Mr. Speaker, barren-ground caribou management has been a major priority for the past five years. In a time when caribou herds around the circumpolar world are declining, we have spent considerable time, effort and resources to conserve our herds.
This work has been done over the years with our partners, including aboriginal governments and wildlife co-management boards. I want to commend all our partners and harvesters for their ongoing actions to help conserve these herds.
Last week Environment and Natural Resources staff participated in the 13th North American Caribou Workshop in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The workshop focussed on aboriginal issues and co-management as well as scientific and technical issues regarding caribou management. The experiences gained here will be useful as we prepare to host the 14th Arctic Ungulates Conference in Yellowknife in August 2011.
Recently we signed an agreement with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation on joint management actions to conserve the Bathurst caribou herd, including harvest limits. The Wek’eezhii Renewable Resources Board has released its recommendations on caribou management in Wek’eezhii.
Results from surveys last year confirmed that management actions taken from the Cape Bathurst and Bluenose-West herds seem to be working and both populations have stabilized.
Mr. Speaker, I have more encouraging news to report this year regarding the Bluenose-East herd.
Based on results from photo-census surveys done this past summer, this herd has stabilized and the population has recovered to 2000 levels at an estimated 98,600 animals.
Two different survey methods were used this summer to obtain the new estimate of the size of the Bluenose-East herd. The post-calving and calving ground surveys produced very similar estimates of the herd. The new herd estimate is based on the post-calving ground survey. The last survey was done in 2006.
The recovery of this herd is most likely due to good calf survival in the last four years and lower harvest pressure on the cows. The herd did not come close to winter roads or communities in the past several years.
Mr. Speaker, while the increase of the Bluenose-East herd is good news, this herd is shared with harvesters from many regions and we must still exercise caution when recommending management actions for the herd, so it can continue to increase.
The next step will be taken by the appropriate wildlife co-management boards and aboriginal governments. These groups will meet to discuss the harvest target proposed for the Bluenose-East caribou herd by the WRRB in its recommendations report. They will also determine what harvest limitations should be recommended, if any, and how these would be allocated before making recommendations to this government.
We are working with the Tlicho Government to develop a response to the WRRB recommendations. The response will be submitted to the board by the end of December.
With regards to other barren-ground herds, the Porcupine caribou herd, which was estimated to be 123,000 animals in 2001, has been slowly declining for the past 20 years. A new population estimate is expected in the next few weeks.
The Porcupine Caribou Management Board is implementing the management plan and the recently approved Harvest Management Strategy for this herd.
Recent surveys have indicated a rapid and massive decline in the Beverly caribou herd. Early indications from surveys done this year seem to suggest the Ahiak herd is stabilizing. New estimate and trend analysis for both the Ahiak and Beverly herds will be available by the end of December and a joint Nunavut/Saskatchewan/NWT population survey of the Ahiak herd is planned for the summer of 2011.
Mr. Speaker, given the transboundary nature of these herds, management actions must be done in conjunction with a number of parties. The Advisory Committee for Cooperation on Wildlife Management, consisting of wildlife co-management boards established under the Inuvialuit, Gwich’in, Sahtu, Tlicho and Nunavut land claims agreements, is working on management plans for the Bluenose-East, Bluenose-West and Cape Bathurst herds. These plans will be available in 2011.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will release the 2011-2015 NWT Barren-ground Caribou Management Strategy for public review in the next few weeks.
Mr. Speaker, we have made progress in working together in conserving our barren-ground caribou herds during the past five years. This has not been without sacrifice. But the management actions and considerable investments are making a difference. However, we still have more work to do to build capacity for aboriginal involvement and to continue monitoring recovery. By continuing cooperative management approaches that respect and support traditional values, we will be able to make sure the herds are available for the use of current and future generations and can maximize benefits for everyone from this precious resource. Mahsi.
Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment recognizes the importance of literacy in fulfilling our vision of healthy, educated citizens participating in a strong and prosperous society. In 2009, we renewed our commitment to literacy by implementing the second Northwest Territories Literacy Strategy. The strategy describes how we will increase the literacy levels of Northerners of all ages, in all official languages. Today I am pleased to provide you with highlights of the new strategy.
Mr. Speaker, in the area of early childhood literacy development, we support family literacy training for practitioners, numerous community-based family literacy workshops and programs, and the development of family literacy resources and promotional materials through a partnership with the NWT Literacy Council. We also funded 19 early childhood programs to develop aboriginal language immersion settings.
In literacy development we funded the Northwest Territories Seniors’ Society and youth centres to host 13 events that brought youth and seniors together to learn from each other. We also held a literacy proposal writing workshop for youth centre staff from 12 communities. In literacy development for seniors, Education Culture and Employment supported seven seniors’ literacy projects in different regions of the Territory.
Mr. Speaker, in the area of literacy development for working-age adults, we funded learning supports for disabled adults, literacy outreach centres at Aurora College campuses, and numerous community-based projects and programs, such as drop-in classes in the Beaufort-Delta, one-on-one tutoring in the Deh Cho, and the development of audio books for the visually impaired in the North Slave.
We funded Aurora College to facilitate distance learning opportunities and to deliver adult basic education at college campuses and community learning centres throughout the Territory. The department also coordinated the ongoing development of adult basic education curricula and resources.
In the area of literacy in the official languages of the Northwest Territories, local organizations developed books and resources in South Slavey, Tlicho and North Slavey. As well, we supported an aboriginal language writers’ workshop.
Finally, in the area of building community capacity to meet literacy needs, increased funding to community libraries permitted an increase in hours of service and the purchase of additional materials.
I want to acknowledge the important work of the Literacy Strategy Advisory Committee. The committee, which represents many of our literacy partners, meets annually to guide our staff in implementing the strategy.
The Northwest Territories faces many challenges in the area of literacy. We still have much work to do but we are on track this year to meet our objectives and carry out the actions of the Literacy Strategy according to the goals of this Assembly. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I wish to talk about the importance of respite care in the small communities. Mr. Speaker, in many instances, young couples often take the responsibility for caring for aged senior family members or an ailing family member. This is the same for many grandchildren who live with their grandparents. They too are given the responsibility of caring and doing everything for the aging grandparents.
Mr. Speaker, over the last few days of this sitting, we have heard the Minister talk about changes to the way the government delivers health care, including funding of health services. It is good to hear the Minister responding to feedback, but this has left some confusion with my constituents that I’m hoping to clear up today.
Mr. Speaker, I understand the Minister and her department are doing what they think is best for the interests of the Northwest Territories. However, I am here today to talk about the interests of the people in Lutselk'e and Fort Resolution. Mr. Speaker, we know caring for aged and disabled family members can be a tremendous burden on families and family members. Without the necessary supports, it’s only a matter of time before family members are overcome with burnout or family resources are drained, and then ultimately the family members in need are placed in long-term care facilities and then become an added cost to the government.
Mr. Speaker, last year the Minister stated that we are expanding the program for children and youth through respite care in the communities outside of Yellowknife. Respite care provides planned relief for caregivers, families and people with disabilities. Relief is necessary to decrease burnout and stress and allow caregivers to provide the best possible support, and thereby the best quality of life for those with disabilities. This action focuses on improving outcomes and opportunities for children and youth. Mr. Speaker, my constituents want to know if the plans have changed or the funding for respite for communities outside of Yellowknife will also be cut.
Mr. Speaker, as I speak today, there are families that are doing what they can to ease the day-to-day living of disabled and aged family members in all the communities across the North. These families need parity on what this government is doing. These families need support. These families need help. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll be talking about respite services today as well.
Respite services are an incredibly valuable program through the Northwest Territories. Parents who are asking for respite help are not asking because they are incapable of caring for their children, but because while caring so much for their children, they are challenged to care for themselves.
This Assembly and previous Assemblies, the 14th and 15th, have acknowledged the importance of respite. So much so that in March 2005, the current Minister, while she was a Member, made a statement, and I quote directly from the March 2005 Hansard, where the Minister indicated:
“I would like to speak today in support of the Yellowknife Association for Community Living respite services currently funded by the GNWT Department of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, the goal of respite services is to provide safe individual lives and flexible respite support to disabilities, more opportunities for inclusion in community activities. It is an essential support service that provides planned relief for parents, families and the people with disabilities that they care for. Such relief is necessary in order to decrease burnout, stress and family breakdown. It also helps families provide the best possible support and care to their loved ones with disabilities, and it ensures that people with disabilities experience a high quality of life.”
Mr. Speaker, the Member, at the time, went further to urge the Minister-of-the-day to not only maintain services but to expand those services to people on waiting lists as well as communities throughout the Northwest Territories.
I was pleased earlier in the year when I saw the report on the Foundation for Change, where the department indicated that respite services or respite care services for families with special needs and disabled children would be expanded through the Northwest Territories. This was fantastic news. Unfortunately, we all know now that the Yellowknife Association for Community Living program that was funded by Yellowknife Health and Social Services has been cancelled as of April 1, 2011. What I am concerned about, Mr. Speaker, is that the actions aren’t consistent with the words.
Later today I will be asking the Minister of Health and Social Services some questions on respite and what we are going to do to expand as outlined in the Foundation for Change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Fort Liard medical needs. I have stood up many times in this House to request on behalf of the residents of Fort Liard to have their health needs taken care of in Fort Nelson, B.C. This makes sense to them as it is only a two hour drive for them.
In many previous negative responses from the Minister of Health and Social Services, the main reason for not allowing this is that we have a health agreement with the Capital Health Authority of Alberta. Now, recently, it was brought to my attention that there is no longer a Capital Health Authority in Alberta, so I believe that we now have a good opportunity to provide a better and more efficient health service to the residents of Fort Liard.
The way we can do this, Mr. Speaker, is by contacting the Province of British Columbia’s ministry of Health to begin preliminary discussions with their northern health authority as how they can service the needs of the population of Fort Liard. The agreement does not have to be overly complicated. Residents are confused as to why they have to travel down Highway No. 7 for three hours then a one-and-a-half-hour plane ride to Yellowknife, overnight, and experience another lengthy trip home. These medical visits are for tests, exams and minor day surgery, if necessary. This can be accomplished, as I said, with a simple two hour drive on a very good road over to Fort Nelson and they can be home the same day.
Many of the travellers are elderly and youth that require escorts. I really feel that this will even be a cost savings for our health care system. Also with the implementation of the electronic health system, I would say it would be easier to share health records, thereby addressing another concern that the Minister of Health and Social Services has had with working with the B.C. ministry of Health.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to a discussion on this during question period later today. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We see some very sad things happening in our communities. Today I am going to talk about the young man in Tuktoyaktuk who suffered for no good reason.
A few weeks ago he was badly beaten, was taken to the nursing station complaining that he couldn’t breathe, mainly because he was drinking, but they looked at him quickly and took him to the RCMP cells. All night he begged for help and he was ignored. After he was released, he went back to the nursing station on his own and was flown to Inuvik. In the two days that he was in Inuvik, no X-rays were taken and he was flown back home to Tuk but he was still having trouble breathing. The nurse in Tuk sent him back into Inuvik. It turned out, Mr. Speaker, that he had a punctured lung. They had to put a tube in him to drain the blood from his lungs.
This young man is now recovering, but that is more good luck than good work by our health services. He should have not been put in police cells the first night. He could have died. His condition should also have been identified in the first visit to the hospital in Inuvik. Instead he endured five flights between Tuk and Inuvik in a week, Mr. Speaker, before he was properly cared for in the Inuvik hospital. I am not sure how this happened and how such bad decisions were made.
I will be helping this young man and his family to file written complaints to the appropriate authorities. In the meantime, I want to stress to the Ministers of Health and Justice that sometimes citizens are treated more like animals than people, Mr. Speaker. We are lucky to have this young man that lived through this ordeal. Instances like this should never happen again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week the Minister of Health and Social Services indicated that the Executive Council agreed to rescind the 2007 policy changing supplementary health benefits. The House applauded this action. Today I wish to address next steps.
The Minister indicated in her statements that advancing work on revising elements of the Supp Health Policy will require varying levels of additional research and planning before implementation. This is a significant statement, one that reflects a longstanding message of many Members and committees that have dealt with this subject. I fully support this intent. The Minister said she will focus on modernization of the existing policy framework, develop policy proposals to require the use of third-party insurance and develop a pharmaceuticals strategy.
Most importantly, there is a commitment to get in place supplementary health coverage for those working poor not currently covered, and an expectation of a federal cost analysis of all measures will reveal savings to cover the costs of ensuring the working poor are covered. I fully support all of these. Again, Mr. Speaker, I am with the Minister on these fronts and will work to support advancing these goals. However, I wanted to offer some comments and cautions towards smooth and steady progress on these issues.
First, I want the Minister to recognize that when Members and committee offer comments and make recommendations, especially those made repeatedly, it will save time and energy to respond positively and thoroughly to that input. It may seem like causing a delay, but ultimately our goals are the same: timely implementation of cost-effective policy in this most important area of the health of our people and our families.
Secondly, bring proposals to committee for input as early as possible. We consider ourselves consensus partners here and a critical voice for the people. Committees will be meeting in the near future and should be considered as a first good opportunity to begin this process. When the Minister says she will move forward “as quickly as we can” or “immediately begin working with,” I want the Minister to have Members and our committees in the front of her mind as an automatic go-to partner.
Mr. Speaker, I usually appreciate the Minister’s decisions on supplementary health as recently elucidated and I look forward to a collaborative approach and making progress on this issue together, and, Mr. Speaker, I’ll be speaking on the respite policy later today. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to again speak today about respite care and the decision to cut the $250,000 required to fund the program.
Mr. Speaker, on Monday, after making a statement on respite care funding reductions, I had the opportunity to again question the Minister on how this decision was made, why this decision was made, where the money was going and ultimately who made the call to cut the funding. Judging by the response I received to my questions, the Minister seemed to have absolutely no clue in how to answer those questions about the cuts to respite care funding, except to say that health and social services is in a deficit situation.
Mr. Speaker, this is true. However, for the Minister to imply to me that this is the sole reason for the cut to respite care programming dollars is a solid indication that this Minister just does not seem to remember her solid support for respite care while a Regular Member, or her proposal to committee 18 months ago to fight deficits at our health authorities. What has happened since then, Mr. Speaker? Nothing, zero, not a thing to address the deficits that, I’ll remind the Minister, have been there since she became Minister in 2007.
Mr. Speaker, does the Minister not have a moral and ethical obligation to address the concerns like chronic underfunding, unfunded positions, medical travel deficits and the rising cost of equipment and supplies? These are not new issues. They need to be addressed, not used as a scapegoat to justify funding cuts to respite care programming. The bottom line is, is this is a clear dereliction of duty by this Minister. The problems have not been addressed, they’re not going to just go away, and in the case of the deficits at our health authorities, they’re getting much worse as the days go by. If it’s cuts to respite care today, Mr. Speaker, what is going to be coming tomorrow? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about the benefits of early intervention with people with autism.
The Autism Society of Canada is leading a partnership with organizations, including the federal government, to develop a national autism strategy. The purpose is to address research, funding issues, raise awareness for autism, and certainly lay out best practices for those people who care for their children and family members with autism. The strategy, I believe, can eventually lead to strengthened support for those individuals and families dealing with autism in the NWT.
As many people know, autism covers a spectrum of disorders: social impairment, communication difficulties and/or restrictive, repetitive and stereotypical behaviour. As everyone knows, early diagnosis is critical. Not just important, Mr. Speaker, absolutely fundamental. Because, correspondingly, early intervention allows for assistance and support of the children who we wish to lead into good lives as they grow into adults.
There is no cure for autism yet, although interventions and medications can treat some of the symptoms. With good intervention and, certainly, support, many of the autistic children growing into adults are able to be full contributors in their independent lives as adults, and that’s certainly a goal of many parents.
We must keep in mind every autistic child is different and needs different supports as they deem necessary. A child suffering from the symptoms of autism will likely need constant care, and lest we forget the impacts it has on the whole family, that would be mom, dad and, of course, the brothers and sisters. Homes may require renovations or additional safety features to prevent accidents, and should we never forget about the much needed respite services many of these parents need to ensure that their health is top of the list as well.
Many good services have been provided to help families in the city and in our North to help care for our children and families with autism. Keep in mind that it’s imperative that we do not neglect the parents again through the respite service process.
As always, more can be done, and I expect more should be done, for helping those families and individuals suffering with autism, because they need to be a full partner in the solution as we go forward.
Mr. Speaker, I will continue to be an ardent supporter of families who are dealing with the autism challenge, and I think this government needs to stand up and clearly show them their support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have about 238 adults in the Sahtu region that are 60 years and older. Some of these adults are considered elders in our communities.
Mr. Speaker, elders’ care in the Sahtu is severely lacking. Gone are the days of families taking care of their parents and grandparents on a full-time basis. Mr. Speaker, families need support to take care of their own in their own homes. However, this type of care puts a lot of pressure on families, because it speaks to the core values and beliefs of a family in our communities. It’s stressful as families have to take care of their own families, go to work, and are expected to be on call 24/7.
Today in our communities we are experiencing more and more changes that show little support to our elders, the very elders that endured extreme hardship and suffering so we can enjoy the type of life we have today. They did not give up on us, Mr. Speaker, and we should return the full payment.
Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the House that we have elders who need our care today. We have families who need our support. We have communities that want to keep their elders in their own homes.
Mr. Speaker, we need to have a special section within our health care system that meets the needs of our elders. The Foundation for Change document has several areas that should be implemented right away, Mr. Speaker. For example, having traditional foods served at Stanton Hospital, strengthening language services for our elders so that word for word is understood between the doctors and the elders are very clear; no more guessing, Mr. Speaker. More importantly, we need to examine our own beliefs and values towards taking care of our elders from a cultural perspective.
Mr. Speaker, one day, God willing, we may also take on the elders’ roles and hopefully not experience the types of issues that elders are facing today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I again today want to talk about health care programs and funding.
We’re all aware that funding for a valuable, well-used respite program is set to end next March. The impact has been discussed. It will adversely affect parents, but more so, in my mind, is the negative affect it will have on disabled children.
The respite program has provided socializing opportunities for these kids outside the home with their respite worker. They’ve been able to develop relationships with their worker and, more importantly perhaps, with other children.
Several parents have told me that advances in the social development of their child is absolutely because of the respite program. They have an opportunity to bond with and to relate to people who are not family members. The dynamic of such a relationship for an autistic child, for instance, cannot be underestimated.
The respite program run by the Yellowknife Association for Community Living has, to date, been funded by funds transferred to the GNWT by the Government of Canada. GNWT has provided the funds to the local health authority -- Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority in this case -- and they’ve chosen to have the program run by Yellowknife Association for Community Living.
I think we all understand at this point that the current federal funding used for this program was only intended to last until the end of March 2012. What is truly distressing, though, is the program funding is being discontinued one year short of that date. The Minister tells us the second year of the federal funding is to transition to a time when we will have no federal funding. Fair enough. But she has yet to show me a plan for the approximately $7.5 million funding that we will receive next year for 2011-12. Just what is the Minister and the department planning to use the 2011-12 federal funding for?
We hear much about the Foundation for Change but little on the detail of the changes being proposed. The Minister also seems to be telling us that most of the $7.5 million will go to the Foundation for Change. For what, I have to ask.
The Minister cannot expect Members and the public to keep on believing and trusting in her vague statements. We deserve more respect than that. Show us how the 2011-12 money will be spent and if you can’t do that soon, reinstate the measly $250,000 that the Yellowknife Association for Community Living program needs to operate this necessary and valuable program.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you can probably tell, this is a bit of a health theme day today and it has a special focus on the issue of respite care, which I want to say I am also very supportive of and recognize the vast importance it is for families who are caring for family members with disabilities or those who are aged. But, Mr. Speaker, I’m going to speak to the health care in the Northwest Territories in a more general sense.
Mr. Speaker, I’m thankful that we live in a jurisdiction that although our systems may be under pressure like all other jurisdictions, we have a government that recognizes health and social services as a priority that consumes over 25 percent of our entire territorial budget for a total amount of over $300 million. Although we attempted to address the needs of diverse communities in far-flung regions of our vast Territory, Mr. Speaker, we rise to those challenges.
Mr. Speaker, the North is a place where it is literally quite possible, when you have a need or an issue, to contact your elected representative or a health care provider at any time of the day or night, and that in many cases those people are not only known to you but you may also very well be known to them. This is an unusual and rare thing, Mr. Speaker, that no matter where you live, when you are in need of immediate or sustained care, no amount of cost will stand between you and the help that you need; that we have professional, responsive health care providers who are part of a network of services to address the health and social needs of Northerners; that we are not called upon to pay from our pockets when we are in need, nor is our need connected to our ability to pay or to our social condition.
Mr. Speaker, when we watch the news of the natural disasters, the wars, the poverty around our world, we see people with no access to health services or even the basic necessities of life. Some may say, well, big deal. This is Canada and we are not affected by such conditions. But, Mr. Speaker, the world is getting smaller all the time and as we see this, Mr. Speaker, although our jobs require us to raise issues in this House, of deficiency, I hope we never lose sight of how truly fortunate we are.
Mr. Speaker, closer to home in Hay River, I’m thankful that this government has seen fit to allocate funding for the start of a major project that will go to improve the quality of life for people in Hay River for many years to come in the form of a new health care facility.
Mr. Speaker, there’s always room for improvement and how we allocate our resources and how we collectively look for the best way to deliver programs and services to our people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will be talking about the delivery of care services in our communities.
Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie Delta riding I represent has some 35 individuals who were identified as disabled. Mr. Speaker, the special needs individuals, persons with disabilities and, more importantly, the elderly should be receiving this important care. In Fort McPherson alone, I have some 223 elders over the age of 60. Of that, 66 elders are over the age of 70 to the age of 97.
Mr. Speaker, families in our communities are having to take care of their loved ones on their own. Mr. Speaker, that is not the way programs and services should be delivered. In most cases, the individuals have to look for support elsewhere or have their loved ones sent to regional health centres such as Inuvik and the Joe Greenland Centre in Aklavik, which they call respite care. Mr. Speaker, that is no way to deal with the individuals of our society who should be getting the attention they deserve and the programs and services they require.
Again, it’s important to realize that the question of quality of life to all residents is critical to providing services throughout the Northwest Territories to ensure we are providing respite care services and other services in all our communities where people with disabilities and special needs are located and that they don’t have to be removed from their home communities to receive that care.
Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services on exactly what this government is doing to ensure we have adequate programs and services in all our communities. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize some constituents of the Great Slave riding: Heather Oliver who is a constituency assistant for Dennis Bevington, the MP for Western Arctic; John Williston, Peggy Moorhouse, Shawna Stange-Brown, and Elizabeth Purchase. There’s been a lot of turnover in the gallery, so if I missed anybody from the Great Slave riding, welcome, and enjoy the Legislature today.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to recognize the following students in the gallery today who are here as part of the Bring Your Child to Work Day. Sydney Friesen is a Grade 9 student from St. Pat’s and Cassidy Menard is a Grade 9 student from Sir John Franklin. Both are former Legislative Assembly Pages. Both are daughters of Legislative Assembly staff, Donna Friesen and Cheryl Menard.
Also in the gallery is Ryan Gould, who is a Grade 9 student from Sir John. He’s accompanied by his mother Jackie Gould, who’s here as a member of the Executive staff of the Legislative Assembly. Welcome to the gallery. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a constituent of mine from Tu Nedhe, William Buggins.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize the following constituents from Yellowknife south: Anne-Elizabeth Fauvel, Annie Strus, Charlotte Curtis, Chris Strus, Lois Burns, Pat Strus, Peter Taptoona, Tammy Krivda, Keeton Hardisty and Samantha Bohnet. Welcome to the gallery.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome all of the guests that we have here in the gallery today. In particular, I have a number of constituents that are in the gallery today that I’d like to recognize: Ms. Pamela Weeks-Beaton, president of the Yellowknife Association for Community Living; Anghus Beaton, Bridie Kennedy, Connor Beaton, Conrad Wright, Delaney Beaton, Erin Sawatzky, Gugan Sidhu, Mimi Kennedy, Narine Margaryan. As well, I’ve got other constituents I see up there; Joy Watt and Kerry King, as well I’d like to recognize city counsellor Lydia Bardak that’s with us. Welcome to everybody else. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.
