Mr. Speaker, earlier today I had the opportunity to recognize award recipients within the Government of the Northwest Territories and their collaborative partners from outside the public service with the Premier’s Awards for Excellence and Collaboration in a ceremony in the Great Hall of the Legislative Assembly.
These innovative, engaged staff are essential in providing the best possible service to the people of the Northwest Territories, and I am pleased to announce the recipients of the 2015 Premier’s Awards.
Award for Excellence – Individuals:
Dr. Sarah Cook with the Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority.
Award for Excellence - Employee Teams:
The Government of the Northwest Territories Deline Final Self-Government Agreement Ratification Team; the Incident-free Highway 3 Forest Fire Traffic Management 2014 Team; the Wellness Court Program Implementation Team; and the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link Project Development Team.
Award for Collaboration:
The Lutselk’e Dictionary Project; and the Education Renewal Innovation Education Partners.
Dave Ramsden Career Achievement Award:
Sabrina Broadhead with the Department of Health and Social Services.
Government service officers from across the Northwest Territories were also recognized for the
important work they do in providing day-to-day services to our residents in the communities. Recently they, as part of the Single Window Service Centre model, were the recipients of the Bronze Award in the Federal/Provincial/Territorial category of the national IPAC/Deloitte Public Sector Leadership Award for 2014.
Also presented this morning was the Commissioner’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration. This new award was created by the Northwest Territories Regional Group of IPAC, with the Commissioner as its patron. Each year it will recognize a public sector practitioner whose career exhibits the highest standard of excellence, dedication and accomplishment. The first-ever recipient of this award was the deputy minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Peter Vician. Thank you to IPAC NWT for establishing this new award celebrating excellence in public service and for recognizing a very deserving recipient.
Mr. Speaker, as we near the end of our term, I invite Members to join with me in thanking our public service employees for a job well done. Their energy, drive and commitment to implement and achieve our priorities are evident throughout the entire public service and together we have accomplished much. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to announce that later today I will table an updated territory-wide, multi-modal Transportation Strategy, entitled “Connecting Us: Northwest Territories Transportation Strategy 2015-2040.” This important document will guide further development of our integrated air, road, rail and marine systems over the next 25 years. With this strategy, the Department of Transportation will work towards a vision of “Northerners connected to opportunities,” based on three key strategic objectives.
The first, Strengthening Connections, represents the department’s dedication to continuing to improve the existing transportation system. The second objective is Capturing Opportunities, signaling the department’s intensions to expand the system. The third objective is Embracing Innovation, through which the department strives to improve its operations and the way it delivers its services to the public.
Our strategy was developed with substantial public and stakeholder input. Over the last year, staff with the Department of Transportation worked to ensure this strategy reflects the priorities identified by residents and users of the NWT transportation system.
Mr. Speaker, these objectives support the goals identified by Members of this Assembly. Supporting a diversified economy while providing communities with opportunities through better connections is necessary for a prosperous future for our territory.
The department anticipates the release of two additional documents related to the strategy this fall. A transportation report card, the evaluation framework for the strategy, will include statistics that provide a benchmark to measure the department’s success. In addition, the department will develop a four-year action plan for implementation beginning in 2015-16.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all those who participated in the development of the NWT Transportation Strategy by providing their input. The department will continue working hard to meet your expectations and to deliver an enhanced transportation system in the NWT over the next 25 years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my statement yesterday, my theory about trends coming forward in this government, the private sector is taking a hit at the hands of this government. Yesterday I talked about including stakeholders in private industry who have been on the front line of these sectors for years. Today I want to offer my observations about our government’s latest direction in fighting forest fires.
Buffalo Airways has been involved in that industry for 45 years. Twenty of those 45 years with the CL-215s, named the ducks, and you only have to see them parked on the tarmac to see why they are called the ducks.
Over those 45 years, Buffalo Joe has done everything from smoke patrol, Single Otter water bombing, helicopter water bombing, 10 years of birddogging and 20 years with the 215s. Based on that history, let me go out on a limb here and suggest this is a person and a company that may know a bit about aircraft and a bit about fighting fires.
We heard in Committee of the Whole, the last time we considered the capital infrastructure, all of the things that are wrong with the 215s such as access to avgas, an aging fleet, the turnaround time if they’re too far from a sufficiently sized body of water. We heard that the new proposed fleet of 802s would be the ideal solution for fighting fires here in the North.
A government-owned solution grounding a fleet of privately owned aircraft, we made every argument we could think of to dissuade this government and this Minister from dismantling this tried and proven fleet in our northern arsenal from fighting fire. We even suggested a hybrid approach: add the 802s but keep the 215s, as each aircraft has a very different capability and application. But no, this Minister will hear nothing of it.
Fast forward one year and already Alberta has lost two 802s. Two accidents, two planes down. One fatality in these single-manned 802s with floats that were never intended for the task of fighting a big fire with smoke updrafts and the restricted maneuverability of adding floats to an aircraft designed for fair-weather crop dusting, short hauls and small fires. But the 215s, like the DC3s and DC4s, are flying tanks meant for heavy payload and can fly into the kind of atmospheric conditions that are created by a large fire.
I want to ask if anyone else sees a trend here, Mr. Speaker.
I’d like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement, please.
---Unanimous consent granted
I want to ask if anyone else sees a trend here. This disregard for a private sector company with years of experience and knowledge to bring to the costly and complicated science of fighting fires. This is the mindset of a government bent on increasing government while throwing out the private sector with potentially dire and irreversible consequences.
I pose the question: How does that jibe with the GNWT is open for business? The Northwest Territories is open for business investment and we travel all over the world with that message. How do these actions jibe with that? Mr. Speaker, there’s only 173 days left in this Assembly and all I can say is thank God.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With another tax season behind us, I’m reminded that the northern residents deduction has not changed since 2008 when it went up a paltry 10 percent. A lot of things have changed through the years, particularly the cost of living in the country, and this is one thing that seems to go up and never seems to come down. To think about it, taxes often defy gravity in the same way.
Yes, I know our Finance Minister is not responsible for the federal taxes we pay, nor can he increase northern residents deduction on his own, but he could use his persuasive power to sway his federal colleagues. I will offer a few good reasons why he should do just that.
Increasing the northern residents deduction would keep more dollars in the NWT economy, benefiting northern residents’ businesses. The northern residents deduction was implemented to stimulate growth in the Northwest Territories by helping compensate for the high cost of living. It is not delicious irony that the deduction has not kept up with inflation, not even close. If we want to increase our population, raising the northern residents deduction should be part of our plan.
We know the cost of living is a big problem, so let’s put a little bit more cash in Northerners’ pockets. Businesses will be on side. Boosting the northern residents deduction helps northern employers, including big employers, such as the mines and our own government, to attract the skilled people we so desperately need. We do compete in other jurisdictions for people, and even some of our own students go work down south. So let’s turn that around.
These are just a few reasons, and I can go on and on, but I bring this because the Finance Minister has not mentioned northern residents deduction when he talks about our government strategy for growing our population. Our government seems pretty shy about taking the case to the federal government, but this is an election year, a time for opportunity, for persuading our federal politicians to do the right thing and I hope the Minister is listening. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to talk about a subject that I’ve been seeing difficulties with over my term as MLA. We as MLAs get concerns from all kinds of industry, all kinds of individuals, all kinds of groups, but some individuals come to us with a concern. I’ll talk to you about some of the income assistance clients that I’ve seen over the last year who have come to me and talked to me about an injustice.
These income assistance individuals receive some sort of small payment – a GST cheque, income from RWED for fur – and these are small amounts of dollars. We’re talking about $40, or $80. Because they receive this amount of money and they don’t declare that money, then their income assistance for that month is docked. They lose all the income for their family for that whole month.
I’ve brought it to the attention of the department and staff. Normally, staff are able to help me out and say, “Yes, there’s flexibility here. Maybe we could deal with it this way.” But they said, “The act is clear; this act doesn’t allow us to just deduct that amount from the next payment,” so that that family has income for the month, they don’t have to beg or borrow money to survive for that month.
We need to change this act that allows us, as a government, to be responsive to our citizens and say, “Yes, you received a $40 GST cheque and we understand you didn’t recognize it. We’re going to just deduct that from your next income.” That’s a reasonable approach.
The unreasonable approach is that we remove all that income from that family for the whole month. I’ve discussed it with the Minister today, and we may not have questions today because of time, but I know the Minister here is listening and I know the Minister has committed to me to looking into changing inequality in our system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi. As we all know, last year’s fires signalled a bumper crop of morel mushrooms for this year. Our public information sessions have been extremely popular and people are eager to get involved and get picking.
One Fort Providence resident, Ms. Jessica Minoza, even won a $5,000 prize for her smart start-up: training local people in ethical picking, keeping profits in the NWT. But we’re still facing challenges and it seems like some of them we didn’t anticipate.
First, morels need warm, wet weather to grow. Our hot, dry weather keeps the pickers waiting, potentially straining the resources of small communities. Dry weather also increases fire risks. Morels may thrive on burned land, but fires can also destroy new growth, sending money up in smoke.
Second, the NWT is Canada’s prime spot for morels, but prices fluctuate based on harvests around the world. Experts suggest that this year’s prices could be as much as 50 percent lower than last year. That’s five to eight dollars per pound. Past projections from government had hinted at revenues of $10 million, but we don’t know how much would stay in the NWT.
With the rush of prospective pickers, there are also risks for people who are unfamiliar with the land. One picker was lost for nine hours.
I hope that the government will work with the Deh Gah Got’ine Dene First Nations’ recommendation, and that is to establish local monitors that should be appointed to improve safety and to enhance the current enforcement plan.
Because right now morel regulations are still being developed, leaving a “hands-off” approach for this season, this means that the government must be vigilant, making sure that each buyer has the required business licence and that all commercial pickers have the correct permits. Rules like these make sure that all pickers and buyers are on a level playing field and protect the land that produces morels.
I hope to see the morel season pick up and I wish all pickers and buyers the best, reminding them to consult the public handbook, take safety precautions, stay fire smart and keep the land clean. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We hear a lot about our financial situation from the government every year almost every time the House sits, and it’s all doom and gloom. “We have no money,” we keep hearing.
I’m all for being fiscally prudent and I compliment the Finance Minister and staff for their ability to keep us financially solvent, but I’m also a firm believer in searching for new revenues and thinking outside the box to find them. We haven’t done much of either in my years in the Assembly.
Towards the end of the 16th Assembly, action was taken to look at supplementary health benefits. A working group spent many hours considering possible changes which might reduce the cost of the program. When word of potential changes got out into the public, there was a great hue and cry and change was abandoned. But it’s time to again consider new approaches to how we provide health care services to our residents.
I have no illusions. Asking people to pay for something that has always been free does not go over well. But it is time to look at means testing for residents using one specific service, and that would be long-term or extended care, the most expensive of all of our seniors’ housing options.
Our senior population is growing and it will continue to grow. Many more seniors are retiring in the North. As they age in the North, they will eventually require long-term or extended care.
A good portion of our northern retirees have pretty good pensions. They can well afford to pay actual costs for their long-term or extended care housing. Most importantly, many seniors are willing to pay for that kind of accommodation.
But Health and Social Services and Cabinet seem unwilling to rock the boat, to even think about such a change. Say "means testing" and "qualify for a program" in the same breath and people treat you like a pariah. But I believe it’s time to rip the band-aid off, as they say, and reopen the conversation from four years ago. It is time we started charging realistic rent for long-term care for those who can afford it. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I made a couple of statements in this House about some of the great people that we have in Inuvik and today I want to continue that kind of a trend of Member’s statements that I have been doing over the last couple of weeks.
I too was able to attend the Premier’s Award of Excellence this morning and I would like to congratulate all individual and team award recipients. I want to state that their contribution to the government, to the residents of the North and to our culture is much appreciated.
I would like to recognize and appreciate one person in particular. This morning I was very glad to see that Mr. Peter Clarkson was recognized. He wasn’t recognized for only one award, he was actually recognized for two different types of programs that we have been pushing and have been priorities of this government and have been doing really great things.
First off, he was recognized as a recipient for the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link Project Development Team, of which we have been hearing really good things and has been very innovative and is going to bring us up to speed on how the Northwest Territories does business, not across Canada but across the world.
The second award that he was recognized for is the single window service centres. That in itself has come a long way in helping people in the remote and the small communities get the help, get the support that they need by educating and training these individuals to help our elders, to help those who might have learning disabilities and to help people in the small communities. I just want to recognize Mr. Peter Clarkson for being a reward recipient today of two awards. I am not sure if there is anybody in the past that has been recognized for two different occasions.
A little bit about Peter is he is a very strong community advocate. He has helped with the building, the structure of the Children First Centre and the Midnight Sun Recreation Centre. He has also helped organize the film and photo festival that goes on every year. He is very involved in the community on various levels. At one point he was a councillor and the mayor of Inuvik, and I was very glad to serve with him in my tenure as a town councillor when he was serving as our mayor. Not only that but he does have a compassion for the people in the community, a strong compassion for our elders in long-term care and in the community. He has been known to provide traditional foods to people in the community of Inuvik.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Although Peter wasn’t here to receive his awards today, I want to recognize him nonetheless. I know he would have loved to be here but I know he’s doing some work. His commitments to his work have made him not be here today.
Currently Peter is our public administrator for the Inuvik region and he is doing a very great job with all the departments that we have under government. He also does a really great job coordinating visits when government comes to town, or any other ambassadors, whether from across Canada, international or from the GNWT.
I would like the Members to join me in recognizing Mr. Peter Clarkson, two time recipient of the Premier’s Award of Excellence today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government has chosen to pursue a focus on helping people lift themselves out of poverty. Unfortunately, the welfare-based system we now have in place has proven unsuccessful. It is complex, intrusive and inefficient and administration is too costly. Not enough dollars are getting through to the people who need them. Instead they are chewed up by an increasingly expensive bureaucracy. Positive outcomes are few and far between and the cycle of poverty deepens.
Economists of all political stripes, both right and left, agree that a better and more effective tool is the basic guaranteed income. Automatically topping up the incomes of people living in poverty using direct automatic payments through the existing tax system has many benefits. It allows families to keep their assets, get off and stay off social assistance, and it negates the need for an expensive bureaucracy to oversee a system of applications, monitoring, and a continuous justification on the part of the recipients.
The system encourages people to find work by giving them the security of an income guarantee without the fear of being worse off by working, unlike the current system with its clawbacks for extra income.
The idea of a guaranteed annual income is gaining traction. In Finland, the Pro-Basic Income Party won the recent national election. Calgary Mayor Nenshi, at the National Poverty Reduction Summit last month in Ottawa, called for a “brave step” toward a basic income guarantee. Edmonton mayor Iveson spoke in favour of it, suggesting that Alberta’s two largest cities should pilot it towards poverty solutions that work.
The premier of PEI is on record as supporting a guaranteed income. Groups are sprouting up all over Canada and an international movement towards poverty reduction based on a guaranteed income is growing worldwide.
We in the NWT have the dubious distinction of having the greatest income disparity in Canada. Rather than pursuing the same hopeless techniques for poverty reduction, we need to do something different. It’s time to give a new idea a chance, and the new idea that is most likely to be successful is a basic income guarantee. Where is the pilot study on this potential? We have nothing to lose but poverty. Let’s at least look into it and include it on our transition papers.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As all Members know, the community of Deline has for years been concerned about the waters of Great Bear Lake. It has worked hard to ensure that the development proceeds in a way that does not do undue harm to the environment, the cultural integrity of the lake and its watershed. The community has been a leader in the field of sustainable development and engaged fully in the negotiations which resulted in the Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement and the land use planning process which resulted in the Sahtu Land Use Plan. It led the development of the Great Bear Lake Watershed Management Plan and recently successfully concluded the Deline Final Self-Government Agreement. Deline has been supportive and part of a Devolution Agreement which has been another incident of self-government.
In recognition of Deline’s leadership, a nomination for international recognition in sustainable development has been submitted to the United Nations education council and cultural organization Man and the Biosphere Program. This designation, if approved by UNESCO, would be the first such designation north of 60 anywhere. It would firmly endorse the use of northern tools and ensuring responsible economic development proceeds in the context of sound environmental stewardship. It will place a spotlight on Deline and the Northwest Territories as a place where sustainable development is actively practiced and led by Northerners. The designation is entirely consistent with the principles embedded in the Land Use and Sustainability Framework, the Sustainable Development Policy and in our regulatory system. In effect, the Premier’s Award of Excellence at an international scale.
The designation would fully endorse the northern tools promoted by the Government of the Northwest Territories, including the land claims, the Sahtu Land Use Plan and the Great Bear Lake Watershed Management Plan. It celebrates the success of those tools and confirms the importance on an international scale.
My question to the government: Is this government supporting Deline’s nomination?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. My observation is that our current government prides itself on thinking big but often forgets its duty to also think small. All too regularly our small communities are an afterthought when this government plans its big projects such as the Mackenzie Valley fibre optic line. My colleagues across the floor sold this 80-some million dollar project to me and other Members partly on the benefit it would bring to the small communities along the route such as Wrigley. There were promises that a fibre optic line would serve those communities with faster and cheaper Internet, better service and health centre and better learning in our schools. Yet, even as this line is being dug into the ground in the Mackenzie Valley, the government has not publicly laid out its plan for small communities along the route. I haven’t heard about any construction opportunities for them either.
Communities in my riding are concerned about this lack of planning and communication, in particular Wrigley. It’s a sensitive matter. I suggest the government be proactive. In April, Wrigley’s leadership announced withdrawal of their support for the fibre optic line. Land claim issues and lack of progress on the Dehcho Process are big factors in that, but it is a much easier decision to pull support when the government does not see the benefits of this fibre optic project.
Of course, “big picture” interests do see the benefits: the European space industry, federal government departments, big companies like Ledcor, which is building the line, and NorthwesTel. I would like to see some small thinking and see it very soon.
Let’s see some business opportunities and jobs in the small communities along the route of the fibre optic line. Let’s see the details on how the line will serve our health centres, schools, local governments, businesses and homes. Think small.
Like Highway No. 7, this will be my next favourite two words to this government: think small. The result might be bigger than they think. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Premier mentioned that this morning we had a number of awards here at the Legislative Assembly today. Of those recognized of the single window service centres, I have three constituents out of those 22 people. Ms. Shandel McLeod, Ms. Diane Koe and Mrs. Maureen Cardinal-Clark were the three GSOs who we have in our communities.
They do a lot of work on our behalf, going visiting elders and people who cannot come out to the offices. They’re a great help to our communities and I hope that as we move forward that this program continues. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To my surprise when I opened up page 3 of the Yellowknifer today, I saw and I counted 194 families still in need of some type of shelter.
What it is, is a cry to this government for more housing, more emergency shelters, more transitional space. These shouldn’t be numbers that anyone should be proud of. This government itself should be hanging its head in shame.
Last year the government built just over one house per 33 communities. The actual stat was 1.15, when you do the math. This government has allowed 19 percent of the NWT houses to still have core need. The poverty list isn’t getting any shorter. It continues to go unaddressed, and while housing solutions are being ignored by the lackluster investment, we only have no further to look to either the McLeod government or to the Minister R.C. McLeod and start to wonder where they are fighting at the Cabinet table for more money in housing.
There has never been a session that has gone by that I have not heard “we need more housing.” There is not a week that doesn’t go by when I hear from somebody in our community that needs more housing in Yellowknife, and I know that cry is equal, if not worse, in the smaller communities. People need housing solutions.
I never hear about how people are fighting at the Cabinet table about let’s find more money for housing. I just hear about nothing else at all. As a matter of fact, the fact is that they’re all worried about their own little projects. I wish somebody would take housing on as their individual project and become the champion of it.
So, what we see and what we hear is the defence of the status quo. We hear how CMHC, oh boo hoo, no more money. Well, the fact is I’m sick and tired of hearing that. Why don’t we find new solutions? If we keep blaming CMHC, eventually we’re not going to have anyone to blame but ourselves. Well, I certainly hope that we get to that solution a lot faster.
Better yet, if we wanted to do something, this government could show some real brass leadership by leaning forward and saying, “We’re going to build 20 new homes in every community. Now, we don’t need the money immediately, but we could come up with a plan.” Plans such as it would create a jobs boom; we could re-orientate some of our income support money; we could re-orientate some of our housing money; and there are a lot of other types of ways. We could challenge the private sector to say, “We need 20 new units in that community. How can you step up to the challenge?” Money wouldn’t be needed immediately, but it would be over a trend of a couple years as we did payments.
As my time runs out, I certainly hope the enthusiasm of this government doesn’t run out on this problem. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Through you, I have the great honour and privilege today to introduce a special group from Range Lake North School, a Grade 6 class of social studies. I got to know this class over the year and they’re an incredible group of students, so it’s my pleasure to have them in the House today here and I’d like to introduce each and every one of them. I have Mathieu Durnford, Matthew Broadis, Genesis Saturos, Rayyane Awan, Ethan Aumond, Naba Osman, Stephanie Walsh, Sarah Campbell, Hannah Downes, Aishah Mohammed, Abbey Newberry and I’ve got Drew Wolfe, and unfortunately, two of their colleagues aren’t here today. I know that they’re very enthusiastic, I got to meet them many times, and that’s Elle Mitchener and Bailey Johnston. I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank their teacher, who’s very politically inclined to learn a lot about that and she teaches a lot of this stuff in her classroom, and that’s Josiane Asselin. Thank you. Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank my good constituency assistant, Mr. Grant Pryznyk, for coordinating all this. You know, Mr. Speaker, before I leave, these students definitely are our future, and if they are, I can tell you our future is really bright. Thank you. Thanks for coming.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Ramsay.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I hosted the first ever Mining Industry Advisory Board meeting here in Yellowknife. This was a key recommendation from our Mineral Development Strategy and it certainly is an honour here today to welcome four of the six members of that board with us today, so I wanted to recognize them: Mr. Don Bubar of Avalon Rare Metals; Mr. John Kearney, Canadian Zinc; Ms. Leni Keogh of Olivut Resources; Mr. Rod Brown of Discovery Mining Services. Not able to be with us today and I should mention the chair of the advisory board is Mr. Brendan Bell from Dominion Diamond Corp, and also Mr. Darrel Beaulieu from DEMCo. I also wanted to recognize the ex officio members, Brooke Clements, president of the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, and with Brooke is Mr. Tom Hoefer, executive director of NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to thank them for all of their commitment to the Northwest Territories and advancing the interests of mining here in the Northwest Territories.
I also wanted to recognize, if I could, a couple of Pages that I have in the Assembly: Marionne Gacayan from Weledeh School and Umairah Mutoola from Weledeh School as well. I also wanted to thank all of the Pages for all of the hard work they put in for Members during this sitting of the House. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to recognize two presenters who assisted with the awards. One was Matt Young from NWT IPAC and also Charles Perron from Canadian Public Sector Leader, Deloitte, for the awards that were awarded this morning. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Beaulieu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize a couple of people in the Gallery also. I’d like to first recognize Don Bubar, president of Avalon Rare Metals. I’m hoping that someday there might be a rare metals mine in Tu Nedhe. That’ll be good for the workers of Tu Nedhe, both Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e.
Also, I would like to recognize Tom Hoefer, executive director of the NWT Chamber. Tom and I actually worked together in the ‘70s. That is hard to believe, but true.
