Mr. Speaker, mining and diamond mining, in particular, is a cornerstone of the economy in the Northwest Territories. Today I would like to highlight a significant achievement of this government, the updating of the Diamond Policy Framework. This updated framework will continue to support and encourage the growth of the diamond manufacturing industry in the Northwest Territories by providing a more streamlined and flexible approach, including reducing the red tape associated with the approval process for gaining approved northern manufacturer status.
Diamond, mineral exploration and production has brought significant economic opportunities to our Territory. But it’s not just exploration and production that provides employment opportunities to Northwest Territories residents and increases the world-wide recognition of northern diamonds. The secondary diamond industry also plays an important role in diversifying and developing the economy of the Northwest Territories, a key goal of this Assembly.
In 1999 the Government of the Northwest Territories implemented the first Diamond Policy Framework, a policy that facilitated the establishment of a diamond manufacturing industry in the Northwest Territories. We have learned a lot during the past decade. We have learned what works, what doesn’t, what we can offer, and perhaps most importantly, what we want from a secondary industry for the people of the Northwest
Territories. The diamond industry has changed a lot since the first diamond came out of the ground at the Ekati mine in 1998 and this policy framework has been updated to reflect current operational realities and lessons learned.
Updating this Diamond Policy Framework was a major accomplishment for our government and it required consultation with a broad range of stakeholders. I want to thank the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure, Government of the Northwest Territories departments, the operators in the Northwest Territories diamond manufacturing industry, the Northwest Territories diamond mines and the City of Yellowknife for their input and involvement.
The diamond value-added industry does not only include the cutting and polishing. Valuing and sorting the rough diamonds produced from the Ekati, Diavik and Snap Lake mines is also an important part of the industry. Diamond tourism also has a lot of potential. For example, the cutting and polishing demonstrations you see at the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre. The updated Diamond Policy Framework supports the secondary diamond industry by endorsing the production of cut and polished diamonds here in the Northwest Territories and promotes diamond tourism and jewellery production.
We know that diamond manufacturing operations must be sustainable and they must be well capitalized and follow sound business practices. The Government of the Northwest Territories will continue to provide support to the secondary diamond industry through programs provided by the Business Development and Investment Corporation and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, such as the Support for Entrepreneurs and Economic Development Policy.
We have the building blocks for a sustainable industry: the Approved Northern Manufacturer Program, a 10-year-plus supply of high-quality diamonds from our mines, and arrangements with the mines to provide a portion of their rough diamonds to our approved northern manufacturers. We also have our Northwest Territories Certification Program, which is highly sought after by manufacturers, and our Polar Bear Diamond brand trademark. These are all things that we know work well and are still included as part of the updated Diamond Policy Framework.
The updated Diamond Policy Framework enhances the efforts of this government to build a sustainable diamond manufacturing industry, diversify our economy and maximize benefits for Northwest Territories residents and we look forward to seeing the long-term benefits of this policy.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment is pleased to announce the launch of the Minister’s Cultural Circle.
This circle recognizes those who contribute to the preservation and promotion of cultures and heritage in the Northwest Territories. The circle aligns with this Assembly’s goal to strengthen awareness of our northern identity and uniqueness by promoting our successes, our culture, our arts and our languages with a proud and unified voice.
It highlights achievements and commitments of local cultural leaders, practitioners and groups. It also recognizes grassroots community-based projects as well as regional and territorial initiatives. The welcome of ideal candidates into the Cultural Circle stems from a public nomination process to identify people, groups and organizations who are recognized and respected in their communities or regions for their wisdom and cultural contributions.
Nominees will be welcomed into the Minister’s Cultural Circle annually. Consideration will be given to any project, organization or person residing in the Northwest Territories who demonstrates a high level of commitment and makes an outstanding contribution to the promotion of culture and heritage.
There are three categories of recognition that are proposed:
elders respected for their contributions of practice, promotion, guidance, teaching, leadership, vision and hands-on participation in the areas of culture, heritage and language;
any organization, corporation, institution, organizing committee or social club that plays a lead role in the development and support of community-based events that celebrate, promote and preserve culture and heritage;
youth under 25 years of age who demonstrate a strong commitment to engaging in cultural learning and practice.
Mr. Speaker, the Cultural Circle will help build awareness among all Northerners about the importance of promoting, protecting and preserving our unique culture, heritage and ways of life. I look forward to welcoming inductees into the Cultural Circle at this year’s award ceremony. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to return to an issue that I’ve raised before and spoke on in Committee of the Whole yesterday. I want to speak about eligibility issues with the seniors home heating subsidy that was raised during my tour of the constituency in January.
It is not uncommon for an adult son or daughter of an elder to live in their parent’s home, and it can be very helpful as it means there will be someone in the house who can help them in difficult situations. Also, I do have an instance where a family member does not actually live in the home but does stay there for a few days a month, and not every month, Mr. Speaker.
When a family member moves in, even temporarily, the guidelines affect the amount of fuel a senior receives. They then have to pay for fuel at their own expense. This is a large expense for a person living on old age security. Also, fuel support is denied because of paperwork required for household income. If some has genuinely had no work in the previous year, I believe that having use of a statutory declaration document should be sufficient until they complete their income tax, which can take time. Today is when the elder needs fuel, not one month from now. They need fuel at the start of the winter season, not in February or March when taxation forms arrive.
I have a frustrated constituent of an elder who believes that our system is broken if we cannot be flexible and understanding. It used to be that elders received five cords of wood for the winter and there was no taking it back if someone moved in. In some cases elders are taking in homeless relatives and addressing a problem that our Housing Corporation identifies as one of its greatest challenges. Also, it does cost our government money to house the homeless. If a senior is generous enough to share his or her home with a homeless relative, surely we can change the policy to reflect this. We should make an exception where elders’ needs are better met living in their own home with a family member.
I urge the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to review the strict guidelines of household residents and requirements of taxation notices of assessment and find a better alternative to take care of the needs of our elderly and seniors. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We tried to build a prosperous Territory, but, Mr. Speaker, as always, some people are left behind and are better off than others. I’m sorry to say that it’s a pattern that is continued to be followed and it even applies to the employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is not respective of the people that we serve in which 50 percent of our population are Aboriginal but only 31 percent of the government employees are Aboriginal. In Yellowknife only 16 percent of the employees are Aboriginal and I wonder to what extent that there are twice as many women as men in government occupations were Aboriginal workforce.
It gets worse, Mr. Speaker. There are only 31 Aboriginal senior managers in this government, which makes up 16 percent of senior managers. If that makes you think that Aboriginal employees are at the bottom of the pay scale, Mr. Speaker, you are right. The average salary of a P1 employee is under $69,000 a year compared to that of a P2 employee which are non-Aboriginal Northerners, the average salary is more than $84,000 a year. Not only is there a huge pay difference, but in most cases Aboriginal employees have their money spread further because 67 percent of them live in small urban communities or regional centres where the cost of living is generally higher than Yellowknife. I ask, Mr. Speaker, how fair is this?
This government brags about true equal opportunities for employers, but is it really? What are we doing as a government to improve this? More importantly, what are we doing to add to the skills and opportunities of Aboriginal employees? How many years of residential schools and government-run schools here in the Northwest Territories have had an opportunity to build on the employment opportunities of the Aboriginal workforce that really reflects the people it serves but not simply having a backseat to everyone else in their homelands? Mr. Speaker, again, I think it is very important to realize that we have high unemployment rates among Aboriginal people here in the Northwest Territories. Even...
Mr. Krutko, your time for Member’s statement has expired.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Again, Mr. Speaker, we have to be fair to all residents of the Northwest Territories, especially the ones that this is their homeland. More importantly, Mr. Speaker, by getting to the point of unemployment rates in Aboriginal communities that it is the highest in the Northwest Territories of any other ethnic group, again, I would like to get this issue out there on the table and get some serious debate on exactly what are we doing to improve the number of Aboriginal people in the government workforce.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
MEMBER’S STATEMENT
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the Premier and I met with the Sahtu people the other day in Deline, we heard leaders talk about housing. It is still in the minds of our elders, Mr. Speaker, when the government came to our communities and asked our people to move off the land and into government houses, and that they would only have to pay $2 a month for their house. It is very clear to our elders when the government told this to them. Why would people ask to move into government houses? More importantly, what was told to them and promised to my people by the government about housing?
Mr. Speaker, there are many stories about the high cost of living in a house. As a homeowner, we pay for all the costs to maintain a house. Nothing is free. As a renter in public housing, we pay the maximum rent or pay as little as $32 a month, depending if you have a job or not.
Mr. Speaker, my people in the Sahtu want jobs. Mr. Speaker, for example, a young man who graduated from Chief Albert Wright School is working with a company to build houses and lives in a one-bedroom unit and is paying $1,800 a month. Now, we have not yet added the food, household items or just entertainment. This job may last up to six months.
As you know, food prices are sky high in the North. It costs us a lot to travel outside our communities. We need to give our people, especially young people, a good chance in life. Hopefully with the recent announcement by the Minister of the Housing Corporation, we will be able to fill all of these 82 empty units in the North at a reasonable price.
Mr. Speaker, the federal government is cutting back on housing money each year and the federal government says by the year 2038 there will be no more funding for housing in the Northwest Territories. What kind of government do we have in Ottawa? Don’t they know a promise is a promise, Mr. Speaker? Now we are asked to hold the bag and help our people.
I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The first Canada Games was hosted in Quebec City in 1967 where 1,800 athletes came together to participate in sport. Today, as we speak, 2,700 competitors from 800 Canadian communities are taking part in 20 sporting events at the Canada Games in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Government of the Northwest Territories continues to encourage and support our athletes and volunteers who attend this event representing their home communities and the Northwest Territories.
In addition to being an unforgettable experience for our athletes, the Canada Games are an important component in the development of high performance athletes. Mr. Speaker, at the Vancouver Olympics last year, 63 percent of the Canadian athletes who won medals had competed previously at the Canada Games. Our athletes are living their dream at the Canada Games and I would like to name the Hay River participants who are in Halifax this week: Gavin Broadhead, hockey; Connor Goudreau, hockey; Carter Hill, hockey; Mason Bruneau, judo; Ilona Gyapay, cross-country skiing; Skylar Horton, badminton; Joseph Lirette, biathlon; mission staff Stephen MacKay; our hockey coach, Curtis Broadhead; and biathlon coaches Doug Swallow and Chuck Lirette.
Mr. Speaker, in closing I would like to quote one of Hay River’s promising young athletes, Joseph Lirette, who has been training and competing for seven years. He is a lifelong Northerner and is 17 years old. On the Canada Games official website each athlete has a participant’s page where they can post their biography and comments. In response to the question to athletes, what will you bring to the Halifax 2011 Canada Games, Joseph Lirette’s answer is: “I will bring a desire to represent the NWT with pride and to race well in a national level competition.” This is an amazing example of the fine young athletes we have representing us at these games. I congratulate all of our participants and wish them the best of luck at the games, and, yes, we are very proud of you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, time and time again I have asked about the issue of very low employment rates in Tu Nedhe. In other words, Mr. Speaker, I’m talking about people in Tu Nedhe that do not have work. Mr. Speaker, I have drawn comparisons to the larger communities in the NWT which have employment rates twice that of the small communities.
Mr. Speaker, if this government does not develop an employment strategy for smaller communities, things will not change. Employment development in the smaller communities will not impact the larger communities in a negative way. In fact, the more employment created in the smaller communities, the better it will be for the larger communities.
Mr. Speaker, if the government has to develop a strategy with a goal of increasing employment rates in the small communities by 20 to 25 percent, meaning that we plan to raise the employment rates from around 40 percent to 65 percent, we would have many positive impacts throughout the North, including in the larger communities. Mr. Speaker, if these small communities had employment rates comparable to the rest of the North, this government would see savings in income support, health, social services and housing.
Mr. Speaker, currently there are several programs run by both the GNWT and the federal government that could be coordinated and incorporated into an employment strategy led by Education, Culture and Employment. This will take a real effort, but the benefits will be well worth it.
Mr. Speaker, people with jobs have good child care options, will show a renewed interest in their children’s education. Currently, people show signs of hopelessness in the small communities. It is difficult for people to get up day after day and get their children off to school when they themselves have nothing to do, no job to go to, no productive choice to make.
I cannot lay out what the...
Mr. Beaulieu, your time for your Member’s statement has expired.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
I cannot lay out what the Employment Strategy could consist of, but I feel that the very first step to providing much needed employment and income into the small communities is a strategy for the betterment of the entire NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. DIAND’s recent decision to fund participation by outside groups in the environmental assessment of the Giant Mine Remediation Project is good, but late in coming. I want to congratulate DIAND for finally offering participant funding for federal environmental assessment, something that southern Canadians have enjoyed since the 1980s.
As Member’s know, DIAND is again in the conflicted position of being both the project proponent and the regulator. GNWT is a co-proponent under the 2005 cooperation agreement. To further complicate matters, other federal and territorial departments, who would normally appear as interveners in a public review if this were a private firm’s proposal, are working with DIAND to develop the project, so the work by these departments takes place behind closed doors and without any scrutiny.
Now, for the first time in the NWT and after a decade of process, DIAND has approved participant funds under the MVRMA, Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, to three outside bodies: the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, North Slave Metis Alliance and Alternatives North. This allows for informed public oversight of the process and project. The groups have stepped forward to act as the public’s defence attorneys. Without them, the whole kit and kaboodle would be done without hearing a critical outside word.
All of this raises a number of issues. First, rather than being exceptional, such funding should become standard practice. As Mr. Pollard continues on his review of our regulatory system, he has the opportunity and responsibility to listen to our northern boards and see this practice included in his recommendations. These developments also provide a timely commentary on the underfunded and piecemeal resource management regime we are inheriting under the devolution agreement-in-principle and highlights a key issue: Given the costs of an adequate territorial system, does the AIP deal sell us short or does it meet these needs?
Let’s be thankful for such committed guardians of the public interest as Alternatives North, the Yellowknives Dene and North Slave Metis. Hopefully the gains they make on our behalf will be carried forward diligently from now on and after devolution.
I will be asking the Minister questions with respect to the GNWT’s role in participant funding.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In January I read a GNWT press release that indicated that 2011 is the National Year of Road Safety. As part of the press release, our Minister of Transportation stated that the NWT traffic collision statistics are on a 20-year downward trend. That’s good news, but society is still plagued by people who drive with their judgment impaired or distracted by alcohol, by eating, through inattention to the roads, by kids in the back seat, and my pet peeve, talking on cell phones or texting with them.
The Department of Transportation has run a safe driving campaign for a number of years now, a program called Drive Alive. The campaign slogan for 2011 is: Safety is No Accident. The campaign seems to be working, because our traffic collision statistics are going down and I’m most happy to report that there is a shift in the focus of the Drive Alive program for this year.
For 2011 the number one Drive Alive initiative will be a pledge campaign intended to reduce the number of people using their cell phones while driving. This campaign, called Leave the Phone Alone, specifically targets drivers who use their phone while driving. It’s an easy task; a simple on-line pledge which takes only a few moments and then the pledgee gets a reward for this action: a sticker for your car window to proclaim your Leave the Phone Alone commitment to everyone who looks at your car.
I have taken the pledge and I look forward to seeing many more pledge stickers -- including Mrs. Groenewegen’s -- like mine on NWT vehicles. I want to congratulate the Minister and the department for putting the pledge initiative in place.
If I’m happy with the pledge campaign -- and I am -- then I’m overjoyed that the Department of Transportation will soon introduce amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act; amendments which will legislate penalties for distracted drivers and ban the use of cell phones while driving. I am so glad that the Minister has finally seen the light and that this change is coming forward. As I’ve said many times before, it will create safer NWT roads and provide protection for our residents.
I will have some questions for the Minister of Transportation at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Improving workplace safety is not an easy task but is a crucial part of all of our lives. Every one of us knows somebody who has been seriously hurt or even killed at work. When it happens, it can be a heart-wrenching tragedy for the worker, the family, co-workers and the businesses involved.
Northerners have been working under our current Safety Act and the current regulations since 1990, with only a few minor changes in 1992. It’s high time that we revisit them. In 2008 the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission’s Minister appointed a Safety Advisory Committee to do just that. A special construction industry representative was added this January. The committee reviewing the regulations has done a tremendous amount of work.
There have been concerns raised in the public with respect to the draft regulations that have been released for discussion. Some members of the public have felt that the proposed regulations are not in the best interest of northern businesses or employees. This is a public process and input from stakeholders is critical to ensuring that the final product and final regulations are in the best interest of the public, employees and employers.
There are many improvements proposed within the draft regulations that will bring us in line with advances across Canada. There will be a single set of regulations where there used to be a handful. Worksite health and safety committees will be stronger and deal with more issues firsthand. Prevention will be emphasized. Requirements for personal protective equipment will be updated. The regulations should be better and easier to enforce. Yes, standards for cold weather work need to be sorted out. Concerns need to be addressed. Yes, definitions should be clear, such as what constitutes construction, maintenance and so on. I have confidence that the Safety Advisory Committee, with feedback from the people of the Northwest Territories, will get the job done.
The deadline for input into these regulations is now March 31st, extended from October. The deadline has been extended twice now. I urge everyone with an interest in workplace safety to take a look at the draft regulations on the WSCC website and take the time to share their knowledge and insight. Our workers and employers deserve the best.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s a one-of-a-kind community volunteer that stands out from them all and that’s the firefighters that are asked to conduct exercises in gruelling conditions and asked to risk their lives in the name of community protection. In addition, they are asked to fundraise for their equipment. In a world where firefighting equipment is becoming more costly, hamlets all across the Territories, such as Tuktoyaktuk, Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok and Paulatuk, have not had increases in specific firefighting budgets in the last five years.
As I expressed during previous statements in this House, our small and remote communities are still ill-equipped to fight fires. The approach that our departments are taking to let the fires burn is just to control it. Our communities are not on the offensive, they’re always on the defensive. This is unacceptable, considering all the small and remote communities are the most susceptible to house fires and have the highest number of deaths per capita in Canada. You’d think this government would be working with our local fire marshals in the communities to get this sorted out.
Tuktoyaktuk alone will need to replace eight Scott Air Packs and 12 bunker suits. My office did a quick search regarding the cost for standard firefighting equipment. To replace one Scott Air Pack is $6,000. Every cost to the community government is too expensive. It’s $20,000 to replace those Scott Air Packs. The protective suits are $2,000 each. Replacing one would be $6,000 and I’m not even mentioning the related fire truck. I’m not a certified accountant, but I can see that all these add up to the community.
Other hamlets and fire chiefs told me that they’re still experiencing major technical problems with the fire truck, in addition to the garage and keeping their equipment heated and always under repair. Why is this government continuing to place fire services for small and remote communities on the backburner? Why are they always playing the blame game and saying the responsibility is the local government?
I’ve visited Nunakput communities enough to know that each community desperately needs a complete overhaul of their halls.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
We need to desperately overhaul completely the fire halls in our remote communities. What I’m especially concerned about is the lack of equipment and resources for community firefighters to enter a house and search for people trapped in the fire. I hope no community or firefighter in the NWT will have to experience this, but if they do, we must equip them. They’re risking their lives to service and protect our communities. At least we can train them and equip them accordingly.
I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In February of last year I made a statement in this House in relation to the Government of the Northwest Territories contracting practices. Today I’d like to follow up on that statement.
The number I cited last year of roughly $53 million being handed out through sole-sourced means has gone up by nearly $5 million, to $58 million in the government’s latest contract registry.
Going through the latest contract registry leads me to the same conclusions I made last year: one, we have an addiction to consultants; two, our staff are taking on too much contract management and administration duties; three, we hire far too many former employees; and four, we sole source way too often which clouds transparency in contracting.
Some highlights of this year’s report on contracting include almost $6,000 spent on a sole-sourced contract for a local lodge to record the daily weather -- that’s ENR; $45,000 sole sourced to set up a camp in Baker Lake, which is in Nunavut -- that’s ENR; $8,000 to Prince Albert Grand Council community observers to look at the Beverly caribou herd; and $23,000 sole sourced for what is called photo interpretation. ECE is also spending $6,500 on an air charter to the Tahera mine site, again located in Nunavut. Strategic advice coming in with a $56,000 price tag in the Executive; $120,000 spent on telecommunications regulatory expertise in the Executive. There was $43,500 spent on what is called the Neutron Activation Analysis by ITI.
I always find it interesting in going through the contract registry both by what is in there and what is not in there. For example, the Deh Cho Bridge contract with Ruskin. If it was signed prior to March 31, 2010, should it not show up in that contract registry? It’s nowhere to be found. Also, if North Slave Correctional Centre has been without a clinical psychologist for the entire reporting period, where is the evidence in this registry that we contracted those services? There’s a little bit, but there’s not very much. As was suggested by the Minister of Justice just the other day, we have been contracting that service. Where is it?
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sadly, rates of spousal abuse in the Northwest Territories are 5 percent higher than the national average. In 2007, 88 percent of Northerners said that they are concerned about family violence in their community.
Since 2008, the V-Day North Campaign has worked to combat this trend. V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. In 2010, volunteers produced 5,400 V-Day events in over 140 countries and educated millions of people about violence against women. V-Day North is a group of Yellowknife men and women who put together creative events to create awareness and raise money for anti-violence organizations.
I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage the public to attend any or all of the upcoming events in Yellowknife. These include a live comedy event on February 19th at the Top Knight; a documentary film screening on February 28 at the Capitol Theatre; a play, A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, by Eve Ensler, that runs from March 10th through 12th at the Top Knight.
Mr. Speaker, 90 percent of the proceeds from ticket sales are divided between the Alison McAteer House and the Centre for Northern Families in Yellowknife. The remaining portion goes to the 2011 Women and Girls of Haiti Spotlight Campaign that helps address the high levels of sexual violence against women following the earthquake and devastation back in January 2010.
Violence is a destructive force in our community and ignoring it will not make it go away. V-Day brings the issue to the front and centre and I encourage all Northerners to get out and support the people who are working to change that. Mr. Speaker, this is not a legacy we wish to leave our young people. Accordingly, it’s time to distinguish ourselves as leaders in the struggle against violence against women.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve certainly not given up hope on this particular issue and, in turn, let’s not remove the hope of our future generations that we can work to stop violence against all women. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister for Deh Cho, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to take the opportunity today to thank two hardworking Pages that are here from the biggest little school in the Northwest Territories, the Kakisa Territorial School. The school is a very small school. It has nine students this year. It has a very high standard for their students. They work hard to support them.
Today we have Dalton Simba and Joey Lacorne-Chicot with us. They’ve been here all week. They’ve come in with their chaperone, Patrick Chicot, on Sunday. They’ve had the opportunity to take in the sights of Yellowknife and enjoy Chinese food and pizza and movies. They’ve been working very hard and they’re doing a very good job.
I had an opportunity to go visit them during the Christmas holidays during the Christmas concert and, certainly, the whole school put on a very entertaining two-hour solid performance, with singing and dancing and a lot of fiddle players. I think every student in that school has a fiddle and they all are learning to play. On a per capita basis, they probably have the most fiddlers around the Northwest Territories.
I wanted to say thank you to them. They both came all spiffed up for this occasion, both wearing the traditional garb of new moccasins, and if you look close, one of them has an NWT crest beaded on the front of it. They’re dressed very appropriate for today and all week.
I wanted to wish them a safe trip home and also say thank you to yourself, Mr. Speaker, and all your staff for accommodating them and allowing a program such as the Paging Program to get them into Yellowknife and do some work for us and see how our sessions are conducted. Thank you very much.
