Good afternoon, colleagues.
Before we begin today, I’d like to draw your attention to the Canadian flags on your desks. In 1996, February 15th was declared National Flag Day of Canada to mark the introduction of Canada’s national flag.
It was on February 15, 1965, that the first flag with its distinctive red and white maple leaf design flew proudly on Parliament Hill in our nation’s capital. Since then the flag has become an iconic symbol of Canada, known the world over and associated with the Canadian ideals of democracy, freedom and respect.
Although we don’t see maple trees in this part of the country, we proudly fly our Canadian flags across the Northwest Territories as a symbol of our unity with our fellow Canadians across this country, our Olympians representing Canada in Sochi, Russia, and proud Canadians across the world.
Members, please join me in celebration of National Flag Day of Canada.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise on a point of order today under clause 23(m) which states, “In debate, a Member will be called to order by the Speaker if the Member introduces any matter in debate that offends the practices and precedents of this Assembly.”
I’ve waited until today, Madam Speaker, to look at Hansard to make sure of the remarks. Yesterday during question period and I quote from page 18 of the unedited Hansard from Wednesday, February 12, 2014, “We’ve heard that deputy ministers will move money that is intended for human resources over to projects because they want to fulfil their mandate within their department. My view is they are actually breaking direction laid out by the
Legislature. In essence, it’s tantamount, in my view, of breaking the law.”
On the same page, Mr. Hawkins also said, “I’d like to ask what the Finance Minister is going to do if we know that deputy ministers are signing off human resources money that is designated, protected and passed in this Legislature by a duly elected body when they go behind the scenes and re-appropriate the money for their pet projects.”
Madam Speaker, Mr. Hawkins has clearly accused deputy ministers of deliberate criminal behaviour and, in doing so, I believe violates the established practices and rules of this Assembly. There have been explicit rulings on this matter in the past.
On March 25, 1995, in a landmark ruling, the Honourable Sam Gargan ruled, “The respect in which Members hold this institution is clearly evident. In order to uphold and enhance this respect, I will not permit comments, whether written or spoken, in this Legislative Assembly that have the tendency to question the personal integrity of others in this House or impute motives to those unable to respond or which have had the impact of adversely reflecting on those persons outside the Legislature.”
More recently, on February 15, 2007, Honourable Paul Delorey ruled, “It is both the rule of this Assembly and a common courtesy to not make reference to persons who are not Members of this House and do not enjoy parliamentary immunity. This includes reference to Members of the public specifically by name or in such a way that there can be no mistake as to the identity of the individual involved. The parliamentary immunity that we all enjoy within this Chamber comes with certain responsibilities. I would ask that Members respect the rights of those who do not have direct voice in this Chamber both in formal session and in Committee of the Whole.”
On that basis, Madam Speaker, I respectfully request that Mr. Hawkins be directed to withdraw his remarks and apologize to the House. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. I will allow some debate on Mr. Miltenberger’s point of order. Anyone who wishes to is allowed to speak once. Is there anybody who would like to speak to Minister Miltenberger’s point of order? Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Before us here today, we have an interesting situation which reminds me of an almost identical circumstance that happened on February 16, 2006, to be exact. I raised a point of order and it is described as such: I felt a Member of the Assembly used unparliamentary language to insult me. However, it’s important to note that this was not brought up in a timely way. I quote Speaker Delorey of the day and his quote is as such, when he ruled that it wasn’t a point of order: “I’m going to rule the point of order should have been brought up at the time, so I’m going to rule that you do not have a point of order based on that it should have been brought up at the time the comments were made.”
Madam Speaker, I didn’t raise my point of order of my concern of the language used against me in a timely way. I did it later in the day. Then Speaker Delorey’s ruling, which I accepted, is also precedence, which reminds us, simply stated, that a breach must be brought up in a timely way at its first opportunity. If it isn’t, then the details of the specific grievance, in the end, matter little.
Proper process is the key, Madam Speaker, and I certainly agree. Minister Miltenberger, in his view, is telling the House here today that this is his first opportunity to raise this concern, which in essence, in my view, is wrong. I draw the attention of the Assembly towards the simple fact that these words, if they cause such grievance, why he didn’t call a point of order in a timely way at the first opportunity. Why do I say that, Madam Speaker? Because which yesterday was, as a matter of supporting fact, I call everyone’s attention to yesterday’s Hansard. Minister Miltenberger expressed his grievance with my comments and rebuts them repeatedly during several responses to my questions. Not once, Madam Speaker, but five times. Surely if it was such an offence yesterday, a skilled, if not an elder parliamentarian, as he respectfully is, would have made note of the grievance and called a point of order in a respectable time, as highlighted by Speaker Delorey’s earlier ruling.
This reaffirms that this was drawn to his attention at that particular time. It furthermore says, as the rules state, he should have risen to a point of order to address them at that time, but he didn’t.
To tie it a little tighter, Madam Speaker, under Section 319 of Beauchesne’s, “Any Member is entitled, if not bound, to bring to the Speaker’s immediate notice of any instance of breach of order. The Speaker’s attention must be directed to a breach of order at the proper moment, namely the moment it occurred.”
If we respectfully boil this issue down to what it is, Minister Miltenberger didn’t use the words I used to express my feelings on how I feel, which I stressed “in my view.” These are my feelings, in my view, and in my view, they are still my feelings, how I feel. I’m not going to be in any position, Madam Speaker, here to judge Minister Miltenberger’s thoughts or suggestions, perhaps, to the situation. Only he can clarify and he’s welcome to do so.
I’m going to quote two small passages from Beauchesne’s to finish up. Under Section 24, “Parliamentary privilege is a sum of particular rights enjoyed by each House collectively, and its Members, and its Members of the House individually without which could not discharge their functions which exceed those processes by any bodies or individuals. The privileges of Parliament are rights which are absolutely necessary for the due execution of the powers.”
Finally another quote, Madam Speaker, from Section 75, “The privilege of freedom of speech is both the least questioned and the most fundamental rights of a Member of Parliament on the floor of the House and in committee.” Of course, we all know that expands to the Legislature here.
Finally, I say this, Madam Speaker, in closing, we could clear all of these comments up if the government would simply offer sanction and confirm the witness statements made at the in camera meeting held on February 11th to which I cannot specifically refer to because they were made in camera and that would be a breach of the House’s rules. So, we could ask Minister Miltenberger if he would authorize that and we can let the public be the final judge of public accountability on this measure and allow the court of public opinion to make their ruling in their view. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Would anyone else like to speak to the point of order? Premier McLeod.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think the Member has acknowledged the breach and now he’s trying to use process to not withdraw his remarks.
In this House, the process has always been you raise it at the first opportunity and almost every instance that I can recall, the 17th Assembly, the 16th Assembly, invariably the Member waits until the next morning so they have a chance to review Hansard. There’s no process for trying to find out how a Member feels when he’s making the remarks, but it’s very clear that if people outside this House can’t speak to protect themselves and it’s not normal process for them to do so, I think that the Member should withdraw his remarks because it’s inappropriate use in this House. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Premier McLeod. Any further comment or debate to the point of order? If not, I will take the point of order and the comments that have been made subsequently under advisement and withhold any ruling on that until a future date. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thousands of our residents and visitors enjoy the parks and campgrounds across the territory. In particular, the beaches located within the territorial parks contribute enormously to the quality of life for many families on hot summer days.
The 2014 parks season formally opens on May 15th and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is making important changes to beaches in Fred Henne Territorial Park and Hay River Territorial Park that I want to share with you. These changes will help to ensure everyone enjoys the beaches in a fun, safe way.
The Lifesaving Society has made a number of recommendations they have told us will make the beaches safer. ITI is putting all of these recommendations in place that will move the beaches up in the level of safety. They include easy-to-read signage alerting parents, guardians and other beachgoers about beach rules and hazards. Providing emergency equipment such as a reaching pole and throwing assist was also a direct safety recommendation. We will ensure those are available, and we will post emergency contact numbers.
Madam Speaker, a main focus of the recommendations is on public education. We will be engaging with our partners in the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Transportation, and Health and Social Services to plan a territory-wide water and beach safety campaign, through the Injury Prevention Working Group, to help ensure beachgoers are prepared to use and enjoy their beaches safely.
The Lifesaving Society has repeatedly stressed the importance of direct and constant supervision for children at the beachfront and in the water. We are making public awareness a major focus of this safety campaign.
In addition, the department is contracting the Lifesaving Society to deliver basic training in basic waterfront and local emergency procedures. This will be provided to park staff at Fred Henne and Hay River territorial parks. In the event of an emergency, parks staff could provide assistance until fire or ambulance crews arrive on scene. Programs and training can be customized to suit the waterfront and staff comfort level.
These plans are in addition to the lifejacket loaner station that was installed at the Fred Henne beach last summer, and we will install another at the Hay River beach during the 2014 parks season.
Madam Speaker, in addition to these safety audits, we also contracted the Lifesaving Society to do a study on what would be required to put lifeguards on Fred Henne beach. We expect to receive the report very soon and I look forward to reading it and sharing this information.
Throughout this process, the department has encouraged feedback and comments from NWT residents, and I want to thank people who have taken the time to comment and share their concerns and suggestions. We want to hear their feedback on these safety measures and to ask questions about these recommendations.
Our on-line survey about beach safety at Fred Henne has been available for a few weeks now and we have already had over 300 responses. I would encourage people to visit the ITI website to complete this survey and give us your feedback as it will be closing at the end of this week.
In addition, we are holding a facilitated public forum in Yellowknife tonight at the Yellowknife Ski Club at 6:00 p.m. We want to talk to people about the Lifesaving Society’s safety recommendations, current safety issues at the beach, and potential ideas and solutions to addressing these issues. We will work in small groups to ensure all ideas are taken into account.
Another forum is scheduled in Hay River in early March. We will be able to confirm the date with you shortly.
Madam Speaker, safety at the beach is everyone’s responsibility. By putting these safety measures in place as recommended by the Lifesaving Society, we hope even more residents – especially families – will come and experience the natural, spectacular beach facilities we have right here in our backyard. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Madam Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
Madam Speaker, the new Highway No. 4 realignment opened to traffic on January 31st. Residents now bypass the remediation work underway at the former Giant Mine site and travel on a safer highway with better turns and sight lines. It is an important infrastructure investment toward ensuring responsible stewardship and providing jobs and business opportunities to dozens of Northerners.
This work started last summer with the construction of a new entrance. More than 250,000 cubic meters of rock were moved to use as sub-base and base materials for the road. The department thanks residents and users of the nearby Fred Henne Territorial Park for their cooperation during the necessary drilling, blasting and crushing operations.
A temporary lighting system is in place at the Highway No. 3 intersection. Later, a permanent system will be installed this summer when we upgrade the Ingraham Trail between the Vee Lake access road and the Yellowknife River and finish applying chipseal.
Madam Speaker, administrative, engineering and construction jobs for this project have largely been filled by our very own Northerners. As of the end of November 2013, the bypass project had created 8,677 person days of employment for northern and local workers. The contractor, Det’on Cho Corporation, is wholly owned by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. Several local companies were subcontracted to complete the design and build the project successfully, with an overall average of nearly 86 percent local and northern employment. Madam Speaker, it is good to see the opportunities for skill building and success through this project.
Madam Speaker, the new alignment means that residents are able to enjoy a new view of the territory’s natural surroundings. The Department of Transportation has been working closely with the Department of Industry, Tourism, and Investment to modify the Prospector’s Trail to include a new pullout, provide access to a new mining heritage location, and create a new lake trail loop so residents can stop to appreciate the land.
Madam Speaker, I am confident that the bypass project will contribute to the safety and enjoyment of residents for many years to come. Mahsi cho, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Minister Beaulieu. The honourable Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, Mr. Miltenberger.
Madam Speaker, during December's power outage in the city of Yellowknife, it became apparent that communications from the Northwest Territories Power Corporation did not meet its customers’ expectations or its own standards. It is our goal to keep power outages to a minimum. The corporation has taken steps necessary to improve communication during both planned and unplanned power outages in the territory and will continue to do so.
This incident made it clear that we needed a more coordinated, timely and consistent approach to communicating power outages. We immediately updated our communications protocol in response to concerns from our customers, and our new manager of communications will manage its implementation. The improved protocol sets new thresholds for the declaration of a Northwest Territories Power Corporation emergency as well as timelines and methods of communications that may include web notices, social media, radio, or even going door to door.
This protocol also sets the foundation for strengthening our relationship with our distribution partner, Northland Utilities Limited.
We will keep communications open before, during and after power outages, and wherever possible, we will coordinate our outage communications plans. This will give NTPC a more active role in communicating during outages in Yellowknife whenever the outage is the Power Corporation’s responsibility. There will still be situations where an outage is related to Northland Utilities’ infrastructure.
The Internet plays a major role in providing information to the public, and in late January NTPC launched a new customer-focused website that includes all pertinent information about outages such as who is affected; the cause, if known; and an estimate of when power will be restored. We will also be posting updates on social media before the end of next month.
Our ultimate goal is to avoid power outages altogether. NTPC is researching the possibility of investing in a large battery at the Jackfish plant that would provide a 15-minute window to bring additional power generation on-line without the customer losing power. This could cut the Yellowknife outage rate in half, but it would be a significant investment and we need to do due diligence before making that decision.
In the meantime, NTPC continues to improve its overall communications to meet the ever-growing and changing needs of its customers. Along with power outage information, conservation information and being able to apply for NTPC jobs, the new website will soon provide the option for customers to pay their power bills on-line as well. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. The rivers, the air, the fish and caribou, lines on the map mean nothing to them. Where they go is where they belong.
The Gwich’in people know how important the Peel River Watershed is to the land around it and all the wildlife and people who depend on it. I want to voice my disappointment in the Yukon government for losing sight of this when they decided to alter the Peel Land Use Plan before it was released last month.
Residents from Fort McPherson, Aklavik, Inuvik and also protestors in the Yukon walked on January 28, 2014, in support of the Land Use Plan that was originally recommended, which would have provided permanent protection for 80 percent of the Peel River Watershed. The modified plan protects a mere 29 percent. That leaves 71 percent open to development.
I can’t sit back and not voice my disappointment in the Yukon government and its lack of understanding for the people who live in and near the Peel Watershed and all those who are affected downstream. It seems the Yukon government did not listen to the people who spoke from their hearts and from their experience about why they don’t want development in the Peel River.
Last February more than 200 people in Fort McPherson crammed into the community hall to discuss their strong historical ties to the Peel Watershed. The Gwich’in have traditional lands in the Yukon, as stated in the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement.
The transboundary overlap agreement is being ignored by the Yukon government. This is just not right. We have worked for years developing our land claims, only to have it shelved in the Yukon Legislature.
Decisions made in the Yukon affect the portion of the Peel Watershed that lies within the Northwest Territories. Our government must do all that it can to protect our land and waters. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. As the government is constantly changing and we’re adding more and more on-line items, I had the opportunity the last couple of days to take advantage of the Department of Transportation’s on-line drivers and motor vehicles services. I must commend the department on an effective on-line service. I was able to register my vehicle through this on-line service. The first time is obviously a little bit more cumbersome; you have to register your ID and your driver’s licence, wait for an e-mail to be returned that they’ve got your proper information and then you go ahead and register. This allows individuals and people to register their vehicles, basically out of the comfort of their home, offices, with their feet up on the couch, maybe even with my bunny slippers on, yes, Mr. Hawkins.
All you need is some of the basic information: obviously your driver’s license, a copy of your insurance form, your license plate number. I think it’s very effective that we’re doing this for people. It gives us an opportunity to speed up the process and not wait in lines and not slow down the general public, and as more and more people are using this, it’s more effective.
The other thing that it does, and it’s good to hear, is – back to the notices – through e-mail you get a notice when your driver’s licence is about to expire, so that you don’t show up to some sort of event and your driver’s license is expired. This is what the government used to do. This is back in the old days when they used to send you out a mail notice that your driver’s license or your registration has been expired. This system allows us to get back to the good old days when the government is actually informing the public of vital information. Through Internet, through the on-line service, obviously, but today we’re going forward but we’re also going back to a service that we used to provide.
I will have some questions for the Department of Transportation Minister on just how we evaluate this going forward, what have we done, and basically, where can we see any pitfalls, if any.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. The program review office of the GNWT was established in 2008-2009 for the executive branch of the day to undertake a number of targeted programs and reviews. Its role was to clarify and confirm mandates, determine program effectiveness and recommend modifications such as the elimination, reduction and service improvements. Now, I’m sure when the concept of this office of the executive was cleverly conceived, it had all the poise and promise of the day. Who wouldn’t want their own private army of ombudsmen working feverishly to support your strategic initiatives? It sounds good. It even looks good on paper, but since then, has it been effective? Let’s take a look.
If you go to our GNWT website and search for program review office, you get a very simple executive summary under the banner “refocusing government.” Not really finding this beneficial, I went to our new NWT Legislative Assembly website, which is very cool, by the way, typed in a general search for program review office, and nothing. Well, there must be at least a tabled document from this office, so I searched through all the tabled documents since 2008. Guess what. Nothing. Nothing. I took to the Internet on a wide search with different combinations of words to try to find something reported by this office. I found one hit. It was a copy of the key activity summary during the 2009-2010 annual business plan, but I found no reports, no findings and definitely no recommendations.
To the question: For over six years and at millions of dollars to operate, what value has this office provided in finding program effectiveness, or to eliminate, reduce or improve service? The only thing of late from what this House has managed to piece together was the recent data on PTR – that’s pupil-teacher ratio – that is being used for the junior kindergarten rollout. Other than that, the jury is out. We’re not sure. In fact, the last time Regular Members had any interaction with this office was under the request of Premier McLeod asking for Regular Members to identify priorities for this program review office to undertake within their three-year work plan. This has been over a year now and Regular Members have never heard back from the Premier.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Today I want to ask the Premier of the Northwest Territories what this program review office has been doing since giving our list of priorities for review back in 2012, but more importantly, is it not time we should take a critical look at the structure, the mandate and the transparency of this office for the people of the Northwest Territories, because clearly, it is not living up to its intended purpose.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Madam Speaker, I’d like to congratulate Aurora College and Mary Rose Sundberg for offering Wiilideh language lessons this year.
The course started on January 20th and continues until February 24th. Hugh Moloney, an instructor of the college, recently spent a year with his family, living and teaching in New Zealand. They were inspired about how the Maori language and culture have come to have an important role in New Zealand’s national identity. When Hugh came back to Yellowknife, he wanted to learn more about the Wiilideh language and culture.
Fortunately, he found that Aurora College was supportive and, further, Mary-Rose had been developing teaching materials at the Goyatiko Language Centre in Detah. Within a few days of advertising the course, it was fully booked and there is now quite a waiting list. Most of the students are not Dene.
Language, culture and the land are intertwined. By learning the Wiilideh language, the students learn about the Wiilideh culture, the Dene way and their land. Learning the language will also build new relationships and strengthen cross-cultural ties.
I’m proud to report that about half of the students are Weledeh constituents. I have often said the Weledeh riding represents a special part of Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories. It is a place where many cultures thrive and interact. There is an interesting and well-known saying amongst the Tlicho people originating from Chief Jimmy Bruneau, I believe, that speaks about the relationship between the old ways and the new, between the Dene way and the “white man’s way.” They say being adept at both ways can make them strong like two people. Perhaps that can be applied to everyone.
I certainly hope that teaching and learning the Wiilideh language will build stronger connections within our community, stronger connections with the land, a stronger sense of pride and better understanding of our different ways of knowing.
Just a brief note, Madam Speaker, that my constituency assistant, Andrew Robinson, is attending Mary Rose’s lessons and I’m sure he would welcome the opportunity to show off his Wiilideh proficiency with any Weledeh speakers who would like to chat with him. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. My statement is on the upcoming territorial long-term care facility in the Sahtu and a new wellness centre that’s going to be built in Norman Wells. I listed out this week, the number of potential students who are going to be graduating this year, next year and the year after in the Sahtu and I also listed out some of the numbers of students who have gone through some form of post-secondary education institution training. There are 81 in the Sahtu, according to the list provided to me by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.
We’re very happy and very pleased in the Sahtu. Hopefully the construction will start sometime this summer, if the plans are in place. More importantly, staffing this long-term care facility, a territorial facility in Norman Wells, I’m looking for the opportunity for the department to start advertising, start setting up training programs and have proper training eligibilities for jobs in that facility where people can apply. We will encourage all students to bring up their marks, to stay in school. There is health care employment there and it’s a lifelong commitment to that job, if their heart so desires, to look after people through cooking or caretaking or even becoming a nurse or doctor or some kind of specialist.
I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what types of plans have been put in place, because that facility is supposed to open in 2016. What type of preparations do we need to do in this facility and get our students ready and get them excited for a health care career? Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. It has been awhile since I’ve stood up in this House to address the continued concern that plagues most of our communities, and this concern is of those who continue to feed off our vulnerable residents and those who are battling with addictions: the drug dealers and the bootleggers.
I’m speaking here today because of concerns that I’ve heard from residents throughout the Northwest Territories recently, and talking about the issues that still arise with the intimidation from families, from friends. We need to empower our residents of the Northwest Territories to speak up and speak out about these people who continue to live in these communities and continue to be the ones driving the nice skidoos and the fancy cars at the price and the health of the people who they grew up with.
We have campaigns such as the Not Us! campaign, we have Crime Stoppers, but that still doesn’t seem to be having a strong effect because we continue to see this problem, especially in the areas where we’re having some of our economic wealth and economic growth. We’ve seen it up in Inuvik when we were busy and in regions where we’re getting more work developed. I think this government needs to take more of a focus and put some of its resources in these areas in these communities, especially the ones that are accessible by road and by air that we start taking a bigger stance on this and addressing the issue with the drug dealers and the bootleggers.
This government needs to look at also creating better incentives through us or in partnership with the federal government to those who want to speak up, but we also have to provide support and safety for those who want to speak up in our communities. That way they know that this government supports them when they want to get an illness out of their community.
It’s not only us who need to work; the government can only do so much. We need residents of the Northwest Territories to speak up, to let us know and to let the RCMP know and the concerned members, the leadership in the community know who these drug dealers are, who these bootleggers are and get them out of the community and start building a more healthy community for the NWT.
I support these people who are trying to do this right now and I support their actions. Even though they might be feeling a little bit unsafe when they do speak up, I for one am a Member who supports these individuals who speak up for a healthier community. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yesterday I spoke briefly about the change in the advertising practice by the Department of Human Resources. I would like to further discuss our government’s recent decision to move all government job recruitment on-line.
As of October 1st, the Department of Human Resources stopped putting individual job ads and job listings in print media publications, instead opting for a half-page ad promoting itself as an employer and telling people to go on-line to look for openings.
As I said yesterday, I am concerned that this action will make it more difficult for NWT residents to apply for jobs. Many people in our smaller communities have no computer access or do not have reliable Internet or computer service.
The Minister has acknowledged there may be individuals in smaller communities without reliable access to the e-Recruit website and he’s indicated the department is taking action to ensure these residents are made aware of job opportunities through other means. But it’s not simply enough to provide printed job posters to local First Nations, hamlet and Metis offices and community stores. There must also be trained individuals who are prepared to sit down with NWT residents at government service offices and learning centres to assist them with access to on-line job postings.
The new e-Recruit system requires a level of computer literacy and computer access currently not available to many of our territory’s residents. This is a great opportunity for adult learning centres to offer training and computer literacy. It will employ one of the most successful principles of successful adult learning: learning for a purpose. The direct result of the students’ increased skills will be the ability to navigate the e-Recruit website.
Lastly, as it currently stands, you cannot apply for a job with the GNWT unless you have a valid e-mail address and that causes me additional concern. I’m not the only one concerned. In usual direct style, well-known Northern News Services Ltd. columnist and Sahtu woman warrior Cece McCauley recently asked, “What about the poor who can’t afford Internet or computers?” Not only must access to computers and the Internet be made available but the need for an e-mail address must be reconsidered and a way found around that requirement.
It’s been pointed out only 3 percent of applicants apply for a GNWT job in any way except on-line, so the move away from print advertising is probably justified.
Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you. The move is probably justified, but I’m not in favour of spending for the sake of spending and if on-line advertising for jobs saves unnecessary expenditures, that’s a good thing, but my support is qualified. The GNWT, particularly the Department of Human Resources, must ensure that all residents can easily know of and apply for any NWT job. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise again today to continue to raise the issue that Northerners want to apply on these mystery jobs. In some ways I view it more as they’re being denied the right to apply on jobs by their own government.
This is something that you would hear of in a Third World country, something maybe in a dictatorship or who knows what; I can’t describe it. But these are circumstances where people are telling me how they feel and certainly I say that I agree that how they feel is right.
In the crux of the problem we keep digging deeper, or as I said the other day, the further you peel this onion back, the stinkier it gets. We try to track down where this human resource money goes. The Cabinet sits over there and laughs at the questions I pose to the government. Now, that’s okay if they want to laugh at my questions, but what it does is continue to reaffirm the cavalier attitude towards accountability that they have to Members like me and certainly questions that come to me by the public. So they’re not just laughing at me, they’re laughing at all 11 Members on this side of the House and certainly they’re laughing at the public at large. This is just not right.
I would say it’s not just one Minister, it’s all seven and they all had bellyfuls of laughs yesterday when I tried to ask about where the money is, but yet they show no interest. As a committee, the other day we received a briefing and it was an in camera briefing, and for the public that means we can’t talk about it because it’s private. However, I will draw the attention of the Assembly, not specifically, but will say that I have an audio recording and, furthermore, a page from the briefing that would help clear this whole matter up. All we need is Cabinet’s approval to table this before the House. This would bring clarity to the whole issue about helping us track down the money.
This is so important. What has happened to accountability? Have we brokered it away for a few trinkets? I don’t know. I can tell you right now the broad perspective out there is accountability is lost and yet it becomes more and more stressful, but I can assure you, Madam Speaker, and I can certainly assure the public these things would help turn those bread crumbs into solid facts, concerns I will continue to raise. But I assure you these facts would turn them into crystal clear principles that people would be asking, saying what’s happening over there.
So when I ask the questions, continue to laugh. Laugh as hard as you want, but do not forget you are laughing not at me but the public. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. I’m not sure if that recording Mr. Hawkins referred to would be considered a prop in the Assembly, but let’s remember that we’re not allowed to bring props into the Chamber to use them for the effectiveness of our statements and such. Thank you. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Good afternoon. We’re well into the second half of the 17th Legislative Assembly. I’d like to highlight some of the significant accomplishments in my beautiful Deh Cho riding and the important work that remains to be done.
Progress has been made on the new Fort Providence Health Centre. The foundation is ready and the construction will resume in April. Community members and especially front-line workers look forward to the completion of the new facility.
I would like to congratulate Mr. John Leskiw, the new mayor-elect of Enterprise, on winning the recent election. Strong municipal governments are important to all the communities. Along with the constituents, I look forward to the leadership that he will bring.
The K’atlodeeche Reserve continues to advance its fibre optic project and plans to extend the line further. The community continues to express concerns surrounding income support and, like all other communities in the Deh Cho, is concerned about current unemployment rates and the lack of job opportunities, especially for local youth and people who are not available to work in the mining sector.
Kakisa wants to build a new community hall and revitalize its fish plant. I’m pleased to see the commitment to a commercial fishery in this year’s budget and hope that Kakisa will benefit from this investment.
The biomass industry holds great potential for the Deh Cho communities. My constituents want to see projects and advance wood pellet manufacturing and similar initiatives. Forest management agreements have been signed or are being negotiated with a number of communities and we hope that leads to the development of a viable industry. The hope that during the remainder of this government that important groundwork is laid for renewed forest management legislation that will assist the Northwest Territories in diversifying its economy through forest resources.
The Deh Cho is the first community visitors see when they come to the NWT, and their first impressions are important. There is huge opportunity for the development of tourist attractions. Initiatives such as a bison interpretative centre, promotion of the Deh Cho Bridge and the Deh Cho Connection could help this spectacular part of the NWT reach its tourism potential and bring welcome activity to our communities.
In the final year of the 17th Assembly, I encourage the community members, leadership and governments to work together to reach the goals of healthy, vibrant, sustainable communities in the Deh Cho. Mahsi.
Madam Speaker, I would like to use this opportunity to recognize my wife of almost 35 years. It will be 35 years in July. I would like to recognize my wife, Judy. Welcome to the gallery.
Since Minister McLeod has recognized his significant other in the gallery today, may I also take this opportunity to send our collective best wishes to our significant others, partners, spouses on the eve of Valentine’s Day today. Minister Lafferty.
