Good morning, colleagues. Welcome back to the House.
Members, before we begin today, I would like to draw your attention to the Canadian flags that are on your desks, marking National Flag of Canada Day.
Applause.
February 15th was declared National Flag of Canada Day in 1996. It is the day Canadians are encouraged to take the time to consider all that our flag has come to represent since it was first raised over Parliament Hill in 1965.
The red and white maple leaf flag has become a powerful and prominent symbol of Canada. It is recognized all over the world as the flag of a people who cherish the ideals of democracy, freedom, justice, diversity and equality.
It is a particularly fitting day to celebrate not only our flag but also the grand and beautiful country that we live in.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services, the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority, and Capital Health Authority in Edmonton are working with the leadership and residents of Aklavik to investigate the incidence of H. pylori infection in the community.
A team of 25 health professionals and researchers from Capital Health and the University of Alberta, working together with the employees of the G.N.W.T., spent four days in Aklavik in February. They took tissue samples from 300 persons — every consenting adult in the community.
These tissue samples will be examined for evidence of the H. pylori infection. This bacteria can occur without symptoms and can lead to ulcers, indigestion and stomach cancer.
The samples were sent to a lab in Edmonton where they will be analyzed thoroughly. This extensive project is known as the Aklavik H. Pylori Project, and it will be completed by 2010.
Residents in Aklavik have long expressed their concerns about the high rates of stomach cancer in their community. One family lost five members to this disease. In the N.W.T. the rate of stomach cancer is twice that of the rest of Canada.
The project has received $220,000 in grants and contributions from a wide variety of organizations. I'd like to thank the community of Aklavik, especially nurse-in-charge Rachel Munday and all of the staff at the Susie Husky Health and Social Services Centre. I'd also like to thank the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Canadian North, Public Health Agency of Canada, Inuvik Regional Hospital, Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority, MLA David Krutko, Chief Charlie Furlong, Mayor Knute Hansen, and Dr. Tom Guzowski of Stanton Territorial Hospital. I also thank the Edmonton Capital Health doctors, the Olympus scoping technicians, and the University of Alberta.
Finally, I want to acknowledge the project leader, medical director Dr. Bob Bailey from Northern Health Services Network, who secured the funding, and lastly, Dr. John Morse, who had an idea more than ten years ago that turned into this important project.
Applause.
Mr. Speaker, many constituents have asked me to make their concerns about the proposed cuts known to the government. They have asked me to stand up for them and prevent the government taking the simplistic approach to cost-cutting by laying off employees, as announced by the Premier to the media.
Mr. Speaker, this is a fear that’s out there in the public, a fear that is founded on previous experience with spending cuts. Until this government proves to us that their cost savings are not simply achieved by layoffs, I must speak for my constituents and urge the government to make wise decisions.
Mr. Speaker, cuts to the G.N.W.T. workforce are a short-sighted solution to a complex problem that may save money in the spur of the moment and will look good on the books, but in the long term, it will cost the government lots of money.
Employees are valuable. Corporate knowledge is valuable, not to mention that perhaps you didn’t see that when you rehire somebody, it costs $100,000 by current estimates to retrain somebody new.
Job cuts create lots of damage and achieve little. We should not put more financial pressure on families than they already have. What does a family who loses one or all of its income do to cope? They will cut out recreational programs and eat less healthy but cheaper.
There will also be a secondary economic impact to our communities. The private sector suffers, too, from less disposable income, causing a trickle effect — less employment and training opportunities and more people leaving the North. Ultimately, all these effects cause more pressure on our social system.
Here are the words of two of my constituents that bring the message across loud and clear:
“Cuts only help in the immediate. In the long run, they cause further decay to any society.”
“Employment is essential to self-pride and a healthy standard of living.”
Let’s ensure that no one loses any job, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi cho.
Mr. Speaker, it’s the IRC Cup weekend. It’s the Inuvialuit Regional Cup Hockey Tournament in the Beaufort-Delta this weekend.
I just wish all the players and the families that are driving down to have a safe, fun-filled weekend to spend time with their families and friends that they haven’t seen during this past winter.
We have eight teams in the “B” Division and five teams in the “A.” And I just wish all the best to all the players and to have a safe, fun weekend, and support just seeing them all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, to rush into a burning building once and pull somebody out is quite an accomplishment. To do it twice is an amazing feat. To actually do it three times is unheard of. I want to use my Member’s statement today to honour a man who — three times — has gone into buildings that were burning to pull people out.
Vince Sharpe of Inuvik, 60 years old, former firefighter, back in November went into a trailer that was burning and pulled one person out. Once he got him out, he was told there was another one in there. He went back in on his stomach in a smoke-filled building and pulled a second person out.
He’s done it a couple of times before, Mr. Speaker. In 1978 he took a lady in a wheelchair out of a burning log home. In 1974 he rescued a baby from a burning building.
I think it’s important, Mr. Speaker, that as an Assembly we recognize the accomplishments that some of these people put forward. A lot of it just flies under the radar.
I wanted to use my Member’s statement today to bring tribute to Mr. Sharpe and also plan on nominating Vince Sharpe for a couple of awards, because I think acts like this unselfish bravery — going into burning buildings to rescue people — shouldn’t go unrecognized. And I will do my part.
So I would like to ask the Assembly to join me today in commending Vince Sharpe on the rescues that he has done. A few people owe their lives to him, and he should be recognized for that. Thank you.
Applause.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Senators who will be making an attempt to travel to the Northwest Territories and travel throughout the North in regard to the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut and look at the issue of poverty in the North and especially in aboriginal communities. It is important that the Northern leaders, the representatives, MLAs and our government work with them to come up with some ideas on how to deal with poverty in aboriginal communities.
The thing that appalls me the most is who is not taking part in this journey: the Conservative Senators who totally refuse to take part. They say it is a waste of money and a waste of time. I find that to be appalling. As a government and as part of our government system, the Senate plays an important role as a chamber of second thought. But yet, Mr. Speaker, that is an appalling state when the Conservative Senators refuse to travel, saying that it is a waste of time and money. So who are we — another country?
It is important to deal with the issue of poverty, especially in aboriginal communities and especially here in Canada, where statistics show that aboriginal people in Canada live in poverty, similar to Third World countries.
I would like to state for the record: next time we come to a federal election, we’ve got to remember the slogan “ABC: Anybody But Conservatives.”
I am sorry that I didn’t hear you for the loud applause.
In my short time here as MLA, we’ve talked much about energy, the environment and climate change. It is accepted that as human beings, we are hurting our house — our planet. Some say that we are destroying it.
It is also accepted that we can take actions to reduce the hurt. Members have discussed many of these actions: building codes and standards, reducing energy consumption, less hurtful energy sources, water conservation to name just a few. I sense a willingness on the part of this government to take action, but I see no indication of any comprehensive plan.
I know; I know: “It is early yet; we’re developing the budget and so on and so on.” But as this government prepares the 2008-2009 budget, it is a necessity that energy savings and sustainability be a cornerstone of the document.
We need to take a page from the book of the city of Yellowknife, which has just been named a number one city, by the way. It has taken a few years, but the city of Yellowknife has committed to energy planning and action. Currently some $500,000 is earmarked for activities related to the energy plan.
We need to follow their excellent example, Mr. Speaker. Not only do we need a coordinated energy plan for the government of the N.W.T. that covers all aspects of energy, climate change and environmental protection, but we need an energy coordinator to implement and manage the plan.
Taking this bold step is not something we have to do on our own. There are many N.W.T. organizations and individuals out there who are willing to assist in the development of a plan.
We must establish a working committee and an energy and sustainability planning committee with public representation from industry and interested individuals and organizations. I believe the Arctic Energy Alliance is one such organization which can provide excellent advice and support for such a planning committee.
This is a long-term strategy, but we must include it in our first budget in order to reap any kind of rewards in the life of this Assembly. We can guarantee financial savings by being proactive. We can guarantee environmental savings through being proactive. The time to act is now.
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize my constituent Mr. Tyler Hawkins of Hay River for his outstanding talent achievements in the music world.
Tyler Hawkins began his music lessons on multi-stringed guitar when he was just eight years old. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University with Honours in Performance in 1990. Since then he has been working as a teacher and a private guitar instructor in the Northwest Territories.
This weekend we’ll see another dream realized, as through Tyler’s leadership, we will host what I hope is just the first N.W.T. International Lute Festival.
I encourage everyone to take advantage of this amazing opportunity to see and hear such rare internationally renowned talent coming to a small northern, remote town like Hay River. This weekend’s events will include performances on Friday night at École Boréale, Saturday night at the Pentecostal church, and a meet-the-artists workshop at the Back Eddy at 1:30 on Sunday.
We will welcome a performance by Michel Cardin and Tyler Hawkins on Friday night at École Boréale. Saturday night’s offering will include a performance by Nigel North. Nigel North was initially inspired into music at age seven by the early ’60s instrumental pop group The Shadows.
Nigel studied classical music through violin and guitar, eventually discovering his real path in life, the lute, when he was 15. Basically self-taught on the lute, he has for over 30 years developed a unique musical life which embraces activities as a teacher, accompanist, soloist, director and writer. For over 20 years he was a professor of the lute at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. From ’93 to ’99 he was a professor at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin, and since January 1999 Nigel North has been a professor of lute at the Early Music Institute at Indiana University in Bloomington in the U.S.A.
Mr. Speaker, it is truly a rare occasion to have such internationally renowned talent in our community of Hay River. I would like to thank Tyler Hawkins for all of his efforts in bringing this together. I would ask my colleagues here today to congratulate Hay River on being the host of the N.W.T. International Lute Festival. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the people of Dettah have resided here since time immemorial. They form a community which has seen much change, and they have tolerated much deterioration of their environment: the water, the air quality, the health of their nearby food resources like fish and waterfowl. They are holders of a unique and valuable way of seeing our world. Yet despite this and despite their proximity to the capital, the 11-kilometre gravel road to their community remains as unsafe or worse as the road to Behchoko was before the recent resurfacing of that highway.
The road to Dettah was last resurfaced with chip seal that was about as thick as a poker chip. This road receives much less traffic than the adjacent Ingraham Trail, with its tens of thousands of B-trains and so on. Despite this, and not surprisingly, the chip seal of the Dettah Road had a brief lifetime, measured in months. Having had frequent experience driving the Dettah Road, I can personally attest to the road’s unsafe condition. Several times, though driving at moderate speed, I found my car wanting to crow-hop into a sideways shuffle down the road — an unsettling and certainly unsafe experience as a result of the corrugated and rutted surface.
Mr. Speaker, I am not asking for 100 kilometres of resurfacing here. I simply ask that we give the people of Dettah their due and provide these patient people with an appropriately resurfaced — and reconstructed, if need be — and safe 11-kilometre road to their community.
I will be asking the Minister of Transportation questions on this. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to speak today about the budget reduction exercise currently underway by the government.
I’m very concerned over the way the government is handling the communication effort on the reduction and, eventually, the reinvestment strategy and the fear that this is causing our employees.
What I’ve heard from the public and Members of this House was that we should thoroughly examine our spending through zero-based budgeting exercises which would analyze our spending so we could take some corrective action on where we spend our dollars. Had this been done, we would have had solid information on which to make decisions.
As a Member of this House the government’s plan to reduce spending by $135 million over the next two years requires a tremendous leap of faith on behalf of myself and Members of this House. I can appreciate where the government is coming from, because I’ve been saying for the last four years that our spending is not sustainable over the long term. However, since Christmas, rumours abound on what, where, who and how much is going to fall under the government’s axe.
I just want to publicly state today for the record what I know. This week our committees finally received the targets that the government was setting for the departments: a $135 million reduction over the next two years, with $75 million being reinvested into strategic initiatives. Regular Members have not gotten any level of detail on what’s on the chopping block. There may be some panic in the public service, but the reductions still have to be vetted through our standing committees and the Regular Members of this House.
We need to ensure that as Regular Members our ideas and input for both reductions and reinvestment have to be taken seriously by this government. In our consensus style of government, Regular Members have the majority in this House, and I want the public and the public service to know that when it comes to reductions, our input, our thoughts and our ideas will be taken seriously by this government.
The reality is that so far Regular Members on this side of the House seem to be on a need-to-know basis and are being treated that way by the government. I want to let the public service know and let the public know that when the battles are to be fought, the Regular Members will be here to defend the reductions we don’t agree with, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, as always, I try to regularly make special mention that it is Red Friday.
Today I feel compelled to speak again to the issue of aftercare and follow-up for clients with addictions. I must confess that I am perplexed by the Minister’s answers to the questions earlier this week. A finer defence of the status quo I’ve never seen. As the Minister stated, individual responsibility is a major component of recovery in healing from addiction. I do not disagree with that statement. What I find puzzling is the Minister’s harsh resistance to what seems like a simple, inexpensive yet potentially very beneficial service — a mere phone call, Mr. Speaker.
The transition from a residential treatment program back to the community can be very difficult, full of pitfalls and temptations to return to addictions. Follow-up with a client lets the person know that there’s still someone who cares even though they are no longer in treatment. If the client knows in advance that someone will be checking up, this in itself can be a motivator to stay on course in his or her rehabilitation. An individual can be responsible, but for many of us, encouragement and support help bolster our resolve. I think this is what we usually call being human.
Mr. Speaker, one follow-up call could make the difference for a recovering addict who is struggling with feelings of isolation and social pressures. Success and effort are paramount in dealing with the biggest problems that are causing our social ills in this Territory. Poundmaker’s Lodge does this. Bellwood Health Services, a leading addictions-treatment program in Toronto, does this. Why can’t we do this? Why can’t we expand our ability and help the people the way we want to?
Mr. Speaker, aftercare is the key to successful recovery, and this government needs to ensure that a comprehensive aftercare program is made available to our residents. They need to be aware of it, and the lines of communication need to go two ways, not one way, as the Minister’s letter directs it to go.
In closing, I want to make a clear point. We’ve gone far beyond the question of this costing too much money. It has now become clear: it’s strictly a position of stubbornness.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize three people from Fort Simpson that are in the gallery today: Mr. Sean Whelly, who acted as my official agent, his son Brendan Whelly, and Alex Scharf, who is teaching at our Thomas Simpson Secondary School. Welcome here, and see how we do our work. Mahsi cho.
I’d like to welcome everybody who’s in the gallery today to the House. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience in here.
Mr. Speaker, I highlighted a number of good places that treat addictions, and they do follow-up. In Minnesota my office has spoken to people at Aftercare Services Agency, and they do follow-up treatments. Bellwood highlights and red-flags people that they need to continue to follow-up through phone calls.
Mr. Speaker, has Health and Social Services in any way done any type of analysis on how much good a follow-up treatment program would do for people by a mere phone call?
Mr. Speaker, my two-page letter, which the Member tabled, was in follow-up to the questions that he asked in the first session. If you read that letter in totality, it does state that we do all the work that needs to be done between pre-treatment, the treatment issues, post-treatment, aftercare.
This government in the last five years has spent millions of dollars. We have hired over 40 community wellness workers as well as mental health and addiction coordinators, and they’re actively in the healing process of anybody who comes to their attention. I believe that the program covers all of that, so I’m a little puzzled as to why the Member feels that we’re not doing that sort of work.
Well, you know what? Maybe the problem is solved because there must be two different letters. My two-page letter says: “It is Poundmaker’s practice to make follow-up calls directly with their clients, partly as a way to evaluate their programs and the outcomes…. Community staff” — referring to the G.N.W.T. — “do not consider this follow-up call to be part of the aftercare program.”
That is exactly the opposite of what the Minister just said.
Why is the follow-up call not considered part of the aftercare program, and would this Minister stop being stubborn and say, “We’ll look into this, and we can make this happen”?
Mr. Speaker, I state again that there are follow-up processes, that there are aftercare programs within our alcohol and drug addiction programming. I’m saying to the Member again: we do that already. That is my answer. I am not being stubborn; I am giving the answers. We do that work already, and the workers that we have in our communities do that already.
Again I cite that we’re probably reading from two different two-page letters, because this letter also says that they encourage me to advise my constituents that they call, and they have to initiate some obligation on their part. So this is a one-way letter, not a two-way letter, which I talked about. Communication. Communication works both ways. The Minister keeps reaffirming, “We do this,” but their letter proves they don’t.
Would the Minister look into this program and have a chance to maybe review this letter that she’s written to me?
Mr. Speaker, as I stated two days ago in referring to that letter, there is another paragraph in that letter which shows a very client-focused, case-management approach where any resident from the Northwest Territories who gets to go to any kind of treatment program, before they are discharged, are encouraged to work out an aftercare program. They have a say in who could help them with their aftercare and to stay in the sober-for-life program, whether they be friends, whether they be addiction workers, whether they be AA programs. They work out the package, and they work with the workers.
So in the broader terms we’re doing that. We are already doing that, and it’s very client- focused. It’s a two-way healing process. It’s a life-long process, and our government is with them all the way.
We again seem to be reading from a different letter, because the letter I have here says that they have to take individual responsibility, that it’s basically up to the individual. This one-way letter continues to cite exactly the opposite of what the Minister says; although the letter says that if they want to call, it even provides a phone number.
Would the Minister re-evaluate her department’s position on this? I’m telling you: everything she says referencing that it’s a two-way communication process is not in this letter.
Mr. Speaker, I’m not going to help the Member read that letter. The paragraph before the paragraph that he’s quoting, which he is reading out of context, I say again, speaks about case-management approach and two-way approach. The part that the Member is quoting is about the responsibility of the client to contact, but that is only a little part of what you’ll have to do, and that is a part of a client-focused and client-driven recovery program that is very, very important for anybody who wants to combat their addiction for life.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. This week I spoke about the problems Lutselk’e is facing with the arena. Today I would like to ask follow-up questions to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, this matter is very serious for the community. It seems the community is getting frustrated with each passing day. Would the Minister commit to meeting with me and the community to get an accurate update and assessment of this matter?
Mr. Speaker, the Member has raised, on a number of occasions during the session, concerns about recreation and recreation facilities in his community, and more recently raised and highlighted some concerns brought to him by the community of Lutselk’e. We’ve had people in the community over the last while and have been working with the community on putting some training programs together — ice-making and other things — to help support them.
There still seems to be some disconnect in terms of some of the funding arrangements and some of the support they think they need. I’d be glad to sit down with the Member and community members if that’s the desire, Mr. Speaker.
Would the Minister commit to making a visit to Lutselk’e with me to discuss arena operations and other related matters pertaining to the arena?
Mr. Speaker, I would be glad to visit the community with the Member. In fact, over the last year we had tried to get into the community on two different occasions, and both times we were weathered out. I feel we owe a visit to that community. I would be glad to accompany the Member to the community and have meetings and discussions around these issues and others that the Member would like to bring forward.
Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Premier. It gets back to my Member’s statement, where I was talking about the reduction exercises currently underway and the information that’s flowing through to departments and not necessarily getting through to the Regular Members on this side of the House.
I’ve become aware of one department where they are doing hiring on a case-by-case basis. It’s not necessarily a hiring freeze but a case-by-case basis, and hiring has to be approved by the deputy minister. It’s a big change, Mr. Speaker.
I’d like to ask the Premier if that is a government-wide instruction on case-by-case hiring. Because there are many people out there in the public trying to get a job with the G.N.W.T. and they need to know this type of information.
Mr. Speaker, in responding to the Member’s question, he also stated in his Member’s statement about the planning and timing. For the record, let’s put it on this table the fact that in a consensus-style government, I have agreed with Members that we would make a budget happen by May–June. That reduces the amount of time we can go back and forth. So that is problematic in the way of trying to do business in a new fashion.
As to the specific area of the department the deputy minister is reviewing, it is the process we are following. Because, for example, Mr. Speaker, as a government we’re working with the goals that we’ve set as the 16th Assembly, and there are new initiatives. We wouldn’t want departments to be hiring in an area that would not be supported in the years to come. That is why we’re doing this process, and it is government-wide.
It’s very interesting to hear the Premier say that, because — and I get back to the information sharing here — the first I heard of a case-by-case hiring policy in one department — this is the Department of Health and Social Services, and I’ll single them out — was through a constituent, Mr. Speaker. Now, I’d rather hear from the government that the government has taken that angle and they are going to go on a case-by-case basis.
I’d like to ask the Premier: has the Premier instructed deputy ministers government-wide to only go through hiring on a case-by-case basis? What are they basing their…? The jobs like teachers and nurses: are those case-by-case as well, or is everything case-by-case, Mr. Speaker?
Mr. Speaker, the way we reviewed this is the Department of Human Resources and the Ministers brought concerns to the table. For example, we had different departments reacting in areas that were shutting down certain hiring positions. So that is not the situation. We are using a consistent approach now, and that is where departments are going out for hiring. Before an actual hiring occurs, it goes back to the deputy minister for review to ensure that it’s aligning with the work that’s starting to happen. We wouldn’t want to hire a position and then six months from now that position is not going to be part of where we’re going as the government of the Northwest Territories. That is why that direction is being used.
They’re making that determination on what’s going to be necessary six months from now or required six months from now, in isolation, because we haven’t had that level of discussion on what’s going to be a requirement six months from now. Mr. Speaker, I do get calls from constituents who are trying to apply for positions with the G.N.W.T. I want to ask the Premier: when was the Premier going to let Members of the House know that the policy has changed in terms of hiring employees for the government of the Northwest Territories? When were they going to let us know that?
Let’s be clear: we’re still hiring. But we’re doing it in a way…. The policy has not changed, but what we’re doing is, as departments go through their hiring process — through Human Resources, and the message is now to all deputies... Before a hire actually happens, we need to do that review, because departments are aware of what initiatives we’ve been working on to try to bring forward new initiatives for the government of the Northwest Territories, and departments are aware of what targets they’ve been given. They’re doing their work as to what areas may be offered up for cost-savings and cost-saving measures. So that’s where this comes into focus.
