Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise on a point of privilege. Although the matter has clearly been dealt with, upon further personal reflection this weekend, I decided that I wanted to specifically withdraw certain remarks I made on February 12, 2014, which were called into order by you this past Friday. The specific words I wish to withdraw and apologize for are: “It’s tantamount, in my view, of breaking the law.“
Mr. Speaker, I do this because, in my view, recognizing the dignity of this House, it is certainly the right thing to do and also because I’d like to move forward as we work on the job of the budget before us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
Mr. Speaker, later today, at the appropriate time, I will table Northern Lands, Northern Leadership: The Government of the Northwest Territories Land Use and Sustainability Framework. Completion of this document is a significant achievement and a major step in this government’s final preparations to assume new responsibilities for public lands, water and resources on April 1st.
The Land Use and Sustainability Framework establishes a policy foundation for the Government of the Northwest Territories as we assume our land management responsibilities after devolution. It is based on our years of work and collaboration with Aboriginal governments and stakeholders in land
use and conservation and reflects the special relationship that Northerners have with the land and the environment.
The vision of our government, set out in this document, is that land is life. It sustains and nourishes us spiritually, culturally, physically, economically and socially. Working together, Northerners will responsibly and sustainably manage the lands, waters and natural resources of the Northwest Territories for the benefit of current and future generations.
Principles set out in the Land Use Sustainability Framework will help us achieve our vision as we make decisions about land use and land management. Our decisions will be balanced and sustainable, considering ecological, social, cultural and economic values. They will be responsible and responsive, made in the context of sound environmental stewardship. They will be respectful of Aboriginal and treaty rights as well as third-party land interests and legal rights.
Decisions will be informed by our strong and respectful relationships with Aboriginal governments and Canada. Decisions will be relevant, made by Northerners, while providing residents with meaningful engagement and input. We will be coordinated and collaborative, involving the relevant government departments, external organizations and agencies as well as neighboring jurisdictions.
Our decisions and actions will be fair and equitable, recognizing that responsibilities for environmental stewardship and creation of resource opportunities should be shared equitably across all regions of the Northwest Territories. We are also committed to transparency and accountability in our decision-making processes, ensuring they are consistent and communicated.
The Land Use and Sustainability Framework is one part of a broader legislative and policy framework that our government has been putting in place to ensure that we are ready to manage our new authorities and responsibilities. That broader framework includes existing territorial legislation like the Commissioner’s Lands Act, Area Development Act, Community Planning and Development Act and Environmental Protection Act. Our legislative framework will continue to operate consistent with our obligations in settled land claims and complement the management structures built within those agreements and in conjunction with federal legislation, such as the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act.
New mirror legislation and associated regulations called for in the Devolution Agreement, like the Oil and Gas Operations Act, Petroleum Resources Act, Northwest Territories Lands Act, Waters Act, Surface Rights Board Act, Reindeer Act and Archeological Sites Act, will also part of the broader framework.
Other elements of the overall policy framework include the Devolution Agreement, settled land claim and self-government agreements, the Sustainable Development Policy, the Water Stewardship Strategy, the Mineral Development Strategy, Economic Opportunities Strategy and the Cumulative Impacts Monitoring Program. As new land claims and self-government agreements are negotiated, they will also shape and inform this policy framework.
All these acts, agreements, policies, strategies and frameworks will operate together to ensure that Government of the Northwest Territories decisions and actions about public land, resources and water are consistent, based on sound policy thinking and reflect the priorities and values of Northerners.
Three departments will have primary responsibility for managing and administering the new responsibilities being devolved to the Government of the Northwest Territories. These include the new Department of Lands, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Together, they will be responsible for decision-making and regulation of activities involving public land, water and non-renewable resources guided by the broader framework of legislation, policies and strategies we have put in place.
The Department of Lands will support, manage, protect and administer the sustainable use of public land in the Northwest Territories. It will assume land management responsibilities being transferred from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. It will manage all surface lands disposition, such as sales, leasing, permits, licences of occupation and rights-of-way. It will also manage inspections, enforcement and policy development for public lands.
Most importantly, the Department of Lands will be responsible for coordinating and conducting project assessments on public lands in the Northwest Territories, functioning as a “single-window” for development applications. This will ensure that Government of the Northwest Territories consideration of projects is coordinated, timely and consistent. It will ensure all our decisions on land, water and resource development reflect northern priorities and values and uphold the public interest.
New responsibilities will be assumed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources under the new NWT Waters Act and delegated to it under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. It will be the security holder and manager for water licences and be responsible for inspections and enforcement of water use. It will also be responsible for regulating the deposit of waste regarding activities and developments on or which impact public lands and water.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment will assume new responsibilities for administering mineral exploration and development activities, including issuing prospecting licences, prospecting permits, mining leases and recording mineral claims. Industry, Tourism and Investment will also be taking on new responsibilities for onshore oil and gas development in the Mackenzie Valley.
As part of our devolution preparations, Cabinet recently designated the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment as the regulator for onshore oil and gas activities outside of federal areas and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Agreements for technical services and support from regulatory experts in other jurisdictions are being finalized. Having the regulatory function sit with Industry, Tourism and Investment, rather than simply contracting a regulator from outside of the Northwest Territories, will ensure that knowledge and skills are transferred to, built in and held by people in the Northwest Territories. This model was arrived at by careful review and consideration of several possible models and is consistent with how Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Yukon have successfully regulated oil and gas activities for years.
After decades of negotiations and years of planning, we are on the eve of momentous changes in the Northwest Territories. We did not achieve this alone. With the support and participation of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Northwest Territory Metis Nation, the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated, the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the Tlicho Government, the Devolution Agreement provides for continued, stronger intergovernmental relationships with Aboriginal governments through the Intergovernmental Council. The sharing of resource revenues with participating Aboriginal governments also supports this government’s commitment to strong Aboriginal governments.
I also want to thank the Members of this House, whose due diligence throughout negotiations and implementation planning was a critical part of the process.
The land and its resources are our common heritage and must be managed to the benefit of all residents of our territory. Making the right decisions today to ensure a healthy and prosperous tomorrow for future generations is one of our greatest responsibilities as a government. Let us continue to work together, both in this House and with all of our partners, to make sure we get it right. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment wishes to recognize the dedication and service of the educators who have contributed to the well-being, support and education of our students.
The Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association was founded 60 years ago with just 60 teachers, including those from the Western and Eastern Arctic, eventually becoming a member of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation. As we proudly recognize this anniversary, the NWTTA now represents more than 800 teachers in 49 schools, demonstrating tremendous growth in the territory.
Throughout this growth, we have faced many challenges together and are always ensuring that we are working together to make the right decisions for the future of our territory. The NWTTA has worked hard to define and protect the rights of educators across the territory and has helped teachers and principals in their professional development.
Thank you for Making a Difference, established in 1998, has been highly successful in highlighting teachers and engaging students across the Northwest Territories. It has been a great source of encouragement and pride for hundreds of NWT teachers over the years and is a perfect example of the heart and vision of this organization. In 15 years the NWTTA has received more than 20,000 entries recognizing educators who changed their students’ lives.
Mr. Speaker, as we move to implement our foundational initiatives, including Education Renewal, Safe Schools and Early Childhood Development, it is more important now than ever that we work together, as we seek guidance and assistance with the development and implementation of these initiatives.
I would like to close by thanking the NWTTA for providing 60 years of excellent service in the Northwest Territories, and I wish all the best for the next 60 years and beyond. Through our ongoing work together, we will continue to improve our education system for both teachers and students. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Colleagues, before we go on, I’d like to welcome back to the House a former Member, former Minister, former Speaker, Sergeant-at-Arms, Honourary Table Officer and Honourary Captain, too, Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford.
---Applause
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on the Premier’s statement.
Cabinet’s vote against a proposal to keep decision-making in the regions was curious, and people are wondering why would they vote against the wishes of their own people.
As details emerge about the devolution of lands and waters to the NWT, people are noticing a disturbing undercurrent. In the process of transferring authority to the NWT, decision-making is being quietly moved from open public processes into the murky world of the GNWT bureaucracy and top secret Cabinet room. There is so much happening that it’s hard to see at first, but some examples are starting to emerge from the haze.
First, the authority to regulate oil and gas. Currently, this is done by the National Energy Board. They hold public hearings and anyone can participate and express their opinion. As of April 1st, this authority will transfer to the GNWT Cabinet.
Second, participation by departments in environmental reviews. Currently, each federal department, like Fisheries, Environment or Natural Resources, can intervene separately in environmental reviews. Their opinions are all considered by the board. As of April 1st, much of the federal capacity will be transferred to GNWT departments like ENR, ITI and Lands, but all GNWT departments will be required to submit their opinions to the Department of Lands that will consider them and create a single unified GNWT position to be approved or not by Cabinet.
Third, authority to provide direction to NWT boards. The changes to the MVRMA in Bill C-15 take power and independence away from land and water boards and place it in the hands of the federal Minister. As of April 1st, some of that control will then be delegated back to GNWT Ministers. Once again, a power shift from open, public process to secret, behind closed doors of the GNWT Cabinet.
Some may say that our government is public and accountable through this House and through elections, but nobody will deny that decisions made in Cabinet and in this House are political. Just like we don’t let Cabinet decide court cases, there are very good reasons to keep oil and gas, land use planning and land and water permits out of the political realm and under the control of impartial boards.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Cabinet is giving us the impression that we are creating a mirror-image system through our mirroring legislation. But these not-so-subtle changes are starting to look like a Cabinet power grab.
I will have questions. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me start off today by sharing some very shocking numbers. Every year, over 220,000 Canadians develop infections during their hospital stay, and on average, these infections kill 22 patients every single day. To put this number into perspective, this is about the same number of Canadians who will die from breast cancer and leukemia combined.
This is the new reality facing our hospitals in the 21st century and it has now become a very massive burden on our health care system. This is a fight we cannot afford to lose.
Right now the superbugs that pose the biggest challenges in our hospitals are Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA; Clostridium Difficile, or called C. Difficile; Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, or VRE; and the latest threat is Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE. That’s a mouthful.
Collectively, right now one in every 12 patients in a Canadian hospital is infected by one of these superbugs and the NWT is not immune to these statistics. Unfortunately, we just don’t track all of them.
Just last week the Minister of Health and Social Services tabled the NWT Department of Health and Social Services Annual Report of 2012-2013, and within this report, on page 34, it states the incidence of Methicillin-resistant Staph A, and that’s the only superbug that it lists. This superbug has increased from a baseline of 28 cases per 10,000 patients to 46.6 cases in 2012-13. So what does that mean? It means that in almost a year it has doubled. In fact, if you look back to 2006 at three cases of MRSA for 10,000 patients, we are nearly at a 15 times multiplier in seven years.
What is further alarming with the relevance of these increasing cases of MRSA is that it is mostly affecting our seniors and elders in our population, and because our population is aging, we should be very careful with that.
In the end, I am greatly concerned that with an alarming statistic of one of every 12 patients infected with a superbug, which is an epidemic in my books, is our current health care system doing enough with just an awareness campaign as it states in this report? Or should we be following mainstream health care with better collection, analysis, monitoring and reporting to the public…
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
…and should we retool our basic defence and superbug control with a more robust and well-funded housekeeping program?
I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m not prepared to do a statement today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Crosswalks across public highways within communities is an issue across Canada and really highlights our government’s responsibility to promote public safety and enhance the feasibility and traffic controls at these intersections. Hay River does have a GNWT highway that runs the full length of our town.
Today I’d like to highlight the important public safety issues for the people of Hay River. The pedestrian crossing located on Highway No. 2 near The Rooster convenience store and gas station is more hazardous than it should be. Constituents have reported that it is a dangerous crossing, being a poorly lit corner, and it is confusing to drivers as the streetlights and the crosswalk lights look very similar from a distance.
We have a large residential area on one side of the area and the schools and all of the hospitals and many other places people work on the other side of the highway. So this is a crosswalk which is used very, very extensively. This may seem like a minor issue, but last fall, unfortunately, a pedestrian was hit by a driver in that intersection.
This issue had already been raised to me prior to this accident occurring and the Department of Transportation did respond. They performed an investigation and made recommendations to improve the safety of that crosswalk last September. Since that time, the Minister of Transportation has passed on news that changes to the crosswalk are being considered to go ahead this summer. These improvements would include new lighting, improved signage and replacement of the overhead light flashing system.
I’d like to thank the Minister and his department for the work that they’ve done reviewing this Highway No. 2 crosswalk in Hay River and I look forward to seeing these improvements this summer.
I learned when I came from Ontario to western Canada that pedestrians have the right of way, but I think we need a very clear awareness campaign with reflective stripes and all kinds of other things to teach people that just because you have the right-of-way does not mean that you should step out onto the road. People need to look and live. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciated the Minister of Education’s speech today about thanking the educators and Teachers’ Association. I also would like to rise and thank those members, it being Education Week. I think there are a lot of people out there in the education world that are putting a lot of extra hours in and they should be thanked, especially during this week.
There’s a whole bunch of different teachers. There are teachers, there are teachers’ assistants and there are people in our district education authorities that help run it that are dealing with the management of education in the Northwest Territories. They all should be commended during this week.
I’d also like to congratulate them on their 60th anniversary, and I’m glad to know that a lot of those retired teachers are living in Hay River and we do appreciate the former teachers that we’ve had in the community. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of Canada invested in the NWT traditional economy. On February 5, 2014, the office of the Minister of Environment, Minister of Canadian Northern Development Agency, CanNor, and the Minister of the Arctic Council announced funding for a project that will promote opportunities for employment and skill development training in both the traditional and industrial sector of the Sahtu regional economy.
This is a two-year project, which is being led by the Sahtu Renewable Resources Board in partnership with the local Renewable Resource Council and the GNWT through the Department of ITI. In 2012-13 the traditional economy of the Sahtu region experienced unprecedented growth, driven by the emergence of major overseas markets for Northwest Territories fur.
Last year 106 Sahtu trappers sold 3,944 pelts, which injected a record of $725,000 into the local economy, including sales representing 27 percent of the total for the Northwest Territories. This has considerable potential for expanding production in several areas of the traditional economy, including subsistence harvesting, trapping, outfitting, arts and crafts and traditional knowledge.
Today our traplines are busy in the Sahtu, but at the same time we have what we call another trapline: industry. Our trappers are faced with a balancing out. Do we continue to live on the land, produce these fine furs, or do we go to work in the industry? They both bring us food and bring us money. One is a way of life, the other is becoming a way of life. We’re in this balance here. The Sahtu renewable resource councils and the board are going to the Sahtu communities and talking to people. How do we balance the two lifestyles? Our traditional economy comes from our land. As Premier McLeod said, our land is our life.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had the great pleasure and opportunity this weekend to attend some of the Junior Cager basketball games that happened here in Yellowknife. At this moment, I would just like to congratulate the East Three Elementary boys’ team who went undefeated this weekend, going six wins, no losses. On that sixth win that they had yesterday, they claimed the NWT territorial championships, the first ever for East Three Elementary School in any banner of sorts. I just want to say they had some great games, had some great competition and showed a lot of sportsmanship, but a lot of leadership on the court as well.
I’d also like to thank the coaches, the teachers, the organizers, as well as there were a lot of parents that were there, this weekend which showed for a lot of support and really great sportsmanship in the crowd as well.
I want to take this time just to congratulate the young boys who I helped coach partway through the Steve Nash Basketball Program. But if I can recognize one individual at this time, it would be coach Jason Dayman. He’s put a lot of time and effort into these boys who also went on and played another tournament in the Yukon and in Inuvik.
With the short basketball season, I think they play about 18 basketball games in this short season. I’m very proud of the boys and I’m very happy for them. I want to thank the coaches for putting in the effort and the time that gave them the undefeated record this weekend. Good job, boys, going 6 and 0. Congratulations on bringing home the first banner to East Three Elementary School.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to discuss the need for access to will and estate planning for our residents. We do have one GNWT lawyer, a community outreach lawyer, whose job it is to visit communities and provide legal services to our residents. But one lawyer can hardly even begin to make a dent in our residents’ needs around will and estate planning. There’s a huge need to educate people about the need to have a will and another huge need to give residents access to lawyers to draft their wills and help them do estate planning.
Employees of the GNWT have access to assistance with wills and trusts through our Department of Human Resources employee and family assistance programs, employees of large companies usually have access to planning through their company pension plan, and there are will and estate planning sessions offered in Yellowknife and some of our regional centres. But other residents, especially in our small communities, are left to their own devices to do the necessary planning for wills.
It’s not the first thing that people put on their to-do list, nor do many people realize how important it is to spend the money to get a will done, if they can afford it, that is. A will is one of the most important documents in anyone’s life. Without a will, settling estates can be complicated and costly for both the government as well as relatives. When someone dies intestate – that is without a will – the government, the office of the public trustee, and/or the courts must get involved in settling the estate, paying bills, disposing of assets and inheritance and so on. It’s a cost to the government and ultimately to us, the taxpayers. How many residents die intestate in any one year, I wonder? How much does the GNWT spend dealing with the estates of our residents who have died intestate? I have no idea, but I’m sure the costs are considerable.
I would like to see the GNWT offer will and estate planning sessions to NWT residents in all of our communities on a frequent and regular basis. As a government, we would be better served to be proactive, spend a little money up front and ensure residents have access to lawyers whose law practices include will and estate planning, as opposed to dealing with the affairs of residents who die intestate after the fact.
Not every lawyer does estate planning work, nor do they all want to do that kind of work, so we need to hire the right people. They can be found. The access to residents can be made available if the will – joke intended – is there on the part of government. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Forest fires pose a threat to many communities in the NWT. Every year millions of taxpayers’ dollars go to fire management efforts, from public education and prevention, to staff training, to air tankers and firefighting crews.
Last summer forest fires destroyed many hectares of forest in the Deh Cho region, demanding significant public resources to manage.
The community of Kakisa is at high risk of damage due to forest fires. This small hamlet, in the dense forest of the southern NWT, could be destroyed within a few hours, if not minutes, given the right conditions. Kakisa needs a reliable fireguard.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has completed the Community Wildfire Protection Plan for Kakisa in 2010. This plan identifies risks and recommendations for local forest fire management. At the time the plan was created, a full firebreak ran from the lake to the community access road, but the dense stand of spruce and pine nearby still limited its effectiveness. More trees need to be thinned in certain areas.
Community consultation needed to take place, with input from elders, to preserve traditional land uses before people started cutting brush in the area surrounding the community. It is also uncertain whether the community fire department has the capacity to take on fire suppression activities. Some people felt that not enough community members were trained or available on an ongoing basis to help fight a fire.
Without a local first line of defence, the community has to rely on outside help to help fight a fire. Given the travelling distance and time it could take for help to arrive and how quickly a fire can spread, Kakisa could be in serious danger.
The community wants to move ahead on forest fire protection. The popular campground is a valuable asset in the community and they would like to advance an initiative to construct a walkway to link the campground to the hamlet. The infrastructure could serve as a strategic forest fire management tool. Debris from additional brush cutting could be used as home heating fuel.
The Department of ENR is very committed to forest fire management and has implemented some great programs over the last four years. It is time to revisit and renew the Kakisa Wildfire Protection Plan in time for the upcoming forest fire season.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to stand up and use this occasion to revisit the issue of junior kindergarten. Last week the Minister made a statement, and that was his second statement in this particular House where he talked about junior kindergarten will be available for four-year-olds starting in the new year, and of course, it will be rolled out over three years throughout the various communities.
Let me first get the biggest issue out of the way. I don’t know anybody who is against junior kindergarten. There is nobody on this side of the House against junior kindergarten, and sometimes in our questions and answers it is described as over here we are against junior kindergarten when you question his policy methodology. I can frankly say, I haven’t spoken to everybody in the Northwest Territories and I am not sure that is even feasible, in the sense of my lifetime, by going door to door knocking on every door and saying, do you support junior kindergarten. However, I do feel comfortable by saying, and I certainly feel very strong in saying that I could say everybody, in an overwhelming majority, would support the development of the Junior Kindergarten Program.
The one issue before us, and continues to be before us, articulated clearly by the school boards, being raised by Members, being raised by the public, is the funding model. That is only the issue.
The Minister of Education has decided, and certainly designed, that they will now work with producing 14 years of schooling on 13 years of budgeting, and to be clear for the public that don’t follow that, that is also when we include kindergarten as the 13th year.
Now they are asking for a 14th year, so you have your normal one to 12 plus kindergarten and junior kindergarten. It is like saying we are going to re-profile 7 percent of your funding. Let’s think about that, 7 percent of your funding. Let’s put it this way. If we had asked the Department of Education to re-profile their $305.6 million budget and we took and re-profiled 7 percent of their funding, that would almost be $22 million. I could only imagine them kicking and screaming and saying, it isn’t fair, we couldn’t run programs, we’d have to lay people off. I could imagine. I don’t know where we’d start and certainly finish on what they would say. The point being, and the issue before MLAs, before the public, before the school board is the funding model.
I’m going to close by saying if the children, if the students, if families really mattered that much, then ask us for the money, we’ll find a way. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] I have an important thing to say. I know that there are a lot of things happening in our region. In the last little while in my region, in Whati there were hand games that were held in the community, and I want to express, to the community, a thank you and congratulations.
We had visitors from Alberta and all the people from the Northwest Territories. This was put on by the Whati community. The chief and council have prepared and hosted the hand games for all the people. They also had security for the community. I want to express my thanks and congratulations for taking care of all the visitors that came to their community.
There were over 40 teams that competed in the hand games. There were a lot of people, people from all communities that had a very good social event in their community. I’m very happy that it was properly done and the security was done and they had a good hand game. They have all returned home and I just want to say thank you to the Whati community.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my great pleasure to once again recognize Mr. Tony Whitford, a resident of Weledeh. Welcome, Tony.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the president of the NWTTA. Gayla Meredith is here with us and is doing an outstanding job as president and is recognizing the 60th year. Mahsi for being here.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s with great pleasure to recognize one of our favourite constituents of Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories, and he’s already been recognized but it is always certainly exciting to stand up to recognize Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford, who you so eloquently described has having almost every job in the Northwest Territories, certainly in this building at one time or another. He’s a hero to all. Thank you for coming, sir. Good to see you.
