Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the years I’ve been here I’ve witnessed this government, through one-time funding and supplementary appropriation, handing over $38 million to deal with the deficits at the health authorities around the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. Again, I think that’s a very disturbing way to manage our health care system here in the Northwest Territories. I’d like to begin by asking the Minister of Health and Social Services what is the plan going forward to try to mitigate the deficits at our health authorities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We should first of all be clear that when we make a one-time infusion of cash, it’s very program specific. For example, I think medical travel is one that receives the most one-time funding due to the fact that that program goes over budget by demand.
Mr. Speaker, we are, as a system, working now with the understanding that deficits in our health authorities are not deficits to those health authorities but it’s a system-wide deficit. Many authorities right now are experiencing a deficit and we want to address that by changing the system and changing the way we manage our health care system as a system.
I can tell you that there are a number of major factors that we have determined to contribute to the system deficit: physician programs, medical travel, unfunded benefits, pension buy-backs, overtime and relief for essential services, and Canadian Blood Services, which has gone through the roof over the last number of years.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to note that we are leading a number of initiatives and reviews to address this as a system. We are looking at a business process redesign, we are undertaking a medical travel review, we are also doing a physician review, health services administration review and extended health benefits review. Mr. Speaker, we believe that this outcome of this work underway will inform us and give us a set of decisions that we would have to make. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister, the factors that she talks about today are factors that have been around since the day I walked through these doors in 2003. I mentioned, in my Member’s statement, Minister Miltenberger back in 2003 saying the board would be re-established at Stanton. There’s no board there today. This is eight years later. Mr. Speaker, in the Minister’s response she also didn’t mention whether or not the government is going to look at a new governance model for how we manage health care here in the Northwest Territories and the system-wide governance. Can the Minister answer that question? Thank you.
Yes, governance model review is underway, and I’ve indicated that in Committee of the Whole. It may be that we would have to decide on whether we should have one authority or not, but that’s something that we have to have more discussions on and we have to work with the authorities and do consultation with the community-at-large.
We should be mindful of the fact that that is not necessarily a silver bullet. We are aware of other jurisdictions where they have collapsed the boards and done all kinds of things in that regard without necessarily saving, I think.
I know the Member keeps saying that this has been going on for 10 years, but I have to tell you that this is the first time where myself, as the Minister, and the department and the management is looking at this as a system-wide challenge that we have to address in a systematic way. We have consent and input from our chairs across the boards who are looking at it in the right direction. We have all the medical directors of all the authorities working as a group to come with the solutions, because when you’re talking about reforming and changing the way the physicians deliver their services in a system and in an effective and efficient way, we need to have the doctors on board. And I can tell you that that’s the first time that we have them on board.
There are lots of players at stake here in managing the health care. This is a very complex issue. Mr. Speaker, I disagree with the Member that we’re talking about the same old issue in the same way. We’re making lots of progress in many different ways. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister is right; it might not be a silver bullet, but we have 42,000 people here in this Territory and we really have to ask ourselves whether we need eight authorities in the Northwest Territories to deliver health services to 42,000. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Minister, now she tends to downplay the issue with the deficits. Mr. Speaker, the information I have has an accumulated deficit, and she wants to call it system-wide. It’s system-wide of close to $19 million come March 31st of this year. Mr. Speaker, going to March 31st of 2012, that system-wide deficit is expected to grow to close to $36 million. That’s an alarming figure. It’s something the Minister has to address immediately. I’d like to ask her how she’s going to do that. Thank you.
Surely, I don’t believe at any time, as the Minister of Health, have I ever downplayed the deficit situation in our health care system. That’s what occupies my mind as the Minister and my fellow Members on Cabinet. This is something that’s in the forefront of all Health Ministers in all jurisdictions. The entire country and the world is under pressure to address our health care funding needs.
Mr. Speaker, I could tell you that in ’09 and ’10 our system deficit was $14.685 million. We project this year that the system deficit will be reduced by about $4 million to $5 million. That’s as a result of just relentless and just yeoman’s work that our managers at Stanton, and medical directors, and Beau-Del, and the chairs are working to see how we make system-wide change. The easiest thing for us, not easy but the short-sighted way would be to reduce services or just do an across-the-board 10 percent reduction or something. That’s not acceptable. We are changing the system and we are seeing results, and our forecast for this year is much less. I think people would agree that they have not seen any lessening of services, which is what they expect us to do. They expect us to change the system for the better, without affecting their services. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Your final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess, being a Member of the Legislature, I’m entitled to an opinion, and in my opinion the Minister has done nothing to address the deficits at our health authorities across the Northwest Territories and if we go by the numbers that have been provided, we’re looking at a $36 million system-wide deficit come this time next year. The question I had to the Minister was what are we going to do about it. I’d like to ask the Minister, the final question that I have, Mr. Speaker, is in the transition into the next government -- we’ve got six and a half months here -- is governance of the health authorities and how we manage health care here in the Northwest Territories going to be front and centre on the transition plan to the next government? Thank you.
There’s one thing that hasn’t changed, which is that for the last 10 years, well, I guess, not 10 years, the last three years the Member asked me about problems with deficits and he always says the same thing, that nothing is changing, when a lot of things are changing. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say that, more specifically, the system deficit that we had last year was $14.685 million but we are expecting about $11 million system deficit for this year. That is a huge progress. I think credit should be given where credit is due, because our management is working very hard to make long-term changes and Foundation for Change action plan is one of them.
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in Committee of the Whole when the Health budget was before the committee, we are moving the governance model, and one board for the entire system could very well be an option that we would have to discuss as a transition. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to go back to questions for the Minister of Education regarding early education opportunities. I am concerned that the Minister is missing my point. He does talk about the Aboriginal student achievement program that is focused in on helping Aboriginal youth. I want to make sure that it is crystal clear, I absolutely support that program and I think that is a great beginning for lifelong learning. Mr. Speaker, my concern falls on sort of the broader policy of how we help students at the age of four in the early education program, the junior kindergarten. Mr. Speaker, what does the Minister of ECE suggest for an option for that second group or half of the population that is unfunded? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I am glad the Member is supporting this very important Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. This is a very important piece of work that is before us as a territorial government and also my Department of Education, Culture and Employment. What I am referencing is the information that is being gathered from across the Northwest Territories will guide us as we move forward in the next step. What the Member is referring to is part of the process, the discussion that is ongoing. We have heard on junior kindergarten at that level, as well, in the forums. Mr. Speaker, this is a guiding principle that will lead us to a successful initiative. I am looking forward to that. This particular discussion that we are having here today will be part of that discussion as well. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I don’t have to educate the Minister on the facts that kindergarten wasn’t once funded and then it was only funded half time, and as we all know now, it is funded full time, Mr. Speaker, thanks to past Education Ministers.
Mr. Speaker, is it the intent of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to work towards supporting junior kindergarten? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure how I can get around this. I did commit in the House that this is part of the process of the new initiatives that are coming up. I do support the students in the education system 100 percent. Definitely, again, I have to reiterate that Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative strategy will guide us through that venue. Mr. Speaker, we will do what we can because this is the voice of the Northwest Territories. It would have handprints of the people of the Northwest Territories. It is not coming down from the top down as the face-to-face meeting and getting their direction, feedback and suggestions. That is the way we should be working. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I am glad to hear the Minister say 100 percent he supports those students, so I guess it would be a very clear answer if I asked a question. Does that mean the department is going to work towards funding these students? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, again, we support our students across the Northwest Territories through the education boards that we fund on an annual basis. It has been very successful to date. Again, it is at their discretion to allocate funding, if they wish to, on pre-kindergarten, whether it be during kindergarten in various areas that they want to pursue. They have been successful to date. I must commend them on that. They continue to pursue those initiatives. We support them, as well, because we provide funding. We have to work with that. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister is correct that school boards can divert funding to specific education programs that they feel that obviously fall under the Education Act or a good stewardship of the money, et cetera, under their board guidance, but, Mr. Speaker, would the Minister be prepared to work towards developing a pilot program that can help develop or foster these junior kindergarten programs to ensure that early education is enshrined in our childhood development very early on and demonstrates the commitment of the government to ensuring kids have a great start in education? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, again, that process is before us. I will be informing Members of the update on that. Mahsi.
WHEREAS the Government of Canada created the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnerships (ASEP) program in 2003 to increase Aboriginal participation in the Canadian workforce;
AND WHEREAS the ASEP program has been a major success in the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Nunavut in moving Aboriginal Northerners from social assistance, unemployment and underemployment to full-time, well-paying jobs;
AND WHEREAS the Mine Training Society, Building Inuvialuit Potential Society and the Dehcho First Nations have used $21.5 million in contributions from the ASEP program to assess, train and facilitate employment for Aboriginal Northerners;
AND WHEREAS the partners of these three organizations represent industry and Aboriginal governments;
AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories participates, financially supports and contributes to the good works undertaken by these three organizations;
AND WHEREAS the partners of the Mine Training and Building Inuvialuit Potential societies and the Dehcho First Nations have invested an additional $24.3 million of their own resources to match the investment under the ASEP program;
AND WHEREAS the work of these three organizations has resulted in over 900 Aboriginal Northerners obtaining full-time northern employment in the mining, transportation, construction and petroleum exploration sectors;
AND WHEREAS the ASEP program has had a significant positive impact on the economic development of the Northwest Territories;
AND WHEREAS the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnerships program is to come to an end on March 31, 2012, with no commitment for a replacement program;
NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that the 16th Legislative Assembly strongly urges the Government of Canada to announce the successor strategy to the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnerships program immediately, to ensure that the partners can continue to train Aboriginal Northerners for employment in the mining, transportation, construction and petroleum exploration sectors.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The motion is on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to raise this motion strongly urging the Government of Canada to develop and announce a successful strategy for Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership program, also known as ASEP. This will ensure that local partners like the Mine Training Society, Building Inuvialuit Potential Society and the Dehcho First Nations can continue to train Aboriginal Northerners for employment in the mine, transportation and construction and petroleum exploration sectors.
The federal government created ASEP in 2003 to meet a very real need specifically to increase Aboriginal participation in the Canadian workforce. When initially established, ASEP had a five-year program life. Under existing Treasury Board rules, the program can only be extended once, and up to five years. Recognizing the value of this program, the federal government did extend it to its maximum of 10 years. Unfortunately, as indicated under their own rules, they cannot extend it again as it is currently structured. Unless the federal government develops and implements a successor strategy, the value added to our economy through ASEP will be gone on March 31st, 2012. By way of this motion, the 16th Legislative Assembly is encouraging the federal government to announce and fund its successor strategy for this highly effective and important program.
Mr. Speaker, precedents already exist. For example, the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Program offered by the federal government was reworked and announced as the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy. So it’s been done in the past. I’d like to see ASEP, one of the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, or also HRSDC’s most successful programs be worked under a comprehensive successor strategy similar to the program that I just mentioned.
Mr. Speaker, why is ASEP important to the Northwest Territories? Mr. Speaker, the federal government, through HRSDC, has invested approximately $22 million into the Northwest Territories since 2004. These dollars are matched by industry, Aboriginal governments and the Government of the Northwest Territories, through the departments of Education, Culture and Employment as well as the Department of Transportation, for a total investment in the Northwest Territories of approximately $24 million. Of the 36 ASEP partners across Canada, three of them, the Mine Training Society, Building Inuvialuit Potential Society and the Dehcho First Nations, are located here in the Northwest Territories and they’re dedicated to northern works.
ASEP operates on four principles. The first principle is that ASEP is a practical program that’s getting tangible results. Mr. Speaker, in the Northwest Territories, 900 Aboriginal Northerners have obtained full-time northern employment in the mining, transportation, construction and petroleum exploration sectors. These are tangible results in the Northwest Territories. We need these partners to continue doing their important work in the best interests of all residents of the Northwest Territories.
The second principle is that ASEPs are generating revenue for the federal economy. Mr. Speaker, more than 6,600 Aboriginal people have found long-term sustainable employment as a result of this program. By increasing the levels of Aboriginal education, workforce participation in parity with non-Aboriginal Canadians, Canadians’ gross domestic product could increase by up to $401 billion by 2026. In addition, the net savings on social assistance, justice and housing could be $95 billion in Canada over the next 20 years. This will clearly generate revenue for the federal economy. This is true for the Northwest Territories as well. Local employees working in local industry allow dollars to circulate within our economy rather than heading directly to our southern jurisdictions. The longer the dollars circulate within the Northwest Territories, the greater the positive spinoffs are here at home.
The third principle, Mr. Speaker, ASEPs are building capacity and leaving legacies. Partnership building underpins the ASEP model, Mr. Speaker. Within the Northwest Territories, ASEP partners have developed relationships and strong partnerships for industries located throughout out Territory. This has helped facilitate a win-win for industry and Aboriginal communities throughout the Northwest Territories, helping to fill labour and skill shortages, increase knowledge, skills and abilities with communities, and address longstanding examples of disparity and Aboriginal student outcomes.
Mr. Speaker, ASEP has, and will leave, a legacy in the Northwest Territories. ASEPs are filling labour shortages with Canadian talent. Mr. Speaker, ASEPs help Canadian industries meet business needs. This is clearly evident here in the Northwest Territories as well. We can see it in our communities. Increasing education and education-specific employment in First Nations communities will result in greater productivity in the Northwest Territories. This will lead to increased tax revenues, reduce government expenditures for programs aimed at improving standards of living, providing adequate health care and preventing crime.
Mr. Speaker, ASEP is also in line with the 16th Legislative Assembly’s vision of strong individuals, families and communities sharing the benefits and responsibility for a unified environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, ASEP is good for Canada. ASEP is also good for the Northwest Territories. It must continue. I hope that Ottawa is listening to us today and that between now and March 31, 2012, they develop and announce a successor strategy for the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Program to ensure that northern organizations like the Mine Training Society, like Building Inuvialuit Potential Society and like the Dehcho First Nations and their industry partners throughout the Northwest Territories and Canada can continue to train Aboriginal Northerners for employment in the mining, transportation, construction and the petroleum exploration sectors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. To the motion. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In November 2010 I went to Ottawa to meet with Minister Finley to talk about the federal government’s plan to continue the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Program. At that time, Mr. Speaker, she did not make any commitments.
Minister Finley explained that the federal government was focussing on the implementation of the federal framework for Aboriginal and economic development. Mr. Speaker, this framework includes the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy. The focus is on demand-driven skills development and fostering partnerships with private sectors.
There are seven assets, organizations or agreements with Aboriginal governments in the Northwest Territories. The Aboriginal Skills and Partnership Fund, this funding is intended to complement asset funding to support specific projects. The establishment of a new regional economic development agency for the North, CanNor. Both the Mine Training Society and the federal government are also undertaking respective evaluations of the ASEP funding. It will be important to see the results of these evaluations to determine the actual impact of ASEP funding in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, officials from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment have contacted the Government of Nunavut and also Yukon. To date, the other territorial governments have not been approached by their respective ASEP partners, unless they did just recently, to lobby the federal government for their successor model and have not taken any initiatives related to continued ASEP funding. However, Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to developing Aboriginal people, improving their partnership in the labour market.
In addition to being a partner in ASEP agreements, ECE invests in several programs and initiatives aimed to improve Aboriginal participation in the workforce, including Aurora College, ALBE, trades, labour market training, certificate, diploma and also degree programs, apprenticeship and occupational certification and also labour market programming. We are also working with the three diamond mines and ITI on an MOU for northern workforce initiatives. The MOU working group is currently looking at strategic options for mine training in the Northwest Territories. The department also works with labour market stakeholders, including industries and asset partners through regional training committees.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with labour market partners in the Northwest Territories and our colleagues in Yukon and Nunavut to ensure Northerners have access to training opportunities that lead to employment.
Mr. Speaker, I support the motion to call on the Government of Canada to announce a successor program to ensure that the NWT organizations working in partnerships and involved in training can carry on the great work that has been taking place in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. To the motion. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise saying I will be supporting this motion today.
When there is uncertainty, nobody is very comfortable, especially when it comes to the Mine Training Society and their efforts to move forward. There are many, many success stories out there. I have a niece, Ms. Tyra Moses, who is an outstanding story. She has done very well out there and we’ve got many, many other success stories out there in the North. We must continue that. We must exert every effort to support our young people, people that want to get into mines and want to get into training.
Once again, I commend the Mine Training Society. I believe that we do have to send a message, a united voice, to Ottawa, that March 31st is around the corner and that we need some certainty. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. To the motion. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am totally in support of this motion. I haven’t had many dealings with the Mine Training Society and I haven’t had dealings with any of the other organizations receiving ASEP funding, but the dealings that I have had with the Mine Training Society have been very positive. My experiences have shown that they are a highly successful organization and, as has been mentioned, they’ve used the federal dollars they have received to leverage matching funding for their partners over the years.
The partners have matched $16.5 million or so with $18.7 million since the inception of the program in September 2004. There are eight partners and I’d just like to mention them because I think they are contributors to the success of the program: Tlicho Government, Lutselk’e Dene First Nation, North Slave Metis Alliance, Yellowknives Dene First Nation, BHP Billiton, De Beers Canada – Snap Lake, Rio Tinto – Diavik Diamond Mines, and GNWT Education, Culture and Employment.
The Mine Training Society as well as leveraging funding has adapted their programs and their training over the years to adjust to the needs of our economy and a changing work environment. As was mentioned I think by Mr. Abernethy, they have contributed hugely to providing skilled labour to the diamond mines that are looking for that skilled labour. They have provided employment after training for almost 600 Aboriginal Northerners and that doesn’t include the other organizations using ASEP. Right now the Mine Training Society is experiencing a huge interest in the Underground Miner Training Program. I think they’re probably going to have intakes for quite some time to come, in order to take advantage of all the interest that’s out there.
I believe that we absolutely need to get an extension to this ASEP federal funding. I know that the same program can’t be extended but a replacement program can be devised and can be put in place, and this government must do everything that it can to ensure that funding for NWT organizations is put in place.
It’s been mentioned that it sunsets in March of 2012. That gives us about a year. I have to urge our government, especially ECE, and I’m very glad that Minister Lafferty is in support of this motion, but we have to begin to lobby and negotiate with the federal government to get the ASEP program re-profiled and brought back with a new name.
This funding helps our residents to be successful and contributing members of our society and it provides lasting benefits to our communities. It also helps our economy, and that’s been well stated by Mr. Abernethy. We cannot afford to let this program sunset without a replacement. I think it will have extremely negative effects on all of us.
I urge all Members to stand in support of this motion. I certainly will be.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. To the motion. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think I need to repeat all the comments I’ve heard today but I will say that this program is certainly the most successful Human Resources and Skills Development Canada program that I’m aware of.
I want to mention, though, that I did send a letter on the 4th of February to Minister Finley highlighting some of the points we’ve heard today repeatedly and the amazing amount of evidence provided in support of this program. I urge all Members to send such a letter, perhaps accompanying a copy of this debate and the motion, and I want to again say that I will be supporting it. I don’t think I need to urge Members to support this motion.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. To the motion. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would be supporting this motion and I would ask that the Minister takes a strong message and this government takes a strong message to Ottawa in terms of supporting the northern people, especially in the areas of construction, mining, industry, tourism, hydro development that the North here is reaping with the wealth of resources. We need to invest strongly into our northern workforce.
This motion brings our people together from the North and the government needs to hear that on this issue we’re upfront and we’re united. We’ve seen from the Minister of Industry in terms of the imported workers that we’re getting from the South to work here in the Northwest Territories. Certainly people in the North want the jobs and the training and this is one example where things are going well. We’re not too sure where Ottawa is sitting in terms of continuing its funding.
All people in the Northwest Territories will benefit from this program. For example, in my region there is a mining company just at the border of the Northwest Territories and Yukon with the intentions of putting that mine into production. They’re going to invest close to a billion dollars. This is Selwyn Resources. We need people in the Northwest Territories to work there. This would be a benefit to the people of the North. We would work closely with the Mine Training Society to help train these people for positions so they can go to work in the mine.
Also, about a month ago I was in Tulita and they had MGM, an oil company, that’s drilling close to Tulita and they’re hoping they will strike oil. That would also produce more jobs in our communities and just in our region here.
I wanted to let this Minister know, the government know that you can go down with this motion and ask the federal government to put in a strong program for the people of the Northwest Territories, give them some incentive to invest into the people in the North.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too will be supporting the motion today and I‘d like to commend the Mine Training Society and all their partners for all their efforts over the years. I’d also like to thank Mr. Abernethy, the mover of the motion, and Minister Lafferty for seconding the motion that’s before us today. I’d be very pleased to support that.
The future of the Northwest Territories is going to be in the area of resource extraction, transportation infrastructure, and construction. We need to ensure that a program can replace this very successful program. We need to encourage the federal government to come up with a way forward so that we can have our young people take the steps necessary to get the training to participate in what I believe is going to be a very bright future here in the Northwest Territories. Opportunities are out there and we need to ensure that we allow our young people every opportunity to get jobs and to look after themselves and lead meaningful lives in this Territory.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. To the motion. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too will be voting in favour of this particular motion. I believe if you listen very carefully to the membership here, the Members all speak in favour of the motion and you’ll notice, listening carefully, that you’ll hear the strong support for the Mine Training Society in that there is acknowledgement for the work that they have done over the many years.
I truly believe in supporting educational opportunities that support Northerners, allowing them to get on their own feet. It’s almost like a helping hand as opposed to a help out, an education, as I’ve always seen it that way. We’ve got to get people the resources so that they can do things themselves and this is the type of initiative that allows them to get those opportunities on their own to improve their individual lives. As I often say, it’s not just their lives they’re improving, they’re improving the base of their family’s lives and their children’s lives going forward.
The training offered at the Mine Training Society has created independent people. I believe that’s not just good for those people, it’s good for this government. I hope that the government would recognize that when they communicate this message to the federal government, that we’re allowing Northerners to continue to be independent, to be able to fulfill those dreams and destinies, the hopes that they have for their future. I believe strongly that the Mine Training Society has brought new hope and opportunity for over 900 individuals who may not have had that hope before the society was developed and the mine training was provided.
As I said earlier, this does not just improve 900 individual people’s lives, it improves over 900 families. That’s a component that’s critically important to me and that I always believe in.
Ottawa has often seen the North as its breadbasket, whether in the past or present and I can definitely tell you in the future. They always see the resources of what the North has to offer it. I would hope they would recognize the resource in the people that we can train to be self-sufficient. Because they depend on our economy roaring and if we get the oil and gas or mining training industries up here, it’s always a struggle to employ people who have the qualified skills to do so. This program through the Mine Training Society speaks to that need and certainly, again, allows people to take those opportunities.
I need not lecture anyone in this House about, you know, I’ve been here almost eight years and it seems like whenever we get something good going, something exciting, and it has a great thrust, there always seems to be a sunset looming over a particular program. I would hate for that to be the case for this initiative. I think the timing of the motion is probably of an excellent time as it rolls in, because this motion gives the Minister a year to work on a replacement to the program and this initiative.
In closing, I want to say that I feel strongly that the contribution of these individuals who have improved their lives will bring new opportunity not just to the North but to the communities and, as I’ve pointed out, to the families. The Mine Training Society has built a strong reputation to getting Northerners skilled for jobs that are in significant demand in our Territory and our industry. With that, as I mentioned, I will be voting in favour of it.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. To the motion. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too will be supporting the motion. I think it’s very important. I have stood up in the House many, many times to talk about the low employment rates in the communities. The GNWT has responded to provide an employment program that’s gone into our base that will continue on. A program such as that could support this program, and these programs could work together and be very positive for the economy in the small communities. Obviously I support it.
I think also not only the employment but all the positive aspects that result from people being employed, people being trained for employment, and any long-term employment has positive impacts on the cost of living across the small communities when people are able to access cost of living items because they have income. Also the cost to government, I think a program such as this supported by other programs of the Government of the Northwest Territories saves on all kinds of things. The cost of social services should go down. The cost of income support should go down. The cost of health should go down. The cost of housing should go down. All of those things are also a factor when we support an initiative such as this.
We’re also supporting ourselves, the GNWT, and we can see far-reaching places in the GNWT where we will save money and make life better for the people of the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. To the motion. I’ll allow the mover of the motion some closing comments. Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank all of my colleagues who spoke in support of this motion. It’s great to see Members on both sides of the House in support of such an important motion.
The ASEP program is a nationally managed, opportunity-driven and project-based program that promotes increased participation of Aboriginal people in major economic developments. It achieves this through a collaborative approach of Aboriginal, private sector, and provincial and territorial partnerships. The program supports multi-year training strategies developed by Aboriginal organizations and industry employers leading to long-term, skilled jobs for Aboriginal people in existing and emerging economic opportunities.
The ASEP program has been a major success in Canada and the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and Nunavut. It moves Aboriginal Northerners from social assistance, unemployment and underemployment to full-time and well-paying jobs. The successful strategy will ensure that this level of partnership and success has an opportunity to continue.
As I’ve said, by way of this motion we are strongly urging the Government of Canada to develop and announce a successor strategy for the ASEP program, which will ensure that our local organizations, in partnership with local industry, can continue to train Aboriginal Northerners for employment in mining, transportation, construction and petroleum exploration sectors. I hope Ottawa is listening.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The Member has requested a recorded vote. All those in favour of the motion, please stand.
Mr. Abernethy; Mr. Menicoche; Mr. Ramsay; Mr. Beaulieu; Mr. Hawkins; Ms. Bisaro; Mr. Yakeleya; Mr. Lafferty; Ms. Lee; Mr. Miltenberger; Mr. Roland; Mr. McLeod, Inuvik Twin Lakes; Mr. McLeod, Yellowknife South; Mr. Krutko; Mr. Bromley.
All those opposed to the motion, please stand. All those abstaining, please stand. Results of the recorded vote: in favour, 15; opposed, none; abstaining, none. The motion is carried unanimously.
---Carried
Item 18, first reading of bills. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
