volunteer and working with other volunteers in the past and in my term here as an MLA, that volunteers will strive, they do believe in what they’re doing and they will succeed even in the face of this kind of betrayal, I would say. Mr. Speaker, we cannot take our volunteers and our NGOs for granted. Just two days ago, the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment told us of strides that we’re making in our income security framework redesign. He mentioned, by name, many of these organizations, 13 of which are volunteer driven. Hundreds of other NGOs play vital roles in the arts, recreation, youth and the professions, and I’m grateful to them all, Mr. Speaker. I plea that this government and future Assemblies loosen up the purse strings, lighten up the regulations and the paper burden and treat these people as the true partners they are, that we need and we value and that we, I will say again, can never take for granted. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

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

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, it is no coincidence here, that I chose to speak of volunteerism, which I believe to be as vital and rewarding as any kind of public service. So as I take my leave of this distinguished Chamber, it is with conviction that I say that I want to continue to contribute in some way to the tremendous future of this amazing territory and that while I’m going to be leaving the NWT to be going to school, it is only temporary, it is not good-bye; rather, it is only good-bye for now. Mahsi. Merci beaucoup. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’m going to use my last Member’s statement of this 15th Assembly to reflect on my just over two and a half years here. It has been a privilege, and I mean that sincerely, to serve the people of Inuvik Twin Lakes. I look forward to the opportunity to reaffirm their confidence in me and come back and do some more battle in the 16th.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with my colleagues on this side of the House, especially those in Social Programs. We had many discussions; we had differences of opinion; but you always acted in the best interests of your constituents and I respect you a lot for that.

Mr. Bell, Mr. Dent, Mr. Handley, you’re all leaving this Assembly and I wish you well in your future plans. We’ve had some agreements; I’ve agreed with a lot of things you’ve said. There are some things that you’ve said that I haven’t agreed with and I wanted to agree with you, but then that would have made us both wrong, so I didn’t.

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I’ve enjoyed sitting here next to my colleague Mr. Hawkins. It’s been an interesting two and a half years, Robert.

To Mr. Braden, our elder on this side of the House, I counted on Mr. Braden a lot for advice and he’d always lean over and tell me what we were doing, so I appreciate that.

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I believed him for the first week; after that, I was on my own.

We have a job to do here -- it’s not a job, it’s something that we chose to do -- and that’s almost impossible to do without the support of people that put you here, people that work to get you here. Then once you get in here, Mr. Mercer and his staff really put you to work. I remember my first couple of days here where I went to torture room B and had my own private orientation.

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Also without the support of your family, it’s almost impossible to do what we do. My wife is up in the gallery there and we’ve been married for 28 years now and she’s had to make a bit of sacrifice for me being gone all the time; at least I hope it was a sacrifice.

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So to all my colleagues in here, I wish you all well in whatever you decide to do. To those that are running for re-election, I wish you well and the best of luck. I pray things work out well for everyone in here. Thank you.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is our last meeting. I would like to make a statement. Ever since our last election, we’ve travelled into various communities, we spoke to elders, youth and community members. We tried our best to work for our people. We have a lot of different jurisdictions in Canada but here in the Northwest Territories, we have different jurisdictions. I wish the best for everyone in this next Assembly. We have to work well together in order to go forward. These are the messages that our communities give us. (Translation ends)

…day of our session. I would like to leave a statement for those who will be returning to the 16th Assembly and carry it forward.

Mr. Speaker, throughout our journey to various communities as MLAs, we were told, over and over, to be accountable to the people that we represent and serve. We are quite unique here in the North compared to other jurisdictions throughout Canada and other parts of the country. We need to be out there simply to listen to the voices of the North. Mr. Speaker, another point that they share with us is simply being transparent, being open. One hand needs to know what the other hand is doing or thinking. So they could either work with it or support such initiatives.

Mr. Speaker, what we witnessed here in this House yesterday on the Deh Cho Bridge is a fine example that would have been smooth sailing if the committee members had the detailed information in advance. Mr. Speaker, on the other hand, when we get together and communicate with each other, our committee members and local governments such as Gameti School, we can accomplish positive results and good relations that will serve us well into the future. Mr. Speaker, I certainly hope that this is a lesson to learn from for the new government and Members of the 16th Assembly. Mahsi cho.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’d just like to use my last Member’s statement here today to express my gratitude and appreciation to the many people I’ve worked with here during my tenure here in the 15th Assembly. Firstly, I’d like to thank my constituents of Tu Nedhe for electing me in 2003-2004 to undertake the very important and challenging task of representing their interests in this unique system of consensus government we have here in the NWT. Secondly, thank you to all of my colleagues here in this House for all of the wonderful experiences and advice on leadership and politics that they have provided me over the last four years; some good and some not so good. Mr. Speaker, I have to point out that the level of respect and dignity that everyone shows to one another in this Assembly is second to none, and I appreciate everybody for that.

I have to also mention the excellent work and work ethic that the Legislative Assembly staff have continually upheld without reservation as we, as an Assembly, could not function without. Many thanks to them for that. I would also like to thank the support staff: the EAs, the CAs, and all the secretaries that have come and gone. Also, all the Members and Ministers for all their support, cooperation and the serious consideration that they provide to resolving the many concerns and issues that are brought to their attention by NWT residents through their MLAs.

Last but not least, Mr. Speaker, I really have to thank my family and the many friends for their continuous support and encouragement that they have shown me for the past four years. I am deeply indebted to them for that and for showing me how the love of a family member, a husband, wife or partner, or just a hug of a child, can make all of this politics seem so trivial, but at the same time so very important to everybody in our pursuit of happiness.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to wish Members who are not pursuing re-election all the best in whatever pursuits that they have and wish all the Members that are seeking re-election, like myself, good luck and I look forward to continue on working with you all in the next Assembly in this fast, exciting, growing economy here in the NWT that I always call home. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is the last sitting day of the 15th Assembly, so I would like to reflect some thoughts over what transpired over the past three and a half years.

When I arrived for MLA for the Nunakput riding three and a half years ago, I did not discuss my candidacy with my wife, Lucille, or my two sons, Bertram and Darren, because it was a spur of the moment decision. To be honest, I did not expect to be elected and representing…

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To be honest, I did not expect to be elected and represent my constituents when elected. Mr. Speaker, becoming an MLA and representing your constituents can be a difficult job because we know we can’t solve all the problems of our constituents. We can only lobby the government and colleagues to listen to our issues and concerns during business reviews and hope they will include your projects into some budget planning process.

Mr. Speaker, as an example, I lobbied very hard to my colleagues to have an RCMP presence in Sachs Harbour. Although it took three years, the Minister of Justice eventually included this project into the business plan.

Hear! Hear!

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Two RCMP officers will be located in the office we’ll be establishing in Sachs Harbour by 2008, although it’s one year late.

I also lobbied very hard for the last three and a half years for an all-weather road between Tuk and Inuvik, but recently, over the past few months, to find $15 million over three years to construct the 22-kilometre access road from source 177 from Tuktoyaktuk just so that the community of Tuk can have year-round access to a gravel source. This morning, Mr. Speaker, I listened, with interest, when the deputy mayor of Tuktoyaktuk was interviewed by CBC and he is obviously very disappointed that this government could not commit any funding towards this project before dissolution of this government. The deputy mayor has spent a lot of time and effort in promoting the construction of the road. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I hope that the Cabinet will make a strong recommendation to the 16th Assembly to add this as a high priority of the next government. Apparently, the Deh Cho Bridge at $150 million has precedence and we move forward because Cabinet considers this a national interest. Whose interest is it? Is it the Premier and Cabinet? This bridge, when built, will not serve the people.

Okay, I have your time for Member’s statement expired.

Mr. Speaker, may I request unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, colleagues. Whose interest is it? Is it the Premier and Cabinet? This bridge, when built, will not serve the people in the Beaufort-Delta and the Sahtu regions. Once again we, in the Far North, are left out on major projects to connect us to the rest of Canada and we will continue to pay the high costs for fuel, oil and gas, et cetera.

Mr. Speaker, on other matters, I would like to thank Tim Mercer, Clerk of the Assembly, and his staff for all the support they gave me over the last three and a half years. To my honourable colleagues, it was a pleasure to meet, discuss, argue and eventually resolve issues through our committee deliberations.

To my wife, Lucille, sons, Bertram and Darren, my brother Charles Pokiak in Tuk, thank you for all the support you gave me over the last three and a half years. More importantly, Mr. Speaker, the communities of Tuktoyaktuk, Ulukhaktok, Paulatuk and Sachs Harbour. Thank you for having the confidence and electing me to the 15th Assembly to represent you. When I ran I said what is needed is you needed the confidence of your MLA to represent and speak on behalf of your interests and, more importantly, to keep in contact with constituents. I think I have accomplished that.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to make one last effort and try to convince the Cabinet to fund construction for an access road to source 177.

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Will they make a commitment today to fund this project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, being the last day of our sitting of this Assembly, we’ve still got another week of work yet before the writ is dropped and the Ministers still have their caps on as Ministers until we get a new Cabinet sworn in in October. Mr. Speaker, I was thinking about things to say to the Ministers last night and I was tossing and turning. Gee, I had a hard time to sleep, tossing and turning about what to say to the Ministers.

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So I go up and I read a book and, Mr. Speaker, in the book that I read there was a quote there by the author and the author said when you become a leader, you lose the right to think about yourself. I thought about that, what does the author say? I remember an elder in Tulita saying when you become an MLA, you speak for us. You use your talents, your gifts, your passion and you say things for us, not for yourself. If you say things for yourself, your words are weak; but if you say things for your people, your words are strong and can support you.

Hear! Hear!

So the Ministers, they represent all of us in the Northwest Territories.

Northwest Territories!

You speak for us in terms of national, territorial issues that benefit all of the people in the Northwest Territories. I want to say that when this quote came up that it made so much sense.

As Ministers, I want to thank you on behalf of the people in the Sahtu for coming into my region for making some difference, making some impacts and having some sense of where the people in the Sahtu are coming from when we come together in meetings, when you come to visit us at our homes. I know some Ministers came to some old people’s homes and sat beside some old grannies or grandpas and sat and had tea with them and looked at them and talked with them, even had translators. The Minister, you know, this morning I went to see an uncle of mine in the hospital right now -- he’s probably watching us -- and he said that the Minister made a good decision to support the moosehide tanning, he’s supporting it. You don’t know what type of decision you made for people in the Northwest Territories, for our culture.

Major.

It’s a major decision and it will pay off in the long run, Mr. Bell.

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I want to say that Mr. Roland…Mr. Speaker, I’d like to 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. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, honourable colleagues. I wanted to say to Minister Roland, Minister McLeod and Minister Krutko, and the other Ministers, you have made a difference in my people. I know there’s some tough decisions and there’s policies, but there’s also heart. I wanted to thank you for looking in there and making those tough decisions sometimes. Our people really appreciate that.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I wanted to say to Mr. Handley, I really appreciated his statement yesterday saying I think we have to stop acting like little grandchildren of the Department of Indian Affairs and the federal government, and start being like a government and make our decisions. I think, Mr. Handley, that that’s a voice that I’ve wanted to hear so long that we, as people of the Northwest Territories, have to stand up, like Mr. Miltenberger said, recognize that we are a government, we’re up here and we’re going to do things in the northern way, made in the Northwest Territories and stop getting treated like a little orphan of the federal government. We are people, we need to be free. Set our people free, Mr. Harper. Thank you.

---Laughter

---Applause

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Obviously today is the last day we’ll all be together as the 15th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, it’s both a sad day, but also an exciting time for many of us as we head off, some seeking re-election, others seeking new pursuits in life, and I wanted to use my last statement in this House to say goodbye and to say good luck to all of my colleagues that are here today.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve learned something from each and every one of you over the past four years and I’ll miss the team that we have assembled here today. Although, I doubt very much Cabinet is going to miss me as much as I will miss them, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

I hope to see many of you back here in six weeks to carry on the important work of the Government of the Northwest Territories and it’s been an honour and a privilege to serve with each and every one of you.

I want to again thank my constituents for all of their support and encouragement over the past four years. Kam Lake is a riding that I thoroughly enjoyed representing. Kam Lake is undeniably the economic hub of our capital city, home to an industrial park, world-class dog mushers and sled dogs, two schools -- Ecole St. Joseph and N.J. MacPherson -- and, with the recently adjusted boundaries, the home to just over 2,700 people. It is a riding that I am going to again be seeking to be the MLA for in the upcoming election. I am very thankful for the opportunity the constituents of Kam Lake gave me four years ago, and I am looking forward to seeing and speaking with them in the very near future.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, this has the feeling today of being the last day of school. While it may seem like our last day of school, the real schools will be starting again soon in Yellowknife and in our communities. I want to wish all of our young people and the teachers heading back to school this fall a successful and enjoyable school year. Again, I want to wish everybody good luck and good bye, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to close today’s 15th Assembly statement by the same way I came into the Assembly almost four years ago. I have some special thank yous and acknowledgements. Mr. Speaker, although we all mention several times we can never mention everyone, there are certain people that I think that I am going to take the risk and highlight their performance. Mr. Speaker, the Members’ secretary, Verna Currimbhoy, has been an incredible support. She has always been there to help every one of us; that is the Regular Members, Mr. Speaker. She works diligently and always worries and makes sure everything is good and handled quite well. Mr. Speaker, her presence upstairs has been a huge asset to this Assembly.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, an MLA doesn’t do their work alone. Sometimes, when you are knocking on those Ministers’ doors, all you keep getting is shut doors and someone is ignoring your call.