Thank you, Minister. Colleagues, just a reminder, we are halfway through, so please keep your preamble and questions or answers a little shorter, to the point. Thank you. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for the update on the initiatives. It's much appreciated. I am wondering if the Minister can provide the report or the update to the Hamlet of Fort Providence on the initiatives and their strategy to get it going, because nobody in our community actually knows what is happening. I can't find any reports anywhere, and I am just hoping that the Minister can provide some written record for our community, and also for myself.
Yes, I will commit to the Department of Infrastructure providing a report to the hamlet on where the project is sitting at, and I will apologize to the Member that the communication has not been maybe what the hamlet was expecting and for yourself, so we will correct that, and we will do better in the future.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Justice. There do not appear to be any standards or processes for developing regulations that include public consultation or even co-drafting with Indigenous governments, so can the Minister tell us if there is a process and/or standards for making regulations in the Northwest Territories? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Regulations cover a wide breadth and variety of different types of topics. There is a variety that range from items that are fairly technical, some that are community-specific; in some cases, consultation is built into the legislation itself, so, no, there is not a single set standard at present in terms of how regulations are drafted in the Northwest Territories.
I want to thank the Minister for that, and I will just give her an example. In the federal government, they have a gazetting process that does allow for a 60- or 90-day period of public comment. We have nothing here, apparently, or a patchwork. I want to ask the Minister whether Cabinet has a position or has taken a position on public consultation during development of regulations, particularly the regulations on post-devolution resource management.
This topic has certainly come up in front of Cabinet, and it is one that has already come up in terms of the Department of Justice taking a lead and being aware that this is something where we can do better. As far as what that will look like, at the present time I can't say, but it is our intention that we can have a better system in place to determine, as I said earlier, which regulations should be subject to public consultation, what that process would look like. It is our intention to build that in so that it's more clear, so that the public knows, so that this House will know, which regulations would be subject to a consultation and then what that will look like for those particular regulations.
I want to thank the Minister for that response. We have something bubbling away maybe on public consultation with regard to development of regulations, but can the Minister tell us whether Cabinet is committed to a co-drafting process for the development of resource management regulations?
Again, that has also come up at Cabinet, that has also come up in the Department of Justice, and, similarly, there are obligations within the devolution process to the intergovernmental council to ensure that, in some circumstances, there will be a process that engages those partners. That protocol is also being worked on, and so, again, I am in the same situation of, while I do not have a specific that I can provide to the Member, I can assure the Member that that is in progress and it is actively being worked on right now to develop some things so we have some standards in place and so there is not this uncertainty around which ones are subject to a more consultative type of drafting process and which ones are not. That kind of uncertainty should be eliminated.
Thank you, Minister. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that response. Clearly, we need to clarify, or the Minister needs to clarify, what the process is going to be moving forward with development of regulations in terms of public consultation, co-drafting with Indigenous governments. I am glad to hear that there is something bubbling away, that it's on their radar, but can the Minister tell us very specifically: is she going to work with and consult with the appropriate standing committees before final decisions are made by Cabinet on this?
It certainly is the desire of Cabinet, as I hope the Members are seeing, to be more consultative in our approach. There are two different streams we have spoken about; firstly, more public consultation and developing that process for all regulations generally to determine which ones go through that process and which ones don't, as well as items that go through the intergovernmental council, and that may be subject to somewhat different processes. Certainly, once there is a stage for which regulations should receive general public consultation, I would commit to taking that through to committee and ensuring that they have an opportunity before a final decision is made to see what the approach, what the protocol, might look like. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like I said before, my questions are for the Minister of Education. What is the plan of the department to ensure that we are preserving our languages, especially in my region, the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit languages, before they are gone and we have no one to learn from? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke to this the other day. This is not an easy task. We have to combat 150 years of degradation of Indigenous languages in the territory, and it's tough, especially when the numbers of speakers are dwindling. You know, we have a division within the department that is focusing on this. They are very passionate about it, and they have been making strides to work with Indigenous governments and work within schools by helping to develop curriculum, which we are rolling out across the territory in the next couple of years, and it will be fully implemented. The action plan that is being developed in response to the OAG's report as well as our own internal findings will address these and flesh these out a bit more. We are going to be looking to renegotiate or negotiate a new agreement with the federal government regarding money for languages. However, we can't do this alone. The government can't solve all problems, especially when it comes to something as close to people and as vital to culture as language, so partnerships are going to be key.
More so with my question, I think what I am looking for: is there more of a plan to train language speakers who we currently have so that they can be instructors or teach other people?
As I spoke the other day, the department has some partnerships with the University of Alberta, the University of Victoria, and we are making strides to train people to help revitalize the language. We have a mentorship/apprentice program which pairs fluent speakers with those wishing to learn so that they can then learn.
These are a few of the things that we are doing, and as the Member is well aware, there is work going on within the education authorities, as well. She was a former chair of the Beaufort Delta Education Council, and she knows what vital role they play, as well. I know that each of the education authorities is doing work, as well, in addition to the things that the department is doing, and we like supporting that, as well.
I am going to go on to a different topic within the same Member's statement. What is the plan to ensure that our students are getting the education and support that they need to move to the next grade on track, so that, by the time they do reach grade 10, we are not losing them to dropout, and then we see the high unemployment rates because they are not eligible to get jobs and stuff?
When the Premier asked newly elected Ministers what portfolios they would want and why, one of the things that I said when I said I would like Education is that one of my goals is to eliminate the need for social passing for inclusive schooling, because all of our students would be on track right from junior kindergarten.
Some of the things that the department has already done are things like junior kindergarten, which will begin showing results. We are going to see that. There is a group of kids out there who have access to more quality education earlier, and that is going to pay big dividends going forward. We have things like the child and youth care counsellors, which are rolling out across the territory, to help students with issues that hinder their ability to learn. We have a territorial support team, which teachers and administrators can reach out to so that they can get help with things like mental health. We have an educational psychologist, an occupational therapist, behavioural specialist, a speech-language pathologist all on staff to help teachers work with students to address some of their needs.
Clearly, more needs to be done, and I am willing to look at different ways of proceeding with this. Inclusive schooling social passing is controversial, but the other option is that students don't get placed in the next grade. They just get held back, and the consequence of that is higher dropout rates. We want to find that ground where we are not losing students to dropout, but we are adequately preparing them. We are working on it. I look forward to getting into more detail as we go forward, as we develop this action plan, but I am committed to providing more supports.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just one last question: how do we ensure that the data that is being collected in each education board, because they are different and they are governed differently, is being analyzed so that we are getting the same information across the board, so that, when we do sit here as a government, we are able to deal with those concerns? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
We have a framework. The name is escaping me right now, but it deals directly with this. It deals directly with data collection and how that data is processed. We have standardized the way that we are now collecting this data from the education councils. My colleague is right; there is a separation between all of the education authorities, and separated from ECE, as well.
I think that one of the things that we need to do, and this was mentioned in the Commissioner's address, is look at our Education Act and see if there is a way to better integrate our systems. Not to get rid of the regional authorities, but to facilitate that type of information-sharing and collection that we need in order to be able to analyze what we are doing and ensure that what we are doing is generating results. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, and ultimately, the Minister responsible for Climate Change. Previously in this House, he refused to take a position on the Teck Frontier Resources Project in Alberta, a project that will make sure that Canada does not meet its emissions targets and will end up with the Northwest Territories dealing with 40 years of effluent from Alberta. Why is the Minister refusing to take a position on this project?
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recognize that NWT residents and Members are concerned about the potential environmental impact of the proposed Teck Resources oilsands mine proposed downstream from here. As I said previously to the Member for Frame Lake, the bilateral agreement with the Government of Alberta was signed in March 2015 to help preserve equality and quantity and the biology of the water flowing into the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, I want to inform the House and the public that I have already spoken to Smith's Landing Chief Cheezie about this issue and will also be reaching out to the Alberta government to emphasize their commitment under the Alberta-NWT bilateral agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I recognize the importance of transboundary agreements and the work that the Department of ENR is doing into monitoring, but our public service must remain impartial and, at times, an issue become one of partiality. This is one of those such issues.
In the past week in Ottawa, members of the Liberal Party's own caucus were criticizing their Cabinet for approving this project. Once again, I am questioning why we elect politicians who refuse to take political stances. I would ask the Minister: what is his position on this project?
I know that politicians are supposed to take stances on things. It is easier when you are on the other side to do it. Right now, what I am trying to do is work with the Government of Alberta to do what is right to actually implement the transboundary water agreement. That is what I am working on. I don't want to get up here and say, "Here, I'm greatly standing against it or supporting it." What I am trying to do is do the work right, then we can go from there.
I appreciate that answer, and it is the job of a department to make sure that the work is done right. It is easier on this side of the House to take a position. My position is that this project should not go ahead, and if it ruffles some feathers with Alberta or the Liberal government in Ottawa, I am fine with that, because if we are going to take meaningful action on climate change, we must take positions. We must draw a line in the sand. In this case, the tar sand. What benefit does the Minister of ENR see that this project provides Northerners?
Tar sands, drawing lines here. What I am trying to do right now is work with the Alberta government to make sure that the quality of water coming out is good for our people. If it isn't, that's when we come out and work again. I don't want to make a political stance saying yes or no about this. What I am trying to do is do the job, which is working with the Alberta government to make sure that whatever project they are doing does not have an impact on us. That is the most important aspect of it. That's what we're trying to do. I don't want to come out here and say yes or no to something until we do the work first.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions today for the Minister responsible for Housing, but I see that she is not here, so I am going to redirect towards the Premier, if I can, please. What I would like to ask today, Mr. Speaker, is: how has this government engaged with Indigenous governments in partnerships to create housing in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Honourable Premier.
Sorry, Mr. Speaker. I was unclear if it was Indigenous partnerships or just partnerships, so I would have to ask clarification on the question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, honourable Premier. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Specifically, with Indigenous governments.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation takes working in partnership very seriously. There are many Indigenous governments, actually, that are moving into doing housing projects. I will give an example of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation who, in the last Assembly, actually did a partnership with the Housing Corporation. The Inuvialuit Corporation received funding from the federal government. They worked closely with the NWT Housing Corporation to define the housing needs of people in their region. Then both the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and NWT Housing Corporation worked together in making sure the project was on the ground.
This government is committed to doing more and more partnerships like that. The previous government had always felt, in fairness, that the money should come through the GNWT to allocate to Indigenous governments to have control over the housing, make sure the needs were being met, et cetera. This government is taking a different stance. We have already talked to the federal government in that we are actually totally fine in actually advocating if the federal government gives the housing money to the Indigenous governments, that we will work with them either on their own or if they want our support.
It is not about competition. This is about getting houses in the North. We need to stop any kind of competition that that means and keep the priority that every person deserves a home.
Does the government have a timeline of when they would like to put together housing plans with each Indigenous government, and is there a desire to do one specifically and independently with each Indigenous government?
Absolutely. The commitment to actually do community housing plans in each community was a commitment actually from the last Assembly. I remember the Housing Minister bringing that forward. During this Assembly, I know that they have just finished one with the community of Whati. As they move forward, the goal is to have community housing plans in every community, because it is inappropriate for a government or any individual to believe that one size fits all. Every community has distinct strengths and distinct challenges. If we are doing services under best practices, we work with communities, not telling communities what to do.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary, Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT currently has 2,800 housing units. How does the territorial government plan to ensure that housing is available for every NWT resident as a human right? Thank you.
Unfortunately, all needs of any social issues, education, housing, legal support, all of them, our needs are greater than our resources. We are not denying that. However, you need to take care of the basic needs. That is Maslow's hierarchy that says food, clothing, and lodging. Take care of those first, and then you look at the higher needs.
This government is committed. We have been going down to Ottawa. I went down when I first was elected. Our Housing Minister just returned from Ottawa talking about housing. We need to keep advocating. I can't guarantee that we will have a house for every person by the end of this Assembly. I would love to make that commitment, but I have a feeling I couldn't fulfill that.
What we need to do is work closer with our federal government, making them understand the needs of the territories are different and more intense than the needs of the south where they have other options, their cost of living is cheaper, their resources are more plentiful.
We need to work with Indigenous governments. That is what we have done in the last Assembly and carrying forward so that we work in partnership, where there is a community housing program that the GNWT puts in either labour or materials and the community government, either Indigenous or community, can put in a portion, as well, either labour or things. Those are ideas we need to keep forward.
We need to work in partnership. We don't have the answers ourselves, but together, all working together with Indigenous governments, community governments, the federal government, and the territorial government, perhaps we can make it a more humane world that we live in. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
