Thank you, Mr. Chair. I provided my thoughts, just acknowledging that we did revise our mandate. As colleagues have put it, it was a collaborative process between Regular MLAs and Cabinet. It is commendable that with 19 MLAs with diverse backgrounds and, of course, the diversity of the ridings that we represent, we came together and came up with a product that we think will serve at least the agenda of this government. We have two years to try to set our sights in terms of ensuring that the goals that we have set for ourselves are measurable in respect of at least being timely, following up at the same time, and at least having a measure of resources allocated to those initiatives that we might undertake during the two years of our term.
I have got some notes here. We were elected in November of 2015, and together, as a Caucus, we developed a mandate for the 18th Assembly. We are halfway to completing our terms as MLAs. The midterm review offers an excellent opportunity to pause and reflect on our work. It is a good time to look at what we have accomplished with our mandate and to reassess our priorities for the remaining two years. Likely, we will shift or reposition our expectations and huddle as a team once again.
I will offer a few thoughts on our mandate from a SWOT perspective: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. I think our weakness could be how we work together as Regular MLAs and Cabinet. I think it is very important that we try to work collaboratively and cooperatively, with mutual respect and understanding. We are all in the same boat trying to strive for the betterment of the NWT. We are trying to at least build on our common interest in ensuring that we address very hard core needs, sometimes fundamentally, that small communities have or larger centres or even cities, for that matter, have. We are trying to better our society in general.
Of course, the other one, and I did not want to spend too much time on it, is threats. It is the unity. It is how we work together. It is very important that we be mindful that if we do not have unity amongst ourselves, we are in a weak position.
In light of that, I did not want to build upon the weaknesses or the threats that we might have, but trying to build upon the opportunities and strengths that we have. One of our greatest strengths is the resilience and creativity of our people. Mr. Chair, as we know, the cost of living, including the cost of goods and services, is higher here because of our distance from larger markets and the remote locations of our communities. I have been encouraged by the efforts being made regarding the domestic production of food in areas such as agriculture and greenhouses. We need to support more of this innovation. We need to roll up our sleeves and plant initiatives for the longterm.
The Dehcho Process presents an opportunity to fulfil a longstanding commitment to create certainty. Mr. Chair, the Premier and Minister Bennett have the report of the ministerial special representative, which was well-received by the Dehcho First Nations. The GNWT should work towards completion of the process within the year, including outstanding negotiations, including the Akaitcho, Metis, and K'atlodeeche First Nation. Let's get this done before an opportunity to create certainty becomes a missed opportunity that puts us into the blame game.
Now, once again, the TRC had outlined recommendations that the government needs to act upon. It could be that this government, in the spirit of reconciliation, ensures that we complete all outstanding land claims. Mahsi, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Next, Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to thank all of the honourable Members of this Assembly for their hard work and dedication to finding that common ground that has produced a stronger mandate than we initially started with. One of the hallmarks of our governing system is that we put aside our political differences and come together as a Caucus and work collaboratively and constructively. That does not mean we disagree, but it means the diversity of our opinions gives us a stronger basis to draw upon and make better decisions for our people.
This is a more refined version of the original document in many respects. It is less ambitious, more realistic, and is practical within the short time we have left serving our constituents before we head to the polls. The priority actions that are going to make the biggest impact on diversifying our economy, creating jobs and growth, and taking care of people in need are all centre stage in this document.
As many people know, I am a big believer in transparency and openness in our political processes, and this mandate speaks to that in the first place. By having a public debate on this document and by tabling it for all Northerners to see, we are letting our constituents into the decisionmaking process, and allowing them to do that is one of the reasons I ran. Of course, this process is capped with the mid-term review that will be taking place tomorrow, which, again, speaks to greater accountability and transparency in our consensus government.
Many of the processes that we have in place have been in place for a long time. They just have not been particularly public. Now we are able to do that. I think laying a road map for where we want this government to go, what kind of priorities are important, and what will be the best value for our money are all important considerations, as well as ensuring that the viewpoints and aspirations of all of our people, regardless of whether they are from Yellowknife or from smaller communities or regional centres, all equally reflected in this document.
Now, members of the public and, of course, honourable colleagues will note that there are changes, and there is a tracked change document that has been tabled as well as a companion to this revised mandate. I hope that the government will be in a position to speak to some of the changes and why they were made. In many cases, it is to have more realistic outcomes, but in some respects, many of the mandate commitments have not been advanced sufficiently within the last twoyear period that marks this review period. If we are going to move off those mandate commitments, I think it is important to tell people why and to communicate very clearly with the public why some of the more ambitious goals that we have set for ourselves have to change. I hope we have the opportunity to do that today in this House and, if not, to communicate that through other means, through the government's own communication channels.
That being said, democracy is about compromise. That is its great strength, and we all have to give a little to get a lot for our constituents. At the end of the day, we will have a new revised mandate that will give more impact for the twoyear period we have left. I look forward to continuing the debate on this document and to considering any potential changes that come forward on the floor today. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. Next I have Mr. McNeely.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do look forward to the deliberations here on finalizing the mandate or the revised mandate for our second half term. In looking back and as mentioned by my colleague from the Deh Cho, we all contribute towards the mandate here originally with a wide range of diverse knowledge and expertise to contribute towards the mandate. I think right when the developments of the mandate were taken place there, it was realized by most of us that we probably wouldn’t achieve all of them but we’re going to certainly try.
As mentioned several times, it’s essential and prudent management to review the mandate with additional amendments so that we move forward. I think we can all agree that the past term there were certainly a lot of changes, globally and territorially and nationally. Now our direction moving forward should reflect and accommodate those changes. Reviewing the mandate is essential in capturing the opportunities that are presented to us with the environmental economic changes. I’ll leave it at that. I look forward to finalizing the mandate. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McNeely. Next, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I’m looking forward to the revised mandate as well. I know that the mandate document is a very, very big document. Sometimes, you kind of tend to look at the mandate and have a lot of difficulty really prioritizing the mandate. There is a lot of and it’s a huge document. The larger the mandate gets, the priority the each of the items get.
For me, I look at the mandate and I apply certain things that I’ve come here to do. I come to the Assembly and then I always said and I feel that any mandate items that provide employment to our citizens and in across the territory is a good mandate item. There are items that can be measured by looking at the improvement and the employment numbers across the territory. I’ll look at the mandate items and I look at how it applies to the wellness of the community or wellness of the GNWT. I look at the mandate and decide whether or not or that if the correction facilities are beginning to empty out because people are well and whether or not the hospitals are beginning to empty out because people are well. Are there items in the mandate that address that issue? I look at the mandate and I apply education to it. Are the people getting more educated? Are people graduating at a higher rate? Are people preparing for jobs by getting training and so on? I look at the mandate and say to myself, “Is it taking care of the seniors?” The seniors are our most respected people and are we allowing the seniors to age in places a big mandate item? An important mandate item that I speak about often in the House and I think that the mandate items I do that and are important.
I look at how they support families in the GNWT. Does this mandate at the end of the day provide proper supports for people suffering from addictions? Does the mandate provide good health to the citizens of the Northwest Territories and good housing? Does this mandate address the cost of living? Does this mandate address early childhood development? How much of this mandate is targeted towards probably the greatest investment that any government can make and that is in early childhood development starting with pre-natal healthy families.
I know that the mandate has junior kindergarten in there. We’ve asked for daycare programs. Any of those types of things that are there to address early childhood development that will support the families that will move forward. We start to see the results by higher graduation rates. We have people in our small communities that are graduating at a rate only slightly above 50 per cent. We know statistically that once you graduate, even from grade 12, it opens the door for higher education. It also does one important thing. It gives you an 80 per cent chance of getting a job. Otherwise, you have less than 50 per cent chance of getting a job. I know that that’s an important aspect and once people are educated and they’re working and they get away from the addictions and so far, I look at this mandate to say, “Well, are those things being achieved by this mandate?” It’ll be interesting that at the end of our term when we evaluate the mandate to see if those aspects were covered and have things improved as a result of this mandate and the work of our government and the work of our members in this assembly having proved the situation for the people of the Northwest Territories.
For me, that’s what the whole idea of a mandate is. I look forward to help revising the mandate and then measuring the mandate to see if it’s done what it has achieved and what it’s intended to do. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Next, Mr. Nakimayak.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don’t really have much to add. All I can say is that it makes good sense to line our future with our current environment. Our colleagues on both sides are strategizing their priorities. I think that’s what we need to focus on as we’re all each independent MLAs. We need to focus on the priorities in our region and capitalize on government to government relationships between the territorial government and Indigenous governments as well as the federal government. I think, in this day and age, the leadership is evolving. We need to work together to move forward to ensure that housing and health remain at the top, as well as jobs for our territory, and as well as looking at the economy.
What is happening around this world, and what are the demands for the metals and the diamonds and other resources that we have in the territory? I think we need to look at the big picture and work with that, eventually coming to work together on some of the projects that are reasonable, some that are viable in each region, as well as training and opportunities for Indigenous groups. I think we need to ensure that, for Indigenous groups, self-determination in each region is a possibility so that we can move forward together. Otherwise, if we move forward separately, we are not going to really go far. It seems that we need to tighten up a little bit here and make that connection to work together. I think that is how we are going to achieve most of this mandate. That is all I have to say, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Nakimayak. Any further comments on these documents? Ms. Green.
I have no further comments on this. Could you advise how we are going to review this document? Is it going to be page-by-page or in another way? Thank you.
There are no further general comments. We can consider any motions that there may be on the floor. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. If we could turn to page 11, I will introduce my first motion. I move that Tabled Document 419-18(2), Proposed Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019 (Revised), be amended on page 11 by adding the following words: "supporting the development and growth of post-secondary institutions and programs available in the NWT; researching the feasibility of creating a northern centre of excellence to promote and support research, innovation, and use of traditional Indigenous knowledge, and foster partnerships with universities, governments, and other organizations." Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Green. There is a motion on the floor. The motion has been distributed and is in order. To the motion. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this represents an expansion of this area to acknowledge that the knowledge economy is an important growth area for the NWT in terms of employment and that we would like to see those opportunities developed by introducing this amendment. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Next, Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We had a vigorous round of discussion around this issue of a knowledge economy, and we, all the honourable Members, felt that this was an effective way to start addressing some of these issues.
The rule of thumb, I guess, in the world has been that manufacturing and industry follows low-cost labour, and we are seeing that trend reverse. The knowledge economies are becoming the driver of production in the world, and actually, highly-skilled workers are slowly returning manufacturing back to countries that are developing knowledge economies.
Canada is well-positioned to make use of that. The federal government has recognized this and is investing millions of dollars in developing knowledge economy and moving Canada away from its traditional bread-and-butter economic drivers being the resource industry. I have spoken about this in this Chamber before, and the City of Calgary is a perfect example of a local economy built on the strength of resource development that has diversified using its knowledge clusters, the university, centres for excellence and innovation, and now 40 per cent of its workforce is employed in the creative industry.
What does that mean for the North? We have other challenges. We have a significantly smaller population. We have limited access to post-secondary institutions and other centres of innovation and excellence. We have to start a plan to develop those so that we do not get outpaced when southern Canada starts shifting towards this as well. There is always going to be a place for the resource economy and resource development in the Northwest Territories. We need it to fuel these other innovations, but if we fail to diversify towards a knowledge economy, we are missing the boat on where the direction of this country and the entire world is heading. We cannot be left out by this.
That means a complete rethinking of our labour market. It means investing in information and computer technology jobs and opportunities to grow them, and it means building a plan that will develop centres for excellence, identifying knowledge clusters, and developing those resources so that we can make use of where the knowledge economy is growing and how it works.
There is a lot of work to be done on this. It can be a complicated and often confusing issue. This motion puts in our mandate the foundation for building a knowledge economy plan that will grow over time so that we keep pace with these developments that are happening all over the world and in Canada. It will also better position us to access those federal funds that are flowing from Ottawa to support the growth of this industry. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I will keep this very short. This is one of the changes that I do support, and I am well on record in this House as supporting post-secondary education here in the Northwest Territories and how we do not have a university. There are no universities north of 60 degrees, no universities in northern Canada, and I have talked about how a community like Akureyri in Iceland, 19,000 people, has a university, and there are Canadian students there studying circumpolar matters because they cannot do it in Canada. I am well on record supporting the development of a knowledge economy and the need for a post-secondary education strategy for the Northwest Territories. Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed?
---Carried
The motion is carried. Thank you, committee. Anything further from committee? Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that Tabled Document 419-18 (2), Proposed Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019 (Revised), be amended on page 17 by adding the following words: "through Aurora College and other educational partners, we will develop and promote post-secondary programs designed to meet the Northwest Territories' needs in high-demand occupations identified in the Labour Market Forecast and Needs Assessment (2016)." Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. There is a motion on the floor. The motion has been distributed and is in order. To the motion. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, this follows on from the previous motion where we are trying to strengthen post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories to equip the workforce for coming high-demand occupations. That has already been studied. We know what those occupations are. We just need to make sure that we are in a position to train people to fill them. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. The Member has requested a recorded vote. All those in favour, please stand.
Ms. Green, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Nakimayak, Mr. Moses, Ms. Cochrane, Mr. Abernethy, Mr. McLeod - Yellowknife South, Mr. McLeod - Inuvik Twin lakes, Mr. Schumann, Mr. Sebert, Mr. Blake, Mr. McNeely, Mr. Vanthuyne, Mr. Testart, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Thompson, Mr. O'Reilly.
All those opposed, please rise. All those abstaining, please rise. The results of the recorded vote are: 17 in favour, zero opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Thank you, committee. Anything further? Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that Tabled Document 419-18 (2), Proposed Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019 (Revised), be amended on page 20 by inserting the words: "reduce the number of households and core housing need in the NWT by 250 households per year for the next three years; create a comprehensive and fully-costed plan to reduce core need; increase lobbying of the federal government to halt the continued reduction in CMHC operation and maintenance funding; prepare to take maximum advantage of federal housing funds when available." Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Green. There is a motion on the floor. It has been distributed. The motion is in order. To the motion. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the effect of this motion is to put the content of a motion that we passed in this House on June 2016 into this mandate. At that time, we voted unanimously to address the long-standing issue of the shortage of safe, affordable housing in the Northwest Territories. This was something that we did after the original mandate document was created. We are catching up now by putting this motion in.
What we know about core housing need in the NWT is that there are about 15,000 households in the NWT, and approximately 20 per cent of those households are in core housing need, which means the houses are either unsuitable, inadequate, or unaffordable. Briefly, that means they are either not big enough, not in good enough repair, or they cost more than 30 per cent of a family's net income.
The thrust of this amendment is to provide a tangible goal to work towards in terms of reducing core need across the NWT in the life of this assembly. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Green. To the motion. Mr. Testart.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to request a recorded vote.
Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just would like to get some clarity on this. It is 250 households per year for the next three years. That sort of gets over into the next Assembly, which is fine by me, but does anybody want to clarify that? Thank you, Mr. Chair.
To the motion. Ms. Green.
Thank you, Ms. Green. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. The Member has requested a recorded vote. All those in favour, please stand.
Ms. Green, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Nakimayak, Mr. Moses, Ms. Cochrane, Mr. Abernethy, Mr. McLeod - Yellowknife South, Mr. McLeod - Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Schumann, Mr. Sebert, Mr. Blake, Mr. McNeely, Mr. Vanthuyne, Mr. Testart, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Thompson, Mr. O'Reilly.
All opposed, please stand. All abstaining, please stand. Thank you, committee. The results of the recorded vote are: 17 in favour, zero opposed, zero abstentions. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Ms. Green.
