Debates of May 19, 2011 (day 11)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In July 2009 the Northern Leaders’ Forum was created as a means for all leaders in our territory to work collectively to advance the interests of our territory and its residents. As a foundation, we set out the task of developing a common vision and roadmap for the future of the NWT.

In varying ways, members of the Northern Leaders’ Forum engaged their respective constituents asking them to describe the future that they envisioned for themselves and their territory; to identify areas of common importance and concern and to articulate the direction and growth that they wanted to see for their territory over the next 20 to 30 years.

As Premier, I also reached out to the NWT residents and organizational representatives to hear their priorities, hopes and dreams for the future. I called my part of the initiative Creating our Future Together. I made a special effort to reach the young people, the future leaders of our territory. I look forward to working with my Northern Leaders’ Forum colleagues and hosting a youth forum in July 2011 to wrap up their engagement in this initiative.

In addition, I invited high school students to put their vision of the future in an essay and enter it into a contest for the opportunity to be chosen Premier for the day. In our Assembly today, Mr. Speaker, is the winner of that contest and I would like to congratulate Ms. Erin Nadli...

---Applause

...and all of our territory’s youth for the inspirational thoughts, comments and ideas that they brought forward.

All of the submissions I received from individuals and organizations, roundtable participants and youth were summarized in the Creating our Future Together report, which I tabled during the February session.

Mr. Speaker, last month in Inuvik the Northern Leaders’ Forum met once again to share our findings and discuss common themes from our engagements that could form the basis of a vision for our territory and the beginnings of a roadmap to our future.

Later today I will table the document “Forging the Future – Anchored in our Past, Building on our Present.” It reflects a vision for our future, developed with the input of residents -- young and old -- industry, businesses, non-government and not-for-profit organizations.

Mr. Speaker, this document makes it clear that NWT residents across the Northwest Territories share and experience many areas of common interest and desire. Of course, identifying shared goals was the easy part. Much work remains to be done to ensure this vision becomes reality.

The challenge is translating the ideals of this document into actions. That task rests with each and every one of us: leaders, government workers, business people, community volunteers, parents and youth. We must all be part of the solution. My hope is that this inspirational document will become part of our conversations over the next few months as we are asked to consider and elect candidates to leadership positions in our territory, including the territorial election this fall.

It has truly been an honour and a privilege to work with leaders in developing this vision and to have had the opportunity to sit down with people from all walks of the NWT to share their views on a common future for us all. I would encourage future leaders to listen to what NWT residents have said, and move our territory forward with courage and conviction.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the goals of this Assembly is healthy, educated people. Preventing rather than treating illness and disease is the real key to achieving that goal. Encouraging our residents to make healthy choices is one of the most important things the Government of the Northwest Territories can do to help.

Through the Healthy Choices Framework, several GNWT departments have been successfully working together to make it easier for our residents to make better choices in their daily lives. Healthy Choices is our approach to encouraging and supporting NWT residents to make healthy and safe choices, and has been supported as part of our Building Our Future Strategic Initiative.

Since the framework was originally developed in 2005, it has expanded from themes such as supporting healthy eating, physical activity, living tobacco free, and not abusing alcohol and drugs, to include important work around injury prevention, healthy sexuality, mental wellness, and healthy children and families.

Across these themes the departmental involvement ranges depending on the message. Education, Culture and Employment is involved as a key channel in helping young people and families understand the importance of good choices. Every day staff in our Justice department see the important link between social issues and crime prevention. Transportation has an interest in injury prevention around transportation-related safety.

Municipal and Community Affairs and Health and Social Services have shared the lead in this cross-departmental work. Municipal and Community Affairs has a great stake in this work because of their role in working with communities to promote recreation, active living and quality of life. Health and Social Services has an overall mandate to promote, protect and provide for the health and well-being of NWT residents. If we can move to a future where NWT residents make healthy choices, a great deal of stress on our health and social services systems could be avoided.

To date, the Healthy Choices Framework has been able to engage in a range of positive activities available to all regions and communities in the Northwest Territories. Many were on display today in the Great Hall. Programs such as Get Active, Drop the Pop, and Butthead bring together schools, communities and health professionals to ensure messages are clear, consistent, and well promoted.

However, there is still a great deal of work to be done. We need to expand our partnership and continue to improve our collaboration at the community level. Promotion of healthy choices is a role that all of us share, from parents and friends, to communities, to the leaders in this room. Beyond educating people, we need to advocate and support our communities to ensure that healthy choices are available.

We also need to continue to promote our specific themes. Changing behaviours is one of the most difficult things to do, but it is vital to the future of the North.

We have to start treating ourselves better, from engaging in healthier relationships to using recreation and traditional activities as an outlet to help feel better about ourselves. We need to teach our children to respect themselves, and go back to having a culture that thinks about prevention and safety.

The Healthy Choices Framework is evaluating the shared work to date, and preparing to renew a framework in the coming fall will guide our activities during the 17th Assembly.

As I introduced earlier today in the Great Hall, our new brand will help the Government of the Northwest Territories to promote healthy choices consistently. I would like to thank the GNWT staff and partners present today who are committed to this important work.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In June 2010 the Safety Advisory Committee completed the second review of the draft Occupational Health and Safety Regulations and recommended to me that they conduct public consultations to receive stakeholder comments and input on the proposed changes.

The consultation period was September 1, 2010, to March 31, 2011. In total, the committee received comments from 59 stakeholders. The comments came from a wide range of stakeholders, including large and small employers, organized labour, private and public sector employers, and individuals.

Since the close of the consultation period, WSCC staff have met and prepared research into the comments received for consideration by the committee. The committee has had several conference calls and have been corresponding by e-mail. The goal is to have all of the comments reviewed and researched prior to the committee meeting here in Yellowknife, May 17th to the 19th.

Once the committee reviews all the comments, they will either make changes or provide an explanation as to why no changes were made.

I, along with the Safety Advisory Committee, have promised to provide a written summary to all consultation participants, including input received and an explanation of the final decisions, particularly if they differ from the input provided by participants. This information will also be available on the WSCC website.

Once the review is completed, the committee will provide their recommendations to me on the next steps. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to provide an update to the Legislative Assembly on Not Us!, the Government of the Northwest Territories anti-drug campaign.

Not Us! is a part of the Healthy Choices Framework, a Government of the Northwest Territories-wide approach that encourages and supports Northwest Territories residents to make healthy and safe choices. It is consistent with the 16th Assembly’s goal of fostering healthy, educated people and part of the Government of the Northwest Territories Building Our Future Strategic Initiative. Healthy Choices activities concentrate on positive, upstream, preventative approaches.

The effects of addictions on individuals, families and communities are devastating. The Not Us! initiative provides funding to communities to enable them to design and implement customized, grassroots anti-drug campaigns that work for them.

We are now in the third year of this initiative and I am pleased to report that we have seen tremendous success. The communities of Hay River, Inuvik, Ndilo and Dettah created innovative and powerful local campaigns during this past year. Those projects provided inspiration for other communities who are now creating their own Not Us! campaigns, including Fort Liard, Behchoko, Fort McPherson, Tsiigehtchic and Yellowknife. Last month a Fort Smith interagency partnership of 11 organizations who envision a drug-free healthy town received Not Us! funds to begin a series of drug-free initiatives.

The Not Us! success stories were featured at a Healthy Choices wellness fair earlier today in the Great Hall of our Legislative Assembly.

Not Us! is about focusing on the positive in our communities and on where we want to be in the future. Through these initiatives, the 16th Legislative Assembly is supporting communities to develop a campaign to prevent and combat the use and sale of illegal drugs in a way that works for them, paving the way for a brighter, more prosperous future ahead. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of the 16th Legislative Assembly this government made a $60 million commitment toward energy programs and initiatives. This commitment was in addition to existing programs and initiatives and intended to reduce the cost of living in the Northwest Territories and advance alternative energy initiatives.

Based on the priorities established by the 16th Legislative Assembly, our focus has been on reducing imported fossil fuels, mitigating the environmental impacts of our energy use, and reducing the cost of living in the Northwest Territories.

As the chair of the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee, I am pleased to provide an update on the results of this investment.

We have had some real successes. For example, the Northwest Territories leads Canada in the installation of commercial wood pellet boilers. We have invested in energy efficiency retrofits for our buildings, and provided support to the Arctic Energy Alliance to help communities and residents manage their own energy use. The electricity review rationalized our electricity rates, which substantially reduced the cost of living in many of our smaller communities.

Mr. Speaker, all of our communities have the potential to use local and, preferably, renewable sources of energy supply. Northern communities could be using wind energy; we have hydro potential all the way down the Mackenzie Valley; communities such as Fort Liard, Fort Simpson, Hay River and Fort Providence have tremendous geothermal potential; and many communities could be utilizing local biomass. For some communities the answer could be a combination of local energy sources, including solar, natural gas and hydrokinetic turbines. I believe that with collective efforts we will vastly reduce our reliance on imported diesel.

We believe that the Energy Report will provide communities with a useful overview of energy in the Northwest Territories and may serve as a guide for the 17th Legislative Assembly as they establish their vision, goals and priorities for the future. Later today I will table the Northwest Territories Energy Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the residents of the Mackenzie Delta, people of the Northwest Territories, for the privilege of serving them for 16 years as their MLA, as a Member of this Legislative Assembly, with the support of our elders, community leaders, our youth, and more importantly, the community membership, my constituency assistants, Sue Ellen Wilson, Liz Wright, Eugene Pascal, and my family and children. In 16 years, Mr. Speaker, a lot of work and effort and a lot of great people I had an opportunity to work with and serve in this Legislative Assembly from the 13th Assembly to today.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of the Legislative Assembly and all the departments in the Government of the Northwest Territories that I’ve had the privilege of working with over the years.

I would like to also announce today that I will not be running in the fall election, for health reasons and for the stress of working in a fish bowl for 16 years...

---Laughter

...and spending more time with my family and friends. Also the important elements of dealing with those issues that I feel quite strongly about, especially fighting for the little people out there, people are struggling, and more importantly, to work for the important issues for the people of the Northwest Territories, the Mackenzie Delta and to ensure that we are treating our people fairly throughout the Northwest Territories.

I want to give an opportunity to the Mackenzie Delta riding and individuals who may want to put their names forward, ample time so that they can do so.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to thank yourself, your staff and Members of the 16th Assembly for the opportunity of serving with you. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories declared May 26th a National Day of Healing and Reconciliation. It is still the only Legislature in Canada to recognize the day and acknowledge the abuse suffered by well over 10,000 Aboriginal children in residential schools in the North alone. Of the 150,000 students, there are 80,000 students living today.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission recently travelled to the Northwest Territories, giving voice to residential school survivors and other community members. Tulita hosted a very powerful meeting on May 10th, as did other communities in the North. From June 28th to July 1st, the commission will hold a national event in Inuvik.

We, as a nation, as a family and a community, are on a path towards healing and reconciliation. Many people still struggle from the effects of past federal government policies and turn to addiction, violence and suicide for the past wrongs they have suffered at the hands of their caretakers.

Mr. Speaker, the assault of the residential school, a policy of the Government of Canada to separate families and kill the Indian in the child, was an economic partnership between the churches and the federal government to implement the Gradual Civilization Act and to force the idea of British superiority on the Aboriginal people. If they did not live like them, there would be punishment; punishment for speaking your own language, practicing your way of honouring life and, God forbid, dance to your own music.

There is a term for this, it’s called cultural genocide.

How do we heal from the past done wrong to my people and to a nation that only knew how to live as they were first instructed by the Creator who made this land? You acknowledge it. You get past denial and say I’m sorry, and offer leave for forgiveness and peace and reconciliation.

Finally, on June 11, 2008, Canada did the impossible. It said, I’m sorry. Prime Minister Harper offered a formal apology on behalf of the federal government that imposed the policy of aggressive assimilation of the First Peoples of Canada.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

This apology gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, we can begin a new chapter in the history of our country.

From living in the bush we know life can be different, a far cry from now what we experience in our communities.

On May 26th I encourage people across Canada and the Northwest Territories to pray and to think about the healing process and the work towards reconciliation that we all need to do.

It is an honour to stand here and say thank you for being the first and only government in our land to support survivors by giving them this date to help them. Imagine what it would be like if we all learned to accept apologies and helped each other to heal wounds and restore spirit and dignity in our people.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about decentralization. This is something often talked about but seldom acted on. I don’t understand the reluctance to having a greater presence of the public service in the communities outside of the capital.

The majority of the MLAs in this Assembly are clearly from outside of Yellowknife. There is regional representation in Cabinet for a reason. Even some Yellowknife MLAs agree with the idea of relocating some departments or divisions outside of the capital, but they shall remain unnamed since there’s an election coming up.

We talk about a representative workforce. Why don’t we look at taking the jobs to where more of the people who are underrepresented in our workforce actually live and have lived for generations? We have modern communications. Most people send e-mails to the person sitting in the next office to them anyway, so what difference does it make if someone’s in the next cubicle or the next town?

Does the resistance come from within the bureaucracy because no one wants to give up their morning coffee at Tim Horton’s? Can you imagine how MLAs such as myself feel when our government builds yet another $40 million office building in Yellowknife to “relieve pent-up demand.” Pent-up demand? Other communities would be happy to have any demand, let alone pent-up demand.

Let’s talk about Hay River. There’s a lot of capacity to absorb a lot more people. We have all types of developed land, quality homes, commercial infrastructure, amenities for recreation, the arts, room for more students in all of our schools, and a way better golf course than Yellowknife.

We say we want sustainable, viable, prosperous communities, while Yellowknife continues to grow on itself and the regions and small communities are suffering and stagnating. When is there going to be leadership in this House willing to sit down and look seriously at where we can reasonably, efficiently and effectively relocate departments, divisions, positions to bring them closer to the people they serve and bolster the economies of all our communities?

If devolution is coming, way before we get to that final agreement we need to talk about displacing the concentration of government in Yellowknife and put our actions where our priorities are. As you can see, I haven’t decided if I’m running again or not.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members of this House may be aware of a recent national contest for project funding in which one of the winners was the NWT Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the NWT SPCA.

The SPCA received $300,000 from the Aviva Foundation and will use those funds to build an animal shelter in Yellowknife; a shelter which will provide services to all of the NWT.

The NWT SPCA is an organization run by volunteers. It works to provide homes for animals, to save and adopt out animals who are in distress, who have been left behind when their owners moved, or who are just no longer wanted.

Since November of last year, in just six months the NWT SPCA has sent over 90 dogs from the NWT and Nunavut to the South. This is a costly endeavour, anywhere from $40 to $400 to ship a dog to a new home or shelter in the South. The SPCA is only able to manage this expense through the terrific sponsorship provided by one of our northern airlines: First Air. With a shelter in Yellowknife, these shipping costs will be avoided or significantly reduced.

The NWT does not currently have any vet services outside of Yellowknife and it’s a need that must be recognized by this government. We do have some southern veterinarians who come north, but they work in only a few of our NWT communities. Regular preventative health checks, treatment for sick dogs, and spay and neuter services are badly needed in all of our communities, not just some.

During the public hearings for the recently enacted Dog Act, many presenters spoke of the need for vet services in the NWT, particularly spay and neuter programs. The NWT SPCA, if properly funded, can be the organization to deliver these programs for our government. I have little expectation that the 16th Assembly will provide any financial resources to this problem, given the economic squeeze the Finance Minister constantly reminds us of. The City of Yellowknife is doing its part by considering a reduction in the price of land for the new shelter and it may exempt the taxes on that property once the shelter is built. These contributions are from a municipal government supporting a territorial organization. What about our territorial government? Will it look favourably on a funding request from the NWT SPCA?

Given the demand that exists in all NWT communities, I hope that the next Assembly will consider veterinarian and shelter services a priority worthy of ongoing financial support.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I will be making a Member’s statement in my Aboriginal language to advise the elders of what I will be doing between now and August.

[English translation not provided.]

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I will be speaking today on the Devolution Agreement-in-Principle. I’m still concerned in the way it was signed by the Premier and the Indian Affairs Minister at that time. However, I have been contemplating the fact that our Premier has indicated that there is no turning back and that the returned federal Conservative government will continue with devolution negotiations.

At this time I would urge our Premier to convene a meeting with the new federal Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development -- a name change that is stirring controversy. I hope that he can spend more than a few hours in the North. The federal Minister of Aboriginal Affairs must understand our unique Aboriginal issues and challenges in the North. It begins with dialogue and meeting with all our Aboriginal First Nations regional governments. I hope he can do that as soon as possible.

Should our government and the new federal government continue to move forward towards a final devolution deal in the future, despite full support of our Aboriginal governments, I feel it is in the best interests of my constituency at this time to advise our government that we must devolve some departments to the communities and regions so that all benefit.

What is the plan to transfer all the related jobs north? I believe that there must be an opportunity to devolve these positions and departments outside of Yellowknife. As my colleague Mrs. Groenewegen has indicated, every new job in a small community and region is beneficial.

Also, the increase in revenues from devolution must benefit our people directly, such as restructuring our rent scales for housing, increasing student financial support, and support for our seniors.

With that, I think that it’s a fine balance that Aboriginal MLAs have, but at the same time if devolution is going to be an eventuality, I feel that we must look at devolving these positions and departments to our regions and communities.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During my term as MLA I have two Member’s statements and traditions. At the beginning of a session I honour our loved ones who have passed away. At the end of each session I honour the accomplishments of our loved ones, especially our youth.

The Northern Youth Abroad Canadian International Program is a non-profit organization dedicated to enabling youth from the Northwest Territories and Nunavut aged 15 to 22 in gaining professional skills and training and hands-on work experience. High school credits through a cross-cultural work and learning.

I’m very proud of the following Nunakput youth. Residents participating in this year’s program are: Mr. David Lucas, Georgina Wolki, Keenan Carpenter, Bryan Kimiksana, Cheyenne Wolki and Chukita Gruben.

This year in Paulatuk, Angik School has the largest graduating class that they’ve ever had. That is a milestone we should all be celebrating. I’m very pleased that this year’s graduates have worked very hard and will have the ability to enter into college in post-secondary programs without having the need to upgrade.

In the community of Ulukhaktok, Gayle Ogina attended the Youth Leadership Forum in Yellowknife. Laura Akoakhion attended a National JCR Shooting Competition in Toronto. A couple weeks ago I had Rhea Klengenberg who attended our Youth Parliament here in Yellowknife sitting in the House with you and working with staff. She did an awesome job and we look forward to a great leader in Rhea coming up.

Simon Kudlak and Brandon Okheena attended an ASA forum in Inuvik. Elliot Malgokak and Reanne Kanayok attended the WAMP program in Inuvik. Brandon Okheena, through YELS, the oil and gas program, will be travelling to Edmonton and Calgary under the sponsorship of ConocoPhillips, to investigate career choices in industry.

In the community of Tuktoyaktuk, Jordan Walker, a grade 11 student, applied for and was accepted for the Environmental Apprenticeship in the Arctic Program. This takes place the first two weeks in August. Also, Will McIntyre was selected to attend YELS, Youth Entry Levels Skills Session, in oil and gas in June.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

I’m very proud of these accomplishments by the residents of Nunakput.

Lastly, I wish to express my admiration and appreciation for all the hard work and dedication of our staff in the Legislative Assembly and the Government of the Northwest Territories, and also all the hard work of my colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, to all fishing and hunting in Husky Lakes, and all those hunting on the coast, and to all my cousins upriver, have a safe spring and good hunting. To all in Nunavut, have a safe hunting season and have a good spring. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every day this government loses revenue due to its failure to collect reasonable resource rents.

We have a bill before this Assembly for the creation of an NWT Heritage Fund to put aside funds from existing revenue for the future. The steps to devolution are started; actual implementation is years into the future.

The promise of additional resource revenues is a big part of that agreement’s allure to this government. But why wait to get a fair return from our natural capital? Various commentators have emphasized that the economic rent we are collecting now is much too low. The Pembina Institute report, When the Government is Landlord, makes a solid case for raising additional resource revenues, as do studies by Sustainable Prosperity. An Indian and Northern Affairs Canada study submitted to the Joint Review Panel and the department’s own website point out how low our rents are.

When it comes to non-renewable resources, we have only one chance to get the maximum gain for our irreplaceable loss. Yes, we do have to balance the need to make development attractive and economic, but low royalties aren’t the only reason industry invests in the NWT. Political security, a trained labour force, the public infrastructure, and services our taxpayers pay for, and above all, the world-class richness of our resources are huge incentives towards confident investment, as well.

The current rent and tax regime isn’t working. Our two largest diamond mines are halfway through their predicted lives. Year after year, capital cost write-offs destabilize and reduce corporate taxes while income slips away through low to no royalties. Given our push for devolution to increase resource revenues, given studies and the federal government saying our rents are unusually low, we owe it to the resource owners, our people, to make sure we are getting top dollar for value given. We don’t need an agreement-in-principle to start collecting full value, we have the authority now. The Mackenzie Gas Project, if it comes, will at least give us the opportunity for the real revenue returns future generations would wish we collected.

Work for devolution, yes, Mr. Speaker; plan for a Heritage Fund, of course; but those things are down the road while billions of dollars in irreplaceable resources are annually exported from the Northwest Territories untapped by this government. I will be pushing for a review of this next Assembly. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to share good news about an achievement of a northern Aboriginal youth who is the first person ever from the Northwest Territories to place in the North American Miss Indian World Pageant.

---Applause

Kiera-Dawn Kolson placed first runner-up in the pageant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow, which this year hosted 18,000 to 20,000 First Nations from Canada and the United States. During the Gathering of Nations, the winners of the Miss Indian World were announced. Kiera also won the best speaker award and broke old ticket sales records of 4,000 tickets to 4,117 tickets, earning her a trip to the Bahamas.

During her public speaking and to the general Gathering of Nations audience, Kiera-Dawn, of Tetlit Gwich’in and Tso’Tine heritage, continued to reinforce to youth that you can come from a small place but it doesn’t mean that you can’t dream big.

Kiera has made many accolades. She enjoys writing and singing her songs, enjoys reading, bowling and helping youth. She sang songs she wrote when attending the International Youth Parliament in Sydney, Australia, in 2004; at the Earth Ling Environment Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia; for the after-party at the Aboriginal Achievement Awards in 2006 at Vancouver, British Columbia; and at the 2006 after-party in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards.

Ms. Kolson was chosen to attend the Artist’s Mentoring Program for the Canada Summer Games in Regina, Saskatchewan, and was chosen to represent the Northwest Territories as a cultural ambassador at the March 2006 Arctic Winter Games in Kenai, Alaska, where she sang for the athletes, staff and guests.

In December 2006, she was chosen as one the 10 Canadians to attend the Yelefest in Haiti, sponsored by the Governor General of Canada. In September 2008, Kiera attended, by invitation, the 2nd International Hip Hop Gathering in Los Angeles, California. She was invited to present her cultural youth workshop at Wimanji, Quebec, in 2008, and spoke about continuing education and inspiring youth to be all they can be in life.

Kiera sang at Parliament Hill in the fall of 2008, to commemorate the vision of the Sisters of Spear Campaign to bring attention to missing Aboriginal women in Canada, and in February 2009, walked in Vancouver, British Columbia, to acknowledge missing Aboriginal women in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Kiera carried the Eagle Staff into Parliament at the reconciliation of residential school survivors. These are just some of Kiera’s achievements.

She is an inspiration to youth. Mr. Speaker, I ask this Assembly to join me in congratulating and celebrating Kiera-Dawn Kolson’s achievements, her winning the Miss Indian World First Runner-Up Award, 2011, and to wish her all the best in her future endeavours and goals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is an exciting time to be a Northerner. From mineral wealth to ecotourism, the NWT is known as a vast source of untapped potential.

Today I want to speak to another source of untapped potential where better focus needs to be directed. That, Mr. Speaker, is our northern hydro power potential.

Now that the Taltson expansion has been put on hold and now that the Bluefish dam replacement will cost almost $40 million, a lot has changed in the landscape as to where the NWT Hydro Strategy is going, or certainly could be going, Mr. Speaker.

With eight major rivers in the NWT with a combined hydroelectric power of over 11,000 megawatts, there is enough hydro power in that potential to provide 19 million residents with clean, affordable electricity. Mr. Speaker, that could support a city the size of New York City. However, with only a total of 55 megawatts on three rivers that have been developed at this point, clearly we have more than enough power for us and a great potential for opportunity to build towards the future.

I believe we need to focus in on a few simple strategic goals. We are clearly missing the opportunity to sell power to our neighbours to the south. Our government needs to direct the Power Corp to build partnerships with industry to work towards creating a territorial grid, because once a hydro plan is established, it can provide clean power for many years at a low cost to ratepayers, governments, and certainly make sure that the environment is available and cleanly used as opposed to going with diesel.

It is a clean source of sustainable energy, Mr. Speaker; one that could help as well lower the cost of living that is such a difficult challenge here in the North. If there’s one region in Canada that recognizes that problem, it’s certainly here.

Now, Mr. Speaker, industry has recognized that hydro potential, over seven years ago, could do great things, and we see it here with the investments that we have before us. I know this government doesn’t necessarily have all the money available to develop the hydro potential, and that’s why I suggest we seek partners in industry to work together to develop this need.

Mr. Speaker, I support the long-term development using partners, but as long as Northerners remain in control of our resource. Mr. Speaker, government has made significant investment into these energy priorities and I applaud the work that they’ve done. Mr. Speaker, it is time to make significant policy commitments towards those goals.

Later today I will have questions for the Premier to see how our Hydro Strategy is being developed for the future. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.