Good afternoon, colleagues. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our government is committed to this Assembly’s goal of helping our residents become healthy, educated people free from poverty. A strong territory needs a strong society, and all residents of the NWT should have the chance to enjoy the benefits of living in a prosperous, well-governed territory and to participate fully in a healthy, just society.
Last June I was pleased to table the Anti-Poverty Strategic Framework: Building on the Strengths of Northerners. This important document represents input from key stakeholders and was an important first step.
Later today I will table in the House the GNWT’s initial response to the framework. Our government’s Anti-Poverty Action Plan outlines the commitments we will make, starting immediately, to improve our response to poverty in the NWT. Our action plan includes investments of $2.6 million. This new funding will support day shelter programs in Yellowknife and Inuvik, and to build new housing units in four small communities for residents who may need additional support. It will see $1 million in new spending every year to provide nutritious food directly to children and youth through established programs.
This demonstrates our government’s commitment to taking leadership in the reduction of poverty in our territory and will form a part of the territorial action plan which will include actions by all sectors and all regions of the NWT. But that is only a start.
We have always recognized that this government can’t tackle this issue alone. We need to partner
with communities, Aboriginal governments, non-government organizations and business.
Mr. Speaker, on November 28 and 29, 2013, an NWT Anti-Poverty Roundtable was held in Detah to begin the work of developing a territorial action plan. Many delegates in attendance left with concrete plans for action and a commitment to stat on them as soon as they returned to their community. Everyone in attendance at the roundtable agreed that it is time to move from talk to action, and that is what we are doing. The budget includes $500,000 in new funding to support communities, Aboriginal governments and non-government organizations to get moving on community-based projects.
An Anti-Poverty Charter was presented to the delegates at the roundtable. This charter symbolizes our commitment as stakeholders to work together, at all levels, towards the development of a territorial action plan.
Twenty-four delegates signed on to the charter. Other organizations have subsequently signed on and we will continue to invite partners to join us.
Mr. Speaker, through the anti-poverty initiative funding proposed in the budget, we are also establishing an Anti-Poverty Action Plan Advisory Committee, including representatives from regions across the Northwest Territories, to lead the development of the territorial Anti-Poverty Action Plan over the next year. This work will be undertaken in collaboration with stakeholders.
This committee will work within their regions to raise awareness and build capacity and will provide recommendations to the Minister.
As with any major initiative, it is important to have a way of measuring progress. Funding in the budget will enable the Department of Health and Social Services to lead the development of a Performance Management Framework that will allow all partners to report consistently on our activities and track our overall progress.
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that, working together, these initiatives will continue to move us closer to our goal of eliminating poverty in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last month I accompanied Premier Bob McLeod and Mr. Robert Hawkins, Member for Yellowknife Centre, along with delegates from our territory’s business community on a trade mission to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The business representatives from the Northwest Territories were Mr. Robin Goad, president of Fortune Minerals; Ms. Verda Law, Yellowknife Tours; Mr. Deepak Kumar, Deepak International; Mr. Fernando Alvarez, president of Jacques Cartier Clothier; and Mr. Mark Downey, CEO of Fur Harvesters Auction Ltd.
Our visit was an important part of the GNWT’s work to develop closer ties with China and the immense market potential it holds, particularly for our territory’s fur, tourism and diamond sectors.
Building relationships with Chinese business and tourism leaders, expanding markets for our products and encouraging investment all strengthen and diversify our economy, a priority of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
This trip provided us an opportunity to follow up with contacts we made during the Council of the Federation trade mission in 2012, where we had productive meetings with the Chinese Vice-Premier, Minister of Finance and leaders in the business community regarding trade and investment opportunities.
The 40th Annual Beijing Fur and Leather Show was a main focus of our mission. China is the world’s leading manufacturer of fur garments, and their demand for NWT wild fur is high and continues to rise every year. Currently, 80 percent of all NWT wild fur ends up in China; a significant number. Our genuine Mackenzie Valley fur is recognized as a premium product that Chinese designers want to work with, and perhaps more importantly, it is a product that the growing Chinese middle class loves to wear.
Our meetings in Hong Kong helped us to understand this city’s relationship with mainland China. Hong Kong is the gateway to China and an international financial hub. Our fur and tourism sectors have enormous growth potential in this market.
Mr. Speaker, our promotion of the NWT as an exciting location for Chinese tourists was also well received. I am happy to confirm to Members that representatives of the Chinese travel industry are especially interested in aurora tourism. We have seen an increase in Chinese travelers this year, and by following up with the connections we made, we hope to consistently grow this number.
In addition to promoting NWT Tourism’s new Aurora Capital of the World brand, our meetings and presentations offered numerous opportunities to showcase the wonders and natural beauty of our territory’s regions.
Chinese visitors are interested in authentic cultural experiences, and we took this opportunity to highlight our emerging Aboriginal tourism sector.
During the delegation’s time in Shanghai and Hong Kong, we focused our efforts on tourism and diamonds. I toured the Shanghai Diamond Exchange and promoted the NWT’s diamond sector from both a mining and secondary manufacturing perspective.
Mr. Speaker, China offers the potential to be more than just a source of consumers for our economy. The Chinese manufacturing sector has grown considerably in the past decade, and there is great interest in our territory’s wealth of raw resources and the potential for future trade.
The Premier and I met with investors familiar with the Canadian investment environment, who were excited to learn of opportunities in the Northwest Territories. We highlighted our rich mining history and the need for capital investment in new mines, infrastructure development and our untapped oil and gas sector.
The collective purpose of our government’s trade mission in January was to strengthen trade ties with China and build and establish relationships with Chinese government, businesses and organizations.
With over 25 meetings in three major centres, I can assure Members of this Assembly that we surpassed this goal.
Mr. Speaker, we must act on the momentum from this trip and build on the opportunities that will grow and diversify our economy. I look forward to highlighting for Members of this Assembly the real and tangible outcomes of our work in China as they come to fruition. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Colleagues, before we go on today, I would like to welcome back into the House former Member for Nunakput, Mr. Ernie Bernhardt.
---Applause
The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Beaulieu.
I am very pleased to announce that for the second year in a row the Government of the Northwest Territories has been chosen as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. This award is presented by Canada’s Top Employers at Mediacorp Canada Inc., which manages the competition in partnership with the Globe and Mail and recognizes employers across Canada with exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness practices.
Mr. Speaker, diversity is a core value of the NWT public service. It enables us to create a workplace that represents the population we serve, that is open to contributions from all, and where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential. As a central goal of the NWT Public Service Strategic Plan, 20/20: A Brilliant North, the GNWT has undertaken many initiatives to develop and encourage a diverse, inclusive workforce.
We have recognized the importance of establishing a culture of understanding and cooperation among our employees through training and communications. I am particularly pleased with the Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training program which was launched last June. Available to all employees as well as the public, this training enhances employee understanding of Aboriginal culture and reaffirms the fundamental importance the GNWT places on including Aboriginal values in program design and delivery.
As well last year, we continued our very successful disabilities awareness campaign that highlighted knowledge and acceptance of physical, social and invisible disabilities in the workplace.
Mr. Speaker, diversity and inclusion characterize all of our recruitment and human resource management practices. We work closely with the Aboriginal Employees Advisory Committee and the GNWT’s Advisory Committee on Employability – known as GACE – which advise our human resource practitioners on ways to improve the recruitment, retention and advancement of Aboriginal employees and persons with disabilities. The Department of Human Resources has committed positions to assist employees and supervisors with inclusion and workplace accommodation, such as the diversity officer and duty to accommodate advisor positions.
We have also implemented a number of initiatives targeted directly at increasing the representation of Aboriginal persons at all levels of the public service. The Aboriginal Management Development Program is intended to enhance and facilitate workforce planning for senior management and management positions by developing qualified Aboriginal persons to fill management roles. Formerly called the Associate Director/Superintendent Program, it has recently been expanded to support up to eight participants at one time and been broadened beyond its original focus on senior management positions to now include manager-level positions.
Mr. Speaker, I am also anticipating the results of the Aboriginal Inclusion Survey concluded in December. This survey, conducted in partnership with the Aboriginal Human Resource Council, will assist us by identifying strengths, weaknesses and trends in the way we engage as an employer with Aboriginal people in the NWT. The department is expecting a detailed report of the results in March, and I look forward to sharing the results when they are ready.
Mr. Speaker, thousands of employers from across Canada, both large and small, are considered each year to be recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. That the GNWT has been chosen for a second time reflects our position as an industry leader and role model for the advancement of diversity in the workplace and the value we have given to a public service that encourages participation by all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is Gilday Day, as declared by the mayor of Yellowknife, and I am pleased to see Members wearing red to honour Michael.
Today at 4:00 a.m., I joined a gathering of Northerners who overnighted at the Yellowknife Fieldhouse to cheer on Michael Gilday in his Olympic debut. Every athlete at these Olympic Games is a champion and Michael is no exception. His years of dedication, hard work and perseverance is reflected in his ability to compete with the best in the world.
Michael’s individual achievements are impressive and we are proud of them. While speed skating may appear to be a competition between individuals, Michael’s success shows that speed skating is, in fact, a team sport.
At 140 skaters, the Yellowknife Speed Skating Club is the largest in Canada. For 35 years athletes have figured prominently in the Arctic Winter Games, Western Canada Games, Canadian and world championships. Clearly, there are some very special, dedicated people supporting our speed skaters. From parents to coaches, volunteers, communities and sponsors, right down to the Zamboni operators, all are part of this Olympic achievement.
Locally, I would like to mention Shane Clark, head coach; and Karin Clark, president of the Yellowknife Speed Skating Club; Pam Dunbar, Michael’s mother, president of the NWT Speed Skating Association and David Gilday, his dad, a long-time coach and a huge force in the NWT speed skating world.
Benefits ripple through our society. A Michael Gilday T-shirt signed by the Canadian Men’s Speed Skating Team auctioned Saturday night raised $2,900 for the Yellowknife Community Foundation. The community all-nighter at the Fieldhouse was festooned with red T-shirts designed by Sarah Erasmus of Erasmus Apparel. The sale of over 300 “I’m on Michael’s Team” T-shirts enabled the donation of $3,000 in profits to Kid Sport NWT. I’m proud to say that all these officials and Sarah are Weledeh constituents.
We are proud of Michael Gilday and fellow Olympian Northerners Brendan Green and Jesse Cockney competing in Sochi this week. Please join me in celebrating their accomplishments and honouring the NWT-wide families and volunteers who help our athletes on their path to success. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member’s statement is on the ongoing requests of the people, especially the family members of the elders. They have been asking for a palliative care service in Deline.
There are 54 elders 60 years and over in Deline. People have asked since last year when the letter was written to the previous Minister, Tom Beaulieu, when he visited the community. Upon his visit there, people wrote a letter and asked if there could be a possibility of putting two palliative care beds in the existing community wellness building.
People have noticed that since 1994, when the facility was shut down for reasons only the government has known, there were people trained there, and people want to see their elders be brought back to their community, especially in their last dying days. The community has seen a lot of their elders pass away outside in the other facilities, which makes it very hard for family members to come to Yellowknife or Inuvik to get the last words from the elders. When elders are called, some family members can’t make it because of the high cost of an airline ticket, when they don’t see their elders before they pass away. Elders in our culture always want to provide words of wisdom. It’s a special time to give messages to the young people, especially to their family members.
So, they have been asking for a long, long time for palliative care beds in Deline, and I want to ask the Minister, what plans, what stage and where are we at with the budget that we have in front of us – we have another capital planning budget ahead of us – if there’s a possibility of granting the wish of the elders in Deline. For the leadership and for the people, I think they’re excited and they want to see this continue and not just fall off the books in regards to their request. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m glad that the Minister of Health and Social Services travelled to Fort Simpson and we hosted a public meeting on the future of the Dehcho Health and Social Services Authority. I’m also pleased to see that the public administrator, Mr. Jim Antoine, of the Dehcho Health and Social Services, is making efforts to go to the communities to explain where the health board is going.
As they heard, I’m sure, community and residents are still very concerned about potential changes to the structure of the Dehcho Health and Social Services. The Minister and the Department of Health and Social Services are contemplating administrative changes since the health board was not appointed in March of last year. Communities and regions want more autonomy, not less. With the new potential streamlining of our boards, I remain cautiously optimistic, as I do not want my constituency to lose jobs.
I do support sharing of health professionals and leveraging of bulk purchases by all health authorities. I’m also pleased that they heard it is important that we need to restore community involvement in policy and delivery of health in our small, remote communities through some type of regional council.
Residents are also very concerned about medical travel and the apparent wastage. They’re pleased to see that there’s a plan to review it. When you do, I suggest you allow as much public input as you can. Our residents are the ones that are most impacted by medical travel and will have the best suggestions. For instance, in small communities medical escorts are often the same person and unemployed and have the time to travel, but they do not receive any stipend at all and find themselves in Yellowknife or Edmonton with little or no money for long periods of time.
Getting back the future of the Dehcho Health and Social Services, the Department of Health and Social Services cannot take all the responsibility away from my communities.
Later today I will be asking the Minister of Health questions on this initiative. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to speak about what is perhaps the most important part of our job: serving our constituents. We all do it differently and that’s no surprise. Our ridings are each unique and different from each other. One tool that I use to do the job is social media. I use it to share information, news items, media releases, upcoming events, funding opportunities, youth exchanges and so on.
Recently, I wanted to share information about an upcoming public meeting, information previously published by the Cabinet press secretary in a news release several months ago. I wanted to verify the information before my office published it, so we contacted the government person listed on the media release to do that.
A media release is a public document, so we anticipated an easy answer, but it was not to be. Yes, my office got confirmation of the information, but we were also advised, reminded perhaps, that all requests from an MLA’s office have to be funneled through the Minister’s office so they can track the requests.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. A request from an MLA’s office for information already in the public domain has to take the long, protracted, torturous and winding path through the Minister’s office to the department and back again, tying up many people’s time and energy, creating an unnecessary delay in determining the answer to a simple yes or no question. Hardly the best use of our government resources.
What surprised me the most about this situation was that my office had to ask the Minister for information already in the public domain, but any member of the public, like my neighbour for instance, could contact the department directly and receive an immediate answer.
There’s something wrong with this picture. I can understand a Minister’s desire to protect his departmental staff from demanding MLAs and their CAs. I can understand that sensitive and involved inquiries must be funneled through the Minister’s office, but information already in the public domain? Surely that could be provided direct from the department to the MLA. The response from ECE frustrated me considerably. I don’t believe this mindset, this policy exists in all departments, but it certainly is alive and well at ECE.
The Minister must rethink his communication and information sharing policy with MLA offices. It has to be easy for us as elected public servants to serve our constituents, a job we are presumably sworn to do. How can we do that job well, Mr. Speaker, when we are stonewalled on the simplest of inquiries? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last month I was able to attend the AGM for the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority in Inuvik where a lot of really surprising stats caught my attention in terms of how services are brought forth within that authority, and the hard work that the staff are trying to do moving forward in terms of having to do the best they can with the resources that they receive and the funding that they receive through this government.
Some interesting stats that I’d like to share with committee, the Members here today and Cabinet were in terms of mental health and counselling services and psychiatric services, something that I’ve been a champion for within this government since the beginning of this Legislature.
With the counselling service in the Beaufort-Delta there were 699 new referrals in this last fiscal year. Of that, 3,186 hours were spent providing direct counselling. That equals about 424 days, regular job days, and that’s not even including any type of administrative work, paperwork or any other type of follow-up. Of those that were referred to counselling, there were also 43 percent no-shows. Even if there was a fraction of those no-shows that showed up, it would have put a more extensive workload on the counsellors that are already providing very long services already.
However, there are some good things that were discussed and that was the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority provided some 237 community education events in terms of prevention and promotion, something that this government has discussed and brought forth over the last couple of years, and that equates to about 403 hours spent providing education to people across the Northwest Territories; well, particularly in the Beaufort-Delta region.
This only reflects a portion of the communities in the Northwest Territories. If we were to get these kinds of stats throughout all health authorities across the NWT, I’m sure it’s going to show us that we do need to provide more funding, more services, more resources throughout the Northwest Territories.
I will ask questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services later, on how we are attacking this problem and how we are able to find solutions.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A little less than two weeks ago, the NWT and all Regular Members woke up to news reports that more than 30 employees were critically exposed to arsenic at the Giant Mine remediation site. At this point, we have no idea how these employees were exposed, how long they were exposed, when this government and WSCC were notified of this incident and, more importantly, what is being done.
Why do Members of the House and the people of the Northwest Territories have to be notified via surprise media reports of such disasters? Why do we have to hear quotes from the president of WSCC saying, “There’s a disconnect somewhere where these people are getting exposure and they’re not supposed to.” What are these disconnects? We know this is a federal cleanup initiative. This is a given. But the contractor is local and these employees are covered under health and safety jurisdiction, and like any other business in the NWT, there are rules to follow, especially with dealing with high-risk work.
What is further perplexing is that this government may have been aware of this serious arsenic exposure issue for many months, so again, it seems I ask this question every session: Why, in a consensus government, are Members not informed of such problems? Why do we get the feeling of a perceived cover-up? Even as of today, we have yet to hear anything concrete coming from this government or the federal government on what is to become of these high tested arsenic employees, the contractor or the future cleanup initiatives of Giant Mine.
The bigger question is: How many more health and safety issues are out there with this remediation cleanup work? When is it more important to hide from the truth behind the Giant Mine curtain than to come clean with issues affecting the health and safety of our employees?
On the mind of many, and it must be said here today, when do cleanup profits take a front seat to human safety? It is clear, I have many more questions here today than answers in my Members statement. Therefore, I will be asking the Minister responsible for Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission of the Northwest Territories to help demystify this arsenic caper later today.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak on medical patients, more so on the issue that the majority of these patients require medical care that cannot be provided by the local health centres. My focus is on our patients who travel from their home communities to larger centres, such as Inuvik, Yellowknife and, in most cases, Edmonton, and are in need of medical escorts. I’d like to ask the Minister to take this issue on a more serious note and listen to the pleas that are coming from patients who are requesting medical escorts and are yet denied.
When my constituents call me, write me letters telling me that they’re sick, when they are weak and have no strength to travel, when they can’t speak for themselves and when they don’t understand, I need to speak for them and let this Assembly know that we cannot continue operating the way we do. Changes need to be made in order for our people to be more comfortable.
Another thing on that same note, medical escorts are a huge support for patients that are going to see the doctor when they are told they have life-threatening illnesses such as cancer. It’s alarming and shocking, and the patients have their escorts to rely on. The escorts are there to make the patient comfortable, to ease their fear of travelling to large centres and to be a support when diagnoses are given.
I would like to know if the Minister can assist medical patients who are requesting escorts, to seriously consider their request. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The people of the Deh Cho very highly value the natural abundance of the land and water surrounding our communities.
Wild mushroom harvest in the area is a tremendous potential for my region. Wild mushrooms are highly sought after for their variety and flavour. Morels themselves cost as much as $120 apiece, and a Member of the previous Assembly reported pine mushrooms fetching as much as $300 per pound in some markets. Like berries, they add a distinct northern character to a meat dish.
The first organized harvest of wild morels in the Northwest Territories took place almost 15 years ago, but since then we haven’t done very much to capitalize on this opportunity. A number of times, entrepreneurs have had huge profits from northern mushrooms, while just a few lucky Northerners pocketed only a small fraction of the benefits.
Fortunately, mushrooms are a renewable resource. Last year wild fires devastated Deh Cho forests and we can expect a new crop of mushrooms this year. Many of these areas are easily accessible by highway, and the people of Fort Providence are ready to harvest mushrooms the way they already pick berries.
For many years the lack of provisions in the forest management legislation has prevented commercial mushroom harvest. As the Northwest Territories takes control of our land and resources, we have a prime opportunity to update the Northwest Territories Forest Management Act and make it possible for our residents to harvest and sell wild mushrooms as well as berries, herbal teas and other bounty of the northern wild.
For far too long we have watched our local produce snatched up by mushroom-savvy Southerners, and I am afraid that this coming year that will only happen again.
Local communities should be the first to profit from the harvest of our renewable resources. It would be unacceptable for southern entrepreneurs to come in and try to trap our furs, mine our diamonds or drill for oil without the involvement of local Aboriginal people.
I urge this government to move forward on a sound agricultural policy and changes to the Northwest Territories Forest Management Act, to ensure that we can make the most of harvesting the northern wild. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the public becomes increasingly aware, the ideas and concerns of Regular Members seem to matter little with this government. I ask anyone to show me one recommendation from Members and the committees in this budget.
However, the interested public here watching us do our work certainly get to realize that we learn things all the time, such as these job vacancy rates.
I have to give credit to MLA Blake and certainly MLA Groenewegen the other day, who certainly got it right. When it comes to those 800 vacancies, the public wants to know, where are they? This government seems to be tucking them away in hiding and saving them for what reason I have yet to know.
The public wants to know. They are asking questions. Where are these jobs? How long have they been empty? How much are they costing this government, and even more importantly, where is the money going?
The public deserves these types of answers. We didn’t get them the other day to either Mr. Blake’s or certainly Mrs. Groenewegen’s questions. We need these on the record.
The government says that they are actively recruiting these 571 jobs. I ask where. The public asks where. The public feels insulted by this particular problem.
Mr. Speaker, you yourself know, as a small community MLA, and all small community MLAs know, that the community employment rates are at dismal levels. If we had the ability to help these community rates with these types of jobs, these 571 jobs that mysteriously showed up that no one has ever seen before, they would help regional rates, and regional rates would help northern rates, and northern rates… Everybody working would help everybody. It would be good for the whole North. But where are they being tucked away? I personally don’t know where these hidden jobs are.
Recently, we heard about the job fair in Ottawa, and I’m certainly not against sending a job fair out, looking for special employment type of people that you just can’t get off the street. It makes sense sometimes, because those skills and qualifications may not be easily found. But I’ll tell you, the average Northerner is starting to wonder: does this government not care about them? Do they need to go to job fairs in Ottawa and shut them out of what should be northern opportunities? I know many families have passionately invested their lives into the North, and they’re feeling shut out by the circumstance.
Let me finish by this: Over the last 10 years, the unemployment rate has done nothing but increase in the Northwest Territories. I will tell you, by going to the NWT Bureau of Stats website it will show you that over the last two years of the McLeod government, it has sharply increased.
We need to get Northerners employed; we need to get Northerners working; and I’d say we need to do it now. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, as I was able to enjoy some dry fish from the Beaufort-Delta area, I came up with a Member’s statement here.
I know that in the Northwest Territories we value these northern fish. Whether we fry it, bake it, barbeque it, smoke it, or even enjoy it dried, it’s an important asset to the Northwest Territories.
In the Hay River area, in the Great Slave area, we catch it, a lot of it. One million pounds last year, the Minister was able to announce last November. One million.
Our fishers are working hard out there in this industry. They have increased the production over the last couple of years and made it over that million pounds.
The recent successes in the industry don't indicate the fact that we have to support them more. We have to increase the amount of the fishers out there and the supports that they have.
As we sit here and debate resource revenue sharing of these non-renewable resources, we should be focussing on this opportunity that we have in renewable resources like our fisheries. If we support and train these Northerners to stay here, this will have a direct impact on our economy, and we won’t have to be dealing with what the price of some commodity on the world market is. These are direct jobs directly affecting Northerners.
Later today I will have questions for the Minister of ITI about some of the money that they’ve talked about in the budget, supporting the industry, where that money is going to be and how we’re going to put these people to work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services, and it goes to my Member’s statement on palliative care for the people in the community of Deline. It has been a big issue for some time, and actually since 1993 they’ve had units that were there for extended care shut down in 1994. They’ve made some changes to it. However, my letter of 2005-2006, just an update from last year from the previous Minister of Health and Social Services that went into Deline. People in the community of Deline are asking that the existing community wellness building have two beds dedicated for elders who are on the last days of life in this world, if they could look at that building being renovated so that we can have two palliative care beds in the community of Deline.
Can the Minister give me a brief update as to where he is now with that request?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department is actually currently completing a Territorial Palliative Care Framework and Action Plan, which is going to guide us on the delivery of community-based palliative care services throughout the Northwest Territories, and this plan and action plan are expected to be completed by the end of March 2014. Once that’s done we’ll be in a better position to have a discussion about what we can do with existing infrastructure and new infrastructure.
I do know that with all new infrastructure that we’re building with respect to long-term care facilities, we are including one palliative care bed and one respite bed. So that’s all new facilities we’re building. I’ll be in a better position to talk about what we’ll do in the communities otherwise once this action plan is done, and I would be happy to have discussions with the Member and committee once that is done. Thank you.
Can the Minister commit to meeting the people of Deline and the people of the Sahtu, once the report has been completed, that there will be some specific discussions for the community of Deline on their request to have palliative care services? Is that something that we could look at working on, on a going forward basis, because the capital infrastructure budget will be coming up shortly after that.
At the invite of the community or the Member, I’m happy to visit his constituency and talk about any issues that the residents may have. Thank you.
I know once we get Ministers into our communities, there are issues even without the Minister’s role or responsibility. There are all kinds of issues. So, specifically, I want to have the Minister put some emphasis on the request for palliative beds in the community of Deline, and certainly as I’m standing here today, I will be inviting the Minister into Deline. When we have time we can go into that community. So I want to ask the Minister to talk about specifically the palliative care request that the people in Deline have.
I’d like to thank the Member for the invitation. We will certainly come to the community and we will come prepared. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
