The Minister had mentioned workshops. I’m very curious if the Minister -- sorry, in this particular case the Premier -- has the Premier on this particular subject had people identify certain positions, whether they’re in policy or programming, that should take gender-based analysis? To reflect that, as I understand it, the courses or workshops have been cancelled going forward. Is this initiative stalled, or been stopped completely?
We do have staff throughout a number of departments, Executive, we do have people who share the workload and help us in dealing with the issue of gender-based analysis.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the answers from the Premier and I’m just trying to get a sense of whether this particular initiative has stalled with all the training cancelled going forward. What is the Premier doing to ensure that the training gets back up and running and we can see some actual results in our territorial programming?
I don’t believe it’s stalled.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier with some questions related to my Member’s statement. I know the AIP agreement on devolution, there are some firm agreements in place, but I think without getting on board, there is still some distrust by Aboriginal organizations. They do want to review it but they cannot get access to the resources to assist them unless they actually sign on board. Has the Premier or Cabinet discussed this and what is the best way to address their concerns?
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue of the agreement-in-principle and trying to get the information out on top of the years of discussions around the negotiation of the agreement-in-principle piece we’ve looked at and sent letters out to the regional leadership and invited them to contact us to go over the agreement-in-principle and the issues they may have out of that and look at sharing in the funding of those meetings.
The Premier can correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought funding and resources available for discussions with devolution was tied to actually signing on board with the GNWT with regard to the agreement-in-principle.
There are two pots of funding that start to flow upon signing of the agreement-in-principle. That is tied specifically to some of the work that would be prepared as groups prepare for negotiations, mandates and so on, to do the background work. The work we’re talking about doing is looking at the agreement-in-principle itself, to give the leadership and community members a better idea of just what the agreement-in-principle is. Of course, to share in the funding that’s available to Aboriginal groups, they need to sign on and that would allow the federal government to sit with them to then begin flowing those dollars.
I think the Aboriginal groups are looking at what they want is the resources to have a real good look at the agreement-in-principle to see if it’s something that’s consistent with their priorities and principles, yet they have to sign on board to access those resources. Has the Premier given any thought of any other way of assisting our Aboriginal governments to review the agreement-in-principle other than by signing on board?
Well, how to put this in a way that is respectful of all the processes that we’ve been a part of since 2001 when the discussion of devolution began to take hold through the Intergovernmental Forum. Through that time since 2002 from a framework to where we are today between the federal government and ourselves, we’ve put almost, I think, I’ll have to get the accurate figure but I know we’ve put, between the federal government and ourselves, almost $8 million on the table to work with the groups around the agreement-in-principle. I’ll get the accurate information from a GNWT perspective.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I know that myself as MLA and Regular Members on this side want a strong North for all Northerners and I think one of the best ways we can do it is to try to be flexible, go to our Aboriginal organizations, provide some resources without actually having them sign on board, so that they can have an independent look at the AIP to address all of the concerns that they’ve been saying for the past month.
The process both from the federal government and ourselves has been one to help the organizations and governments to the best way possible so that they can be involved in this and help frame up that agreement-in-principle. Our share of the Government of the Northwest Territories contribution has been $3.9 million since 2001 to this year. The Government of the Northwest Territories Executive department actually reduced our budget to go through our cost-savings exercise over the last couple of years and reduced the funding and the devolution portfolio. For example, what we’re doing right now is trying to come up with some funds to help with the regions and looking at the AIP so that they can feel comfortable with the information we’ve been presenting.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke about the Alberta tar sands and the pollution that’s coming down from that one specific project. There are also other projects in Alberta, B.C., and Saskatchewan that are also contributing to the pollution of the Northwest Territories. I want to ask the Minister of Environment about monitoring locations along the Great Slave Lake or down the Mackenzie River in terms of the quality of water. Are they checking along the watershed?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a matter of course there are a number of monitoring stations all the way up, down to the Arctic, but the reality is a recent federal panel found that the monitoring as it relates to the oil sands is not sufficient, that it’s confused, that there are new mandates needed. Then Minister Baird announced that they were going to put together a plan and a board that’s going to set up a cutting-edge monitoring protocol. That work is underway. I think they gave themselves 90 days or thereabouts, and that work is underway. There’s a recognition that more has to be done, that the federal government and especially Environment Canada has a lead role to play. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, if this new founding has come to light through the federal government, I’m not too sure when the 90 days starts or when it’s running out. What can we do more to give a push to the federal government to make sure these monitoring stations are in place and that they’re monitoring the effects of the Alberta tar sands, amongst other things, that are coming down into the Great Slave Lake or the Mackenzie River? What can we do to push the federal government to get on this right away?
We have the good fortune to have one of our very capable staff, Dr. Erin Kelly, who is going to be involved in the process. As well, we’re going to be talking to Minister Kent about the scope of the project to make sure that they take a broad look at the monitoring that needs to be done and not narrow it down so that it becomes less than adequate. That work is underway, and through our Water Strategy and the negotiations we have on our transboundary, we’re also going to be pursing that very important issue as well. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, could the Minister invite Minister Kent along the Slave River, the Slave Lake and down the Mackenzie River, stopping at each section of the river to drink the water, look at the fish, look for himself to really point out the seriousness of the pollution coming down the river? Can the Minister invite the Minister of Environment of the federal government to come down through the Great Slave Lake and to the Mackenzie River?
In point of fact, Minister Kent is in the North for the next couple of days and we will have an opportunity to pass on those very strong concerns to Minister Kent. He will be, as well, taking advantage of the opportunity to visit parts of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, certainly there are some concerns raised by the people along the Mackenzie, in terms of the fish that they are seeing now in their nets. I want to ask if the Minister would raise, again, this issue to the Minister if he could come down during the summer, come down the Mackenzie River, look at the fish, live on the Mackenzie River and see how serious this issue is, or just take him to court for polluting our water? I mean, that’s how serious it is. So I want to ask the Minister that.
The Member has offered two fairly significant extremes: one to invite him up to live in the North and camp on a river, or take him to court. I appreciate the intensity of the Member’s concern and we’re going to look for a more happy medium where we’ll talk to the Minister, we’ll have meetings with him and we’ll raise the concerns about what’s happening south of our borders and the need for strong transboundary agreements and proper monitoring on those major developments such as the oil sands. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Your final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Speaker, I’m asking the Minister to invite the Minister to come up and live with us along the Mackenzie River for a couple of days, maybe a week, you know, then to see if we get his attention. Right now the federal government is doing nothing. People along the Mackenzie River are complaining about the fish, the water. He doesn’t seem to care. The only way we can get some attention from the federal government is to take him to court. I’ll be very surprised if he makes an announcement in a week or so to putting a water monitoring station along the Mackenzie River, and tell that to the elders whose fish are soft and the livers are black. Tell him that. This is serious stuff here. That’s what I want to ask the Minister here, if he would give this message to the Minister here.
We agree with the Member that this is a very serious issue. It’s been one of the driving priorities of Environment and Natural Resources during the life of this Assembly, has been to bring forward the Water Strategy to engage with the federal family to do the work necessary.
I must give credit where credit is due. INAC at the regional level has been extremely supportive of our efforts. We are going to be meeting with Minister Kent and one of the issues on our agenda is to discuss water concerns that we do have, monitoring issues, transboundary issues, and the need to take all the steps necessary to protect the interests of Northerners and keep our water clean and pure for all time. Thank you
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions, as I mentioned in my statement earlier today, are for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. I want to follow up. Obviously, MACA has continuously refused progressive action on building standards, actions that will demonstrably benefit everyone both in terms of costs and adaptation to climate change. I’m wondering, Mr. Speaker, what has the Minister done to ensure this common sense measure is incorporated as one of the core tools in the new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. MACA is working with communities. They do have an investment, as does this government, through our various boards and agencies and departments to work with communities, to work with all aspects of government services and programs to look to the best building standards possible. In some cases we have direct authority. In some cases we can use moral suasion in how we do our capital plans. MACA is there along with the Energy Alliance, Public Works and all the other arms of government.
The Member knows and has been intimately involved in the process for the Greenhouse Gas Strategy, and as it moves through its process and the time that’s laid out and the steps to be followed, that one of the issues that’s going to be there, in addition to the broader issue of emissions, is going to be standards, energy standards, what is the most appropriate standard and what is the best way to enforce that. As that Greenhouse Gas Strategy comes forward and reaches its conclusion, it will be up to ourselves to ensure that it contains and addresses all those issues. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister is the lead Minister here for this strategy and participants. They’ve held workshops. Participants have brought forward these very measures. They have said we need better energy efficiency standards and building energy efficiency standards provided as a tool in this Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy. Is the Minister proposing to include that and what work is he doing to measure what that will get us in greenhouse gas reductions? Thank you.
Within government there is already clear evidence of our commitment to the proper energy-efficient building standards both in the commercial and residential areas. There is a process we have committed to in terms of consultation and working with the public and stakeholder groups to get their feedback, to get their best advice, and we’re going to do that. It’s not a question of myself, as Minister, standing up and trying to rule by fiat, which does not tend to work that well in a consensus government environment. I’m very sensitive to the Member’s concerns and when we bring this Greenhouse Gas Strategy through its process to fruition, we will be collectively making sure that it addresses all these key areas. Thank you.
I’m appreciative of the Minister’s sensitivity to my interests here. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to refer to the National Roundtable on Environment and Economy report recently released, wherein it was pointed out that the resilience of northern infrastructure systems will be essential for sustainable regional development and forsake our national and northern security interest for all Canadians. They note in there that some of the constraints on the whole process is lack of clear standards and lack of guidance, especially for permafrost regions where structural design standards or guidelines are totally missing. They go on to talk about the lack of coordination and so on. Given that the Minister of MACA is continually refusing to act on this, and I know exactly what the department is doing and not doing on this, I don’t appreciate the defence by this Minister. I wonder if this Minister will work with that department to get this work done. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, we as a government intend to come forward with a Greenhouse Gas Strategy that will address all of these critical areas and it may, in fact, become the position of the government, if not this government maybe the 17th Assembly, that we are going to look at building standards that are applied across the Territory for all construction and all levels of government.
At this point, we have the system that we just talked about. The work is underway to see where the improvements are necessary in terms of regulation and governance, and before this strategy is finalized, it will be up to ourselves, myself and the Member for Weledeh and all the other MLAs in this House, to make sure that it addresses what we think are the needs and priorities of the government or the people in the Northwest Territories and this Legislative Assembly. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s comments again here. I think I will look forward to that work. Basically what we need to be doing is determining here what gains can be achieved with this move. That is the responsibility of this Minister at this moment in time so we can use this tool appropriately and responsibly. Does the Minister agree that the standards we have for the GNWT that allow us to benefit so much should be available and made available to all members of the Northwest Territories for all infrastructure? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I think it behooves us all to have as energy-efficient building standards for all people in the Northwest Territories as possible. The issue is going to be to sort through the regulatory and government’s issues to, in fact, be able to allow ourselves to do that so that we, in fact, as the Member indicated, will have a common standard that is as high as the government sets for itself. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we all know, there are high pockets of unemployment in the Northwest Territories, especially in rural and remote communities. For a housing unit, the cost of $300,000 to $400,000 can go a long way to generate jobs and employment opportunities in our communities. This government has government policies and procedures to deal with that type of opportunity so that those dollars remain in the communities and some of those negotiated contracts, sole-source contracts, local tenders. Mr. Speaker, the whole approach on negotiated contracts is for the local organization in regards to community development corporation, local contractor getting the support of the local MLA and the local government to put forward a negotiated contract to the Minister to take to Cabinet and let the Cabinet determine if that contract should go or not go in those particular communities with the support of the MLA and the local government.
I would like to ask the Minister of Housing why hasn’t he taken any negotiated contracts to Cabinet knowing that this is a policy in government and why are you not following the policy.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have taken a request for negotiated contract to Cabinet. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, my understanding of all the letters that I have submitted to the Minister asking for negotiated contracts, not once did I get a response back to those letters asking for negotiated contracts that those contracts went to Cabinet or have been rejected outright by the Minister. Why have you not passed on the message that those contracts have been dealt with in Cabinet and when can I see those letters? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, the Member is asking me why I haven’t brought a negotiated contract forward to Cabinet. I have brought requests forward. It was last year. He didn’t say where it was. If he meant in his particular riding, then I haven’t brought anything forward. I would make recommendations to Cabinet on whether to proceed with the negotiated contract or not. We are following policy and the policy states quite clearly that a negotiated contract is to help the local contractor build capacity so they can compete in an open market. I follow these things quite closely and I have enough confidence in local contractors, not only for their ability to do the work but their ability to compete in an open market. Having said that, we have fulfilled our obligations as a government as far as a negotiated contract policy goes. We have a lot more contractors out there getting their start through negotiated contracts, that are able to bid in a competitive market and are actually doing quite better bidding in a competitive market than they are getting negotiated contracts. Thank you.
