Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister's genuine efforts to reform this troubled system. I am wondering, in the area of the Income Assistance Steering Committee, this may be the one the Minister referenced earlier. People at the forum in December really wanted to see this committee be created to address ongoing issues. Is this the committee she referred to earlier in her answer?
Absolutely, Mr. Speaker, that is the committee we are talking to. It will be the NGOs, and, of course, we will be bringing in clientele as well with that. Like I said, one of my strongest philosophies is "nothing about us without us," and so that was an easy commitment. It's an embarrassment on the behalf of Education, Culture and Employment that we have not done that in the past, so we learned from our history. We learned from our mistakes, and, moving forward, we will be engaging them on a regular basis, twice a year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I first learned of the intergovernmental agreement and the co-drafting process, I had some small anxiety about how that process would interact with this institution, but I can safely say, now that I have seen it, it is not incompatible. In fact, it's very much complementary. I would like to ask the Honourable Premier: what feedback on the co-drafting process has he received to date from the GNWT officials who have been working with the Indigenous governments to co-draft legislation? Thank you.
Masi. The Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What I have been hearing is it's been working quite well. The intergovernmental forum, we are in kind of a push-pull situation, where our Aboriginal government partners are saying that we are having too much legislation or it's going too fast on the one hand and, on the other hand, our colleagues here in this House have been asking for more and more legislation. We are kind of in a unique push-pull situation, where I guess we all have to manage it to get things done.
Perhaps my desire was for a more technical response, but that is a fair point. We do need to work together on this, and we do need to understand the flow of legislation, especially when we have Indigenous governments partnering on this legislation. Many of those governments have come before standing committee in our review of some of these laws and have asked to continue their collaborative role in co-drafting not only the bills, but the regulations arising from these new acts, should they pass. My understanding is that some departments have reached out and started this work of the terms of reference for co-drafting legislation, so I am wondering if the government as a whole will continue this meaningful collaboration and implement policies and procedures to ensure that regulations are co-drafted on all bills respecting alliance and resources or all laws respecting alliance and resources.
As with many things, this has been an evolving process. At one time, government did all of the drafting of legislation, and then we got into settlement of land claims and self-government. In those cases, we had Aboriginal governments that participated in the drafting of legislation. I think it was further advanced where, as a condition of devolution, we agreed to an intergovernmental process whereby we would work with Aboriginal governments that signed on to devolution for specific legislation or, as we called it, "mirror legislation" to develop made-in-the-North legislation.
Also, in specific cases, specific legislation, for example the Wildlife Act, which took about 25 years to develop and bring to fruition, and also Species at Risk, where we started out with consultation, at the end, it involved all of the Aboriginal governments and their lawyers. I think it's still evolving. With a lot of the changes that are happening in the federal government, I think we are also taking a wait-and-see where they are going with a lot of their initiatives, as well.
This is very much a good-news story, and I think the federal government could learn a lot from what this government has put in place. The question remains around this issue of regulations. The last thing I think our partners want to see is kind of an ad hoc approach where some bills have co-development regulations and some bills do not, so can the government commit to creating a common approach to co-development of regulations across this suite of laws and regulations and basically any bill that is co-drafted, that the regulations that come forth have some degree of meaningful engagement with Indigenous partners, and can we standardize that as a policy across government?
It's getting kind of late in the day for this Legislative Assembly. We have been participating with the federal government on the development of their Indigenous rights framework, which we are now aware that that will be pushed back until the next federal government. We are in a situation where we are now doing a review of our Indigenous government relations, and the purpose of this review will be to identify best practices and areas where we can improve our Indigenous relations across the government. Our expectation is that we will complete it before the 18th Assembly, and our expectation is the findings will be made available to the 19th Assembly to further shape and strengthen the Government of the Northwest Territories' Indigenous government relations.
Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Honourable Premier. That is good news, and I look forward to seeing the results of that finding. I still think that we have undertaken a process, and I do not think it's premature to start developing policy around that process that is already under way.
My final question is: many of the IGOs, Indigenous government organizations, that participated in this process shared with the standing committee that, for their engagement to be meaningful, they need to have the capacity to actually engage the legislation that is before them. In many cases, they did not have that capacity and could only focus on one or two bills when there were so many bills to consider. Is the government considering any capacity-strengthening programs to address these concerns?
Yes, we did hear that lack of capacity and requests for more resources very loud and clear. I should point out, as the Member has said, we have been engaged in collaborative legislative development with the Northwest Territories' Indigenous governments as part of the evolution of the devolution-related legislation, and this has included early discussions to inform key elements of legislation and sharing drafts to ensure that their perspectives are understood and incorporated.
Collaborative development, when we are doing that work, we have to remember that, although we work collaboratively with Indigenous governments, we also consult with those same Indigenous governments to ensure that their Aboriginal rights are not being adversely impacted. At the end of the day, the final decisions on NWT legislation rest with this Legislative Assembly, so, with what the Member is suggesting, that is an area that we have to innovate to make it happen. In the past, when we put into effect land claims legislation, we have had to work with the Aboriginal governments who primarily wrote their legislation, and we had to make some special arrangements in this Legislative Assembly so that it would go through. However, we have and will continue to bring to the table the perspective of Indigenous governments in this area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement, I talked about cannabis and alcohol. My main reason for making the Member's statement is many constituents have come forward to see me during my whole time as MLA and complain about the bootleggers. I have a question for the Minister of Finance. I have some questions. My first question is: can the GNWT make laws to limit the purchase and possession of alcohol? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I share the Member's concern with the amount of alcohol that is sold across the Northwest Territories, consumed across the Northwest Territories. We all know in this Chamber that, of all the things that have ever been brought into the Northwest Territories and distributed amongst our people, alcohol is probably the one that has done the most damage. I think we need to find ways that we can deal with it. However, there have been situations in the past where they have tried to ration the sale of alcohol. I think those were reversed, but, if there are opportunities for us to do what we can to limit the amount of alcohol that gets into the hands of our people, then I think we should all be on board with this.
I am also seeing the issues with it. I know that I have had many discussions with the RCMP, and the RCMP themselves, particularly one corporal who had a discussion with me, said that it was very difficult to go through the whole process of actually charging a bootlegger; getting a person to buy alcohol for you is just one step, and there are many other steps. I want to ask the Minister: I wonder, I recognize how late in the term we are, but if the Minister could start the department looking at maybe having initial discussions of perhaps surveying the people of the NWT, to have some key questions in there on a way to restrict the amount of alcohol an individual can purchase or possess at one time?
I cannot commit the next government to anything, but I will have a conversation with the officials, see if there is an opportunity where we could do a bit of a questionnaire or some consultation on how far the people in the Northwest Territories want to take this. I commend communities across the Northwest Territories who have voted to become dry communities because they, too, recognize the effects of alcohol in their community and they are trying to do what they can to combat that. I think we should provide some type of support to those individuals who want to fight the amount of alcohol that is sold to the people of the Northwest Territories.
The restrictions or the prohibition of alcohol does not seem to work, and we all know that. That is one, I think one, tool that the communities have done out of desperation, but they themselves have made the law to restrict alcohol. Yet, they are watching what is happening in the community, and it's largely because the bootlegger has no limit to what he can purchase, absolutely no limit at all. So, if there were some sort of a limit, and I am sure that most of the people of the Northwest Territories will agree, with the harmful effects of alcohol, that I think that this limitation has to be territorial. It cannot be left up to the communities to restrict or to limit and so on. I know we have limits in some communities and so on now and prohibition in others, yet this bootlegging continues, so I would like to ask the Minister if there is a way that he could start discussions with his department to harmonize the alcohol act and the Cannabis Products Act in order to put restrictions on both of those substances.
We all realize that cannabis was just recently legalized and that there will be an opportunity for a review, and it would certainly make sense to look at those elements that are within the GNWT's control as part of that overall review. There will be a review. There should be a review that's done on this, and we could probably take advantage of that time to do a review of the overall cannabis/alcohol that's within GNWT control.
Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, around the time when cannabis became legal, I also know that it's legal for the RCMP to pull an individual over in a vehicle without having cause to do so, just to check. If it is possible to restrict the amount of alcohol that an individual has, I think that we will actually curb a lot of the bootlegging. I think we would be able to even reduce bootlegging in half. What's happening right now, I think it would be a good thing. I'd like to ask the Minister if there is any possible way to begin discussions, recognizing again that we're very late in our term, to begin the process of asking the department to look at a legal way to limit the alcohol for the purchaser for the entire NWT instead of by a community-by-community thing?
First of all, a lot of times this winter in the news reports we saw pictures and stories being filed of alcohol that is being seized going into some of the communities. I commend the RCMP for the work that they're doing. I commend those who have reported that. I don't recall seeing a winter where there has been so many pictures and stories posted of alcohol being seized. That is a start. We are late in this Assembly, but it's never too late to start the discussion on what we can do going forward. I will have a conversation with the department on maybe coming up with ways that we can work on this going forward, and possibly some advice we can provide to the next Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I spoke again about an important project that's going on in the riding of Yellowknife North, and that's the Giant Mine Remediation Project. I would like to maybe start with asking the Minister of ENR a couple of questions. We often realize that this is a project managed by the federal government, so the public is always wondering exactly what role, if any, that the Government of the Northwest Territories has in this project. I would like to ask the Minister: does the GNWT retain any ownership in management of the surface lands at Giant Mine during or after the remediation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Currently, the lands are Commissioner's lands, and the remediation project is operating under a land reserve to Canada. Discussions regarding future land ownership are under way.
Thank you to the Minister for his reply. I would also like to ask the Minister what role the GNWT has played in the surface remediation, and how it's protecting the interests of stakeholders such as those that I've mentioned earlier, the Great Slave Cruising Club and the Yellowknife Historical Society? Even the City of Yellowknife has interest there, as well.
The Giant Mine Remediation Project, they meet regularly with the NWT Historical Society and the Great Slave Sailing Club and discuss issues concerning impacts on both subleases by the Giant Mine Remediation Project. The Giant Mine Remediation Project will continue to work with both the NWT Historical Society and the Great Slave Sailing Club to accommodate access to their operations wherever feasible throughout the remediation project.
Thank you to the Minister for his reply. We know that, right now, the Land and Water Board is going through a process. They're accepting submissions and will be having a public hearing at some point in the future. I would just like to ask the Minister if he knows what role, if any, will the GNWT play in the upcoming Giant Mine water licensing?
The GNWT is a co-proponent in the Giant Mine Remediation Project, and we will continue to work with Canada through the water licensing process.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The remediation plan proposes significant quarrying along the public highway known as Ingraham Trail, and this could potentially have adverse effects on altering the aesthetics of the gateway into the Ingraham Trail. I'd like to ask the Minister: what is ENR doing to ensure quarrying needs are done in a way that will not provide a destroyed landscape to those who travel and traverse the trail?
Again, we will work with the project team to try and mitigate as much as possible access and that to the residents who use the site. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few questions for the Minister of Housing. Pretty much every one of my constituency meetings, I get concerns about long waiting lists for housing, upwards of three years. I'd like to ask the Minister: are there plans to increase our housing stock in our communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As all Members know, we do have a capital plan to address housing needs across the Northwest Territories. As the Member knows, I don't really have to inform him, but we have done good work in Aklavik with the Joe Greenland Centre. We did do some renovations to that building. He was there. We opened up the Northern Pathways to Housing, which is a great program. We're also working on a seniors' complex in Fort McPherson, which should be completed this summer. Most recently, as Members know, and we're working on getting that report completed, we did have a housing summit in Inuvik, where we had leaders from the Member's region and from right across the territory. We also had the standing committee attend that housing summit, as well.
As I have said in this House many times, Mr. Speaker, we are working on community housing plans, and we initially were looking at just developing six during this fiscal year. Right now, we're working on 10, and we'll continue to encourage and work with our leaders in the communities to approach myself, as well as approach the NWT Housing Corporation, to look at addressing those.
I have said a number of times in this House what a good job the department is doing, building new homes, but a lot of times all we're doing is replacing units, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to ask: when can our residents expect to see our number of housing units increase rather than staying at the same level?
I have mentioned in the House that we did get a carve-out of the Co-Investment Fund. We signed our bilateral agreement as well with the federal government, and we do have a great partnership with CMHC, as well as industry, and working with our Indigenous government organizations to address the issue. As I mentioned at the Housing Summit, it can't all be relied on government. We've got to have a partnership. We've got to work together to address this, and that includes CMHC. It includes industry. It includes our Indigenous government organizations, and we have been seeing that, Mr. Speaker, over the past year.
We will continue to promote our programs, and we want to focus on having our leaders in the communities reach out to myself and the NWT Housing Corporation to see how we can work together to address the housing needs throughout the Northwest Territories, but in this case, have the leaders in the Beaufort-Delta reach out, and we can have this chat.
I know that the department is trying to sell you on how its switch would free up other spaces. Has the department sold any units to date, which the department can now replace?
We are working on this lease-to-own program. We are trying to get that information out to some of our good tenants in the public housing units. We also have a home ownership program that we are piloting. The Northern Pathways to Housing has shown some really good success already, especially in Simpson. We have one in Behchoko. We will see how things work out in Aklavik. I think we are going to see some really good, positive things coming out of there. We will continue, and I have always prided myself on partnerships to bring better solutions together. I would encourage the Member to reach out to his leadership, approach myself, and approach the NWT Housing Corporation to see how we can focus on this.
As I have said, the community housing plans are going to be a game-changer, and we are going to see some really good things, I think, coming out in the next few years.
Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
