Mr. Speaker: I am pleased to report that earlier this month the Territorial Court of the Northwest Territories launched the Wellness Court, supported by a new Department of Justice Wellness Court Program.
The Wellness Court is an alternative to conventional court that focuses on the offender rather than the offence. This court, and the supporting program, provides intensive supervision and targeted programing for chronic offenders who have mental health issues, addictions or cognitive challenges that contribute to their criminal behaviour. With this program we hope to help offenders develop a healthier life and move away from re-offending.
In a conventional court, a person who is charged comes before a judge who will look at the offence, listen to all the evidence and make a ruling based on the case and information before them.
In the Wellness Court, a person who is charged also comes before a judge, but their sentencing is delayed so that they can participate in the Wellness Court Program. In this program, a case manager and team provide intensive support and supervision to the offender as they work to make positive changes. The team helps them access services such as housing and income support as well as mental health and addiction programs.
To participate in the Wellness Court and its associated programs, the accused must be ready to make changes in their life, accept responsibility for their actions and plead guilty to at least one charge. The defense lawyer will work with the accused and the Crown prosecutor to see if the case can be
referred to the Wellness Court. If referred, a case manager will assess the accused to determine suitability with the program. If accepted, an individual wellness plan will be developed.
While completing their wellness plan, the offender must maintain this commitment to change and appear regularly before the judge who will oversee the entire process. During this phase, the case manager and team provide intensive supervision and support to the individual.
Offenders who participate in this program are subject to conditions to guide them. If they break these conditions, they will return to the court for sentencing unless they work with their case manager to remain in the program.
If they complete their plan, the offender will appear before the judge for sentencing, taking into consideration the work and progress they have made in the Wellness Court Program. After sentencing, the team will arrange after-care to ensure continued support for the offender.
Mr. Speaker, by having a person accept responsibility for their actions and supporting them as they do the hard work necessary for change, specialized courts in other jurisdictions have demonstrated chronic offenders can not only succeed but can successfully change their behaviours. We have seen success through the Domestic Violence Treatment Option Court, and we expect similar success from the Wellness Court.
The Territorial Court is critical in the implementation and operation of this specialized court. Without this, the Wellness Court and supporting program would not have been possible.
The department has also worked very closely with the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority and the Department of Health and Social Services in setting up the Wellness Court Program. The RCMP, Legal Services Board, the NWT Bar and staff from the Public Prosecution Service of Canada have also made important contributions.
Mr. Speaker, our thanks go out to each of these partners for the role they played in the development of this project and will continue to play to ensure the success of the Wellness Court. This is a new initiative and we expect that both the court and the supporting program will evolve over time.
Our government is committed to ensuring that NWT residents get the programs and services they need to be healthy, educated and self-reliant. This alternative form of justice is another positive step towards giving people the tools they need to make good choices for themselves that will help us to reduce crime and build safer communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.
[English translation not provided.] Mr. Speaker, building a safe and effective transportation system is vital to support the development of a sustainable economy and meeting the social needs of NWT residents. Goals identified by Members of the 17th Assembly express the significance of improving transportation services across the NWT to reduce the cost of living in communities and to create employment and business opportunities for residents.
To this end, the Department of Transportation is updating its NWT Transportation Strategy to guide further development of our integrated air, road, rail and marine systems over the next 25 years. I am pleased to report that we have made significant progress on this initiative.
The new strategy will update the first territory-wide multi-modal Transportation Strategy completed in 1990. Much has been accomplished in the 25 years since the first strategy was released and we know that our transportation system will continue to evolve significantly over the next 25 years. We are preparing for the future by considering what challenges and opportunities lay ahead of us and where our priorities are best placed to benefit all Northerners.
But our priorities can’t be placed without first hearing from the people who live and work here. That is why the Department of Transportation has been busy this past summer and fall gathering perspectives on the transportation system from stakeholders across the territory.
In June the department launched an online survey that gave residents the opportunity to submit comments on transportation services and related areas, including support for economic development and protection of the environment.
Mr. Speaker, the strong level of public interest in our transportation network was evident. The department received over 500 responses to the survey from residents and other transportation stakeholders. I would like to thank everyone for their participation.
We also met with key stakeholder organizations from within the NWT and from southern Canada who conduct business in the North to hear their concerns and ideas. These meetings confirmed the strong role that transportation plays in supporting industries and organizations that provide essential services to our residents and contribute to economic growth for our territory.
The department also conducted interviews with NWT political leaders, including MLAs and Aboriginal leaders, to hear their thoughts on priorities for transportation in the North.
Staff from the department have read and reviewed every single one of the responses to the online survey. Those responses along with the information gathered from stakeholder meetings and interviews with political leaders will inform the development of the updated strategy. Other GNWT strategies, such as the Economic Opportunities Strategy and the Mineral Development Strategy, have been reviewed to ensure our government is focused and our priorities coordinated.
Mr. Speaker, managing the growth and development of all parts of the NWT’s transportation system is essential to long-term and sustainable prosperity for our residents. A comprehensive multi-modal strategy that considers safety, the environment, economic development, and social needs alongside current and future infrastructure investment needs will be a critical tool for us.
Once the strategy has been drafted, we will again be calling upon residents to ensure that we have clearly heard and reflected their ideas. Public meetings will be held in regional centres this winter to review the draft and determine if there are additional priorities to consider. I encourage Northerners to take part with the same level of enthusiasm that we saw with the online survey and to once again ensure their voices are heard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment’s work to promote and preserve the culture, heritage and languages of the NWT.
As a northern people, our culture is rooted in the land and created in the places where we live and practice our daily lives. Northern culture is unique, woven together from our diverse experiences and incorporates our heritage, stories, spirituality, traditional knowledge, languages and creativity.
Mr. Speaker, ECE is entrusted with the crucial role of ensuring our languages, culture and heritage are transmitted to future generations.
To ensure we fulfill that trust, ECE is developing a government-wide, 10-year Culture and Heritage Strategic Framework. This initiative will focus the GNWT’s work around a set of common culture and heritage priorities for the next decade and was mandated by the Premier. Aboriginal governments, multicultural and heritage organizations, youth, elders, artists and many other partners will be involved in helping us develop the framework. A draft framework is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2015, followed by an action plan.
Mr. Speaker, our goal is not to duplicate strategies but find common themes between them that will let us better coordinate our efforts in many related areas. For example, the priorities identified in the NWT Arts Strategy will inform our work towards a broader framework. Likewise, we hope to work with groups like the NWT Arts Council and the Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute to create a framework that builds on our individual efforts and supports our shared purpose of promoting NWT culture and heritage.
Mr. Speaker, as you know, one of our initiatives is the Culture and Heritage Circle, established in 2011 to recognize those who have contributed to preserving and promoting the arts, cultures and heritage in our territory. At a celebration earlier today, we honoured this year’s recipients: Camilla Tutcho, Elder category; Rene Fumoleau: Individual; Janelle Nitsiza, Youth; Foster Family Coalition of the NWT, Group; and Deninu K’ue First Nation, Minister’s Choice category. I look forward to recognizing the recipients in the gallery later today.
Congratulations to all of you and the valuable contributions you have made to the cultures and heritage of the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Sahtu got world-wide attention when major oil companies won exploration record bids for the vast hectares of land surrounding Norman Wells, Tulita and, recently, Fort Good Hope. To the Sahtu people, this area is our home and our land, but to most of the world it’s a remote frontier region yet to be developed, waiting to be tapped.
Between 2012 and 2014, the Government of the Northwest Territories conducted a needs assessment to determine the employment needs and job opportunities related to oil and gas exploration and looked at its impact on government, business and other organizations in the Sahtu. The findings of the assessment are key to managing the resources we have and making sure the benefits go to our people. The Sahtu labour force is about 1,200 people, and just about two-thirds of them have jobs. If development goes ahead, there will be opportunities for rig workers, certified tradespeople and people with advanced technical and professional skills.
We need project managers, administrators, safety operators, cat operators, wildlife monitors, truck drivers and heavy equipment operators. Industry, business, government and other stakeholders all say the same thing: people need life skills and job readiness training, literacy skills, a driver’s licence and a quality high school diploma in order to get jobs, and they need affordable houses and the lower cost of living to stay and work in the Sahtu.
The government needs to find ways to invest in developing the workforce in the Sahtu and all the Northwest Territories. We need to act on the findings of this assessment and create an environment that is good for all professional skill development, and we need to act now.
This statement is the first of a three-part series about the Sahtu oil and gas needs assessment. I want to challenge Members of this House and the people of the Northwest Territories to get ready for this development. Now is our chance to make the best decisions for the Northwest Territories and for the people of the Sahtu. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For some time there hasn’t been an Aboriginal wellness coordinator at the North Slave Correctional Centre, and it’s been my understanding that this position has been vacant this summer as of June 3rd.
Being someone who is actually familiar with the Correctional Centre by working there only, I actually am familiar of how critical this cultural-appropriate programming is to the healing and rehabilitation of many. It’s important that we have relevant programming that is meaningful for those who are seeking help. With this position vacant, people are not getting the treatment that they certainly need.
We need to be part of the solution for productive choices. This Aboriginal wellness coordinator position is key to the success of many getting back into their lives, back into the world with the best step forward.
This programming, in my view, is certainly important and I hope the Department of Justice sees it as well. So, it is important in some views, because from the latest information I’ve received, it was important enough for the department to build a spiritual lodge that they built some time ago, a woodshed that’s also a sweat lodge, fire feeding and talking circle and even a gazebo. Wow! Who thought that would be so hard to say? Even a gazebo, Mr. Speaker.
When it comes to corrections, the judiciary has already sentenced them, so the state has passed judgment. So what I’m saying here is let us not pass further judgment by not giving people the appropriate supports and programs they need.
The system has chosen which path they need to take, but it’s certainly our duty to ensure that they receive the help that they need. If we expect them to return to society properly, we must ensure we give them every chance and every skill through productive choices. I believe this counselling is important, if not absolutely critical, to help them on the right path.
Again, as I remember working there in the centre, many people benefitted from this. I’ll be honest; not everyone does, because not everyone believes in it. But for those who suffer from mental illness, to addictions, to anger management things, these are the types of supports that are critical to help them back on the path.
We cannot give up; we should not give up. I believe in the hope that this program gives. I certainly hope the department and I certainly hope the Minister feels exactly how I feel too. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last number of years, we have been lobbying for an all-weather road to Willow River gravel source in Aklavik. I would like to thank the department for their contributions over the years. Last year the community received enough funds to purchase a bridge for Willow River, which is now located in Inuvik.
By January, the plans are to haul the bridge to the site at Willow River and, with adequate funding, put the bridge in place for use in the future.
Mr. Speaker, the community would like to shift the focus from an all-weather road to an all-terrain vehicle trail to be used by the community members, which can be made wide enough for a winter road during the winter months, Mr. Speaker.
I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. On Monday, October 27, 2014, the Minister of Justice said, in a CBC interview, that the Gameti and Wrigley RCMP detachments are postponed indefinitely. Seven years ago there was a commitment that the GNWT would build new detachments in those communities. As MLA for Nahendeh and the community of Wrigley, this is shocking news for me and my constituents.
This session we are deliberating and debating the capital plan for the GNWT. I believe that at the very least these two detachments be included in our 20-year capital needs assessment plan. I can’t see how this could be overlooked, especially when the needs are great and we made the business case for the establishment of the RCMP detachment. Even residents in our small communities deserve the full attention of public safety. Statistically, these two communities get plagued by crime. The early lobbying efforts did pay off. We did get dedicated RCMP officers in the regional centres to make regular and almost weekly visits. Residents were awaiting the full-time service.
Also in Wrigley, I made the case that with the return of the RCMP officers and detachment to Wrigley, the certainty of full-time nursing was guaranteed.
I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Okay, I’ve got two and a half minutes here.
---Laughter
At this time of year, I sometimes turn my mind towards the anniversary of when I came to Hay River. It was November 4th forty years ago this November when my parents took me to the Union Station in Toronto and dropped me off. I arrived in Hay River on November 7th and the next day I turned 18, so you do the math.
Mr. Speaker, I chose Hay River and I have to tell you I didn’t have any post-secondary education and I wasn’t a great student. I was not voted the most likely to succeed when I left my high school, but I came to Hay River and what I did find was a community of people that didn’t wear their position, their wealth, their education or their achievement like a badge, much like the community where I had grown up, unfortunately.
Before long, I had three jobs. The morals and values instilled in me by my upbringing by my parents kept me on the straight and narrow, so I didn’t waste any time being bad. It wasn’t long before I found all kinds of things to help out with in the community. Community service is like any other kind of service. You see a need, and if you can help, you help. I’m not going to list off my biography here today, but let’s just say there were many opportunities everywhere to get involved in the life of a small town.
I’m here to say that opportunities to help, to get involved, to serve are everywhere if you choose to see them. When I hear about people’s aspirations to get involved in elected leadership campaign, schools, et cetera, may I be so bold as to suggest that the best way to know the issues to know your community, to learn about leadership, is to serve. You know that saying that says, sing like no one’s listening and you’ll sing in the shower like no one’s listening. I say, serve like no one’s watching. It’s the best training ground for leadership. It helps you, it helps others and the job openings are endless.
I made a decision at that young age of 17 to come north, my home for the last 40 years. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. As we embark on this final year of this Legislative Assembly, the 17th Legislative Assembly, people will be turning their minds towards coming elections and whether they would like to serve, and I just challenge them. If you want to be a leader, serve, get involved in your community in any way you can. It will stand you in good stead for everything you do. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later today in Hay River there will be a group of people getting together for the sixth season premiere of Ice Pilots, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
I would like to give congratulations to Mike McBryan, who’s idea it was to get history on board and presented this to them over six years ago. I would like to congratulate the McBryan family, Buffalo Airways.
It’s been six years, Mr. Speaker, and we’re going to see the repercussions of this film and TV show for years to come. We know this program is being launched in many different countries. Some of them are starting back with episode one just this year. We’re going to continue to see, my colleague and I, when we travel on Buffalo Airways, people from all over the world who come to see Buffalo Airways to see a DC-3 and be able to fly on one, Mr. Speaker.
This is just one of the opportunities that have been created by the film industry in the Northwest Territories. Last month my colleague Mrs. Groenewegen and I were able to attend another premiere of Andrew Stanley’s 10-part series on trapping in the Northwest Territories. We have great benefits from this film industry and we need to continue to invest in the film industry. It will promote the North; put the North on the map in Canada and throughout the world.
Later on I will have questions for the Minister of ITI and where we’re going with the film industry support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Three times in the 16th Assembly I spoke in this House for the need for the NWT to have an impartial arbiter, an ombudsman, to assist our residents with a dispute or a disagreement so they can avoid having to go to court to settle it.
The NWT is one of only three jurisdictions in Canada without one. This year, after much work by committee and staff, the Standing Committee on Government Operations on June 5th released a report which outlines the pros and cons of establishing an ombudsman office in the NWT. Such an office would act as an independent, impartial office with powers to investigate complaints of government wrongdoing from members of the public.
The standing committee report determines that public need for an ombudsman outweighs concerns about cost and it cites devolution as a major new development. Let me quote a few passages from the report. “Never before has the territorial government been more complex or sophisticated. Never before has the need for an ombudsman been greater,” the report states.
The report goes on to say, “The sheer number and complexity of the various tribunals and processes can contribute to citizens’ perceptions of powerlessness and unfairness.”
Mr. Speaker, an NWT ombudsman office would likely not have any powers to reverse government decisions, but it would be an avenue of last resort for the public, one that is impartial, free and easily accessible, as stated in the report.
That report was an important first step to ignite a proper debate on this issue. The concerns about expense and bureaucratic complexity need to be weighed against the need for a one-size-fits-all office of appeal.
Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I provide some food for thought. The following is a quote from Chief Justice Milvain of the Supreme Court of Alberta in speaking about the 1970 Alberta Ombudsman Act. “As an ultimate objective, the ombudsman can bring to the Legislature his observations on the misworking of administrative legislation. He can also focus the light of publicity on his concern as to injustices and needed change. He can bring the lamp of scrutiny to otherwise dark places, even over the resistance of those who would draw the blinds. If his scrutiny and observations are well founded, corrective measures can be undertaken in due democratic process, if not, no harm can be done in looking at that which is good.”
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
That is an excellent description of what an ombudsman can do, and I invite Members in this House and members of the public to provide their input on the need for an ombudsman. There will be a public town hall meeting this coming Monday, November 3rd, in the Great Hall here in the Legislative Assembly, 7:00 p.m. I invite all members of the public and these Members to come and provide their views and hear what the ombudsman from Ontario has to say. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the NWT the number of people with breast cancer is in the hundreds. Of all NWT women diagnosed with cancer, over one-third have breast cancer. Nationwide, this type of cancer will affect about 11 percent of women during their lifetime.
The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation encourages everyone to practice breast awareness, to know how your breasts normally look and feel so that you notice any unusual changes early and discuss your concerns with your health care provider.
Over the past 20 years, survival rates have steadily improved. The reason is early detection and better treatment. In Canada the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is 88 percent. So that’s very good news. On the downside, Aboriginal women are less likely to be screened for breast cancer. So, in terms of reaching Dene, Inuit and Metis women, there’s room for improvement.
Screening is the very best way to identify cancer at the early stage, so increasing the proportion of Aboriginal women who receive mammograms is crucial for improving public health.
Another downside is the popular myth that men don’t get breast cancer. In fact, men can develop breast cancer. Of course, the risk is very low, but breast cancer in men isn’t well-understood and is stigmatized. Men often feel embarrassed about a breast cancer diagnosis because it’s thought of as a woman’s disease. Men should be encouraged to discuss any unusual changes in their breasts with their health care provider.
Underlying all of this is one basic fact: lifestyle plays the biggest casual role in the development of breast cancer. Things like the quality of a person’s diet, how much exercise they get, whether they smoke and how much alcohol they consume. So, a double-barreled strategy is required. On the one hand, proper screening and, on the other hand, long-term prevention efforts through improved lifestyle.
At the appropriate time, I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At long last, through their locally elected representatives and the government they direct, the people of the Northwest Territories have control over Territorial lands. The Land Minister’s recent announcement of his intent to develop a recreational leasing policy, perhaps even with teeth, is welcome.
In the absence of a transparent and publicly reviewed process on recreational leasing in the past, the public has been seeing ongoing loss of the commons, rewards to those who occupy lands illegally, a helter-skelter policy of leasing by the federal government and the turning of a blind government eye with lack of resources, intent or commitment to enforce either law or regulations on recreational land leases. Those following government rules have been penalized with no access to land.
Not surprisingly, the public has questions. Given past trends to the contrary, will there be a clear and transparent process that provides equal and fair opportunity for access to all? The Minister has recognized the unique role of Aboriginal governments and committed to ensuring Aboriginal governments the clear opportunity for reserving land. Will the general public have an equal opportunity for input on the protection of the commons for everyone?
Closely related, there’s a huge ongoing gap between the fact of a moratorium on leasing and its enforcement. Constituents report an ongoing and frequent illegal occupancy of land by squatters, yet despite having lists of legal leases, the department has no complete inventory of occupancy, legal or illegal, on Territorial lands, and the Minister has told me he can’t possibly afford to do one. Given this, some other cost-effective method is needed to build the inventory required for land management.
I suggest that the public has the motivation, the ability and the GPS technology, everyday technology now, to contribute coordinates of land occupants in almost all areas of interest. Lands could easily accept these reports, cross-reference them to existing legal leases and compile a comprehensive list of sites to inspect and establish legitimacy of occupancy. Squatters could then be dealt with. We can’t manage what we can’t measure. We need an inventory.
Despite raising these issues repeatedly in the past, and commitments he’s recently made, the Minister’s plans on these issues remains unknown. Government’s failure and…
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
Government’s failure to listen to the public has slowed the process tremendously and caused expensive and repeated re-workings of policy that never got implemented. The people on the land suffer the consequences, and we know it is expensive as well. There is an opportunity to do better, and I know this Minister has good intentions. It will require full participation of my colleagues and the public to achieve that.
Mr. Speaker, I will have questions. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have stood up in this House many times to talk about drug dealers and the bootleggers in the communities and what this government is doing to curb the activity and the harm that they do to our residents of the Northwest Territories.
I want to take it one step further today and I want to talk about what this government is doing in terms of creating a proceeds of crime legislation, such as a Civil Forfeitures Act, like the provinces of BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec. What this act would do is freeze, take possession of or forfeit any property that’s used in these illegal activities. We can freeze buildings, businesses where some of these activities are taking place, take over skidoos, boats, vehicles that are used in transportation of drugs or alcohol.
I would like to, at this time, also commend what the RCMP and the people of the Sahtu are doing in terms of all these drug busts and also with the seizure of all the bootlegging and all the alcohol.
Mr. Speaker, I want to share some statistics with you in terms of what’s happening in some of the other jurisdictions. I found a nice report here. In Ontario, from November 2003 to July 2007, in 170 cases $3.6 million in property was forfeited, $11.5 million in property frozen, $1 million distributed to victims and more than $900,000 awarded in grants to help prevent victimization.
The assets that would be forfeited could go to compensating these victims, compensating businesses, compensating the community. It could go into grants such as for community programs. It could go to students who are trying to go to school. It can be given out as donations.
Like I said, I have stood up in this House many times and talked about the bootleggers, drug dealers and the harm that they do to our communities. I want to see this government take that one step further and look at creating legislation so that the bootleggers and drug dealers who continue to do these types of crimes, we can start taking their assets so that they don’t have that opportunity to transport alcohol to the communities or transport drugs to the communities. I want to know what this government is doing to disable these types of things that are going on in the communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Medical Travel Policy was first established almost 25 years ago, so without question, it is in dire need of modernizing. In essence, we need a more responsive and effective way to manage this program.
Since 1998, when there was a proposed attempt at revisions, and since then, the department and all past governments have failed to live up to this obligation of change, and even went as far as to mislead the Auditor General of Canada in a 2010 report in promising immediate change.
This policy has not been transparent or accountable to the public or to Members of this House. There has been no attempt at revisions for this policy to have the proper recording mechanism or an effective appeal process for its users. In several reviews there was a cited need and recommendation of a standard NWT operating manual, yet this has fallen to the platitude of reigning leadership over the years.
Finally, there has been an overall lack of monitoring of the administration of the program, and this gap has been clearly established in several reviews and yet nothing has been done.
Where has been the accountability and transparency for the people it serves? It is abundantly clear, we are facing a wall of worry in our finances and we need to make and take every opportunity to streamline our services and to facilitate the modernization in patient care.
Mr. Speaker, I ask you again, where is this government on containing the ballooning costs of medical travel and creating efficiencies for our residents? Will this be another failed year of this department’s lack of effort, or will you finally see this promise fulfilled?
I leave this to its Minister and to its department to answer for the House and for the people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize some of the recipients of this year’s Culture and Heritage Circle Award here with us in the gallery, along with their guests as well.
First is Rene Fumoleau who is here with us in the Individual award category, along with his guest, Pat Braden. The Elder award is Camilla Tutcho with a guest of Tina Tutcho. Also, in the Youth category, Janelle Nitsiza with her grandma, Dora Nitsiza. The Group award category is the Foster Family Coalition of the NWT. Attendees are Nicole Garbutt and Mary Richardson who are here with us. The Minister’s Choice Award, of course, goes out to Deninu K’ue First Nation. That’s Stanley Beck who’s here with us. Along with him, we have Karen Wright-Fraser who’s here from our department.
Once again, I’d like to say mahsi for your contribution and thanks for making a big difference. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize the mayor of Aklavik, president of the NWT Association of Communities, Mayor Charlie Furlong. I’d also like to recognize Karen Wright-Fraser, whose family is originally from Aklavik. So, welcome to the gallery. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Beaulieu.
