Debates of June 2, 2004 (day 18)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first congratulate you on your new position as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and welcome the honourable David Krutko as the new Member of the Executive Council. I look forward to a continued constructive and cooperative working relationship with you both.

I am pleased to inform this assembly that I have assigned the following portfolio responsibilities effective 5:00 p.m. today.

The honourable David Krutko will be Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and Minister responsible for the Workers’ Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

The Honourable Michael McLeod will be Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

The Honourable Floyd Roland will be responsible for the Public Utilities Board.

Mr. Speaker, all other assignments remain unchanged. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to announce this year’s recipients of the Premier’s Award for Excellence.

The Premier’s Award for Excellence was created to recognize GNWT employees who have distinguished themselves through work-related achievements and contributions.

Today, I honour the following employees and teams for their accomplishments.

Bob Bailey is an assistant deputy minister with the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. Since his time with RWED, he has shown a strong commitment to its overall goals and initiatives. This has included developing new important legislation. Bob’s strong belief and support of teamwork in the department has also been a key factor in the department’s success.

Bill Hval is the airport manager at the Fort Smith Airport. His dedication to providing quality service to both clients and carriers is very apparent. Bill has been recognized in particular for his strong commitment and initiative in working with the community of Fort Smith in developing a fire abatement project that has practical benefits for the community.

Doug Doan is an assistant deputy minister with the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. Doug has shown a strong commitment to the department’s overall goals and initiatives and has played an important role in ensuring the department work together to meet its objectives. These initiatives undertaken by RWED are often quite complex and require a great deal of commitment. Doug has shown that he is committed to helping provide quality programs that meet the department’s mandate to promote sustainable development.

Bill Pogson is the acting director of corrections services. Bill has played a key role in assisting managers of the various correctional facilities to develop effective programs and staffing levels. He provided the leadership with new outreach programs at two young offender facilities that provide core programming for youth in the community who were considered at risk for incarceration, lead the conversion of a facility from youth to adult offenders and lead much of the successful establishment of the new North Slave correctional facilities.

The occupational certification team has been key in creating new occupational standards for the Northwest Territories. This team includes Colleen Proctor and Angela Littlefair from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, and David Earle from the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. This team invested a significant amount of time in gathering information regarding current standards for specific occupations and in developing a certification process. Occupational certification benefits employers, employees and the general public through the establishment and recognition of occupational standards.

The NWT teacher induction program team includes Amanda Mallon and Muriel Tolley from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. This team has developed and implemented a program that supports new teachers in their first year in the classroom. It provides an orientation, ongoing mentoring and assistance from experienced teachers. This mentoring program is now in its third year and has proven to be successful in retaining teachers. Their efforts represent the government’s commitment to quality teaching in the North.

The Stanton benchmark study team is comprised of Robert Adolph, Corinne Devitt, Marta Moir and Heather Webb from the Stanton Territorial Health Authority. This team has demonstrated significant initiative and effort in preparing the Stanton Territorial Hospital submission for the Canadian-wide benchmarking study. This study will allow Stanton to measure its services to NWT residents in areas such as patient care, efficiency, quality and utilization of services against the performance of other major health facilities across the country. This will help identify areas of strength and areas of improvement regarding the services the hospital provides to the citizens of the North.

Mr. Speaker, all teams and employees who have been chosen to receive this award were nominated because they demonstrated excellence, innovation and dedication to their work. They have provided a valuable contribution and it is my great pleasure to honour them. Please join me in congratulating them on their achievements. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association as they celebrate their 50th anniversary in service to teachers in the Northwest Territories. During their tenure they have provided strong and effective representation for their membership, and through their work, services to the students of the Northwest Territories.

The association was first formed in Fort Smith during a teachers’ conference in 1953. At the time, there were 63 teachers in the Territories. The association was responsible for providing services to teachers spread out across a huge territory, over 1.5 million square kilometres since it included the area that is now the Nunavut territory.

Today, the NWTTA represents almost 770 teachers across the Northwest Territories in 49 schools in 31 communities.

In the North, we have been blessed with some of the most dedicated teachers the profession has to offer. Each of these individuals have been represented in a highly ethical and professional manner by their association, and it is an effective voice for the profession.

The NWTA has been an effective voice in contract negotiations for their membership. While these negotiations have had some challenges, we know that the NWTA representatives were always bargaining for the best possible outcomes for their members.

As well as highlighting the 50th anniversary of the NWTTA, I would like to acknowledge the accomplishments of an individual who has worked tirelessly on behalf of his membership, Mr. David Murphy. Mr. Murphy was first elected president of the NWTTA in 2000 and then acclaimed by his membership for this present term, which ends this month. His work has been significant for his membership, ensuring that the association placed a strong focus on professional growth and in strengthening the education system as a whole.

I would like to close by thanking the NWTTA for its 50 years of service. We look forward to working together in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise in the House today to inform Members that June 3-12, 2004, is National Transportation Week in Canada. The first week of June is designated annually as a time to recognize and celebrate the contributions that one million Canadians make to a transportation system that is recognized as one of the best and most competitive in the world.

The theme for this year's observance is "Transportation Innovation and Accessibility." It is a fitting focus for an industry where innovation has always been its hallmark. Canada has been at the forefront with advances in fuel efficiencies, transportation methods and safer, more environmentally-friendly transportation.

Mr. Speaker, in a geographically isolated region such as the Northwest Territories, where distances are great and the environment harsh, innovation is an essential qualification for survival, let alone prosperity. Northern transportation businesses and governments must be innovative in their practices and approaches to transportation issues and challenges in order to build a strong economy, stimulate economic development and improve the quality of life for all residents of the territory.

I am proud to say that northern workers and transportation businesses have earned a reputation that extends beyond our borders for development and applying innovative technology in many aspects of transportation operations. Over many years, a pool of expertise has developed within the territory that brings its collective knowledge and experience to bear on activities and projects of great importance to this government and to our residents.

The residents of the NWT, and thousands of visitors to our territory every year, benefit from the bold spirit, dedication and commitment to progress and excellence for which northern transportation companies and workers are known. Mr. Speaker, I know Members of this House also join with me in extending thanks to the employees of the Department of Transportation. They play a valuable role in providing a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I invite and encourage Members of this assembly and the public to use this special week as an opportunity to learn more about transportation and its important role in our every day lives and to pay tribute to the men and women whose collective efforts make this vital sector such an important agent for growth and prosperity.

As the Northwest Territories continues to move forward economically and socially, it will be in no small measure because of the strength and vitality of a transportation industry that connects our communities and our people with each other and with the markets and communities in the rest of Canada and throughout the world. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Public safety is a concern of many residents in the Northwest Territories. This government is addressing this concern through a partnership of governments, police and residents. Today I will highlight some of the innovative partnerships that are working to make our communities safer.

The Department of Justice is working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to improve public safety by enhancing policing services. Working together to identify and meet the RCMP's resource demands has resulted in this government including 12 new officer positions in the 2004-2005 budget.

Six of these officers form a relief unit to ensure policing levels are maintained in smaller communities, and patrols into communities without resident RCMP can be increased. The remaining six positions will be assigned by the RCMP to help meet service demands in Inuvik, Rae, Yellowknife and Hay River. Eleven of these positions have already been filled.

In the city of Yellowknife, a partnership between the government, RCMP and the community is making our streets safer. The Department of Justice funds a dedicated RCMP position to support initiatives like the Community Wellness Committee.

Through this committee, residents are playing an active role in making the community safer. In addition to the citizens on patrol program, which brings extra eyes onto city streets, the RCMP has increased foot patrols in the downtown core. These daily patrols are conducted after school hours and during the evening.

Enhancing policing services is not the only area where innovative partnerships are making our communities safer. In the area of corrections services, community partnerships are helping supervise and reintegrate offenders back into communities.

A new partnership between the Fort McPherson Wellness Committee and the Department of Justice resulted in nine adult offenders successfully completing the first transition program at Tl'oondih lodge this spring. The program included traditional and cultural healing to assist offenders in the transition from the correctional facility back to their home.

As a result of the establishing partnerships for reintegration planning and support workshop held earlier this year, the government has committed to increasing the involvement of community members in developing case management and reintegration plans for young offenders. By involving the community, young offenders will have more support to help them avoid re-offending, making our communities safer.

One of the most successful partnerships has been between the RCMP, Justice Canada, the Department of Justice and communities, to develop alternatives to the justice system through community-based initiatives. The community justice program requires the involvement and support of all partners.

The RCMP and Justice Canada recognize the role communities can play as an alternative to the formal justice system. Communities want to be involved in resolving their own problems in the communities on their own, and the Department of Justice is committed to providing them with support and guidance to do so effectively. This partnership has resulted in the number of community justice activities and diversions exceeding all current targets.

Mr. Speaker, the partnerships I have highlighted today show the progress this government has made towards making our communities safer. They also demonstrate that we all have a role to play. We must be aware of what is happening in our communities and report illegal activity to the RCMP. Our refusal to accept crime, violence or abuse of any kind is the best way to make our communities safer.

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Mr. Speaker, planning for the western Premiers' conference is in full swing and I would like to take this opportunity to provide an update of this prestigious event the Northwest Territories is hosting on July 7th to 9th in Inuvik.

Intergovernmental affairs representatives from the seven western jurisdictions are working on finalizing the agenda for the meeting amongst western Premiers. Premiers have not yet endorsed the agenda, but I can tell you that I have proposed that energy and devolution and resource revenue sharing be included. Once the agenda has been finalized and endorsed by western Premiers, it will be a public document.

In terms of the logistics, we have finalized a program for the 1.5 days and I am pleased to say that the community of Inuvik will be invited to join the seven Premiers and their delegations to an evening of northern entertainment, showcasing our home-grown talents and sharing a glimpse of our rich cultures. It will include a demonstration of northern games and an evening of performance by Inuvialuit drummers, Gwich'in dancers and a number of well-known musical performers.

Mindful of the costs associated with hosting an event of this magnitude, we have made every effort to keep the costs down and raise corporate sponsorship wherever possible. I am very pleased to announce that to date, we have secured approximately $70,000 in corporate sponsorship. In addition to substantial cash contributions, we have also received generous in-kind contributions from northern businesses and aboriginal governments across the NWT. I would like to extend a huge thank you to all those who have contributed so generously. The Department of Executive will continue its efforts to raise additional corporate sponsors to help offset the costs. I would also like to thank regional staff for their assistance and willingness to volunteer their time during the event.

Aside from the honour of welcoming our friends from the west and north to our beautiful home, the benefits of hosting the western Premiers are many. Being host provides an opportunity to showcase the NWT, build our national profile and promote our economic opportunities and tourism potential. Hosting the event in the Beaufort-Delta also means a significant financial injection to the region and enticing delegates to stay for a couple of extra days and tour the region. Over the next few days, Members will be provided detailed conference information and I encourage you to contact me if you would like further discussions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity. I would just like to wish my colleagues well as we recess for the summer months and do our constituency business. I wish them all safe travels.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday in the House, I questioned the Minister of Education about our government’s apparent lack of support for aboriginal language professionals within the education system. Specifically I asked the Minister why the government was not offering programs or bursaries to promote the study of aboriginal languages. I made the point that if the government truly wanted to support aboriginal languages, then they would design the program to encourage or support people who wished to enter the field. Yesterday in a press release, the Minister announced a bursary program for aboriginal students studying law. In that release, he states that this program is an important way of supporting the development of a culturally representative legal community in the NWT. He further states that by providing support and employment to indigenous aboriginal students studying law, these students will make a long-term contribution to the North.

The Minister even goes further in the support of the legal studies program by offering a mentor program to students and also by guaranteeing them summer employment while they are at school. For the record, I would like to state that I fully support the Minister on this new initiative. I believe it will do just what it is designed to do: it will encourage students to study law. How could it do anything else?

I also believe the same kind of support for aboriginal language professionals will promote that sector of education too, and that is precisely the point I made to the Minister earlier in the week. Actions speak louder than words, Mr. Speaker. With the implementation of this new initiative, the Minister has spoken very loudly indeed, despite his assurances to the contrary. With his announcement, the Minister has revealed his priorities for education and clearly the study of aboriginal languages is not one of them.

Mr. Speaker, this is important enough for me to bring up because what happens today is when an aboriginal language instructor is…Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are none. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Speaker, this is important enough for me to bring up because what happens is that when an aboriginal language instructor is unable to make it to work, the class is generally cancelled for lack of qualified substitutes. I will bring this up in questions to the Minister responsible at the appropriate time. Mahsi cho.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to talk about the Aboriginal Youth and Partners Society in Edmonton and about the uncertainty of outpatient clients in the Northwest Territories who are living in that facility. Two of the clients in that facility are my constituents, so I have become involved in this matter. As it stands today, Mr. Speaker, NWT clients are being asked by this government to move to a new service provider, Edmonton Creative Services. They are concerned that the service will not be good, and they have indicated that they do not want to move.

The Department of Health and Social Services will no longer fund the Aboriginal Partners and Youth Society simply because it has not approved of residential care provided in Alberta. Clients who wish to remain have to make their own funding arrangements. This is unlikely to happen. Mr. Speaker, with them, the two clients in the Aboriginal Partners and Youth Society, who are from the Sahtu region, have contacted me to ask for my assistance. Mr. Speaker, I cannot advocate for a cause that opens them to lawsuits. This would be irresponsible for the legislature. However, Mr. Speaker, I will say that I am angry with the way this choice has been handled. The worst that the Minister has done is that he did not have the decency to speak to the families of the clients in person; he did it by phone. Even if the department works with the Aboriginal Partners and Youth Society to assist this client to get a ticket, will it be sometime before this happens. No matter what, there will be disruptions from clients who need stability. I cannot help but feel the frustration I have. Once again aboriginal people from the North find themselves thousands of miles away from their home, their families and their culture at the mercy of the bureaucratic system, to which they and their families have virtually no involvement and certainty in the discussions of making this decision.

Mr. Speaker, I feel very strongly that residents of the Sahtu region should not be sent a thousand miles from their home to seek the care they need. One million dollars a year to house nine individuals, Mr. Speaker, $1 million. For $1 million one would think that we could do something to meet the needs closer to home. Mr. Speaker, this is the last day that this assembly is together. This is my last chance to speak about the issue. My sympathy goes out to the clients and their families that have to deal with the frustration and the unfortunate situation. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue with my statement.

The Honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, honourable colleagues. Mr. Speaker, these clients are far away from home, Mr. Speaker, and they have certainly looked to us for some guidance and direction as it costs a lot of money for families to go down to Edmonton. Mr. Speaker, I don’t see why the facilities that are operating in the Northwest Territories are running empty, and this government is paying millions of dollars to keep them operational. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, during Committee of the Whole, we were discussing the developments of a Mackenzie Valley pipeline office. The process setting up this office is $850,000, and it is contained within Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1. I would be the first one to say that this office is much needed and overdue. I do realize the importance of this office for most of my colleagues and for the ridings they represent. However, Mr. Speaker, I have some degree of difficulty in understanding why it is that this cash-strapped government, by my count, that has today over 20 persons dedicated to this initiative government-wide, comes back to this House looking for $850,000.

This project is a multi-billion dollar project that will impact the lives and future of many of our residents and our territory. Where is the leadership from this government? Why are we scrambling at what seems like the eleventh hour when we have had prior knowledge of this for years? I would have preferred if the government went out and collected the positions and funds attached to these positions and coupled these positions with the existing Mackenzie Valley development section to form this new readiness office.

As a government, we must ensure that there is coordination. Today, Mr. Speaker, I do not see the coordination. I just see the growth of our public service, and this causes me to be very concerned. I am of the mind that, given the size of our workforce, especially in the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, and our billion dollar budget, the government should be able to coordinate and come up with the $850,000 and the PYs for this new office initiative. It just seems to me that it is so easy for the government to come back two months after a budget is passed to try to get $850,000 via supplementary appropriation. Why was there not any planning for this office? We knew it was coming. I will have questions for the Minister responsible at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have listened with interest to the comments made in this House and in the media over the past week with respect to northern clients with disabilities who are being cared for in Alberta. I realize that there may be occasions when northern residents cannot receive very specialized services that they may require in the North, given our smaller population and more limited services.

The one group home being referred to has had difficulty with their licensing, insurance, accreditation, and they have at least nine NWT clients residing there. Mr. Speaker, I realize that this may create a position of liability for our government, and I am not particularly interested in speaking so much to that issue as I am to the fact of why this many northerners are being cared for in Alberta in the first place.

Mr. Speaker, I personally had the opportunity to tour some of the facilities in Alberta. I realize that some of them are extremely specialized, and we are not able to duplicate those services here in the North. I am also aware of the fees we are paying for some of these services in the South. I find it hard to accept that more programs and services for northerners with disabilities cannot be provided in the North by northerners. I think of the facilities we currently have on the Hay River Reserve, in Fort Simpson and in Yellowknife, just to name some locations. I am quite certain that not all of these facilities are operating at full capacity. These facilities are staffed by northerners. They are closer to the clients’ families, and they are accessible to many cultural, recreational, medical and professional services.

Mr. Speaker, it does not seem like there should be any magic associated with figuring out a way to stop this exodus of our clients to Alberta and the jobs that are also associated with caring for these folks. I am not sure what all of the obstacles are to repatriating these clients to the North, but I will have some questions about this matter for the Minister of Health and Social Services today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to draw your attention to income support programs and the list of allowable expenses under the act. Mr. Speaker, a telephone is not a necessity under the act. If you ask the department why this is, they will tell you they allocate a certain amount of money to each person on social assistance and leave it up to them as to decide how they wish to spend the money.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to tell you the way I see it. Let us imagine a mother with two young children. How much money would this mother receive each month to house, feed, and clothe herself and her children? Mr. Speaker, we could presumably have rent for $750, utilities for $300, food for $500, earned income of $400; employment income of $600. They would have to have $200 of that $600 clawed back. This month, the parent can expect to receive $1,350, and after paying the bills, this might leave that parent with $400. Mr. Speaker, that is about $100 per week. Mr. Speaker, let us think about other expenses this parent would have to pay out of that $100 a week. They have laundry, probably a few loads a week knowing kids. They have field trips and sports. Sports for the children requires equipment. You know the price of those types of expenses. I could go on, but I am sure I have made my point.

The extra $50 phone bill expense would be a burden to this parent. Mr. Speaker, I have to bring to your attention our new Tele-Care NWT service won’t be much use to this parent without a telephone to call this service. Ironically, Mr. Speaker, I might add, neither can they afford to take a taxi to the hospital. This phone service is supposed to prevent this because transportation costs are not included under allowable expenses.

Mr. Speaker, in this day and age, a telephone is a necessary expense. I would encourage the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to consider these numbers and re-evaluate the position on this important expense. Later this afternoon, I will be having questions for the Minister responsible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week, the Northwest Territories, through the Minister of RWED, played host to the national diamond strategy, a round table discussion, Mr. Speaker, that was co-chaired by a Minister from Quebec. The discussion was to see what kind of policy and developmental strategy could be undertaken to advance the diamond industry on a national scale. I am very supportive of the moves taken by this government to show leadership in that area. The NWT, of course, is the third biggest producer now. We are also leading the country in establishing secondary industries with sorting, cutting and polishing. That’s an area of concern for me this morning, Mr. Speaker.

Unfortunately, it comes from comments made a few weeks ago by the mining industry itself. The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, the Canadian Institute of Mining and the NWT and Nunavut Chambers of Commerce issued some of their comments related to a national diamond mining strategy and it was something I was disappointed to see. They criticized this government for its input into supporting the development of secondary diamond industries. In fact, I think they weren’t very well informed. They call the support we are undertaking a subsidy of this issue.

In one of their other recommendations, Mr. Speaker, they suggested the expense that they incur voluntarily through things like social support agreements and impact benefit agreements should be allowed as tax breaks. I really found this a contrast. On one hand they say we are subsidizing and trying to establish a secondary diamond cutting industry, but they are saying that they deserve a break from the taxpayer for these other kinds of expenses.

I just wanted to draw the attention of the assembly to these contrasts. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask unanimous consent to complete my statement.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to complete his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have spent most of my life so far in the Northwest Territories. Mining is very much a part of my life and my family. I like to think I am a friend of the mining industry, but when these kinds of statements come out that are critical of the attempts that our government is making to establish a new industry here in Canada and show some leadership, I am disappointed. I just wanted to put that on the record that I think the mining industry still has some tuning up to do on its own front to consider its role in the long-term development of not only the diamond industry in the Northwest Territories, but in Canada as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, let me start off congratulating you on your appointment as Speaker and to the honourable David Krutko as a Member of Cabinet.

Mr. Speaker, June is the month when students are graduating. There are a number of students from my riding who will be graduating from Grade 12 this month. I would like to recognize the following students from Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk: Mr. Wayne Chicksi and Dolly Wolki with three more to be confirmed later this month after exams.

From Helen Kalvik School in Holman: Gary Okheena, Heather Okheena, Helen Ekootak, Anita Oliktoak, Donna Akhiatak and Victoria Akhuatak.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in wishing these graduates success in their future endeavours.

I would also like to recognize Mr. Gerald Noksana, who was a Page during the session. Mr. Noksana also participated in the Youth Parliament last month. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to wish all colleagues a safe journey home after the session.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the course of our time, we spend a huge amount of time trying to deal with the major social problems and the costs associated with those problems and very seldom finding corrective methods to deal with them.

There is one aspect of our lifestyle in the Northwest Territories that is very important to indigenous northerners, and those who understand the value of a renewable resource lifestyle would understand my statement today.

Mr. Speaker, in the history of the Mackenzie Delta, we have over 25,000 lakes, approximately 125,000 kilometres of waterways, and I have been told by a hydrologist that about one million gallons of water flows on a per-second basis out from the Mackenzie Delta, which is the 12th largest delta in the world, into the Beaufort Sea area.

The point I am trying to make today, Mr. Speaker, is we are concluding the annual muskrat hunting season. People are beginning to look at moving into town to celebrate their harvest levels. They go to RWED to get their fur cheques and advances. They celebrate for a few weeks and prepare to go into the oil camps in early July and to their fish camps to make dry fish. We get to participate in some tourism activities that occur along the Mackenzie Delta waterways, along the Dempster Highway. I am going to say before we travel back home that I would like to congratulate all those Members who participate in this annual muskrat spring hunting season. I know I have done that many times in our history and I see the Member for Mackenzie Delta smiling because we quite often cross paths in many waterways in the Mackenzie Delta.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure there are many, many stories told of one another as they climb different riverbanks and watch the ice floes go by. It becomes a story in itself. We would like to, at some point, in the near future, invite the Minister of RWED because I was told he has very little experience…

---Laughter

I think it would be a good opportunity for him to come out and learn the hunting and trapping across our vast lands here in the Mackenzie Delta and the Deh Cho.

Finally, I want to wish everyone back home a very joyous summer and especially have a safe boating season. We always seem to have some tragedy on the river and in the waterways. So I encourage you to have a safe summer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about a program this government has been initiating to prepare government employees to advance to higher level government positions like deputy ministers, directors and managers.

Mr. Speaker, the management assignment program, which started last year, selected 25 participants to take part in this important initiative. Out of the 25 people selected for the first round of this program, Mr. Speaker, I only saw one aboriginal person on this list of eligible participants.

Shame, shame!

After the list was sent to various government departments, I have received many inquiries from potential and very qualified aboriginal employees who have been in the government for long periods of time, some even having trained some of the individuals on the list as to why they were not considered eligible to take part in this management program.

Mr. Speaker, although the first 25 participants in this program have yet to receive any type of extra duties or responsibilities to prepare them for the higher level of positions after one year, I have received notice that this program is once again eligible to six eligible employees in this government. Mr. Speaker, I hope that the second round of nominations to engage employees in management assignments not only includes more aboriginals, but also initiates this government to start to…(inaudible)…in this program because the program does seem to be a very low priority as the program is on its second round, but no action has been initiated or identified according to some of the participants who were selected in the first round of this management assignment program. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to join many of the colleagues who have spoken about the situation surrounding northern clients in Alberta facilities. Mr. Speaker, there are lots of issues and questions surrounding this issue, but I would like to speak most of all in favour in moving quickly to repatriate these clients and any other clients we have in southern institutions. Mr. Speaker, I venture to say that Yellowknife has everything that Edmonton does and we could do it better in the North.

I believe there are also facilities in the North that could do this. Mr. Speaker, more importantly, this goes to how the government spends its money. When we go through our government, a big part of our government budget is earmarked. It’s marked in and there is nothing that Members on this side can do and programs like this, where we send clients to the South, are one of them. We give the dollars and we trust that the department, the government, the officials in charge of them, would do their best part to make sure that the money is spent wisely and that the best service possible is provided. The latest issue surrounding these APYS programs should make us revisit this issue, Mr. Speaker. We have the capacity in the North. We are all grown up now. Any people that we need to provide these programs can be hired with the $1 million a year that is currently going to this program.

The Member for Hay River South mentioned Fort Simpson as one of the possible locations, and I believe there are underused facilities there that we could tap into. I would like to add one more item, Mr. Speaker, and that is a facility in Inuvik that currently houses one female young offender for the amount of $800,000 a year.

Shame, shame!

Mr. Speaker, I am not suggesting that these clients be sent to an offender facility, but I understand it’s a very low-risk facility, and perhaps the government should look into moving that young offender to another facility so we could repatriate 10 people to stay in the North and for us to build capacity. I believe we can do that and we have to stop just locking these programs and expect that it will all be taken care of. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I see in the gallery a constituent of mine, Mr. David Legrow. I know he listens to the goings on of this House very closely and I am happy to see him in the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will go back to my statement that I made earlier with regard to the setup of the Mackenzie Valley pipeline office. I am just wondering when can we, as regular Members, get a real firm grip on our full staff complement, government-wide, that deals with pipeline readiness issues on a day-to-day basis in this government? When can we get that type of information? The calculations that I have made is it’s over 20 PYs government-wide. So I am asking the Minister when he might be able to make that information available to us. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development, Mr. Bell.

Return To Question 194-15(3): Responding To Pipeline Development

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we do have positions across the government that are involved in oil and gas. We know that ECE and the college are engaged in training activities, safety, welding and driver training. I think some 400-plus people went through training programs with ECE and the college last year to be ready for oil and gas. MACA does have employees engaged in capacity building, helping communities build capacity to be ready for oil and gas development. Other types of development are obviously RWED, with its petroleum advisors and business programs has a number of people involved in helping us be industry-development ready. Many of these activities have been ongoing. Obviously oil and gas activity in Norman Wells, Liard, currently in the Cameron Hills is all pre-pipeline.

Now we know we are getting ready for what will amount to a mega-project and that is the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. It’s important for us to be ready for this. That’s why we are staffing up the Mackenzie Valley pipeline office. I have taken this proposal to the joint committee, Cabinet/regular Member committee involved in the pipeline. We’ve had our first meeting and received endorsement for the proposal. I took that back to Cabinet. Obviously we are prepared to come to all of the ordinary Members and have discussion about this going forward.

The point is this committee has been established to better understand how this government is going to cope with this pipeline development; but we aren’t talking about just RWED, we are talking across departments. I know the concerns yesterday about mitigating potential social impacts. This committee will provide strategic advice in that regard and I look forward to very productive discussions. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 194-15(3): Responding To Pipeline Development

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Minister, for the response. Why are we not, as a government, coordinating some of these positions the Minister speaks of into this vitally important office? Why aren’t we doing that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.