Debates of October 12, 2005 (day 8)

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Krutko.

Further Return To Question 91-15(4): Cancellation Of Housing Tender In Fort Rae

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in regards to the concerns raised by the community regarding this particular contract, they were going to have very difficult times acquiring the appropriate permits that are going to be needed to carry this out. Because of that, the delay of that project would have hindered the construction for this fiscal year. As I mentioned, there was also a negotiated contract request by the community, in which the support from the community came forward along with the support from the newly elected MLA. Because of those circumstances, they have changed. Because they were not able to acquire the appropriate permits to carry out this activity, we felt it would have delayed the project and would not have allowed us to proceed. We are, as I mentioned, going to be coming forward, we are looking at a legal opinion, and we will be making the final decision once we do that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think my questions today are directed to the Minister of Transportation and MACA. It is with regard to what I raised in my Member's statement. I would like to ask the Minister, given the traffic statistics that I know he would have access to for highways south of the lake, given the amount of tourists and traveling public who use our highway systems, given the number of accidents that have needed to be responded to lately, who is responsible for responding to motor vehicle accidents and injuries on the highway system that is served by the Hay River ambulance services? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. McLeod.

Return To Question 92-15(4): Emergency Services On NWT Highways

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right now there are only certain communities that have ambulance service. Inuvik is one; the community of Fort Rae, or Behchoko as it is known now; the communities of Fort Simpson and Hay River are the communities that have ambulance service. There are varying degrees on how those communities are funded. Some are funded solely by contract through the Department of Health; others are paid on a fee for service. The responsibility for ambulance services basically falls under the Department of Health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 92-15(4): Emergency Services On NWT Highways

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can I switch Ministers then in my....Okay. I didn't hear the answer. I'll address my supplementary question to the Minister of Health and Social Services. No, I can't; okay.

I would then like to ask Minister McLeod, Mr. Speaker, who is responsible for providing the equipment that our volunteer fire department uses to go and respond to motor vehicle accidents on the highway? They service a large area. One of the ambulances which is used regularly is 19 years old. Who is responsible? What government department is responsible for replacing that vehicle? I would also like to know, are there any other vehicles? Do we send ENR officers; do we send anybody else out on the highway in 19-year-old vehicles in this government? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 92-15(4): Emergency Services On NWT Highways

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of programs that MACA supports and works with through emergency preparedness to fund some fire rescue vehicles; not necessarily ambulances. Ambulances still fall under, for the most part, municipal governments. This government, through MACA, is responsible for the Fire Prevention Act, which is more an area of inspections, investigations, training. Under our capital programming we do provide fire protection equipment for non-tax-based municipalities. We do not provide it for tax-based municipalities. The responsibility for ambulances still falls under that jurisdiction of the municipal government tax-based communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 92-15(4): Emergency Services On NWT Highways

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can fully understand that. Hay River is a tax-based municipality; however, they are servicing highway infrastructure which this government knows well goes all the way to Fort Smith, the border, Fort Providence, down the corridor. Who is responsible for ensuring that we have adequate vehicles and infrastructure to serve that? That is not within the municipal boundaries. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 92-15(4): Emergency Services On NWT Highways

Mr. Speaker, the area for responding to accidents on the highway is something that falls across a number of jurisdictions. In some cases, the RCMP respond and in some cases some of our highway officials will respond if they are in the area. We have instances where we have our nursing vehicles responding to highway accidents. We have a number of different communities that have ambulances that are responding. We are working with the Department of Health to look at the whole situation to make sure that all lines of communication are clear, that all lines of responsibility are clear. That is something that we are planning to have out by November, the Minister of Health tells me. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 92-15(4): Emergency Services On NWT Highways

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for clarity, because I am sure this is very important to the traveling public, people that are traveling on our highways would like to know that if they have the misfortune of an accident that somebody is going to come and respond to that, and for the benefit of the volunteers in Hay River, to whom should we appeal for a new ambulance for Hay River? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 92-15(4): Emergency Services On NWT Highways

Mr. Speaker, we have had and are currently having discussions with the community of Hay River on a number of issues about the fire chief's position and the ambulance's equipment requirements. We have worked with the Town of Hay River for a fire rescue vehicle. We have contributed through this government for a highway rescue vehicle and we will continue to do so. I would be pleased to be the contact person, or my department. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement today I quoted George Washington, who said, "The administration of justice is the firmest pillar of government." Mr. Speaker, I spoke about the reintroduction of the Special Constable Program in the Northwest Territories. I do not believe that the present RCMP recruitment methods for aboriginal people effectively increased the presence of aboriginal policing at the local and community levels in the North. Can the Minister of Justice inform this Assembly whether the Department of Justice has considered reintroducing the Special Constable Program in the North? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Bell.

Return To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There have been a number of community policing consultations recently. Out of those discussions the issue of special constables has been raised. I want to assure the Member and the House that our government is interested in having a police force that’s representative of the general public and representative of the population in communities. So we’re very interested in better understanding how we can move closer toward that.

Our approach the past number of years has been to look at the First Nations policing policy and try to get that expanded. I think Members know that much of the funding available on reserves in the South is not extended to the North, and we think that that needs to be corrected. I would say that the RCMP have very recently started to look -- I think probably because of the proud history of the special constables in the North and within the force -- at this option again. We do know that the regular force is maybe not the best option for everybody. The reality is that if you are a regular officer, the possibility of you having to move outside the North is there, and there are some who might want to be involved in the policing and not prepared to leave the North.

So we’re looking at some options that might be able to address this. They’re very preliminary, but the RCMP have started to discuss this, and I’ll certainly be prepared to come to committee and sit down and discuss this with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister is correct that these one-time special constables provide a very valuable service to the RCMP as a whole. Because of the lack of RCMP in the smaller communities, I’d like to ask the Minister on the Special Constable Program, can he provide some written documents to the House in terms of the type of substantial discussions held with the RCMP in the Northwest Territories in reintroducing this program to the North? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll ask the department to have a look and see what exactly we have that we could provide to committee. Again, I want to assure the Member that we are starting preliminary discussions around this. The community consultations on policing have reflected and provided us with the feedback that communities are interested in reviewing this. Again, very preliminary; we’re just now sitting down to discuss it, but I would certainly be prepared to share with the Member and committee any of the briefing materials that I have in this regard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Minister. The next question I’d ask is if the Minister would give a firm commitment for the February session in terms of what to expect with the reintroduction of the Special Constable Program in the North. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the first thing we need to do is assess the feasibility of the reintroduction of special constables. This is a program that’s not, to my knowledge, used across the country anymore and I think what we’re looking for is a specially designed program that recognizes the needs of the North. I’m not sure entirely how fast we can move this. I’ll certainly press the case. I’d like to sit down in November with my colleagues from the Yukon and Nunavut. We meet with the other federal, provincial and territorial Justice Ministers to talk about priorities. This is something that I’m prepared to address at that table, but, of course, it requires federal government funding. So we have to find a way to convince the federal government that this program makes sense as well. I’m prepared to take up that cause and bring that to that table. Hopefully I’ll have some news by February, after our November meetings. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Supplementary To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the special constables have played a special and very important role in our communities. Again, it’s one of the many lists of things that the federal government seems to have some control over in terms of how many RCMP are provided in the Northwest Territories. It seems like we’re left to the whims of the federal government in terms of federal funding. Are there any types of plans? I understand that the Minister has talked about meeting with the federal government and his counterparts. Are there any types of assurance or some sort of satisfaction the Minister can give in saying yes, this is going to be an item of high priority that the counterparts and the Yukon and Nunavut would jump on board with in terms of reintroducing the Special Constable Program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Bell.

Further Return To Question 93-15(4): Special Constable Program

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t speak for my colleagues, but I would indicate to the Member and to the House that they’ve been very receptive. We have discussed a number of priorities for the upcoming meetings. The First Nations policing policy and the extension of that to the North is one of the first priorities. I think this fits well in that regard also.

The Member should know that under our current policing arrangement we’re responsible for 70 percent of the costs for regular officers. One of the reasons we’re interested in the expansion of the First Nations policing policy is that the funding arrangements shift to 54/46. So we would have to come up with 54 percent of the budget. To be honest and frank, that allows us to put more police officers on the ground, and that’s what we’re interested in. So the best way for us to be able to do that is certainly going to be of high priority for my colleagues in Nunavut and Yukon, and I’m sure they’ll be receptive to these discussions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker…(Translation not provided)

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Apparently the interpreter has stepped out, so we have no means of interpreting your questions in your language. Would you like to switch to English or wait?

Mr. Speaker, I can do it in English if you want.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are directed to the Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board. Unlike other regions in the Northwest Territories having a special relationship with the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Tlicho Community Services Agency, under the new Tlicho Government, has the responsibility of education and health and social services to deliver the special services outlined in this document or agreement. It’s called the Intergovernmental Services Agreement. It denotes in the appendices our respective roles. So my question to the Minister is, will the Minister assure us that in matters related to his department he will respect the integrity of roles and working relationships as spelled out in the Intergovernmental Services Agreement? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Financial Management Board, Mr. Roland.

Return To Question 94-15(4): Tlicho Intergovernmental Services Agreement

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to this government’s role in working with the Tlicho Government in fulfilling our agreement, we are committed to that process, and we will follow through with what we can to ensure that there’s a smooth transition or qualify that with what we can in perspective of how we deal with all our other employees within the government as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 94-15(4): Tlicho Intergovernmental Services Agreement

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The chiefs in the Tlicho Government recently requested that early childhood programs previously run by First Nations government be turned over to an agency that runs early childhood programs and has highlighted responsibilities for the region. This is a good decision. It reduces duplication, facilitates integration and improves efficiency. However, Mr. Speaker, the Financial Management Board Secretariat and the Government of the Northwest Territories have erected barriers to such arrangements with recent requirements that all agency employees, with the exception of our chief executive officer, be GNWT public servants. This decision also blocks our ability to easily hire our traditional elders and other workers on a project basis, something we used to do before, Mr. Speaker, with this recent requirement with the full agreement of the GNWT. My question to the Minister is, will the Minister work with us to develop some kind of mechanism that provides more flexibility, facilitates service integration and avoids us having to build a large, costly bureaucracy which we cannot afford? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 94-15(4): Tlicho Intergovernmental Services Agreement

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the area of human resources and how we deal with boards and agencies, and in this situation now with the Tlicho Government and the arrangement that they’re looking to make, is something that is not new to us. We have, on a number of occasions in the past as a government, tried to work with the boards out there that had hired staff outside the public service. That became an issue when we looked at our union agreements and how we operate as a government, and we had to make some changes in that area. So our hand has had to be changed in how we looked at dealing with boards and agencies and their ability to hire outside of the public service or the unions. That has been an area that we’ve had to address. We will look at this again to see what options might be out there, but that is a difficult situation; and until we get to a situation where we transfer all of the employees out of the public service or in that area, that might open that door, but that is somewhat in the future as the Tlicho Government takes on the programs and service delivery from this government. That may open that door, but at this time we’re still delivering the program as a government, and through the arrangements that we have, that would continue to create a problematic area, as the Member has pointed out. So I’m willing to sit down with the Member to try to get a bit more detail on this to see what can be done, but from our past experience it’s a very narrow bridge that we have to cross in how we deal with this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 94-15(4): Tlicho Intergovernmental Services Agreement

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Given the issues that have already cropped up around the interpretation of the Intergovernmental Services Agreement, it is clear that the ISA by itself is not specific enough to meet our respective needs, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister work with the Tlicho Government and community service agency to establish a political accord that will ensure the integrity of the roles as outlined in the Intergovernmental Services Agreement, allow us the flexibility to hire staff, to hire our traditional elders, and also to provide a framework for the day-to-day delivery of services? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Roland.

Further Return To Question 94-15(4): Tlicho Intergovernmental Services Agreement

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, as I committed to, I’ll gladly sit down with the Member and those parties interested in trying to see what arrangements we can work out. Again, qualified with the fact that we have our own limitations that we have to operate within, and that will affect the outcome of that. But as I said earlier, I’ll be happy to sit down with the Member to get some more of the detail and try to find some of the areas where there are concerns. When it comes to the Intergovernmental Services Agreement that’s in place, or the ISA, as the Member has spoken to, I’d have to work with a number of the other departments within this government to get an interpretation and find out where we are with some of the discussions that have been ongoing. Thank you.