Mr. Speaker, a key priority of this government is to make sure that NWT residents have access to the right tools and supports that they can choose from to help overcome addiction issues and poor mental health. As a government, we are committed to ensuring that our residents have as many options as possible to help them move forward on their path towards wellness.
The updated action plan, Pathways to Wellness, which I will be tabling later today, combines the actions contained in the 2012 action plan, A Shared Path Towards Wellness, with the recommendations from Healing Voices, the report of the Minister’s Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness. It reflects actions the Department of Health and Social Services has committed to undertaking over the next two years and describes our progress to date. It describes how we will better utilize our $23 million budget that supports mental health and addictions programs.
Pathways to Wellness continues our commitment towards strengthening service delivery by focusing on the following four goals:
promoting understanding, awareness and acceptance;
focusing on the client;
improving the availability of and access to services; and
improving the effectiveness of services.
Mr. Speaker, a key element in the updated action plan is more addictions programs based in Aboriginal culture and spirituality. This reflects the top priority identified by the Minister’s Forum, which recommended the establishment of
Addictions and mental health issues impact not just individuals, their families and communities but also affect our justice system. The updated action plan identifies the need to establish wellness courts for individuals who are battling mental illness. Rather than sending them through the criminal justice system, where they don’t receive the right support, these specialized courts will refer them to the appropriate services based in their community.
Mr. Speaker, over the past two years we have streamlined our services to cut down on wait times for residential treatment by establishing a more efficient referral process.
We are using not only traditional media but have also added social media to raise awareness and have an on-line dialogue with youth and families about substance abuse, addictions and treatment options. A great example of this is the new Feel Real radio show, which broadcasts across the NWT every Thursday night on CKLB Radio.
We still have a long way to go. It will take a collaborative effort from government departments, Aboriginal governments and agencies, and community groups to help realize our Assembly’s vision of strong individuals, families and communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mr. Speaker, this continues to be a very exciting time for education in not only the North but the entire country. Through our Education Renewal and Innovation work, we are recognizing how people learn, what supports are needed to help them learn and how we can improve education for all students.
We developed the Education Renewal and Innovation (ERI) Initiative to make that improvement happen. Our newly released framework, Directions for Change, highlights the potential initiatives we know can make a difference in the lives of our students. A world leader on self-regulation, Dr. Stuart Shanker, spoke to us in January about the framework. He stated that he felt it was a “vision for the future” that applies to all children in Canada. He said Directions for Change will not only shape the future of the NWT but, he hopes, will be read and embraced by the entire country. I think we are on the right track.
Mr. Speaker, I am confident that our new framework is a reflection of northern students, teachers, Aboriginal and educational leaders and communities.
I want to acknowledge how much we have relied on our education partners, especially our school superintendents and education authority chairs. Throughout our whole development process starting in December 2012, we have collaborated with the NWT Teachers’ Association, Aboriginal governments, superintendents, education authorities and boards. We are working together with our government, Aurora College, educators and students to gather feedback and make comments. We have asked parents for their feedback and their hopes for their children. I am grateful for their willingness to work with us and to ensure their own region’s voices are included in this work. Without their commitment and dedication to help with this process, we would not be able to reach our critical audiences.
Mr. Speaker, later today I will be tabling a document that shows the extent of our engagement process leading up the finalization of the Education Renewal and Innovation Framework and respecting the current development of the draft action plan.
The feedback we received from the ASA regional forums in 2010-2011 continues to guide our work. The Aboriginal Student Achievement priorities of early childhood development and care, student and family support, Aboriginal language and culture curriculum and resource development, and literacy underpin many of the ERI building blocks.
Mr. Speaker, the next stages of our work involve the development of a multi-year action plan, supported by a sound accountability framework for the entire K to 12 system, and a public awareness campaign. The ERI action plan will recommend the initiatives that will move forward first, when they should begin, and their anticipated timelines and cost. There will likely not be many quick fixes, which should not be seen as failures but rather a testament to the scope of the task at hand.
Critical to the success of our education system is the collective ownership of both problems and solutions by our education partners, which includes teachers, parents and communities. Development of the action plan is already involving those who will be implementing the work itself and those directly affected by the work done. Every district education council has been invited and has nominated participants to each of the action plan working groups. The NWTTA has done the same, and Aboriginal governments have been invited to participate in these working groups as well. We continue to encourage every person that has a stake in our northern education system to ask questions and become involved in this work.
Mr. Speaker, trust has been placed in each and every one of us to ensure we each do our part to help children succeed. The education of our youth is critical to the success of our territory. We must work together to provide a system that helps all students, regardless of where they live, how they learn or what struggles or barriers they may need to overcome. Together we can effect change that will shape the very future of our territory. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday the Minister of Finance highlighted the work being done on the Service Innovation Strategy. Our government is committed to providing better services to the public by taking advantage of technology.
Today I want to highlight a new way the Department of Justice will be streamlining service for business and the general public with the new Corporate Registries on-line system. We are connecting people with the information they need and making our government more effective and efficient.
The corporate registries office is responsible for registering partnerships and certain business names as well as incorporating businesses, societies and cooperatives. It also registers those conducting business in the NWT that are incorporated in other jurisdictions.
The new on-line system provides easy 24-hour-a-day access to basic information in English or French about registered businesses and not-for-profit societies. This includes legal name, status and the type of entity they are, such as a partnership or society. This information is free of charge.
For a fee of $4, the on-line user will be able to search deeper and view all information provided by the registered entity. These documents can be downloaded and printed immediately. Previously, this information was only available during office hours and sometimes required browsing files in person at the registry counter.
As I am sure you can imagine, searching on-line will save thousands of dollars in time for professionals and for people who previously had to physically search files. Residents of our smaller communities will have the same immediate access to the system. For those who still would prefer to work with the registry in person or by phone, fax, or e-mail, our staff are ready to serve.
We have heard from members of the public and professionals, many of whom had input into the development of this registry system. They have told us the new electronic system is a vast improvement. The corporate registries office is grateful to those who worked with staff during the testing period to refine and develop the system to meet users’ needs.
Within the Department of Justice, we will be continuing to work with our staff and consult with clients to ensure we are providing the most efficient and effective service possible. These important initiatives will enable us to better serve the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday a banner was unfurled at Yellowknife Education District No. 1, a banner celebrating 2014 as the anniversary of 75 years of Educating for Life. Seventy-five years ago, on January 30, 1939, the original little log cabin schoolhouse now on Franklin Avenue in downtown YK was opened as the first school in Yellowknife. Eighteen students aged from six to 15 years attended classes under the guidance of Mr. Davies, their temporary teacher. A month later Ms. Mildred Hall arrived, the first permanent teacher for Yellowknife.
Life in Yellowknife was very basic in those days. There were about 1,000 non-Aboriginal residents in the area, no roads or airports, access was by ski or floatplane or water transport only.
Recognizing a need for education for the children in the communities, in November of 1938, a provisional school board raised over $1,000 to get the first school program running that winter. The election of the first school board on August 26, 1939, marks the first elected and accountable body in the NWT.
That first little school was cramped quarters for teacher and students. Classes were split into morning and afternoon shifts. In Ms. Mildred Hall’s own words, the first month on the job was utter chaos. “Eighteen pupils had to be crammed into a 16 foot square log building, 18 pupils whose ages ranged from six to 15, half of whom were juniors, who must be kept occupied despite a lack of desk materials, and the remainder seniors, most of whom, having been out of school for a year or two, had to be brought forward to their grades…without textbooks. Discipline, under such conditions, was almost unattainable and, in our cramped quarters, adequate heat meant no ventilation, and proper ventilation, with the thermometer registering from 40 to 50 below, meant shivering in bitter cold...”
Since then, YK education has evolved and grown. Now, in the three communities of Yellowknife, Ndilo and Detah, there are over 3,500 students and approximately 350 teachers working and learning in 13 schools administered by five school boards.
Yellowknife Education District No. 1 will celebrate their 75th anniversary all year long. For the Heritage Fair in May, students are encouraged to do a project on the history of YK District No. 1. There will be a display in the community area at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre from August through to October. There will be a written history compiled by local historian Ryan Silke and the launching of a dedicated Facebook page to help share the stories. The year will culminate with an event to be held in October 2014.
I want to say congratulations to everyone at YK No. 1 past and present on your significant achievement. Have a great 75th anniversary year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve been around this Chamber for a long time and sometimes I think my purpose of being here is to sometimes bring a reality check to some of the goings-on around here, possibly.
It’s budget season. Whether it’s the territorial government or the federal government, it’s budget season. Of course, you can well imagine that there have been some discussions behind the scenes here about whether our budget is enough, whether it’s allocated properly, and sometimes people say, well, if they don’t get things the way that they want them, there’s some unhappiness. That’s to be expected, Mr. Speaker. We are humans.
But even though it’s not Thanksgiving, I think every day is Thanksgiving. Prosperity is a relative thing. I guess no matter how much you have or you don’t have, someone has less or someone has more than you.
I see every day as Thanksgiving because no matter what, if we take the time to think about it, we have very much to be thankful for. We are a territory of 42,000 people with a budget of $1.6 billion. We have an approved capital budget of $125 million, and I think you could compare our capital infrastructure of other small northern communities, and I’m sorry, but we have got the Cadillac of everything. We don’t build junk. We build the best of everything when we build things.
We’re looking at a social envelope budget with housing, health and social services, and education of millions and millions of dollars. We have the best post-secondary education support program in the country. Agreed? We have the best seniors support program in the country. We have the most generous Housing Program in the country.
Recently, our Social Programs committee visited the new medevac transfer site at the Edmonton International Airport. If you are sick and you live in the Northwest Territories, trust me, we’re going to get you to where you’re going to get help and we are not going to talk about the price. We are not going to ask how much it costs to get you there. We’re going to take you to Edmonton, which has the highest rated Capital Health Authority in the country. There are two capital health authorities in all of Canada. One is in London, Ontario, the other one is Edmonton, Alberta, and that’s where we’re going to take you and our government will sign a contract with them and they will put you to the front of the list and they will look after you. Is that true?
In the Northwest Territories, if you want to start a business, we’ll help you. If you want an education, we’ll help you. If you need a place to live, are you homeless, we’ll find a place for you. As I mentioned, if you’re sick, we’ll look after you. Are you trapped in addictions? We will help you.
We have got to say that there is a lot of opportunity here and we need only watch the news for a few minutes...
Mr. Speaker, I’m sorry, but I have to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
One only needs to turn on the news and you can see families fleeing war-torn countries. You can see people in refugee camps. Do you know how many people wake up in the morning curled up in the fetal position because they don’t have any food?
I guess what I’m trying to say is, yes, we’re fighting amongst ourselves about our budget, but can we stop for a minute and just be very, very thankful for what we have, because a sense of entitlement and a spirit of ingratitude is a very dangerous and unhappy place to live. We are a land of opportunity.
We, the government, can we do better? Yes, we can do better. We can always do better. But if you want an opportunity, I’ll tell you; this government is here to give it to you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to use that momentum and improve the Jean Marie access road. We can do more.
Residents of Jean Marie and the leadership have long wished to see the upgrade to a highway. Currently, it is listed as a seasonal access road in Jean Marie. It is truly a seasonal road. During the spring runoff and summer rain storms, the road gets soggy and muddy and almost impossible and impassable at times.
I urge the Department of Transportation to review funding and include the upgrading of this access road in the upcoming multi-model strategy that the department is planning, and also, indeed, a plan to upgrade all our access roads throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had the great honour of attending a function last evening, organized by the NWT Recreation and Parks Association. The event’s focus was to recognize the important work for community groups and individuals that offer support and training for our older population across the Northwest Territories.
Just as importantly, it recognized an active elder in one of our communities who serves to be a role model for his or her community residents. Although there was only one award recipient, there were many nominations for active elders throughout the Northwest Territories and I, too, would like to congratulate them on their nominations and continuing to be active role models for us all.
The NWTRPA has a mission to increase public awareness of recreation and parks, and to enhance the quality of life of the residents of the Northwest Territories by promoting and supporting the development of recreation, parks services and leadership throughout the North. One way they do this is by continuing to provide the Elders in Motion program. This program aims to improve access to physical activity, opportunities to NWT elders which, as a result, increases their independence and functional mobility in their communities and throughout the Northwest Territories. It also helps enhance the training and support for communities, groups and individuals interested in developing and maintaining an elder fitness group in their hometowns. There is also a focus on traditional activities and I just wanted to make note that the theme for this year’s training is on fall preventions.
The program itself could not be successful without the partnership of others and I would like to recognize the efforts, as well, from the Dene Nation, the NWT Seniors’ Society, our own Department of Health and Social Services and the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging, which I will have to commend them on for handing out three awards at last night’s event; one for a Community Leadership Award, a Community Capacity Award, which was our own NWT Rec and Parks Association, and the Community Service Award.
From a program that developed and grew from a small gymnasium in a northern community with a group of elders and the support from the NWT community health representatives association, I am very excited and enthused to hear about the 80 participants from all of the communities across the Northwest Territories that are participating in this week’s training. I’d like all Members to also join me in welcoming them and congratulating them on their achievements. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday we were witness to the 2014-15 federal budget called, “Economic Action Plan 2014: The Road to Balance,” creating jobs and opportunities. I’d like to take a minute to echo some of the NWT highlights and wish a very heartfelt thank you to the federal counterparts for investments in mine training, economic diversification, transportation, health services and reducing medical travel and Nutrition North, just to name a few.
By the federal government reconfirming and starting new initiatives in the NWT, it once again reaffirms their commitments to us at the success of a healthy and prosperous North. In fact, Prime Minister Stephen Harper echoed this sentiment in August of 2012 during a Whitehorse tour when he stated, “Those who want to see the future of this country should look North,” and it appears those promises continue.
Yesterday also marked a significant commitment of support in pledging $305 million over five years to extend and enhance broadband high-speed Internet access to rural and northern communities. It is no surprise we are underdeveloped in this area in many of our smaller communities and this announcement will put a significant dent in our digital divide to the rest of Canada.
According to CRTC’s 2013 Communications Monitoring Report, Canada’s North received subpar broadband access. In fact, in 2012 less than 50 percent of Northerners had access to five megabytes per second broadband download speeds and at a very high cost I must add. In 2013 no satellite-served community offered consumers access to five megabytes per second broadband speeds, while 94 percent of Canadians had access in excess of that speed.
This announcement means great news for Northerners to have more affordable, more choice and better competitive local pricing when it comes to their broadband services. What needs to happen now will strongly be dependent on the Government of the Northwest Territories to realize opportunity, maximize these investments, work with all local providers of broadband services and prepare a bulletproof action plan for the North. Let’s hope Cabinet is listening. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently, I attended the only northern public hearing on Bill C-15 here in Yellowknife. Bill C-15 implements our devolution deal with Canada, but it also includes big changes to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. All our Aboriginal government partners and public interest groups said the same thing, “The changes to the MVRMA have nothing to do with devolution so remove them from this bill.” They also said, “Do not collapse the regional land and water boards into one super-board.” But not our Premier, who seemingly accepts losing our voice as an acceptable cost of devolution.
I have to ask, what is the point of devolution if our Premier will not stand up and support the people of the Northwest Territories whose concerns were crystal clear?
The changes to the MVRMA in Bill C-15 do matter, so let’s acknowledge this and consider what we can do to help. Let’s begin by sponsoring a public discussion with our Aboriginal partners to identify what steps we can make to make a lousy situation better.
Perhaps, as a newly constituted authoritative government, we could offer to support the establishment of staffed regional offices that would maintain regional capacity and a basis for ensuring meaningful regional input into land and water management structures. With the federal election next year, let’s prepare to lobby for re-establishing regional boards, should a new political party take power with a willingness to do so. Hopefully this time it could go forward on an evidence-based process as opposed to an ideological basis.
With this strategy, and given that Bill C-15 amendments will not be implemented for a year from this April, there would be less than a year with loss of the regional voices before we could repair this damage.
This government purports to seek authority put into the hands of Northerners. These suggested actions would show that the GNWT does, in fact, support our Aboriginal partners and our residents and ensures the capacity and real opportunity for meaningful input into decisions affecting their own land, water and resources. Our Premier can take leadership on this. Will he?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member, Mrs. Groenewegen, talked about being thankful, and I also want to support her on that theme here. In the Sahtu communities, in Fort Good Hope, we’re thankful for the elders. There are 64 elders that are 60 years and over. In Fort Good Hope there used to be an old folks home, they used to call it, an old seniors home, and that got condemned and now it’s all boarded up.
People in Fort Good Hope have always asked for a seniors independent living facility when the government is going to look at continuing supporting them in that initiative, and my understanding is that in the community of Fort Good Hope there is a planned facility of independent living housing for seniors from the Housing Minister. Actually, there are other communities also involved with the plan here.
My question is that once we have these facilities in our communities, is there going to be some programming and services associated with these seniors facilities? I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. When we have these facilities that are being constructed in our communities, what type of support in terms of care for the elders, programs for the elders, services that could be provided to the elders?
Mr. Moses talked about the initiative by MACA on the Elders in Motion to keep them active and keep them as well as possible, and that the community is appreciative and needs to be prepared to know what type of training and support will be needed for these facilities. I want to let the Minister know that we’re ready, we’re happy, and we’re thankful that some of these initiatives are now back on the radar to help our elders in our small communities.
I will have further questions to the Minister on the programming for these elders facilities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Travelling by vehicle on NWT highways is a common experience for most northern residents. Seasonal driving conditions on all NWT highways vary from excellent to treacherous. Driving safely and consciously with extra vigilance is a must for travellers on NWT highways.
Last week a constituent of mine experienced a near tragic situation. The vehicle in which they were driving hit a patch of black ice and went off the road and ended up in the ditch. Luckily for the driver, a Good Samaritan happened on the incident and stopped to check on the vehicle, then walked off the road and discovered the driver nearly frozen and trapped in the vehicle. The driver was stuck in the vehicle, covered with snow, as both sides of the vehicles’ windows were busted open and snow packed inside the vehicle entrapping the driver. The single occupant of the vehicle, about that time, was stuck in the vehicle for about two and a half hours.
The Good Samaritan was Kelly Pierce of Hay River, who was driving to Yellowknife that day and discovered the driver and helped, a selfless act in saving a person’s life. The driver that was stuck in the vehicle recalls hearing about a dozen vehicles pass her. When the driver was taken to the Fort Providence Health Centre, the nurses stated that if the driver stayed for about another hour or more, the driver’s body temperature would have reached a critical point of hypothermia.
At this time, I remind all drivers to drive safely and I strongly encourage them to stop and help those that need help.
I would like to especially recognize Mr. Kelly Pierce, the Good Samaritan that stopped and helped the constituent; Dr. Martell of Fort Simpson; the nurse in charge, Carol Bergeron; Patty Bedard and Maame Ya, the nurses that assisted the constituent. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Northern job opportunities continue to be denied to the everyday Northerner. Hardworking Northerners want these opportunities, so again I’m saying this not because I am frustrated but I can tell you that they’re frustrated. They’re frustrated because they hear about this job fair in Ottawa, but they are saying to me, why didn’t they do the whistle stops all throughout the Northwest Territories first? Does it mean we can’t go to Ottawa to look for special skills, certain types of hard areas to hire? Absolutely not. It doesn’t mean that. We should show Northerners we care about them first. What it does demonstrate is we think about them second or maybe even third.
In the Northwest Territories we’re now at an 8.2 percent unemployment rate. That isn’t just a 10-year high, that is a 13-year high. We have something to celebrate there I am sure.
I would like to point out the fact that yesterday we heard that there are 1,150 vacancies on the books with the Government of the Northwest Territories, yes, for various reasons, but that still represents 20 percent of our public service workforce. Am I worried? Yes. Is the public concerned? Absolutely. What it does is show people and certainly causes them to wonder: how does the government operate, missing 20 percent of their workforce?
We hear that the government is doing everything they can to fill the 571 vacancies. I can tell you the public is doing everything they can to find those 571 job postings. If you go to the website, as I said yesterday, all you see is about 100. So where are the rest, almost 470-some jobs? Are they being saved for the who’s who, the friend’s friends? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Nothing is telling me that these jobs are open for Northerners to apply on. One hundred sixty-one dormant jobs, as pointed out by the Minister. Dormant what? Where? When? How long? Where has this money been going?
We just know that approximately $57 million of human resource money is sitting there, slushing around, waiting for opportunity. Not even the mention of the missing gap of the 400 jobs when you add all of these things together, and they say, well, don’t worry, they are transfer assignments, they are holding, et cetera, et cetera.
Long story short is, is this confusing? Absolutely. Is the government doing anything to get to the bottom of this? Apparently very little. When we hear that departments leave certain jobs vacant to meet their goals, what about the Legislative Assembly goals? They are being forgotten. Thank you very much.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge Mr. Wilfred Jackson from Fort Good Hope, who was presented the 2014 Elders in Motion Active Elder Award on February 11th.
The Elders in Motion seek to improve access to physical activity opportunities for NWT elders. Elders in Motion works to enhance independence and efficient mobility for older adults.
Mr. Jackson is well known for his endeavours and active lifestyle both in the community and out on the land. He is a master trapper.
Mr. Jackson is a positive role model for our elders and communities across the Sahtu and NWT.
Please join me in congratulating Mr. Jackson on his well-deserved award. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up on my Member’s statement with questions to the Premier today. I would like to start by noting that Bill C-15 is making its way through Parliament in Ottawa. Our Member of Parliament is working hard, but without our support he is having a hard time convincing the federal government to separate the changes to the MVRMA from the devolution part of the bill.
I’m sure the Premier has had some time to think about this. What steps does he propose that he could take to limit the damage that will be done by forcing the closure of the regional boards? Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re working very closely with the Aboriginal governments. We have five out of seven Aboriginal governments that have signed on to devolution. We’re just finalizing signing ceremonies with two more to sign on. We’re working with the Dehcho First Nations. We expect that we’re making good progress on the discussion of land use. We expect that after a short period of consultation, there’s every indication that the Dehcho First Nation will sign on, and we are entering into a similar process with Akaitcho First Nations.
It is our intention to work very closely with the Government of Canada and the Aboriginal governments to continue to work and improve our regulatory system. We have always said that we want an efficient and effective regulatory framework. We will also maintain a presence in regional centres and we will work very closely so that we are all working together to move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thanks to the Premier. The Premier has done a very good job of getting our Aboriginal groups to the table with devolution but, of course, that’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about amendments to the MVRMA and they’re speaking with one voice and the Premier has been silent on this.
Again, I mentioned the idea of meeting with our Aboriginal partners to discuss what can be done on this specific issue to get that regional voice in there, which has been silenced and not supported by our Premier so far.
Has the Premier had any discussions with our Aboriginal partners on how we can help maintain strong regional voices in the new system? I might point out that all studies have indicated that those systems are very effective and efficient. Thank you.
We’ve had a number of discussions with all the Aboriginal governments that have signed on to devolution and the so-called Northern Regulatory Improvement Initiative.
Our government stands by what we negotiated in land claims over 20 years ago. For example, the Gwich’in Agreement, which was signed and negotiated 20 years ago, reads that “Where, by legislation, any other land and water board is established having jurisdiction in an area which includes the settlement area, it shall assume the powers and responsibilities of the land and water board in 24.4.1 and shall become the land and water board for the purposes of this agreement. Legislation may provide for regional panels of the land and water board in (a)” and “The Gwich’in Tribal Council shall be consulted with respect to any such legislation.”
Notwithstanding that, we will be working with the Gwich’in Tribal Council. We have an MOU that we signed with them. We also will be working with them in the Intergovernmental Council. That is in the process of getting signed this week. Thank you.
Thanks to the Premier. Our Aboriginal partners are talking about a court challenge to Bill C-15. Clearly, we’re not being effective if that’s the case. So, devolution is one thing and, again, what we’re talking about here are amendments to the MVRMA which the federal government has included in Bill C-15. I’m sure the Premier agrees that this will bring uncertainty to the future of devolution, this legal action in the courts itself, as well to future mineral extraction applications.
Is there anything we, with our newly developed authority, can do to alleviate the concerns of our regional partners? Mahsi.
Aboriginal governments are governments in their own right and it’s not up to me to take away that right for them to legislate as they see fit to do so. That’s part and parcel of being a responsible government. We will continue to work with them and we have five years after devolution whereby we will be reviewing the MVRMA, at which time we can work together during that period to improve the system, and even as we go forward after five years, to develop a system that will work better after that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
