Colleagues, The Arctic Inspiration Prize has just celebrated its 10th Anniversary. It recognizes northern innovation and excellence and encourages teamwork for the betterment of life in the Arctic. It inspires, enables, and celebrates the achievements of the North. I'd like to congratulate a few teams from the Western Arctic who just received awards showcasing their projects.
For the theme of environment and science, located in Tuktoyaktuk, the Community Climate Resiliency Project. Congratulations, Team.
For the theme of healing, health and wellness, Hope House, located in Inuvik. Congratulations.
For the theme of children and youth, Congratulations to Indigenous Youth River Guide Training, using two territories, the Yukon and Northwest Territories.
Continuing with the theme under children and youth, the winner goes to Treaty Talks from the Northwest Territories. Congratulations.
And finally, for the theme of food security, revitalization of language and Culture, the award goes to Fish Camp at Happy's Landing, located in Fort McPherson. The project will host a fish camp offering the people of the community, as well as visitors, a chance to practice and learn their traditional activities such as harvesting, preparing and drying fish.
Congratulations, everyone, job well done. It's through projects such as these that our communities will become healthier and learn ways to help each other. Thank you, members.
Mr. Speaker, over the last three days, the community of Fort Smith and its residents have been faced with a difficult and scary situation that has shaken their sense of safety
to the core. As a result of a significant police operation in the community, residents were forced to lock themselves in their homes, businesses, or wherever they could seek safety, while the RCMP searched for an individual considered to be armed and dangerous. Thankfully the individual has been brought into custody.
Mr. Speaker, we have lost others to violent crimes in the NWT. We acknowledge that the impacts of crime on a person and a community have immediate and longlasting impacts on those who had no choice in the matter.
On behalf of Cabinet and the Government of the Northwest Territories, I want to extend my sincerest and deepest condolences to the community of Fort Smith and the family and friends of the resident who has tragically lost their life in this incident. We will hold them in our hearts and honour their memory.
We all know just how closeknit communities in the North can be. When tragedy like this strikes, it tears at the very fabric of what it means to be a Northerner. Senseless violence that leads to the loss of life often leaves us with more questions than answers and immense pain and sadness. It is in moments like these that we must pull together and be there for those who have been impacted and support them the best we can. To the community of Fort Smith, our support for you, like the strength and resilience that you have shown during this difficult time and will continue to show, is unwavering.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the many members of law enforcement in the Northwest Territories who have gone above and beyond to ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents in Fort Smith during this difficult time. They put themselves in harms way on a regular basis and risk their lives to protect our homes and communities. I thank them, and all the first responders, for their unwavering dedication, professionalism, and service, and for always being there for us.
Mr. Speaker, I want to tell residents who may be struggling to make sense of what happened to reach out for support. There is no shame in asking for help. The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority has established a dedicated community crisis line for Fort Smith to provide mental health and community wellness services to children, youth, adults, and families in the community. This is available 24/7 and can be accessed by calling 18678720890. There are several other services available to residents so please visit the health authority's website for more details.
We will continue to work with leadership in the community, including the MLA for Thebacha, to ensure that the Government of the Northwest Territories continues to support residents and the communities as best we can during this time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Our thoughts and prayers are with the community at this time. Ministers' statements. Honourable Premier.
Mr. Speaker, it has been two years since COVID19 changed our lives here in the territory. When the outbreak started, we didn't know what to expect, how long it would last, when vaccines would be available, and how we would have to adapt. We also didn't fully understand the toll it would take on all of us, especially health care providers.
Our communities have been hard hit. We lost 19 residents, including elders and knowledgekeepers. Others have suffered from serious illness. Another reality is that we still don't know the longterm affects of COVID19.
Mr. Speaker, it would be challenging to find a resident who is not tired of the pandemic and the restrictions that have been put into place. Early on, these restrictions were one of the few tools we had. That has changed. With vaccines and antiviral medications now available, it is now time to give residents the responsibility to manage their own risk tolerance and make their own choices. We are ready to look past the pandemic and the public health emergency to our new normal.
Just as the Chief Public Health Officer followed an evidencebased approach to put measures into place, we will now follow the same evidencebased approach to end the public health emergency. This is the general framework provided in Emerging Wisely, all the while adapting to the delta and omicron variants we have experienced since the fall.
Mr. Speaker, we are in a good position to shift our focus to preventing severe illness from COVID19 resulting in hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths. Better tools mean more options. It is important to note that this approach is not a new one. This is more in line with how we deal with influenza and many other seasonal viruses.
We all want to get back to normal and by now, we all understand it will be a new kind of normal. I can't stress this enough. The end of the territorial public health emergency is not the end of COVID19, Mr. Speaker. Future scenarios and finalized advice regarding life with COVID19 postpandemic is still being discussed at the national level by chief medical officers of health across Canada.
COVID19 is different than any virus we have had to deal with in most of our lifetimes, and we need to keep our guard up as we learn to normalize living with it. The shutdown of the COVID19 Coordinating Secretariat will be timed to coincide with the end of the public health emergency. When this happens, there are several services provided by the secretariat currently that will no longer be required.
The existence of the secretariat was intended to be temporary, and its closure was always anticipated.
At the same time, we must ensure that we have resources available to deal with COVID19 as an endemic disease. That means looking at the resources necessary to respond to COVID19 postpublic health emergency.
Mr. Speaker, as we have experienced and learned, our approach needs to be flexible enough to adapt when needed. The territory will still experience community outbreaks for some time into the future. The continued evolution of variants of concern introduces significant uncertainty, and the GNWT must remain prepared to respond in the coming months.
Mr. Speaker, when the public health emergency ends, we will no longer need border security and selfisolation plans. We have already removed the requirement for isolating in a regional hub community. What will be maintained within multiple GNWT departments is the ability to respond to outbreaks and protect vulnerable populations. This also includes being prepared to support communities through readiness planning and outbreak response. We anticipate this readiness response system to be in place for one year but it will depend on the COVID19 situation as it unfolds.
This means maintaining some level of capacity in client services such as the 811 phone line. It means ensuring we have good public health policy around risk management measures while maintaining a level of compliance, community outreach, and education, and the capacity to effectively communicate.
We need to maintain effective testing and a public health early warning surveillance strategy. An example is our wastewater surveillance program that has garnered international recognition.
Lastly, Mr. Speaker, we need to recognize that this is now a communitybased approach. We need to work with communities to support them with future outbreaks.
The Secretariat was established in September 2020 to bring together, within a single agency, the critical functions needed to respond to public health orders and recommendations related to the pandemic. It has always been an entity with an end date. Even so, I want to express my gratitude to the people who took up the challenge to work for the secretariat these past two years. Important work has been done to set us up for this moment and our future success.
Mr. Speaker, changes are coming in the next few weeks. I want to reassure all Northerners that the Government of the Northwest Territories remains committed to the goal of protecting their health and wellbeing. There may be a lingering sense of uncertainty, as there usually is when change happens. We have prepared for this day and will be moving forward with a plan for the future. We know we are asking residents to adapt again. We have gotten through the public health emergency together, and we will learn to adapt to our new normal together.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the other day a very serious incident took place in my community of Fort Smith. A violent crime was committed, and it resulted in the death of someone in my community. The entire town was put on lockdown for at least 24 hours over the weekend, and a man hunt had ensued for the suspect who thankfully has now been apprehended as of yesterday afternoon.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the family of the deceased, the Webb family and the Tourangeau family, I want to thank all the residents of Fort Smith for the overwhelming amount of support that was given. The level of unity and support for one another during this crisis was warming to see. The residents of Fort Smith had demonstrated great strength and courage throughout this difficult time.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank all the first responders, especially the RCMP, who kept our residents safe throughout this whole ordeal. I want to acknowledge Inspector Barry LaRocque who is the officerincharge of the NWT RCMP South District. He and his team worked all throughout the weekend to locate and apprehend the suspect.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank the Cabinet but particularly the Premier, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Health, for their attentiveness and assistance during this situation.
Furthermore, I want to thank all the leadership as well in Fort Smith, including the mayor, the Chief of the Salt River First Nation, and the representatives from the Fort Smith Metis Council and Smith Landing First Nation.
In addition, I want to thank the response provided by the Department of Health and Social Services. There was additional staff and mental health resources provided to Fort Smith over the weekend and into this week to help people deal with the aftermath of this incident. The extra help was welcomed and needed.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I offer my sincerest condolences to the family of the deceased. This is a true loss for the town of Fort Smith. I am glad that the situation is now over, but I'm shocked a saddened for it taking place at all. My thoughts and prayers go out to my constituents but especially to the family of the deceased. I want to thank, once again, all the constituents of Thebacha for their vigilance and perseverance during this serious incident in our community. I know we are strong and an united community during times of crisis, and we always pull together to assist one another however we can. The coming days will be hard for the entire community, but I know we will come out of this stronger and more united than ever. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Our prayers continue with the family and community at this time. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I had to make a list of sentences I heard my dad say the most during my childhood "turn off the lights" would make top three. Now as a parent myself, I get it.
Northerners pay the highest electricity rates in Canada. According to Energy Hub, a social enterprise, the 2021 average cost of NWT electricity was 38.2 cents per kilowatt hour. That's more than twice the national average and even 2 percent higher than Nunavut.
High electricity rates put pressure on residents' cost of living and constituents tell me they can't keep up. Sky high power rates will bite us in the butt and hollow out our territory. One big challenge is its customer base. We are a small population spread out over a vast beautiful land, and our growth is stagnant.
The bureau of statistics projects that our population will remain basically flat through the 2030s and without a plan to change that, they are probably right. As a result, paired with limited new industrial activity, power sales have declined by about half a percent per year over the last ten years. And while demand tapers off, costs rise.
Mr. Speaker, when you look at NTPC's annual reports, total expenses grew from $70 million in 2011 to $112 million in 2021. This is equivalent to a 5 percent increase every year. Except for some federal dollars, these cost increases ultimately fall on Northerners through higher bills and tax dollars. And this trend isn't being mitigated as NTPC infrastructure continues to age and continues to drive costs.
Many of the NTPC's generating facilities were built in the 1970s and 1980s. Some assets like NTPC's hydro plants were built even earlier, Mr. Speaker. Before 2018, NTPC's capital expenditures were generally in the $20 million range. Now, NTPC's latest fiveyear capital plan budgets capital spending of about $60 million per year. Federal dollars only off set about 27 percent of this spending, Mr. Speaker. On top of all this, NTPC needs to make significant investments to get off diesel without compromising the entire system.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is why it's so important for NTPC to have a financially sustainable longterm plan. The plan needs to include dedicated staff to source 100 percent federal dollars, and the plan also needs proper oversight. The board needs more than DMs and MLAs need oversight. Coming out of a pandemic, facing increased cost of living, people need hope and people need power, and the government needs a plan to provide both. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, prior to 1989, this government recognized an inequity with respect to Indigenous representation in the GNWT public sector. In an attempt to address that inequity, the government of the day drafted the Affirmative Action Policy. It was a spirited attempt to place Indigenous people into the public sector workforce.
Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to discuss that intent with one of the original drafters. He explained to me that the intent was to increase Indigenous representation, period. Through vetting and additional drafting revisions, the objective lessened. For what reason, one can only assume.
Mr. Speaker, the reason Indigenous people are a minority in the public sector may be that Indigenous people acknowledge this government is colonial and want nothing to do with it; or possibly, that the intent of the policy has been forgotten and no longer relevant. It may be that we have too many categories. It could be that we are confusing the term "Indigenous" by using terms like Indigenous nonaboriginal. It may be that hiring is done by southerners and biased, or for that matter Indigenous and biased. Whatever the reason, Indigenous people are not being provided an equal opportunity.
Mr. Speaker, 30 plus years later we are still talking affirmative action as Indigenous persons continue to be unrepresented while attempts have been made to correct that underrepresentation.
In 2014, the Regional Recruitment Program was developed to target Indigenous employees by creating onthejob training opportunities in their region. In October 2018, the Indigenous Career Gateway Program was created to target external Indigenous candidates for entrylevel positions within the GNWT. In June 21st, the Building Capacity and Indigenous Governments Program was launched. And now we have an Indigenous Recruitment and Retention Framework and action plan looking to set new targets.
Mr. Speaker, no matter the number of policy revisions, no matter the number of committees, no matter the number of reviews, without explicit direction and holding bureaucracy accountable, the targets will remain unattainable. If we expect increase in Indigenous participation in the public sector, we need an effective policy and that policy must be clear, concise, and unambiguous unlike the one we have today. With profound change, then maybe, just maybe, we will get traction and buyin from bureaucracy to reach equality for Indigenous people in the public sector. Mr. Speaker, I will questions for the Minister responsible for human resources. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the trapping season is coming to a close. This is a good time to look back on the season as to lessons learned and look forward to setting a new direction to stimulate the NWT fur economy. I can imagine, due to COVID, fur sales more than likely not as financially lucrative as other years. I can imagine the number of furbearing animals being caught is getting less every year. I can only surmise the dwindling number of trappers going out every year as many will age out.
If it's not the age, then problems with the mode of transportation the snowmobile, as repairs are getting expensive and buying new machines may not be an option due to fur prices. The options to trappers are not many considering the everincreasing price of gas, oil, and parts for the snow machine.
Mr. Speaker, if one doesn't have a fulltime job to own and maintain a snow machine, then trapping is out of the question for many who would like the option to trap.
Trapping can provide a means of income and, most of all, self esteem. Many of my people, the Dene, tell us stories of their exploits hunting and trapping with just dog teams. In fact, it was a widelyknown mode of transportation back then.
What this signifies is the ability of our people to provide for themselves, their family, and their community. The Dene back then were proud people when doing things for themselves. Today, we are weakened by a society that is reliant on government handouts; a society that is slowly killing our people, whether it be sickness from alcohol and drugs, or other illnesses. It is time for this government to chart a trapline forward to revitalize an industry that can and will do a lot for many residents of the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Good statement. Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to recognize the outstanding work of the Canadian Red Cross during these challenging and unpredictable times, in the Northwest Territories, across Canada, and around the world.
The Canadian Red Cross is part of the largest disaster relief and humanitarian organization in the world. Together with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent, and 192 national societies, the Red Cross movement works to help people and communities in times of need and support them in strengthening their resilience through increased preparedness and readiness. Something, Mr. Speaker, that speaks to my proactive engineer's heart.
Recently, a leading source of research on trust in Canada – the Proof Strategies CanTrust Index – found that Canadians trust the Red Cross to "operate competently, effectively, and to do the right thing." The Red Cross has been voted the most trusted organization in Canada for 2022.
Over the last two years, the Red Cross has been instrumental in helping the NWT continue to function, from supporting isolation services and implementing epidemic prevention and control measures, to providing clinical surge support, the Red Cross continues to help our family, friends, and neighbours weather our rapidly changing northern climate and deal with the waves of COVID19.
With the same caring spirit they bring to all their work, the Red Cross immediately activated to support those impacted by the crisis in Ukraine, providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance. The Canadian Red Cross has been working closely with International Red Cross movement partners to coordinate essential supplies like food, water, medicine, and shelter to help those displaced both inside the country as well as those around it. The Red Cross wishes to thank the Government of the Northwest Territories for its generous offer to match NWT donations of up to $50,000 to aid in this humanitarian response. It's also worth noting, Mr. Speaker, that the federal government is also matching Canadian donations to the Red Cross to the tune of $10 million. As of March 5th, the Canadian Red Cross had raised $46.2 million for the Ukraine humanitarian crisis appeal.
As we look to the future and the rising challenges we face due to climate change, our strong relationship with the Canadian Red Cross will be more important than ever. Climatedriven disasters and emergencies are only expected to increase so ensuring we are prepared to respond rapidly, effectively, and in coordination will be crucial for our people and their communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. Today I will speak about the complex legal issues involving parental payments following separation between spouses and their dependent children.
Our Children's Law Act provides the legal framework for this support under Child Support Guidelines which also specify how maintenance payments will be calculated. Typically, a court order is issued specifying the amount of child support owed and establishing an annual process for evaluating and resetting the amount of support to be paid. These court orders usually say that parties will exchange financial information annually to accommodate changes in the cost of living. However and here's the problem the law and the guidelines provide no means to require the payment of any changed maintenance support resulting from this annual review.
When I asked about this situation on behalf of a constituent, I was told that the maintenance enforcement program "does not currently do recalculations and that in order for the maintenance enforcement program to change the child support amount, the spouse receiving support would need to:
Take the matter back to court and obtain a new court order with a new amount; or
Provide maintenance enforcement with a signed and notarized agreement between the estranged parents specifying the new amount.
So despite a process for support calculation having been established by court order, the justice department will not act to implement the changes unless the support recipient goes back to court every year or can convince the former spouse to enter into an agreement, which could only be concluded if both parents are cooperative.
In the worst case, this could require a parent to go back to court every year as many as 18 years to reset the amount. In all the provinces, adjustments are automatic. It should also be noted that for persons on limited income, legal aid from family lawyers is very difficult to obtain owing to a lack of family law practitioners in the NWT.
When I took this matter to the Minister of Justice, he said that his department intends to launch a child support recalculation service by January 1, 2022. To my knowledge, this has not happened. I'll be asking for an update on the current status so parents can hopefully receive adequate child support without having to repeatedly go back to court. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm doing my Member's statement on young men in the justice systems.
Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about Indigenous young men and adults within our correctional facilities and in the justice system. Mr. Speaker, we know people are not born convicted criminals. They become this way. Before colonizations, Indigenous people organized themselves equally. Everyone shared. People took care of one another. No one was viewed better than others. This is what I am concerned about for behind bars. How are they being taken care of?
Mr. Speaker, Indigenous people have been experiencing racism, trauma, and abuse for hundreds of years. According to the NWT Native Women's Association Journey to Healing says, quote, "Many of our elders were taught to hold their pain inside. We recognize this pain needs to come out so people can learn to carry their trauma in a healthy way."
We know that people need to learn to heal. This is something we need to teach each other.
Mr. Speaker, I recognize our inmate population are low and while that is positive, I am concerned that locking up our young Indigenous boys, our future generations, is not going to help them heal their problems.
I am concerned about the programming and case management in place within the correctional facilities. Has the department seen success from their rehabilitation programs? I am concerned, Mr. Speaker, that when Indigenous young men or adults are locked up in our correction facilities that they are not being provided enough healing support to make meaningful change in their life.
I am also concerned, Mr. Speaker, that there is a lack of traumainformed outreach services. What is the expectation for a probation officer? Do probation officer and court workers have the training, resources, and capacity to provide traumainformed service delivery?
Mr. Speaker, in the news, we see that the population of the jails has reduced, which is positive, but I am concerned if people are filling up other programs, like probation services, without the right support in place to help them learn to heal. I will have questions for the Minister of Justice. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Member statement's addressing core need for Tu NedheWiilideh riding.
Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about housing in my region. I know this is a priority for this government and also a priority for myself. There are many issues with housing in the Tu NedheWiilideh but today I will focus on improving core need.
Mr. Speaker, if a house is not suitable, adequate, or affordable, it's considered in core need. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, in the NWT, our statistics on core need are heading in the a wrong direction. In 2014, almost 20 percent of the homes in the NWT were in core need and the latest survey from 2019 shows housing core needs across NWT have grown to almost 24 percent. Almost one in every four houses in the NWT are in core need compared to one in every eight for the national average. But, Mr. Speaker, unfortunately the situation is much worse in the Tu NedheWiilideh riding. For the people in the Tu NedheWiilideh riding, we have known that over half of the homes are in core need 55 percent. We're looking at about 297 homes. So housing is certainly in a state of crisis for the residents of Tu NedheWiilideh riding, and there are many issues with housing we need to tackle and we need to do this together.
To start, we need a plan to fix up the homes we do have. We need an assessment on these assets with a budget and a work plan to roll out repairs. We need repairs to happen in a way that empowers local tradespeople and builds pride in one's home. We need a strategic approach to address this issues because the current housing system is not working for the residents of Tu NedheWiilideh residents. We need to leverage the strength of the Indigenous governments to make this happen. Together, we can resolve this crisis. I will have questions for the Minister of Housing later today. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Tu NedheWiilideh. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just a reminder to everyone to get vaccinated and don't just get vaccinated against COVID. If your kids are in school, get them vaccinated against chicken pox. And if you're over 50, you should be vaccinated against the shingles virus.
The shingles virus, sometimes called adult chicken pox, is when the virus reemerges years later. And, Mr. Speaker, shingles is not just a bad rash. In up to 18 percent of people, it attacks the nervous system and can cause strong shooting nerve pain for months if not years after getting shingles. And it's currently recommended that everyone over 50 get the shingles virus [sic], Mr. Speaker.
Unfortunately, unlike our chicken pox vaccine for youth, the shingles vaccine is not covered for everyone. There's a small select group who can get reimbursed between the ages of 65 and 70 but we have yet to make it a publicly funded vaccine. And that is what I would like to see, Mr. Speaker is that everyone who wants to go and get vaccinated against shingles can do so. It is especially susceptible in our seniors and those with compromised immune systems.
And sadly, Mr. Speaker, shingles, despite, you know, progress of eliminating chicken pox in younger generations, is actually on the rise during the pandemic. And we have the tools to fight this. So I'll have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services about what we can do to get everyone vaccinated against shingles and prevent what is a very preventible disease. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the past couple of years we've had COVID and a lot of our kids have not been able to play the sports that they are used to playing on an annual basis. Curling is a big sport up in the Beaufort Delta, as you may know, but last week curling was alive and well here in Yellowknife, especially for our youth. Teams looking to represent Team NWT at the 2023 Canada Games. There were teams from Inuvik, and I'd just like to recognize the teams from Inuvik, Team Wainman, Team Gillis, and Team McNeil, with Team Wainman winning that spot representing the girls at the 2023 Canada Games.
And then swiftly after that, they turned in for the 2023 UA teens. So the team Wainman and Team Gillis, both from Inuvik, tried in that tournament with Team Gillis and Team Skauge fighting for the position, and Team Skauge was the winner of that and they will be representing Northwest Territories at the UA teens in 2023, and I'd just like to say that I'm glad to see that our kids are back out being able to participate and take up these competitions throughout Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to announce that Darwin Norwegian and Malerie Hardisty Norwegian of Fort Simpson are the awardwinning recipients of the 2021 Aboriginal Sport Circle of the Northwest Territories Coaches Award. Darwin and Malerie were nominated by Lauren O'Keefe out of Fort Simpson.
Aboriginal Sport Circle Northwest Territories traveled to Fort Simpson on March 5th, 2022, to present the 2021 Aboriginal Sport Circle Coach Award to Darwin and Malerie. Because of COVID, they hosted a small family dinner to acknowledge all the accomplishments that Malerie and Darwin have had in the community. I have seen the award, which they will receive, and they are amazinglooking carvings.
Taking the following quote from Lauren's nomination, Darwin and Malerie have benefitted Fort Simpson, the community of their residence, by creating a fun and inspirational environment for youth and adults to explore the slowpitch softball. Darwin's coaches players on rules and regulations and techniques. Darwin provides endless encouragement for new players who join by posting online often.
Malerie and Darwin, in effort with the local recreation director, are also responsible for organizing teams from outside the community to come to softball tournaments in Fort Simpson. These tournaments provide the opportunity to build new friendships and learn new skills from other athletes.
Mr. Speaker, I have witnessed firsthand their commitment to the sport and the community of Fort Simpson. As well, I have witnessed them develop a team that travels outside the community to participate in other community tournaments. To them, it's about having fun regardless of the results on the field.
In speaking with Aboriginal Sport Circle of the Northwest Territories, they enjoyed hosting the dinner in Fort Simpson and presenting the award to both of them.
Mr. Speaker, I truly agree that they are truly well deserving and it is an honour to say thank you to Darwin and Malerie for their commitment to the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide a personal tribute to Harold R. Johnson, who died last month. Mr. Johnson was Cree from Montreal Lake First Nation in northern Saskatchewan. He straddled two worlds as a logger, trapper and miner but also as a Harvardeducated lawyer and writer. Above all he was a storyteller.
I met Mr. Johnson in May 2019 when I read his book, Firewater: How Alcohol is Killing my People and Yours.
He reflected on decades he spent as a Crown prosecutor witnessing the damage caused by alcohol abuse death, lifetransforming injuries, families disrupted, lives enslaved by addiction. He believed that alcohol touched every part of our lives whether we drink or not.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Johnson didn't believe in what he called the victim model of dealing with alcohol. He said it didn't offer solutions. It offered excuses to continue alcohol abuse and perpetuate the trauma of colonization and residential schools. He said, "Alcohol doesn't dissolve stress. It dissolves the rules and the feeling of responsibility that creates stress.... We can never fix the problem if the problem is not ours."
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Johnson didn't believe in law enforcement as the answer either because it wasn't holistic enough and nor did he believe in residential treatment because of low longterm success rates. Nor did he think banning alcohol worked because bootleggers control the supply and both Indigenous governments and police efforts to curb are unsuccessful.
I found his analysis and ideas compelling because they offer hope people can gain control over their relationship with alcohol.
Mr. Johnson wanted to inspire people to change the story they tell themselves about alcohol. Mr. Speaker, he promoted local solutions where sober leaders turned their communities into treatment centres where the whole community is involved in finding healthy alternatives. Changing the story means having sober people in our communities tell the story of their sobriety.
Harold and his wife Joan developed a pilot project in northern Saskatchewan to put these ideas into action. They shared their extensive knowledge with community leaders in the NWT last June and they have helped to inform the development of our alcohol strategy.
Mr. Speaker, Harold Johnson left us too soon at age 68 but his legacy of bringing the problem of alcohol abuse to light, along with ideas for solutions, will live on for years to come. Most of all, he inspired us and me to learn and tell a new story. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Colleagues, I'd like to welcome Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford aka Tony, former Member, Minister, Speaker, SergeantatArms, Commissioner, and honourary Clerk of this House. Welcome.
Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Thebacha.
I too would like to recognize Tony, my friend, born and raised in Fort Smith. And we welcome you back any time that you want to come home.
And I'd also like to recognize another member, Mr. Speaker, and that is Jason Lepine. Jason Lepine was my official agent in my first election for MLA, and is a prominent member of the Metis Nation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The questions will be for the Minister responsible for human resources, and they'll be short and sweet.
Mr. Speaker, in recognition that the Affirmative Action Policy has evolved since inception, what does this government see as the barriers to reaching Indigenous employment targets under this policy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
