Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories takes its obligation to account for its decisions and actions seriously. We recognize the people of the Northwest Territories have the right to know what their government is doing for them and how it is expending public funds. There are many different ways in which the GNWT can account for its actions, ranging from exchanges between Minister and Regular Members here on the floor of this House to the routine publication of information and reports about government’s activities.
Recently the departments of Finance and Executive have collaborated on the development of a public accountability website intended to improve how the GNWT provides information on its activities to Members and to the public. The site has its origin in a request from Members for an easier way to access more up-to-date information about how the GNWT is spending its money in support of the goals of this Assembly. Today we are responding to that request.
The new site is intended to provide a single window through which NWT residents can learn about our commitments and how we are acting to fulfil them in every department of government. Rather than having to search individual departmental websites for basic information on how the GNWT is pursuing the plans, Northerners will now be able to visit one site to learn about what their government is doing for them.
The site provides links to our budget and the business plans for every department so Northerners can know what the GNWT has committed itself to do. News and announcements about how we are pursuing these commitments will
be regularly posted to the site and status reports on more than 100 projects linked to our strategic plans will be available.
The core feature of the public accountability website is a searchable database of projects undertaken by the GNWT in support of its strategic plan. Each entry in the database includes a brief description of a project currently underway, an update on its status and an indication of the budget allocated to the project in both 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. Users can search the database using a number of criteria including the goals of the Legislative Assembly, strategic initiatives and actions by department. Using this database, users will be able to get a comprehensive view of how each department is working towards the vision of the 16th Assembly and how that work is being coordinated across government. Information in the database will be updated quarterly to provide residents of the Northwest Territories with ongoing reports on GNWT activities.
The site also includes a searchable database of capital projects. Users will be able to sort the capital projects by department and by community to get a better picture of how and where the GNWT is carrying out is capital infrastructure program.
In keeping with our new approach to infrastructure, however, the database does not provide specific budget figures for individual capital projects.
Mr. Speaker, the public accountability website is another step in our continuing efforts to find ways to better communicate with the people of the Northwest Territories about what the GNWT does. The focus of this site is on presenting information about our strategic initiatives and our infrastructure plan. We will continue to develop this site as a tool for providing up-to-date progress and spending reports in the coming months including ways to report on our results and on our core business.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to informing Northerners about its decisions and activities and making sure that they have an opportunity to have input into our plans. The new public accountability website is one of the ways that we hope to deliver on that commitment. I invite MLAs and members of the public to visit the site at workingtogether.gov.nt.ca to find out more about how the GNWT is working to advance the vision and goals of this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has highlighted our efforts as government to provide residents of the NWT with an interactive on-line accounting of the strategic initiatives introduced to advance the priorities and goals of the 16th Assembly in a deliberate and organized fashion.
Later this afternoon I will table a companion document to this project. Titled Northerners Working Together: Fulfilling our Plan, this document provides an overview of the vision set out by our Assembly, and the specific actions, projects and investments that this government is undertaking to support it.
Mr. Speaker, as we embark on the final two years of our term, these two resources provide an accounting and guide to the work that has been set out, actioned and completed so far in our strategic plan.
Things like:
taking action on energy costs and improving transportation access to help reduce the cost of living;
actively looking for alternatives to expensive imported diesel and investing in roads, bridges and airports to help lower the cost of goods in our communities;
investing in education and skill development, supporting economic diversification and promoting investment in the NWT as a way to maximize economic opportunities for our people;
increasing our emphasis on children and youth, encouraging healthy choices, supporting volunteers and improving the safety and security of our communities; and
taking steps to protect our natural environment, defining our interests in land and water, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and adapting to climate change to better manage this land.
In the midst of all this work, Mr. Speaker, we have also moved to secure a footing from which we can realistically address our future. We have:
completed the difficult task of putting our fiscal house in order;
implemented the steps necessary to ensure our programs and services are effective, efficient and sustainable;
maintained a tight control on our costs;
improved budget process to make it more controlled, planned and accountable;
weathered the brunt of a global recession;
renewed our commitment to the unique consensus-based system with which we govern; and
established and nurtured strong relationships with the federal government and our own northern and aboriginal governments.
We have accomplished much to get to where we are today and I encourage Members to look back at the first part of our journey to get a full appreciation and understanding of how far we have come.
However, now is not the time to slow down. Now is the time to keep moving forward and to build on what we have begun.
Based on the sturdy foundation we have built, I look forward in the next two years to making real and significant progress on some of the biggest issues and opportunities that exist here in the North:
the Mackenzie Gas Project;
devolution and resource revenue sharing;
the development of our incredible hydroelectric potential;
transportation infrastructure like the Mackenzie Valley Highway;
the NWT regulatory regime;
the rising impacts of climate change; and
a common vision for the political development of the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that this Assembly, with the vision that it holds, the work that it has done and the commitment, courage and foresight of its Members, is positioned to move forward and improve the lives of our residents, build a vibrant, sustainable Northwest Territories and contribute to a stronger Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, later today I will be tabling the report of the Electricity Review Panel titled “Creating a Brighter Future: A Review of Electricity Rates, Regulation and Subsidy Programs in the Northwest Territories,” commonly referred to as the Electricity Review.
Mr. Speaker, nearly one year ago, on December 4, 2008, I released a public discussion paper on behalf of the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee that established the context for the Electricity Review and posed a number of questions for public discussion. The first question posed was: What should be our vision for the future of electricity in the Northwest Territories?
To lead the public discussion, the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee appointed a team of three distinguished members: Mark Cleveland, Gerry Forrest and Doug Matthews. The team was asked to approach their task with the following three objectives in mind:
reduce costs where possible;
distribute the costs equitably; and
ensure affordability.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that the Review Panel has undertaken an extensive public discussion process and, by all reports, this process has been appreciated by our residents and communities. The team held public discussion meetings in Inuvik, Norman Wells, Fort Simpson, Yellowknife, Behchoko, Hay River, Fort Smith and Fort Resolution. The team also worked with the Northwest Territories Association of Communities to hold a two-day workshop for our smaller communities to ensure their input was considered. In total, the panel heard from over 350 residents.
In July 2009 a report on the public discussions was released, entitled “Electricity Review: A Discussion with Northerners about Electricity”. The public discussions as well as a number of written submissions to the review team are reflected in this report.
With the release of Creating a Brighter Future, the review team has presented the Government of the Northwest Territories with a series of comprehensive recommendations. Mr. Speaker, the recommendations contained in the report are solely those of the review team. The report that will be tabled today is the report that was submitted by the review team in its entirety.
Mr. Speaker, the next step will be to develop a Government of the Northwest Territories response to the review team’s report. We have had extensive discussions with all Members of this Legislative Assembly over the past two weeks and the Regular Members, through the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, have agreed to work closely with the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee in the development of a GNWT response. We have all agreed that this response must be comprehensive and will need to reflect the results of the review of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation as well as the review of the ATCO proposal, which we have discussed a number of times in this Assembly.
Developing a comprehensive response will be a complex task and will take some time. Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, we have the potential to undertake some fundamental change to our electricity system, change that has been called for by our residents, our communities and by Members of this Legislative Assembly. It is important that we take the time to get it right.
Mr. Speaker, the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee, working closely with the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, will develop a comprehensive response to the Electricity Review, incorporating the Northwest Territories Power Corporation review and the ATCO proposal by March 2010. We believe we have a real opportunity here to establish a long-term vision for the future our electricity system, a vision that will ensure the sustainability of all of our communities and a vision that future generations will be proud of. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about working from public departments to municipal governments. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I do agree that community governments have been empowered to make decisions at the community level in regards to municipal service and infrastructure, but most community governments do not have the engineering or technical capacity to take on large-scale projects such as project management, looking at the scope of work that has to be done and ensuring that we’re complying with building codes and also ensuring that we have the capacity to deliver.
More importantly, Mr. Speaker, government departments still take on the responsibility of providing technical services to community governments, regardless if it’s Municipal and Community Affairs through the capital project technical people, land-use planners. Again, Mr. Speaker, I think it’s critical that we, as government, support communities, such as Aklavik, which I talked about the project earlier this week; shoreline erosion.
This government has developed projects in the past. We do have reports on these specific projects and the communities may not have access to that. Again, Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of requirements in regards to accessing federal funds in regards to Building Canada, regarding infrastructure funding. Again it’s who is going to assist the community to ensure that whatever application they put forward meets the required scope of work that’s going to be needed. More importantly, does it comply with the applications that are going to be required by the federal government when they review those applications and ensuring that we’re going to be able to take advantage of those resources and dollars that the federal government is offering, and that we do work with communities through public institutions such as the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, Department of Public Works and Services, Department of Transportation and other infrastructure departments in this government.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be asking the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs questions on exactly what is this department doing to assist communities dealing with capital projects such as the shoreline erosion project in Aklavik. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I am reviewing the priorities I see for this Assembly’s mandates. While time is always short, our end of term, now only 22 months away, looms ever closer.
First, it is clear that we need to take a stand on climate change by setting science-based targets for greenhouse gas reductions and a comprehensive plan to get there. Our energy priorities, biomass and water strategies, the gaps that remain unknown, all will be replaced and revealed in context through a well-integrated plan.
This is challenging and it will change how we do business, but the benefits are many. We have to start now. I will be calling on Ministers for commitments to get this underway. We need progressive action to give people the ability to help themselves. We already know the skills that are needed and are expected to be needed in the near future. Let’s make training to ensure those skills, Aurora College that provide them, and support for people to take advantage of educational opportunities, are a priority.
Where are our management for sustainable communities courses, our renewable energy technician programs, our able-bodied tenants contributing to public housing, Mr. Speaker? We still need greater emphasis on prevention over dealing with the consequences of problems. Early childhood education, staying on top of the leading science for child development during the first years of life and following up with informed programming must be an active focus to ensure the substantial long-term benefits that can result. Benefits can include major progress on addictions, physical and mental health education and social well-being. A review of the Child and Family Services Act and development of an anti-poverty strategy will also yield many returns for our people.
Shifting our focus for mega development to vital mini economies will bring local sustainable and job-intensive development of communities in ways that attack the cost of living, build appropriate skills and form a healthy engagement with our land from which our needs are derived. Non-renewable resource development at larger scales are given and will happen at their own pace through larger corporations known to be good at looking after their own interests. Ongoing oversight with mitigation of impacts on healthy, happy communities and a sustainable environment will ensure northern benefits.
People want every major decision to be viewed through a lens that looks not just at dollars but at how we benefit quality of life and the environment. Mr. Speaker, let’s get it done. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since day one of the 16th Legislative Assembly there has been a significant amount of discussion on climate change and making responsible environmental decisions. As outlined in the NWT Greenhouse Gas Strategy, the GNWT committed to lead by example by adopting a target reduced greenhouse gas emissions from its own operations to 10 percent below the 2001 levels by 2011.
This was, and is, a reasonable first step. Leading by example is rarely wrong. I have to say that we have done a lot of good in-house. We have adopted biomass in many of our buildings and have worked with staff to find energy efficiency within our day-to-day operations. I would not be surprised to hear that we have already met our target reduction of 10 percent.
In the NWT Greenhouse Gas Strategy, the Minister’s message clearly articulated the reality that climate change impacts are felt earlier in the North than in the rest of the world and that other Canadians and countries are looking to the NWT to see how we control our greenhouse gas emissions and begin to adapt the impacts of climate change. I can’t argue with this statement. I do, however, feel that adopting targets for GNWT operations alone fails to address the larger issue, the reality of climate change on the entire Northwest Territories.
Climate change affects all of the residents of the Northwest Territories and the world. As a government, we must be setting targets that assist other sectors within the NWT to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. Leading by example is a start; however, it can’t end there. Where the Canadian target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent from the 1990 levels by 2010-2011, the GNWT does not have any emission reduction targets for the NWT as a whole. It is time for the NWT to take the next logical step and set strong science-based targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions.
The GNWT also needs to adopt policies and programs that will support a comprehensive strategy to meet those emission reduction targets, things such as, but not limited to, energy efficiency standards for homes and appliances, and enhancing retrofit programs designed to significantly help low-income homeowners and encourage all other homeowners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
By working together with residents and businesses of the Northwest Territories, we can set real and responsible targets; targets which will demonstrate that we truly are aware and care, and that we are willing to, and able to, control greenhouse gas emissions within our great Territory and begin to adapt to the impacts of climate change throughout the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will have some questions for the Minister responsible for ENR on this topic. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize the accomplishment of four young women from my constituency who are now enrolled in the nursing program at Aurora College here in Yellowknife.
Three of them completed high school at the Thomas Simpson School in Fort Simpson. They are: Ms. Mallory Hardisty from Jean Marie River, Ms. Amanda Bradbury from Fort Simpson, Ms. Tiiu Cli from Wrigley and Ms. Leanne Niziol, formerly of Wrigley.
I am very proud to see our young people pursuing college and university education and I hope that they enjoy the challenges that this education will bring. I also encourage our youth to see this as an example of pursuing a goal.
These students are fortunate to study in the NWT and in a very good program. The Aurora College Nursing Program was awarded the Premier’s Team Award for Excellence in 2008. This nursing program educates nurses about working with not only individuals, but families and communities. Along with the science and medicine courses they take, the students are taught about the advantage of promoting good health habits and about the ethic of caring. They also get clinical experience in the Stanton Hospital and other Yellowknife facilities.
These students will have many challenges in the next few years. I wish each and every one of them success in their studies and in their chosen careers. I want them to know that your families, friends and our communities are behind you 100 percent. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank Minister Bob McLeod for his Minister’s statement today on Creating a Brighter Future: A Review of Electricity Rates, Regulation and Subsidy Programs in the Northwest Territories. I really appreciate the government’s proactiveness in putting this out and tabling this today so that the public can have a chance to read it.
As well, to the Minister’s statement here today which tries to bring clarity, I guess, to the process that lies ahead of us, the Minister referred to working together with Priorities and Planning Committee, and most definitely over the last two weeks we have worked on this considerably. We received the recommendations. We took them, at first, just at face value. We had further questions and the Minister was good enough to bring the Review Panel back in and have a full-day working meeting. We’ve been meeting with the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee.
Mr. Speaker, when the committee was struck to review these things, as the Minister indicates, it was to look at reducing costs where possible, distribute the costs equitably and ensure affordability.
Mr. Speaker, there is just one thing in the Minister’s statement that I want to speak to just so that people are absolutely clear about it today too. The report that is being tabled today in its entirety are the recommendations of the review team. They are not the position of this government. That response to those recommendations will be a collaborative effort between the Cabinet, the Ministerial Energy Coordinating Committee and the Regular Members, and we are happy to work closely with the Minister on that.
Mr. Speaker, just in quoting this, we have all agreed that this response must be comprehensive and will need to reflect the results of the review of the NWT Power Corporation as well as the review of the ATCO proposal. Then it says, which we have discussed a number of times in this Assembly. I just want to be clear that in our discussions in the last two weeks, we have only been discussing the review of the electricity piece of that three-part equation. I know it’s confusing to people at times, because we were doing three reviews at the same time. But, Mr. Speaker, to be clear, I just want the public to know that the Members of this Assembly have not discussed nor seen the results of the NTPC review or the review of the ATCO proposal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
[English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to use my Member’s statement to let Tu Nedhe constituents know what my plans are for the coming months.
Mr. Speaker, we have just passed the midway point of the 16th Assembly and as elected Members to this House, I have seen this Assembly go through some challenging times and yet remain focused on the interests and people of the Northwest Territories, as I am for the people of Tu Nedhe. Mr. Speaker, this is a testament to the commitment and dedication of each Member in this Assembly. Because of this, and on behalf of my constituents, I look forward to continued positive, productive working relationships with every Member of the 16th Assembly for the remaining two years.
Today is our last day of sitting, so I would like to let my constituents know some of my plans in the coming weeks. Mr. Speaker, next week, on Tuesday, November 10th, I will be in Fort Resolution with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment as part of a literacy tour. A few weeks later, I will be in Lutselk’e from November 23rd to 25th to meet with constituents. In December I will be in Fort Resolution from the 14th to the 16th to meet with constituents again.
Mr. Speaker, I will continue to work for the people of Tu Nedhe to ensure that their issues are brought to the attention of this government and to ensure that all that can be done for the people of Tu Nedhe is done.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to also acknowledge the staff here at the Legislative Assembly, people who make our jobs easier in what we do and to support our efforts in assisting our constituents.
Mr. Speaker, I, and all the people of Tu Nedhe, wish you a happy and safe next few months and I hope to be in many of the Tu Nedhe homes in the next little while. I would like to encourage everyone to take extra time travelling on the highways when they are going out on the land and wish for a good, safe holiday season. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to highlight some of the successes the RCMP are having in their efforts to curb the supply of illegal drugs coming north into our communities. It should be no surprise to anyone that all Northerners have come to see the members of our RCMP as significant pillars of our communities.
Now, outside of the world-class symbol of service policing and community involvement that we all know very well, much of their work is largely done behind the scenes and gone unnoticed like a well-oiled machine.
This, in my view, is a clear testament to the high degree of quality of service so many of these members do in their day-to-day work without the average person’s life being interrupted. Because we live in a world that has little interruptions, we tend to forget how quickly how much of this work is done to keep things the way they are.
So from time to time we should remind each other about the critical and dangerous work we rely on to keep our homes and communities safe. So today I want to acknowledge the work that our RCMP members in the drug gang section actually do.
As many of us know, our “G” Division RCMP has a five-member drug section and canine unit who are responsible for implementing the Drug Strategy. The NWT Drug Strategy has been very successful so far in stopping the distribution of drugs into Yellowknife and other NWT communities.
This strategy has vastly improved the coordination of community and territorial resources. The strategy is also underpinned with a focus which includes responding to organized crime and gang activities. As well, the RCMP have worked hard to develop the number of informants that work with them as their eyes and ears on the ground. With that said, they continue targeting the recruitment activities of gangs and they are improving the access to intelligence information.
What is often little known is RCMP members collaborate with health and social services partners and government and NGOs across the NWT. Each year, they lead the DARE training for 300 children between the ages of eight and 10 years old. The RCMP have increased the number of vehicles stopped, programs which have proven to be very successful in revealing drug and alcohol violations. However, the NWT number of drug trafficking continues to increase, but equally, Mr. Speaker, the RCMP continually work hard successfully to meet those challenges.
In the first half of 2009, there were 147 incidents of drug trafficking, which resulted in 38 charges being laid. In the same period, there were 168 possession charges, with 46 charges being laid.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. For example, just four weeks ago, two men from Calgary were arrested within a short period of time of showing up here in Yellowknife on charges of trafficking crack cocaine. In the end, this continues to be a great reminder that we have the best people working hard to keep these activities off our streets.
In closing, I am profoundly grateful that we have these men and women who want to do this tough job of law enforcement and the work they do is a job very well done. I am sure Members will agree with me that these people deserve our respect and support as they carry on their assignments to reduce the amounts of illegal drugs and alcohol showing up in our communities. Mr. Speaker, I admire the work they do and as a Canadian, I am very proud of our RCMP. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today the temperature in the Nunakput community of Paulatuk is minus 25 degrees. With that wind chill, it will feel like minus 35. I am giving this Assembly the weather conditions in the community, because some time today or tomorrow they will have a family being evicted and they will have nowhere to go, Mr. Speaker.
Every community in Nunakput is having major problems with the way housing is being evaluated and administered. I wonder if this government and the NWT Housing Corporation recognizes the impact they are making in my region.
In a small, remote community such as Paulatuk, the people have nowhere to go. There are no shelters, like Yellowknife, or service programs. You either stay with family or friends who are already overcrowded in the situation, or they stay in substandard buildings such as a shack, Mr. Speaker, and that is wrong. Also, I wonder if these evictions are being directed by the central offices and the local housing offices are being forced to do their dirty work for the NWT Housing Corporation.
Why is this government evicting people in the winter with only a few months before Christmas, being evicted from a house at minus 30 weather? That is wrong, evicting a family who has nowhere to go. That is wrong, Mr. Speaker. Just saying it is not the NWT Housing Corporation’s problem and those are the rules to be followed is wrong, Mr. Speaker.
People deserve more. They deserve the respect and our compassion. They stated, previously, overcrowding in housing units is a symptom of a much larger sympathetic problem and causes many community problems. Too many times I see 10 or 12 people staying in a small unit. I visit them in these units. They grow increasingly frustrated and concerned and wonder when will this government commit seriously to addressing these deficiencies.
This government must see firsthand the policies of the NWT Housing Corporation headquarters are affecting small, remote communities, Mr. Speaker. They must get in touch with the concerns of the communities. Until that happens, the policies will never truly recognize the housing challenges in small, remote communities, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of Housing at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The ink has barely dried on the capital budget for 2010-2011. It was just yesterday we passed Bill 6, but I am thinking ahead to the next capital budget and where we should place our emphasis and dollars in the 2011-12 infrastructure budget.
It has been mentioned several times by Members during this sitting and it has been mentioned in previous sessions as well, but it bears repeating. This government, this Assembly, must make it a priority to establish cell phone service in all of our NWT communities.
---Applause
Mr. Menicoche has spoken of the Deh Cho Trail as a possible legacy for this government. Ensuring cell service to the 25 communities who do not currently have it would certainly be a legacy as well.
It will cost approximately $6 million to put cell towers in the 25 communities that need them, but I believe there are many options out there to fund this project. The GNWT can take on the whole cost on its own or the government can share the cost with another organization. The government can put out a request for proposals for the project and see what creative proposals come back.
I recommend that the Cabinet take a look at the process used by the Yukon government. The government can tap into Infrastructure Canada funding to reduce the overall costs. The government can facilitate the project for municipalities or First Nations communities or governments. There is a federal program called First Nations Infrastructure Fund which could fit this project.
Mr. Speaker, the NWT has been fortunate with our applications for Building Canada Fund projects and the federal funding received from those projects. It has allowed this government to accomplish much in partnership with our communities. Rural and remote communities are a focus of this government. We need to narrow that focus and commit to the provision of cell service in the 25 smaller communities who currently lack it. If we start our planning now, we can easily accomplish the job before the 2011 election.
Mr. Speaker, there is a saying which goes, where there is a will, there is a way. I ask, what is the will of this government? I will have questions for the Minister of Finance later on. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the last couple of days I have been working with the Sahtu elders at a conference here. Mr. Speaker, just sitting with the elders for the last couple of days really opened my eyes in terms of the type of support our elders are asking us people here in the Assembly, our communities, in the Government of Canada.
The elders feel that they have lost their status and their role in the community governments and structures and the teachers of our way of life. They saw that a new way of life has moved them away from this family structure that is so critical to the aboriginal way of life and how we survive as aboriginal people and how we are going to go forward.
The elders talked about no longer have they enjoyed the status of respect of elders in the community and that other professions have taken over their role. They feel that they have been pushed aside. Now they are more bothersome to the people in terms of how they are being looked at in terms of advice, leading the people in certain laws that they need to practice.
Mr. Speaker, I ask on behalf of the people that I worked with in the last couple of days and the elders are asking, what can this government do to support them in the communities in terms of programs and services? How can we have our elders play a different role in this government in terms of what type of laws that should be brought forward, what type of laws need to be reintroduced back into our school? Even the school system should be at least 50 percent of our elders being there as teachers and professors. How come they are not in the school in that magnitude, Mr. Speaker? Can this government look at an elders’ advocate? It certainly is something that Mrs. Groenewegen talked about some time ago in terms of a council ran by the elders helping us with our issues that we have to face today.
The elders are very critical today in terms of the survival of the nation of people on this land here and they need to play a critical role in the way we are going forward. Even Mr. Premier talked about rebuilding relationships. The elders hope they are part of that relationship building. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take the opportunity today to thank all the Pages that have been working with us this week. I was very happy to have two Pages from Fort Providence. Bradley Thom and Joseph Antoine have been working here very hard for us and seeing the sights of Yellowknife. They are both from the Deh Gah School in Fort Providence, my home town. They are both 13 years old, Mr. Speaker, and they keep very busy while in the community.
Bradley has just returned from a cultural camp. He has done a bit of hunting and learning some aboriginal and cultural skills. He certainly indicates he likes having to spend time in the bush. His career goal is to work towards becoming a marine biologist, Mr. Speaker. He has indicated that he has been here a couple of times before. He has enjoyed it. He has come to find out a little more about the Legislative Assembly. His family had some history in the political field. His grandfather was a chief of Fort Providence and also the mayor. His aunt, Tina Gargan, was also a mayor very recently in Fort Providence.
Joseph is also from the same school. He just returned from Fort Smith, where his mother was attending Aurora College. He was very interested and had never been to the Legislative Assembly. He wanted to check it out, he said, Mr. Speaker. He is a very avid hockey player. He plays hockey in Fort Providence, but the ice is not ready yet so he has been travelling all the way to Hay River to get some ice time and play hockey in that community, Mr. Speaker. His goal is to be an NHL hockey player. He is working very hard at it.
They both indicated that they want to witness the torch relay today and hoping we are not going to work too late.
---Laughter
They are driving home tomorrow, so I want to wish them all safe travel, and everyone else who is travelling tomorrow and today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today we commemorated the return of the 100 millionth container for recycling since we started the program four years ago and we have in the gallery some of the folks that have made that possible. We have Luke Groscoe, the owner of the Behchoko bottle depot; Archie Black, Behchoko bottle depot supervisor; and Nini Black; Adam and Donna Pich, owners of the Yellowknife bottle depot. Thank you for all your good work and welcome to the Assembly.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to recognize some of the Pages in the House: Angel Kowana from Aklavik, Jessie Pascal, and her sister who is the chaperone here today is Janeta Pascal. Again, I’d like to wish you all the best on your trip home and I hope this was a learning experience. Hopefully, we’ll see you back here again someday. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to recognize two long-term Yellowknife South constituents, Adam and Donna Pich. Business must really be picking up because they had to go back right away.
