As I said, the challenge will be featured on a CBC Television program and it will be won by voting online.
This is a made-in-the-NWT event that can affect all Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
I would like to personally encourage all Northerners and friends of the NWTRPA to vote when voting starts. I would also like to thank Sheena Tremblay, Geoff Ray and all the staff and volunteers of the NWT Rec and Parks Association who have made this challenge a success. We should support this program and be the national leaders in addressing high obesity rates and mitigate the high chronic diseases and conditions that affect all Canadians. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When we started the 17th Assembly, we set up some priorities, and one of those priorities was decentralization. Yesterday Mr. Bromley referred to decentralizing his position to Hay River.
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Seriously, I know Mr. Bromley works hard in Detah and Ndilo, small communities that need his support.
When we started this journey about decentralization, the government gave us issues that we had: housing issues in small communities, office space requirements and residential issues. The government has indicated to me and given us some stats that they’ve created 158 jobs outside of Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, we would be celebrating that if those were all the facts.
The other facts are we know they started and devolved over 200 in Yellowknife, so decentralization is not happening, Mr. Speaker.
We need to be committed to decentralizing, putting more jobs out into the communities, not only to the regional centres but some of the smaller communities. We need to solve those issues of housing and office space. We need to know the next phase. We’ve had our three phases, but what’s the next phase? What’s happening next year? We still don’t have a plan coming forward, and we know that this is the last statement for 2014. What is going to happen in February and March? What are we going to hear about a continued decentralization?
We need to get this done. This is the 17th Assembly and something this Assembly set as a priority. We need to be committed to it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
[English translation not provided.]
I am practicing my French, and some days I practice better than others.
Mr. Speaker, what I was trying to say there was today’s final statement will be on fracking technology. Our environment, our water and our land are very important.
Industry is working very hard to reduce the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. General Electric and Statoil, a Norwegian oil and gas producer, are working on waterless fracking. Instead of water, these companies plan to use supercritical carbon dioxide to enable the flow of gas and oil to their wells.
Supercritical carbon dioxide is between its gaseous and liquid states. It could be supplied under high pressure in a tank. There are some challenges yet. Collecting carbon dioxide and hauling it into fracking sites is currently more expensive than using water. That statement alone probably says we might not be putting the right price or the right value to what our water really is worth.
GE and Statoil hope to actually inject carbon dioxide into the well and then recapture it at the wellhead. It would then be used again at the next well. If this technology was used widely, much more carbon dioxide would be needed than is readily available. That probably means we could find new ways to capture carbon dioxide from those coal-fired power plants and we’d have a reason to put it somewhere else rather than flaring or venting it.
Two companies have just started a three-year project that would cumulate in a technological demonstration before full commercial launch. This strikes as very promising to me, because with the exploration efforts involving fracking currently on hold in the Northwest Territories, time will be certainly on our side.
It may be that fracking might be done here one day, and perhaps this is the technology for the North. This may not be the complete answer or the only solution, but what it does is it demonstrates that people are looking in the right direction to the right types of solutions. They’re putting the environment first.
So as I said… [English translation not provided.]
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a Page, Diana Rockwell. I recognized her yesterday, but she pulled a fast one on us and wasn’t here, so I would like to recognize her for her work for the past couple weeks. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize Ms. Sheena Adams. She’s the regional energy project coordinator for the Beaufort-Delta and she’s also worked in the past with the Great Northern Arts Festival and also at the Inuvik Community Greenhouse. She did great work there and most likely will do a great job in her current position as well.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to recognize two Pages that have been with us this week: Ms. Britany Gabriela Prieto and Julia Rogers. I’d like to thank them for all their hard work this week and I hope they’ve enjoyed their experiences helping out Members of the Legislative Assembly. As in the past, I’ve always asked them what they liked best about being a Page at the Legislative Assembly, and they said meeting new people, and they said they’d also recommend the Page Program to all students in the Northwest Territories. They’re also interested in the upcoming Youth Parliament and they’re also very intrigued with the work that goes on in this Chamber. I’d like to thank them for all their work that they’ve done this week. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honorable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased to recognize two Pages from Yellowknife South: Bryanna Steele and Emma du Plessis. They are from Yellowknife South. I also recognize all the Pages who are here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too wanted to recognize the Consul General from France, Monsieur Fleury. Bienvenue. I also wanted to recognize Andrew John Kenny, former chief and well-respected elder from the community of Deline. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to introduce, to you and through you, someone who is very familiar to the House and a resident of Range Lake, Ms. Carmen Moore. Thank you for joining us. [English translation not provided.]
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the elder from Deline, Andrew John Kenny, known as the Don Cherry of Deline, coming from the birthplace of ice hockey in Canada. Welcome, Andrew John. Andrew John is also my constituency assistant as an elder in the Sahtu region. I would also like to say welcome to Josh Campbell, the CA for the Sahtu, to the office. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to use this opportunity to recognize and thank the Pages for the work they have been doing. Alfred already recognized Sheena and I would like to recognize Sheena as well. I would also like to recognize one of our hardworking interpreters, in the back there somewhere, Lillian Elias, who is doing the Inuvialuktun from Inuvik. Oh, there she is. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize Mr. A.J. Kenny. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. I would like to welcome everybody here in the public gallery today. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings here today.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment as the lead on the arts.
The NWT, as we know, is blessed with amazing artistic talents. Every jurisdiction in Canada has an arts centre with their artisans, and public can enjoy art from the perspective of both the artist and the citizens. The NWT does not. Artists in the Northwest Territories have extremely limited options for the display of their finished work and very few options for collaboration and learning.
Has the Minister been hearing what I have been hearing? Is the Minister aware of this groundswell of need and support for an arts centre in the Northwest Territories? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Those are just some of the areas of discussion that have been addressed through our department and through various venues, as well, even working with the NWT Arts Council, because we provide annual funding to them.
We, as a department, recognize that there are no dedicated public arts spaces or display in the Northwest Territories; however, there are many opportunities for art expression display in our schools and also in our communities. My department will continue to support the community-based arts and cultural organizations through partnership. Member Bromley addressed this on several occasions on partnerships. It is very key; it is very important to have partnerships in the Northwest Territories, so I am working very closely with Industry, Tourism and Investment on this particular matter as well.
Also, we are working with other agencies to improve the accessibility of art activities and facilities in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.
Thanks to the Minister. I know in our communities we have a lot of facilities that are very supportive of their artists, but of course, their facilities are overworked and overused. What we are talking about is an NWT arts centre. I appreciate the Minister looking into this. The arts contribute to the economies, social debate, culture and identity, as we have said. In fact, in Nunavut the production of art is often the major local economic engine. Every jurisdiction in Canada seems to realize this and support their artists with a fine arts school or equivalent program. The NWT does not. Again, with the amazing talent we have, where is the fine arts school that helps people realize their gifts?
Will the Minister commit to exploring the feasibility of establishing a post-secondary fine arts school, possibly in conjunction with an NWT arts centre?
Mahsi. Just to touch base even further, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre also provides a public exhibition venue for NWT artists and also for temporary displays outside the NWT as well.
In the last five years, the Heritage Centre has hosted over 40 arts exhibits, with 34 of these presenting NWT artists from all regions. These are just some of the collections that we continue to promote in our schools and also with the general public.
The program that the Member is referring to is an area where I need to meet with Aurora College to see if that is part of their vision for the Northwest Territories either short term or long term. We will be addressing that with the college in the immediate future. Mahsi.
I appreciate the Minister’s response there. The artist community and the public, indeed, hugely appreciate the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre’s display of art, both from within and outside the NWT, but of course, it’s woefully inadequate for the need. That’s well recognized by Prince of Wales as well as the arts community and the public. The arts community, which is a diverse one, with dozens of genres representing the various forms across the NWT, their focus varies and their voices are diverse.
The conversation acknowledging the need for an arts hub, a centre that can provide both display and education, engagement and entertainment, has gone on far too long without government acknowledgement.
Will this Minister commit to promoting and leading this conversation towards the realization of an NWT arts centre that can serve these needs, something every other jurisdiction does? I recognize partnerships could be key. Mahsi.
Mahsi. That is exactly what we’re doing; we’re promoting arts in the Northwest Territories, again, in partnership with Industry, Tourism and Investment. We are, as a department, collaboratively working diligently to implement the NWT Arts Strategy and Action Plan. Not only that but we’re also working with the NWT Arts Council for the whole Northwest Territories. They are our key partners in delivering those areas of interest for the Northwest Territories when it comes to arts delivery.
So, we’ll continue to play those partnerships and have ongoing dialogue with the departments of ITI and Public Works and Services and with my department and work very closely with the NWT Arts Council as well. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate, again, the Minister’s response and commitment there. As we know, interest and potential for partnerships to develop a strategy to build an arts hub is high, and with a clear vision, a business plan and government support, this immense opportunity indeed could be realized. It can play a huge role in our territorial economy, and it’s been proven in many jurisdictions.
Will the Minister put out a call indicating exactly how partners, the latent partners out there, the many talented NWT artists and arts organizations, the private sponsors in the NWT and the educators and fine arts professionals, can contribute to the process? How can they participate in the Minister’s exercise here? Will he make that clear? Mahsi.
Mahsi. I did already commit that we will be reaching out to potential partners, along with ITI and Public Works and the NWT Arts Council. So those are key partners that we currently have. Through the connections with the NWT Arts Council, we have all these different agencies, as well, that are working very closely with us. We provide funding to them on an annual basis. So those are the key partners and we will be reaching out to them. I will be getting back to the standing committee on the result of our findings as well. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned in my Member’s statement, our numbers of veterans from the Second World War and the Korean War are dropping.
Can the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment tell this House of any strategies our school divisions are doing to engage or to bring our veterans into our schools to tell our youth about these chapters in our history?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It’s very important that we highlight our veterans. Remembrance Day is fast approaching. These are areas that we need to continue to push into our school system, not only our school system but also our communities, the regional centres. We do have regional representatives and even those seniors that have been part of the process, if they can be visible in our community schools. There are some areas of activities and events that are happening in the various communities and the school systems. The Member is raising a really valid question that we must address with the board chairs, and I will be addressing that on how can we expedite this process and even having those veterans more visible in our school system and even presenting to our students as well.
I’m certainly glad to hear that the Minister is thinking about expediting this process and speaking to the board chairs. The point that I got was making it visible in our schools.
I want to ask the Minister if his department could look at school projects across the Northwest Territories to research and document in our communities all the vets that have served in the past, future and current, serving in our Canadian Armed Forces. All the vets, so that there can be a designated spot in our schools so that this could be proudly displayed as the veterinary hall of fame for our veterinaries from our communities. Can that happen?
Some of those projects are already happening across the Northwest Territories when it comes to career fairs. There are areas of interest, even the history, heritage display, we see students displaying the Remembrance Day. We see students displaying their ancestors or their grandfathers who have gone to, whether it be World War II or other areas of impact in the Northwest Territories, veterans, the history. It is also part of the social studies, as well, the history program that we are currently delivering as part of the northern studies. Again, it’s an area that we need to address with the school system.
Just as recently there’s a residential school curriculum development, there’s a land claim self-government currently in the works as well. This is an area that has been brought to my attention just recently, so I will be making an effort to be part of the school process as well.
In my excitement, I said veterinarians. I meant veterans. Veterans, for the record. I thank my honourable colleague, Mr. Hawkins, for reminding me.
The veterans in our communities that have passed have served, and they are in the community. Sometimes they are the forgotten soldiers, and it’s very key and important that in our schools where the young ones look up to community members, it will be something for them to have in our schools, as the Minister, to say we want to designate a special spot in our schools for our veterans to be honoured. Young children will be proudly smiling as they see their family members honoured this way in our communities.
I want to ask the Minister to strongly push, given the time that we have today, that this piece of request could be implemented and ready for next year to open a spot in our schools to honour our veterans in the North.
Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Member that these veterans should not be forgotten. They are a part of our history and also our identity, so we need to honour them. This is an area that I will be pushing with my school boards, that I work very closely with, to have their presence in our school system, some visibility of the history.
I will commit to the Member that this will be addressed. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know Veteran Affairs is a federal department. We should look into working with our vets, even those who are retired from peacetime or recent servants in Afghanistan.
Are there any educational credits for retired veterans that can apply to further their education?
Mr. Speaker, as I stated before, there is a variety of programs within our department, not only my department but other departments as well. We need to find out if there is such a program specifically for the targeted individuals. I’m making a commitment in this House that this is an area that we should seriously look at, because we go through the process every year, remembering our veterans on Remembrance Day. There could be some sort of a…(inaudible)…that the Member is asking about. It will take some time to get to that stage, but I will be following through with the stakeholders. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Lafferty. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
