Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to speak to the important priority of working toward a common vision for the political development of the NWT, one of the key priorities that we have identified for this 16th Legislative Assembly.
The North and the Arctic have never before had such profile nationally and internationally. Whether the attention we are getting is about protecting Canadian sovereignty and security, the eventual opening up of the Northwest Passage, our significant renewable non-renewable resource potential or is about the increasing affects of climate change in the Canadian and circumpolar North, no one can deny that the challenges and the opportunities that we are dealing with have garnered the attention of Canadian and international audiences.
Our challenge is no longer how to get on the national and international agenda, but rather to ensure that our voices and interests are heard and recognized, not dismissed or overshadowed by the opinion, commentary or even dispersions of those who do not live here.
As northern leaders, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that the voices and interests of NWT residents are heard and that the focus of discussions and conversations about the North is changed so that it is “us” speaking about “our” issues and “our” realities and that “we” as Northerners are shaping our future course.
Mr. Speaker, we are stronger and more effective advocates for northern people and their interests when we can speak and act collectively.
It is my belief that a unified northern voice will be more successful in garnering the attention and understanding of decision-makers in our federal government, internationally and elsewhere.
As Members are aware, we have established a Northern Leaders Forum which includes two MLAs, representation from the NWT Association of Communities and all the regional aboriginal government leaders.
Our first meeting in July was positive and we agreed to continue discussions and to work together to engage with Northerners to help unify our voice and work towards articulating a common vision for the NWT.
A strong and clear vision will enhance our ability to advance key issues of importance for northern governments.
Our Northern Leaders Forum will meet again in November to discuss how we will move forward together. Mr. Speaker, I am committed to working with Members and northern leaders during the remainder of our Assembly’s term to realize a common northern vision for the political development of the NWT and advancing our goal of building a strong and independent North built on partnerships. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, water is fundamental to life. Clean and abundant fresh water is essential to the social, spiritual, cultural and economic well-being of all NWT residents. We rely on our clean waters and healthy aquatic eco-systems and recognize it as one of our most valuable resources.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and designated representatives of aboriginal governments, partnered to develop a draft Water Strategy. Later today, I will be tabling the draft NWT Water Stewardship Strategy, Northern Voices, Northern Waters, which is the result of two years of hard work and collaboration.
The draft NWT Water Stewardship Strategy is a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach to the responsible management of water resources both within the NWT and upstream. Aboriginal governments, the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Government of Canada, regional organizations, communities, environmental non-governmental organizations, co-management boards and agencies, industry and residents contributed towards the development of the draft strategy.
Water quality in some local areas may be under stress but most of the waters of the NWT are clean, abundant and productive. However, pressures on waters throughout the NWT and in neighbouring jurisdictions continue to increase.
The NWT economy is very dependent on resource development, Mr. Speaker. There are three producing diamond mines in the NWT with more in the planning stages.
Several other mines including gold, polymetallic, base metal and rare earth are also in the planning stages. All the mines use existing water bodies to store tailings and process water for treatment before discharging it into the environment. There are also oil and gas developments in the NWT with more developments proposed.
Upstream developments in neighbouring jurisdictions including hydro, mining, agricultural and oil sands operations also have implications for NWT waters. These are major concerns for NWT residents.
As stewards of NWT waters, we have an obligation and a responsibility to adopt more sustainable water management practices. The draft strategy will result in more effective water stewardship, and ensure water quality, quantity and ecological productivity will not be degraded. It will ensure the use of water resources to meet the needs of the present generation will not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The waters of the NWT are a world-wide resource. The Mackenzie River Basin’s natural water/ice-climate systems help stabilize the Earth’s climate. There could be ecological and water-related implications for the entire continent if the Mackenzie River Basin system changes too much.
Mr. Speaker, water brings life and it is life. NWT residents agree that water is a living thing, not just a commodity or something to be traded or used and thoughtlessly discarded. The natural environment is one of the NWT’s most valued features and its water resources are particularly significant.
Aboriginal people in the NWT have a long and intimate relationship with the land and water. Their traditional knowledge results from a deep understanding of the natural environment. The draft strategy recognizes that an integral part of the strategy is a balanced approach to traditional and scientific knowledge.
It promotes an eco-system-based approach to integrated watershed management which includes the concepts of natural capital and sustainability accountability.
The draft strategy does not alter existing water responsibilities. It respects aboriginal and treaty rights as well as rights and processes set out in settled land claim and self-government agreements. The strategy is intended to support existing rights and government agreements. It is intended to improve the decision-making processes of all parties involved in water stewardship including regional forums, like the Mackenzie River Basin Board, by increasing information, sharing and communication, enhancing knowledge bases and encouraging greater cooperation.
Mr. Speaker, we take our water stewardship responsibilities seriously. The success of the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy depends on active involvement of all water partners in promoting and determining water stewardship objectives and actions. NWT residents want us to show strong leadership in water stewardship by setting high standards to hold ourselves and others responsible and accountable. Our leadership in and approach to water stewardship can provide valuable input to the development of a national water strategy.
Residents will be advised on a regular basis of the effectiveness of water stewardship actions. Publication of an annual overview of research and monitoring results, as well as summaries of water uses within the NWT and neighbouring jurisdictions, will assist in keeping communities and residents informed.
Mr. Speaker, we have an obligation to protect and steward our water resources for ourselves, for future generations and for all living things that rely on water. The draft Water Stewardship Strategy will help us achieve this.
The NWT Water Stewardship Strategy will be finalized during the winter of 2009-2010 following engagement and input from the public. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation recently released the 2008 NWT Traffic Collision Facts report. The 2008 collision report presents statistics that we should all take seriously.
Each year, Mr. Speaker, through our Drive Alive travel safety awareness program and other initiatives, the Department of Transportation works hard to provide residents with the information that they need to travel safely on the NWT’s roads, trails and waterways. Nevertheless, people are injured or die needlessly each year because they failed to make simple choices that would have improved their chances of arriving safely at their destination.
Two of the most important choices to make this winter, Mr. Speaker, are simply to drive to the conditions of the road and to pay attention. As the winter driving season approaches and the temperature drops -- especially right now with temperatures hovering above freezing -- there is a significant risk of slippery and hazardous conditions on the road. It is easy to forget, Mr. Speaker, after the sunny days of summer, how different the roads are in the winter. Every year there are a number of winter accidents that could have been avoided. Too many of these accidents are single-vehicle collisions where drivers have been driving too fast or not driving to the conditions of the road.
Before getting on the road, Mr. Speaker, I would urge everyone to check the road and weather reports on the department’s website. It is important to remember that weather conditions can change quite dramatically over even a short period of time. Just because the roads were clear in the morning does not mean they will be clear that evening. In the winter months especially, speed is always a concern. When cars are moving too fast, it can be difficult to maintain control of a vehicle in bad weather. Mr. Speaker, it is better to arrive late than not arrive at all, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, along with the choice to drive to conditions is to ensure that you are not distracted from your primary responsibility to pay attention to the road ahead. Being distracted, for instance by eating, reading, texting, or anything else that takes your attention off the road while driving, reduces and sometimes removes the ability to react to sudden or unexpected conditions or obstacles.
Another important safety choice to make this winter is to ensure that everyone in the vehicle is wearing a seatbelt or a properly installed child car seat or infant restraint. Seatbelts help reduce the severity of injuries from vehicle collisions, and that’s why the law requires their use. Mr. Speaker, not everyone knows that the most important thing they can do to avoid injury or even death in a vehicle accident is to buckle up.
To address these concerns, Mr. Speaker, the Drive Alive program is working with our law enforcement community on an initiative called Buckle-Up NWT. The objective of this new program is to use awareness and, where necessary, enforcement, to bring the NWT’s seatbelt use up to the national average of 90 percent by 2012. Currently our seatbelt use ranges from 85 percent in large community settings to the mid-60s in smaller communities.
Mr. Speaker, of particular concern to me is the fact that on the road approximately two-thirds of all children are not properly secured. It doesn’t matter whether it is a parent or a grandparent or a caregiver who is transporting a child, no one should make the mistake of allowing children to travel unsecured. Our children deserve our protection.
So, Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would again urge every Member of the Legislative Assembly and all of the residents of the Northwest Territories to be safe this winter season: drive appropriately for the conditions, avoid distractions, and buckle up. Remember, safety is no accident. We can all do more to reduce the risk of a collision. Please, Drive Alive! Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to provide Members with details on the 2010 Olympic Winter Games Torch Relay.
The ancient Olympic flame has been transported from its home in Greece and lit for the first time on Canadian soil since the winter of 1988 when the games were held in Calgary, Alberta.
It began its 45,000 kilometre Canadian journey in Victoria, British Columbia, and today makes its journey north to Inuvik, home to some of our greatest athletes and former Olympians.
On November 5th, the torch will arrive in Yellowknife from Nunavut. In keeping with time-honoured traditions, it will be welcomed by the Dene peoples of Dettah and Ndilo before making its journey past the Legislative Assembly to Yellowknife City Hall for an Olympic torch ceremony.
I am sure that the national and international media accompanying the torch will be dazzled by our hospitality, our incredible artists, our talented performers and the dedicated Inuit and Dene Games athletes that will help celebrate this special occasion.
I wish to extend my gratitude to the Town of Inuvik, the communities of Dettah and Ndilo, and the City of Yellowknife for their hard work and dedication in supporting this historical event.
As well, I commend the many volunteers and staff that helped to prepare for the relay and I congratulate those residents who will receive the honour of carrying the Olympic torch and excitement of the games along with it.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to invite my colleagues and residents to join me at the relay celebrations tomorrow in Yellowknife and to be a part of this historic moment in Canadian history. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I rise to provide an update to my colleagues in the House about the Ministers of Justice meeting in New Brunswick last week, especially on aboriginal justice issues.
I have been working with my counterparts in Nunavut and Yukon to provide a unified northern perspective to the federal government. We have common issues, common needs. It makes sense to work together and support each other, especially on policing and aboriginal justice.
For many years, Mr. Speaker, we have been frustrated at the federal government’s inadequate funding for aboriginal policing in the North. The provinces have reserves and that gives them access to the flexible policing models under the federal government’s First Nations Policing Policy. For years, Mr. Speaker, the North has been almost completely left out of the policy, or told that it applies to us but there’s no money to implement it in the communities. In the Northwest Territories, we have four officers funded under this program. That’s four officers for 33 communities. We could do better, Mr. Speaker. We have pointed out that the First Nations policing doesn’t just happen on reserves; it happens where First Nations people live. We are calling on the federal government to provide additional aboriginal policing funding for all the jurisdictions with large numbers of aboriginal people.
We are moving forward with work on implementing a new territorial policing policy framework. It would give us access to flexible policing and funding models. This would allow us to increase the number of aboriginal officers and encourage community members to be full participants in policing in the North. The other Ministers strongly support our work. This is key to our efforts to get a new agreement with the federal government that would acknowledge that northern policing is quite unique.
We want to invest in preventative measures, in culturally appropriate approaches to justice, in policing by aboriginal people for aboriginal people. That’s why we’re supporting a comprehensive review of the First Nations Policing Policy. This is a national issue, Mr. Speaker. And for the first time, it will recognize the unique challenges we face here in the North. I am optimistic that the federal government will seek funding to sustain the program and expand it to the territories.
Mr. Speaker, this is going to take persistence, of course. This issue has been going on for a long time. However, I am encouraged by the Ministers’ commitment to justice issues and especially to the acknowledgement that we in the North are unique. I believe that with the support of our colleagues across Canada, that the three northern Ministers of Justice will be able to achieve our goals. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement is on income support cheque payments. I mentioned it twice the last sitting. I’ve been receiving a lot of phone calls and e-mails regarding the new income support evaluation and how it’s being administered.
When government changed the way income support was given, against the recommendations of most community governments and organizations, furthermore the previous government offered no support, notice or plans to help the communities and residents deal with the changes. But many people have been noticing since the way the department changed the way cheques are delivered, that the amounts are going down. What makes this situation worse is that the amount has been going down more than once. People are concerned with this uncertainty and they wonder what if their next cheque will be reduced as well.
When they call an income support officer, the answers are just as confusing. Mr. Speaker, some people who live off of Income Support are struggling day to day. We have to do something to help these people try to feed their kids. Not only that, but kids are going to bed hungry. There are no support organizations in some communities that can try to help feed their children. Reductions of their cheques from $20 to $40 makes a huge impact on the family. That makes a difference of children getting milk the last week of the month and getting adequate winter clothing. When people in our regional centres discuss these issues with our residents they must always remember these conditions in our small and remote communities. We need a true one-stop-shop for our people to deal with all of these issues, Mr. Speaker, where payments and expenses are resolved before the recipient receives the cheque; etting the run-around or the blame game when dealing with government departments is unacceptable. Our residents deserve more. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On March 9, 2009, I made a Member’s statement in this House on gender-based analysis. It was the second time I made a statement on this and asked questions on this topic. Today it will be the third.
Gender-based analysis makes gender equality issues visible in the mainstream of society, taking into account the full diversity of men and women. This type of analysis contributes to the redress of past and systemic discrimination and contributes to the development of a mission policy. Implementation of gender-based analysis policy builds upon the good work done by the government with respect to their Traditional Knowledge Policy. In addition, gender-based analysis responds to the provisions in legal documents such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Federal Plan for Gender Equality, the Canadian Human Rights Act and various international obligations and commitments. In short, it is a tool that will help the GNWT develop more appropriate and relevant as well as socially and culturally aware programs, policies and legislation.
On March 9, 2009, when responding to questions I asked, the Premier indicated that -- and this is actually a quote from the unedited Hansard of March 9th -- “The gender-based analysis process is underway. We are working within the Executive to come up with a position paper and hopefully have that out sometime during the spring.” When asked for a time line, the Premier responded as follows -- this is also from an unedited Hansard from March 9, 2009 -- “We are hoping to have a position paper developed by this spring, working on a training document and training scheduled for implementation during this upcoming fiscal year.” Spring has come and gone. We are also more than halfway through the 2009-2010 fiscal year. I have been waiting for some follow-up on this important initiative but haven’t seen any public notice indicating that the government has made any progress.
A policy on gender-based analysis will put people at the heart of policy development. It leads to better government by involving both women and men and makes full use of human resources. For the benefit of all our residents, we should develop and implement a gender-based analysis policy and we should do it now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the appropriate time I will have some questions for the Premier on this topic. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In the 1980s, the NWT Housing Corporation was in the process of defining their house designs to accommodate different weather conditions across the NWT, at which time also included what is now Nunavut. Mr. Speaker, one of the design features was to accommodate how the snow commonly fell above the treeline. This feature was a non-ventilated cathedral ceiling to be applied with a metal roof. However, this design was offered in the southern part of the NWT without advising clients that this does not work with asphalt shingles. I am not sure why the clients were not informed, but I believe the NWT Housing Corporation was exploring a variety of housing methods in order to improve their units.
Mr. Speaker, there are five such cases in Fort Resolution. Two of the cases have not made direct requests, but have spoken to me about their situation. One of the units was purchased by the NWT Housing Corporation to be reconstructed and also sold. One of the units is not currently being used. So for the costs of less than one unit, five of these units can be saved from having to be replaced.
Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, some of the units built in Fort Resolution were built with the asphalt shingles instead of the intended metal roof. As a result, clients have chronic problems with their roofs. Mr. Speaker, because of the way things have unfolded, the clients now have rotten roofs that would be very costly to repair. At this time, the majority of the roof will have to be removed and a metal roof would have to be applied. With the onset of another winter, these clients are facing another season of high heating costs plus in the spring these roofs will leak and continue to rot.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the NWT Housing Corporation should assist these clients by providing technical and financial support in order to rectify the problem that exists at no fault of the client. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the issue of the resources that we have on our doorstep and yet seem to import from the South at great cost and harm to our environment.
Mr. Speaker, so far in this session I’ve talked about the abundance of our fish, our wildlife, agricultural opportunities; all renewable resources, Mr. Speaker, right on our doorstep.
Today I would like to talk about how blessed we are to have the water supply that we have in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, Great Slave Lake is the fourth largest lake in Canada, the ninth largest lake in the world and the deepest lake in North America.
Mr. Speaker, in Hay River where we live on the shore of this wonderful freshwater lake, a case of 35 bottles of water costs $13.24. Mr. Speaker, bottled water can cost 500 to 4,000 times more than tap water. The sad thing is that 40 to 80 percent of water bottles in the NWT end up as litter in our landfills. The bottles take up to 1,000 years to decompose and contribute to plastic waste in our water systems which is harming our wildlife. The withdrawal of large quantities of water to fill these water bottles from springs and aquifers for bottling has depleted household wells in rural areas, damaged wetlands and degraded lakes. It takes three litres of water to produce one litre of bottled water. The total amount of energy embedded in the use of bottled water is the equivalent of filling a plastic bottle one-quarter full of oil, according to the Pacific Institute. By contrast, municipal water requires only a little energy to pump the water through the pipes in our homes.
Mr. Speaker, there are other issues around bottled water which makes it nonsensical for us to ever drink it. In 2000, consumer reports found that eight of ten five-gallon jugs that they checked left residues of the endocrine disrupter Bisphenol A in the water. An expert panel of scientists has concluded that exposure to extremely low doses of Bisphenol A is strongly linked to diseases such as breast cancer, prostate cancer and diabetes, and damage to reproductive and neurological development. Leeching of chemicals into bottled water increases with heat and age, raising concerns about storage and transportation of the bottles. More research is needed on leeching of harmful chemicals from all types of bottles. No problems have been associated with refillable stainless or aluminum containers.
Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to say today that the Legislative Assembly no longer has bottled water and I want to encourage people to look on our own doorstep and look at the beautiful resources that we have…
Mrs. Groenewegen, your time…
Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about housing for elders who continue to spend most of their time living in the bush. These are people like hunters and trappers who are usually independent and self-sufficient.
A few years ago, the NWT Housing Corporation had a program called Elders on the Land Initiative. It provided financial support to assist seniors who live on the land rather than in the community. They could replace their existing dwelling with a modest, simply constructed shelter. This program helped elders to maintain independent traditional lifestyles in a safer and healthier home. The assistance was limited to $30,000 plus freight per household and was in the form of a forgivable loan over a five-year period.
I have been approached to renew this initiative and I think this program should be reintroduced. I was pleased to hear that next year the NWT Housing Corporation is leading a pilot project for people living traditional lifestyles. The corporation is constructing four basic shelter units in communities; there will be two built in Nahanni Butte. These homes are designed with features like wood stoves so that they can be easily shut down and left empty while residents go out on the land.
I look forward to seeing what these basic shelter units would be like and how well they fit people’s needs. I think this type of unit might also be suitable as a model for a renewed Elders on the Land Initiative. I encourage the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation to continue to support housing that accommodates a more traditional way of life. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we start into this year’s winter season, I hope my constituents won’t experience the struggles with power bills that many had to deal with last winter and spring. In the past couple of months, power companies have made the news, not due to high bills but because of major equipment failures. The Taltson hydro plant is out of service, Northlands Hay River has a generator that needs replacing and then suddenly the Bluefish hydro dam is about to fail and needs to be replaced. All of these situations lead to costly infrastructure replacements and under our current regulated utilities system, these costs must be borne by the affected community or communities. In this system, equipment and infrastructure failures can be called unforeseen expenditures by our utility companies -- that would be NTPC and NUL. The company can apply to the Public Utilities Board for authorization to recoup those financial losses from their customers -- that would be you and I. The result: electricity bill rate riders, here we come.
In my view, our system needs to change. Power companies must operate like any other private company. Equipment failures should be considered an unfortunate and occasional part of doing business and their associated replacement and maintenance costs should be planned for. All companies should have long-range plans in place for the replacement or acquisition of major infrastructure and the associated capital costs should be included in any company’s budget. Profit and revenues must be determined with capital costs included, not considered after the fact. For any business other than a power company this would be considered standard practice, but our power companies can avoid this task because the system allows them to do so. But the system can change, Mr. Speaker, if this Assembly wants it to.
I look forward with anticipation to the results of the recently held electricity review and I have no doubt that the recommendations of the review team will provide us with opportunities to affect the necessary change for our residents, change for the better. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The high-tech world we live in today is wireless Internet service, high speed analog and digital communications. Mr. Speaker, today a lot of these services aren’t provided in all communities in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, I think it’s essential that we develop the electronic grid throughout the Northwest Territories’ 33 communities. As we’ve heard in this House, there are seven communities in the Northwest Territories with cell phone service. Mr. Speaker, that leaves some 24 communities without these types of services and I think it’s important to realize, Mr. Speaker, the key to our success is bringing the Northwest Territories into the 21st Century. More importantly, bring the 24 communities along with you.
I think it’s important, Mr. Speaker, that we, as government, cannot realize that it’s essential that we build infrastructure in the Northwest Territories for all of our communities so that we can have a wireless system that we can provide medical services in all our health clinics in the Northwest Territories regardless if they’re health centres so that when we have an incident in Sachs Harbour or Colville Lake or Tsiigehtchic, that we have systems in place regardless if it’s telehealth or whatnot available that’s workable, its systems are worked in. More importantly, improving the education system in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, we have an education system in the Northwest Territories which does not provide all essential and critical services to our communities by way of giving the educational programs in regards to having them identify the different courses. But because of the structures that we have, a lot our communities do provide science, biology, chemistry and mathematics in all our communities and which a lot of our students that are in the high schools have to do it on line. Again, it’s essential that we have that high speed system in place to link all our high schools in the Northwest Territories in the 33 communities into a system that provides us with that technology.
Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important as a government that we invest in this technology regardless if it’s through partnerships, the private sector, aboriginal development corporations or the federal government. I think it’s important that the system that we use is just as important to our highway system in regard to our transportation systems, but technology is key to the success of…
Mr. Krutko, your time for Member’s statement is expired.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
Mr. Speaker, I believe it’s essential as government that we do formulate these partnerships and, more importantly, we work for the benefit of 33 communities in the Northwest Territories. So at the appropriate time I will be asking the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs questions on this matter. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about the northern regulatory process. In 2007-08, the federal government contracted Neil McCrank to prepare a report called The Road to Improvement. It was a report about where he recommended several changes that should be made to our northern regulatory process. Of course, this was just the last of many reports that have been made of these issues about our burdensome and convoluted northern regulatory process.
Mr. Speaker, it needs to be coined up and, in my opinion, it needs to be simplified and timely. A regulatory process is key to attracting long-term resource development that will help our economy.
Mr. Speaker, in March 2009, the GNWT identified various recommendations and perspectives on the regulatory issue in its own report. However, all that we know about the GNWT’s authority is the fact that we don’t have any. Sadly, the authority falls in the federal hands.
Mr. Speaker, often it has been described as the federal government is our absentee landlord that continues to show about the flirting and fading interest in the development of the Northwest Territories autonomy. Mr. Speaker, they only show interest when it is in their interest. Mr. Speaker, the advantage of a recession is it gives people time to catch up on the things they never get a chance to focus at have time to do. Mr. Speaker, I think now is a time to address these changes in a regulatory process. There is clearly little resource development going on, because it is reflective of the northern and, certainly, world economy. Mr. Speaker, changes need to happen before the regulatory system gets busy again with new applications.
Mr. Speaker, while the engines of industry are idling, we should be working with them to come up with a good process that works for them and recognizes environmental stewardship for the future. Mr. Speaker, may I remind everyone that the GNWT’s report calls for a review of legislation on various levels from aboriginal land claims to self-government, including government policies. Mr. Speaker, it is a convoluted one itself, but we could be doing these things.
It has been eight months since the GNWT report was last released and no one knows what has been done. Mr. Speaker, I will have a discussion on issues with the Minister responsible to find out what he has done to engage aboriginal groups, our federal counterparts. Where have the recommendations gone? Mr. Speaker, by streamlining the process, we won’t take away from our environmental responsibilities, but we will create certainty in an environment where we need resource development to help our economy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I speak on a huge priority for our people, the critical need to give our children the best possible start in life through an excellent early childhood education.
As I noted last year, a UNICEF study ranked Canada last among 25 affluent countries in the delivery of early childhood education and child care programs for its failure to meet nine out of 10 basic performance benchmarks. The NWT did not even meet one of the standards. All evidence overwhelmingly supports the observation of Canada’s chief public health officer who states that one dollar invested in the early years saves between three and nine dollars in future spending in the health and criminal justice systems as well as on social assistance.
Mr. Speaker, I am the first to recognize that important improvements in levels and supply of services have been achieved by this government since my last statement on this. However, basic problems still persist. There simply aren’t enough affordable child care spaces staffed by qualified caregivers. The problem is bad in our major centres and worse in our smaller communities.
We now fund child care providers on the basis of three-month attendance figures, which is better than monthly but still falls short of basing funds on annual attendance for predictable planning. Child care workers remain among the lowest paid of our skilled workers, making it difficult or impossible to hire and keep competent staff. We need to subsidize the wages of child care staff to meet this critical need.
Programs offered to train more child care providers simply don’t measure up to the programs offered in the South. The lack of adequate daycare not only affects children’s prospects of success but prevents parents from taking the employment or getting the education that will improve the overall lives of their families. Such facts reveal why a comprehensive anti-poverty strategy is needed and why we need to address disparities in child care services and access. They present yet another factor to be considered in our review of the Child and Family Services Act. I will be pressing this case in committee and call on all Members to consider this preventative priority as we move towards setting our operational budgets in the upcoming season.
Let’s wisely invest more in our future: our youngest citizens with such huge potential. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
