Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This is one area that certainly was addressed at last week’s FPT meeting that I attended in Fredericton. Out of that meeting, the three territorial Ministers did discuss a strategy with the federal government to increase policing in the remote communities such as the Northwest Territories, the Yukon and also Nunavut. Out of that there is a plan in place which I’ll be sharing with the Members.
There is also a plan in place by the federal government, Mr. Speaker, a community officer program. There’s a pilot project for our jurisdiction and we are certainly looking forward to that. I know that’s just one small piece, but this is the area that we have improved on over the years. We are open to ideas and suggestions but, as you know, Mr. Speaker, nationally there is a shortage of RCMP officers. There has been an announcement of 2,500 officers through a recruitment fund and out of that we got our portion, but it was on a per capita basis so we got small seed money out of that. At the same time, we got some money out of federal, so we continue to work with that. Mahsi.
Thank you to the Minister of Justice for that important answer, Mr. Speaker. What I’d like to do is to see if we can seize that opportunity to help use the resources that exist in the city of Yellowknife such as they already have an enforcement division, but as the Minister knows very well, they’re not a policing division. So in other words, they don’t have the same powers and authority that the RCMP would have. Yet, that said, they are public officers in their own right and, of course, they have those types of responsibilities, again, different but similar in their own form. So there is a certain element of where they could help patrol, but work with the RCMP to help deter activity. That’s what I’m looking for from the Minister, if he sees an opportunity here in this somewhat compilation of ideas here. Can we work out an idea of potentially helping develop some seed money, create a program that could work regionally in the larger centres, whether it be Fort Smith, Behchoko, Inuvik, and accessing these types of resources. Does the Minister see an opportunity here? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of opportunities and those opportunities, certainly, we can work with. We have agreements with the RCMP “G” Division through the federal government and working with municipalities in the communities such as bylaw enforcement. So there are agreements in place already, but going beyond that, having foot patrols into the communities, we have to keep in mind that this is a territorial-wide initiative and we need to focus on all communities. That’s why we’re aggressively approaching the federal government to see our uniqueness, our remoteness, our geographic challenges that we’re faced with on whether it be foot patrols or patrolling the communities. So we continue to strive for that with the federal government.
Certainly we, as a territorial government, can look forward to developing an action plan to see what kind of enforcement could we provide. We are providing excellent services in the Northwest Territories, but we continue to improve in those areas. So we will continue to strive towards the federal government even more. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister is correct; RCMP are providing not just excellent services, exemplary services, without any doubt in my mind. I happen to be one of their biggest fans.
Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Minister that any program developed, it would have to be territory-wide and I would not assume in any fashion that it shouldn’t be. But crime is a problem and I don’t want to shock this House by making that statement, but a lot of crime, in my view, could be deterred by a visual presence. That’s really what I’m after, Mr. Speaker. I’m after do you think we could find a way to come up with a measurable program, one that we can work through, at the very least, our larger regions, our larger communities and seize on the opportunity.
So, Mr. Speaker, to the Justice Minister, that is if I was able to forward some of the officials from the City of Yellowknife to the Minister’s office, do you think he’d be open for some type of discussion to find if we could build a partnership, one that we can model across the Territories and certainly find useful information and measurable information? Would he be open for that type of meeting and discussion? Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, our department is open to any discussion that will certainly benefit all the communities of the Northwest Territories. This particular area, we have to involve the RCMP “G” Division in any discussion that is focused on enforcement or foot patrol, because they’re the ones who have the liability in that area, and also the agreements that we have in place with them through the federal contribution. So any meeting that needs to take place is not only the municipalities but also the RCMP “G” Division needs to be involved in those areas. So we’ll continue to work in that dialogue. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s funny, last session I said that for the first time and I’m starting to use it a lot, which is would the Minister be open to visiting my riding and meeting with the officials, perhaps next week to make time with meeting the RCMP, speaking with the mayor on this issue to see if we could speak territorially as well as regionally on this issue, again, to move forward on visual presence and, hopefully, to deter crime? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Certainly those areas of discussion we can certainly have within my department, “G” Division and the municipalities of the Northwest Territories to strive towards trying to get more access and also resources and federal funding, and then also strategic thinking of territorial government funding in this initiative. Mahsi.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document titled Annual Report on Official Languages 2008-2009.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document titled Northwest Territories Liquor Commission and Liquor Licensing Board 2008-2009, 55th Annual Report.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document titled Building a Path for Northern Science, Government of the Northwest Territories Science Agenda.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document titled A Foundation for Change, Building a Healthy Future for the NWT 2009-2012.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister responsible for Human Resources, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document titled Government of the Northwest Territories 2008 Public Service Annual Report.
TABLED DOCUMENT 43-16(4):
SUMMARY OF MEMBERS’ ABSENCES FOR THE PERIOD MAY 27, 2009, TO OCTOBER 14, 2009
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Colleagues, pursuant to section 5 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act, I wish to table the Summary of Members’ Absences for the Period May 27, 2009, to October 14, 2009.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, November 5, 2009, I will move the following motion: now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, that this Legislative Assembly strongly recommends that the government provide clearly articulated preference for persons with disabilities and clearly articulate how persons with disabilities fit within the existing priority hiring categories; and further, that the Department of Human Resources develop and publicize an awareness campaign outlining all categories of the Affirmative Action Policy and the responsibility of candidates to self-identify; and furthermore, that this Legislative Assembly recommends the government provide a response for this motion within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, November 5, 2009, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on Thursday, November 5, 2009, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, January 27, 2010; and further, that any time prior to January 27, 2010, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and the Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill includes amendments to the Child and Family Services Act that would:
clarify terminology describing plan of care agreements, care plans and case plans;
exclude from the requirement to report information about a child needing protection, such information as is received in the course of a judicial proceeding;
shorten the time after which a child protection worker must apply to the court for a declaration that a child needs protection and for a child protection order where a plan of care committee has not made a plan of care agreement;
make it an offence for any person to disclose child protection information received, obtained or retained by a person required to keep that information confidential;
establish requirements for obtaining a witness subpoena;
make other minor changes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Bill 4, An Act to Amend the Child and Family Services Act, has had second reading and will be referred to a committee.
---Carried
The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Commissioner’s Land Act, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill includes amendments that would require the posting of security on a lease of Commissioner’s land for a commercial or industrial use.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Bill 5, An Act to Amend the Commissioner’s Land Act, has had second reading and will be referred to a committee.
---Carried
Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 18-16(4), Supplementary Appropriation No. 2 (Operations Expenditures), 2009-2010; Tabled Document 19-16(4), Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2009-2010; Committee Report 1-16(4), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s 2006-2007 and 2007- 2008 Annual Reports; Committee Report 2-16(4), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the Auditor General on Contracting for Goods and Services in the Northwest Territories; and Committee Report 4-16(4), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2007-2008 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner, with Mr. Krutko in the chair.
I would like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We are in consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Tabled Document 18-16(4), Supplementary Appropriation No. 2 (Operations Expenditures), 2009-2010; Tabled Document 19-16(4), Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2009-2010; Committee Report 1-16(4), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 Annual Reports; Committee Report 2-16(4), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the Auditor General on Contracting for Goods and Services in the Northwest Territories; and Committee Report 4-16(4), Report on the Review of the 2007-2008 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner. What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We’d like to start off with Tabled Document 19-16(4), Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2009-2010, and then move to Tabled Document 18-16(4) following that and then, time permitting, I guess we could revisit what the wish of the committee is, but we’d like to start with those two, please. Thank you.
Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Do you want a break? Okay, we’ll take a short break.
---SHORT RECESS
I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. As we agreed, we’ll begin with Tabled Document 19-16(4), Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2009-2010. At this time, I would like to ask the Minister of Finance for his opening comments. Mr. Miltenberger.
I am pleased to present Supplementary Appropriation No. 3 (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2009-2010. This document outlines an increase of $1.025 million for capital investment expenditures in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
This supplementary appropriation includes:
$480,000 for the Legislative Assembly for the costs associated with the purchase and installation of a biomass heating system for the Legislative Assembly building;
$460,000 for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment for three community learning centres. The costs will be cost-shared on a 50 percent basis by the federal government’s Knowledge Infrastructure Program Fund.
$86,000 for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the costs associated with the purchase of a lightning location sensor within Wood Buffalo National Park. The net effect on government operations is nil as the costs will be funded by Parks Canada.
I am prepared to review the details of the supplementary appropriation document.
General comments?
Detail.
Detail? I’d like to ask the Minister if he’d like to bring in witnesses. Mr. Miltenberger.
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
