Debates of November 28, 2007 (day 4)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, October 29, 2007, marked a very special day for municipal governance in the Northwest Territories. On that date, for the first time in over 20 years, a new hamlet was established in the Northwest Territories. That was when the Settlement of Enterprise officially changed its legislative status to become a hamlet.

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This important decision was made by community residents after many years of consideration of the impacts of greater authority and responsibility.

This is a very challenging time for all community governments in the Northwest Territories. The legislative framework for community governments was updated in 2004 to provide greater authority and accountability, and many communities are taking on more as their councils work with the legislation. Funding for community governments has increased over the past three years, but so have the challenges facing our communities and public expectations for service.

Enterprise will experience the benefits that come with hamlet status, such as the ability to pass bylaws and to establish land management and development plans.

In addition, because the community can now acquire and dispose of property and borrow to acquire assets, they will have more direct control over local programs and infrastructure. It is with great pleasure that we helped Enterprise celebrate obtaining hamlet status in October. I talked to many of the residents who, over the years, helped to make the community government what it is today in either a council or administrative capacity. Their dedication, ideas and hard work contributed to the community’s decision to take that important step in becoming a hamlet.

I would like to commend the community residents of Enterprise for their hard work and invite my colleagues in the Legislative Assembly to join me in congratulating Enterprise in obtaining hamlet status. Mahsi. Thank you.

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Mr. Speaker, human resources are the most important resource in an organization. Government of the Northwest Territories managers and the Department of Human Resources are becoming strategic partners in human resource management, ensuring the GNWT has the right people in the right jobs to support GNWT business program delivery.

In the months to come, I am looking forward to providing this House with an update on those efforts and highlighting some of the initiatives that will enhance our ability to recruit and retain a top-notch public service. Today, I would like to touch on a few areas for challenge and improvement.

One of the largest challenges relating to employees in addressing old issues is pay and benefits. Between now and summer 2008, the department is focusing on the backlog of pay and benefits items that are not current. Human Resources staff process approximately 7,000 transactions in pay and benefits every two weeks. This workload has resulted in delays in old file issues being dealt with. A backlog team is dealing specifically with any issues that are more than two months old. The first members of the team have already begun the work on outstanding pension estimates and final pays. The Department of Human Resources is funding this effort by focusing on the priorities and reallocating its resources. I will be providing updates on progress as this work proceeds.

Another challenge is to improve the timeliness and success rates of recruitment. The government is competing for new employees with other sectors, locally and nationally. Competitions need to be run quickly and within the hiring guidelines. Steps are being taken to review the process and to ensure timely staffing services.

While there are many challenges for human resource services, there have also been areas of improvement.

Self-service was introduced to the GNWT just over a year ago and provides employees and managers with direct secure access to their own information from anywhere they have Internet access. This month, the final group of GNWT employees, those working for Aurora College and the divisional education councils, will get access to self-service. Self-service has improved the timeliness of payments for employees of benefits such as overtime and regular pay for those who must report their hours worked. It gives employees access to their pay information, beneficiary details and the means to revise their own personal data including addresses, emergency contacts and bank account information.

While winter and the upcoming holiday season are on most people’s minds, human resource staff are beginning the annual campaign to enrol post-secondary students and graduates for possible summer and graduate work in summer 2008. Promotion of the programs and registration information will be available in the month of December.

As part of the effort to ensure that employees are properly compensated, the Department of Human Resources provided all employees with an opportunity this fall to verify their leave credits. Approximately 600 public service employees came forward with questions and they are being provided with a review and explanation of their leave. These reviews should be completed by mid-December.

Given the challenges in recruitment in the health and social services sector, an Allied Health recruitment unit was created by Human Resources in summer 2006. The results have been positive. This was the first year for a number of years where there have been no closures of health centres, ensuring that residents had access to local services. Through the development of a larger casual pool, there has been a reduction in the use of nurses hired through agencies of 70 percent, resulting in over $1 million in savings for the health and social services authorities.

As we set out priorities as an Assembly, it will be critical that the public service is ready and able to help us address those priorities. Mr. Speaker, in the months ahead, I will be providing the House with information on efforts to better support the human resource management of the public service and the efforts of all GNWT staff. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Homelessness is a pressing and complex issue across the Northwest Territories. No one agency or government department can address the problem of homelessness. The Government of the Northwest Territories is working with non-government organizations and communities to alleviate homelessness.

The homelessness fund for small communities is the newest initiative. The program provides funding for application-based emergency shelter projects up to $40,000 and homelessness support projects up to $10,000 in communities outside of Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik. There has been $170,000 provided to organizations in small NWT communities to respond to needs of the homeless. Fort Providence, Hay River Reserve and Wrigley are increasing emergency shelter options. Organizations in Fort Providence, Wrigley, Fort Liard and Aklavik have undertaken projects to help the homeless with their non-shelter needs.

The departments of Health and Social Services, Education, Culture and Employment and the NWT Housing Corporation provide operational funding to several emergency shelter programs, including the Inuvik Homeless Shelter, Salvation Army, the Centre for Northern Families, Hay River Family Support Centre and the SideDoor Youth Centre. The NWT Housing Corporation provided the Centre for Northern Families with a grant of $49,644 for shelter enhancements in 2007-2008. GNWT funding provided to these emergency shelters totals $1,097,330 in 2007-2008.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the NWT Housing Corporation support the transitional housing units provided through the YWCA in Yellowknife. Together they have provided $227,335 to the YWCA for these services.

I am pleased to report on the construction of Bailey House. It will open in March 2008 and will increase the number of transitional housing units in Yellowknife. Bailey House will be a mixed-use, three-storey facility to house 30 to 36 men. The NWT Housing Corporation has partnered with the federal government, the City of Yellowknife, Diavik Diamond Mines Incorporated and other significant community and private business partners to bring the project to reality. The NWT Housing Corporation contributed $1.748 million towards Bailey House. An additional $50,000 from the Department of Health and Social Services has also been provided for operations support. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Michael Miltenberger will be absent from the House today to attend the Joint Review Panel proceedings on the Mackenzie gas project in Inuvik. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to speak today about the process that the Deh Cho Bridge has been following. Again, for the record, Mr. Speaker, I want to state unequivocally that I support a bridge being built across the Mackenzie River. Some might wonder why I am so upset at the process and again I want to give you some reasons why.

Let’s start with the loan guarantee to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation. It has increased five times in the life of the last government. The first four times the government told the Regular Members that we were hanging onto the hopes that the federal government would inject capital dollars into the project. Mr. Speaker, that never happened. The last time the loan guarantee was increased to the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation by $5 million it was to start work on a project that the government had told us adamantly would not happen without federal money.

Mr. Speaker, there was a fundamental shift in this project from a self-finance project to one in which the Government of the Northwest Territories would need a top-up every year with $2 million indexed for the next 35 years; a decision, if I could remind Members, that was not ratified by Members, not subject to an updated public consultation process, and not put through our macroeconomic policy shop for further analysis.

Mr. Speaker, there was also no cost-benefit analysis done on the new numbers. This, on the largest piece of public infrastructure in our territory’s history. Members deserve better and the public deserves better. The cavalier attitude of the last government was showcased again for me when I learned that the concession agreement was signed by the previous government three days prior to the election, on September 28th. Obviously negotiations are part of any agreement. That is why I was looking forward to at least having an opportunity to question the government on agreements before they were signed. Members deserve the right to ask questions, especially on a project that is going to cost $165 million. I believe our negotiating ability was undermined by political deadlines and that is no way to serve the people of the Northwest Territories.

So, Mr. Speaker, here we are today with so many questions and still so little in the way of answers. This government can now sit comfortably on that side of the House and point the finger on a decision made by the last government. That’s not good enough either, Mr. Speaker. We need to be able to be accountable to the people we serve; transparency must always be at the forefront. We must find out what happened in this case so we don’t make the same mistakes twice. That is why yesterday I called for a full public inquiry into the Deh Cho Bridge process and that is why I remain so disturbed at how this process is playing itself out, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi cho.

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Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker…(English not provided).

In my Member’s statement today, I want to speak about the need to reprofile the seniors’ facility in Fort Resolution to meet long-term care needs of our elders. As it stands now, Mr. Speaker, as soon as an elder gets too sick or infirm to stay in Fort Resolution, they are sent to extended care in Yellowknife, Fort Smith or Hay River. This is far away from their home, their family and community, as well as the traditional foods they need for their diet. In short, Mr. Speaker, we are penalizing elders who live in small communities who do not have a hospital, by forcing them to spend their final days in another community. I am sure that between the services of homecare and some additional nurses, as well as some renovations to the seniors’ facility, that an extended care service could be offered in Fort Resolution for a vast majority of the elders who are sent to one of the larger communities for their final days.

I think that a case could be made that the cost of offering extended care in Fort Resolution would be comparable to the costs involved in transporting patients and providing bed space in the other communities of Yellowknife, Fort Smith or Hay River.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services on the provision of long-term extended care for Fort Resolution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the NWT Wind Energy Conference opens today in Tuktoyaktuk. In recognition of this event, I want to talk about renewable energy and what it can mean to the Northwest Territories.

Wind energy is about one form of renewable energy, which includes hydro, solar, ground source heat, and biomass such as wood or peat. Renewable energy is carbon neutral; that is, it produces very few greenhouse gas emissions which cause climate change. Almost all our greenhouse gas emissions come from fossil fuel energy such as oil, gas or coal. Renewable energy is also a form of energy that is much more labour intensive, producing long-term locally rooted jobs.

Amazingly, production of wind energy has been increasing by 30 percent per year around the world. After running into technical glitches in the ‘70s and ’80s, adjustments were made to correct those problems. Wind generators are now being produced in units that can produce 2.5 megawatts and greater under good wind conditions, enough to power a community of 1,200 people.

The countries that did the development work are, of course, the ones that adopted it quickly and now export this technology around the world.

Wind energy has become a major tool in reducing a country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Its growth continues while costs decline; again, especially relative to fossil fuels.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT experimented with wind energy in the 1980s when this technology was problematic, but we did not move with the times and realize the great opportunity afforded by the new technology. The wind conference in Tuk is an indication of progressive movement to get back on track and capitalize on the opportunities that wind can offer.

In a larger way, it highlights many of the opportunities we in the North have been missing to reduce our costs while also reducing our contribution to climate change. All of the forms of renewable energy are applicable in the Northwest Territories. This is because of the fortunate pattern of renewable energy being roughly equally available around the globe.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, renewable energy is of a scale that fits our communities and is ideal for small business and local economies with the appropriate supports and policies in place. But I stress the right policies and support. The removal of barriers requires broad thinking from Aurora College programs in renewable energy to grid-tied renewable energy, to local business training. Mr. Speaker, let’s get it done. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak in regards to a concern relating to capacity development in rural communities across the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, the NWT has community empowerment policies in regards to finding solutions to deal with the critical problem of attracting the resources we need to run programs and services under the New Deal for communities.

Mr. Speaker, today out in the rural communities, they face many challenges when it comes to capacity development required for self-sufficiency in our communities. More and more responsibilities are being downloaded onto the communities and requirement is more and more needed by way of adequate resources to develop these programs and services.

But yet, Mr. Speaker, very little is done by way of capacity development programs in aboriginal communities with aboriginal governments and within our regions to ensure that critical mass is addressed to maintain efficient, effective communities by way of community development programs. We have to observe what’s been done elsewhere.

Mr. Speaker, working with people that have already dealt with this fundamental challenge in effect of providing program service results in community capacity development, as an MLA who has been here for 12 years, this issue has always been a forefront of our questions in this House.

Mr. Speaker, there’s an institution in the Northwest Territories that has been in place for over 40 years. Mr. Speaker, I’m talking about the registered society more known as the Beavers organization or the volunteer foundation operation of Beavers foundation. Mr. Speaker, they have been working in our communities as volunteers to help with the housing challenges we face, assisting our district education councils in regards to helping us with the shortage in our schools, but, more importantly, working with communities to find the challenge of finding capacity.

Mr. Speaker, the foundation has a proven record in the Northwest Territories and in our communities. Communities have been able to take advantage of this organization to deal with the problem of critical mass in our communities and develop community capacity, working with a non-charitable organization who has proven that they can give us results and help communities deal with the stress of capacity development.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s critical that this government considers working with charitable organizations such as the foundation that I mentioned.

Mr. Krutko, your time for your Member’s statement has expired.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I believe that the Beavers foundation can help the Government of the Northwest Territories and our communities to ensure that we are able to deliver programs and services efficiently in all our communities by working with charitable organizations who can help with the challenge of community capacity development throughout the Northwest Territories.

With that, Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be asking the Premier questions on this matter. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank my colleague Mr. Bromley for bringing up the hosting of the Wind Energy Conference in my community of Tuktoyaktuk. There’s over 100 delegates across the Northwest Territories and the northern remote jurisdictions, such as Alaska, Yukon, Newfoundland and Nunavut. It’s particularly exciting that the conference is being held in Tuktoyaktuk, the windiest region in the territory, and the region, I believe, that offers the most immediate opportunity for the use of wind energy.

Mr. Speaker, this conference provides an important opportunity for the community leaders to come together, to learn from the experience of the northern leaders, developers, academics, researchers and experts, who have developed wind energy projects in the remote northern communities from Alaska to Newfoundland. Mr. Speaker, this also allows community leaders to clearly state their wishes and desires of all levels of government regarding development to support the purchase of wind energy.

Mr. Speaker, I believe at this time it is the right time for both federal and territorial governments to develop long-term, stable, comprehensive programs to support our remote northern communities to take advantage of this resource. As we all know, the North is not just bearing the brunt of rising global fuel prices, but also the front lines of changing global climate. Many Arctic communities, including those in my constituency, are faced with extremely high and rising living costs, rising sea levels, and melting ice packs and want to be a part of the solution.

However, for wind energy to be successful there is a need to increase northern capacity and partnerships between governments, the private sector and research organizations. For example, the Inuvialuit are proposing a model that identifies Tuktoyaktuk’s infrastructure and human resource capacities and economies of scale together with the training and research capabilities of Aurora College and Aurora Research Institute as making it a good candidate for a wind turbine project and hub.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I end, I want to recognize the many sponsors of this conference, including the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, ConocoPhillips, Shell, NorthwesTel, Entegrity Wind, Frontier Power Systems, and the Inuvialuit Group of Companies. I also want to thank the hamlet and the community corporation of Tuktoyaktuk, and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, and the federal government, and our own government, led by the departments of ENR and ITI, for working hard to make this important conference a reality.

Mr. Speaker, although I am unable to attend this conference this week because of session, I look forward to hearing the results from the leaders from the forum at the end of the conference and all the recommendations it will make concerning this use of energy in the Beaufort and other regions of the Northwest Territories. Quanami, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last couple of months I have had the opportunity to speak to a number of my constituents as well as residents of Yellowknife and the North. A recurring theme and an area of concern which has been raised is the limited space available at the Stanton Territorial Hospital and how it affects both staff and patients. The cramped conditions are clearly felt by both hard-working and dedicated staff, as well as the patients who are receiving assessment, treatment, and ongoing care within the building.

A large number of staff in tight quarters, such as in the physiotherapy unit or the surgical day care unit, can cause frustration, which may lead to poor morale. This adversely affects the quality of care and the treatment received by the public. Similarly, the tight conditions cause stress to patients. For example, patients going to Stanton for cancer treatments or other procedures had to be fit in. By "fit in," I mean put in stress test rooms filled with staff clothing, treadmills, and other assorted items. This is not a positive environment or experience for northern residents already going through difficult times in their lives.

Mr. Speaker, later this afternoon I’ll be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services on space and physical working conditions within Stanton Territorial Hospital. Thank you.

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Mr. Speaker…(English not provided)

Mr. Speaker, for decades the Deh Cho Hall has been a central gathering place for the community of Fort Simpson. Not only has it housed government offices, but it is home to a library, a family resource centre, and many other non-governmental organizations serving the whole community.

Over the last few years, the government has wavered back and forth on whether to renovate and upgrade the aging building or to find new spaces for its offices. This see-sawing back and forth has left the NGOs who share the Deh Cho Hall in a state of uncertainty and unable to make firm plans to find new spaces for themselves. Now that the government has made a decision to move its own offices rather than keep the Deh Cho Hall, the library, the family resource centre and other organizations are left scrambling to find a new location for their work.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard a great deal during the last Assembly about the difficulties non-government organizations face in finding affordable spaces and keeping their doors open on a shoestring budget. The loss of the Deh Cho Hall is going to be a heavy blow to many groups in Fort Simpson and could even spell the end for some of them. These organizations play an essential role in the community and we cannot afford to lose them.

The Government of the Northwest Territories has created this crisis situation and I believe the government, therefore, needs to step up and help our non-government organizations with transition planning. I would urge the government to organize discussions with the community and be proactive and creative in helping to identify alternate spaces for these valuable organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I’ll be asking the Minister questions during the appropriate time. Mahsi cho.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on October 22nd, many, many Hay River residents gathered in the community hall to participate in a public meeting to discuss the loss of Constable Christopher Worden and the effect that this loss has had on our community. This meeting was organized by the Town of Hay River. Yesterday in the House I tabled the transcript of that meeting so that the comments and questions raised by Hay River residents would be acknowledged and on the public record.

Today I’d like to highlight some of the questions and concerns that the people of my community raised in the hopes that we could find resolution to them. One of them was the number of RCMP staff in Hay River.

Records would indicate that 25 years ago there were 15 officers in Hay River. Today there’s only 12. Why over 25 years, with the population having grown and the pressures on our members increased, why would we have less members today filling the full complement of staffing at all times?

Today I just read in The Hub that there’s another member being transferred to Lutselk’e. I’m sure that’s very good for Lutselk’e, but that’s probably not good for Hay River because it takes time to replace people. So we have not enough RCMP presence on our streets and in our community.

There’s issues about coverage for RCMP members that want to take time off, go on vacation, go on course, go to court duty. There are problems covering that and many times our dedicated members are back working on their days off, trying to catch up with their workload and their files.

We need a call centre in Hay River established. Again, going back years, we always had somebody on call 24 hours a day in Hay River who knew the people and who knew the community. Today we go through the Yellowknife call centre. Constituents raised that as an issue.

Of course, the issue, in light of the tragedy, is the issue of members responding to calls on their own and being on duty by themselves, policy and procedure that is set in place by this government with regard to housing and the presence of people who are involved in criminal and illegal activities in housing units, the issue of more funding for youth programs and crime prevention, things like Neighbourhood Watch, Big Brother/Big Sister programs, Block Parents, the relationship with southern RCMP forces to prevent northern trafficking.

The people of Hay River wanted to know at that meeting what they can do to help. We need more programs like the Eyes and Ears Program, attention to Crime Stoppers and TIPS. The issue of a municipal curfew was raised.

Mr. Speaker, I’m running out of time and there were many more issues that I will be bringing to the attention of this Legislature.

Hay River wants to be involved, but we also want answers. When there’s a crisis, it’s easy afterwards to settle back to the routine of our daily lives, but for the sake of the memory of Constable Worden, I hope that will never be the case. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight a venerable and valuable volunteer organization that’s been with us for a long time. The United Way movement was born out of a community collective philosophy which began in Denver, Colorado, in 1887 and spread to Canada in 1917. The United Way of Yellowknife is still young, established about four years ago, but it’s an active organization. It’s been set up so that contributions can be made to your personal organization of choice and donations made through the United Way of Yellowknife stay in the NWT; 99.25 percent of the funds remain local.

The annual United Way of Yellowknife drive for contributions is currently underway and all NWT residents should assist the organizations in their community by making a contribution to the United Way of Yellowknife. Even though this branch of the United Way has Yellowknife in its name, it is possible to contribute to charitable organizations in NWT communities outside of Yellowknife through the United Way of Yellowknife. Some examples: The Canadian Mental Health Association, Inuvik Branch; Family Support Centre Safe Home Network in Hay River; and Uncle Gabe’s Friendship Centre in Fort Smith.

The Government of the Northwest Territories, the Government of Canada, and other employers offer payroll deduction plans. All you have to do is sign up. They make it really easy to give your money away.

It’s a well-known fact that non-government and charitable organizations are significant contributors to our society, that they provide valuable programs and services in support of NWT residents, that they’re the foundation for much of the health and social services networks in our communities. Your donations are critical to assisting them in their human services work.

Members spoke of the voluntary sector yesterday and its importance. The United Way is a great example of a volunteer organization doing good work.

The Department of Human Resources has kindly forwarded information on the United Way of Yellowknife to everyone in the GNWT through the GNWT Messenger service. I urge all employees and Members to take advantage of the United Way drive and commit to contributing to an organization or charity of your personal choice. I know I will. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during the past couple of months, we have heard a lot of talk about being an effective and efficient government. I think to prove that we are not only going to talk the talk, we are going to walk the walk, would be to take the transfer of rental assessment responsibility back from ECE…

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…and transfer it back to the NWT Housing Corporation who, along with their authorities, have proven that they can look after this function in the past.

Mr. Speaker, we still hear from tenants that are waiting three weeks for their rental assessments to be done. It is not fair to the tenants. There are more termination notices, Mr. Speaker, being given out. The housing authorities have to follow policy and give out these termination notices. For the most part, it is not the fault of a lot of tenants who continue to keep up with their rent. They are just not being sent to them on time. Fourteen new positions were hired. I don’t know where these positions went. I am assuming they are in headquarters. Fourteen people giving one person in the region instructions as to what to do.

Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that was brought up a few times in the 15th Assembly and will continue to be brought up in the 16th until we, as MLAs, quit hearing from our constituents that this is not a problem. We will continue to raise the issue. I think we have an opportunity now with a new Assembly and a new Cabinet. We should have a new attitude. We should look at programs that are just not working for these people that we serve. We should seriously look at transferring the responsibility back to the NWT Housing Corporation and it’s been proved that it has worked before. I am sure it will work again, Mr. Speaker. I would like to have this Assembly, as I said before, let’s walk the walk and let’s do what is right for the tenants that live in a lot of these housing authorities and it is affecting the housing authorities’ ability to deliver the programs because they are constantly waiting for their funding which can’t be done until the assessment. It is a long story and I could go on for another two and a half minutes. I think we need to have a new attitude, Mr. Speaker. Let’s give this responsibility back to the people that have proven before that they are able to do the job. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to speak about the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, or SCAN as it is known, Mr. Speaker, that failed in the last Assembly. As we all know too well, most of our serious crime and violent crime in the NWT is related to the sale of drugs and the abuse of alcohol. There were many issues from many residents just about how the SCAN legislation would work and be implemented. There were also issues and concerns that arose about an individual’s due process rights that could be circumvented by the process implemented by SCAN. As well, there was legal access to justice that was a concern.

Mr. Speaker, none of these issues are insurmountable. Changes to SCAN could be made so the system is clear, and a better and a broader public information campaign could be done to allay fears from our northern residents.

Mr. Speaker, even though the previous Standing Committee on Social Programs could not support the bill as it was written at the time, they did clearly support the initiative and the concept of what the tool was doing, which was giving our enforcement people the right tools to do the job to solve some of these alcohol and drug problems.

Mr. Speaker, a balance needs to be found for the greater public interest to ensure the rights of everyone to live in a safe community. Mr. Speaker, the role in our jobs as legislators is to make decisions and to make good laws that make sense that provide and ensure the well-being and safety of all northerners.

Mr. Speaker, I personally don’t care if a drug dealer or bootlegger ever votes for me. Personally, I hope they never do, because I think we need to show the respect for our families and our people of the Northwest Territories, the respect that laws like this will take care of that problem and start to deal with it. Mr. Speaker, I have a family and I have children as well as many people in this room do. I think we need to start putting a safe environment first as a priority. I am asking this government to do the necessary public consultation to get this SCAN legislation back on the road and get good public input so we can develop a good public law to protect our families, Mr. Speaker. It is in everyone’s best interest. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, as well, would like to recognize Mr. Vern Jones, president of the NWT Metis Council and Metis Nation and president of the Hay River Metis Local. Also, Mr. Ken Hudson, who is the president of the Fort Smith Metis Local; Ms. Kara King, president of the Fort Resolution Metis Local; Shannon Cumming, chief negotiator for the Metis; John Klassen, chief negotiator for Canada; and Gerald Read, chief negotiator for the GNWT. Thank you.

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Thank you, Mr. Roland. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a constituent of mine, Mrs. Gladys Bloomstrand, who has had a long association with Metis politics of the Northwest Territories.

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Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a couple of constituents of mine in the gallery, Kara King and Arthur Beck.

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Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize some Metis cousins.

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Kenny Hudson, president of the Fort Smith Metis Local; as well as Vern Jones, the president of the NWT Metis Nation; Arthur Beck; Kara King; Jim Green from Dog River; I think it is Shannon Cumming. Also two constituents of mine from Yellowknife South, Mr. Gerald Read and Janet Pound.

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Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a constituent, Mr. Dick Abernethy, who also happens to be the father of my colleague Mr. Glen Abernethy here from Great Slave.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As November is Special Olympics Month and in that spirit I wanted to make special mention of a constituent and their significant special achievement. Yellowknife Centre’s swimmer Terry Kuliktana was a member of Team Canada at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai in October. Kuliktana competed in three events and received a silver medal for his efforts in the hundred metre freestyle and two personal best times in his events. He had tremendous support from his training coaches in Yellowknife as well as his family and home community of Kugluktuk. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Transportation. It gets back to the Deh Cho Bridge process. We are talking about the concession agreement. Yesterday, the Minister said in Hansard that the concession agreement still needs to be finalized. I would like to ask the Minister with my first question. What exactly did the Government of the Northwest Territories commit to in signing the concession agreement with the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation? Thank you.