Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take this opportunity to update the Members on our fiscal situation.
I tabled the first budget of the 17th Legislative Assembly in May, just five short months ago. Our commitment to protect programs and services has not changed, and our strategy of limiting new expenditure growth to ensure surpluses has become even more important as global economic instability persists.
While our economy is recovering slowly from the global slowdown, we remain vulnerable to uncertain economic conditions. Statistics Canada’s latest estimate shows a 2 percent decline in the NWT population from 2011 and reinforces our concerns about how our economy is doing and future revenues. Beginning in 2013-14, the five-year annual average territorial formula financing growth forecast is 1.7 percent. That’s compared to the 6.3 percent average annual growth over the last five years. We must remain committed to our path of fiscal sustainability by curtailing expenditure growth because revenues are not expected to grow as quickly as in the past.
There is good news, however. As you will see in the interim public accounts that will be tabled in the House later today, the government has a small surplus of $1.3 million for 2011-12. That’s our first surplus since 2007 and it’s a significant improvement from the previous year’s $23 million deficit. This demonstrates that we are getting our fiscal house in order, which will help us achieve our goal of increasing our infrastructure spending in the last two years of this Assembly.
Turning to this fiscal year, we are still projecting a moderate operating surplus of $69 million, but we have already had some unexpected costs. We had a severe fire suppression season. We had to implement an emergency anthrax response, and the costs of the Nahanni flood are not yet accounted for. We will have to be resolute in our commitment to fiscal restraint to ensure we generate another surplus this year.
These surpluses are crucial to our long-term debt management and infrastructure investment plans. As you all know, we have returned to a conservative capital investment plan in order to adhere to our Fiscal Responsibility Policy. We need operating surpluses to fund at least 50 percent of our capital expenditures. Without these surpluses we will not be able to increase our infrastructure investments by 2014. For that reason, the fiscal strategy to limit annual expenditure growth confirmed in this year’s budget remains unchanged.
We are targeting April 1, 2014, as the implementation date for devolution, when decisions about the management of NWT lands, water and non-renewable resources are finally the responsibility of our own residents. This includes management of the NWT share of resource revenues.
This Assembly recognizes that these revenues must be managed responsibly. Responsible management means not using resource revenues to fund day-to-day operations. It means investments and savings that convert non-renewable resource wealth into other assets to benefit both current and future generations.
This new revenue source is very volatile and fluctuates with the boom-bust cycle. We need to ensure stability and sustainability of our revenues. This is a high priority for our government and we are investigating the possibility of creating a Revenue Stabilization Fund.
We need to maintain tight control over our operating expenditures. We are challenged to manage the growth at 2 percent. That’s about $30 million annually. As you know, the Department of Finance is engaging residents in a conversation about the budget, to ensure that their priorities are reflected in our response to the challenge.
The budget dialogue process began in September and has brought budget discussions to the regions for the first time. In just four short weeks, I have met with over 80 residents in Inuvik, Norman Wells, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith and Hay River. I appreciate the time and effort NWT residents have taken to participate in the sessions or send written submissions.
Some common themes are emerging. First, residents appreciated hearing about the GNWT’s fiscal reality following four years of stimulus spending. They told us we need to allocate more resources to prevention, particularly in the period from conception to four years old. We need to remove red tape, duplication and program overlap. They want our government to be as supportive of sustainable development as it can. They also want us to address our infrastructure deficit.
I look forward to concluding the final budget dialogues in Yellowknife on October 23rd and Behchoko on October 24th. I commit to report back to residents next month.
Mr. Speaker, we are on the right fiscal track. With the support of our residents and this Assembly, we will remain fiscally sustainable and yet still have the funds to invest in individuals, families and communities. Our investment will pay off by helping them grasp the opportunities to share in the benefits and responsibilities of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Before we go on today, I’d like to welcome Mr. Lorne Kusugak, Minister of Sport from Rankin Inlet. Welcome to the House, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. Good to see you here, Lorne. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, last month I travelled to China with my colleague Mr. Robert Hawkins and business delegates from the Northwest Territories as part of the Council of the Federation Trade Mission. The business representatives from the Northwest Territories were Don Bubar, president and CEO of Avalon Rare Metals; Mark Downey, CEO of Fur Harvesters Auction Limited; Verda Law, the operations manager of Yellowknife Tours; Huizhong Yang representing Blachford Lake Lodge; and Yanny Cordero, project development consultant.
This mission was intended to secure trade and investment opportunities and we have already had follow-up meetings with business representatives from China who travelled to Yellowknife shortly after we returned from China. I also had the opportunity to meet with the consul general from China in Calgary soon after returning from China, and committed to speaking with the over 20 Calgary-based corporations in the near future. The Government of the Northwest Territories will be developing a strategic approach to our ongoing involvement with China and I look forward to input from Members of this House as we move forward with that process.
Building relationships with Chinese leaders, expanding markets for our products and encouraging investment all strengthen and diversify our economy, a priority of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
While the Northwest Territories has participated in trade missions to China in the past, this was the first time we participated as part of the Council of the Federation. We benefited greatly from this approach. It gave us a higher profile, and I participated in productive meetings with the Chinese Vice-Premier, Minister of Finance and others.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Robert Hawkins, the members of the Northwest Territories business delegation and the businesses that supported us in preparing for this important trade mission.
Partnering with Northwest Territories businesses to promote our territory internationally makes sense. Working together allowed us to leverage additional opportunities to meet with Chinese leaders and businesses. As a government, we have an important role to play in showing countries such as China that we are committed to supporting business and development to flourish.
China is a growing segment of Canada’s global trade market, especially tourism, oil and gas, diamonds, mining and wild fur harvesting.
Tourism is a huge draw for the Chinese market and many people are interested in authentic cultural experiences and viewing the northern lights. We have experienced good growth in visits by Chinese tourists, from fewer than 20 visits a year to 300 a year, since Canada received Approved Destination Status from China in 2010. During the mission, the Chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents gave us advice on how to build a market within China, working closely with the travel trade. We were fortunate that the managing director of the Canadian Tourism Commission for China had recently visited the Northwest Territories and was very enthusiastic.
We also met with potential Chinese investors and business partners to discuss ways to diversify the Northwest Territories economy and keep the territory prosperous. The meetings focused on the potential for developing Chinese markets.
We saw great interest in our oil and gas resources and our mineral resources, including some positive developments for Avalon Rare Metals. They are leading the Nechalacho Rare Earth Elements Project near Thor Lake, which is now ranked as the largest rare earth deposit outside of China. Members from our delegation met with representatives from the jewellery industry, including Chow Tai Fook, the largest jewellery company in Hong Kong. They confirmed their interest in Northwest Territories diamonds and diamond mining.
We also visited a world-leading solar panel manufacturing facility that designs, develops, manufactures and markets high-output, cost-effective solar products for electric power applications. Exploring the use of environmentally friendly alternative energy solutions is part of the Government of the Northwest Territories’ ongoing commitment to reducing our dependence on imported diesel and lowering our greenhouse gas emissions.
Chinese interest in Northwest Territories wild furs is another opportunity to further diversify the economy. China is the world’s leading manufacturer of fur garments, and demand for our high-end wild fur is high and increasing year after year. Our fur is always in high demand at auctions, with China as one of the top buyers. The Yuanlong Fur and Leather Company president, Mr. Li Qing Yuan, met with us and told us they are anticipating growth in the sector due to high-end fashion outlets and designers using wild fur as accent pieces on garments.
Now is the time to build on the opportunities that opened up as the result of this mission. I look forward to seeing the benefits of this work reach our territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have all seen tragedies in our communities. Many of them happen while someone is struggling with mental health, and too often people, our constituents, don’t get the help they need.
In general, there’s a lack of support for families and friends and even lack of support for the agencies who have to work with people who are mentally ill. People are often faced with really hard questions. What do you do when a mentally ill person refuses help or someone with a mental illness refuses to take their medication?
It’s also fairly common for someone to be hospitalized under the Mental Health Act, only to get themselves released a short time later. They come home and the uncertainty begins again for their family, friends and neighbours.
If a person is abusive, they typically cannot be admitted to the hospital; but if they haven’t committed a crime, the RCMP is not there to help either. I have experienced this personally, Mr. Speaker, in a small town like Hay River where a person who was suffering from a mental illness could not be received at the hospital because of verbal abuse, could not be received by the RCMP because they hadn’t committed a crime, could not be received at social services because there was no hotel or anywhere in town that would actually take them in because of their condition. What do you do when it’s 40 below, and it’s the middle of winter and you have a person in this situation? It’s very, very frustrating. Sometimes I think there is too much emphasis on police in our so-called mental health system. If a person commits a crime, it’s actually easier for them to get help.
I’m very glad to hear the Health and Social Services is starting a Mental Health First Aid project. It’s based on a course designed by the Canadian Mental Health Commission. I read in the paper that the first two communities to take part will be Tuktoyaktuk and Fort McPherson. I wish them every success, but I would like to see people taught Mental Health First Aid all over our territory. Next maybe try a regional centre. I think Hay River would welcome it.
Thirty years ago there was very little known about anxiety disorder, panic attacks, schizophrenia, bi-polar, all of these mental illnesses for which now there is a lot more knowledge and understanding, and a lot more awareness. I think we as a government have a long ways to go yet in terms of addressing the supports and the facilities needed to address the issue of mental illness. If we come across a person who is having a heart attack, people know CPR; if somebody’s choking, they know how to do the Heimlich manoeuvre; but when someone is suffering and having some kind of crises that is mentally ill, we have very little support.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A number of months ago this House took a stance on bullying. We wore the colours, we each spoke passionately on why we needed to make a stand against bullying, and the department listened. Shortly thereafter, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment joined Regular Members in a promise to come forward with legislation to address this issue for the latter part of 2013.
So why am I bringing this up again? Well, it seems that a young BC teenager’s life has been taken away and the world has gone viral once again. The question of why this happened is swirling around the Internet and media mainstreams. Watching the YouTube video of this young teenager’s despair clearly made me angry. How did we let this person down? Was there not at least one friend to come forward and help her in her darkest hours?
What about here in the NWT? Are we immune from another Amanda Todd from happening? A recent CBC report clearly depicts that this very issue is in our own backyard and yet many of us go on with our daily lives oblivious of such occurrences. Many may say, let’s wait for new legislation to help take a stand against bullies. I say, don’t wait for us to magically put discussion papers, policies, guidelines and regulations to the issue, because this in itself is not going to stop the action.
Take the distracted driving legislation, for example. We know it’s out there, yet coming to work this morning I counted at least six people with their phones to their ear. This legislation in itself didn’t worry these drivers and it was apparently so.
My message is clear: as parents, as teachers, as adults, as concerned citizens of the NWT we all need to take an active stand on our kids’ behaviour. Legislation is only one tool in our anti-bullying tool belt. We need to band together to collectively keep a watchful eye on our children’s use of social networks and mobile phone usage. We need to spend time talking to our children about the harm of bullying. We need to listen but more importantly hear their concerns. Moreover, while the situation like Amanda Todd’s is tragic, news reports can also be used as a teachable moment. As I said months ago, together we can change behaviour and together we must.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up today on my colleagues’ comments made yesterday about this week’s municipal elections.
I offer congratulations to all elected councillors, trustees and mayors, especially those who ran in Yellowknife. I say thank you to everyone who entered the race. Your commitment and sacrifice are much appreciated.
Across the North, six cities, towns and villages felt the wind of change on their faces. We have five new mayors, and here in Yellowknife, six of our eight council members are new to the game.
I attended several election forums last week, and I heard many concerns expressed by the Yellowknife candidates and I was struck by how intertwined municipal issues are with those of the territorial government. Here is some of what I heard: Yellowknife is struggling to find solutions to deal with an increasing homeless population. Yellowknife’s downtown core was described as a mess and unsafe. Some residents avoid the core because they don’t feel comfortable there. Many candidates used the words “revitalize the downtown.” Yet, homelessness is a housing issue and housing is a territorial responsibility.
Infrastructure was also often mentioned during the campaign. Members know that all of our communities have a large infrastructure deficit, and by that I mean repairs, retrofits and replacement of buildings, roads, water and sewer pipes. But what is our NWT government doing to bring down that deficit, other than pointing to the federal gas tax revenue as our communities’ saviour?
Candidates also spoke of new government regulations that demand different treatment of YK’s water source. To comply with those regulations, Yellowknife is building a new water treatment plant, to the tune of some $20 million but without any assistance from the GNWT or the federal government. If the GNWT demands upgrades to our water systems, the GNWT should provide financial help to get it done.
As mentioned by my colleague Mr. Hawkins yesterday, many candidates spoke of the need for an addictions treatment centre other than Stanton Hospital. Like homelessness, health programs and services are a territorial responsibility. There seems to be general acceptance that YK has the worst record of people with addictions. It only makes sense to provide treatment here, but there’s little appetite on the part of the GNWT to provide the necessary financial support to the city to help with this problem.
It’s time for the GNWT to recognize the needs of our capital city, to accept that the city has greater needs than other communities because it is a magnet community for residents from all of our communities. It’s time for the GNWT to act on Yellowknife’s needs.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Northwest Territories has established a way to help elders with home heating costs over the fall and winter months. Eligible residents 60 years of age and older can benefit from the seniors home heating subsidy. This program has been in place for a long time now.
Last year 448 households applied for a subsidy that provides assistance for the cost of heating fuel, cut wood, pellets and electricity. This is a good program. I can see that a lot of thought has gone into updating it to reflect the cost of living in the North and to refine it to make it fair to residents. However, there are still challenges.
Lately some elders in my riding received notices that they are ineligible for the subsidy because they have other people living in their home. In one case there are three elder siblings living in one home, each receiving old age pensions. The policy is such that the total household income is assessed and if it exceeds a certain limit, they are not entitled to the benefit. In this situation I believe the policy is being applied unfairly. These people live together to reduce their overall cost of living and find ways to support one another. They are being unreasonably disqualified from the very program designed to assist with their needs.
There are also an increasing number of situations where children and grandchildren live with grandparents. Some younger adults live with their parents and grandparents because of limited opportunities for employment or because of unfortunate experiences that impact their housing situation, rental arrears, evictions or domestic violence. We are all too familiar with the cases of younger people taking advantage of the benefits that older family members may receive.
It is important to protect seniors from elder abuse, but it is the custom in more traditional cultures for two or three generations of a family to share one home. We need to find realistic solutions to accommodate elders who have immediate and extended family living with them, especially if a younger family member is caring for an elder as well as working outside the home.
The Department of Education, Culture and Employment works with an average of 467 home heating subsidy cases every year. Our population is aging and the cost of heating our homes continues to rise. I’m also concerned about how long we’ll be able to sustain the program at its current level. This is an important subsidy and it should be available to eligible applicants in a fair and consistent manner. We need to help our elders continue to live independently, and contribute to our families and communities in meaningful ways.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This winter is closing in on us very quickly and I want to revisit the subject of the Yellowknife downtown day shelter. This is a very important service and the people who are homeless out there need somewhere safe and warm to go. It may come to the Minister as news, as well as many Members of this House, but the fact is the shelter is not just about Yellowknife. Only a third of the people using the downtown day shelter call themselves Yellowknifers, then about half of the other people that attend the shelter identify themselves as from other communities, while the remaining small percent is made up of people from Nunavut as well as other places and provinces across Canada. Rather than just referring to it as the Yellowknife day shelter, it should truthfully be referred to as a territorial day shelter in the downtown of Yellowknife.
As many already know, as the winter months are fast approaching, we have at least 16 different individuals that attend the shelter every day, and with the existence of the shelter it has been a much needed respite on many of the problems in downtown, so malls, businesses, public libraries and even the hospital’s emergency room has been very thankful for this shelter and why it exists.
The shelter’s three-year contract, as we all know, is about to run out at the end of this fiscal year, so a lot of people are asking, what next? All Yellowknifers are waiting to hear the lead from the Health Minister to talk about the future of the new downtown day shelter.
What does the Minister envision for phase two of this particular project? At the same time, not knowing the Minister’s plan, this community has a number of concerns about phase two and where it will take us, such as people want to know will the shelter get support financially from the Department of Health. Will it continue? Many others have suggested should we change the operator and make sure we have an open competition to ensure we bring in someone for change.
Everyone agrees, and I have spoken to, that phase two definitely needs daily programming. As we all know very well, we have a very credible society called the Tree of Peace that offers great programming only a few feet away. If this downtown day shelter is going to continue at the same location, the department must take a bit of courage and address some of the concerns raised by the residents who only live a few feet away from the shelter. I stand to be corrected, but the fact is I have heard that they have never had a knock on the door from the department to ask them how it has worked out for them.
The fact is the Department of Health needs to build a relationship, needs programming and needs to work with the riding and the residents of that area. I believe it is a service that needs to continue and definitely warrants attention from this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The flooding in Nahanni Butte that happened this spring might not be making headlines anymore, but it still is very much part of the day-to-day reality of the residents of the community. I have heard from other communities that have had similar disasters, that it takes about a year to get back to normal.
After my visit of last week, I can surely say that life is still not the same in the community of Nahanni Butte. I want to commend the people of Nahanni Butte for their patience so far, and encourage them to continue being patient as they go through the rebuilding effort. It is going to take time. Our GNWT emergency response effort through Mr. Mike Drake and all regional managers in Nahendeh have to be applauded, as well, during that time. But mostly I really want to commend the residents for how they have responded to the situation and helped each other out. For example, one family recently took the initiative to re-open a much needed store out of their own home.
As we go about rebuilding, I think it is important that we also learn from our experiences of this, that we also need a long-term plan for Nahanni Butte which may even include relocating the community over the flood plains it currently sits in.
Also, repair to the access road has been delayed. That takes patience, even though residents are very upset about it.
At the territorial level we often need to take a look at what we can do to improve our emergency response plan and our disaster systems policy. Most importantly, I think the real lesson of this experience is how the people of Nahanni Butte and Nahendeh can really pull together in a time of need. We should all be inspired by the example that they have set.
I would also like to express sincere appreciation to all the workers, volunteers and community members who helped Nahanni Butte through this crisis and who continue to help as we work to get things back to normal, and also to the many groups, businesses and communities that contributed and raised funds to assist them. It will take time but we will get there.
Throughout the remainder of this session, I will speak more specifically to some of these concerns that have not been addressed yet during our session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. On October 10, 2012, the community of Inuvik celebrated the official opening of the much anticipated East Three School/East Three Illisavik/East Three Gah Tronadeh Zheh. The event had a great turnout as guests, students, staff and community members listened to encouraging speeches about the newly constructed facility and the importance of education.
The facility is a great environment for learning and promoting culture among new education and trades programs that could not be done in the previous school. The school also provides a great teaching environment that will allow staff to excel in their jobs. It also provides a strong, healthy and safe environment for all staff and students so that all can be productive this year and succeed, as well as in the years to come.
East Three School is not just another infrastructure project for this government. It is an investment into our children, our youth, families, communities and for the future of our territory as we develop strong, educated adults. It also shows that the Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to creating infrastructure projects throughout the NWT to support our regional centres and our small communities.
The official opening wrapped up with students Don Gruben and Julian Chipesia joining our two longest serving staff members, Shane Brewster and Ross McCallum, on stage for the official ribbon cutting.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Shane Brewster and Mr. Ross McCallum for their ongoing commitment to education. I’d also like to thank Members Frederick Blake Jr. and the Honourable Robert C. McLeod for attending this significant event.
The official opening of East Three School is a great story for all the hard work, dedication, support and effort of community members, and also the GNWT to make this become a reality.
East Three School/East Three Illisavik/East Three Gah Tronadeh Zheh was completed a year ahead of schedule and under budget. However, at the end of the day, this project is really about the education of our children in a safe, stable and healthy environment. I’d like to thank Members of the 16th Legislative Assembly, as well as the Honourable Robert C. McLeod and former Premier Floyd Roland and the Minister of Public Works and Services, for making this project become a reality for the people of Inuvik and the region. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday was the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and today I want to focus on the need for housing to help people get out of poverty.
Housing provides the basis for productive, dignified lives. The ability to cook, wash, get adequate rest, be called for a job, having a place for children to study and families to enjoy leisure are huge challenges when there’s no place to call home.
Research proves that lack of housing can double or even triple the cost of government services from reliance on emergency room medicines and overnight shelters to income assistance and the justice system costs when some homeless people become desperate.
Experience across Canada is showing remarkable results when we put housing first. Calgary, Vancouver and other centres are showing huge improvements in social conditions and dramatic cost reductions. A National Housing First movement is growing.
The need is drastic. There were 137 names on the Yellowknife Housing Authority waiting list on September 22nd. There’s a waiting list of 500 names right across all our local housing authorities. Last week the YWCA received 10 calls for housing in one day. Rockhill Transitional Housing hasn’t had anything like it in 15 years of operation. Staff there say, “the size of the need scares us.”
Urgent action is needed, starting with better use of Housing Corporation stock. Public housing vacancy rates must drop to zero. We need Housing Corporation policies that enable families to purchase the many vacant home ownership units, or we should put these units into public housing.
Local housing authorities must repair damaged units and place them with tenants. The new Transitional Rent Supplement Program is a positive step, but many low-income residents are ineligible, like YWCA tenants and those renting rooms in landlord occupied homes. With our 0.8 percent vacancy rate in Yellowknife, people must turn to rooming houses and transitional housing; they shouldn’t be penalized for lack of housing choices.
We are making some progress. We’ve adjusted the rent to income ratio in public housing. Bailey House is up and operating and we are contributing to Betty House, but clearly a crisis is at hand.
As Members come to work here in the morning, we pass the homeless walking to town from their tents behind this building, and the waiting list for housing expands.
Winter is coming, people are suffering, and meeting their housing needs must come first.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This morning I met with the leadership of Deline. They want to work with this government. They understand the tight fiscal restraints and limitations we are under, and also that there are a certain amount of projects that can be done in this government.
Over the last Assemblies I have heard from many Members from this side of the House who have very good ideas how to work on some of the projects in their community. Sometimes we wonder if the government on this side is listening because we’ve passed information to them and somehow it gets lost or we get resistance. We can’t do it because it doesn’t quite fit the system or doesn’t quite fit the criteria.
The Minister of Health and Social Services and I visited Colville Lake. We were trying, and we finally did it. With the Minister’s help, we put washrooms in the health centre.
When I hear Members talk about other situations in the North that our communities and small, isolated communities don’t quite have the same type of infrastructure or programs and services. The communities know best how to fix their solution but sometimes the policy doesn’t recognize that. It says, we have to do it for everybody else, everybody has to be the same. It’s not the same.
Only when the Minister of Health sat down with the leadership in Colville Lake and got some straight answers, and Colville Lake said, we could do this under budget and in a timely manner. If you went to PWS it would be too late, too long, and a whole bunch of policies would be put in place. I thank the Minister and thank PWS for allowing this to happen. We allowed to let go some of the control of our communities to give them the dignity and partnership to say, you know best in your community how this is to get done. It will get done. When we hold tight to the community, like Colville Lake says, we want the government’s hand off our throat. We want to breathe. We know what to do. Give it to us. Case in point, the transportation airport in Colville Lake was done 95 percent because the community was allowed to do it. Thank you, government, for doing that. I hope we can do this throughout the next three years. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s good to be back here in the House with my colleagues dealing with the important issues of the Northwest Territories. I will equate it to coming to a big family reunion. Everyone is happy to see each other, shake each other’s hand, and shortly after that give each other a jab or two. This morning I was a recipient of most of the jabs, the ribbing, because I wasn’t here for the first day of session. I was travelling with the Minister for Arctic Winter Games. My colleagues know that, but they still had no problem giving me not-so-smart comments. Glad you could make it. Travelling again? Even staff, do you know we start work on Monday? That’s okay. As my family and friends know, I will take these comments and I will take my chances when I get a chance to make comments to them.
Just like family, I’d like to remind everybody, after we’re here for a while we’re going to get short with each other, so let’s just remember when we do get together we remember it fondly.
Seriously, I know we have a great deal of work to do over the next four weeks and the capital budget is one of them. I’m here. Let’s get to work.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last Friday in Aklavik we were very honoured to have Premier Bob McLeod visit and pay tribute to the recipients of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Awards. Dean McLeod, Barbara Archie, Mary Kendi and Nellie Cournoyea were the four recipients in Aklavik.
The residents of Aklavik and the Mackenzie Delta joined the Premier in extending congratulatory greetings to the recipients and wish to commend them for their tireless effort in making their community a better place to live, and for contributing to Aklavik, the Northwest Territories and Canada.
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Awards are unique and very special. The recipients were honoured during a community feast and the medals were awarded and presented by leaders from Aklavik, the president of the Gwich’in Tribal Council and the chair of the Inuvialuit Development Corporation.
Thank you, and again I would like to thank Dean McLeod, Barbara Archie, Mary Kendi and Nellie Cournoyea for their tremendous efforts in making Canada a special place to live.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize a good friend of mine, Minister Lorne Kusugak from Nunavut, who I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the last number of years and I’ve always been very impressed with his commitment to the people of Nunavut. Welcome to the Assembly, Quasa.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize Minister Kusugak from the Nunavut government for joining us today. He’s also a counterpart to the Minister responsible for WSCC.
Also, I would like to recognize Gayla Meredith, president of the NWTTA, who is here with us. Welcome.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a couple of interns working for the Government of the Northwest Territories. Krystal Shaben, who is the Public Works and Services policy and communication assistant intern; Rebecca Dupuis, who is the Justice policy intern; and Harjot Sidhu who is the HR policy intern.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize Lorne Kusugak from Nunavut, who I also had a chance to travel with over the last couple days. Welcome to the House.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. I’d like to welcome all our visitors here in the public gallery today. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings. Again, Lorne, thank you for coming.
