Welcome back, colleagues. It is my pleasure to reconvene the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
I know that all Members have been busy since we last met here in March. Committees and departments have been travelling to many of our communities to hear the views of our residents of the Northwest Territories. Many of us also had the opportunity to spend time in our communities working with our constituents. The connection with our constituents is what makes our work so meaningful.
Colleagues, I was very happy to welcome back the 2015 Youth Parliamentarians as they gathered here for a week earlier this month. I had the pleasure of meeting with all 19 Members, and as usual, I am very proud of the young people involved.
I say that after every Youth Parliament, colleagues, but if our youth are any indication, the Northwest Territories has a very bright future. We heard our young people speak with poise and confidence about the issues that affect them, their families and friends. They bravely tackled issues we wrestle with all the time in this Chamber.
I extend my congratulations to the young people, the parents and teachers who support them, to those Members who made the time to meet and encourage the participants, and to our staff who made such a meaningful forum.
Speaking of young people, please join me in welcoming the Pages for this sitting of the Assembly. It’s always a pleasure to have them in the House. We have students from Boot Lake, Deh Cho and Yellowknife joining us during the next two weeks.
Colleagues, it is now my duty to advise the House that I have received the following message from the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. It reads:
Dear Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, the passage of
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2014-2015
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2015-2016
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2015-2016
during the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly. Yours truly, George L. Tuccaro, Commissioner.
Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to advise Members of the passing of Mr. George Braden this past Monday in Ottawa.
Mr. Braden was a long-time Northerner who graduated from Sir John Franklin Territorial High School before studying political science at the University of Alberta and Dalhousie University.
From 1977 to 1979 Mr. Braden was an advisor to the Honourable Bud Drury, the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Constitutional Development in the Northwest Territories. In 1979 he was elected to the 9th Legislative Assembly as the Member for Yellowknife North.
The Assembly of 1979 was in transition. While all its Members were elected, the federally appointed Commissioner still had a direct role in the day-to-day administration of the Government of the Northwest Territories and chaired Cabinet meetings, which then included only three Members of the Legislative Assembly.
The number of Members of the Legislative Assembly appointed to Cabinet expanded to seven at the beginning of the 9th Assembly, with Mr. Braden chosen as one of its Members. In 1980 Mr. Braden was selected by his colleagues to be the Leader of the Elected Executive, a position that came to be known first as Government Leader and later as Premier.
As Leader of the Elected Executive, Mr. Braden continued the work he had begun with Mr. Drury of bringing increased decision-making power to the North and promoting responsible government by Northerners for Northerners. Devolution of responsibility for land and resources during this Assembly was the most recent example of how this work continues.
As well as Leader of the Elected Executive, Mr. Braden also held portfolios as Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Minister of Justice and Public Services, Minister of Priorities and Planning and Minister for the Status of Women.
During his time in government, Mr. Braden also began efforts to promote a new recognition of the Northwest Territories at the national level and a more prominent role in Confederation. This included efforts to win a seat for the Northwest Territories at First Ministers conferences and his leadership of this government’s lobbying for Aboriginal rights to be included in Section 35 of the Constitution. In fact, NWT Days first originated with Mr. Braden, when he and all 22 Members of the Legislative Assembly decided to fly to Ottawa during the debates on the patriation of the Constitution to lobby for the recognition of Aboriginal rights.
Mr. Braden continued his work to promote the Northwest Territories and advance its interests after he left office in 1983. This included several years representing the Government of the Northwest Territories as deputy minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in our Ottawa office, where he worked to assert this government’s role as a major participant at the international level and increase its official contacts with provincial governments and other national institutions.
Mr. Braden was also Commissioner of the Northwest Territories Expo ’86 Pavilion, staffed entirely by Northwest Territories residents and promoting the fur industry, serving country food and hosting 1.5 million visitors over six months.
In recent years, Mr. Braden served as senior policy advisor to Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson, himself a former Legislative colleague and past Premier of the Northwest Territories. He continued to be a constant promoter of the North and its potential and was a reliable advisor in Ottawa for many visiting Northwest Territories politicians, senior officials and other leaders.
Mr. Braden will be remembered not just as our first Premier, Mr. Speaker, but as one of Canada’s nation builders. He has earned this recognition for both his vision and leadership in guiding this territory along the path towards responsible northern government and his support for placing Aboriginal rights in the Canadian Constitution. I am honoured to stand here today as Premier, and as his successor, to continue the work he dedicated much of his life to.
A book of condolences has been set up in the Great Hall beside a portrait of George that also depicts the Northwest Territories Expo ’86 Pavilion, a project very close to his heart. I welcome all members of the public to come and sign the book and offer their own memories of this great Northerner.
Mr. Braden was a true champion for the Northwest Territories and we have lost a good friend and contemporary this week, Mr. Speaker. Many of us knew and worked with George and with his brother Bill, himself a two-term Member of this Assembly. His mother, Esther, is also well known to many of us as a dedicated community builder. I invite Members to join with me in offering our profound condolences to his widow, Lise Beaudry-Braden; Esther; his sister, Sandra; brothers Bill, Max and Pat and their families, represented today by his niece Carmen, on behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories.
I would now ask Members to rise with me and observe a moment of silence in memory of Mr. Braden and his contributions to this territory and its people.
---Moment of Silence
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome Members back to the continuation of the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly. We have been working together for almost four years now on our vision of strong individuals, families and communities sharing the benefits and responsibilities of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories.
We have made progress on that vision in our time together, and I thank Members for their support and guidance on the many projects and initiatives we have successfully introduced.
As a government, we are committed to what is best for the people of the entire Northwest Territories. Hearing from Members in this Chamber about the views, values and priorities of the people they represent is one way we make sure our initiatives and decisions reflect what Northerners want and need.
As I have said throughout our term, the Northwest Territories has the potential to be an engine of economic growth for this country. We have the potential to be a net contributor to this nation, not to be drawing upon it for support.
That is a goal worth striving for, the goal of a territory rich in jobs and opportunities for all its residents, with the financial means to pay its own way and the authority to make its own decisions about its future.
Creating a strong, sustainable, prosperous North is about choices, Mr. Speaker. While I have often said that the Northwest Territories has great potential and a bright future, that future is based on making realistic choices.
We need a strong and diversified economy to have the kind of Northwest Territories we envision. Growing that economy has to start with the advantages we enjoy. Those advantages include the ingenuity and ideas of the hardworking people who live here. They also include the wealth of natural resources the Northwest Territories has been blessed with.
Economic and social development in this territory have long depended on resource development. For decades, mining in the North Slave, South Slave and Sahtu gave Northerners jobs and literally built our communities. Oil and gas development has done the same for people and communities in the Mackenzie Delta and the Sahtu.
We all know that resource development can be a mixed blessing. None of us who sit in this building only a few kilometres from the former Giant Mine site can forget the potential downside of resource development that is not well managed.
That is why devolution is so important to us, Mr. Speaker. Devolution means Northerners making decisions about how to protect our land and environment and responsibly develop its resources. It means taking our time and applying made-in-the-North solutions that reflect northern priorities and values to resource management. Devolution means not having to make the mistakes of the past again.
We have learned from the past, and we have studied the best examples of responsible, sustainable development from around the world. The path to jobs and prosperity for Northerners lies in embracing our future and the natural advantages we enjoy. It does not lie in turning our backs on the legacy Northerners have been given in the hopes we can find some other basis for a strong economy and prosperous future.
But while our future is bright, Mr. Speaker, we cannot make the mistake of believing that it is inevitable. Our natural resource wealth cannot be transformed into prosperity for Northerners if we cannot develop it and move it to market.
That means making some deliberate and strategic choices about the path forward, Mr. Speaker. It means recognizing the advantages we possess, but also addressing the challenges that we need to overcome.
It means investing in our people so they have the skills and training they need for jobs in newly vibrant industries.
It means research and development to better understand the Northwest Territories resource base and the latest best practices from around the world for responsibly developing them.
It means refining and improving the regulatory system we inherited as part of devolution and making sure it gives us the tools we need to responsibly and safely manage resource development according to northern values and priorities.
It means securing the fiscal capacity and flexibility to invest strategically in the energy, communications and transportation infrastructure that will help the Northwest Territories compete in today’s global marketplace and allow us to grow our economy, providing long-term jobs for our residents and revenues for northern governments.
It means strengthening our partnerships with Aboriginal and other governments, identifying the common priorities we can work together to pursue in the best interests of all Northwest Territories residents.
As we head towards the end of the 17th Assembly, we continue to make progress on our priorities and enjoy successes. In the area of partnerships, we were pleased to have the K’atlodeeche First Nation become a signatory to the Devolution Agreement in March. We recently concluded an intergovernmental memorandum of understanding with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and an agreement on capacity building for staff with the Gwich’in Tribal Council. Nationally, the Northwest Territories has taken a lead role in chairing the Aboriginal Affairs Working Group and supporting the National Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which I attended along with Minister Ramsay.
In the area of the environment, Minister Miltenberger and I had the privilege of signing the Transboundary Water Management Agreement with the Government of Alberta in March. This agreement, many years in the making, is one of the first agreements of its type anywhere in the world and will ensure that decisions about water use in our two jurisdictions consider the needs of the ecosystem first.
Minister Miltenberger and I also represented the Northwest Territories at the recent Quebec Summit on Climate Change in April. Along with Nunavut and Yukon, we communicated the importance of addressing this issue, particularly in the North, while not impacting the high cost of living in the North, undermining food security or threatening emerging economies.
We continue to take steps to build a strong, well-managed economy that creates sustainable benefits for Northerners. That work includes implementing the Economic Opportunities Strategy and Mineral Development Strategy and finalizing an Oil and Gas Strategy. It includes taking action on the high cost of energy and continuing to promote population growth in the Northwest Territories. We also continue to take steps to refine and improve the legislation transferred to our government a year ago, ensuring we have a strong system for managing development in a responsible and sustainable manner.
Fiscally, we were pleased to announce last month that the Government of the Northwest Territories has successfully negotiated a second increase in the federal borrowing limit and agreement to review the definition of self-financing debt. Our borrowing limit now stands at $1.3 billion, up from the $575 million limit we had at the start of this Assembly, when we identified increasing the limit as a priority.
This increase in our borrowing limit gives the Government of the Northwest Territories increased flexibility to invest in much needed infrastructure that will support the responsible development of the Northwest Territories and its economy and bring down the cost of living for communities and residents. The decision reflects this territory’s economic potential and recognizes our disciplined fiscal management.
We need to continue to exercise discipline in our spending decisions, even with this new borrowing limit. Before we make any spending commitments, there are some parameters that we all need to recognize. The first one is that we should only be considering strategic investments designed to support long-term economic growth for the territory, such as investments in public infrastructure.
Ensuring our territory has the energy, transportation and communications infrastructure business and industry need to be competitive in the North needs to be a priority. That investment will pay off in a strong and diversified economy that provides jobs and services to residents, while growing the Northwest Territories corporate tax base. Increased investment in public infrastructure will also continue to make our territory and communities an attractive and sustainable choice for current and new residents and help lower living costs.
The other parameter we need to recognize is that we cannot borrow to fund ongoing program and service delivery. While the desire to maintain existing programs and services or establish new ones might be strong, we can only do so if we have the revenues to pay for them. Going into debt to fund operations is not sustainable and must be avoided at all costs.
While our economic prospects are good as a territory, we have to face the fact that our economic growth is still slow, a result of the global economic slowdown several years ago and the more recent drop in world oil prices. That will continue to limit our revenues and our ability to pay for our operations. We will all be required to take a hard look at our books and work together to align our expenditures to our revenues, both for the remainder of this Assembly and into the next one.
We need to be diligent and follow our normal planning processes. Decisions on new investments will be made as part of the Government of the Northwest Territories normal planning processes and will include discussions with Members of the Legislative Assembly and other stakeholders.
Mr. Speaker, politicians are often called decision-makers, but “choosers” might be another way to put that. Faced with an array of possibilities and options, it is our responsibility to make wise and prudent choices based on our understanding of what will best match the needs, wishes and priorities of the people we represent.
Sometimes the choices are hard, even unpleasant, but the choices still have to be made. Where the best path is unclear, it is up to us to study the options, debate them in the Assembly and make a reasoned decision in the best interests of our territory and its residents.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 36(4) so that all Ministers’ statements provided to the Clerk can be delivered today.
---Unanimous consent granted
While we are entering the final months of our term, the choices will continue and their impact will continue to be seen now and into the term of the next Assembly. It is up to us to make the best choices we can for the long-term future of our government and the territory, and I look forward to continuing to debate those choices with Members here in this House. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.
Mr. Speaker, resource development has long been the foundation of our territory’s economy.
Our rich mining and oil and gas sectors have generated significant employment, skill development and wealth. Vital economic infrastructure that continues to advance economic growth in other sectors was, in many cases, first built to support resource development.
We now have locally owned and operated airlines, hotels, restaurants, construction firms, telecommunications and logistics companies, and service and supply industries. They are evidence of the capacity of northern and Aboriginally owned businesses to leverage investments from resource development and to participate and invest fully in the NWT’s economy as successful business owners, operators and investors.
Our government has never veered from the assertion that the NWT is open for business to socially and environmentally responsible companies that are willing to invest and work with us to ensure benefits from sustainable development accrue to the northern economy and our residents, and to respect and protect the lands, water and environment to which our people and their communities are intrinsically tied.
Last week the National Energy Board and the NWT Geological Survey confirmed what we have known for many years: There is significant oil and gas potential in the Sahtu. Developing this potential will produce jobs and business opportunities for residents in this region and resource royalties to support investments across the NWT.
The announcement validates the GNWT’s ongoing work to complete our territory’s first-ever Call Cycle for Oil and Gas Exploration Rights and to advance the development of an Oil and Gas Strategy that will serve to guide oil and gas development in our territory well into the future.
Exploration and development has slowed, but we are using this opportunity to define the parameters that NWT residents feel are appropriate to both support and protect their families and communities for the future; and by providing a level of certainty and awareness required by proponents of major projects, we are working to renew interest and confidence in our investment climate.
In part, this is the work that was begun several years ago when our government first started looking at hydraulic fracturing and studying best practices related to it. Following devolution, that work further informed the development of new filing regulations for applications for hydraulic fracturing operations in our territory. We did this together, and in recent months we have visited communities to talk about how those regulations would enhance and become part of our regulatory system.
Mr. Speaker, this work and dialogue is not about deciding if hydraulic fracturing will take place in the NWT. In fact, our Devolution Agreement already puts this decision in the hands of NWT residents every time a project is proposed.
Public boards established under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act set the terms of water licences and land use permits. The Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board conducts environmental assessments and environmental impact reviews in the Mackenzie Valley, while boards established under the land claim screen and assess development proposals in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The various boards and regulatory agencies in the NWT hold public hearings and receive submissions from members of the public as well as technical submissions from the GNWT. These arm’s-length boards look at each application, consider all of the circumstances and make well-informed decisions.
It is a system that continues to evolve and has been proven effective in ensuring benefits from the development that has already occurred in our territory flow to NWT residents and businesses. Ours is an integrated and comprehensive process that ensures resource development decisions in the NWT are made in the public interest, informed by appropriate scientific and technical information, best practices, traditional knowledge and public input. It is one based in federal and territorial law as well as in obligations established in settled land claims and self-government agreements.
We recognize that our regulatory system, like hydraulic fracturing itself, is detailed and can be a source of uncertainty. We can and will address this with a focus on increasing the knowledge, understanding and awareness of both legislated and industry processes that will be key to the responsible development of our economy into the future.
Hydraulic fracturing technologies have advanced greatly in recent years, as have the public accountabilities demanded from companies that incorporate this development process. Today we are confident that regions like the Sahtu and the Beaufort-Delta can realize the benefits of their oil and gas resources without harm to the environment, and our proposed regulations will help make sure of that.
We have heard from the public and the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure that more time is needed to review the proposed regulations. We are committed to extending the engagement period until the end of August and beyond, if necessary.
That will give us more time to engage with NWT residents and offer us an opportunity this summer to meet and discuss our work in greater detail during the many gatherings and assemblies that will take place.
Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has taken the first step beyond simply mirroring the federal requirements that we have inherited and to making the NWT regulatory system our own.
For many years, and through many processes, NWT residents have told us that they place a great deal of value on the land and environment. They have stressed the need for baseline surface and groundwater information, public disclosure, measures to address air quality, and enhanced reporting. The proposed hydraulic fracturing filing regulations address these priorities and make expectations clear.
Our government will take the time it needs to get the right rules in place for managing oil and gas development in our territory. We will continue to listen to Members, the public and Aboriginal governments as well as business and industry. Once we are satisfied that we have the right solution, we are prepared to move forward with filing regulations that will provide proponents a greater understanding of expectations and requirement before they prepare and submit applications. Should legislative change be necessary to further strengthen regulatory processes in this area, we are prepared to make recommendations for the consideration of the 18th Legislative Assembly.
This important step demonstrates that we are serious about unlocking oil and gas potential in the territory and ensuring that development is conducted in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner.
It will not result in a sudden and unmanageable increase in exploration and development, but they will set the stage for us to realize a future that, like our past, is founded on the responsible and measured development of our territory’s vast resource wealth.
For the last four years, the 17th Legislative Assembly has proudly held a vision of a strong, prosperous and environmentally sustainable Northwest Territories that all residents, families and communities can benefit from.
Our government has long held that the economy and the environment are linked. That understanding is set out in the Sustainable Development Policy that we put into place in 1990. It is reflected in the Land Use and Sustainability Framework that we released last year and it is enshrined in our regulatory system. We want development, but we want development the right way, the responsible way that creates sustainable prosperity for our children and our grandchildren. But we cannot have prosperity without an economy that provides jobs and economic opportunities for people and revenues to our government to invest in infrastructure and deliver programs and services that support our residents to be healthy, educated and self-sufficient.
This is the work that we have and continue to be committed to realizing today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome back. It’s good to be back in the House. We only have seven short days here, so we have to make them count.
I am a firm believer, as an MLA, to giving credit where credit is due. We have failed as a government as the 17th Assembly in one area that I am going to talk about today, and that is coming up with a broad Energy Strategy. Fail.
In the absence of a clearly thought out strategy that considers our environment, our economy and our cost of living, this government will just keep acting in a reactive mode, running willy-nilly. Like when we had to come up with a Cabinet meeting when they went someplace to have a meeting and they came back and said, “We’re going to throw $20 million into the fact that we have low water and high diesel costs.” This is the way this government has reacted to everything related to this. Let’s just throw more money at it.
We had $60 million set aside at the beginning of this Assembly to actually do something creative and responsible when it came to energy, but we have literally blown all of that. We have failed to look at the creative opportunities to do things in the Northwest Territories for Northerners in the area of energy. Here we are now a few short months until the end of our term, we’ve got a Cabinet that seemingly is going to run willy-nilly on this energy piece and people are going to use this opportunity for whatever political bucket list they may have hidden in their drawer somewhere and I’m not very happy about it, Mr. Speaker.
I have been in this Legislature a long time, and without divulging any confidentiality, let me tell you I had the opportunity to sit through a noon hour briefing today which, bar none, wins the prize, top marks for the least substance on an extremely important issue that I have ever been involved in. It’s an absolute insult to the 11 Members on this side of the House that this government, if they have a plan, are not willing to share it or discuss it or take it out for public consultation to the people of the Northwest Territories.
So, we just keep spending our money fixing crisis to crisis management, just fixing problems as we go along. We are never going to get out ahead of the problem. Mr. Speaker, I’m not very happy about it. Like I said, I can’t divulge confidential information that has been shared in committee, but this is something that we need to talk about. This is important to the people of the North, that we have a broad Energy Strategy.
We had two energy charrettes, and now, just about when the 17th Assembly is over, we’re going to have a response from the government for those energy charrettes. It’s too important a topic.
I may not be here in the 18th Assembly, but this is something we get a failed mark on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The past 48 hours has been host to a power struggle, a fight, not based on improving electricity rates or lowering our cost of living but a war of ego and ministerial legacy building.
I want to take this opportunity to speak about not what I believe is a legitimate RFP process in Hay River, but an ad that appeared in this week’s newspaper suggesting this government’s intention is to expropriate Northland Utilities, a successful, northern, private company, 60 years’ history, 50 percent owned by 27 Dene First Nations, and sure enough, today this Cabinet responded accordingly with an RFP bid in Hay River to do just that.
Undoubtedly, this ad comes in response to comments made by Minister Miltenberger at the 2014 Energy Charrette and some MLAs during the last Legislative Assembly sitting here, where it was claimed, with zero evidence, that eliminating Northland Utilities and the Public Utilities Board would reduce electricity costs.
Contrary to the personal views of our Finance Minister, which we seem to hear a lot of lately, Northland Utilities is not the middleman nor is it the bogeyman in our electric industry.
Furthermore, removing the Public Utilities Board, as hinted by our Finance Minister, would eliminate not only the independent oversight of all our GNWT tax subsidies to NTPC, it would eliminate all ratepayer protection and there would be no process to truly validate electricity rate structures across the North.
In essence, the people want to know, what is Cabinet’s intent behind the Miltenberger iron curtain? What is this new energy policy we keep hearing about in the McLeod government? Why is this same consulting group, which is on NTPC payroll, working so closely with this Cabinet? What secret deals are happening right now that will significantly cost the ratepayers and the taxpayers of the NWT? Furthermore, what cuts will there be to the critical capital infrastructure, programs and services when this government dips into your money to expropriate a privately owned First Nation company?
Contrary to what we’ve been led to believe by this Cabinet, the taxpayer does not have the deep pockets to invest in energy infrastructure we require, nor do we have the brain trust in solving our energy concerns, and this is a given. But no, Mr. Speaker, instead we should be getting out of the way, like we’re seeing in places like in Ontario with Hydro One, but this McLeod government is keen on taking our hard-earned tax money with their newly minted American Express card and are willing to put First Nations last. But the clear message to industry: We’re closed for business.
Worried, Mr. Speaker? Everybody in this room should be. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to talk about the energy process, as well, and I support the Town of Hay River’s call for an RFP in the process. I’m the MLA for Hay River North. I represent Hay River. The town council has the option to go out for bid for process. I support that. The town council voted unanimously to go into that process and I support their look to government to bid from the Power Corporation.
I understand NUL is a northern company, Aboriginally owned, and they’re a Hay River company, a long-standing Hay River company. That’s the difficulty. But the people of Hay River have asked for us to look at the cost of living. They have asked us to look at the expense of power, one of our biggest costs out there, and the town council has responded to that request. Through this RFP, they have the right to put out a tender to ask for interested bidders.
The Power Corporation and the whole structure of the Northwest Territories, we have a company and we have the Power Corporation, a Crown corporation in the whole NWT. Obviously, if the town puts out that call for proposals, those are the two head front runners. That’s the scenario. That’s the structure of the Northwest Territories power.
I’m sorry. I support NUL. I support a lot of those people who work in Hay River. But the process of the Town of Hay River should be left to the Town of Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A culture of entitlement is afoot and you can smell it a mile away. You only need to look so far as page 2 in Monday’s newspaper or even page 6 of today’s paper. What you’ll see is a monopoly saying competition is bad. Better yet, let’s make one company, they say, and eliminate all the competition by absorbing them.
Is anyone really fooled by this? I know the public isn’t fooled by this and they want to know who is defending the public’s interest. Because I know, they know, a lobbyist will defend the corporate interest.
Yes, I said a lobbyist, Mr. Speaker. It’s true. ATCO has hired their own operative on the ground, making deals. Who knows what they’re doing to look after the private interests of ATCO? I won’t say this person’s name – they don’t need to be called out by their individual name – but I can tell you, they have extensive experience being one of our former Finance Ministers here in the Northwest Territories in the last century.
What does this mean? Who’s working for the Northerners? Who is working for the everyday family? I don’t know. But I can tell you this operative is meeting with the who’s who and I’ve even been told they’ve been meeting with some MLAs.
What’s ironic is in my 15 years of experience, I’ve heard time and time again the business has always said, “We just want a chance to compete. Competition is good.” Competition is absolutely necessary. They will say they want to be given a chance to come to that table to put their best bid. And guess what. If it doesn’t work, sometimes it just doesn’t, and they will accept it, but they want the chance to compete, a fair shot. But ironically, a billion dollar company is saying they like business as usual.
So, as they create a facade, as we’ve seen in the paper, it’s nothing but a fear tactic, a fear tactic that I would call a campaign of entitlement. It is creative writing at its best and I give them good points for that. I understand that they care about what matters to them, but I’m not afraid of this billion dollar company, nor should any MLA in this room nor even any Cabinet Ministers should be afraid of them. We need to do what is right, and what is right is the Town of Hay River has called for a public process. We need to support them and respect that. And may I emphasize, a dually elected Town of Hay River council and their citizens demand this.
I’m not afraid of their lobbyists. Bring them on. They can work as hard as they can. I’ll work even harder, as I can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome back, and welcome back to the House to all my colleagues.
While we were away, as we’ve already heard today from the Premier, the Premier and the Finance Minister received a long-awaited present from the federal government. Finally there was a response from the federal government to the GNWT request for an increase to our borrowing limit, and it was a positive response. We, the GNWT, now have an additional $500 million of room in our borrowing limit. There was an added bonus. It sounds as though what constitutes debt will change, giving us even more room in our borrowing limit, another present from the federal Finance Minister. Oh, how to use all that new money? There are many possibilities. It’s a conversation we have yet to have, but one that we must have together as an Assembly.
I’m very hopeful that this change in our financial position will have a positive impact on a very worthwhile territorial project here in Yellowknife, an expansion to Avens - A Community for Seniors. As Members are aware, Avens is trying to build a new facility to accommodate more NWT seniors who need supportive housing and to do badly needed renovations to Aven Manor, the current outdated long-term care centre at Avens.
The numbers are irrefutable. The cohort of NWT seniors is growing and will continue to grow over the next 15 years, likely doubling. The numbers of seniors needing housing of one sort or another are also indisputable. We, right now, have elders needing supported living who have nowhere to live, something the new facility at Avens could fix, yet this government has, to date, been unable to assist the Avens organization to accomplish their goal to start building. Why? Well, there are a couple of answers. One is, “We can’t provide Avens with capital dollars, it’s not in the plan, we have no money.” Another, “We can’t make a commitment to book beds in the new facility, that counts against our borrowing limit.”
Well, the financial landscape has changed. The borrowing limit is significantly increased. So, now will the government reconsider their position on the Avens expansion project in light of our changed financial situation? Will they take action to reduce the need for seniors housing, to accept the responsibility to provide for our elders not five or 10 years from now, but now?
We have a willing partner with a proven track record of getting it done, a partner who will build the facility for us and for our seniors.
There’s no excuse anymore. It’s time to get it done. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had the opportunity earlier today to participate in the Education Hall of Fame inductees ceremony here at the Great Hall. I’d just like to acknowledge and recognize the nine recipients this year, or the nine inductees I should say, but also congratulate anyone who got nominated for this very prestigious, significant recognition.
I did have an opportunity, as I mentioned, to speak with Marja and I asked her if she would like me to say anything on her behalf and if there was any recognition that she would like to give to other people who made her who she is and helped her do the job the best that she can. She did mention that in her work for the Council of Disabled Persons in Inuvik, she’d like to recognize and thank Billy Moore for all that she has taught him, in working with the Native Women’s Association recognizing over 300 women that she’s had the privilege of knowing, learning from, working with and for, as well as the late Bertha Allen who has supported her over 20 years in her role of doing the great job that she has done, and the love and guidance that she has received from people like Lucy and Jimmy Adams, Judy Lafferty and Mary Barnaby. She’ll always cherish the moments that she had with them, and working at the Aurora College and with GNWT and her former colleagues, and bosses, Ms. Miki O’Kane and Doug Robertson, for providing guidance, leadership and helping her do the job she did at the college. She’d also like to acknowledge and congratulate all the inductees into the Education Hall of Fame and recognize their contribution to the education of our residents, whether it’s through academics, culture, traditions, or volunteering and for their ongoing support in the communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Residents from all regions of the Northwest Territories gathered last week to discuss ways to re-localize their community economy. The Building Localized Economies forum, hosted by Ecology North, was an exciting opportunity for people to share thoughts and experiences on how to capture local, lasting and meaningful jobs, restore our depleted environment and develop economies that actually serve communities.
They showed the combined domestic and local market economy that communities seek is far richer than the global market economy forced upon them today.
They explored the concept of economic gardening, local meat and fish processing, raising vegetables, co-ops and community markets, and biomass, solar and wind energy as costs of renewable energy plummets, and ways in which communities can take back power for governance and well-being.
Myriad related topics on localizing our economies were covered through inspiring panel discussions and open forums. Fifty-plus people participated daily, with hundreds more providing local perspectives and questions through the digital democracy IserveU Internet connection.
From the Fort McPherson community biomass energy system we learned of the role of elders, project challenges and solutions and policy needs. From Lutselk’e we heard about a rare community solar power purchase agreement with NTPC, partially enabled by trainee installers.
Jackie Milne’s description of Hay River’s Northern Farm Training Institute project and Savoury Institute Hub showed that food is the heart of our economies, and equally can-do and successful farmers market in Yellowknife was inspiring to many.
From Norman Wells came everything we need to know about successfully producing all of the potatoes we are ever likely to require.
Important connections were made, with Fort Good Hope’s need for a fish processing expert matching available expertise from a fisher in Yellowknife, key to enabling Fort Good Hope’s local fish processing and storage plan.
Similarly, policy to address the current loss of fish and restaurant waste for composting was clarified. Mayors also highlighted community partnerships as key.
The need for strategic redirection of government funds from perverse subsidies to rebalancing the playing field away from fossil fuels and towards localizing the provision of our core needs by focusing on human needs and renewable resources was recognized repeatedly. The goal is successful and innovative community empowerment that builds a strong local economic foundation, rejects a boom and bust approach and restores the commons.
Programs like the Tlicho Wilderness Training Programs, social initiatives...
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
Programs like the Tlicho Wilderness Training Programs, social initiatives such as Dene Nahjo and social supports like eradicating poverty, paying a living wage and ensuring a basic guaranteed income all pay big returns on local economic development.
Attendees urged Ecology North to make this an annual event. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in thanking all those who made this happen, and wish them the best of success with next year’s forum. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to take the opportunity to make mention of loved ones who have passed away in the Sahtu region and also around the Northwest Territories.
There are many important events and things that are happening in our region. People are going about their work. People are doing things that they need to get done in our small communities. But there’s a time in our communities, especially when a loved one has passed away because of sickness or sudden death, that the community, for a moment, slows down and takes care of the loved ones, with food, coffee, with visiting. They grieve together and they mourn together for the loved ones in our small communities. Tradition partly kicks in in these rituals and we remember these young people or these older people because of the contributions they made in the community or in the region or in the territory.
Today we recognize my friend, Mr. George Braden, who at one time was a colleague of mine. Mr. Bill Braden, his brother, sat next to me. Today we remember his contributions to the Northwest Territories.
In our small communities, as politicians, leaders, people in schools, hospitals and private industry, sometimes we’re busy and we don’t make time because of our schedule. I know that for people in the small communities, when leaders come then they appreciate it for a moment to sit with them and talk with them and eat with them and pray with them for that moment. Sometimes we don’t have the luxury of just leaving here, because we are required by law to be in this Assembly here, so sometimes we have that internal conflict that we should go or should we stay. Only we can make that decision.
I want to say there are a lot of good people in the Northwest Territories, and we do our best to be in those communities to support the families as much as we can. Our prayers go to all the families for the loss of loved ones since the last time we have sat as the Assembly.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to recognize the exceptional youth of my riding and thank them for making their voices heard. Firstly, in the gallery today I have 13 students from the Fort Simpson Bompas Elementary School whom I will be recognizing later today. I hope you’re enjoying the speeches called Members’ statements today. Because we just started, they are taking much longer, and I thank you for your patience up there.
In the first week of May, like Mr. Speaker said, young people from across the territory gathered here at the Legislative Assembly for the Youth Parliament. That included Ms. Sylvia Pascal-Matt from the Thomas Simpson School, who represented Nahendeh and did a fantastic job. I also want to say her younger sister Abigail is also here with the Grade 6 class here today. Welcome.
While I was in Fort Simpson this past month, I had the opportunity to speak with these Grade 6 students at Bompas Elementary. I spoke with them about the role of the MLA, how government operates and how people can effect change. Bompas students as well as students from the Thomas Simpson Secondary are gearing up and training hard for the annual NWT Track and Field Championships in Hay River next week. The Grade 6 students mentioned how useful it would be to have the community of Fort Simpson fitted with a new track and field. Not only could they train for competitions like the annual Hay River meet, they could even host it one day, serving as ambassadors for Fort Simpson.
The community of Fort Simpson has not had track facilities since the early 1990s. Sadly, our children of Fort Simpson are training in the playgrounds and training on a gravel road next to the school. An outdoor track would enable students to practice and train properly, not just one sport but many, helping them find new ways to have fun and stay active. Participants at any skill level would benefit, from first-time beginners to those training for territorial and national high performance competitions. It would also be a valuable addition to the community at large, giving everybody in Fort Simpson a new place to exercise and, as I said, the capacity to host meets would also enable students like the ones I spoke about to build friendships across the NWT, to work with their friends, meet new people and improve their skills.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
We all know the importance of physical activity and how it affects a positive educational outcome. The more exercise our students get, the better they are at learning. I look forward to the day that Fort Simpson students can train on a track of their own.
During question period, I will be asking questions with regard to working toward getting a track and field facility for the community of Fort Simpson. Mahsi cho.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure today to let you know that this coming Saturday we have two graduates from Tsiigehtchic.
Deron Andre and Vanessa Lennie will be graduating this Saturday in Inuvik. Family and friends will be travelling to Inuvik to help celebrate this occasion.
As you may know, at this moment we are isolated. The ferry will be launched tomorrow, from what I’ve been told, and hopefully we can have the ferry in operation by this coming Saturday.
I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize members from the Braden family in the gallery: Carmen Braden and her partner, Eli Purchase; Laurie Nowakowski and her partner, Andrew Robinson. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a constituent in the gallery today, Ms. Cheryl Fennell. Welcome.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize and welcome here in this House the 2015 Education Hall of Fame inductees who are here with us in the gallery. They are Lea Lamoureux, Ted Blondin, Doris Camsell, Dean MacInnis, Reanna Erasmus, Bruce Green, Carole Bachand, Marja Van Nieuwenhuyzen and Michel Louis Rabesca. I would just like to say congratulations to all of them as the 2015 Education Hall of Fame inductees.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Menicoche.
