Debates of October 17, 2006 (day 9)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize chief of the Yellowknives Dene, Mr. Peter Liske and former chief, Mr. Richard Edjericon. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize my constituent, Gayla Wick. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Bell. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Chief Peter Liske and former chief, Rick Edjericon, from the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and also I see one of my constituents, Aggie Brockman, here as well and other constituents. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize one of the Akaitcho chiefs, Chief Peter Liske and the former chief, Richard Edjericon. I think that is Joyce beside him. No? Okay.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a former member from Tulita, Paul Andrew.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is good to see a lot of people in the gallery. As always, Mr. Speaker, I hope that I am not recognizing people who have already been recognized, but I would like to recognize one of my constituents, Ken Woodley, who is also with UNW. I would also like to recognize Arlene Hache and Carrie King. There are nurses in the gallery whose issues will be brought forward in the House in the days to come. Sorry, I don’t want to get their names wrong, but they know who they are. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member’s statement, it is not a secret that I take exception and issue with some of the comments that have recently been made by our Premier in relation to the plight of many young northerners who were left in the care and were being taught by someone who turned out to be a convicted pedophile. I am concerned about these comments. It is not about politics, Mr. Speaker. This is a matter which is very personal. I believe that we have a right to know where the Premier stands on these issues. I can say the Premier has apologized. I do appreciate that very much. I was disappointed that he did not take the opportunity in his sessional statement again today to, for the record, himself, not through a press release, but to reiterate his position on these things because I don’t want there to be any doubt left about this. I have a couple of lingering questions, Mr. Speaker. In a letter that was sent to the reporter who initially reported this story in the national media, the Premier wrote a letter to Bob Weber. He circulated copies to the MLAs and, in one sentence in that, he indicated that these were not the views of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, these were his personal beliefs, and I quote those two words “personal beliefs.” So I would like to give the Premier an opportunity today to tell this House and to tell the public if the comments that he made are in fact reflective of his personal beliefs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Return To Question 101-15(5): Personal Beliefs On Matters Of Child Abuse

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me say, first of all, that I have issued an apology for the comments that I made. I realize they were inappropriate and they may have hurt people, and I am sincerely sorry for that. Mr. Speaker, I always have to take ownership about any comments I make, whether they’re taken out of context or not. Mr. Speaker, whether it’s a phrase out of something I said or whatever, I hold myself responsible for those comments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Supplementary To Question 101-15(5): Personal Beliefs On Matters Of Child Abuse

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess the four areas of particular concern were speculation as to whether any of the alleged victims were consenting, whether they were lying, whether the abuse actually had any impact on their future life and whether or not their race or their culture had any overbearing facts and whether or not they were in a position to consent to anything. Those are the things I’m speaking to with respect to his personal beliefs and I would like for the Premier to clarify on those matters. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 101-15(5): Personal Beliefs On Matters Of Child Abuse

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Mrs. Groenewegen has said, those were speculation. I was having a discussion with the reporter by telephone and he was asking me questions, I was speculating on answers, Mr. Speaker. So they were very much, as I say, speculation. Thank you.

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

Supplementary To Question 101-15(5): Personal Beliefs On Matters Of Child Abuse

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’m still not exactly, I guess, getting to the point that I’m getting to, or that I’m trying to get to. Maybe I’m not doing a very good job of asking the questions here, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is it the Premier’s personal belief that persons who would come forward and disclose and self identify about abuse that they have experienced at the hand of a person of authority, is it the Premier’s personal belief that these people could be lying, that they consented to the activity, that their race or their culture should be a factor in the consideration of their protection in the public interest? That’s what I’m trying to ask the Premier. Is it his personal belief? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Handley.

Further Return To Question 101-15(5): Personal Beliefs On Matters Of Child Abuse

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, that is not my personal belief. I believe that when someone brings this kind of situation forward -- and I realize it is very difficult for them to bring it forward -- that we have to make assumptions that what they’re bringing forward is valid. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Supplementary To Question 101-15(5): Personal Beliefs On Matters Of Child Abuse

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Premier has made reference to, you know, due diligence and protecting the public interest, but certainly the Government of the Northwest Territories has an obligation to protect the interest of those people who have been affected by these abusive situations that they found themselves in. Recently there was a suggestion made that perhaps if this government doesn’t in fact embrace the kind of defense that was put forward, that we should find an alternative way to resolve and bring some peace and some reconciliation to these people who are now adults who were affected by this abuse. Will the Premier today say whether this government has any appetite to settle this through some form of mediation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, we need to support our youth who face many challenges today. We need to help them to live up to their expectation that we have for them. We need to give youth positive experience that can make them our future leaders. Youth centres with meaningful activities and programs will be an important step towards that support.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Youth. The Minister recognizes that there is a problem that there is only money to build youth centres and no money to run or operate the centres. What will the Minister do to solve these issues or problems that we’re faced with? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Youth, Mr. McLeod.

Return To Question 102-15(5): Operations Funding For Youth Centres

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over the last couple of years we’ve been working hard in the department to expand our youth programs. Last year we were able to expand our program funding by another half a million dollars to run a number of pilot projects. We have a number of projects that have been very successful. Over this last while, a lot of communities have been applying for the Community Initiatives Program, which has a budget of $1 million to use towards building and constructing of infrastructure and these have included youth drop-in centres or youth centres. We’ve encouraged communities to do that and we’ve supported it because most of these communities have identified sources for operation and maintenance and the bulk of the money is coming from the federal government. We have, I think, six communities right now that are being currently funded through the Youth Centre Funding Program. The community that the honourable Member is mentioning has not applied for this funding. We’d gladly work with him to apply for these dollars. However, we do not, as a government, have a program dedicated towards the operation and maintenance of youth centres. We have identified it as something that there may be a need to address. We have scheduled a youth conference for January of this year. This is one of the subjects that we’d like to talk about, is some of the needs that communities across the North will be focused on. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 102-15(5): Operations Funding For Youth Centres

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

Mr. Speaker, I’ve outlined in my Member’s statement that prevention is less costly than healing. Prevention also creates healthier communities and committed community members, eventually becoming the community leaders. At this point, Mr. Speaker, has the Minister made his point to the social envelop colleagues who are well aware of the cost of justice, health treatment programs, when we don’t take steps to prevent youth crimes or encourage healthy lifestyle choices who could be faced with more major issues and problems in the communities? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 102-15(5): Operations Funding For Youth Centres

Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure if I heard a question in there. We have certainly agreed with some of the principles that were mentioned by the honourable Member regarding prevention. We have a number of programs that are earmarked towards the youth at risk. We are also looking at ways we could encourage our youth to become good leaders, good role models. We’ve started a number of programs that encourage that and we continue to work with our youth in setting up conferences where they can speak up and have their voices heard. We’ve also embarked on setting up a Youth Ambassador Program that we’ll be kick starting this year as the Canada Winter Games come forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Lafferty.

Supplementary To Question 102-15(5): Operations Funding For Youth Centres

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

Mr. Speaker, I understand the fiscal circumstance of the GNWT, what we’re faced with today. The GNWT has to stop using these circumstances, Mr. Speaker, as an excuse for not taking care of future generations. When it comes to these issues, there’s always the money and the program dollars where there’s a shortage. So, Mr. Speaker, if youth are a priority for this government, can the Minister commit to finding money within, or from the federal government, for the operation of youth centres in Behchoko and in other smaller communities for this coming fiscal year? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 102-15(5): Operations Funding For Youth Centres

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’d gladly work with the community of Behchoko to look at identifying the resources that that community needs. There is already some resources that we can, upfront, identify that has not been tapped into. There’s a number of other program dollars that we have that are available for the community to apply for through the youth core for some youth at risk programs. We also have youth contributions. We also have a youth advisor. We have trapper training programs and this year we’ve launched a website that will be coming on stream this fall. That can be certainly a resource that can be used for referral. So, Mr. Speaker, we’ll work with the community to identify the resources. We still continue to move forward in our discussions with the federal government to see what other commitments we can obtain from them to support youth centres. There are dollars currently in the federal budget for youth centres, but only through the National Association of Friendship Centres. So this causes concern in other communities that don’t have a friendship centre. So we have to continue to do more work in that area. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to come back to my earlier statement addressing the impact of funding cuts to literacy in the NWT. Mr. Speaker, investing in adult literacy is a key component to ensuring a healthy Canadian society and economy. So where opportunity is at its best for people in the Northwest Territories, cutting back on literacy programs is the worst idea possible. So, Mr. Speaker, I don’t agree with these cuts and I call them non-acceptable. So my question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment is, what exactly is he doing to stop these cuts? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 103-15(5): Federal Reductions To Literacy Program Funding

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have worked with my colleagues in the Council of Ministers of Education Canada to ensure that we are able to meet with Minister Finley from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada to let her know personally of our disappointment with the approach. That meeting is, by the way, set up for next Tuesday. I have written to Minister Finley as well to outline our concerns for the impacts on the Northwest Territories that we will see from these cuts and to request from her their plan, the federal government’s plan, to reinvest in literacy so that we can better understand and assure residents of the Northwest Territories what sort of response we’re going to see to improve literacy here in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 103-15(5): Federal Reductions To Literacy Program Funding

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Because these, in my opinion, I’ll say it that way, I see these cuts more like a butcher filling in for a surgeon, Mr. Speaker. I see them just being chop, chop, chop and where they fall they fall, Mr. Speaker. So what is this Minister doing to ensure that the speciality, localized programs are going to be restored, because that’s where they really truly will have their effect? So what is the Minister going to do on a territorial level to ensure that the haemorrhaging of things like the NWT Literacy Council will not continue? Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 103-15(5): Federal Reductions To Literacy Program Funding

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have met with the NWT Literacy Council. Our government continues to support and to fund the NWT Literacy Council and I have assured them that we will continue to look for ways to work with them to ensure that we can help them to provide literacy services across the Northwest Territories. I think it’s important to remember that the Government of the Northwest Territories also invests heavily in literacy in the North. We provide $2.4 million annually to the NWT Literacy Strategy and Aurora College receives more than $4.1 million annually to support adult literacy and basic education. So, Mr. Speaker, I’m hoping to see the federal government reinvest in literacy programs, particularly literacy programs aimed at the aboriginal population. I am hoping that they will recognize that they have an important role to play in the Northwest Territories in that area.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 103-15(5): Federal Reductions To Literacy Program Funding

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know the Department of Education, Culture and Employment offers literacy programs to seniors, persons with disabilities, in our corrections centres and our workplace. So, Mr. Speaker, I want to be sure today in this House that are these programs going to be protected under these potential cuts or these cuts that already have been made by the Conservative government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 103-15(5): Federal Reductions To Literacy Program Funding

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the Northwest Territories our government has no intention of cutting back what’s there. So programs that are entirely funded by the Government of the Northwest Territories will definitely continue. The college is going to have some programs that they had hoped to expand this year that they’re not going to be able to expand, but we will take a look at what we can do in the future budget to strengthen our literacy program in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Supplementary To Question 103-15(5): Federal Reductions To Literacy Program Funding