Members, as your Speaker, it is my pleasure to welcome you back to the Legislative Assembly today. Our Chamber remains physically distanced, and we continue to operate in this COVID-19 environment. I want to thank all Members for their cooperation. Although physically distanced from each other, we must continue to work together. That is how we can best serve the people who elected us to represent them. I look forward to the debate and discussion you will have over the next few weeks. These decisions will have a direct effect on our residents.
I remind all Members to conduct themselves in keeping with the rules of this Assembly. Show respect for one another and for this institution. As your Speaker, I will do my best to lead by example. However, it is my role to enforce our rules, and I am prepared to do so.
Although the Assembly remains closed to the public, media are welcome in the gallery. We continue to broadcast and live stream our proceedings. It is important residents see and understand the work being done.
Throughout this sitting, interpretation will be offered into Chipewyan, French, North Slavey, South Slavey, and Tlicho. I thank the interpreters for their hard work. Please be mindful and try to talk slowly so they have time to interpret.
Interpreted video of our proceedings will be broadcast on our television channel and will be available on our YouTube channel.
Members, on October 8, 2020, it was Ombud Day in Canada. This year, the Northwest Territories marked this day with an ombud in place to serve residents. Later today, I will table the first annual report of the ombud.
Now, it is my duty to advise the House that I have received the following message from the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. It reads:
Dear Mr. Speaker,
I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories the passage of:
Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2021-2022;
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2020-2021
during the second session of the 19th Assembly.
Yours truly,
Margaret M. Thom, Commissioner
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to welcome Members back to the Legislative Assembly as we resume the second session. I look forward to working together as we endeavor to keep residents safe from COVID-19, support industry and residents, and make progress on our mandate commitments.
Mr. Speaker, when I delivered my first sessional statement in the House last December, no one could have predicted what the future was going to hold. This pandemic has been like nothing many of us have ever experienced. Over 37 million people worldwide have contracted COVID-19, and over a million people have died since the pandemic started. More than 9,000 Canadians have lost their lives to this virus in less than a year. Every country, community, and family is being impacted by COVID-19.
In Canada, provinces and territories grappled with how best to contain the spread of the virus. All jurisdictions took immediate steps to protect the health and well-being of residents in the face of a challenge we are still learning about.
In the early days, our efforts were swift. Our government responded to the orders of the Chief Public Health Officer and made protecting the health and well-being of residents and our communities a top priority. We implemented travel restrictions, launched ProtectNWT and 811, established border controls and isolation centres. We invested millions in personal protective equipment for both health and non-health workers, testing and contact testing, and ensuring the health care system was equipped to handle an increase in cases.
Mr. Speaker, our early interventions have paid off. Residents of the NWT have been safe; our communities have not experienced loss of life as a result of this virus; and our biggest risks are being managed. Like Atlantic Canada and other territories who implemented strict controls, we were able to limit COVID-19 in the NWT.
It is important to mention that our success in maintaining the low numbers would not have been possible without the collective support from all of us. Indigenous and community governments who supported our measures: MLAs, the media, and community leaders who helped spread the messaging; mines, private enterprise, and non-governmental sectors who put the lives of residents first, the many individual employees in various sectors putting their own lives on the line to help, and all the residents who abided by the Chief Public Health Officer orders were all critical to keep our numbers where they are today.
Mr. Speaker, the measures the Government of the Northwest Territories took, however, did not materialize on their own. Hundreds of public service workers stepped up to help in our efforts. Over 180 employees helped on the front lines, but behind this hundreds more within departments helped with the organization, policy development, and implementation of our COVID-19 response. Our employees are the backbone of this government and their dedication showed as they worked tirelessly to ensure our response was as effective as possible. I am extremely proud of our civil service and I sincerely thank them for all of their hard work.
Mr. Speaker, parts of the South have recently announced that they have entered their second wave and the number of cases in Canada is increasing to levels we haven't seen since the early days of the pandemic.
While our response to the initial outbreak of COVID-19 was successful to prepare for the second wave, we have to use what we have learned from what we experienced. One of the things we learnt was that having necessary resources housed in multiple departments was challenging. Many of the requests and enquiries involved various departments which sometimes resulted in less than timely responses. We also heard that, as much as possible, people want the supports provided by the GNWT pre-pandemic. As well, we heard that our employees and departments were stretched thin trying to help with the pandemic response and doing the best they could to complete their normal work duties.
Keeping NWT residents safe during the ongoing pandemic continues to be our priority, and it is why we proposed the COVID secretariat. The secretariat will house the border patrols and enforcement team, isolation units, distribution of personal protective equipment to non-health care providers, 811, and ProtectNWT. The secretariat will focus on the COVID response which enables departments to focus on service delivery and implementing our mandate commitments.
Mr. Speaker, as was stated by the Governor-General during the Speech from the Throne recently, the last six months have laid bare the gaps in our society. As well as implementing the controls to enforce the Chief Public Health Officer's orders, we have also provided supports for residents and businesses to help during this pandemic. We invested in child care for returning workers, and financially supported our municipalities and Indigenous communities. We provided supports for businesses, employers, schools, students, and income assistance participants. As well, we invested millions in support of our most vulnerable members of our communities. Our response to COVID-19 will cost money, real money. But as one Indigenous leader reminded me, "How much money is one life worth?"
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on our territory and economy and has created new challenges for pursuing the GNWT priorities. Recovery is key, and we need to ensure our people have jobs and our businesses are thriving. We also have to keep health and safety, housing, food security, and education, top of mind to improve the lives of all NWT residents. Now more than ever before, we need to be investing in our people and support them through this challenging time.
We know this will cost money and we clearly cannot do this alone. We have been meeting regularly with other jurisdictions and the federal government throughout this pandemic. Canada recognizes our unique realities, and the recent Speech from the Throne identified the exceptional needs of the North.
We will continue to work with all governments to ensure that when we talk about economic recovery, investment in housing, transportation, broadband, energy infrastructure, and protecting the most vulnerable, the North continues to be recognized as needing special consideration.
We need to close the gap between northern and southern Canada, one that existed long before COVID-19. Canada's commitment to ensuring people aren't left behind aligns with the priorities outlined in our mandate to ensure a prosperous territory where our residents can thrive for generations to come. That's why, Mr. Speaker, we need to get on with the business of government. The COVID-19 pandemic is not going to end in the immediate future. While we must ensure we keep the health and well-being of residents at the forefront we cannot lose sight of the work we were all elected to do by residents of the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, our relationship with Canada is critical to our success as a territory. This morning, alongside Indigenous leaders, the YWCA, and Member of Parliament Michael McLeod, and Minister Chinna, we met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a roundtable discussion on northern housing needs. This issue is important to our government, and we hope this meeting has kicked off a broader discussion for how we can find innovative ways to address the dire need for housing in the Northwest Territories. This is an example of our commitment to building strong, collaborative relationships with our stakeholders, Mr. Speaker, and we will continue to find ways to work with Canada, Indigenous and community government partners, and the NGO sector to improve the lives of our residents.
We must continue to work towards a strong North and a resilient economy. As we move forward, we will continue to pursue economic and social opportunities that provide sustainable benefits, as well as address the direct impacts of climate change that our territory is experiencing. We need to advance our long-term priorities, particularly when it comes to growing our economy and ensuring a healthy, vibrant, and educated territory for years to come.
Of critical importance as well, we must continue to work with Indigenous governments to conclude negotiations, define the implementation of the United Nation's Declaration of Indigenous People, and work with the federal government in the development of a National Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Action Plan.
COVID-19 certainly has taken the focus of this government. However, departments have still made progress towards meeting our mandate objectives, and I am confident that we will be able to complete a number of our mandate areas during this term. During the February 2021 sitting, we will document in detail the progress we have made on our mandate commitments.
Mr. Speaker, it was just over a year ago that we were all elected as the 19 MLAs to represent the people of the Northwest Territories. Who knew when we began that we would face challenges like no other government. Because of the seriousness of this pandemic and the needs of our residents, it is essential that we all work together. It is critical that Ministers and MLAs work together, along with Indigenous and community governments, businesses, non-government organizations, and residents, to find solutions to ensure the future prosperity of the Northwest Territories.
By working together on areas of shared priorities, we will advance our objectives and better serve the people of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, we must move forward collectively and collaboratively. We have no choice. The safety of our residents and future of the Northwest Territories depends on it, and, by working together, I am confident that we can find success as the 19th Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am proud to say I was born and raised in the NWT. I was taught to respect all people, whether or not I agree or disagree with them, and most importantly, I was taught to be principled in my beliefs and to believe in others. What has this got to do with being a politician? I would say: everything. It reminds us that we are here not for ourselves but to represent those people who placed us here, the same people who are just trying to stay healthy, trying to raise a family, trying to put food on the table, and trying to keep a roof over their head.
Mr. Speaker, it has been a little over a year since we were sworn into office. When we first came together as newly elected MLAs, we all discussed the need to work together, the need to be respectful, and the need to be open and transparent, all so we could provide effective and meaningful representation for the people of the NWT. We agreed to standards we would follow. We have not lived up to those standards.
At the outset, we all appeared to get along, and everything was friendly and respectful. It took only a short period of time to realize the first sign of splinters developing between Members. It had little to do with how we were going to work for the people of the NWT but had more to do with egos and personal aspirations. It is apparent we have experienced some turbulence. However, collectively, it is now up to us to work through it while moving forward.
Mr. Speaker, I, or any of us for that matter, do not have time to child-mind Cabinet or Regular Members. We all know there are limited financial resources. We all know the priorities. We all know the mandate. Most importantly, we all know the issues facing our constituents and communities. We are here to address those very issues by providing collaborative solutions that will use our resources efficiently while providing positive and long-lasting benefits to the residents and businesses of the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, it is time to put our personal differences aside, be respectful, work together, and, most importantly, listen to each other and our constituents. We have only three years left to actually advance the priorities we set for ourselves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.
Mr. Speaker, one of my first Member's statements in this House was about the Department of Lands and their recent increase on the minimum price of lease rent cost for leaseholders on territorial lands, which is administered and managed within the lands department.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands increased the minimum rent cost for territorial land leases by $690. It went from a minimum cost of $150 and jumped to a minimum land-lease cost of $840 annually. This is a huge rent increase to absorb all at once. The rationale from the lands department for this large increase in rent minimums for territorial leaseholders is because the rates had not been adjusted for 20 years, so the Department of Lands decided to apply 20 years' worth of unchanged rent minimums and increase the cost all at once rather than staggering the increase at a nominal annual rate, as done with property taxes for example.
Moreover, Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, amid our government's initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Lands put out a statement which waived the land-lease fees for all existing surface dispositions for the fiscal year 2020-2021. Cabin Radio reported on this story further on May 11, 2020, stating that the Government of the Northwest Territories would collectively save residents and businesses $2.7 million, $1.4 million of which was provided relief to all the mines.
Mr. Speaker, I suspect that the Department of Lands would not have waived these costs if it only affected smaller leaseholders by regular people. I am convinced that the Government of the Northwest Territories only applied this waiver across the board because it primarily benefits the mining sector and large businesses.
Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, I firmly believe that all rights-based land-lease holders must be exempt from this policy and that all permanent and long-time residents of the NWT must be dealt with fairly. A 5- to 10-percent increase is sufficient for all residents I just mentioned. If anything, I think the bulk of the rent increases should rest with the non-NWT leaseholders. I will have questions for the Minister of Lands later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Mr. Speaker, today is the first sitting day of our second year. The air outside is fresh, and after seven long months of COVID, today is a good day to hit the reset button. Last night, I spoke with a bright young student named Maggie, preparing for today's class presentation on the NWT. I asked her about her favourite NWT thing, and her response was, "The ice castle." Her favourite thing is a local "king" in Carhartt's who cuts his castle from our frozen lake to create a community that vibrates with excitement, and I love that.
A year ago, I stood here and congratulated my colleagues because together we made history. I said last year was not only a turning point in history for the NWT but for the world. 2019 was indeed a global turning point. It gave us the non-refundable gift of COVID-19. This year, we have all been challenged and tasked with looking at our world differently. However, Mr. Speaker, while the GNWT is tasked with keeping Northerners safe, this Assembly cannot lose sight of our individual and collective commitments to the people we serve. We are all ready to see COVID go, but we need to continue to find ways to work with it.
Northerners have long been known for their resilience and ability to care for one another. This year, government has shown its ability to react to changing policies, finding funds and working differently in record time. While it may feel like COVID has slowed much of the world to a screeching halt, it has also created momentum and opportunity. It is up to us to keep that momentum going. COVID is still a top concern, but I speak daily with constituents concerned with northern procurement benefit retention, training skilled workers, economic drivers for the NWT, as well as addictions and wellness supports. We have work to do, Mr. Speaker.
A year ago, we shared what we wanted to accomplish, and I asked us to define our collective "why." Listening to my colleagues, it is clear that we know our "why." Every day, we share stories of Northerners determined to survive and thrive, and with them, we work for a stronger North not for just ourselves but also for the next generation who want to be leaders in their own communities, this territory, or maybe even the ice castle. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories has a living, breathing document titled 2030 Energy Strategy. The goal of this strategy is to guide the development of secure, affordable, and sustainable energy for transportation, heat and electricity, support energy efficiency and conservation, and promote renewable and alternative energy solutions for the NWT.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite exciting to see the Department of Infrastructure's energy division create such a document which shows promise of savings to cost-of-living items such as power costs and which could very well create long-term employment in the communities. The infrastructure department is incorporating this plan via wood-pellet boilers to most of the GNWT's infrastructure, such as schools, health centres, and airports, thus creating savings in fuel use and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr. Speaker, what I note is that the energy plan is not being put to action within the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation considering their stock of approximately 2400 units spread out across the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the housing Minister at the appropriate time. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Firstly, I appreciate MLA Cleveland's passion for, she called it the "ice castle," but I feel I'd be remiss if I did not correct that. It is a snow castle. The Snow King would not allow me to get away with that.
Mr. Speaker, starting April 1, 2021, the City of Yellowknife's fire department will no longer respond to calls along the Ingraham Trail in my constituency, leaving residents of that area without fire protection.
Now, Mr. Speaker, I want to reflect on how we got there as I believe, if many systemic problems were not solved, my constituents still would have access to fire services. I believe, if we properly funded our municipal governments according to the funding formula we agreed to, they could probably find it in their budget to continue to provide emergency services. I believe, if we entered into proper MOUs with municipalities to provide emergency services outside of their boundaries, they would continue to provide this service. I believe, if we had settled Akaitcho and gave them the nearly half million square kilometres of their land back, we probably could have found a few square kilometres to give Ingraham Trail residents title to their properties, and they can, in turn, pay taxes and get services. I believe, if we address the fact that there are people living in recreational leases and we know that and we accept it, yet we do not address the problem, we probably could have found a way to provide them services.
However, Mr. Speaker, we have failed to do all those things, and as such, my constituents, after decades of service, will not be able to call 911 and get a fire truck if their house is on fire. I don't blame the City of Yellowknife for the decision. That is their mandate. I blame the Department of MACA for not responding quickly enough to resolve this issue such that we have six months to try and find a way such that none of my constituents picks up their phone and their house is on fire and no one comes.
Mr. Speaker, I am afraid the GNWT won't move fast enough to solve this problem, just as they have not moved fast enough to solve all of those previous problems that led us here today.
Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of MACA, and I hope we can get an agreement in place with the City of Yellowknife and give them some funding such that my constituents can continue to have fire services. More importantly, I hope this government can make some action on all of those issues that got us here today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. To start off, I'd like to begin by welcoming all my colleagues back and getting back to the grind. This first year in office has been tumultuous to say the least, given the ongoing global pandemic that we are dealing with so far.
Mr. Speaker, going forward, I'm hoping to continue building on the work we've done so far since last year's territorial election. I know we dealt with a lot of deaths in our communities, a lot of elders, and it's very sad to deal with all our restrictions. I'm hoping, when all this is done, I really want to make sure that we have a proper chance to commemorate our elders, one's lost during this pandemic, and I really hope we do something in the House, too.
Moreover, Mr. Speaker, given through all the pandemic restrictions, we need to still continue living our lives and do things and keep moving forward. I want to recognize a few of my constituents. The first one I want to mention is Chaslyn McKay of Deninu K'ue. She's an 18-year old Dene and Cree who flew to Toronto last month to go in the Miss Canada Globe competition. She placed fourth. Her parents and the whole community could not be more proud of her involvement in this event and putting herself out there and pursuing her dreams. I wish her the best luck in future competitions.
Going just a little further north to Lutselk'e, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to acknowledge the recent re-election of Chief Darryl Marlowe of the AKDFN to his second term in office. I wish him all the best and I look forward to working closely with him and building upon positive working relationship since we built in the last year's election.
I also wanted to mention quickly: around the lake, right now, the wind is blowing really hard. It's treacherous out there, and encourage all of our constituents who are out in the water to be safe. I want to mention YKDFN, some of the members, rescuing some of their members out on the lake. Ni Hatni and LKDFN had a few rescues. In particular yesterday, in my home community of Deninu K'ue, I'd like to recognize a few gentlemen: Greg Lafferty, Scott King, and Brad King. They put themselves in harm's way.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to seek unanimous consent to finish my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Marsi cho, colleagues, and marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mentioning those three gentlemen, they put themselves in harm's way to go out on the lake and to rescue a couple of the community members. Their boats sunk and they had to go rescue them. They're stranded. To do that, you have to be selfless. You have to be brave. For me, it was inspiring, and I'm really proud of them. To me, if we could draw some parallels, that, like I said, was inspiring. If we could follow their lead and pick up. Even if there's some rough waters out there, they went out there and faced diversity. They worked together, and they got the job done. Hoping we can draw that parallel here, and we can get through all this, work with each other. We're not going to always agree, but like I said, as one of my colleagues mentioned, we've got to be respectful of each other and look through, past your differences, because a lot of people are really depending on us in these times. Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. On June 3rd, I made a statement in this House about the uncertainty and lack of Cabinet communications surrounding the creditor protection proceeding for Dominion Diamond affiliates. The latest news is that the proposed sale of Ekati Mine has fallen through because the insurance companies that issued surety bonds covering the reclamation liabilities would not agree to the deal. The surety bonds cover about $280 million of the $295 million financial security for work that is supposed to be done in place under various licences and permits.
The GNWT now has total discretion over the form of financial security for reclamation liabilities at Ekati and any other mine. It's my understanding that GNWT also has to consent to the transfer or assignment of the water licence, land leases, land use permits, and the environmental agreement covering the Ekati Mine if they're transferred to a new entity.
It's not clear what Cabinet's position is on these assignments, and whether any terms or conditions will or have been imposed. One of the terms and conditions should be that surety bonds are converted or changed to more reliable, irrevocable letters of credit from a chartered Canadian bank. Regular MLAs were never asked about or consulted about this matter.
I'd also like to know what sort of early warning system we have in place to ensure that GNWT is not left with a public liability from Ekati. Insurance companies seem to have a problem with the new entity. The site has changed ownership several times, and it's nearing the end of its life. We've already had some failures that the GNWT was not able to adequately anticipate or mitigate. For example, the bankruptcy of Strategic Oil and Gas and its Cameron Hills sour gas field. That should never have been accepted by our government under the Devolution Agreement. Then, there's North American Tungsten that also went under during our watch with a Mactung property as part of its financial security. I'll have questions later today for the Minister of Finance who has the lead on the Dominion Diamond creditor protection proceeding. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, I'd like to express my condolences to the families in my community and the surrounding communities in the loss of their family members over the last few months. Since I left this House in June, just in our region alone, we have lost a lot of elders, younger people in our region. We just lost another person yesterday.
During this time of loss, families are under extreme stress. In addition to this, they are mourning, they are trying to arrange for funerals, and they are trying to do it in their ways, in their beliefs, in their burial ceremonies that bring them peace, some closure, with the addition of COVID-19 restrictions in place. Never in my life have I ever attended an outdoor funeral.
As we are here, still in phase 2, the Emerging Wisely document states: no indoor funerals allowed; no exceptions for out-of-territory immediate family to attend that funeral without having to apply for an exception and wait for that response. Then, if they get approved, they come to the territory, and they have to wait another two weeks before they can attend a funeral. I find this rule to be disrespectful, no thought of how it affects the grieving process for our people and how families have to deal with this, with very limited mental health while they are waiting. This goes against the sacredness of the ceremony, and the burial process that I grew up with is being disregarded.
Mr. Speaker, what is even more upsetting is we see that non-NWT residents are given permission, given exceptions to work in deemed-essential areas, like the mines, like construction, like infrastructure construction, other private sectors, as well as health. Why is this not considered with the same rules in place for family to attend a funeral, Mr. Speaker? We can go to church now with up to 25 people, with the ability to apply for more seats through the Chief Public Health Officer. This too is not right, Mr. Speaker.
I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
We can go to church with up to 25 people, with the ability to apply for more seats, but this does not include funerals. That is not right. How does one measure a funeral ceremony is more risk and less important than allowing non-NWT-resident essential workers for infrastructure and mining projects, who are flying in from Edmonton on the same flight as all of us, that I go home on every time I leave Yellowknife?
The winter is on its way. We cannot deny families indoor funerals. This must be looked into. Our families need to mourn. They need to lay their family members to rest in a way that respects their culture and beliefs, Mr. Speaker. I am hoping that I am heard today and that we can do this in a safe way moving forward, to respect our families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] Today in the Northwest Territories, everyone is dealing with the alcohol and drug problem. We do not have a treatment centre in the Northwest Territories. We used to have one, but we no longer have one. Anyone who wants to go to treatment, they go down south, and monies are being spent on it. [Translation ends].
Mr. Speaker, we spent a quarter of a million dollars last year sending Northerners south for residential treatment. This is a leakage of revenue that could have been spent on northern jobs and business opportunities. However, more tragically, it is a disservice to Northerners who stand a better chance at recovering when their addiction treatment is provided here in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, recalling a recent statement in this House, I am encouraged that the sad state of affairs may soon be over. I refer to a promise last June by the then Health and Social Services Minister, who was looking into again providing residential treatment here in the territory. This was partly in response to the difficulties of travel during the pandemic, but it was also in response to the department's mental health and addiction recovery action plan tabled in 2019, which promised more options for community-based addiction recovery.
Mr. Speaker, I asked the government in May for a progress report on this plan for restoration of residential treatment here in the territory. I asked for it to be provided during this sitting. At the appropriate time, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services about how her department is progressing on this very important issue. Masi.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mary Louise Norwegian of Rabbit Skin River was born to Joseph and Elizabeth Augier Norwegian, March 8, 1938. She was very close to her dad, who taught her everything traditional and how to survive in the wilderness. She was the second-youngest of her siblings. She had four sisters and five brothers.
Her favourite times of the year were spring and fall. In the springtime, she would trap beaver, catch fish, and collect birch sap for syrup. In the later summer, she would travel up to her cabin on the Horn Plateau, where she would hunt moose and caribou, fish, and pick berries. On quiet fall days, she would spend time sewing and doing other crafts. As well, she enjoyed watching the ducks, geese, and swans that would stop by the cabin at her lake as they said good-bye, as they continued on their journey south. She used to say, "This is the most beautiful place on Earth. It must be like this at heaven's gates."
She did her very best to raise her children, eight, as a single parent, and passed on her traditional knowledge. Mary Louise was very proud of the fact that she was the first traditional woman to own her own home and land in the village of Fort Simpson. She had the opportunity to go on a traditional exchange program to Siberia for a couple of weeks. She would always say, "The people are so kind to us and would share what little they had with us." Many times, she got close to death. There was one time she was alone at her cabin and cut her thigh to the bone with a chain saw. When she would tell this story, she would say, "My bush radio saved my life."
For many years, she worked at the Fort Simpson health centre as an interpreter and a caregiver for elders, and she prepared loved ones for burial. She received a Wise Woman Award and was very honoured for this acknowledgement. She always said she was thankful she had the education and always challenged herself to be better. Life could be rough, especially at residential school, but without education, it could be a lot worse. She never gave up. She told her nephew, "Living off the land only is over. We cannot go back. Learning and training oneself is to be the best you can be so you can learn to use our precious lands properly and help each other."
In her last few years, she suffered from Parkinson's disease and wasn't able to go to her cabin, but her spouse of 25 years, A.J. Augier, was by her side, cheering her up and assisting her where he could. He held her hand to the very end, as she took her last breath on July 20th. The family would like to thank the staff at the long-term care home for the excellent service they provided their mother during her time there. She will be sadly missed by all.
I would like to welcome two people of the media here with us today. I would like to thank you for joining us. It's always good to have an audience. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] I made a statement regarding a treatment centre, so I would like to ask Health and Social Services a question. [Translation ends] The Minister of the Health and Social Services department promised to consider [microphone turned off] ...treatment in the territory and followed by mental health and addiction recovery action plan. Mr. Speaker, the TRC's 94 recommendations, number 21, states that: we call upon federal government to provide sustainable funding for Aboriginal healing centres to address physical, mental, emotional, spiritual harms caused by residential schools, and to ensure the funding of healing centres in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Health and Social Services. My first question is: in light of her department's promises that I've stated in my statement, when can Northerners expect an end to the ill-advised practice of sending Northerners to southern institutions for addictions recovery? Masi.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for Monfwi for that question. I'm unaware of a promise by the Department of Health and Social Services to revisit the question of southern-based in-facility addictions treatment. In fact, recently, in response to a call for proposals, six facilities in total, two new, were approved for southern-based addictions treatment. The reason it's in the South is because people can get in right away. They can choose the place they want to go. They can be in a co-ed or a gender-specific facility depending on their preference. They have access to a range of services, which we simply don't have in the Northwest Territories. I just want to be very clear that where we're focusing as a department is on aftercare on things like on-the-land healing and what supports we can put in place to help people hang on to their sobriety when they come back. Thank you.
Obviously, there is a bit of a challenge here to accept that six new southern institutions that we've continued to send our people for some sort of addictions treatment there. People leaving the North, again, funding and money leaving the North, we're talking about millions. We're not talking about ten thousand here and there. Millions, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to know what option is the Minister considering for the return to residential addictions treatment here in the Northwest Territories. Once we had that before, could we have that again in the Northwest Territories?
Thank you to the Member for Monfwi for that question. The departmental budget for addictions treatment this year is $2.3 million. There has been a decrease in the number of spaces available, which is why the department added two more facilities so that there is appropriate distancing during the pandemic. We know that 45 people have attended in-patient treatment in the first six months of this year. Fifteen of them have completed their program. We're going to be low on numbers this year, there are more typically around 200. The last treatment centre we had open in the NWT was Nats'ejee Keh on the K'atl'odeeche First Nation. It failed for the reason that other treatment centres had failed: a lack of suitable staff, the inability to be able to do intake at any time, and issues around confidentiality and people actually wanting to leave the North and all of their triggers for substance abuse and have a new start in the South. Thank you.
We have new, I guess, southern institutions that the department is planning to work with. At the same time, given the amount of time that individuals can apply to go to southern institutions there is a waitlist at Poundmaker's of up to six months. If we had that here in the Northwest Territories, utilizing our own people, our elders, our healers, on-the-land program, it would go a long way. The next question I have for the Minister is: since there is no option to consider Northwest Territories residential healing centres here in the Northwest Territories, to what extent has the Indigenous governments, Indigenous healers, Indigenous elders, been engaged or consulted in developing those options as called by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls for action numbers 21 and 20?
Thank you for the question, Member for Monfwi. The situation with facility-based treatment is to provide a range of options. Poundmaker’s is one of the six. Aventa, which is for women, is another; Edgewood in B.C.; Fresh Start, which is for men in Calgary; and an Indigenous Healing Centre called Renascent in Toronto and another called the Thorpe Healing Centre in Lloydminster. There are a lot of different choices there for people to make. This is a matter of public policy that affects all residents of the NWT. Also, more particularly for Indigenous organizations, there is on-the-land healing, which has a dedicated fund of $1.8 million and which is available to all Indigenous government organizations that make applications for it. That money is still available for this year. I really would encourage the Member to ensure that his IGO has applied for this money so that they can do their own on-the-land treatment. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. The Minister talks about choices. We don't really have many choices here in the Northwest Territories. We have six southern institutions that we send our own people there. They come back. I've witnessed myself, in my region, one individual came back from treatment, ended up back on the street, and unfortunately, the individual passed away this past summer because there was no after-care program. This is a real issue, a real live issue, Mr. Speaker. The Minister talked about the on-the-land treatment program funding. What kind of funding is available compared to the southern institutions that we're spending millions? How much are we spending here in the Northwest Territories on-the-land program? Has that been also incremented over the years? That will be my final question, and I will come back to it as well, Mr. Speaker. Masi.
