Debates of October 22, 2004 (day 26)

Good morning, Members. Before I go on, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and offer my collective thanks to the Pages who have been serving us so well in this House over the past two weeks. They are from Range Lake North School and Ecole St. Joseph School in Yellowknife. Thank you for a job well done and good luck in your studies for the rest of the year.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to all Members about the Canadian Young Worker Memorial Life Quilt that will be unveiled today at 12:00 noon in the Great Hall.

The memorial life quilt, Mr. Speaker, pays tribute to those young workers involved in a workplace injury.

The quilt was created in 2003 for the Day of Mourning and was sewn together by volunteer quilters from across Canada. The quilt is a lasting memorial to 100 young workers aged 15 to 24, who were killed at work. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, it spreads a powerful message about the importance of accident prevention in the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT and Nunavut have three panels affixed to the quilt for the young workers that lost their lives while on the job. They are Jason Stewart, Peter Barnabas and Michael Daniska. The families of these young workers will be present during the unveiling of the quilt. I invite all Members to pay their respects to both the families and the memorial life quilt later today.

The memorial life quilt has been brought to the NWT as a prelude to the WCB’s “What if You Couldn’t” National Young Workers’ Safety Conference that also commences today. Mr. Speaker, over 100 young workers and their supervisors representing seven provinces and territories along with six foreign countries will gather this weekend at the first ever North of 60 Youth Safety Conference hosted by the Workers’ Compensation Board.

I commend the WCB for taking the initiative and making prevention the focus for our northern young workers to stop the cycle of workplace injuries. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, I would like to announce an exciting new pilot program to provide leadership opportunities for young people in the Northwest Territories: the Northwest Territories Youth Abroad Program.

The Honourable Michael McLeod, Minister responsible for Youth and I, as Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, have agreed to jointly contribute start up funding for a pilot project that will operate over the next two years. This NWT pilot project will be operated under the direction of the Nunavut Youth Abroad Society and coordinated by Northwest Territories volunteers to involve young people from across the North.

In 1997, a group of educators in what is now Nunavut envisioned a comprehensive program to encourage young people to gain the experience and skills that would equip them to be future leaders of their territory. Subsequently, the Nunavut Youth Abroad Program was formed. At the time, the GNWT provided start-up funding to support the effort.

Mr. Speaker, the Youth Abroad Program is designed to take young people from smaller communities who haven’t travelled much beyond their local area and who show potential as leaders and to assist these youth obtain a variety of academic and life skills they can use in their future. These skills include an emphasis on succeeding in school and the development of a view of life beyond our borders.

After acceptance into the program, each participant must complete career and technology studies courses that are part of the NWT school curriculum. Participants will be matched with a local mentor and participate in skill development sessions. Ultimately, participants will go in groups of two to stay with a family in southern Canada and be placed in a summer job for a period of five weeks with the support of program workers. This support is key to the program’s success.

At the end of the first summer, participants return home and continue their academic studies in their home communities with post-placement activities.

In Nunavut, it was demonstrated that this link with the school system helped students to stay in school or, if they had already opted out, drew them back into the system. Of the young people who participated in the Nunavut program, 96 percent continued on to complete their secondary education and graduate. It’s important to note that some of these youth were initially identified as being at-risk, so these results are dramatic, indeed.

Once the NWT pilot program has been completed and assessed, consideration will be given to continuing onwards to the second phase of the NWT Youth Abroad Program.

Mr. Speaker, in phase two, youth who have completed the southern Canadian placement, may go on to international placements.

By the Government of the Northwest Territories making this two-year contribution to the Northwest Territories Youth Abroad Program, we are making an investment in the future leaders of tomorrow. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, the week of October 17th to 23rd is National Foster Family Week. I would like to take a moment to recognize the valuable contribution that foster families make to our communities and our children.

Foster families form an important network of safe, caring homes for children. They have a very challenging and demanding role and provide care for children when parents are unable. There are about 200 foster homes in the NWT that give children a stable, nurturing home environment. It is encouraging to see that so many people in our territory have offered to care for children. Over the past few years we have seen an increase in the number of extended family foster homes.

Mr. Speaker, foster parents are an integral part of our child and family services. Their work goes beyond providing children with food and shelter. They offer children a supportive environment while supporting their interaction with their birth families. They are key members of a team dedicated to helping children and youth work through problems. Foster parents work with the social workers in their communities to meet individual educational, medical and developmental needs.

The children in foster care range in age from infants to teenagers. They include children from every part of our territory. Our foster families have welcomed these children into their homes, and should be admired and congratulated for the services they provide every day.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize the Foster Family Coalition of the NWT. This organization strengthens the network of foster families. They advocate for children, provide a support network and participate in the development and delivery of foster family training all over the NWT. The coalition is an important resource for foster parents, to help them understand that they are not alone and that there are others who can support them through difficult times.

I would like to take this opportunity to call on families throughout our territory to become foster families. I ask the Members of this House to join me in applauding the efforts of those who have taken up this service throughout the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

I am pleased to announce today the latest appointment and reappointments to the Status of Women Council of the NWT.

Patricia Lamouelle of Rae-Edzo has been appointed for a term of three years and Lynn Brooks of Yellowknife, Lorayne Menicoche-Moses of Fort Simpson, and Geraldine Sharpe-Staples of Inuvik have been reappointed for terms of three years.

These women will join Betty Tsetso of Deline and Therese Dolly Lafferty of Fort Resolution. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of departing board member Natasha McCagg.

I want to take this time to thank all of these individuals and the staff of the council for the good work they have done to advance women's equality issues in the Northwest Territories. Under the excellent leadership of these individuals, we have seen increased education and awareness in a number of areas including prevention of family violence, ongoing improvements to the resource library and research projects such as the social and environmental impacts of resource development on women. Of particular note is the Women's Voices in Leadership project. This project provided women from across the NWT with training and support as they consider careers in political leadership. This is an important initiative as it encourages women to enter into politics. I hope to see many more women running, and winning seats, in the next territorial election.

Hear! Hear!

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, the Status of Women Council has been the impetus for many major developments such as Family Violence Awareness Week. They have actively supported the newly-established NWT Human Rights Commission, the work now underway for the implementation of the Protection Against Family Violence Act, and, most recently, the release of The Government Of the Northwest Territories Response to the NWT Action Plan on Family Violence, 2003-2008: A Framework for Action.

Much has been accomplished and still much needs to be done. I look forward to continuing my collaboration with the council to improve women's economic, social and political equality. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in this House to speak of some people in my riding. First, I would like to send my condolences to the families of an elderly woman, Mrs. Mona Wolki of Paulatuk who passed away peacefully earlier this week. I understand the funeral will be held this afternoon. My prayers are with the families of the late Mona Wolki.

I would also like to send birthday greetings to Mrs. Persis Gruben of Tuktoyaktuk who turned 86 years young on October 20, 2004.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to send a very special birthday greeting to my son, Darren John, who turned 17 years young today. Happy birthday, son, and listen to mom. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the National Youth Safety Conference hosted by the Workers’ Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The conference will be held in Yellowknife on October 22nd, today, the 23rd and 24th. Over 110 young people from across the country between the ages of 16 and 24 will be arriving in Yellowknife to sharpen their safety skills in the workplace.

This will be the first National Youth Safety Conference hosted North of 60. The conference is called “What if You Couldn’t.” It’s aimed at instructing young workers about the tragic, long-term effects of on-the-job injuries and how to increase workplace safety so that injuries do not occur.

Over the course of the three days, participants will gain skills and knowledge about workplace safety that they will be able to share with co-workers once they return to the worksites. I was pleased to hear that Yellowknife has the honour of hosting a national conference of this value.

Given that industry in the Northwest Territories is booming, I find it appropriate that a conference on workplace safety is happening in the Northwest Territories at this time. As we rush ahead with these heady days of development, it is important that we, as leaders, work with industry to ensure that the safety of workers remains a top priority.

I took a look at the schedule of events for this conference, Mr. Speaker, and I was pleased to see a number of local industry reps who will be participating in this conference: Diavik Diamond Mines will host one evening; Beaver Enterprises, together with the community of Fort Liard have collaborated for an afternoon session. Both of these sessions are called “Walking the Safety Talk.”

In addition, presentations will be made by nationally-renowned leaders in safety, and young workers who have had the experience of being injured on the job. Employers will participate in the National Youth Safety Conference, as well, Mr. Speaker, gaining insight into the specific needs of young workers and their responsibility to meet those needs. I have no doubt that this conference will serve as an important learning tool for both young workers and their supervisors alike. I would like to welcome the participants to Yellowknife. I hope they have an informative and enjoyable time, and are to take their new safety skills back to their communities, when the conference is over, for the safety of everyone. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about our style of government. We take pride in our unique style of consensus government, and I agree that there are many advantages to the way in which we conduct the business of this government when one observes the gridlock and adversarial energy often expended in governments with a party system. Incidentally, I think many of our legislators in the House of Commons are gaining a whole new appreciation for consensus government since they convened after the last federal election.

Another major component of our work is that of the committees which we sit on. I believe I can say that our required participation through membership on the various standing committees in the government is where we spend the most of our duty time, apart from the work in our constituencies. We have been in session for about the past week and a half. Sometimes we attend in Yellowknife when session is not on for committees, but we also meet and have at least one committee meeting a day while we're here while session is on. Mr. Speaker, as the Members know, it's not uncommon to meet at 9:00, 10:30, noon, 1:30, and then at adjournment. I have a problem with this on a number of fronts, Mr. Speaker. I fundamentally believe that too much of our work is conducted in committee behind closed doors.

Hear! Hear!

I object to this, because firstly it takes too much of our time. I represent a very busy riding, and when session is on I must apologize to my constituents in that on days when we meet for 12 hours, I often don't even get a chance to return their phone calls.

I'm not complaining about hard work, but I do resent redundant work. For example, we often go through things like supplementary appropriations or bills in painstaking, line-by-line detail in committee, just before it comes to the House to go into Committee of the Whole, where we could theoretically ask exactly the same questions. Unfortunately, the questions -- often very good questions -- don't get asked again in the House, and I don't have much appetite for asking the same question twice. If I'm satisfied with the answer, I'm not likely to ask it again for the House performance. The public is then deprived of having access to these questions and the answers on the public record, and they will only be contained in the official transcript of the committee. Oh, yes, that's another issue. The deliberations in committee are also all recorded and painstakingly transcribed as is Hansard in the House. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, there are matters of discussion which need to be in camera, things which other councils of elected persons discuss in camera related to personnel and legal matters, or where there is information of a proprietary nature. There may be some argument to be made for discussing things like business plans of departments in camera, simply because Ministers and departments share this information with Members in confidence to secure their input; a privilege not normally enjoyed in other styles of government. But apart from that, I don't know of anything that could not be handled in the public.

Hear! Hear!

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I am all for efficiency, and apart from making our government more transparent, doing more business in public would avoid the duplication of effort on the part of our busy Members, including me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, mahsi cho. (English not provided)

Mr. Speaker, I wish to speak again on the one-rate power zone, which on Wednesday I gave notice of motion to. I apparently raised an old debate, and I welcome that. But, Mr. Speaker, this is a debate that the public never had. I am supportive of this motion and the decision rests solely in the…

Mr. Menicoche, I want to remind you that the topic you're speaking on is on the order paper for today and it can't be brought up in Members' statements.

---Ruled Out of Order

Thank you very much then, Mr. Speaker.

You're out of order.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about a human resource government policy, another human resource government policy that's inconsistent due to the way the various government departments are carrying it out. Mr. Speaker, I am referring to the government employee leave on treaty day. Mr. Speaker, since the first treaty was signed in 1871 and the last one was signed in 1921, all aboriginals use this day to gather and celebrate a new way of thinking and living, not to mention receiving the token monetary gains from the federal government. This also serves as a reminder of a time when co-existence and cooperation to ensure our survival was a priority for all aboriginals and especially non-aboriginals.

Mr. Speaker, I have received numerous enquiries from government employees, some aboriginal and some non-aboriginal, in reference to treaty day leave. A policy of this government allows treaty Indians to half-a-day off to go and get treaty. The problem, Mr. Speaker, is that some departments may grant treaty aboriginals the leave, regardless of whether they are treaty members from another community or not, and some departments require the treaty member to be receiving treaty in the community that they are working in in order to be granted the leave. Mr. Speaker, I feel that all treaty Indians are entitled to what we consider this leave as a treaty right. I will be asking the Minister later today on what he will be doing to ensure that for all treaty Indians, this government is respectful of this right and will develop a policy which will allow all treaty members time off without question or recourse should they take it upon themselves to leave the workplace to celebrate with their brothers and sisters, no matter where they are residing or working. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Hear! Hear!

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to talk about a march that I participated in on October 2nd, I believe. It was organized by Alternatives North and it was with regard to Canada's involvement in the missile defence program with the United States.

Mr. Speaker, if I may read a couple quotes from the Polaris Institute's brochure, which is also on their website -- which would be polarisinstitute.org -- I would like to start with that. An Ipsos-Reid poll says, "Did you know 69 percent of Canadians disapprove of Canada joining the U.S. missile shield?" Mr. Speaker, I wasn't polled, but I agree with that quote. I don't believe we should be in it either. On the back of the brochure, I further quote an open letter to the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Paul Martin, "Canadian involvement in the U.S. missile defence would undermine decades of Canadian efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons. It would represent our acquiescence and willingness to become an active participant in a permanent nuclear future. As such, it would directly collide with the wishes of the Canadian people, who have expressed overwhelming support for nuclear disarmament.

"True security can only be achieved by establishing relationships of mutual respect and cooperation, free of exploitation, with nations and peoples throughout the world.

That is what we, as Canadians, have always believed and proudly stood for, and that is the kind of Canada that we want now and in the future. Mr. Martin, we implore you - and all Canadians - to keep Canada out of missile defence."

Mr. Speaker, not everyone will agree with the Polaris Institute's point of view and I can respect that, however, we have to also look at the fact that not everyone out there would agree with the missile defence program either, so have to respect that side of the coin, too. Mr. Speaker, I implore our Prime Minister to reconsider this issue. Don't lead us down that dark path.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, in that brochure on the web page that I referred to it had 10 simple questions and simple answers. I'm just going to read the 10 questions and not the answers. They're pretty straightforward, Mr. Speaker. But at this time, before I do that, I'll ask for unanimous consent if I may finish my statement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. I would like to remind Members that the rules of the House are not to read from a document extensively that is not tabled before the House. You can make reference to a document, but not read from the document. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will keep that in mind; I appreciate you pointing that out. Mr. Speaker, I won't read the questions then at this time, because, as you are right, the document has not been tabled in the House. However, I will table it later today in the House for all Members to have this in front of them. Again, I won't read the questions, but I will say that there are 10 simple questions that are straightforward and there are 10 straightforward answers. Everyone can access them on their own. Again, it can be found at polarisinstitute.org. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to also take this opportunity to welcome the participants of the National Young Worker Safety Conference to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. There are many who are coming from south of 60 and from around the world, and for them I am sure this will be a great experience to see the North and meet the youth of the North.

Mr. Speaker, I could tell you a number of them are also coming from the North, and their participation at the conference has been made possible not only by the big sponsors mentioned earlier, but by many small businesses who pay the fee to enable the students to attend this gathering. I would like to send our sincere thanks for that.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to also honour the memory of the youth who have died while at work. I know that by the unveiling of the memorial life quilt today we are remembering them and are being strongly reminded of the importance of work safety, especially for the youth.

Mr. Speaker, while I'm on the topic of WCB, I would just like to also remind the Minister and Members of this House that when the WCB says when you go to work we have you covered, this is not always the case to the fullest extent possible. Mr. Speaker, I'm dealing with at least three cases in my riding of relatively young men who worked all their lives and have been injured at work but are not being covered for their rehab, training and living expenses. Mr. Speaker, I am also aware of the fact that there are many workers with chronic pain syndrome who continue to be excluded from coverage. This in spite of the fact, Mr. Speaker, that the Supreme Court has recently rendered a decision that speaks to this issue and says that they must be covered.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the Minister responsible for the WCB is new on the job, but I want to advise him that I expect to hear from him on this very soon. As well, in the last Assembly, the WCB was comprehensively reviewed and some legislative changes were made, but what remains to be done is the operational review of the WCB which has, I believe, not been concluded.

Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that the Minister has been well briefed on this and that he is setting out direction in this regard, and that we're going to all hear the benefit of his deliberations and decisions. Mr. Speaker, I could tell you that the honourable Minister Krutko worked tirelessly for the little guy for his entire time as MLA on this side of the House, and I expect no less now that he is sitting on the other side. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about our future. Mr. Speaker, the elders have always told us and spoke very passionately about our future, and they continue to speak even more so in light of the changes of our lifestyles and our communities.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard, witnessed and supported our youth in many areas that contribute to the strengthening of our families, our communities and, more importantly, strengthening the youth spirit. Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge several youth in communities in the North; specifically, a young lady in Fort McPherson who is working on behalf of her people to continue their way of life: honouring and protecting the caribou in the North Slope area. Mr. Speaker, let us acknowledge a young singer from Norman Wells who wanted to have a chance to make the North of 60 Idol and made it happen to come down to Yellowknife to sing.

Mr. Speaker, in addition, the first Sahtu Youth Strategy Conference was held in Fort Good Hope on August 16th to 20th of this year. We had 35 youth from the Sahtu region attend the three-day event. They gathered to discuss such issues as the Mackenzie gas opportunities, alcohol and drug issues for communities, family violence, and the impact of a Mackenzie gas pipeline. Mr. Speaker, these issues are also important to us as legislators, leaders, parents and grandparents, and even as elders. Mr. Speaker, there are lots of young people in the North who have taken the gift of life and are making the most of life, and that's their gift back to us in the Northwest Territories. For this I applaud them, Mr. Speaker.

In closing, I offer a statement from the Sahtu youth to the Sahtu leadership. They said we ask that you do everything in your power to take the alcohol and drugs out of our communities. I would like to thank the previous Minister of MACA and the present Minister of MACA for making this Sahtu youth conference a success, and I look forwarded to other successes in the Northwest Territories. Mahsi.

---Applause

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to today echo and endorse the comments of my colleague from Range Lake regarding the Workers' Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Indeed to compliment them on hosting the National Youth Conference that's about to get underway, but also to the point of the mandate that the WCB has to assist and look after those workers who, for whatever circumstance, have experienced injury and now have to go through a process of adjusting their life and coping with whatever the conditions that may have resulted from their accident or their workplace injuries.

Mr. Speaker, like my colleague, I, too, am dealing with a number of cases of constituents and others who for many, many months and years seem to have fallen through the cracks of the WCB system. The issue of chronic pain, which other compensation boards in Canada have dealt with and are managing, is one that is yet Nunavut and NWT's board has to take up.

Mr. Speaker, one of the most frustrating situations that I run across is the conflict that arises when medical opinions -- and these can be medical opinions from a number of specialists, batteries of tests, years of examination -- that when they are put before appeals boards and other mechanisms in the WCB just land on deaf ears. We have a major problem, I believe, Mr. Speaker, where our system does not recognize these things.

This gets to my third point and perhaps the most significant one that we need to deal with, which is within the WCB. Mr. Speaker, they have a policy of where there is doubt the benefit goes to the worker. Over and over and over, Mr. Speaker, this is not being followed and this must be addressed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to have an opportunity to recognize the families of the people we are going to be acknowledging at 12:00 noon with the unveiling of the quilt. Excuse me if I mispronounce your name, but I would like to recognize Jamie Clease of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Welcome, Jamie.

---Applause

I have Ruth Oyukuluk from Arctic Bay in Nunavut.

---Applause

Also with us is Walter and Florence Daniska of Vancouver, British Columbia. Welcome.

---Applause

Also from the Workers’ Compensation Board we have Marie Wilson, director of policy, planning and communications. Welcome, Marie.

---Applause

I saw Dave Grundy. If Dave is still there, he is also with the Workers’ Compensation Board. Welcome.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize my constituent, Marie Wilson, and also I don’t know if Dave Grundy is there either, but Dave, as well, is a constituent. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a constituent who is present, Marie Wilson. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my statement today I talked about supporting the youth. My question will be directed to the Minister of MACA with regard to supporting our youth in the Northwest Territories. I ask the Minister of MACA what initiatives we can see in the Northwest Territories that would continue supporting our youth in terms of ability to make great contributions to our people in the communities in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, the Honourable Mr. McLeod.

Return To Question 282-15(3): Support For Youth In NWT Communities