Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of this 16th Assembly, our government, and all residents of the Northwest Territories, I offer condolences today to those individuals and families who are mourning the loss of colleagues, friends, relatives, and loved ones as a result of this weekend’s tragic crash of First Air flight 6560 near Resolute Bay.
Despite the vast distances that separate us we, as Northerners, are a tightly knit community and the impact of this tragedy extends well beyond the boundaries of our northern territories to touch us all. Our lives in communities will be forever changed.
Yet in the midst of this horrific event, we also recognize the miracle of those lives that were spared. Acknowledging the contributions and quick response of the military personnel and volunteers who were pressed into action unexpectedly and under very trying circumstances, we thank them today for their call to duty and their service this weekend.
Mr. Speaker, our North can be harsh and unforgiving, but in this unpredictable environment
we are reliant on the northern airline industry and the men and women who use it daily to deliver and provide the essential goods and services on which our communities and our people count on.
Despite the events of this weekend, these individuals will be at work again today, no doubt with heavy hearts and minds.
Today, in particular, our thoughts and prayers are with them, especially those in the First Air family, ever mindful of their loss and with a renewed sense of appreciation and gratitude for their work and commitment that benefits us all.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Even as we try to come to terms with the tragedy that unfolded in our territory over the weekend, we were faced this morning by more sad news: the untimely passing of the Honourable Jack Layton, who until his recent leave of absence led Canada’s New Democratic Party and the Official Opposition in our federal Parliament.
Mr. Layton’s political accomplishments, particularly during the most recent federal election, are known and documented for all Canadians. He will be remembered in large part for changing the political landscape of our country, and for his trademark spirit of optimism and hope.
His political career from the time he was first elected to municipal office to his time on Parliament Hill was built on the cornerstone of strong ethics and hard work. “Smiling Jack” personified those traits that we as Northerners like to profess as our own. He was a people’s leader, a fighter for social justice, seemingly resilient in the face of challenge.
His close ties and friendships in our territory reflected his fondness for our North and its people. He enjoyed our community events, not wearing a suit but in working man’s attire: jeans, no tie, and his shirt rolled up at the sleeves.
In the coming days and months Jack Layton will be heralded for his political accomplishments and hard work. More importantly, he will be remembered through the years as a great Canadian, missed by his many colleagues, friends, and loved ones.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories has, through the Shelter Policy review, been examining its overall approach to delivering housing programs, services, and supports to NWT residents. The Department of Executive and the NWT Housing Corporation have worked collaboratively in carrying out this review, which will result in a broad strategic framework designed to refocus the GNWT’s approach to housing delivery. I rise today to update Members and the general public on the progress of this review.
A critical component of the Shelter Policy Review has been extensive engagement with NWT residents. Input from residents on housing challenges and options for improvements forms an essential part of the analysis being conducted under this review. Between May and August of this year, widespread engagement was conducted through:
workshops with regional and community representatives;
meetings with NWT Housing Corporation clients;
workshops with local housing organization chairs and managers;
input from NWT residents through an on-line questionnaire and statistical telephone survey; and
meetings and interviews with Members of the Legislative Assembly, non-government organizations, other stakeholder groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the NWT Association of Communities, and other GNWT departments.
Excellent input has been received from NWT residents through this engagement. This included some common themes. For instance, in the case of public housing rent, some of the feedback from this engagement is that residents want a fair, uncomplicated, predictable system of rent that promotes self-reliance rather than creating dependency or discouraging some tenants from working. Addressing the differences between market and non-market communities was another common theme. The feedback from this engagement forms an important part of the Shelter Policy Review process, and the constructive participation of so many residents has been greatly appreciated.
Other major components of the review include the examination of the Public Housing Program rent scale and the evaluation of the Housing Choices homeownership programs. As the research and analysis phase of these and other components of the review near completion, the next stage will be developing options that will provide the GNWT with recommendations on a consistent approach to addressing need at all stages of the housing continuum, including homelessness, transitional and supportive housing, public housing, market rentals, and homeownership. For instance, the options will address:
approaches to strengthen public housing;
recommendations regarding homeownership programs, particularly smaller communities, including issues with housing quality;
recommendations to address the lack of housing options available to non-market communities;
recommendations to improve housing services and communication with residents on housing;
approaches to address homelessness, transition housing, seniors’ housing supports, and housing supports for persons with disabilities;
infrastructure solutions based on individual and community needs; and
approaches to address the declining federal funding that supports the operation and maintenance of public housing units.
The recommendations being brought forward through the work of the Shelter Policy Review will provide guidance to the 17th Legislative Assembly as it considers and plans for how housing programs, services that will be delivered to NWT residents.
Mr. Speaker, one of the actions the GNWT identified under its strategic initiative was to reduce the cost of living. We expect that the results of this Shelter Policy Review will build on the significant investment that the 16th Legislative Assembly has made in housing infrastructure across the NWT and provide a framework that will positively shape housing programs, service, and supports to meet the needs of NWT residents over the long term. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. One of the priorities for this Assembly is to strengthen awareness of our northern identify and uniqueness by promoting our culture. I am very pleased to advise this House that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment held a ceremony today to celebrate the tremendous cultural contributions made by people across this territory.
Some months ago the Minister’s Cultural Circle was launched. We requested nominations for those Northerners who contribute to the preservation and promotion of the Northwest Territories cultures and heritage. Nominations poured in, Mr. Speaker, and the independent panel of judges chose four inductees from across the territory.
Mr. Speaker, the Cultural Circle helps build awareness about the importance of promoting, protecting, and preserving our unique culture and heritage. We received nominations in four categories:
youth, 25 years of age and under, who demonstrate a strong commitment to engaging in the arts, cultural learning, and cultural practices;
individuals who demonstrate a strong commitment to preserving and promoting culture through participation in various arts, culture, and heritage-related activities;
elders, 50 years of age and older, respected for their contributions of practicing, promoting, guiding, teaching, leadership, vision or hands-on participation in the areas of art, culture, heritage, and language; and
any organization, corporation, institution, organizing committee or social club that plays a lead role in developing and supporting activities that celebrate, promote or preserve the arts, culture, and heritage.
Additionally, a Minister’s choice inductee is also chosen. The 2011 award recipients embody the commitment, diligence, creativity, and passion we want culture and heritage to inspire in us all. The inductees I was pleased to welcome into the Cultural Circle this morning are:
Evan Tordiff of Fort Smith, our youth inductee;
Abel Tingmiak of Inuvik, our elder inductee;
Ben Nind of Yellowknife, our individual inductee; and
The Aklavik Delta Drummers and Dancers, our group inductees.
The 2011 Minister’s Choice inductee is the Chief Jimmy Bruneau School for their project, Trails of our Ancestors.
Of these distinguished people, some are with us today in the gallery.
Mr. Speaker, we received many nominations, all reflecting committed and passionate people. Just as all the nominees built upon the foundation laid by people who came before them, we must continue to build upon their efforts for a strong, culturally rich North.
I hope all Members of this Assembly will join me in honouring the Cultural Circle inductees and thank them for their hard work preserving, promoting, protecting, and celebrating our unique cultures and heritage. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.
Mr. Speaker, one of the goals of the 16th Legislative Assembly was to create a diverse economy that provides all Northwest Territories communities and residents with opportunities and choices. Today I am pleased to highlight how the Northwest Territories tourism industry has helped us to achieve this goal.
Tourism 2010 was the Government of the Northwest Territories tourism investment plan. Under this plan the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment provided $1 million annually towards the tourism industry. We were also successful in leveraging an additional $5.3 million in additional investments from the federal government, industry, and other partners. Building off the success of Tourism 2010, this government approved funding for Tourism 2015: New Directions for a Spectacular Future, a new five-year plan that will guide investment over the next several years.
In response to the market’s growing demand for authentic Aboriginal tourism experiences, I appointed seven members to a newly formed Aboriginal Tourism Champions Advisory Council earlier this summer. The following individuals have been appointed to the nine-seat council:
Mr. Grant Beck, Yellowknife;
Mr. Knute Hansen, Fort McPherson;
Mr. Doug Lamalice, Hay River;
Ms. Ria Letcher, Fort Simpson;
Ms. Margaret Nazon, Tsiigehtchic;
Mr. Moise Rabesca, Behchoko;
Ms. Judith Wright-Bird, Tulita.
The council will also include a representative from Northwest Territories Tourism, Ms. Jenni Bruce and Ms. Kelly Kaylo of Yellowknife in her capacity as co-chair of the Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee.
The council will promote and champion sustainable development of Aboriginal tourism in a manner that is respectful and appropriate.
Another major success in attracting people to the Northwest Territories and creating world-class tourism products is the Tourism Product and Marketing Diversification Program. Over the last five years 50 businesses received $5.6 million from this program for 117 projects. In addition, the Government of the Northwest Territories provided $300,000 in targeted support for barren-ground caribou and polar bear outfitters in 2009-2010, and doubled that investment to $600,000 for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012.
Mr. Speaker, 2011 has certainly been a “royal” summer. We had the pleasure of visits from Prince Andrew and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine. Those royal visits focused the spotlight of international attention on the Northwest Territories.
The Northwest Territories is no stranger to international attention, much of which was generated through Canada’s Northern House at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. This collaboration between the three territories laid the groundwork for a pan-territorial marketing campaign to market Canada’s North to southern Canada. Called simply, “Canada’s North,” this marketing campaign launched in March 2011 and will promote the North to southern Canadians as a travel destination.
Mr. Speaker, an important aspect of marketing our territory’s tourism industry is our extensive territorial parks system. Our parks host approximately 25,000 campers annually. Over the past four years we have made many investments to maintain and improve infrastructure to serve our guests.
Our new visitors centre at the 60th parallel opened this past June. We have also added new shower facilities in our North Slave parks and invested in new trails, viewing platforms and other park infrastructure throughout the Northwest Territories to improve the guest experience.
Aurora tourism is also one of the hallmarks of our tourism industry, and our aurora viewing numbers have steadily increased.
This government can be proud of the work that has been accomplished for tourism and the support provided to the industry by the 16th Legislative Assembly. The tourism industry is growing because of that support and our tourism operators, as we work in partnership to increase diversity and increase our presence abroad. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve been an outspoken supporter of legislation to ban the use of handheld devices while driving and I’ve spoken many times about the dangers of distracted driving in this House. But, Mr. Speaker, it’s taken too long to get to this point, but I am, anyway, extremely pleased that we will soon have legislation which outlaws driving and cell phone use.
I want to congratulate the Department of Transportation for planning ahead. They have developed a communications plan for educating NWT residents about the upcoming changes to the Motor Vehicles Act and the impact it will have on them as drivers.
Ms. Bisaro, your Member’s statement is dealing on a matter that is before Committee of the Whole right now. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We always tell our young people that they need to get a good education and that is the key to their success, but the examples we set are not always good. I refer, for example, to the school in Nahanni Butte. It’s an old log building that needs to be replaced. We have to get this into the capital plan.
I wish I could refer to the school in Trout Lake, as well, but the situation is even worse in Nahanni Butte. In Trout Lake, technically that is not a school at all. No school. The people of Trout Lake send their kids to the recreation centre for classes. This has been going on for years now and the old school is long gone.
School is not recreation. It is not daycare. The Department of Education has a duty to provide students with a good learning environment. The teachers are doing their best, but all they have is a little renovated area in the rec centre to accommodate students all the way from kindergarten to grade 10. There is not enough separation between grade levels, and there is not even a gymnasium for the students or the community. This government is letting down those students, the teachers, and all the people of Trout Lake.
I have asked time and time again for this government to at least start planning for this project, but all I get is talk and no plan, let alone any action. We hear a lot about the Aboriginal Student Achievement Program and this government has spent more than $100 million on the super school in Inuvik. It is not too much to have a school, even a mini-school, in Trout Lake. It should not be too much to ask to get a modern little school in Nahanni Butte as well.
I have been polite but persistent on this issue. I have been pushing on this for years now and it’s time to get the job done. It’s time to break the ground for Nahendeh student achievement. I will be asking the Education Minister about this shortly. In his replies he should just borrow a line from President Obama and say, yes, we can.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m alarmed to hear about the apparently huge issue of health and safety performance in the GNWT workplace. Information received from the Minister of Human Resources describes GNWT performance under the Safe Advantage program created by the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission in 2007. It says that employers with proven safety and return-to-work practices receive a refund and employers with poor safety and return-to-work practices pay a penalty.
Since the program was created in 2007, the GNWT has never received a good performance refund. In fact, over the past four years we’ve paid $255,000 in penalties, rising to a peak this year. During that time, claims experience costs topped $2 million. This is not good, and I will be asking the Minister how our workplace injury rates and costs compare to other workplace categories.
There are also confusing results of management practice questionnaires completed by GNWT to report on its performance. Managers describe their performance in such areas as inspections, hazard management, and Occupational Health and Safety Program evaluation. Survey results have given steadily improving ratings, from 17 percent in return-to-work practices and zero percent on safety in 2007-2008, to 100 percent in return-to-work practices and 86 percent on safety in 2010-2011. Contrast this to the dramatic growth in penalties from zero four years ago to a quarter million-plus this most recent year and claims costs peaking at another three-quarters of a million dollars in 2010-2011 and it’s hard to understand how the survey ratings could be improving when claims and penalties are skyrocketing.
Incredibly, the GNWT does not have health and safety committees intended under the act. According to the Minister’s explanation, the GNWT will establish a health and safety committee structure, which will require departments to have occupational health and safety committees and an overall committee, it will meet the legislated requirements of the act by the end of 2011-2012. We’re talking “will,” four years into the introduction of the program.
What are these injuries and what are we doing to avoid them? Information I’ve gathered indicates health and safety committees are a rarity. I will be asking the Minister how rare and how it’s possible that our penalties and costs continue to go up while our ratings appear to improve, all in the absence of government-wide health and safety committee structure that meets the requirement of the act.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, today would like to take this opportunity to offer my condolences to all the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic crash at Resolute Bay this weekend. We realize how interconnected we all are as Northerners when we hear the initial news of something like this and know, inevitably, that we will know people who were involved in this.
Today especially I would like to send my condolences out to Aziz Kheraj and his wife, Alisak, on the loss of their little granddaughter, the miracle and the blessing of the granddaughter that did not perish, and for a speedy recovery for those whose lives were not lost.
For the crew that flew the plane and took care of the people, for the crews and flight attendants who fly us everyday all over this vast north country, I thank them and I want them to know that our hearts are with them today as they mourn the loss of their colleagues.
I guess all we can say is that our prayers are with those that grieve today. We grieve with them, and we hope that they’ll find strength and comfort from the cherished memories that they have of their loved ones.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Only a handful of communities in the Northwest Territories are small enough not to have a high school in their communities. Whatever the rationale this government gives, it’s still wrong that our students and families receive no support with student accommodations.
In the past, many MLAs from small communities have also tried to get this government to provide more support for high school students, with no success. We have provided suggestions, options such as high school grades in our small communities, with no success.
In years past, more and more students get lagged behind the territory and the rest of Canada. How are we supposed to truly build a regional and northern capacity or prepare our use in the increasingly competitive world when we cannot even provide them the basics of learning?
In order for our students to succeed, we need a safe and secure place to live, and a healthy environment when they leave home.
I stated previously that this government and district office must do more to assist the families to find appropriate homes and facilities so that their children can go to school and learn in a healthy environment. Many students live in boarding homes where there’s drinking, and drugs, and partying. That’s a shame. There is no place for a student that can learn and have safety on their mind at all times.
Now that the region has no government-assisted boarding homes, parents are literally left on their own to make due, and the kids are left to defend for themselves once they leave their home and return to school. This is unacceptable. We owe this to our students, to the future, and the priority of our students across the territory in the small communities, especially in Sachs Harbour where we’re having this issue dealt with for the past three years.
I will have questions at the appropriate time for the Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, along with my colleagues, want to offer my condolences to the people of Nunavut. I’m glad the Premier said some words for them. At this time they certainly need our prayers and our support.
When I heard the news I was taken back, because some time ago I was involved in the incident in Fort Good Hope and it’s very heavy on the hearts of people, the families, the grandparents, people right across Canada. I can’t imagine what the people up in Resolute Bay are going through. At this time today, they need our support. They need our prayers from this Legislative Assembly. They need our help over there to get them through some of the very difficult things that are going to happen in the coming year.
I want to say this: I know there are things in this Assembly that we need to deal with that are very important, such as the wildlife, such as the cell phones, such as the issues on health and education, but today I thought when I stepped outside, when I got on the plane this morning in Tulita, today is that we can put aside those differences, put aside and offer our energy and support to the people in Resolute Bay, to the people up in Nunavut, to help them get through this tragic event. There are questions that are going to be answered. Questions of why the good Lord let this happen, God. These things that they need our help with.
I want to say on behalf of the Sahtu people, that we offer our support to those people, and also to our friends; as the Premier said, Smiling Jack. I was telling my wife, what next? I offer my condolences to his family, also, on behalf of the Sahtu, and all for the supporters of Mr. Layton and the recent election that he came north here and he certainly was a man to be admired bringing his party up to a stature that nobody thought could happen. Smiling Jack did it and he did it above all, and he did it on behalf of his own beliefs and values and principles.
I want to say this in my Member’s statement that we offer our condolences to the people in Resolute and also to people Mr. Layton has left behind.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on the statement made by my colleague Mr. Bromley.
I was disappointed last week when Mr. Bromley shared the GNWT results of the Safe Advantage program with me. For the 2010-2011 year, the GNWT received a penalty of $243,583.37. I understand that this is the largest penalty issued by the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission during the 2010-2011 fiscal year. In fact, it may be the largest penalty issued in the life of the Safe Advantage program.
According to the Safe Advantage program guidelines that I found on the WSCC website, prevention programs are essential in creating a safe workplace. Further, it is important that both the employer and workers support and follow procedures outlined in the program and work to keep those programs up to date.
The penalties occur when claim costs are above experience-incentive ranges. Claim costs include all of the costs directed to an employer, such as medical aid, compensation, vocational rehabilitation, and pensions. Experience-incentive ranges are based on average assessments of individual employers. So, basically, penalties occur when the costs of workplace injuries to an employer is higher than the average cost of similar costs throughout the Northwest Territories. In short, this current penalty suggests that the GNWT has a worse than average record of workplace safety and prevention.
The Safe Advantage program has only existed for four years. In that time, as Mr. Bromley indicated in his statement, the GNWT has experienced a total claim cost in excess of $2 million. This is embarrassing. It’s my understanding that the Department of Human Resources is working to address the requirements set out in the Safe Advantage program. To this end, the Department of Human Resources is apparently working on a government-wide Occupational Health and Safety Program which will help to meet the legislative requirements set out in the Safety Act. Yet a review of the GNWT phone directory shows the only occupational health and safety position in the GNWT is at Stanton Territorial Health Authority. After four years, only one position.
There are also five health and wellness positions at the Department of Human Resources. One is a consultant and four are officers. I’m assuming the consultant is the one position in the GNWT working on the government-wide health and safety programs.
The GNWT must lead by example. We must strive for the safest workplaces in the Northwest Territories. We must stop being assessed these significant fines.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
All the Members in this House have talked about using public money wisely. Having to pay these fines is not wise use of money.
Workplace incidents are completely avoidable. As leaders we must promote behavioural changes within the GNWT that will increase workplace safety and incident prevention, and work with our injured staff to encourage early and safe return to work.
Let’s stop paying these unnecessary and avoidable fines and let’s use our money to provide quality services and programs for our residents, programs that help our residents, Mr. Speaker. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak to the need for mandatory regular performance audits on territorial corporations owned by the GNWT, like the NWT Housing Corporation, the NWT Power Corporation, and the Business Development and Investment Corporation. This is an issue I have raised many times before in this House, Mr. Speaker, in this Assembly and certainly in the last.
As we all know, these corporations are, of course, subject to annual financial audits by the Auditor General’s office, which examines the books and ensures the financial reporting practices are in accordance with recognized accounting principles. Mr. Speaker, while this is a very important accountable mechanism that the work is being done there, it does not do the needed added steps which gives the corporations and the directors or shareholders, that is, which are ultimately the residents of the NWT, an indication as to how effectively and efficiently these corporations are operating. This is something that should happen, Mr. Speaker, over the course of every five years, not unlike what the federal government does, and the Auditor General makes sure the federal corporations are acting and operating healthy.
I have said this before: we need to catch up with other jurisdictions that are already doing this, and by bringing our own legislation that ensures the corporations are not only following the rules but are also working as effectively as possible.
As I understand it, the review of the Financial Administration Act will very likely be on the agenda of the 17th Assembly. This would be an ideal opportunity to bring the needed amendments, and I would strongly encourage the Minister of Finance to instruct his staff to undertake the background work so that this option can be available and considered for the next committee and government that reviews the update of the Financial Administration Act.
This is a critical piece of work that needs to be done, and it proves to the citizens of the Northwest Territories that our corporations are working efficiently and effectively, and I think it shows demonstrated proof, Mr. Speaker, that we’re getting the best dollar out of corporations as possible.
I will have questions for the Minister of Finance later today when the time comes. As well, Mr. Speaker, I will be tabling, at the appropriate time, a letter from the Auditor General of Canada who supports this initiative. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to lend my voice again today to the plight of the 1,100 residents of Northland Trailer Park located here in Yellowknife. In March I last spoke of this issue as residents were faced with intermittent water services for weeks at a time, sometimes without water for a week, because of the aging infrastructure that continues to spring leaks because it should have been replaced over 15 years ago.
Of the 1,100 residents of Northland, there are approximately 600 children, there are day homes, there are elderly persons, persons with disabilities. Mr. Speaker, they cannot endure another winter of broken lines and intermittent water service. On top of it all, Mr. Speaker, is that residents can’t go anywhere. Why is that? Because CMHC has stopped insuring mortgage loans for homes in the park for over 18 months now. They’re prisoners in their own home. To add insult to injury, residents continue to pay property tax to the City of Yellowknife. Well, what is the assessed value of a property you can’t sell, Mr. Speaker?
Again in March I warned this government that if something was not done to replace the infrastructure this summer season, that with a new winter, routine line breaks would occur with much more frequency and, ultimately, would result in a catastrophic line break for the residents of that trailer park. The Government of the Northwest Territories might like to say it’s not our problem, but when that catastrophic water or sewer line failure happens, we will have over 1,100 people, 600 children, being displaced from their homes. It will be our problem, Mr. Speaker. We’ll have no one to blame but ourselves.
As far as residents and Members of this House are concerned, the file has been on a Minister’s desk in Ottawa for 15 months. How is this possible? Yes, there was an election a few months ago, but really, who is in charge of ensuring this file gets the attention that it deserves?
The situation is reaching the brink, Mr. Speaker, the brink of disaster. We can’t afford to let this issue just sit there. We need to take action and we need to find a solution to this problem, Mr. Speaker. Residents in Northland need to have some hope that someday someone will listen, and that someday they may be able to actually sell their homes and not live everyday in fear of a catastrophic line break that will lead them to having to leave their homes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, over the past four years I have made many Member’s statements in this House on the subject of youth and the need to invest in our youth. Mr. Speaker, our youth are our biggest and our most important resource. The youth are our future leaders, and by investing in them, we begin to teach and instil in them this fact from a very young age. This government must realize that in order to set the path so that our youth are one day able to take over from us, this government must make it a priority to invest in such a possibility with the youth.
I think this government has put some of the pieces of the puzzle together; however, much, much more must be done. One day one of the government’s goals should be to set goals for the youth, along with a vision on what they want to see in the future. The youth of today will one day run the various governments across the Northwest Territories and must be supported. Mr. Speaker, in order for the youth to succeed in a healthy and balanced lifestyle along with their educational successes, we need to make it a priority to invest in the youth in every way possible.
We all know that youth across every community in the Northwest Territories is in dire need of a youth centre. With the youth centres that we invest in, we must make it a mandate to also invest in qualified youth workers and programming for the youth. We should have youth conferences to ensure that the next government recognizes that the youth are our future.
I believe the current government knows that the youth is one investment that returns the greatest dividends. The government needs to make it a priority in the next transitional planning. I believe that if we make a concentrated effort to invest in our youth, we will produce great and successful leaders. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was a real honour and privilege to be attending the awards ceremony this afternoon by the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment in regard to the different cultural groups in the Northwest Territories, and more importantly, the Aklavik Dancers and Drummers.
The Aklavik Dancers and Drummers have been performing for some 30 years throughout the Northwest Territories and around the world. Mr. Speaker, without mentioning the people that really deserve the mention, it’s the elders who took the time to revitalize their language, their culture, their songs, their dances. In regard to the late Alex and Hope Gordon, old Mrs. Hansen, and the late Mr. Paul, formed by those elders who felt the importance of revitalizing the culture and language and the dancing and singing of the Inuvialuit people.
But, Mr. Speaker, it’s hard work, and dedication, and commitment, and practice that made the Aklavik drummers what they are today. It’s a real honour and privilege to watch the Aklavik dancers perform, especially with the young children that they have now taught the dancing and the singing, and seeing them perform at such a young age. It’s a real sparkle in the eye of those people performing.
Mr. Speaker, without resurrection of the language, the culture, and more importantly, the dances and the drumming, and the songs, and understanding exactly what is being mentioned and also what’s being performed, it’s something that has to be cherished not only for the Inuvialuit but for other cultures in the Northwest Territories.
It can’t be spoken about without mentioning the loss of one of their performers: Philip Elanik. Again, a performer that basically made you sit and listen, and watch him perform. He had so much energy and so much intensity, and more importantly, his performance and the way he yelled out the different songs and the energy that he carried was so important to watch, especially for those people who had an opportunity to see Philip perform.
Mr. Speaker, he will be sadly missed by the community of Aklavik, the Aklavik Drummers and Dancers, but more importantly, all those who knew him.
Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to have this opportunity to thank the Aklavik Drummers and Dancers for performing, and more importantly, being ambassadors for the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, thank you very much.
