Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The 2008–2009 Review will examine:
whether progress has been made since the changes to the Official Languages Act in 2003;
whether the government implements and administers the act effectively and efficiently;
whether the objectives and goals of the preamble are being met;
whether the changed roles and responsibilities of the Minister responsible for Official Languages improved the administration and implementation of the act;
whether the changed role of the Languages Commissioner as an ombudsperson improved the implementation of the act;
whether the new Official Languages Board has met its mandate to review the rights, status and use of official languages; and
whether the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board has fulfilled its mandate to promote, maintain and revitalize aboriginal languages.
Steps for the 2008–2009 Review
The Standing Committee on Government Operations plans the following steps for the review of the Official Languages Act.
Literature and Document Review
The literature and document review covers an extensive selection of documents from the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Languages Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, other stakeholders and non-government organizations of the NWT. The review also considers literature from other Canadian jurisdictions, international organizations, and examples of language policy and activities.
Input from Aboriginal Languages Specialists and Frontline Workers
Aboriginal language specialists and frontline workers participated in surveys, interviews and regional focus groups during June, July and August 2008.
One hundred sixty-nine aboriginal language specialists and frontline workers were surveyed; 69 participants responded, which translates into a response rate of 41 per cent. All nine aboriginal official languages were represented in the response. The aboriginal language specialists and frontline workers were asked questions relating to:
the Official Languages Act;
the SCROLA recommendations;
their awareness of the implementation of these recommendations;
government services and communication with the public;
training for language specialists and frontline workers;
their awareness of language revitalization activities from the government and the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board; and
community language activities.
Aboriginal language instructors, interpreter/translators and other community based aboriginal language specialists participated in eight regional focus groups. These groups discussed issues around language revitalization and obligations arising from the Official Languages Act.
Some of the highlights are captured in the “Emerging Themes” section of this interim report. The standing committee’s final report will include a detailed chapter on the findings of both the survey results and focus groups discussions.
The standing committee appreciates the Ministers’ support for this undertaking, in particular for sharing information and for contacting the education and health authorities to ensure they are aware of this consultation by the committee.
Mr. Speaker, I will ask my colleague Mr. Abernethy to continue the report. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Community Visits and Public Hearings
The committee conducted community visits and public hearings in September 2008. The committee held public hearings in Délînê, Fort McPherson, Fort Resolution, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Inuvik and Yellowknife. The committee also had meetings with community aboriginal language groups in Behchoko, Dettah, Délînê, Fort McPherson, Fort Resolution, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, K’atlodeeche (Hay River Reserve) and Inuvik. To ensure all aboriginal language community groups had a chance to participate, they were invited to attend the meetings for their language group. Representatives from Fort Providence, Ulukhaktok, Fort Liard, Trout Lake, Kakisa, Fort Good Hope and Tulita took part in meetings on the Hay River Reserve and in Inuvik, Fort Simpson and Délînê.
Most gatherings were well attended, and the standing committee heard many engaged contributions addressing language issues and concerns. The vast majority of contributions during the public hearings were made by members of aboriginal language groups. The committee regretted that there were no contributions from the French speaking public.
Some highlights of what the members of the standing committee heard during its community visits are captured in the “Emerging Themes” section of this interim report. A more detailed summary will be included in the final report on the review of the Official Languages Act.
Public Committee Meetings
The standing committee expects to hear from witnesses at public committee meetings in late 2008. Witnesses will include the Minister responsible for Official Languages, the Languages Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, representatives of the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board and the Official Languages Board, the NWT Bureau of Statistics, the Fédération Franco Ténoise and the NWT Literacy Council.
Additional Input from the Public
The standing committee is providing further opportunities for public input. The public is encouraged to complete a questionnaire that is posted on the Assembly’s website and available from the Legislative Assembly as a paper copy upon request. This questionnaire is available until November 21, 2008. In addition, members of the public are welcome to provide written submissions to the committee. Submissions are accepted until November 14, 2008.
Final Report
Emerging Themes of the 2008–2009 Review
People are concerned about the dire situation of aboriginal languages in the Northwest Territories. They worry about the survival of their languages and how they can be kept alive as languages of everyday use. There is a great awareness of the connection between language and cultural identity and that language loss has non-reversible impacts on the culture and identity of aboriginal peoples of the Northwest Territories.
The intergenerational gap of language and traditional knowledge is growing to an extent never seen before. Elders describe this gap as a total communication breakdown, because their grandchildren no longer speak the same language.
People are also disillusioned and frustrated with the lack of accountability for implementing government commitments relating to official languages.
The lack of interpreter/translators in the health and justice systems, the lack of adequate training for these interpreters and the need for on-going terminology development and standardization in an ever-changing modern environment was brought to the standing committee’s attention in every community.
Mr. Speaker, I’ll ask my colleague Mr. Krutko to continue. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Participants also identified shortcomings within the education and school systems; for example:
aboriginal languages curriculum development and implementation is slow and under-resourced;
providing 30 minutes of language instruction per day is insufficient, particularly when all other subjects are taught in English only;
language instruction often does not extend beyond elementary school grades;
lack of accountability to ensure language funding for schools is used for language activities; and
insufficient support, resources and training for aboriginal language and cultural instructors.
This being said, people also acknowledged that some progress has been made; for example, in the development of aboriginal language curricula and with the start of some language nest programs. At the same time, participants repeatedly expressed that if government is serious about its role in aboriginal language revitalization, then the implementation of such programs needs to be accelerated and resourced adequately in order to counteract the language decline, particularly among children and younger adults.
While some people had heard of the Official Languages Board and the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board, most did not understand their roles and mandates or why two language boards exist. Participants also did not know who the board representatives are and are generally critical about the boards’ capacity to develop on-going relationships and communication with the community language groups, frontline workers and advocates. In addition, the appointment process for the boards, their dependent relationship with the Minister’s office and the lack of powers and resources were questioned frequently. Participants also found the absence of any reporting mechanism or any publicly available information relating to the activities of the boards inconsistent with their mandate and intended purpose.
Mr. Speaker, I will now pass the report back to the Chair of the Committee, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much, colleagues.
There was general concern about the role and functions of the Languages Commissioner: People did not know who the incumbent is or what the commissioner does. There was no awareness of the changed role and responsibilities of the commissioner. Participants stated repeatedly that they had not seen the commissioner in their communities, nor did they know whether annual reports were published.
The messages the standing committee received with regard to community language funding were unified, loud and clear:
The major obstacle of the community language funding is that the small amounts do not match the needs for essential resources and programs that could contribute to the survival of the aboriginal languages.
There is no funding consistency.
There are too many interruptions in the programs due to lack of funding.
Insufficient funding also prevents program expansions for adult language and literacy learners and pre-school programs. Such programs would be crucial for the revitalization of the aboriginal languages.
The allocation by regions and by language groups does not consider needs.
Existing community language funding is minimal and insufficient, not allowing for year-round programming. The proposal-based year-to-year funding forces staff and community volunteers to spend their time on proposal writing and in search of funding sources instead of on program delivery.
Information is difficult to find about funding sources, criteria and the application process. Participants stressed that this is of particular concern when considering the expectations put on the communities, with the Official Languages Act acknowledging their essential role for language revitalization.
In several locations the standing committee was also reminded of its role to hold government accountable for its commitments to language activities and its responsibilities under the act. Those participants who were aware of the 2003 SCROLA recommendations remarked on the lack of implementation and lack of transparency of government commitments and activities. People asked the members of the standing committee to play a more active oversight and accountability role; for example, insisting on detailed implementation and progress reports.
Conclusion
The standing committee wishes to thank all the language specialists and frontline workers who participated in the survey and focus groups. Committee members express their grateful thanks to all those who welcomed us into their communities and to all residents who attended the public hearings and made contributions. Members of the standing committee are thankful to all community language groups for sharing their insights and expertise.
Members are committed to achieving the objectives of this review as stated in the Official Languages Act. The Standing Committee on Government Operations anticipates tabling this final report in the spring of 2009.
I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Committee Report 8-16(2) be received and adopted. Mahsi.
Motion carried.
Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure today to be able to stand and recognize Mr. Jim Schaefer, a respected elder and former chief of the Salt River First Nation and one of the architects of their treaty land entitlement agreement with the federal government. As well, Ms. Denise Yuhas is a successful businesswoman and one of the best CAs in the business.
I’m pleased today to recognize a constituent from Kakisa, who is the subchief of the community and is also their oil and gas adviser. He’s a private contractor and president of the Aboriginal Sport Circle and many other things: Mr. Julian Landry. Also Allan Landry from Kakisa. I’d like to welcome him, and also Mr. Ted Nolan, who’s a former NHL hockey player and coach. I’m also told he played with the Coldwell Banker Blades for one tournament here in Yellowknife.
I’d like to recognize three pages from Yellowknife South — Edward Coad, Emily Thagard and Lucas Othmer — and thank them for the excellent service they provided over the past two weeks.
I’d also like to recognize a page, Kathleen Falck of Weledeh, and I’d like to thank all the pages for the great service here. I think one of our Members today learned protocol from one of the pages on his way into the House, so they’re doing their job.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. I welcome everybody in the gallery today. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask some questions today of the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and it gets back to my Member’s statement where I was talking about the government’s support to the diamond industry and the value added industry here in the Northwest Territories.
It seems to me that the 14th Legislative Assembly — some of my colleagues in this room were Members at that time — was very supportive of diamonds in the Northwest Territories and what they meant. But for some reason the 15th Legislative Assembly dropped the ball on diamonds. They did away with the diamond division at ITI, and support for the diamond policy and strategy sank to an all time low.
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by asking the Minister of ITI: where exactly is our diamond policy and a strategy on trying to get the most out of our diamond industry here in the Northwest Territories?
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the Member that we are the diamond capital of North America, but we don’t have a monopoly on diamonds. We recognized that other provinces and territories would be finding diamonds and developing their diamonds as well.
It’s been ten years since we had the good fortune of having diamonds discovered in the Northwest Territories. We are now undertaking a policy review of diamonds and will be looking forward to getting input from the Members. We are in the process of developing a discussion paper which will help guide us in our review.
Like I have mentioned previously in this House and earlier today, time is of the essence here. I don’t think we can afford, as a government, to drag our heels much longer on finding out exactly where it is that we want to take the diamond industry here in the Northwest Territories.
Earlier today I spoke of a feasibility study that’s looking at the possibility of opening a diamond exchange, or bourse, here in Canada. There were meetings held in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Where was the Government of the Northwest Territories in this feasibility study? Were they anywhere to be found?
The diamond bourse provides for the facilitated sale of rough and polished diamonds. This is something that our government looked at initially, when diamonds were first discovered. We determined at that time that we would get more value added by making sure that rough diamonds were made available for the secondary diamond industry. So we have proceeded on that basis. We are now reviewing our policy to see whether we should be looking at diamond bourses.
Ontario held these workshops in a number of locations across Canada. It was organized by a former resident of the Northwest Territories. The NWT attended and participated in these sessions.
I know we’ve helped out other jurisdictions in terms of policy development, because they’re new into the game, into the diamond business. Will the Minister provide us, whether it’s the House or the EDI committee, with the submission that the government gave to this feasibility study group? At any time was it suggested that a diamond bourse, or diamond exchange, should be located in the diamond capital of North America? That’s here in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker.
The Government of Ontario looked at establishing a diamond bourse so that smaller jewellery companies could find a place to buy diamonds. As far as I know, the report has not been submitted as of yet. As soon as that’s available, we’ll make sure that it’s available to all the Members of the Assembly. We will be giving a briefing to the standing committee next week on the diamond policy.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister: was the Government of the Northwest Territories there as observers, or were we actually there presenting our case so that a diamond bourse, an exchange, could be located here in the Northwest Territories, where we have four operating diamond mines in our territory?
The Government of the Northwest Territories has worked with the Ontario government to share information as they establish their diamond industry. We participated in the workshops that were held in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. We participated primarily as observers. As I said earlier, we are reviewing our diamond policy. Certainly, the establishment of a diamond bourse would be looked at as part of that review.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement I noted more than once that the minimum wage in the NWT has remained stagnant since 2003. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment or whichever Minister is appropriate, because I’m not absolutely positive, why there’s been no adjustment to the minimum wage in the NWT in the last five years.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The minimum wage for the Northwest Territories, as the Member indicated, is $8.25 per hour. It has been for, as she indicated also, the last five years. It hasn’t been brought to my attention about increasing the minimum wage in the Northwest Territories by any other Members until today, so I can certainly look further into this with my department on the status. With the previous discussions that we’ve had, if there was an agreement in place that after five years there was going to be another increase, certainly I can look into that and provide the Member with more information.
I appreciate the answer from the Minister. I guess I’m a little surprised that it’s a necessity for Members to bring these items to the attention of Ministers. I would hope in five years that the minimum wage would be a consideration for at least one department. It’s unfortunate that we have to force the government to consider the plight of some of our people who are living at the lowest level of income.
I’d like to ask the Minister: now that it’s been brought to his attention, when can we expect a change in the minimum wage?
Mr. Speaker, as I stated, I need to sit down with my department to find out where things are at. I can’t really give a specific time as to when there are going to be changes, because I need to present to the committee as well if there are going to be proposed changes.
With any proposed changes there are always cost factors as well. We need to identify how much it will cost us to increase the minimum wage and put that forward, whether it be to the committee or the Cabinet. That is the work we need to undertake. I’m willing to do that with my department, to look into that further and see where we can go with this: the last five years, what’s been discussed, and today.
I appreciate the Minister’s answer and that it does require a certain amount of time, but I don’t know how anybody, let alone myself or the Minister, can expect anybody to live on $8.25 an hour when they’re working. There’s absolutely no way anybody can survive on that. I appreciate that it does take time, but I think time is of the essence here, and it behoves the Minister to try and push this along.
I realize he can’t give me a specific date, but we have business plans coming forward in another month. I think that if it was the will of the department to put it forward, we could see it in the plans next month. Will we see a change to the minimum wage — upward, not downward — in the business plans upcoming?
Mr. Speaker, I did commit to the House that I will look into this with my department. Bringing that forward before the next business plan? I can’t really commit to that at this time, but I can certainly work with what we have within our department. If we need to bring it forward to part of the standing committee, then we’ll certainly do that and move forward. If it needs to be before the business plans, that’s another question we need to address.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the willingness on the part of the Minister to try and push things forward. I think that is something that is absolutely necessary. I’ve totally lost my train of thought. You could just say yes, Mr. Minister. Will you say yes?
Mr. Speaker, I can certainly say yes to working with the Member and the Members on the other side. I am willing to work with my department and bring forward what we have to date and share it with the committee. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment with regard to the housing crisis we have in Aklavik and other communities throughout the Territories.
The government, in the past, implemented several initiatives related to the Market Housing Initiative. This was done through the Housing Corporation to build capacity in the communities that were non-market communities in regard to units that were designed for teachers and whatnot. Also, there is a government program, the Corporate Loan Guarantee Program, which is used to assist the private sector to get into market housing opportunities.
In light of this situation we have in the Mackenzie Delta…. It has come up at the divisional meetings I’ve been at. It has come forward by way of letters from the Divisional Board of Education and also from the Minister’s meeting held this summer with me and Ms. Lee in the community of Aklavik. So it has been out there for some time. I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly what is this department doing to stem this problem?
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. With respect to the Member’s riding in Aklavik, dealing with the housing shortage or the unit that’s closed down, we have been working with the local DEA and the band, and also with the Development Corporation, because they are the ones that own the facility. We have our superintendent going to a meeting with certain parties there. We are doing what we can as the Department of Education, because we have to look after our teachers as well.
I understand there have been some meetings in the last couple of days with Mr. Furlong. I believe there has been some alternative housing that may have been identified, and it’s being worked on. So I think we’re going to come up with some solutions there, but it takes the community, our department and the Member working together to find a solution. I think we’ve come to that. We’re hoping that a solution will be identified before the November 3 deadline.
Again, we find ourselves reacting and not being proactive. As government we did have staff housing in just about all the communities in the Northwest Territories by way of professional staff housing for teachers. A lot of these units are still in our communities, and they are over 30 years old. They are in urgent need of repairs and upkeep.
I’d like to ask the Minister: what are we doing to improve the housing stock in our communities throughout the Northwest Territories by way of professional housing for staff such as teachers, nurses and other professionals?
Mr. Speaker, within our department we’ve done some overall inventory of the housing units that are available in the 33 communities we serve. We do have that information. Also, for this year with the teachers, the majority have found suitable housing units to stay in.
But the Member is right. We need to plan now for next year and the following years on how we can mitigate these issues or challenges we’re faced with. It’s not only us; it’s throughout Canada as well, but throughout the North especially.
This is one of the priorities we’ve identified. We’ve had several meetings on this particular item, and this is going to be an ongoing discussion. We definitely need to have a plan in place to deal with this specific item.
I mentioned the program earlier on in regard to the Market Housing Initiative that was put in place. It was a lot of upkeep, mostly in the southern part of the territory, and we’re working our way north, but we haven’t heard much from that program in a while.
I’d like to ask the Minister of Education: has he been working with the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation to ensure we maybe consider either expanding the Market Housing Initiative in those communities where we don’t have market housing provided by the private sector or else the possibility that we could use existing housing facilities that are not occupied but are basically still functional for emergencies such as this throughout the Territories?
Mr. Speaker, the Market Housing Initiative, as the Member would know, has been with us for a number of years now. I’ve been working closely with the former Minister of Housing as well as with the current Minister on identifying the units that are probably vacant and can be utilized in the community. We met yesterday as well, talking about market housing — the rent at the community level, where some rents are $700 per month and some rent at $2,200 and so on. That’s what we’ve been talking about: how we can make it attractive for teachers and other professionals working with the development corporation and also the Member and the band. It is coming from the community, especially the small communities that are lacking the housing for staff.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I definitely look forward to working along with the Minister and other Ministers to resolve this problem. It is unique to small, isolated communities, especially where it’s a non-market community.
I’d like to ask the Minister, along with the Minister of Housing, if he can provide us with any information he was able to compile on this situation in regard to where the units are located and where we don’t have units so that in the affected communities we know exactly what situation we’re in and the same information is being shared between the affected parties.
I’d like to thank the Minister for taking on this challenge. More importantly, keep us in the loop; share that information with the affected Members so we know the exact status of the professionals’ housing in our communities. I’d like to ask the Minister if he can release that information.
