Thank you, Mr. Minister. Again, the people we represent are not happy with going there. Just remind the staff that we work for the people, and it’s not the other way around.
This message has been clearly laid out here in the House, and I’m sure people are watching as well. My staff are fully in gear, watching this process as well. Certainly that message will be carried over to the department and on to the region as well. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Mr. Speaker, three well established tourism businesses in the Yellowknife region are closing the doors, if they have not closed them yet. I don’t feel comfortable mentioning their names, because I know only one, as of yesterday, gave notice to employees, and I can’t speak to the other two specifically.
Their issue for closing their doors, they told me, is the economic climate, the slowdown in tourism, and there is concern that the support levels might not be there from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Setting that sort of framework up, my questions are directed, of course, to the Hon. Bob McLeod, Minister of ITI.
I don’t want to cry doom and gloom, but this is not a good situation in this climate, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to know what the Minister of ITI is doing to make sure if there is any way to turn some of this around. What type of work is he doing so other tourism businesses don’t follow the same lead as these three well established businesses, by closing their doors because of this problem?
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The tourism industry is facing a number of challenges these days for a number of reasons: partly the volatility of the financial market, the currency exchange rate, and there seems to be a trend to move away from the consumptive sports — hunting and fishing — toward more adventure, ecotourism opportunities. As a department we recognized this several years ago, and we put forward a number of different diversification and marketing programs to help existing operators develop new tourism products.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to see if the Minister would expand as to what marketing program he has. Does he have a financial program that can help these tourism companies switch their types of products? Typically a hunting lodge, as an example…. They weren’t necessarily in the eco business, and this is a big shift on how they market their lodge and market their products and timing. What is available, exactly, to these groups?
The Tourism Product Diversification and Marketing Program was introduced last year. In total, $687,000 was approved for ten businesses and organizations this past year. We have regular banking days, and the total program over the three year period is about $2.5 million.
Some of the problems I have heard is potential cash flow to make sure they can keep their business afloat during these rocky times. Does the department consider any type of option like this?
Through the BDIC board we do work with different companies and through the business programs of this government. We make every effort to work with them to get them through this difficult period.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not trying in any way to catch the Minister off guard, but is he is aware of any type of financial dollars that will be lost if some of these loans in respect to the BDIC.... He knows the companies I’m referring to. Does he have any idea or is his department doing any reconciliation about the type of loan dollars that would be lost when these companies go out of business officially?
I don’t have a specific number, but I do know that we’ve been working with some of the operators to continue operations for several years. I expect some of the individual operators would have some significant loans, but I don’t have that information right now.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement I talked about the elders in a parliamentary system that would require further discussions on a constitutional level. I want to talk with the Minister of Education and Culture about education and culture and do it one step at a time. Can the Minister look into a PTR system with our education schools in the Sahtu region in terms of how we involve elders in a system to help youth? Especially, can the Minister consider that as an option to get elders into our education system?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Time for question period has expired; however, I will allow this line of questioning. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. With the Department of Education, Culture and Employment there have been some concerns in areas of delivery for funding allocation to enhance or promote aboriginal language and cultural areas — the programming. We did issue a Ministerial directive in 2004 to deal specifically with the delivery of these courses where the elders also could be hired in this area. It does highlight specific areas of aboriginal language and instruction programs and also involves our community resource people. Those are the areas we’re focusing on right now.
With respect to the PTR the Member is alluding to, it’s an area we could possibly look at as a long term plan. We need to consult with the communities, as well, on how we could effectively deliver these programs. I think we’re doing that in the communities with the Ministerial directives at the present time, but certainly the PTR issue could be a discussion at a later time as well. We certainly deliver all these programs to the schools.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Minister to reconsider and put this as a priority with the PTR for elders and the residents in our schools. As I said earlier, we are losing the elders fast in our regions, in our communities. With them we lose the knowledge and values of our people. I would ask the Minister if he would strongly consider pushing for an initiative on the PTR to be discussed at this Assembly so we could talk about it seriously in the House.
I do appreciate the Minister’s directive in terms of language and culture in our schools, but we need something more permanent to include elders in our education system as teachers and professors to help our education, both academic and cultural.
Mr. Speaker, certainly the elders are important to the educational system, especially in the schools and also at the community level. We will continue to strive toward enhancing and also promoting more of the cultural based programs, enhancing our language at the school level and part of the curriculum development as well.
With respect to the course delivery — the program delivery at the community level — it does highlight the importance of involving the community members, the community elders. We understand that there are quite a number of years of experience and knowledge, and also their language, that could be delivered in the schools.
We will continue to work with what we have right now. We need to improve in that area. We need to hear back from the communities, because we work closely with the local school boards, the regional school boards, the councils. We will continue to do that and also work with the Members. The PTR issue is certainly an item of discussion to be taking place as well, but we need more discussion or consultation on the PTR if that’s the case.
Mr. Speaker, would the Minister commit that PTR discussions could possibly be brought up in the preliminary discussions and business plans for the upcoming years? I know it’s a lot of work. I would ask the Minister if we could possibly bring some discussion to the business plans — have a PTR for elders that would be included in further discussions, that would identify funds to have elders brought into our schools.
Mr. Speaker, currently the business plans are in process right now, and with the PTR this is all preliminary. We need to do more groundwork in this area, because we do have PTRs in different areas as well. As I indicated earlier, we need to work with the community educators, the school boards, the councils at the community level and our government department to move forward on that matter. We need more time to deal with the PTR issues. But, certainly, we do provide program delivery in the community at the current time, and I think it has been successful. We’ll continue to deliver that program
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Speaker, I’m advocating strongly for the elders in terms of doing the right thing for our people in communities. How long have we been trying to get elders into our education system? There have been so many doors closed in their faces.
Mr. Speaker, I want again to say to the Minister that you have an opportunity and the Assembly here has an opportunity to do the right thing and get the elders into our schools. The doors have been slammed in their faces by the federal government, the territorial government. The PTR system might be an avenue that would say: yes, we will have elders in the residences. They are dying out fast.
I would ask the Minister again: would he strongly push this department to have elders in our school system? It’s long overdue, and it should be done as soon as possible. Not more years to study. Would the Minister commit — hopefully within the life of this government or sooner — to implement a PTR into our education system for elders?
One of the areas we’re looking at for the elders is…. They are currently being penalized for working in the schools, because of their pension being deducted. We’re doing what we can as a department of the GNWT to remedy the situation. We need to utilize their service. That’s what we’ve been hearing when we visit the schools and the communities.
At the same time, we do hire quite a number of elders in the schools as required to conduct on-the-land programs. We’ll continue to do that as well. With the PTR, like I said, Mr. Speaker, we’ll have that discussion at the departmental level. In order to proceed forward, we need more discussion in that respect.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Before I go on to the next item of Orders of the Day, the Chair is going to call a short break.
The House took a short recess.
The House resumed.
We’ll return to Orders of the Day. Item 8, written questions. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to go back to item 5.
The Member is requesting unanimous consent to return to recognition of visitors in the gallery.
Unanimous consent granted.
Today I’d like to recognize Ms. Allison Baetz and Ms. Caroline Kaufman from Inuvik. I know both their parents. Welcome and thank you for being here for this week. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I have a written question for the Minister of Transportation regarding operations and maintenance of Highway No. 4. Can the Minister tell me:
What is the total length of the all season section of Highway No. 4?
What is the total paved or chipsealed section of Highway No. 4?
What was the Department of Transportation’s O&M budget for Highway No. 4 for the 2004–05, 2005–06 and 2006–07 fiscal years?
What is the total number of full-time residents on Highway No. 4 according to the last census?
My question is for the Minister of Public Works and Services.
What have been the costs of the resupply of fuel this year by community, and what is the cost per litre by fuel type for each community?
Are there still communities to be supplied, and if so has the fuel already been purchased and at what cost per litre by fuel type for each community?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to the opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you Mr. Speaker. The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures is pleased to provide its Report on Matters Referred to the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures. In a letter dated January 15, 2008, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Hon. Paul Delorey, referred a request from Mrs. Jane Groenewegen, Chair of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, to the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedure. The Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning expressed concern with regard to the government’s response to formal motions made in the House in response to direction from a standing committee.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures is tasked with reviewing such requests and may offer recommendations, including changes to the rules of the Legislative Assembly.
In a letter to the Speaker dated December 6, 2007, the Priorities and Planning Committee pointed out that in most cases it has been the practice of previous governments to respond to motions made by standing committees by corresponding directly with the appropriate committee rather than providing a public response in the Assembly. The members of the Priorities and Planning Committee believe that a formal motion passed in the Assembly requires a formal response tabled in the Assembly. They refer to Rule 42(10), setting out the government’s responsibility to respond to petitions as a suggested course of action.
In discussing the issue, members of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recognize that any correspondence received by committees from the government in response to a motion would be considered privileged and in many cases confidential. It would therefore be a breach of the rules of the Legislative Assembly to share that response with the public.
In their discussion members of the committee felt it would be advantageous to have the government respond publicly through a motion adopted by the House. The committee felt that this would provide the public with a logical conclusion in situations where a motion was adopted by the Assembly after public debate on the floor of the House.
It became clear to the committee that it would be necessary for a motion to be worded in a manner that would require the government to table a response. In those cases, where a motion is adopted that offers general support to a principle or organization or which is outside the responsibility of the Government of the Northwest Territories, there would be no requirement for a response included in the wording of the motion.
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures offers the following recommendations for the consideration of the Members of the Legislative Assembly:
Recommendation No.1
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that Rule 49 of the rules of the Legislative Assembly be amended by adding the following as section 49(3):
A motion adopted by the House and requesting a response from the government will require the government to table such a response within 120 days or at the earliest opportunity subsequent to the passage of 120 days.
Written questions
In a letter dated March 27, 2008, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Hon. Paul Delorey, requested that the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures review Rule 39 of the rules of the Legislative Assembly and provide some clarification and recommendation on the length, format and procedure that should be used in putting forth written questions.
The Speaker requested clarification in order to provide proper direction to the Members of the Assembly and to ensure that the business of the House can proceed in the most efficient and effective manner possible.
It was agreed by the members of the committee that the purpose of a written question was to pose a question which would be likely to require a detailed or complex answer or an answer that would not reasonably be assumed to be within the present knowledge of the Minister. A written question is intended to obtain information for the Member, not to supply that information to the House.
Examples of written questions that were discussed by committee members included such things as detailed statistical analysis, information requests on specialized or technical matters and requests for information that would require input from regional offices.
It was noted by the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures that there are presently no rules governing the length and format of written questions and that there have been instances of members improperly posing written questions in an effort to extend debate on issues or asking a written question that should more properly have been raised during oral questions.
There are ample opportunities for Members to pose their questions in question period or to ask their questions on a subsequent day.
Members agreed that the use of written questions has strayed from the intended purpose and offer the following recommendations for consideration by the Members of the Legislative Assembly:
Recommendation No. 2
The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures recommends that Rule 39 of the rules of the Legislative Assembly be amended by adding the following:
39(3): The Clerk shall ensure that the written question conforms with the Rules and practices of the House.
39(4): A written question may only contain the one initial question and four supplementary questions.
39(5): A Member may only have five written questions on the Order Paper at any one time.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that this Committee Report 2-16(3) be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The motion is on the floor. The motion is in order.
Motion carried; Committee Report 2-16(3) referred to Committee of the Whole.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the Ministerial Benefits Policy.
Document 7-16(3), Ministerial Benefits Policy, tabled.
I wish to table the following document entitled Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Annual Report 2006–2007.
Document 8-16(3), Health and Social Services Annual Report 2006–2007, tabled.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. Pursuant to section 21 of the Human Rights Act, I wish to table the Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission Annual Report 2007–2008.
Document 9-16(3), Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission Annual Report 2007–2008, tabled.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, October 27, 2008, I will move the following motion.
Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, that this Assembly formally move to conduct an Executive Council accountability review process within the next 12 months whereby the Premier and Members of the Executive Council shall report to and be accountable to Members of the Legislature on progress to date and plans for the remainder of the term of the 16th Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today.
Thank you. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
