Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Deline Land Corporation and the Deline First Nation whose members have voted to ratify the Deline Final Self-Government Agreement.
For Deline, this is the culmination of 18 years of negotiations. This is an historic moment for the Sahtu Dene and Metis of Deline.
The Deline Final Self-Government Agreement is the first community-based self-government agreement in the Northwest Territories to be negotiated in a region that has an existing land claim agreement.
Now that Deline has ratified their self-government agreement, the Government of the Northwest Territories will begin its consideration on ratifying the final agreement.
In the coming weeks and months, I will look forward to bringing the final agreement through the Government of the Northwest Territories ratification process. The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to bringing the ratification process to completion in a timely manner.
I would like to acknowledge the work and dedication of the Deline self-government negotiating team in reaching this milestone, and thank the ratification committee for their work overseeing and conducting the ratification vote.
Northerners speaking and deciding for themselves has been a major priority of this government, Mr. Speaker. It is one of the principles behind devolution and one of the principles that we can see at work in this decision by the people of Deline.
A strong territory is founded on strong northern governments working together. This week the people of Deline have chosen a new, stronger role for themselves in our territory. I invite all Members to join me in congratulating them and I look forward to working with them and all community and regional Aboriginal governments to achieve our vision of a prosperous and sustainable Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is proud to support the NWT’s rich and varied NWT arts community through programs and initiatives delivered by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. It is estimated that 20 percent of our population is involved in some element of arts and crafts production.
It is through artistic expressions captured in film, books, music, painting, photography, performance, sculpture and crafts that our residents share their stories and the natural wonders of our territory with the world.
In particular, Mr. Speaker, it is the time-honoured and traditionally created Aboriginal crafts, clothing and art that define, in large part, our identity as NWT residents to Canada and the world:
beautifully beaded moccasins, gloves and accessories that portray the lineage and creativity of their designers;
caribou and moosehide jackets with brilliantly designed floral designs proudly worn by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people alike;
hand-crafted bark baskets sourced and created by the Dene from local birch trees;
stone, wood and bone carvings, moose hair tuftings, quill work and fur products that take their inspiration from the traditional knowledge and experiences of our territory’s Dene, Inuvialuit and Metis.
As access to our North grows, the demand for our unique NWT art products is also increasing and, so too, business and employment opportunities for all NWT artists.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to highlight for Members the official launch of the recently improved NWT Arts Program, a foundation for future marketing and promotional efforts for the NWT’s arts sector.
The NWT Arts Program offers a coordinated and multi-pronged approach to telling and promoting the stories of our registered NWT artists. Over the past four years, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has invested over $400,000 in this program, to strengthen and promote potential markets for this very important sector of our territory’s economy.
Our newly redesigned website enables visitors to learn about the diversity, value and authenticity of all NWT art and to connect with registered NWT artists, retailers and organizations.
The website also provides an extensive on-line library of artist profiles and NWT art, complete with professional images of the artists and their artwork. An on-line forum connects artists with each other.
Point-of-sale materials, educational brochures, and marketing materials, such as tags and stickers, are available at no cost for artists registered with the program. Meanwhile, a redefined branding program, supported by print and on-line advertising, is helping customers recognize and distinguish authentic NWT art in the marketplace.
Mr. Speaker, in the interest of increasing opportunities in the arts, the NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy recommends actions to establish a recognized and trusted branding program, a means to promote and protect NWT art in local, national and international markets and to increase the profile of both the NWT and its art by celebrating NWT artists as an element of our territory’s rich tourism product.
I am pleased to advise Members that the updated NWT Arts Program addresses these recommendations and will continue to increase economic opportunities in the NWT’s arts and fine crafts sector for years to come.
I encourage all Members to help spread the word about the new program to their local artists, to encourage access to the benefits and supports the program will provide. In doing so, we will help to build and strengthen the NWT’s unique and creative arts culture and continue to strengthen and diversify our economy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mr. Speaker, to achieve the vision and goals of the 17th Legislative Assembly and the Government of the Northwest Territories, we have, and require, employees who see challenges as opportunities, employees who value lifelong learning and employees who are engaged in becoming strong, capable leaders. To support employee learning, I am pleased to advise the Department of Human Resources has three new learning and development initiatives planned for 2014-15.
The first initiative is a Learning and Development Policy. This policy highlights that learning and development opportunities should be available to all employees consistent with their job functions, career aspirations and with learning and development plans undertaken as part of the performance appraisal process. It also identifies that some training, such as workplace safety, is mandatory for employees to reduce the government’s legal or financial risk.
The second initiative is a revised Leadership Development Program. This program was previously offered through a partnership with the University of Alberta. I am pleased to confirm that this partnership is again in place.
The Leadership Development Program continues to provide an academic perspective on leadership in the public service and incorporates competencies that are required in the GNWT workplace. A competency is a characteristic which enables people to deliver superior performance in a given job, role, or situation; they help focus on the characteristics that enable employees to consistently achieve high standards of performance. This program assists the GNWT in workforce planning by providing managers with opportunities to further enhance their existing management competencies and to prepare them for future roles and advancement within the public service.
The third initiative is the introduction of modules in a management training series. The modules feature a mix of mandatory and elective courses specific to the GNWT’s legislative, policy, financial and human resources framework. They also focus on skills needed to perform management duties. This training ensures managers have a consistent knowledge base regarding the GNWT framework, regardless of their occupational area. GNWT employees who are technical experts in their field will deliver the sessions.
Mr. Speaker, these learning and development initiatives help the GNWT fulfill its commitment made in 20/20: A Brilliant North – NWT Public Service Strategic Plan to value organizational and individual learning and develop employees to succeed in leadership roles and contribute to the Assembly’s goal of an effective and efficient government. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, this is an exciting time for the Northwest Territories. We are about to take a significant step in our economic and political development by acquiring new legislative authorities and jurisdiction over our lands and resources. The successful implementation of devolution is not simply a matter of transferring authority from one government to another. Equally important is retaining the experience and expertise of the regional federal employees who have been delivering these programs and services in the Northwest Territories. On April 1st, 132 regional Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada employees will be joining our public service. This represents an acceptance rate of almost 100 percent of federal employees who received job offers from the Government of the Northwest Territories.
We look forward to welcoming these new employees to our public service. We already know them; they are our neighbors, friends and many of them have already been working very closely with their colleagues in the Government of the Northwest Territories to prepare for devolution. Soon we will be working together under one roof with the common purpose of responsibly managing the Northwest Territories lands and natural resources according to northern priorities and values.
Mr. Speaker, it has taken a tremendous amount of work to prepare for the transition that will occur on April 1, 2014. Yesterday we recognized the many contributions of Government of the Northwest Territories employees who are readying our government to accept and meaningfully implement these responsibilities.
It is equally important to recognize the collaboration, cooperation and hard work accomplished by federal employees, both in the region and in Ottawa. We knew from the start that we could not achieve a successful transition on our own. It has taken commitment, teamwork, patience and perseverance on all sides to get us to April 1, 2014.
Please join me in thanking the federal public servants, both those who are joining us and those who worked with us, to prepare for devolution. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Robert C. McLeod will be absent from the House today to attend to a personal matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Junior kindergarten, or JK, is becoming our worst fear before the first child is in place. Putting preschoolers at desks, plans to merge them with kindergarten and grades 1, 2 and 3, in some communities; developing a combined curriculum for both JK and kindergarten that fails to distinguish developmentally between four and five-year-olds; JK start-ups before fully trained childhood educators are in place, as if study after study after study has not identified the essential need for high quality programs, at the risk of allowing an achievement gap that can last a lifetime.
Rather than support the existing community services currently available for four-year-olds across the NWT, ECE is saying too bad, we’ll give you a few bucks for toys and you’re switched to two and three-year-olds. Instead, we should be focusing on zero to three early childhood development where the desperate need for addressing the achievement gap in early childhood development is many times that of at four years of age.
We’ve heard this week about the hollow communication ECE has with the Aboriginal Head Start staff. Let’s collaborate, they say, as they crush and render uneconomic these and similar services, as if a few toys make an ECD Program and care provider for children zero to three. You do it, ECE says to these current providers for four-year-olds. We’ll take over the easy stuff.
Jack Shonkoff, a leading early childhood development scientist in North America, says, while JK is better than starting at age five, by age four children are so old in terms of brain development that the big opportunities are lost. Much more critical are the ages zero to three and specifically working with the adults who provide care for these very young children.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Doing in the good services communities have already developed for four-year-olds, ignoring the biggest needs for an early childhood development focus on ages zero to three and their adult caregivers and trying to shift early years responsibilities to providers of four-year-old programs who are inadequately staffed, funded and prepared for younger children is irresponsible. Where is the leadership, the vision? Where is the common sense to follow the clear direction researchers are laying out?
For the life of me, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to weigh in on where Mr. Bromley left off, but from a little bit of a different angle on junior kindergarten.
Throughout my time as a Member for Range Lake, I’ve been an unwavering advocate of early childhood development programs. We all know that junior kindergarten is just one component in the ECD Action Plan and I support this government’s decision to bring it on. But I take issue with the government’s method on how we’re paying for it.
Junior kindergarten will roll out across the Northwest Territories beginning with small communities in 2014, followed by regional centres in 2015 and, finally, Yellowknife in 2016. There will be no injection of new money in the system. Instead, select district education authority councils, or DEAs, will be forced to do more with less.
Yellowknife boards will be the first to take the hit. Next year their budgets will decrease by hundreds of thousands of dollars to subsidize the junior kindergarten rollout happening elsewhere, and as a side effect, Yellowknife class sizes will expand and the quality of programs may diminish.
The Minister has stated that Yellowknife boards have a surplus, but it’s important to know that these funds are raised, at least in part, through taxes on city ratepayers. I guarantee the JK rollout will jeopardize the fiscal equilibrium of Yellowknife boards, forcing increases to mill rates. Let me remind you, leaning excessively on Yellowknife ratepayers doesn’t pass any fairness test I can think of.
With this move, the government is up to its old tricks, Mr. Speaker. One only needs to look back in 2012 when a substantial sum was reallocated from inclusive schooling to ECD programs and the Yellowknife boards were forced to pony up.
It’s unwise and even counterproductive to penalize any school board that engages in sound fiscal management. Poaching from hard-earned cash surpluses only breeds resentment. With no infusion of new money, is it fair to expect the DEAs to offer 14 grades of education for 13 grade dollars? It may be legal to adjust the pupil-teacher ratio, but at the end of the day the burden will be borne by our children.
I must return to my first point. Junior kindergarten makes good sense, but this government has yet again singled out a handful of DEAs, mainly ones with a tax base, to fund activities in small communities.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
When the education renewal action plan is finally tabled, I’ll be watching to see if it receives the infusion of new money it deserves.
This government’s re-profiling antics have to cease. Mr. Speaker, there is no more blood in these stones. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is our last day of session before April 1, 2014, the last day in this House before a very significant day and date in the history of the NWT, and I don’t mean April Fool’s Day, Mr. Speaker.
On April 1, 2014, we will receive control over our lands and resources. That power will be devolved from the federal government to the NWT government. It is indeed an historic date, one which will be remembered and celebrated in the future.
It’s been a long time coming – decades, in fact – and this transfer is the result of the hard work of many, many people, GNWT staff in particular. Some are still with government; others have retired or moved on. Regardless, they are all owed a huge thank you.
As legislators, we provide direction and then turn it over to staff, who slog their way through the details of negotiating of agreements, the analysis of the coming change, the organization of countless meetings. Without our staff providing backup, logistics, briefing notes, advice and countless other things, devolution would not be happening.
Credit must also go to Premier McLeod and his Cabinet, and to his office for the work done to draw Aboriginal governments into the devolution fold. That work is not easy and it required serious and prolonged commitment to engage and understand our partner governments. I hope to soon see the last couple of governments sign on to the Devolution Agreement.
I did not think in 2007, when I ran for office and was elected, that I would see devolution in my time here, and I’m very glad to be proved wrong. April 1st marks a milestone in the history of the NWT and an indication of our maturing as a Canadian jurisdiction. I’m honoured to be part of this historic event and I look forward to celebrating it with the Premier on April 1st. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There’s more and more concern about cancer in the communities of Nahendeh. People believe that the rate of cancer is increasing. That alone should tell us that more support is needed in our small communities. More information is needed along with better support for people who do have cancer. Some sharing circles have been held and that is a good thing. More sharing circles for families should take place so that there is consistency in this form of support.
I have seen the numbers in the recent report on cancer in the Northwest Territories and it doesn’t look like they have gone up very much, and I am glad of that, but it doesn’t mean that there’s no cause for alarm.
I see, for example, that the mortality rate, people that are dying from all cancers over the latest 10-year period was one and a half times higher for Dene people than non-Aboriginal people in the Northwest Territories. That’s quite a scary number and it confirms what my constituents say, that we are losing way too many people to cancer.
This shows the need for earlier screening for cancer, especially among older people. I know that generally more screening has been taking place in recent years and I do fully support that, it’s just that more needs to be done. Even for screening there are some inconsistencies. Screening for cervical cancer has shown great results, but of late, screening for it has declined somewhat in every size of community. We need to turn that around so we don’t lose ground against cervical cancer. Screening for colorectal cancer has been increasing and that’s great, but again, I see that the rate of screening is lowest among Dene, Inuit and Metis in small communities. Something has to be done about that. It’s just not right. If screening is not done, it is much harder to detect cancer early enough to cure people, plain and simple.
I am also concerned about the continuity of care. I know of patients in Nahendeh where follow-up did not take place. Somehow the tracking system is not working 100 percent of the time. There is just no excuse for that. We’re talking about treatment that is necessary to save people’s lives; there can be no more failures to follow up with these patients.
These issues alone are a good enough reason for nursing solutions in our small communities. Our people deserve the best quality health care in all the communities. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I continue to be concerned for the everyday working family. In most cases that family is trying to struggle to get by each and every single day, but the problems, as I see it, continue to point towards this government’s inaction when it comes to using the leverage before it. If anything, they’re not taking the responsibility they should. So this government continues to watch the everyday family struggle through their normal course of trying to get by rather than reaching for those levers to do something. That could be more described as inaction than action.
Here are some examples. According to Petro Canada, who some may say is a small, little business that might know something about the petroleum industry, and they say, in 2012 taxes in Canada represented an average of 39.9 cents per litre, which is approximately 31 percent of the price at the pump, when you do the math. So how does that work out here in the Yellowknife region? Well, the rack price, as a matter of a fact this morning, out of Hay River, showed that gasoline is sold at 91.2 cents per litre. If you use Petro Canada’s figures, again, accepting that they might know a thing or two about pricing on fuel, that brings us down to $1.19 per litre. So if you work with that range, that’s about 19 cents difference than the pumps on the ground here in Yellowknife.
In talking to Dan McTegue, again, a recognized expert in the industry of fuel pricing across Canada, he had said and predicted that the price in Yellowknife should fall in the range between $1.18 to $1.22 per litre. Again, about 20 cents difference from what you can buy it at the pump.
Now, some will say in Vancouver it’s about the same price as it is here in Yellowknife so why are you complaining. That’s an interesting point, but I think in some ways they’re missing the bigger picture. The bigger picture also needs to include the fact that the state also adds carbon tax, higher provincial tax and even, in some cases, transit tax. So are they really the same prices at the pump?
We need full disclosure and that’s why we need to have our consumer affairs division look closely at these things, but that’s not the only example of concern. What about pricing on cell phone bills and our contracts? We enjoy national partners working in our territory, but are we really enjoying national prices?
Lastly, I’ll provide an example of payday loans. Are we truly getting the scrutiny and fairness provided to those who are most at risk accessing those options of life? Are they being treated fairly? They need to be regulated.
I will have questions for somebody later today about these consumer affairs issues we need stepping up on. We’re missing an opportunity to protect the everyday working family. That needs to be done.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to proudly recognize a few of my constituents that will be representing Fort Providence in the Northwest Territories during this Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Michael Leishman is a high school teacher who will be chaperoning four students of Fort Providence and will be attending the Arctic Winter Games. He’s also one of the coaches who will be coaching the table tennis tournaments.
Christina Bonnetrouge, 16, is in Grade 10. She will be trying out for the juvenile women’s badminton. Christina has always been in sports. One of her favourite sports is soccer.
Spencer Bonnetrouge, 17, is in Grade 12. He’ll be playing in the junior men’s badminton. Spencer has played hockey and soccer as long as he can remember.
Nathaniel Minoza, 17, will be trying out in the junior men’s table tennis.
Mikaela Vandell, 15, will also try to win a medal in the juvenile women’s table tennis.
These students are very excited and this will be their first time going to the Arctic Winter Games. Good luck to them all, and I hope they can bring back home a medal.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Excitement is in the air in the Mackenzie Delta. A lot of athletes are getting very excited to travel to Fairbanks, Alaska, for the Arctic Winter Games. I’d like to wish them all well, and all their support, their parents and guardians that will be travelling with them as well. I wish them all safe travels and I hope you get a lot of golden ulus and meet a lot of friends out there. We wish you all the best.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, as well, would like to wish good luck to all of our athletes from the Northwest Territories that are going to the Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks. I wish we could all be there with you, but I think there will be a very good contingent from the Northwest Territories, and I have also been seeing all the posts and all the excitement of the athletes and the parents and the coaches and the volunteers. It is indeed an exciting time, and I expect a good report, but most of all, I think that everybody will have fun and enjoy themselves and ulus will be a bonus, but of course, we are all competitive, right? It will be good for them to bring home some ulus. I don’t have every name of every person going. I believe my colleague Mr. Bouchard shared those earlier this week, but I wanted to join my voice in saying, Go Team NWT!
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Mr. Nadli.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that Committee Report 5-17(5), Report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations on the Review of the 2012-2013 Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission Annual Report, be deemed read and printed in Hansard in its entirety.
The motion is in order.
Question.
Question has been called. The motion is carried.
---Carried
Mr. Nadli.
