Question.
Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I feel I have to speak on the bill again. I have spent a lot of time talking about Bill 18, a bill that is going to do nothing more than consolidate a portion of the Weledeh riding to the Tu Nedhe riding, combine the two ridings together. I don’t know if the small community riding is now joined in with the Yellowknife riding or if they’re taking the traditional riding of Yellowknife out and joining it with a small community riding outside of Yellowknife.
I would like to read a bit of what the elders parliamentarian Ms. Violet Beaulieu has presented during the Elders Parliament. I felt that what she said in here was something that the people truly felt in Tu Nedhe. I would also like to speak on the fact that the only people who were affected by this bill were the people of YK Dene and the people of Tu Nedhe being in Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e.
After all the review, all the travel, all the meetings across the Northwest Territories by the Electoral Boundaries Commission, the only change was to consolidate two ridings, two small ridings at the opposition of both and all of those people in those ridings.
In those ridings, when the Electoral Boundaries Commission travelled to those ridings, they came out and clearly indicated that they were in opposition. Obviously, the report indicates that other ridings were not in opposition of this specific recommendation because they were not affected.
Mr. Speaker, this is about amending the electoral districts, and what the elder had read was something that I felt was very good, so I’m going to go over that again.
There’s a bill before the Legislative Assembly to join Tu Nedhe to be part of the riding of Weledeh, joining the YK Dene into a new riding. The residents of Tu Nedhe do not support the change for several reasons. The residents of Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e speak a different language than the group in YK Dene. By combining the two Aboriginal groups, we will lose a culture and a language of one of the groups. So there is no possibility that the Wiilideh language and the Chipewyan language could be represented in this House in one riding ever into the future. There is very little possibility that any other riding would elect somebody that was Chipewyan or somebody that spoke the Wiilideh language. There’s only one MLA coming out of that riding; therefore, the only other possibility was for somebody to be trilingual in order to speak both of those languages, which I guess is a possibility, but a difficult task.
The elder goes on to say, as a long-term resident of Fort Resolution, I feel our concerns on poverty and lack of jobs in small communities, small, remote communities are different than the concerns of people living right next door to the capital city in the Northwest Territories. We have very different issues from people living in Yellowknife.
The rate of employment in Yellowknife is high and very low in small communities of Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e. In our small, remote communities, we have social and economic issues, things like lack of good housing, high rates of addictions, low education levels that must be dealt with by our MLA on a regular basis.
The present riding of Tu Nedhe has the second largest geographical riding in the Northwest Territories of all ridings. Some of the elders say our land and our people cannot be separated. This is still our ancestral homeland. What we do is collective. If we have a consensus government, then this Assembly must accommodate our unique, indigenous structures. There are good examples all over the world where colonizers have left us with a model to follow. We have had our own riding for 40 years and we must continue to keep our own riding. We have the right to own a seat in the Legislative Assembly and a right to have our language spoken in this Assembly.
I know there are rules that govern how many people in the riding and what size the average riding should be, but we live in a very remote part of the country and deal with isolation and challenges of travelling long distances between communities.
There are many areas in Canada – Nunavut, Yukon, Labrador, Prince Edward Island – where people are considered to be overrepresented. There are special circumstances where overrepresentation is necessary, and I think to protect the culture and language of the Tu Nedhe people, it is necessary to keep the riding as is.
Finally, constitutionally the government must consult and accommodate our people and ask the government to respect our wishes under Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution.
Mr. Speaker, this was made by the elder parliamentarians here this spring, somebody who represented a respected elder who was here to represent the people of Tu Nedhe.
In addition, I feel that this Assembly should recognize the people of Weledeh and have a riding that is not dominated by the people of Weledeh, so the people of Weledeh also have a voice in the Assembly. As it stands, this Assembly is contemplating combining two Aboriginal groups, like I said, and essentially eliminating the Weledeh people from having a seat here in Yellowknife.
I supported the solution that gave one seat to Yellowknife, which is off the table and one seat to the people of the Tlicho, the people of Monfwi. They needed more representation and we’re asking for people at this Assembly to not accept this bill and go back to the status quo. The only change that this bill makes, is a change that is opposed by all people, the only people that are affected, I cannot see why this Assembly would agree to make that change. It doesn’t impact anyone else. It impacts only one area, and all people in that area are opposed to it, everyone. Everyone I spoke to in YK Dene, amongst the people at Detah, the people in Ndilo, the people in Lutselk’e and the people in Fort Resolution are all opposed to it. They do not think this is a good idea. They want to have representation in the House. We have several official languages which leaves our official languages in the Northwest Territories, and how this Assembly could contemplate eliminating the possibility of having one of those official languages in the House is beyond me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. I apologize for earlier. Anyone who would like to speak to Bill 18… Mr. Beaulieu.
Sorry, Mr. Speaker. I would like to have a recorded vote.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. To Bill 18, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
…and it should be recognized and it should be recorded, but unfortunately, when we are dealing with the third reading of this particular bill, it’s a huge bill. It has implication on the riding that is going to be amalgamated with another language, another community, and obviously, I am not going to elaborate even further, because we’ve talked about this on numerous occasions, the 15th Assembly, the 17th Assembly, and then another one in the 19th Assembly. We have over almost 40 percent of our 25 percent margin. We’re way beyond that, almost double. The 19th Assembly, it will be around 50 percent. At that time are we going to start accepting that we need additional seats for the Tlicho region.
I’m certainly hoping that I’m recorded in the Tlicho language because I spoke of the value of why we’re here today. There are only four people that speak the official languages. I spoke of their names earlier. More than likely we may lose a language, the Chipewyan language in this House, due to the fact of the changes. Yes, I understand that it’s going to Yellowknife, Detah, Ndilo, and we’re going to have another Tlicho language in here. But at the same time, I certainly don’t want to lose one of the official languages.
At the end of the day, a decision has to be made, but I must enforce that we have to keep those in mind where the language, we’re losing our language. As it’s been indicated in Gwich’in, we’re losing the Gwich’in languages and other languages across the Northwest Territories, and here we’re talking about Bill 18, addition of two seats, where the motion that came down for second reading, there’s no support to move forward on that, but there is the support to change the 19 seating with amalgamating the Tu Nedhe riding. I don’t support that. I don’t support this motion that’s coming forward, Bill 18. I will continue to stress that. I’ve talked to my elders, my leaders, in my language. It’s important to talk to the kids in our language, as well, so that’s what I’ve done, and I will continue to do so to represent my constituency in this building and as we move forward. But at the same time, this bill that’s before us, I cannot support it as it is presented. I feel that it should be 21 seats. Those are just some of the discussions I wanted to have to make my point across speaking in the Tlicho language.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. To Bill 18. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m speaking, also, against this bill. I want to back up some of the points that I’ve heard already raised on the floor today. It deserves repeating that the people of Weledeh, the people of Tu Nedhe, the representative of Weledeh and the representative of Tu Nedhe disagree with this, and those are the people that are being affected here.
Fundamentally, even before this decision is finalized, it’s out of date. We know that ridings are already above the 25 percent guideline. Data that was used is now out of date because some ridings are growing rapidly. It took only 28 people to raise the Weledeh riding above the 25 percent guideline, and anybody who takes a drive up there sees the amount of construction, the amount of homes and apartment blocks that have opened since those initial data were collected.
The same thing is happening now in Kam Lake, and we know that most of the Yellowknife ridings are within about 35 or 40 people of overcoming the 25 percent guideline. Weledeh is 42 percent above the expected number that should be in a riding. There is no question that needs adjustment, but that can be applied to all of Yellowknife and it can certainly be applied to Monfwi, as we’ve heard. That has been going on for three Assemblies.
To me, this is completely unacceptable. This is even a bit colonial to start doing these things without regard to what we know or is actually happening on the ground. Making decisions on data that is out of date and we know is out of date and not addressing the fundamental issues and the democratic guidelines. So here we are, we seem to be again disregarding the will of the people and disregarding the guidelines. We know we are already outside of those guidelines and we haven’t even implemented, yet when it comes into effect, we are going to be way out of this.
So, again, this is unacceptable to me. It’s unfair that it’s already out of date and I’m kind of embarrassed that we’re making decisions knowing that these things are true. So I will leave it at that.
Many things have been said before, but daily this is becoming more true. Daily we are getting further beyond the guidelines that were established for the country and we’re not applying them. We don’t necessarily have to apply them extremely strictly, but generally we are way out for quite a number of ridings now and quite a significant proportion of the people of the Northwest Territories. We’re talking about 60 percent or more of the Northwest Territories. So that seems to me beyond the camp. On that basis, I don’t think we should go forward with this legislation.
It’s tough. It means back to the drawing board, but at least we would have a clear opportunity to get it right, and I think we would all feel more comfortable for doing that. Thanks very much for this opportunity, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe that perhaps before, when we had this debate, I was in the chair of Committee of the Whole. I just want to briefly say that I concur with what my colleague from Weledeh has just expressed. The premise for this particular plan that is contained in this bill is wrong. The premise is wrong. The data is wrong and we don’t want to take the time to get it right.
I have been here before. I have been here when we’ve done the Electoral Boundaries Commission before and came in, like I said, it was a swing vote, and told Yellowknife we aren’t going to give them one more Member. We went to court and ended up giving them three, from four to seven.
So I just want to say, let the record show and mark my words today that if we go ahead with what is proposed in this bill, we are going to live to regret it very, very soon. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen.
SOME HON. MEMBERS:
Question has been called. A recorded vote has been requested. All those in favour, please stand.
Mr. Blake, Mr. Abernethy, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. McLeod – Yellowknife South, Mr. Ramsay, Mr. McLeod – Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Bouchard, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Moses, Mr. Menicoche.
All those opposed, please stand.
Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Lafferty, Mrs. Groenewegen, Mr. Dolynny, Ms. Bisaro, Mr. Bromley, Mr. Yakeleya.
All those abstaining, please stand.
Results of the vote are 11 in favour, seven opposed, no abstentions. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, orders of the day for Thursday, May 29, 2014, at 1:30 p.m.:
Prayer
Ministers’ Statements
Members’ Statements
Reports of Standing and Special Committees
Returns to Oral Questions
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Acknowledgements
Oral Questions
Written Questions
Returns to Written Questions
Replies to Opening Address
Petitions
Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills
Tabling of Documents
Notices of Motion
Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills
Motions
First Reading of Bills
Second Reading of Bills
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Report of Committee of the Whole
Third Reading of Bills
Orders of the Day
Thank you, Madam Clerk. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until Thursday, May 29th, at 1:30 p.m.
---ADJOURNMENT
The House adjourned at 4:18 p.m.
