Mr. Speaker, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre has acted as the territory's museum for the past 40 years. The institution cares for a large collection of objects representing the peoples, cultures, history, and land of the Northwest Territories on behalf of all people who live here. Yet, the heritage centre is more than a museum. For 40 years, it has produced exhibitions, housed the NWT archives, undertaken archaeological expeditions and place names research, and administration. It also provides technical, logistical, and financial support to individuals and organizations involved in cultural activities and the arts.
The heritage centre works with communities and groups across the territory to care for, research, and celebrate our rich cultures, history, and languages. The centre supports community members to tell their own stories, highlighting northern culture and heritage to more than 60,000 visitors each year with innovative projects that have been celebrated on the national stage.
Mr. Speaker, in April, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre received a Canadian Museums Association award for outstanding achievement in exhibition for one such project, "We Took Care of Them, Special Constables in the NWT." This nationally significant exhibit honours Indigenous Northerners who worked as special constables and as seamstresses, guides, and interpreters. By sharing the skills needed to live and work in the North, local people often made the difference between life and death to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The We Took Care of Them website is the first online museum exhibit to be available in all 11 NWT official languages. The heritage centre staff also created six travelling exhibits that members of the RCMP are circulating to communities across the North. Developing these outreach projects along with the main museum exhibit ensures that Northerner's stories are made available beyond the walls of the physical building, to people across the territory and around the world. The We Took Care of Them project was developed collaboratively by the government of the Northwest Territories, the RCMP, and the people of the Northwest Territories who contributed their stories. I would like to extend my congratulations to everyone involved.
Mr. Speaker, while it is heartening to look back and celebrate the achievements of the past 40 years, it is also important to build on these successes, explore new possibilities, and look to the future. I am proud to say that the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre has developed a national reputation for excellence in exhibits, conservation, archival management, and archaeological research. To continue this work and ensure that our building accommodates current and future programming, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is undertaking a study of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre to address building deficiencies and explore a mid-life systems retrofit.
Mr. Speaker, on June 15th, we will host a birthday party to celebrate 40 years of operation for the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. This free public event will feature culture- and heritage-related activities, including storytelling, talks by museum and community experts, traditional games, and music, to highlight and celebrate the work of the heritage centre. I encourage everyone to come out to the party, have some fun, and learn more about the activities and the work that occur in the building to serve and represent all of the people of the Northwest Territories. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To advance our government's commitment towards community wellness and safety, we are taking steps to improve the care for our people by working with the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut to explore the creation of one self-regulatory framework for all nursing professions in the Northwest Territories. Currently, to practise in the Northwest Territories, registered nurses and nurse practitioners apply for licensing to the association, while licensed practical nurses apply for licensing to the Department of Health and Social Services. This dual registration process can be confusing for nurses, including new graduates as well as those relocating to the Northwest Territories. Removing barriers so that nurses can provide invaluable health services and care and improving the ways that we support our nurses during their work is what is driving our work with the association.
Mr. Speaker, nurses are the heart of our healthcare system. They are often the first point of contact for individuals seeking healthcare in our communities, and they provide invaluable service. As highly visible role models, nurses promote healthy living by personally adopting a healthier lifestyle and by encouraging residents to make healthier choices. Today's nurses not only serve at the front line, but publish scientific research, develop mobile medical applications, and are actively engaged in addressing healthcare policy. They are the face of healthcare for many in the North and collaborate with their colleagues, from social workers and physicians to hospital administrators and public safety personnel, to ensure that our residents are taken care of and are receiving quality care.
This is why, as part of the National Nursing Week earlier this month and in recognition of the exceptional services that nurses provide to residents and communities on a daily basis, I signed a memorandum of understanding with Mr. Rommel Silverio, president of the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This MoU commits the Department of Health and Social Services and the association to create one regulatory framework for all nurses. Having one body that regulates the practice of nursing for all registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses, and registered psychiatric nurses in the Northwest Territories will streamline licensing and ensure that all nurses have greater access to training and resources to perform their scope of practice safely and collaboratively within the health system.
Mr. Speaker, to establish a single body that can regulate all nursing professions, we will require adjusting the legislative framework. The project will hopefully be completed during the life of the 19th Legislative Assembly and, as we are nearing the end of the 18th Legislative Assembly, we felt that it was important to start the work now by solidifying our intent to carry out this work in the years to come.
I want to thank all of our nursing professionals throughout the Northwest Territories for being the face of healthcare in many of our communities. Working closely with the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, our government is committed to finding ways to advance our goal of best health, best care for a better future by improving the care we provide to our residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers' statements. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to move item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery prior to members' statements, and address it presently. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, we are joined today by the grade six class from Princess Alexander School. They managed to make their yearly trek up here despite some concerns that they wouldn't make it because the bus that was carrying them was coming out of high level. I would like to introduce half of them, and then my colleague from Hay River South will introduce the other half.
We have Mr. Jacob Alyward, Avaia Ashton -- and I'm sorry if I've mispronounced that; I was just introduced to her -- Joshua Barnes, Cameron Bateman, Julianne Groenewegen, Brayden Michaud, Ethan Morin, Rylee Robillard, Corinne Smith, Shelby Snow, Thomas Smith, Caleb Swan, Diesel Beaulieu, Bert Buckley, Phoenix Casaway, Otto Peter, Danika Coakwell, Leland Lafferty, Keanna Dryneck, Adrian Drakes-Bilodeau, Jessie Brant, a teacher, and then some chaperones, Mark Harris, Nikki Ashton, Scott Cloutier, and Bertha Smallgeese. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize the P.A. School that's on their trip, and their teachers and chaperones. I don't think I'm going to do as good a job as my colleague from Hay River North. Some of these names are a little tough: Charlea Chocolate, Daide Coleman, Delayna Cross, Gracious DeVera, Everett Durocher, Miah Harris, Louis King, Natalie Linehan, Lexus Pellissey, Jack Pettipas, Mackenzie Schwartz, Ryan Tambour-Wilson, Deacon Tybring, Kasthon Vyse, Xavier Graham, Raiden Gully, Brody Hodgeson-Beaulieu, Kaydence Lockhart, Ian Cayen, Brianna Simister, Charlene Smallgeese. Stephanie Haas, teacher; Kathleen Groenewegen, chaperone; Sandy Cowgar, chaperone; Tamarah Pellisey, chaperone; and James Dixon, chaperone. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Welcome to our Assembly. It's always great to have an audience, especially the young generation. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome the following people from the Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories of Nunavut who are with us here today: Rommel Silverio, who is the President; Denise Bowen, the executive director; Jan Inman, the director of professional conduct review; and Shawna Tohm, the director of regulatory services and policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for being here today.
Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree, it is great to see all the youth here today, and so I want to take this opportunity to welcome all of the youth climate strikers who are here today. In particular, I want to acknowledge some residents from Yellowknife North, Ella Kokejl, Mokoa Kokejl, Jack Kotaska, Aurora Nind, Emma Willoughby, and, of course, I want to thank them all for reminding us that leaders today must take action to protect their future. Thank you for being here, and welcome.
Masi. Member for Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have amazing constituents at Range Lake. We have so many hours given back to our community, but what's more exciting is to see our youth stepping up and using the community lens. Part of our climate change activists who are here today is Ms. Anusha Sivakumar, who I know personally, has been our Page. I know her mother. She's a wonderful person, and we're hoping that you'll keep this up right through as you become an adult. Congratulations for all you do, all that you all do for our future.
Masi. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize our gallery of youth and the climate change protestors there, Ms. Emily Bayha from the Sahtu. Thank you.
Masi. Member for Yellowknife South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased to recognize two constituents from Yellowknife South, Jan Inman and Tenisha McMullen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to talk about climate change, which now, without a doubt, is a climate crisis. I've spoken about this issue before, but today, as wildfires drive people from their homes, I feel a new sense of urgency.
Here's why: The Canada Climate Change Report shows our northern climate is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. Further, warming is accelerating and it's effectively irreversible. As people have said, there is no plan to refreeze the Arctic. The cause is carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. We can see the results for ourselves in the Northwest Territories: shorter ice road seasons; thawing permafrost; unpredictable precipitation; and intense wildfires.
Mr. Speaker, I see a real disconnect in my own life. I believe the science, but my response doesn't live up to this emergency. Sure, I do easy things like recycling, composting, and riding my bike to work, but my life hasn't fundamentally changed, and it's time. It's time to take more meaningful action.
Young people are leading the way. They are inspired by Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager who started the climate strikes that are now popular everywhere. They believe that the climate crisis is going to dominate their lives and the lives of their children. They want to commit to change. Some students in Inuvik and Yellowknife have started increasing climate crisis awareness with public events such as the one that's here today. They want us, as adults and leaders, on board.
Mr. Speaker, this is a huge problem, but there are actions we can take that will make a difference. Government has a role to play by providing leadership and funding. Let's develop a retrofit economy that will create jobs while reducing energy consumption in our homes. Let's continue to makeover our power grid so that it's green, with additional solar and wind power investments. It's time for an updated version of the One Tonne Challenge program of 15 years ago to get people to change behaviour that's hurting rather than helping the environment.
While we're at it, government could take a close look at its own consumption patterns. What if there was a whole-of-government approach to the climate crisis managed by a secretariat that would look at government's procurement of everything from trucks to roads to assess the impact on greenhouse gas emissions in order to make informed, less harmful choices?
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mahsi, colleagues. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Here's the thing: we are already paying the cost of the climate crisis, so why don't we invest in mitigation as well? There is no downside, so what are we waiting for?
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Today is World Climate Change Day. It is important to note that this is a very significant day. We all need to do our part in preventing impacts to the Northwest Territories, Canada, and the rest of the world. There is evidence over the past years that our land is drastically changing. This, of course, is due to climate change.
The Government of the Northwest Territories has taken a strategic approach to developing renewable energy sources. Mr. Speaker, more planning and promoting on our part should be taken seriously. These energy-efficient solutions ensure the strength of greenhouse gas mitigation efforts. Homeowners, businesses, and industry really should take a closer look at wind and solar sources to heat and power our homes and businesses.
The effects of climate change that we are witnessing in the Delta include, but are not limited to permafrost thaw slumps forming along the rivers; thawing permafrost resulting in damage to highways; drier forests in the NWT resulting in extreme forest fires; changes to biological events, such as timing of wildlife migration; hunters and trappers having shorter seasons to gather food for their families; shorter winter roads due to freeze-up occurring later; and ice roads closing earlier in the spring.
Mr. Speaker, energy efficiency means direct savings and less of an impact to our environment, and we should really keep that up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. It won't surprise Members of this House, but I have already made 10 statements on climate change and carbon pricing during the 18th Assembly. At some point today, most of us will walk by the students on the climate change strike outside of this building. We owe it to them, and the others who will follow us, to make our positions very clear and on the record regarding the climate change crisis.
I would like to start with an apology to our youth. We have failed them so far, although there is a narrow window where we can still save this planet, according to the International Panel on Climate Change. Unfortunately, Cabinet's plan is not going to get the NWT where we need to be. It was one year ago today that I called out Cabinet's climate change plan and urged the federal government to reject it. I will repeat that call again here today and hope that all NWT residents will also reject Cabinet's plan.
Forty-four percent of the greenhouse gas reductions to meet the pan-Canadian framework target are to come from huge expansions of the Taltson Hydro facilities. There is no money to build the dams or power lines, which will cost billions, and no confirmed buyers either north of the lake or into the provinces. Cabinet's Energy Strategy is masquerading as an infrastructure proposal to the federal government. Taltson expansion will divert time and effort away from building energy self-sufficiency, especially in our smaller communities.
Cabinet's carbon tax proposal is unfair, as the largest emitters, the diamond mines, will get all their payments back. Individuals, families, and small businesses will subsidize the required GNWT contributions to Taltson expansion and the limited investments into renewables.
Lastly, the Auditor General's finding on our failed climate change leadership has not been addressed. Cabinet has made no changes to provide the required leadership and authority to take real action on the climate change crisis. I have called for a climate change act, mandatory consideration of climate change implications in all of our spending, and infrastructure submissions that prioritize projects that show the greatest greenhouse gas reductions in our communities over mega-projects, especially investments in approved energy efficiency in our housing.
The residents of the NWT deserve much better on the issue of the climate change crisis, reductions to our cost of living through energy self-reliance, while building a greener economy. We need new leadership, vision, and action, and our youth today are showing us the way. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I spoke about the need to support and pay attention to our youth. Today they are just outside and right here in our gallery, telling us themselves. We need to listen.
Mr. Speaker, this is the climate strike organized by Yellowknife students in the past few weeks. They are joining thousands of young people across the country and around the world who are rising up to challenge the status quo. They are challenging the world's leadership to take serious steps and make fundamental changes.
Here are some of the messages that they need us to hear and understand, Mr. Speaker:
our actions on climate change will define the lives of the younger generation;
confronting climate change requires new thinking, vision, and leadership;
we should create a centre of climate change and innovation to bring everyone under one roof that include:
youth,
elders,
scientists,
engineers,
traditional harvesters,
industry, and
governments;
we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions urgently;
government and industry must incorporate environmental cost accounting to assess true costs and find efficiencies; and
climate change, adaptations, and innovations must be taught in schools.
Mr. Speaker, the reality of climate change might be an inconvenience for many of us, but for our youth, it is nothing less than a dire threat to their future.
I am glad to say that important steps are being taken. We have signed on to the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. We have adopted the 2030 Energy Strategy and Action Plan. We have developed a Climate Change Strategic Framework, and there is a forthcoming action plan. That framework commits us to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent over 2005 levels by 2030. We have initiated solar projects in Colville Lake and Fort Simpson. We have wind turbines being set up in Inuvik, and Diavik Mine has relied on wind energy for many years now. I'm glad to see that other initiatives, like small community micro-grids and proposals for testing renewable diesel, being talked about.
These are steps in the right direction, but the young people outside and in our Chamber today remind us that we must continue moving in this direction. Thank you to the youth for taking your stance, for raising your voices, and for challenging us to be the leaders on climate change that you deserve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Agriculture and industry has been around for many decades, since the early days of the Norman Wells Oil Field discovery. Tommy the Ox assisted the first explorers in this discovery.
Agriculture still remains a presence in the community today. My committee colleagues witnessed this during the committee consultation meetings by visiting the Sahtu Gardens on May 8th, a private enterprise with some farm animals and crops of choice. A similar example is that a resident can harvest 25,000 to 30,000 pounds of potatoes annually.
Mr. Speaker, the Agricultural Strategy provides unique opportunities for home, food, nutrition, and security. Our community residents are resilient, and what better way to take advantage of the strategy and of our 24-hour daylight?
The NWT Agricultural Strategy provides an outline of guidance to assist our residents on supports and resources. It should be noted, Mr. Speaker, that the window to our summer grow season is limited. In order for this strategic approach to bear fruit, in addition, the Department of ITI must ensure that our regional staff are sharing the same priorities as our residents.
Mr. Speaker, history is continuing to repeat itself from the early days to the very same soil that attracted the earlier explorers. Through its advanced techniques, the Agricultural Strategy can assist with home-grown opportunities while creating experiences for our youth in the process. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about an issue that has garnered increased national attention over the past few years, that being sterilization without proper prior consent. Unfortunately, the concept of either forced or coerced sterilization of women is not a new phenomenon for Canada, nor is it solely a part of our history. In fact, there is mounting evidence across our country that proves just how far this practice has reached and, in some cases, continues to reach.
Mr. Speaker, let's consider the history of coerced sterilization in Canada. In two provinces, this practice was lawful, as it was enshrined in law for Alberta and British Columbia between the 1930s and 1970s. A Parliamentary inquiry from the mid-70s public documents reveal that the federal government was also facilitating a soft program of sterilization across the NWT and Nunavut through the 1960s and 1970s. In that time, the number of women who were sterilized without full knowledge or consent was in the thousands, and that is not even counting the number of women who may have been sterilized without even knowing it, let alone the number of undocumented sterilizations that occurred off the record books.
Mr. Speaker, while it may sound like the practice of coerced sterilization is firmly behind us, it still persists today, as evidenced by two class-action lawsuits currently being litigated in Alberta and Saskatchewan for hundreds of millions of dollars. Between the two cases, there are hundreds of Indigenous women who have alleged coerced sterilization over the years, with some alleging as recently as December 2018, to have occurred. Additionally, prosecutors involved in these cases have noted numerous other records of coerced sterilization in Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. In fact, the same issue was brought up in this House in 1998 by a former Member, who talked about an NWT woman who had undergone sterilization unbeknownst to her after delivering a child at the Charles Camsell Hospital in Alberta. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mr. Speaker, I have some anecdotal evidence to share on this matter. Last month I spoke to a woman who discovered that her daughter, a young, university-educated Indigenous woman, was asked by her doctor if she was interested in sterilization. For her situation, such an inquiry was unprompted and highly unnecessary. I urge all citizens to be vigilant. If you suspect that you or someone you know has been pressured for sterilization, make it be known. No person should have the procedure performed on them without free, prior, informed consent. Anything else would be a violation of the victim's human rights. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On March 15, 2019, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of the Mackenzie Place high-rise. Luckily, everybody made it out safely, and the Hay River fire department quickly extinguished the fire. Unfortunately, the resulting water damage and loss of power meant that the building was deemed not safe for habitation and, just like that, 123 residents were left without a home and, in most cases, with nothing more than the clothes they were wearing.
Before I go any further, I have to commend the efforts of everyone in Hay River and KFN who sprang into action and helped the evacuees by providing accommodations, meals, toiletries, and so much more. Our community always steps up in times of need, and this was no exception.
However, despite everyone's best efforts, the effects of the fire are still being felt. Many evacuees were able to find rental accommodations in the private market, and the Housing Corporation managed to provide housing to many more. Unfortunately, according to the most recent statistics I have seen, a number of evacuees are still facing serious housing issues. Eighteen people are considered to have unstable housing, meaning they are couch-surfing, camping, sleeping in cars, and so on. Essentially, these people are homeless. Another 28 have temporary housing, which means they could become homeless.
The fact that we are more than two months on from the fire and are still facing these issues exposes deficiencies in both the availability of rental units in Hay River and in how the GNWT deals with those in need of social housing. Some of the evacuees facing issues might only be in that situation because rental units are sparse and the cost of rent is high. In a better market, they could find a place on their own. However, a third of the high-rise tenants had their rent paid by income assistance, making the high-rise the largest concentration of social housing in Hay River. Many of these individuals are considered hard to house. Some of them are banned from renting from the Housing Corporation because of arrears, and they have difficulty finding private accommodations because they have burned bridges with other landlords.
Mr. Speaker, to address the situation, we need a plan. We need a plan from the Housing Corporation. We need a plan from the Minister of Education regarding income assistance, and I have not seen anything yet. I have brought this issue up time and time again in this House. The last time I brought this up was 10 days before this event occurred. For years, the MLAs from Hay River have been trying to get the government to create a plan to deal with this situation, and now it's happened, and I still do not see a plan. I will have questions for the Minister of Housing, and, if I have time, I will have questions for the Minister of ECE, I will have questions for the Minister of Justice, and for the Minister of Health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, all around the world, students have gone on strike. What would be so important to our next generation that they would feel it important to leave their classes for a day to exercise their freedoms of speech and assembly? The answer is climate change, Mr. Speaker. Many Members have spoken about that today, and I think it's important that this is an issue that is not falling on deaf ears. When our citizens speak out, be they students, be they regular-aged adults, be they seniors, we will always listen and bring their message to the floor of this Assembly if it is important enough to future generations and to the future of our territory.
Why are our youth striking when they are expected to attend school? Sadly, to so many young people, the consequences of climate change appear to be left unaddressed or, at best, getting lip service from governments across the country and around the world. The advice of experts is being ignored and oftentimes challenged by ideological opinions and personal views or the contingencies of everyday life and the cost of living, rather than the real issue, which is the future of our planet. This has left many students feeling that there will be no future for them, either. This is the second student strike this year. The last one occurred on March 15th and saw roughly 1.6 million students striking across the globe.
Outside this House, one northern student has organized a strike. Her name is Ella Kokilj, and she says she is protesting because "we believe that climate change should be taken more seriously and that the North needs to show leadership in tackling climate change by ensuring we create an innovative and resilient society for our future."
Mr. Speaker, I hope all Members of this House will join me in passing along our encouragement to these students for their climate-change activism and take a few moments today to walk outside of the Legislature to speak to them and hear out these motivated and driven young activists.
Intergenerational equity and ensuring our lands and resources benefit future generations is a key concern for not only those students, but for all Northerners and must be at the heart of government decision making. Numerous statements have been made, numerous recommendations by standing committees, all around this topic, and yet we still find the government's plans and proposals lacking. We need to do more. It's not that nothing has been done. It's that not enough has been done because this is not an issue that can be ignored. This is a crisis that potentially will jeopardize the future of life on this planet, and we must take action today for all days to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.
