Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I do have several people to recognize, so if you indulge me. First of all I’d like to recognize in the gallery the Northern Teachers’ Association who is here with us: Mr. David Reid, president of the NWT Association; Dave Roebuck, the executive director of the NWT Teachers’ Association; Emile Hatch, executive director of the Nunavut Teachers’ Association; and Katherine Mackwood, president of the Yukon Teachers’ Association.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to also recognize the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board and Official Languages Board here with us today. If I can read out their names: Nadine Koe from Yellowknife; Beverly Amos, Sachs Harbour; Margaret Leishman, Kakisa; Betty Hardisty, Fort Simpson; Tammy Steinwand, Behchoko; Wendy Mantla, Behchoko; Lucy Lafferty, Behchoko; Rosa Mantla, Behchoko; Vance Sanderson, Fort Smith; Dorothy Desjarlais, Fort Smith; Dora Grandejambe, Yellowknife; Ann Kochon-Orlias, Colville Lake; Dolphus Tutcho, Deline; Theresa Etchinelle, Tulita; and Georgina Biscaye, Fort Resolution; and also with us, Albert Canadian, director of official languages. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am very happy that my older sister Elizabeth “Betty” Hardisty is in the gallery here today. She lives in Fort Simpson. I’d like to recognize her and thank her for her support all throughout the years. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take advantage of the opportunity to recognize two constituents already recognized by the Minister of Education, but they’re from Thebacha: Vance Sanderson and Dorothy Desjarlais. I would like to thank them for their work with the Aboriginal languages and welcome them to the House.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too want to recognize constituents from the birthplace of ice hockey in Canada, the Sahtu region. I’d like to recognize Ann Kochon-Orlias from Colville Lake, Dolphus Tutcho from Deline and Theresa Etchinelle from Tulita. I’d also like to recognize Dora Grandejambe. I know her heart is in Fort Good Hope but her work is here in Yellowknife. I’d like to recognize some family and friends here also.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Margaret Leishman, who is a strong proponent of the Aboriginal languages in the Deh Cho, to the House today. I also wanted to recognize a former resident of Fort Providence, Mr. Albert Canadian, who recently published a book called Leshamie. I encourage everyone to buy it. It’s good reading. I also wanted to recognize Percy Hardisty from the Deh Cho region. He’s done a lot of work with MVERB, and, of course, his wife, Betty Hardisty, who’s here to check on her little brother. So he’s on his best behaviour. Welcome. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure, as well, to recognize members of the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board and the Aboriginal Languages Board, and particularly a Frame Lake constituent, Dora Grandejambe, whose heart may be in Good Hope but she’s here now. I’d also like to recognize Nadine Koe, a friend who I worked very hard with on Arctic Winter Games in 2008. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too would like to acknowledge Nadine Koe, a constituent of Yellowknife Centre, who sits on both the Official Languages Board and, of course, the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board. Her contribution will be great and greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize individuals on the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board and Official Languages Board: Georgina Biscaye from Fort Resolution and Vance Sanderson from Fort Smith. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s an honour for me today to recognize Beverly Amos. She’s from Sachs Harbour. Welcome to the House, Beverly. She’s also with the Aboriginal Languages Board. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. If we’ve missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber. We hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience in here.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission. They’re related to the workplace safety regulations that are currently being drafted and developed by the commission.
The original release of those drafts was earlier in the fall, last year, and at that time there were some concerns raised by industry, businesses, the construction industry, about the regulations. They’re very concerned with what was written in them. I know some work has been done to alleviate some of those concerns but I am wondering what the Minister can do to ensure public confidence in the final product. What is being done to restore some of the confidence that some people out there may not have as these regulations, these draft regulations move forward to their final product? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We had the original date of October as the cut-off date. We heard concerns from across the Northwest Territories, industry, and a lot of other folks involved. They had some concerns with the length of time they were given to look over the draft regulations. We extended it, as the Member said in his Member’s statement, twice. The date we have now is March 31st for them to get their input in on the regulations. I can assure the Member that ultimately the final decision will rest with my office and I can assure them that we will make sure that there is a quality product before we even release it out to the NWT. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I would like thank the Minister for that, in particular the assurance that it is not going to go past his desk until everything has been considered. I am wondering, though, as far as the next steps are concerned. What is the Minister going to do to ensure that the people who have had input get feedback so that they know that they have, in fact, been heard and that what they said has been incorporated where appropriate? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, one of the concerns we did hear was about the representation on the Safety Advisory Committee that was drafted in the regulations, and we appointed another member recommended by the NWT Construction Association to that committee. I can assure the Member and all those out there that all inquiries that we have had, I have responded to a lot of the inquiries and a lot of the technical questions that they had. The Safety Advisory Committee will be responding to them. They will be taking their concerns and advice when they draft the final regulations and the final product before it reaches my office. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, once again, thanks to the Minister for that. I am wondering if the Minister could outline for us what the next steps are. I know that the deadline for input is March 31st, but where are we going from there? What are the deadlines for the drafting, the consolidating the information, going through it, making sure they capture everything? For the public, what is the follow-through? What is the process and how long until the regulations reach the Minister’s desk? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, after the March 31st deadline, the Advisory Committee will review all the input that is received from across the Northwest Territories. They will then come up with a set of regulations. As far as the time frame, I am not even sure the exact date when I would be getting it in my office, but I do know shortly after the March 31st deadline the Safety Advisory Committee will be meeting to review all the input that they have had from across the Northwest Territories and putting together their final product and then it will reach my office. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will there be any more opportunities for input on the final draft or will this be the one that ends up... I guess what I am asking is, is there another opportunity for feedback on the final product? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, once the committee has reviewed all the input that they receive, then it will come to my desk and I will be sure that I won’t release a product that is not one that is beneficial to employers of the Northwest Territories and employees. As far as more input, I suppose it is something that we would have to take into consideration once we reach the final product. If maybe there is another opportunity for some input before a final decision is made, I can assure the Member and I can assure all Members that I have made it a priority to not release a product that is not beneficial to employees and employers in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Getting back to my Member’s statement and I suppose I could ask questions to any one of my colleagues across the floor on the contract registry, but I am going to zero in, if I could, on one item in particular that just is not in that contract registry, Mr. Speaker. It is something that I brought up in this House time and time again and that is the lack of psychiatric services at North Slave Correctional Centre. Mr. Speaker, looking at the contract registry that goes from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010, if you look at the Department of Justice, apparently they had a request for proposal of $20,000 to psychiatric services, Doctor Smith, and that would appear to be it. Mr. Speaker, can I ask the Minister if that was the entire budget for psychiatric services for the North Slave Correctional Centre for that period of time? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have the detailed information with me here, but I can find out from my department exactly where things stand with that particular contract. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, what I am trying to do is come up with some idea of what services are provided to inmates in that centre for that period of time. Mr. Speaker, if they are without a clinical psychologist and the department would apparently... It looks like they spent $20,000 on a contract to one psychiatrist. Is that the limit of psychiatric services that were provided to inmates at the North Slave Correctional Centre for that period of time? I would like to ask the Minister again that question. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, that contract has been awarded to provide those clinical services within the corrections. Again, I would have to get back to the Member on that, but we do provide those services at the corrections to deal with those inmates that require those special services.
As I stated in this House, we do have an individual that is under training. The individual will be completed this summer. She will be a qualified psychologist within a facility. We are looking forward to that, but there is a contract being provided. The services are being provided to the inmates within the corrections. Mr. Speaker, that is what I can relate to the Member at this point, that services are being provided. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, what it appears like to me is that for that period of time there wasn’t a clinical psychologist and it would appear that the department spent $20,000 on a contract to one psychiatrist. Mr. Speaker, we are having repeat violent offenders walking out of that facility, recommitting crimes in our Territory. Mr. Speaker, I want to know how it is possible without a clinical psychologist that the Department of Justice could only spend $20,000 on services to inmates at North Slave Correctional Centre. That is what it looks like, Mr. Speaker. Where is the evidence of any other psychiatric services that were provided to inmates at that facility? I would like the evidence of that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I did commit in the House I will provide that information. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As well, I am not talking about what is going to happen in the future or what is happening right now. I would like to know what is happening right now, too, but this period of time, Mr. Speaker, if we didn’t have adequate services for inmates that were at that centre, which would appear to be the case, I would like to know about that. I would like, again, to get a commitment from the Minister that he is going to include that period of time, April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2010, and if he wants to throw in what is happening today and going forward for psychiatric services in there, I would appreciate that as well. Thank you.
Again, I commit in the House to provide that information, Mr. Speaker. The $20,000 the Member is referring to, the length of time the service was provided, we can provide that information to the Members. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister who is responsible for environmental assessment. I want to start following up my Member’s statement by asking this question. Has the GNWT insisted that Mr. Pollard bring policies on participant funding up to snuff similar to southern jurisdictions for environmental assessments? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Michael Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The discussions we’ve had with Mr. Pollard in regard to regulatory reform and the work he’s doing and some of our concerns have focused on other areas. Though we have talked about properly funding the processes that are currently there that haven’t been funded, things like cumulative impact. Thank you.
Thank you. That certainly is an area that needs attention. I think these boards have been underfunded, but all of the northern boards have spoken out repeatedly, calling for participant funding, Mr. Speaker. So I understand, from interviews of Mr. Pollard recently and so on, the process of environmental review process is ongoing. So will the Minister provide that input to Mr. Pollard? Thank you.
Yes, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you and I appreciate the Minister’s commitment there. That’s a good one. I’m wondering if the GNWT actually contributed any of the funds for this precedent-setting move where Giant Mine interveners finally did get funding, and with GNWT being a co-proponent, would they consider topping up the available participant funding, because they certainly got less than they had applied for and obviously need. Mahsi.
