Good afternoon, colleagues.
Colleagues, it is with great sadness that I inform the House of the passing of a former Member, Speaker and Minister, Michael Ballantyne. Mike was first elected as the Member for Yellowknife North in the 10th Legislative Assembly in 1983. He was subsequently re-elected by acclamation in 1987 to the 11th Assembly and re-elected to the 12th Assembly in 1991.
During his time as a Member of the Legislative Assembly he served as Government House Leader, Minister of Justice, Minister Responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Minister of Finance and Minister Responsible for the Public Utilities Board. Mike also served as a member of several standing committees of the House and, as well, on the Special Committee on Aboriginal Languages in 1989 and 1990. He chaired the Special Committee on Constitutional Reform from 1990 to 1991.
On November 13, 1991, Mike was appointed the sixth Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Speaker Ballantyne played a vital role in the establishment of a permanent home for our Legislature, and on November 17, 1993, he presided over the first sitting of the House in this impressive and symbolically important building.
On behalf of all current and former Members of the Legislative Assembly, I wish to express the sincere condolences of this House to the family and friends of Michael Ballantyne. Members, please stand and join me in observing a moment of silent reflection on the achievements and contributions of a northern leader.
The House observed one minute of silence.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On June 21 the people across the Northwest Territories will once again be celebrating National Aboriginal Day. This is a day to celebrate aboriginal peoples’ rich and diverse cultural heritage and to also acknowledge the valuable contribution of aboriginal peoples to the healthy development of our communities, our territory and our country.
The Government of the Northwest Territories honours and respects the importance of aboriginal cultures and the vital role aboriginal people play in contributing to our economic, social and political development and in enhancing our traditional knowledge through learning and sharing.
Our commitment extends well beyond our annual statutory holiday. Our government continues to invest in aboriginal languages and cultural programs, increasing the number of aboriginal teachers, creating opportunity for aboriginal people to enter the trades and exploring alternative energy opportunities in our aboriginal communities.
Mr. Speaker, this June 21 I ask all Members to join me in encouraging the people of the Northwest Territories to get out and participate in National Aboriginal Day activities in their communities and to celebrate the wealth of traditions, lifestyles, languages and values that make up the fabric of the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to advise the House that yesterday the Hon. Lawrence Cannon, federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and I signed the Building Canada infrastructure plan Base Funding Agreement.
This agreement sets the stage for $185.8 million in new infrastructure funding to flow to the Government of the Northwest Territories over a seven-year period. It is notable that the Government of the Northwest Territories is the second jurisdiction in Canada to complete negotiations and sign the funding agreement.
A key feature of this agreement is the unique cost-sharing provisions, which provide for the Government of Canada to pay up to 75 per cent of the cost of eligible projects. This funding will provide a much-needed injection of almost $140 million for critical transportation infrastructure needs across the Northwest Territories.
As a first step Canada has approved the replacement of the Kakisa River Bridge. This funding will also allow the government to support priority projects like the city of Yellowknife’s bypass road, the access road to the Tuktoyaktuk gravel source at kilometre 177 and highway rehabilitation projects.
The government plans to make $6.5 million per year of this funding available to community governments to support their infrastructure needs. Our first priority is to address urgent water treatment plant needs in several communities. The balance of the funding will be made available to communities to address their own priority projects within eligible categories.
Over the life of the agreement a total of $1.8 million of the federal funding will be used to establish a climate change research and adaptation program within the Department of Transportation. The program will support research needs for both the Government of the Northwest Territories and community governments, ensuring that transportation infrastructure can cope with the impacts of climate change.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Hon. Norman Yakeleya, Minister of Transportation, for his support during the negotiations. I would also like to acknowledge the support we received from the Northwest Territories Association of Communities in determining how to move forward with community government allocations.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, this summer one of our territory’s most important institutions will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. On August 1, 2 and 3 École Sir John Franklin High School will be hosting a homecoming weekend to recognize the school’s 50 years of education.
Since 1958 Sir John has seen thousands of students pass through its doors. Many leaders of the modern North attended Sir John. At least five current Members of the Legislature attended Sir John Franklin Territorial high school, including myself, and at least one of us even taught there.
High school is a place of exploration and discovery, where people form their identities and begin to realize what they want to do with their lives. Sir John holds a special place in many of our hearts.
Quality education in the North is crucial to our success. It is important to recognize a place that has been so important in so many lives and to congratulate the staff and students who have helped to make it a success over the past 50 years. We can all look forward to many more, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Hon. Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take the opportunity today to inform the Assembly of an important national summit I am co-hosting with the president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, Ms. Beverley Jacobs.
The National Aboriginal Women’s Summit will take place in Yellowknife from July 29 to 31. The summit will be attended by about 150 aboriginal women from across Canada, along with representatives from the federal, provincial and territorial governments and national aboriginal organizations. The summit will advance the ongoing work toward improving social and economic conditions of aboriginal women and their families.
The summit theme “Strong Women, Strong Communities” provides an opportunity to build on the recommendations created at last year’s gathering in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador. Aboriginal women, through their wisdom and experience, contribute to the success of each of our communities. I am looking forward to the discussions on ways we can address issues of concern to aboriginal women and, hopefully, move forward with solutions.
The planning for the summit has been done by a national planning committee that is co-chaired by the Native Women’s Association of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories. The planning committee is comprised of representatives of national aboriginal organizations, the Native Women’s Association of the Northwest Territories, the Status of Women Council of the Northwest Territories, the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Local planning for the summit has been coordinated by the Native Women’s Association of the Northwest Territories, Status of Women Council of the Northwest Territories and staff from the Department of Executive.
Minister Sandy Lee, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, and I would like to thank all the people who are working hard to ensure a successful summit. I would also like to recognize the contribution of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada to support the summit. We look forward to welcoming participants of the National Aboriginal Women’s Summit to our beautiful territory. We will ensure they benefit from our famous northern hospitality, and I know it will be a successful event.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today it gives me great pleasure to use my Member’s statement to do a special acknowledgement of the crew of the HMCS Yellowknife who are in our gallery today.
They’ve been here for a number of days, and I want to thank them for making the long trek all the way here to Yellowknife, to our community. I believe they are meeting with a number of veterans and seniors, and they’re getting to know folks on the ground one on one. I’m very grateful that they’ve taken this time.
I understand that several of them will be playing in the Midnight Golf Tournament, and I wish them good luck. It is a different course to play, and if you need any help with fixing scorecards, come talk to me. I’m very experienced around that.
The HMCS Yellowknife crew comes to Yellowknife from time to time, and I’d be remiss not to mention the role that former mayor Pat McMahon played. She was a very strong advocate for the establishment of the ship and making sure its crew did don its presence from time to time here in Yellowknife.
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage them to partake in every opportunity that Yellowknife has to offer. I certainly know they are here to meet the community, because they are contributing in their way. But I want to emphasize a special acknowledgement of the fact that they do defend our sovereignty and play a significant role in our Forces.
I want to close my statement by acknowledging each member quickly, and I apologize in advance if I say your names incorrectly. I’d like to acknowledge as follows: Lieutenant Commander Grant Bannister; Lieutenant Larry Moraal; Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class John Malysheff; Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class Frank Vengels; Petty Officer 2nd Class Scott Duguay; Petty Officer 2nd Class Hugh O'Neill; Master Seaman Amanda Dunphy; Master Seaman Kevin Andres; Master Corporal John Hodson; Master Seaman Kumar Ingam; Leading Seaman Erik Lindholm; Leading Seaman Jason Zerdin; Leading Seaman Jennifer Lawless, who I think also is a Yellowknifer; Leading Seaman Catherine Bouchard; Leading Seaman Matthew Houghtling; Leading Seaman Ray Crowder; Leading Seaman James Nauss; Leading Seaman Derrick Fedoryshyn; Able Seaman Amanda McCabe; and Leading Seaman Matthew Rexin.
Mr. Speaker, at this time I want to thank them for coming to Yellowknife. I certainly appreciate their representation here.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Support for the voluntary sector is a priority of this government, yet voluntary sector organizations that deliver key human services continue to struggle to find funding to help improve salaries, keep their staff, pay their utility bills and keep their doors open to those in need. Their only options seem to be to cut services or run a deficit.
Forced-growth requests from NGOs throughout the NWT have met with limited success, and some agencies are not even offered this opportunity by the GNWT. Family violence shelters have been instructed that help is on the way in the form of a GNWT review of sector financing. This would be most welcome to the sector.
Mr. Speaker, late in the last Assembly the government expressed dismay at how they could operate a shelter for the same amount they have previously allocated to an NGO to operate it, but little has been done to support these NGOs, which provide incredibly valuable services to the people of the NWT. As a note, the Action Plan on Family Violence includes some relief for staff retention in this fiscal year but not after that.
NGOs and other voluntary sector organizations would like some assurances that this review of the sector financing will be timely, produce tangible results and include their participation. Given that these, our stakeholders, are our best resource when discussing the challenges the sector faces, it would be unfortunate to not involve the sector in the review and identification of solutions.
The clock is ticking, and human service agencies do not want to be forced to reduce key services year after year. It’s not in the best interest of the people of the NWT for this happen.
At the appropriate time I’ll be asking the Premier some questions on this topic.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Drinking and driving remains a serious problem in the NWT. Despite the introduction of new rules and harsher penalties in 2004, impaired driving is still the number one cause of death or injury on our roads.
We do have a useful tool to deal with the NWT’s worst drunk drivers. It is called the ignition interlock device and prevents drivers from using their vehicles if they are not sober. This device requires the driver to provide a breath sample before the engine can be started. It also demands random breath samples while the vehicle is being driven. If the driver does not pass the breath test, the vehicle horn is then activated.
The Department of Transportation can impose conditions on drivers who wish to have their licences reinstated after being convicted on a drunk-driving charge. One of those conditions is the installation of this ignition interlock device.
I believe we need to make these devices mandatory for any NWT residents who have been convicted of having twice the legal alcohol limit, who refused to give a breath sample or who are repeat offenders.
Being a licensed driver is a privilege that comes with responsibility. We need to get tough on those who repeatedly show contempt for the law and for the safety of their fellow citizens by driving while impaired
I urge the Minister to use the tools that are readily available in legislation and implement the mandatory ignition interlock program.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to address the elders in my aboriginal language. [English translation not provided.]
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the last few months I’ve seen a number of important achievements for my Nunakput riding: the opening of the RCMP detachment in Sachs Harbour, the 24th anniversary of the signing of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, the awarding of the new exploration bids in the Beaufort Sea, and at last, my access road 177 has made it into the government’s plans thanks to the Building Canada Fund and all 19 Members’ support. I thank you.
Although we have so much to celebrate, Mr. Speaker, life in the small communities, like those I represent, continues to be very difficult. The programs and standards are not up to the same standards as those in larger centres.
During the session I have spoken about run-down medical equipment in Tuktoyaktuk; the importance of funding the Aboriginal Sports Circles so the youth in the communities have access to the same opportunities as those in the larger centres; the unfairness of claw-backs to the Inuvialuit beneficiary dividend cheques, though it is not income, through the Income Support program; the need to give elders’ cheques twice a month instead of once a month; the lower quality of education in small communities and the need for adequate housing for teachers; the legacy of residential schools; homelessness; shamefully rundown housing with problems such as black mould and elders not being able to open their doors in the winter months; and the high cost of everything, from groceries to heating oil to power, which makes living in Nunakput communities so difficult.
Mr. Speaker, you and my colleagues can expect to hear me raise these issues again and again until I make some progress on them. I look forward to working with my fellow Regular Members and Ministers to address these concerns. We are now coming to the end of the budget session, and I’m pleased to say that our long debates resulted in some victories for the Northwest Territories and Nunakput.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In particular, the court worker and renewable resource officers positions, which were slated to be cut, were reinstated, thanks to the support of my colleagues. I’m very much looking forward to returning to Nunakput and visiting all my constituents in the near future. I would like to thank them for being a strong voice and coming forward with their issues and concerns. I want to assure them that I’ll be continuing to work hard on their behalf to improve life in our communities.
This is our last day of sitting. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the hard-working staff of the Office of the Clerk, my colleagues and you, Mr. Speaker, for guidance and support during this long sitting. I would also like to wish everyone a happy Aboriginal Day and Canada Day. Have a safe and enjoyable summer.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to talk about revenue leakage, the loss of dollars, just like with a bathtub drain, out of the Northwest Territories, out of our communities. Solutions to plugging this drain would be a huge contribution to a healthy economic stimulus for the Northwest Territories. The Government of Canada announced this morning that $40 million is the subsidy that they provide for food mail for the North. They started to suggest that we grow our own food. What a concept.
This government subsidizes almost $140 million to various forms of cost-of-living expenses. When I worked in the community of Whati, I noticed that during flights into the community the aircraft were filled with things that could have been made and produced locally. I studied local retail outlets to see how much money was being spent on water, believe it or not, and pop, which is coloured water with sugar added. It was over $100,000 per year. Mr. Speaker, these are opportunities for local economic development. Commercial birch syrup is now happening in the Northwest Territories and could provide a source of fructose sweetener, which is a much better source of carbohydrates and nutrients than the refined sugars and artificial sweeteners we see in our pop.
Everybody knows what we’re spending on oil and gas and fuel. We’re shipping hundreds of millions of dollars from our communities to outside our Territories. With the export of dollars and the import of goods and services we send away our jobs, our skills, our opportunities and our local economies. With this go our health, our social supports, our self-sufficiency and our ability to make good local decisions on resource management.
Over the coming summer months our Cabinet will be developing the business plans for the 2009–2010 budget. They will be establishing a program review office, finally, to base the redirection and cuts on a sane and justified assessment of needs. They will develop new initiatives that establish a new approach with heightened efficiency and effectiveness. It is my hope that all of these good works will address our large and pressing challenges. In particular, I hope that the work, in a thoughtful and coordinated government-wide way, will plug our leaky economy, the flush of our dollars away from our communities and the loss of our basic skills, self-sufficiency and local development.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
Mr. Speaker, I will be ready and demanding, when next we gather, to finally reverse some of these trends and truly do good work for the benefits of our residents, our land and our families.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Mr. Speaker, June 21 is a special day to all Northerners, aboriginal people in the NWT and across Canada. The Northwest Territories is the first jurisdiction in Canada to make June 21 a statutory holiday in recognition of National Aboriginal Day. It’s a day that’s there to recognize our First Nations peoples and the significant role they played in the history of Canada and the Northwest Territories and how the First Nations people of the land welcomed the newcomers to Canada and the Northwest Territories. The unique culture and history we have within the Northwest Territories is because of our First Nations people.
Mr. Speaker, June 21 is the day to celebrate not only the uniqueness of our First Nations people but the history and culture of the Northwest Territories and the role our First Nations people have played in developing the North into what it is today. We cannot lose sight of the culture, history and values of the First Nations people in everything we do, and the protection of our land, protection of our waters and also the protection of our languages.
With that, I wish everyone in the Northwest Territories to celebrate June 21 with the aboriginal people of the Northwest Territories in recognition of the contributions our First Nations people have made to the history and the uniqueness of the Northwest Territories. I wish everyone all the best for National Aboriginal Day. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, many years ago Canada decided that a new town was going to be built in the Mackenzie Delta because Aklavik, the regional centre at the time, was sinking and would soon disappear. Well, we know now that Aklavik didn’t disappear. We saw it in the budget documents.
After a few locations were surveyed, Mr. Speaker, East Three was chosen as the new site for the proposed town. My grandfather Dan McLeod was part of the original survey team in 1954, and 1958 was the beginning of the community of Inuvik.
For such a young community Inuvik has a very colourful history. For many years we had the Canadian Forces base in Inuvik with 400 to 500 people. That closed down in the mid-’80s. Many families left, but a lot of the families, or a lot of the kids from the CFS, are still living in Inuvik and made Inuvik their home.
Mr. Speaker, despite all the negatives surrounding residential schools, Inuvik was the location of both Stringer Hall and Grollier Hall. We had an opportunity, growing up in Inuvik, to go to school with the CFS kids. We called them students from Grollier Hall and Stringer Hall. We made many good friends from the hostels and with CFS kids. We have many good friends to this day. That was one of very few positives that came out of the whole residential school experience.
In the mid-’70s there was an oil boom in Inuvik and the Beaufort-Delta that went on strong for a few years and then just stopped as quickly as it started. It’s starting to pick back up again, Mr. Speaker. We see that with the announcement of all the money spent on exploration. We expect it to pick up again soon. We will be back to booming, and the residents of Beaufort-Delta will benefit greatly from this.
This summer, Mr. Speaker, Inuvik will be celebrating its 50th anniversary with two weeks of celebrations. Many activities are planned for it. We have the Great Northern Arts Festival. We’ve got two weeks of events going on. We’d like to have a ball tournament, but our ball fields were torn down, so we can’t have that. It will all be on July 18. It’s the big day; it’s the 50th Anniversary civic holiday. They’re planning a homecoming. We’ll have many past and former residents of Inuvik coming to Inuvik to take part in these celebrations.
I’d like to use this opportunity to congratulate the Town of Inuvik for all their perseverance over the years. I welcome all visitors from the NWT to come up this summer and join us in celebrating 50 years.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s the last day of session, and I will be glad to be going home. When I first came here at the beginning of session I was one of the ones who said, “Let’s not waste our beautiful summer days in here.” I saw ice on the lake and buds on the trees when we got here, but we’ve gone through a change of season.
I was one of the ones who said, “Let’s not try to beat this untenable budget document to death here. Let’s just go back to the drawing board and come back.” But a number of Members wanted to persevere and press on, and they did. Between reinstatements, reinvestments, reassignments and the fact that we’re going to be revisiting some of the ’09–10 cuts when we come back to do our business plan, I think we ended up with something that we can go home and talk to our constituents about and be very proud of some of the advances and some of the accomplishments that will be entailed in that budget document. I do look forward to getting back to Hay River and debriefing with my constituents and dissecting some of the details of the budget further.
Mr. Speaker, this was an experience. It was an unusual experience, even for those of us who’ve been around here for awhile. I must say that I’ve gotten to know all the Members quite a bit better. I want to say how much I appreciate all their perspectives and what they bring to the table. I think there are many things that can be accomplished when we work together.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s been over ten years now since diamonds were first processed at the Ekati mine, north of Yellowknife. After ten years I do believe it is time to review our policies, our objectives and the strategy as it pertains to diamonds.
It was just over three years ago that the Department of ITI gutted the diamond division within the department. It was a decision by the former government that that happened. Given what is at stake with the development of mines across this country in jurisdictions such as Saskatchewan, Ontario and potentially Quebec, I believe that we need to move on the review of our diamond policy. Otherwise, we’re going to get lost in the crowd. I’d like to know who’s going to be doing the work on the strategy. Who’s going to be planning our objectives and the policy? We need to have some concrete plans, Mr. Speaker, because we can’t afford to wait. Other jurisdictions will pass us by.
There’s no reason we couldn’t set up a diamond exchange here in the Northwest Territories. If we’re reviewing the policy, let’s take the 10 per cent of the rough, keep them locked up here in Yellowknife or in another community, and we could disperse them to the world. If you have diamonds, people will come. There are examples of that around the world. We don’t need to be an Antwerp, a London or even, potentially, Toronto to have a diamond exchange. If we don’t get off of our backsides, Toronto is going to be the place that has a diamond exchange in this country — not Yellowknife, not the Northwest Territories, but Toronto. I think that would be a shame, Mr. Speaker, because I think there’s more we could do about that.
The fact is that we’re not making any progress, I believe. Not much progress has been made in the last 20 years on resource-revenue sharing. I believe it’s time we start looking outside of the box and we start, as a government, putting some money in an equity position in resource development.
If you can’t beat them, let’s join them. Let’s get some tangible results and tangible return on our investments, so we can put money back into our communities. If the federal government is not going to give it to us, let’s get involved ourselves, and let’s do that. That has to be a part of the plan. I don’t think we should overlook equity positions in resource development, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to welcome to the House His Worship, Mayor Mervin Gruben, from Tuktoyaktuk. Welcome.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to welcome my wife, Jenny, and my children, Kristin, Mikayla, Matthew and Mitchell, and thank them for all their support in this last month.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to welcome again all the visitors from Nunakput. It’s nice to see them in the crowd. I also would like to recognize my constituency assistant, Ms. Lynda Comerford. And with Lynda, visiting from Nova Scotia, is Ms. Vivian Schouteten. Welcome to Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories.
