Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber, I’d like to draw your attention to the public gallery and the presence of a former Member, a former Speaker of this House, Mr. Sam Gargan, who is with us.
---Applause
Also, colleagues, the Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy, has been away from the House recently. Last week Mr. Abernethy travelled to Calgary to undergo an emergency medical procedure. I am pleased to advise the House that this procedure was a success.
---Applause
Mr. Abernethy will be returning to Yellowknife tonight, but will require some time to recover. On behalf of all Members, I want to wish him well and a speedy recovery. I know he is very anxious to get back to work and will do so as soon as he gets the green light from his health care professionals.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, the government is concerned about the long-term health of the Bathurst caribou herd; so concerned, in fact, that my colleague the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources enacted an outright hunting ban in an area covering the herd’s wintering grounds.
Mr. Speaker, it is the view of our government that the authority to make such regulations is clearly held by the Government of the Northwest Territories; without that conviction, we could not have acted, It is also clear that the Dene Nation and some aboriginal governments do not believe that to be true. We have even heard some Members of
this Assembly express doubts about the legislative base of the government they are part of.
Mr. Speaker, even when the people do not agree with their government all the time, it is important that they should trust that their government acts in their interest and within its powers, This matter before us, the long-term health of the barren-ground caribou is critical and requires immediate action. In taking action, it is also important that we ensure the people of the Northwest Territories have the same clear understanding of which government holds the necessary authority to protect barren-ground caribou.
For that reason, Mr. Speaker, with the support of Cabinet, I will be referring a question to the NWT Supreme Court and the Legal Questions Act, asking it to rule on the Government of the Northwest Territories’ legislative authority to regulate aboriginal hunting of barren-ground caribou.
The question that I will refer to the court is about the authority the Government of the Northwest Territories holds to regulate hunting by aboriginal people of barren-ground caribou. This is about clarifying for the public and for aboriginal governments in the Northwest Territories, which order of government holds the authority to act, to ensure the long-term health of the barren-ground caribou herds in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, at a later date, I will provide information for Members about the process that will be followed in addressing this question. While I cannot speak for how the court will act, or when, I believe the process will be inclusive and produce a timely result. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, later today I will table the Youth Smoking in the NWT: Descriptive Summary for Smoking Behaviour Among Grades 5 to 9 Students report. This is a summary of findings from the NWT School Tobacco Survey, The first survey was conducted in 1982 and is carried out every four to five years. The purpose of the report is to monitor youth smoking behaviour and related issues.
Mr. Speaker, Youth Smoking in the NWT: Descriptive Summary for Smoking Behaviour Among Grades 5 to 9 Students reflects Health and Social Services ongoing efforts to curb smoking initiation rates at a young age.
The NWT School Tobacco Survey was made possible with assistance from the students in grades 5 to 9, their teachers, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the regional education authorities.
Mr. Speaker, the report shows a number of positive results, The prevalence of youth smoking declined considerably from 1982 to 2006. The downward trend could be attributed to changing attitudes towards smoking as a result of our anti-smoking programs such as the Don’t be a Butthead campaign.
Some highlights of the reports include:
Over the past 25 years, fewer youth have tried smoking or currently smoke.
The overall prevalence of smoking among 10 to 14 year olds is declining: a 19 percent decrease in the prevalence of youth smoking over the past seven years.
Tobacco awareness programs are undertaken on a school-wide basis to educate all students about the adverse affects of tobacco use, Ninety-six percent of students in the NWT reported receiving some type of smoking-related education during the past school year.
Mr. Speaker, wellness is a basic goal identified in our Foundation for Change strategic document. Tobacco use is a common predisposition to many chronic diseases which diminishes one’s quality of life over time. Tobacco reduction is a personal responsibility. Health and Social Services supports quitting through education efforts. Tobacco use is addictive, it is easier to avoid use at the beginning than trying to quit in the end.
We encourage communities, families and individuals to make healthy choices. When residents choose to never start smoking, they are meeting this goal.
Mr. Speaker, this Youth Smoking in the NWT: Descriptive Summary of Smoking Behaviour Among Grades 5 to 9 Students is available in printed format from the Department of Health and Social Services and is posted on their website, I would like to invite everyone to take a look, Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
MINISTER’S STATEMENT 59-16(4):
OUTSTANDING PRINCIPAL AND
Mr. Speaker, across the Northwest Territories there are many school administrators who are leaders in their communities and who work hard to ensure that teachers, students and school staff have the resources they need to be successful, They all deserve our gratitude, and today I have the opportunity to highlight the work of two such leaders.
I am very proud of the fact that two administrators from Sir Alexander Mackenzie School in Inuvik are being honoured with national awards for their leadership. This year Janette Vlanich is being recognized as one of Canada’s Outstanding Principals by the Learning Partnership for the difference she makes in the lives of students and the community of Inuvik. While there are many reasons to celebrate Janette, of particular importance is her work helping to develop a successful literacy program and supporting aboriginal languages and culture in the community, Her membership in this year’s select group of 32 outstanding educational leaders serves as an inspiration to her peers not only across the Northwest Territories, but across Canada.
Even as Janette is being recognized as one of the outstanding principals, Jason Dayman, vice-principal of Sir Alexander Mackenzie School, is being honoured by the Canadian Association of Principals with the National Herff Jones Vice-Principal of the Year Award. Jason is driven by a strong belief that culturally relevant programming helps students achieve success in school. While at Sir Alexander Mackenzie School, he’s committed himself to developing a permanent culture camp for students and fostering strong relationships with community elders, creating opportunities for them to share their knowledge with students, He has also worked in partnership with Parks Canada and the Department of Fisheries developing on-the-land programs for students. With his big boat and skidoos, he has facilitated many rich learning opportunities for these young people.
I want to thank Janette and Jason for their leadership and commitment to excellence and congratulate them to the honours they are receiving. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Bob McLeod will be absent from the House today to attend promotional events related to the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I opened the News/North today and this may not be the first time this ad has run, Mr. Speaker, but I was struck by this full page ad which says -- if I can just read it, it’s very brief -- “Empty Stomachs Make Empty Brains. Your kids cannot concentrate with growling stomachs. Everyone needs a healthy breakfast to start the day. Sponsored by the Northwest Territories Department of Education, Culture and Employment.”
Mr. Speaker, I find this ad offensive and I would suggest that if it’s run for very many times, it’s very expensive. Mr. Speaker, this government has way too much money to spend if they can take out full pages in the local newspaper for an ad like that.
Mr. Speaker, we know that we need many, many things in our education system and one of them is children who are healthy and fed and ready to learn, But, Mr. Speaker, we have Mr. Jacobson standing up here talking about the fact that we have no funding for a teacher in Sachs Harbour; we have other Members standing up and talking about the many, many needs in our community. I find it amazing and, as I said, this government has way too much money if they have money to spend on something like this.
This message means nothing to anyone who will read it. As a matter of fact, saying that if your stomach is empty, so is your brain, is an offense to somebody who doesn’t have enough to eat, as far as I’m concerned. I think people who are hungry can still think.
Mr. Speaker, if there are parents who don’t know that their children should not go to school hungry, this is a rather cold way of sending a message to them. Maybe ECE would be better to talk to their counterparts and figure out a way to sponsor a milk subsidy program so that children in communities where milk is an expensive commodity could have their diets supplemented with something that is nutritious. I find this ad, as I said, Mr. Speaker, not a very good use and expenditure of government money. Later today, I would like to ask the Minister of ECE who came up with this campaign, who designed this campaign, who created that wording, how much did this cost the government. This kind of thing has got to stop. We have more pressing issues. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
Today I would like to talk, once again, about the frustrations that many of my constituents have with the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
Mr. Speaker, many of these constituents are elders, single mothers, young couples trying to make ends meet to raise a family and many of them rely on income support. It’s a tough situation that they are in. As their MLA, I have seen firsthand the conditions of many of these units and when I meet with them in their homes, Mr. Speaker, I hear desperation in their voices.
I, too, have become frustrated with the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation because it seems that I am not making any progress with the issues that I bring forward. Mr. Speaker, I feel that the NWT Housing Corporation continues to neglect an important element when delivering housing programs and that is taking into account full consideration and factors of individual situations.
This means incorporating creativity and flexibility needed to effectively work with desperate clients, Mr. Speaker. As it is now, for many of my constituents in Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e the policies are flawed, Mr. Speaker, it continues to be almost a daily practice if I am not following up on housing issues already in the system, then I’m bringing forth new housing issues, From there, it’s fairly predictable what happens. I get back a response that says they are unable to help. They owe money or they don’t own the land that their house has been sitting on for several years, many years, in some cases since the ‘80s.
Mr. Speaker, by the time I am able to make some headway on some of these issues, the construction season has passed. The domestic situation for our clients has changed, which means a whole application process and, unfortunately, in a few cases the constituents actually pass away before their issues can be brought before the Housing Corporation or before the Housing Corporation is able to assist them.
Mr. Speaker, there needs to be a change in attitude of the Housing Corporation, and in many of my communities the Housing Corporation is seen as out of touch with the people’s needs.
When you live in a good home, make a good income in a regional centre or Yellowknife, there is a different attitude towards housing in places like Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
I thought the NWT Housing Corporation was there to help people, but so far it appears that that is not the case. I will have questions for the Minister of the Housing Corporation later on today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement is on the school extension at Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk. Recently Don Kindt Consulting conducted and completed, released a report identifying serious deficiencies and inadequacies with Mangilaluk School in the community of Tuktoyaktuk. I wish to thank the Minister and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment for funding the evaluation.
The concerns identified in the report cover a wide range of problems but mainly focus on the lack of physical space, which, according to the community’s high school principal, is negatively impacting the successful learning environment. The report highlights the fact that so many areas, from the size of the gymnasium, the size of the library, lack of space for students to congregate, are far below territorial standards. Our Nunakput students are less deserving. Why do the students in small, remote communities always have to do with less than others?
The government once promised that all students across the Northwest Territories will receive equal quality education. This government is losing and the commitment is not being fulfilled.
The vice-principal, program teacher and classroom assistant all use a small office space out of the library. To make matters worse, they share with the students because they have nowhere to congregate or study.
Mangilaluk School desperately needs an extension to accommodate the growing needs of the community. School supplies are being stored in a donated C-can from NTCL. Teachers have to eat their lunch in the hallway. Mangilaluk School is a poster school of the government’s failure to provide equal quality education.
Community schools are supposed to be a focal point in the community where activities and gatherings and, most importantly, learning takes place. When the school lacks the most basic standards, the whole community suffers. Students should be able to go to school and enjoy it. They should feel comfortable that education is not only books, tests and buildings, they are environments, teachers and the community.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
One of the government’s pledges is to provide good, equal education for all residents of the Northwest Territories, but when smaller communities are so far below larger centres such as Yellowknife, I wonder if this government will put their money where their mouth is. We have to commit to put improvements needed and identified in the Don Kindt Consulting report on Mangilaluk School. I will have questions for the Minister of ECE at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m rising today to speak to the urgent need to expand the incredibly stressed facilities at Stanton Territorial Hospital. There is a significant capacity issue and overall care may be at risk, especially in areas such as emergency, intensive care and medical daycare. These are some of the most critical services our hospital provides. The overall volume and workload has grown substantially over the years.
The Standing Committee on Social Programs has recently toured the hospital and saw for ourselves the desperate overcrowding and lack of facilities to deliver existing services. Offices have medical record files piled to the ceilings. The hallways are full of freight. There isn’t room for one more sardine in that can.
The planning and design for the hospital are about 25 years old and needs have drastically changed in that time. Recent facelifts are tweaking and do not reflect the degree of changes needed. Now we’re at the point where a major investment, such as major reorganization and a new wing, is urgent and this is not getting the attention it deserves.
Providing quality health care for the entire Territory depends upon having modern, adequate hospital facilities. Savings in southern care costs, immediate service, and range of services here in the Territory are obvious benefits that an effective territorial facility can address.
We need to fully understand what our needs are, but some needs are obvious and demand action now. Our hospital is already bursting at the seams. We need to expedite the complex and specific capital planning for what will obviously be a multi-year, phased-in program that necessarily distributes costs over several fiscal years allowing for the fine-tuning as detailed needs are set.
Hospital design and construction are very specific and complex, but we need to fast-track the planning to get those dollars lined up for the work that’s needed. This situation reflects the need to look at our priorities more clearly.
Mr. Speaker, we’re spending close to $200 million on a bridge. It’s nice that it will be easier to driver to Edmonton for medical treatment, but we need to look closer to how we spend our capital priorities. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’ve yet to speak about the caribou issue, as some have been calling it, and so I will do so today.
Even though I haven’t spoken yet, I have been considering all aspects of it every day for the last week and more, listening to my colleagues on both sides of the House, listening to elders and other residents as they speak to us in person and via the media. I’ve been trying to reconcile the arguments, the concerns, the differences of opinions and the different positions. It has been difficult to do.
At the core of this issue is the need for conservation of the caribou, the need to ensure their survival for as many years into the future as the number of years that have passed already. That should be the basis for any discussions on this matter. But of paramount importance, as well, is the right of aboriginal people to hunt as they have done since time immemorial. The temporary ban has led to an impasse, a difference of opinions, a lack of agreement on how things should proceed and how things should have been done. I believe, in the science that has been presented to me, that the Bathurst caribou herd is in great distress; that without some intervention, the herd will become extinct. I believe in the right of aboriginal people to hunt. I also believe that there is a solution out there waiting to be found.
I am, by nature, a person who uses negotiation before confrontation. I strongly advocate that the parties to this dispute respect each other and negotiate a solution to this problem. The differences can be worked out if all parties keep an open mind, have the right attitude and treat each other fairly. There is a right way forward and any actions should not be politicized or personalized. The preservation of the caribou is a much bigger issue than the need for people to save face and come out winners. There can be no human winners here, just the caribou.
Mr. Speaker, I know a middle ground can be found, that there is a solution acceptable to all parties. I urge our leaders in every area to continue the dialogue, reflect on what is best for the caribou and find the consensus we need to put this disagreement to bed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.
Mr. Speaker, I believe last week the Minister of Education made a statement in the House in regard to student absences and the problem that we’re seeing across the Territories. Mr. Speaker, it amazes me that Sport North, who are going to be hosting the dog mushing trials in Fort Smith, that people from the Mackenzie Delta who are going to take part in these trials have to drive from Mackenzie Delta to Fort Smith. Mr. Speaker, the students that are taking part in these trials will have to take three weeks of school off because of the way the trials have been set up.
Mr. Speaker, it’s unacceptable to allow our students to miss three weeks of school, yet we have a Minister who’s basically stating the importance of keeping the students in school. Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister of Education, along with Sport North and the Department of MACA must find a solution to this problem to accommodate our students to ensure that they do not miss three weeks of school simply because of where they’re located.
Mr. Speaker, the trials will take place in Fort Smith and if you qualify for the Arctic Winter Games, you will have to stay there until the games are being held in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Again, Mr. Speaker, from there you have to basically drive back to the Mackenzie Delta, which will take you somewhere around five or six days. I think, Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable.
The Department of Education talks about establishing the policies and making sure we keep our students in school. I think you should inform government departments and agencies that they should also do their part to ensure that these students are able to access their education and make sure that they don’t miss any of their studies.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time I will be asking the Minister of Education questions on this matter. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to talk about insurance for what is usually the most expensive item that an individual or even a family will ever purchase and that is the family home. For many people who are out there buying new homes, they’ll find that they’re either very limited or there is no warranty at all for their new home purchase.
Mr. Speaker, that’s certainly not right, because if you go down today to Canadian Tire to buy a lawnmower and it doesn’t work, you can take it back because it has a warranty.
Mr. Speaker, if you go down to YK Chrysler and buy a new car, it comes with a warranty too, but shame on the fact that a home does not carry one and we don’t have legislation in place to protect the new homeowner.
Mr. Speaker, in Alberta, new home warranty programs have been operating since the 1970s. It offers protection to home purchasers who buy a home constructed by a builder who is a member of their program. Mr. Speaker, B.C. has even thought this out and their contractors must be licensed as well. I am not suggesting that we create a whole new Crown corporation and bureaucracy to oversee this homeowner legislation, but, Mr. Speaker, what I see is a huge gap about clear responsibility to protect the new home buyer and the difference between the contractor and who will be left holding the bag if something goes wrong.
Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is facing significant shortages in affordable housing. Mr. Speaker, it was not more than a week ago that the Minister of Finance was talking about our 18 percent vacancy. Mr. Speaker, the real problem comes down to this, it is difficult to attract people when there are no new homes for people to move into. Mr. Speaker, with rapid development potentially on the horizon with things like the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline, what will happen here is potentially unqualified people will call themselves builders and they will be out building houses as quick as possible to make their quick sale. But who will be left holding the bag? That new purchaser of that home.
Mr. Speaker, the solution is quite simple. We need legislation to help protect people to ensure that if deficiencies arise, the contractor leaves town or goes bankrupt, the new homeowner isn’t left holding the bag. Mr. Speaker, land titles in this territorial government has an insurance fund that protects people if the land transaction has problems. Mr. Speaker, where does a family go when they put everything that they have had into the deposit, into their dreams, into their opportunities of life with great hopes, and everything is sunk quickly because something goes bad? Mr. Speaker, they are the ones left holding the bag. Mr. Speaker, later today I will have questions for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs to talk about the need for legislation to protect new home buyers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to use my Member’s statement to give my condolence to the Doctor family, Horassi family in Tulita. Over the weekend, we lost a community elder and member in Tulita. On Sunday morning I got a phone call from my brother, saying that a gentleman passed away in Tulita. Another one has left us in their community. I was thinking about the amount of elders that we have lost in the Sahtu region. Mr. Speaker, people like my uncle Adrian Menacho, an older gentleman in Deline that passed away last year, and an older man in Colville Lake Joe Martin Oudzi also passed away. Several people in Fort Good Hope have also passed away.
Mr. Speaker, when we come here to represent our people, these people, when they ask us to work for them or speak for them, when we go out we seek their support on Election Day to put an X beside our name so we can go and talk to these people that have faith in us to say what needs to be said. These elderly people gave us advice. They give us direction. They tell us how to work together. They tell us if you don’t work together, you create a lot of hardship. They tell us, too, this is how they view life. This is how they grew up. These are the values and beliefs. Sometimes they don’t quite coincide with the modern day living in terms of how we see life. We go back to our communities. These elders are from the land. This is how they see things. Sometimes these elders give us strong words to speak on their behalf, how they see the world. Sometimes it has a conflict with the way they go out today. Sometimes we are in that state of which way do we decide on. But I also heard from one of the elders. You always side with the people. You will never go wrong in your decisions. I heard people say to remember what the elders have taught you and what have they told you. This is why I want to say to the families in Tulita and in the Sahtu that these elders are very valuable to us. I offer my prayers and condolence to the families in Tulita.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to recognize today Chief Edward Sangris and Grand Chief Bill Erasmus of the Dene Nation. Also many of the people and councillors, some of the people I see are Bertha Mackenzie, Ernie Abel, Sarah Plotner, Angela Charlo, John Carter, Kelly Cumming, Leanne Erasmus, and others from the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. Lee Mandeville I see is here. Colin Crozier, Dave Kellett, and many people interested in the important issues before us.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Michael McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome everybody in the audience here for today. I’d like to recognize some people from my community. First of all, the grand chief of Deh Cho, Sam Gargan, former Speaker and MLA. Welcome. Also Victor Constant from Fort Providence is here with us. Welcome, Victor.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a great pleasure to recognize Murray McMahon. He’s here in the gallery and is a constituent of Yellowknife Centre, as well as Margaret Petersen, who is with him.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to welcome James Williams and Noah Cockney. Both will be going to the Olympics representing Arctic sports for the next two weeks. Have a good trip and showcase our Arctic sports. Also I’d like to welcome Mr. Greg Hopf of the Aboriginal Sport Circle.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My colleague MLA Hawkins recognized Mr. McMahon and Ms. Margaret Petersen, but sitting with them is Amanda Petersen from Petersen’s Outfitters.
Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
