Debates of October 13, 2004 (day 19)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last session Mr. Hawkins raised concern around the security of the driver's licence and I’m happy to say that in the last while, we’ve had a lot of discussion with the national organizations regarding the security of drivers’ licences and how we can move forward with incorporating a licence that would be used across different jurisdictions. We are anticipating doing that over this coming year. At that time, we certainly looked at a number of different things: the cost it would take to incorporate this into our system, the equipment that we’d need here in the Territories. So while we are doing that I would gladly direct our staff to take a look at providing notices once again if that’s something that is feasible for us or something that we can accommodate. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 206-15(3): Driver's Licence Renewal Process

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me a warm feeling that the Minister wishes to be so accommodating by looking into that, so I would thank him. Mr. Speaker, recognizing the difficult hardship and the fact that some of my constituents, as well as constituents of all of us, have to take sometimes up to a month to get renewal if they happen to forget to renew their licence in the proper time, would the Minister be able to give me his firm assurance today he will direct his department to put people ahead who have to go through the full process again and receive ultimate priority in getting their licensing back because of the disruption to their life? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 206-15(3): Driver's Licence Renewal Process

Mr. Speaker, we would be happy to work with the people that have to renew their licences. We have to recognize we only have so much we can do in terms of accepting and moving people forward. There has to be some responsibility taken by the people who have a driver's licence and the people that have to renew them. So there is a very clear process on how and when you should renew your licence and people have to take responsibility. However, we can try to accommodate as we usually do with people that have to go through the process. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 206-15(3): Driver's Licence Renewal Process

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the Minister could elaborate on possibly trying to accommodate, recognizing that there are single parents out there who still have to deliver children to school and pick up groceries. As I pointed out earlier, we still have people out there who do drive for a living. So maybe if the Minister could let me know on how he plans to look into this problem by trying to accommodate as I have mentioned. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 206-15(3): Driver's Licence Renewal Process

Mr. Speaker, I’m not making any commitment for special accommodations here. We have a process and if we can in any way be more accommodating with those recommendations by the Member, we would certainly be willing to make that, but we are not looking at incorporating anything special for people that forgot to renew their licence at this point. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Justice. Mr. Speaker, as a result of the very unfortunate and tragic events surrounding the Canada Corrections parole officer who lost her life here in Yellowknife last week, a lot of people in the public have raised questions now with respect to the federal parolees who are at large and living in our communities here in the Northwest Territories. I would like to ask the Minister of Justice what kind of communications take place between federal Corrections Canada and our government, the Department of Justice, with respect to parolees, inmates who have been released who are back and integrated into the communities in the North? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Minister of Justice, the Honourable Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 207-15(3): Federal Parolees In The NWT

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it depends a lot on the parolee. Because of an Exchange of Services Agreement with Justice Canada, in most communities outside of Yellowknife we provide supervision services. So there may be, at any given time, a number of federal parolees who are being supervised by NWT parole officers. In those circumstances, we will have worked closely with national parole to know who they are, what their terms of release are and work with them closely on the supervision. In those instances in Yellowknife where the parolee is under the supervision of a Corrections Canada person, there is not a direct notification for us that somebody has been released to parole. The decision as to whether or not to issue a public information disclosure, for instance, would be made by the RCMP and the request for that would be made by Corrections Canada personnel if they felt there was reason to do so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Your first supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Supplementary To Question 207-15(3): Federal Parolees In The NWT

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe that this is not the first instance of this type. Just a couple of weeks ago in the newspaper, it was determined the information was released that a Hay River child was in fact murdered by another parolee who had done federal time for murder previously. This is a small jurisdiction. Now there are two incidents within one year. Does the Minister see a way in which things could be improved in terms of communication? The court case would seem to indicate in one instance that the judge felt that there was a dangerous offender. Is there not a registry or some way that the public can be informed of this, or the RCMP even can be informed of it so they know the whereabouts of these folks and the fact that they do have this kind of a history and a record? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 207-15(3): Federal Parolees In The NWT

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I certainly agree with the Member that the two incidents about which she speaks are indeed tragedies and we’d like to make sure that I extend the government’s and I think all Members of this House condolences to the families of those who were involved. Particularly, both incidents were quite disturbing. In terms of notification, the RCMP are notified when an offender is released on parole. So they would have been aware in this instance of the release of the offender on parole, and the RCMP has the jurisdiction to determine whether or not a public information disclosure is made. Those are made on the request of staff from either Corrections Canada or Justice, depending on who was involved in overseeing the situation.

In some cases a personal information disclosure is made, in others it isn’t, but it’s made according to a decision that it taken by a committee of people who are involved in reviewing the circumstances around a person’s release back into society. So the notification takes place to the RCMP and the decision is then up to the RCMP as to whether a personal information disclosure should be made or a public information disclosure should be made to inform the public that somebody has been released. As I understand it, the decision is made based on an assessment of a person’s likelihood to re-offend. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Supplementary To Question 207-15(3): Federal Parolees In The NWT

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The question I have for the Minister then is will the GNWT Department of Justice be involved in an examination of the procedures and protocols surrounding the work of parole and probation officers in the Northwest Territories? We also have probation officers who work in a number of our communities. Will the issues around protocol and the safety of these officers be visited and revisited after the results of this investigation? Will you participate in this investigation of this incident as a government and will you revisit the protocols that are used by our probation officers that are employed by the GNWT? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. There may have been two questions there. Mr. Dent, you may respond to one or both. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 207-15(3): Federal Parolees In The NWT

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if we’re invited by Corrections Canada to participate formally we would be happy to do that. I believe that we have had one member of our staff from Justice who has been approached about serving on the committee. So whether it’s formal or informal I know that we will have some way of knowing what the outcome of the investigation is. I can assure the Member that our policies and procedures and the safety of GNWT staff is something that is of paramount concern, and an incident like this would, of course, cause us to review our policies and procedures.

I should have informed the House that we had instituted some time ago a policy whereby no member, whether male or female, of our parole staff would make a home visit unescorted. So our staff are required to visit either in pairs or with the assistance of an RCMP officer when they make home visits. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Mr. Speaker. My question this afternoon is for the Premier and it’s a follow-up to my statement regarding the status of devolution talks for the resources of the Northwest Territories. Last week, Mr. Speaker, the Premier was quoted in northern media as saying -- and this was in response to the announcement of a pipeline regulatory filing -- “The pipeline won’t come at the expense of our children’s future. We don’t want to see northerners not getting a fair share.” I applaud the Premier’s statement and his statement of his vision which I share.

My question for the Premier, Mr. Speaker, is what measures will this government be taking to ensure that the Premier’s vision actually becomes reality? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Return To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like many northerners, I have a concern that the bulk of our wealth and future wealth is in the non-renewable resource sector. While we do have, certainly, many other opportunities in tourism and so on that are renewable, the big piece is non-renewable; diamonds and oil and gas being the big ones.

Mr. Speaker, we have been looking at this. Mr. Roland, the Finance Minister, and I have been talking with the federal government and with aboriginal governments. I wrote to the Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker, last summer and suggested to him that we have an interim resource revenue sharing arrangement put in place so we begin to have some of that revenue stay in the North sooner. I talked to the Prime Minister when he was in Inuvik in August. I talked to the Prime Minister about it when I met with him in September. I have written to the aboriginal leaders. I have talked with them on a conference call about the idea of interim resource revenue sharing and there was going to be a meeting with the Aboriginal Summit leaders this week, but unfortunately it had to be cancelled because some of the members just were not going to be able to make it. I intend to follow up with this at a meeting on October 26th with Ministers McLellan, Goodale, Blondin-Andrew, Scott and, I believe Minister Efford may also be there, too.

But we need to make sure, Mr. Speaker, that our resources are not mined out of the Territories and that we do not have in place some sort of agreement that ensures that that money is here to be reinvested for future generations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Premier for the answer, but there’s really not much substance to this. We have had discussions and talks going on, we have meetings arranged and some of them are yet to come, some of them are cancelled. Where is the process? Where is the mechanism by which we’re going to see devolution achieved? I would refer to the process that the federal government engaged in over the last four years and spent considerable money -- in the millions -- to help lift this process off the ground. But I don’t hear from the Premier that there’s actually anything happening right now other than more talk. Is that the case? Is there actually something engaged right now?

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Devolution discussions have certainly been a major topic of discussion among all aboriginal leaders. Most of the leaders, I must say, Mr. Speaker, are on side, but there are some situations where the grand chiefs, the leaders in the regions are still negotiating their land claim or other aboriginal processes, and they have said slow down devolution until we get our processes out of the way first at the regional level. I continue to promote moving ahead speedily with devolution, but on the condition that we also have a resource revenue sharing arrangement that is parallel with it. We don’t want to take on responsibilities without the money that comes with it. We need to have an opportunity to have a fair share.

So that process is ongoing. It was commenced in 2002 in a very aggressive way. I am still optimistic we will continue on track. I hope we have an agreement-in-principle before the end of 2004, but in the meantime I am also preparing to move ahead on an interim resource revenue sharing process because I am not 100 percent confident that we’re moving fast enough on devolution. In case it starts to fall off the tracks or get slowed down, I want to have the interim process in place, because once we sign an AIP there might be a long time before we ever can agree on a final agreement.

But, Mr. Speaker, yes, there is a process taking place. Negotiations are ongoing. The next negotiating session will happen on October 26th to 28th here in Yellowknife. So that one is moving, but I must say, Mr. Speaker, not as fast as I would like to see it moving. So in the interim, I am also talking with the federal Ministers and the Prime Minister on an interim arrangement that would kick in giving us some resource revenues as early as after signing an AIP. I believe most aboriginal leaders have thought about it and are generally on side with the concept. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

So, Mr. Speaker, you know, northern leaders are very familiar and supportive and on side with aboriginal governments to do whatever can be done to help them achieve land claims and self-government. But you know, where we definitely seem to be at odds, as the Premier has said, is that some leaders are saying to slow down on devolution until we get land claims achieved. But you know, I don’t hear the mines slowing their production down. I don’t know if the pipeline and the oil and gas guys are slowing their production down.

The resources are leaving the Northwest Territories. They will not be renewed. How are we going to overcome this really severe bottleneck at the governance level, the top levels of governance in the Northwest Territories, so that we can achieve a devolution deal? I’m not convinced in what I hear from the Premier so far that we really have a process that has a solid mandate. We’re still discussing the shape of the table, if you will. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Mr. Speaker, negotiations of devolution is a very complex process. It is one that has been going on for 17 or 18 years. In 2002, we attempted to speed up the process in the last government. I am still hoping that we can move that along quickly. It is a very complicated one, particularly for aboriginal people because it is not just dealing with an administrative arrangement and how we deliver programs, but it is dealing with rights that they have to work their way through. It is moving, but it is not moving as quickly as I like.

I agree with the honourable Member that there are resources going out of this territory. They are not slowing down. They are speeding up in fact, Mr. Speaker. We need to have something quicker in the interim in place. I have gone to the highest authority I can: the Prime Minister. I have made this case with him and with his senior Ministers. They are listening to what we are saying. I am meeting with the Ministers on October 26th and trying to get an interim process that would come into place quickly. I am concerned, Mr. Speaker, that an agreement five or six years from now will be after, in some cases, two-thirds of a mine’s life is already gone. This is as much as I can say at this point, Mr. Speaker. We have a process in place. I am meeting with both aboriginal leaders and the federal Ministers on it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Your final supplementary, Mr. Braden.

Supplementary To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Premier. My final question is if we have a discussion and negotiation process underway, then does our government have a mandate that is brought to this negotiation? Would the Premier be able to release that mandate? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 208-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Mr. Speaker, yes, we have a mandate that we have given to our negotiators, and yes, I certainly would be willing to make that available. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Michael McLeod. We talk of an open, honest and transparent government. Time and time again, Cabinet makes multi-million dollar decisions. I can’t be specific today, but the question I have is when will the public know what is happening in terms of improvement at the Yellowknife Airport? When will we have a chance to publicly debate those improvements and what is happening out there? This gets back to my question about the access road and future airport expansion, perhaps, out to that area delaying the City of Yellowknife having access to that land to build a road. I am wondering if perhaps the Minister could let me know when we will be able to have a public debate about that subject. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Minister of Transportation, Mr. McLeod.

Return To Question 209-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our airport development plan is in the completion stage. We are right now doing some reviews on the whole package. We will have that available for the Members. We have offered it to the members of the GED committee as soon as it is ready. We will provide that in writing. We can have that discussion at that time with that presentation and also with other issues that the Members have agreed to.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 209-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am just wondering, through you to the Minister, when was the decision made by Cabinet to go ahead with the improvements at the Yellowknife Airport. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist, Mr. Speaker, to go out to the airport and see that money is being spent on such things as apron improvements and parking lot improvements. This costs money. When was that decision made, and when were Regular Members allowed to debate what is happening at the Yellowknife Airport in terms of capital expenditures? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 209-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Mr. Speaker, the improvements were made as a result of the CATSA security requirements. It has gone to Cabinet. It is in the supp and there will be opportunities to discuss that at that time. Thank you. It is coming.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Supplementary To Question 209-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can appreciate the time constraints that the Minister and Cabinet might find themselves up against, but what I find hard to believe is they can make decisions like that without any input from a Regular Member or from the public, for that matter. There has been no public disclosure on what is happening out there. Unless you really work at the airport and see what is going on out there, the general public has no idea what amount of money is being spent out at the Yellowknife Airport, what the long-term plan is, or anything to that effect. I think that should not be allowed to happen. I don’t know if the Minister can elaborate further on how much money it is going to cost and the life expectancy of the expenditures, but that is something I think the public has a right to know. This government is spending millions of dollars on a facility that might not be in its current location for much longer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 209-15(3): Status Of Devolution Negotiations

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is quite right. There has been a fairly short notice in terms of the airport development that is currently taking place. Our intention was to have a full study completed, an airport development package ready for presentation for down the road, several years before we had any improvements made to the airport facility here in Yellowknife. However, because of the 9-11 incident, many measures were brought forward including baggage handling and security in that area, which has forced us to accelerate the development of the facility in terms of providing actual security for baggage screening, and with that we are planning to do some improvements to reduce congestion and allow for a longer life of this airport. This current contract, this whole development plan that we are bringing forward, has been presented to the members of the Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development. We continue to have further discussions on it as required. Thank you.