Welcome back, colleagues. Before your point of privilege, I have opening remarks, Mr. Dolynny.
---Laughter
It’s good to be back. Anyway, welcome back as we meet for this final sitting of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
I understand that you have a very busy schedule over the next two weeks and that you are all eager to begin your work. I will do what I can to assist you in my capacity as Speaker and only ask that you continue to work together respectfully, recognizing the dignity of this institution.
Now for one of my favourite duties, I would like to welcome the Pages we will have with us during this sitting. Pages will be joining us from Yellowknife, Mackenzie Delta, Hay River South, Tu Nedhe and Nahendeh. Welcome to the Assembly, one and all, and I hope you enjoy your time here.
When we lose loved ones in our small communities, the loss is felt by all. I would like to send sincere condolences to the following:
Jack and Irene Akhiatak on the loss of their son, Alex Akhiatak;
the Silastiak family and to Derek Panaktalok, Denise Cockney, Melissa Panaktalok and Andrew Avik on the loss of their father, Alvin Silastiak, who will be sadly missed;
Sharon, Scarlett and Natasha Ruben on the loss of their mother, Lynn Ruben;
John Sr., Don and Edna Gruben and family on the loss of their sister Darlene Grace Gruben;
Willie Carpenter and family on the loss of Vernon Carpenter; and
Jack Katayoak and family on the loss of Betty-Anne Kublumik.
God be with you all. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Finally, colleagues, it is 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
Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2016-2017;
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 3, 2015-2016; and
Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 2, 2015-2016
during the Fifth Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly.
Yours truly, George Tuccaro, Commissioner.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today on a point of privilege in response to an event that took place on September 2, 2015, in the Legislative Assembly’s media room. On that date Premier McLeod and Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger called a press conference for which they announced: “The Government of the Northwest Territories will provide the Northwest Territories Power Corporation with up to $29.7 million to prevent an increase to power rates for all NWT residents. This funding was required because of continued low water levels affecting the Snare and Bluefish hydro systems.”
In an accompanying news release, Premier McLeod is also quoted as saying, “Our government doesn’t believe it makes sense to pass these costs on to residents and has decided to cover them instead.”
Mr. Speaker, it is this public announcement of funding that has yet to receive the authorization of the House to which I object. I seek your guidance as to whether the actions of the government in making this announcement constitutes a breach of privilege under Rule 20(1) of the Rules of the Legislative Assembly which specifies that individually and as a House, Members are entitled to freedom from obstruction in relation to their duties as elected representatives. I also seek your guidance as to whether this action demonstrates contempt to this House by undermining the legitimate role the Legislative Assembly has in approving spending bills and for the guiding principles of consensus government.
Mr. Speaker, this is our first time back since the House was adjourned for the summer on June 4, 2015. I am raising this point of privilege now as this is the first opportunity I’ve had to bring this matter to the attention of the House. I am raising this point of privilege because I consider it to be a serious issue for all Members of this House. Therefore, I appreciate your patience as I set out the following facts in this matter.
On Monday, August 31, 2015, Members received a notification from the Minister of Finance advising that the GNWT had approved a significant sum of money to offset the increased cost of diesel for NTPC and notifying Members that the government would be bringing forth a request for supplementary appropriation to be considered in the upcoming session. This notification did not indicate that the government had planned for a press release to be held two days later to publicly announce this almost $30 million NTPC funding subsidy.
I believe, as any reasonable person would, that it was intended as a courtesy notification to Members of the upcoming supplementary appropriation bill. Members were given no reason to anticipate that a public announcement of this funding would be made within two days of notice and prior to the consideration of the spending request in this House. As I personally attended the press conference, I want to make one point very clear. Other than a one-line reference written in the Premier’s handout on press day, I wish to assure Members of this House that there was nothing said by either the Premier or Minister in their comments or in the GNWT news release of the fact that this almost $30 million in funding had not yet been appropriated and could only be authorized by the Legislature. It’s apparent the Premier must have forgotten to read that line.
I should note that this is not the first time this Cabinet has used this tactic, having made a surprise announcement on September 26, 2014, of a $20 million subsidy to NTPC that was not included in the 2014-15 Main Estimates and also had not been approved by either special warrant or supplementary appropriation at the time of the announcement.
When this occurred last year, Members advised the Premier and Finance Minister of their displeasure over this premature announcement. As a result of discussions Members held with the Premier, I believed, as my colleagues, that Cabinet had understood that they had been a bit too hasty in their announcement. I also believed this was a one-off error in judgment that would not happen again. Clearly, I was wrong.
By publicly announcing unapproved funding as though it were a done deal, the Premier and Minister Miltenberger have led the NWT public to believe that with the government’s simple blessing that funding is approved and in place. This creates a heightened public expectation of government expenditures relative to a sensitive political subject. This action obstructs the House and its Members in relation to their duties as elected representatives, making it especially difficult for Members to consider a supplementary appropriation request on its merits or to vote on it in accordance with their conscience and keeping with what we believe is in the best interest of the constituents.
Mr. Speaker, a supplementary appropriation bill is not a formality. To qualify the supplementary appropriation, a funding request must only be used for unforeseen expenditures and must meet one or more stringent attributes. It is a duty of the elected representatives of this House to ensure that government meets these tests before approving spending bills. This is not a rubber stamp process.
The fact that this Cabinet has seen fit to announce its spending initiative before satisfying those tests under scrutiny of the House demonstrates the contempt these Members have for the authority of the Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, I will await your due consideration and thoughtful judgment on this issue that is so integral to the work we do on behalf of all Northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. To the point of privilege, Mr. Miltenberger.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to, of course, make the case that there is no point of privilege. What we are dealing with here is the fourth year of a drought. We are dealing with the circumstance of extreme weather that has put enormous potential burden on the people of the Northwest Territories at a time when the Assembly wasn’t in session or wasn’t with committee sitting. Yet, we had indicated clearly in the letter of August 31st that we would be bringing this forward for final decision in this House.
As the government, we are required to act in the best interests of the people of the Northwest Territories. In this case the question was, do we allow the rates to go up because the Public Utilities Board wanted to know what was happening with the charges with low water? Do we let the rates go up 24 percent, or do we intercede to protect the cost of living and protect Northerners from this extreme weather event?
As a government, we acted as a government should, in the best interests of the people of the Northwest Territories. We notified the committee; we honoured our protocols; and the Member, of course, has that final say here in this House in this session. If it’s determined that we do not have the support of the House for that supplementary appropriation, then the money won’t be spent and the rates will go up 24 percent. We’ll have that discussion. We have nothing but the highest regard for the operating of this House, just as we have extreme responsibility as government, as legislators, to respond to critical events in a timely way, in a way that protects their interests and our interests, which is making sure that the cost of living doesn’t go up so high that it makes life in the Northwest Territories unaffordable.
So, there was no impairment of freedom of speech. There was no attempt to obstruct the final decision of this House, which will be to vote on that particular amount of money, and the reason it was brought forward in the interest of the people of the Northwest Territories by the government acting in a timely way at a time when there were no committees sitting, there was no opportunity to wait that long because we had to respond and reply. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. I will allow debate on this point of privilege. Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actually, it’s interesting that we are talking about this. It’s not about the power and it’s not about the rate increase. I think this is about the procedural step that Members feel denied. We shouldn’t cloud the issue with whatever goodwill and intent was provided by the Minister and his argument based solely on the fact to shelter constituents would be an argument worth any opportunity to make time and time again.
Are we worried about why we did it or what method it was done by? I think the merits of why it was done perhaps says, yes, we had to find a way to ensure citizens were protected.
The crux of our Assembly is built around process, procedure and how we work together in the context of consensus government. That isn’t necessarily written letter by letter, page by page throughout the Assembly. It’s written in the ethics of how we do our business and how we relate with each other and how Cabinet members document that speaks about relationships.
I would say we should not cause ourselves to get caught up in why the action and the result it delivered. We should be asking ourselves what process was missed and how Members were perceived in that matter.
On that merit, Mr. Dolynny has a case by saying that Members were not informed through proper process. I give the government points for the initiative they were trying to tackle, yes. They deserve credit for that, but at the same time, I think Mr. Dolynny’s argument should withstand any criticizing and look at what was really missed here: the relationship, the opportunity for the two groups to work together properly. Members on this side of the House feel like their rights have been denied. That’s why Mr. Dolynny’s argument should stand. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. To the point of privilege, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, rise in support of Mr. Dolynny’s point of privilege. For four years we’ve governed ourselves as an Assembly sharing as much information as we can. Having that announcement in the media without prior Member or committee involvement is a huge oversight of the way we’ve been running. I really feel that there was a misapplication of guidelines and procedures that we govern ourselves by in this case.
I don’t know why it is, but it seems to have happened more than once in the last month. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. To the point of privilege, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also rise in support of my colleague. I appreciate him bringing this forward and I will speak to this later in the House. Specifically to the point of privilege, this is a one-time benefit, this expenditure of dollars, when what is needed is lasting benefits.
Unfortunately, what we’re dealing with here is a repeat. This was done last year, less than a year ago, and we raised the same issues then. Yet, here it is again. This is robbing the voice of duly elected people who were put in place to speak on behalf of our representatives in major decisions such as this.
Again, there are principles that we have in consensus government that demand that when there is a significant decision to be made, Cabinet or the government will involve all Members of the House. My concerns are, first of all, that it fails the principles of consensus government requiring input into any significant decisions, as I just said. Our fiscal status is indeed tentative, or weakly stable you could say, and sensitive to such large, unplanned expenditure. Therefore, this is a significant expenditure, and under our principles, we should have been consulted.
Secondly, it is inefficient and a poor use of scarce resources. A one-time expenditure benefit with essentially zero lasting benefits such as might come from more useful investments which could be discussed if Members of the House were provided with the opportunity to contribute to that discussion. Finally, it’s a repeat concern, Mr. Speaker.
It’s time to do something about this. The Minister said he was required to work in the best interests of people of the Northwest Territories. What does the Minister think our mandate is? Indeed, it is to work in the best interest of the Northwest Territories. We were prevented from having that opportunity by not being involved in that decision-making.
The Minister said it prevents a 24 percent increase in rates. Well, it might have prevented a 23 percent or 22 percent or a 21 percent with those other 1, 2 or 3 percent or 10 or 15 percent put into actions that would have lasting benefits. Without, again, the opportunity to contribute to the discussions, I think the Minister has failed that test.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, the MLAs have put Cabinet on notice less than a year ago that such behaviour without committee input wasn’t acceptable and that we needed to invest such dollars in a way that return much more than a momentary benefit, gone in a puff of global warming smoke.
I think there are many opportunities, solar, which the Minister is well aware and supportive of, where consumers’ capital could have been put to work.
I will leave it at that and say we have the opportunity to provide 25 years of lasting benefits with guaranteed equipment these days. Instead, we’ve provided that much benefit because our voices were restricted from participating in such a debate. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. To the point of privilege, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, am supportive of my colleague’s point of privilege and I would like to thank Mr. Dolynny for bringing it forward.
My colleagues have made some very valid points. This is the second time this has occurred. A year and a half ago we went through the same situation where we were advised after the fact, or basically through the media, that the government intended to spend money. In both instances the way that it was stated, as Mr. Dolynny put it, the government has decided. It was decided well in advance of any money coming to the Assembly floor for verification. That basically removes any involvement of the Regular Members of this House from that decision because it has already been made by Cabinet.
The Minister stated there was no overt attempt to obstruct, but I have to disagree. It may not have been an overt attempt, but certainly the actions and the wording implied that there was an action taken to obstruct Regular Members from having a hand in the decision.
Realistically, when there is a statement made and the headline in the paper screams that the government is going to put $20 million or $30 million into power rates to reduce our cost of living and three months later the amount of money comes to the floor for discussion, what Regular Member is going to vote against that? We’ve been put into a corner. The way that this money was put out to the public without the knowledge of Regular Members backs us into a box and it makes us look like absolute idiots if we’re going to say, “Sure, my residents would be happy to accept a 25 percent increase in electrical rates.”
There was another statement by the Minister that the committee had been notified, and I have to challenge the Minister to provide committee with the documentation that notified us of this decision to spend $30 million on lowering our water rates in advance of the headline that I saw in the paper.
So, Mr. Speaker, I do support the point of privilege and I look forward to your decision. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. To the point of privilege, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll also be speaking in support of my colleague’s point of privilege.
This is an example of the end justifying the means, and I think we should not get into the detail of why we have had to make a decision about offsetting the cost to ratepayers and addressing the cost of living. I think that’s another whole subject for another day.
We probably would have come to the same end decision. It’s only about process, that’s my concern. I mean, nobody can stand up here as a Regular Member of this Legislature and say that we would support a 24 percent hit on the ratepayers of the Northwest Territories. That certainly was something to be mitigated and something to be avoided. I mean, $30 million is a very substantial amount of money in the work that we do around this table.
So, Mr. Speaker, I would support it and say that we would have probably come to the same conclusion, but the process was flawed. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. To the point of privilege, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will support this point of privilege. I think the debate is not whether we are helping our residents and not seeing a 25 percent increase; I think it was how it was done and how it was rolled out, and communication has been broken down in our consensus government and this is just one example of it.
As Regular Members, we’re finding out information after the fact. We’re finding out information that’s being discussed by Cabinet, by that side of the House, without communicating with us. The whole concept behind consensus government is that we’re included in that information. If they’re concerned about leakage of information, date stamp “confidential” on it. If we have issues with that then we have to get to that, but for us to find out this information through a press release is not appropriate.
Mr. Speaker there has to be communication from both sides and it does affect how this House works. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. To the point of privilege, the honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to state that this is not a point of privilege. Several Members have pointed to the lack of communication; there’s notification. I have a copy of a letter that was sent August 31, 2015, advising committee of exactly that. The MLA for Range Lake referenced that in his notes, and a fundamental issue is how does government react in an emergency situation? We’ve known that we’ve been in drought conditions for four years, and everybody refers to how we did it last year. Well, the drought is still there, so the expectation is that we use the same process.
Now there are others saying you’re backed into a corner. Well, I look at the fire program. We know that fires can be a problem every year, and now I guess we can put water in the same category.
We, as a government, felt it was very important that we had to respond to the PUB. We had two extensions and we were facing a third extension where we had to make a decision one way or another. One way would be to have everybody in the Northwest Territories pay an extra 25 percent over a two-year period, including subsidizing the diesel consumption in Yellowknife, and we felt we gave notice to committee on August 31st and recognizing that it would be voted on here in this Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Speaker, we feel there is no point of privilege here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. To the point of privilege. I will allow Mr. Dolynny to have closing remarks. Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank my colleagues and Cabinet for adding their remarks for debate.
Mr. Speaker, I understand that it may be of some use to you in considering this matter if I advise the House of other precedents that may apply to the situation at hand, especially with respect to government announcements or advertising initiatives which by being announced prematurely cause prejudice of future proceedings of the House and diminish the role of the Legislative Assembly in the eyes of its Members and the public we all serve.
For example, on October 10, 1989, Speaker John Fraser of the House of Commons rendered a decision regarding the Government of Canada’s advertising with respect to the implementation of GST, which may have some relevance. The Speaker found there was strong argument that suggested the government actually tended to diminish the respect due to the House. This ruling also triggered a number of related rulings grappling with issues of government advertising and contempt of Parliament in the Quebec National Assembly. As well, the findings of Speaker Chris Stockwell of the Ontario Legislative Assembly on January 22, 1997, offer some interesting insights, particularly the finding of the government’s unqualified claims, “convey the impression that the passage of the requisite legislation was not necessary or was a foregone conclusion, or that the Assembly and the Legislature had an inferior role in the legislative and law-making process.”
As you ponder this question, Mr. Speaker, I would ask you to give consideration to one aspect of governance in the Northwest Territories which distinguishes our Legislative Assembly from most other Canadian jurisdictions. This is the guiding principles and process conventions of consensus government. These were adopted by the Members of the Assembly and signed by our Premier and by the chair of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning.
Now, allow me to conclude as I reflect in particular on the principle which has been egregiously undermined by the actions of the Premier and Finance Minister: “Except under extraordinary circumstances, Members of the Legislative Assembly should be made aware of and have the opportunity to discuss significant announcements, changes, consultations or initiatives before they are released to the public or introduced in the Legislative Assembly. The use of the element of surprise is inconsistent with consensus government.”
Given that the Premier and Finance Minister have known for more than a year of the drought conditions, and in fact we heard today they’ve known for four years that these conditions have precipitated the impending request for supplementary funding, it is difficult to argue that this is an “extraordinary circumstance”. If this does not amount to contempt of our consensus system of government, then I do not know what does.
I bow to your wisdom in this matter, Mr. Speaker, and I await your response. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Colleagues, I’ll take it under advisement and I’ll get back to you later next week.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have this final opportunity to welcome Members back to the Legislative Assembly. This will be the last sitting of the 17th Legislative Assembly, and while our time together will soon be drawing to a close, the work that we began here does not end.
The successes we have achieved and the plans and strategies we have put into action – all of which depended on the input and support of Members – will continue, helping to shape the future of this territory according to the vision and priorities we first set out four years ago.
The 17th Legislative Assembly and Government of the Northwest Territories have been guided by a vision of strong individuals, families and communities sharing the benefits and responsibilities of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories.
That is an ambitious vision. It is also an enduring vision, a vision Northerners have shared for many years. It is an ambition that will take time and commitment to realize, certainly more time than the four-year life of any one government provides.
The goals and priorities Members established at the beginning of the 17th Assembly describe how we have worked towards our shared vision. Our priorities have been to build a strong and sustainable future, increase employment opportunities, strengthen and diversify our economy, address housing needs and ensure a fair and sustainable health care system.
Elections are an important time for revisiting our vision, priorities and plans. They are a time when citizens and candidates have an opportunity to participate in a broad and vigorous discussion about different visions and priorities for the future.
Elections are a time for us to take stock and ask important questions that will shape the decisions and actions of the next government – Do we have the right vision? Can it be improved? What else can we do to make it a reality? What are the challenges we will have to overcome to create the strong, prosperous and environmentally sustainable territory Northerners want? – which I believe we can have.
All of those questions must be left to the 18th Assembly to answer, but I would like to offer some observations on some of the challenges that the territory and the government will clearly be facing in coming years.
Few of these challenges will come as a surprise to anyone; they are the same ones that have shaped and constrained the decisions of past governments for many years: addressing the high cost of living – especially the cost of energy – growing the territorial economy, continuing efforts to grow the population, dealing with the infrastructure deficit, encouraging responsible resource development while protecting the land and environment, and dealing with the effects of climate change all while finding the money to fund government operations and invest in infrastructure across the territory.
These are complicated challenges that lie outside the direct control of government. Many are the result of global economic conditions and the effects of geography on our territory. Responding to them will require effective partnership with everybody that has a stake in a successful and prosperous Northwest Territories, including our government, the federal government, Aboriginal and community governments, business and industry, non-government organizations and individual citizens. Solving them means extending our planning horizon beyond the normal life of an Assembly, trying to understand what the next 10, 15 or 20 years hold and planning accordingly.
With this perspective in mind, aligning government spending to revenues will be one of the most important challenges for the next Assembly, a challenge with far-reaching implications.
The first thing to understand is that government revenues are closely tied to the size of the territorial economy and its growth prospects, which is in turn tied to resource development. The outlook for the Northwest Territories economy over the next five years is mixed, with some regions continuing to benefit from active resource projects while activity in other areas has slowed considerably or declined.
The picture for five to 15 years out does not look much better with current diamond mines all predicted to wind down. Projects currently being planned will not be able to match existing ones for economic activity. Resource exploration in the territory continues to be limited, and bringing a new project into operation can take as much as 10 years.
Slow economic growth over this time period means a flat revenue outlook for the Government of the Northwest Territories for potentially the next 15 years, meaning less money to sustain government programs and services or infrastructure investment.
We want to change this outlook and need to act now to make the Northwest Territories a more attractive and competitive place to live and do business. For the resource sector this means continuing to invest in transportation and energy infrastructure that will aid exploration and improve project economics. It also means continuing to invest in efforts to grow the Northwest Territories population, including the high cost of living.
Investments of this nature will require an outlay of resources that will be difficult to come by so long as our revenue outlook is flat. Generating more revenue by raising taxes for our citizens or increasing royalties and corporate taxes will only increase the cost of living and discourage investment. That means our only option is to look internally for the resources, aligning our expenditures to our revenues so we are in a position to fund any new initiatives or capital investments.
These efforts need to be complemented by other actions to encourage responsible resource development, the single biggest sector of the territorial economy. Continuing to strengthen and refine our approach to responsible resource development and environmental protection is one example.
Outside of economics certainty is one of the biggest factors influencing resource development. Having a consistent and predictable approach to how our government makes land-use and resource development decisions ensures developers can make investment decisions with some degree of confidence. Continuing to refine and strengthen the regulatory system post-devolution reduces duplication and delays for developers and ensures stronger decisions grounded in northern priorities and values.
Continued progress in negotiating and implementing land, resource and self-government agreements in partnership with Aboriginal governments will also be critical. Settled agreements complemented by solid, collaboratively developed land-use plans will bring political certainty to our government and Aboriginal governments as well as economic certainty and opportunity to industry. With 144,000 square kilometres of mineral-rich land subject to interim land withdrawals for decades, settling outstanding claims will create new economic opportunities and revenue possibilities for ourselves and Aboriginal governments both.
We also need to continue efforts to diversify the economy and strengthen relationships with potential investors and markets outside the Northwest Territories. Bringing the message about the tourism and investment opportunities our territory offers to places like Asia and the United States continues to be important. That effort is paying off in increased Asian tourism and the recent visit to the Northwest Territories of His Excellency Luo Zhaohui, Ambassador of China to Canada. Our leadership of PNWER for the past year has increased the profile and awareness of the Northwest Territories among western governors and Premiers. That awareness will be further promoted when over 200 people come to Yellowknife for the PNWER winter meeting this November.
Mr. Speaker, this territory has tremendous potential. We have abundant natural resources and talented, hardworking people ready and able to turn the natural advantages the Northwest Territories enjoys into long-term prosperity for our children and their children. The work Members have done during this Assembly has been focused on creating a strong foundation for that future, based on the vision, goals and priorities we agreed to four years ago.
With the support and guidance of Members, we have signed formal agreements that strengthened our relationships with Aboriginal governments, brought in devolution and achieved two increases in the federal borrowing limit. With the Land Use and Sustainability Framework, Wildlife Act, transboundary water agreements and post-devolution work on resource development regulation, we continue to refine and strengthen our land and resources management regime.
We continue to work to increase employment opportunities, particularly in communities and regions, through decentralization and regional recruitment initiatives, earning recognition as one of the nation’s top diversity employers and employers for young people two years in a row.
We have made strategic infrastructure investments in the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Line and the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway and continue to advance the Mackenzie Valley Highway and plan for the Tlicho winter road and a road into the mineral-rich Slave Geological Province. We have developed an Economic Opportunities Strategy and Mineral Development Strategy and are working on an Oil and Gas Strategy to guide us in the wise use of our resources.
We are addressing housing needs through implementation of Building for the Future, the strategic plan emerging from our shelter policy review, including improvements to public housing rents and a broader range of supports for homeowners and those wishing to transition to more permanent housing options.
We continue to invest in a fair and sustainable health care system by investing in strategies aimed at prevention and root causes like the Early Childhood Development Strategy, an Anti-Poverty Strategy, Addictions Strategy, Community Wellness Strategy, community safety strategies and others. We also continue to make progress on health system transformation that promises best care, best health for our residents in coming years.
All Members of this Assembly have played a critical role in this work and should share in the credit for these achievements. It could not have been done without the support, participation and input of Members, and I want to thank you all for your commitment to building a strong, prosperous and environmentally sustainable territory.
Our work as legislators in the 17th Assembly is coming to an end, Mr. Speaker, but the work of investing in our people, our economy and our environment continues. There are some challenges ahead, as I have indicated, but I am confident that the people of the Northwest Territories and the leaders they will choose for the next Assembly are up for the challenge. This Assembly has set the wheels in motion; it will now be up to the 18th Assembly to continue the work of creating a strong, sustainable North that is home to healthy, educated people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Bromley.
Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Rule 36(3), I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Frame Lake, that Minister’s Statement 221-17(5) be moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The motion is in order. To the motion.
Question.
Minister’s Statement 221-17(5) has been moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration.
---Carried
Minister Ramsay.
Mr. Speaker, each year on the last Sunday of September, Canada salutes the men and women who put their lives on the line every day in their role as police and peace officers.
In Yellowknife on September 27th, RCMP, peace officers, family members and the public came together to recognize and honour the loss of loved ones, friends and colleagues who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Since the 1870s, 222 officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and its forerunner, the North West Mounted Police, have died across Canada. We owe each of them a profound and continuing debt of gratitude.
Police and peace officers include RCMP officers, correctional officers, highway patrol officers, territorial park officers and municipal enforcement officers. Our police and peace officers regularly work in difficult environments and in dangerous situations. In times of crisis, they respond quickly and without thought of personal danger.
As well as upholding the law, peace officers are mentors in our schools, coaches in our arenas and gymnasiums, and neighbours contributing in many ways to our communities.
The fallen officers recognized during the past year were RCMP Constable David Wynn of Alberta, Constable Daniel Woodall of the Edmonton police service, Transport Enforcement Officer Toni D. Kristinsson from BC, and Corrections Officer Rhonda Commodore from Manitoba Corrections Services.
We remember those 56 who have fallen in the Northwest Territories, including the sacrifices of Constable Christopher Worden and Parole Officer Louise Parteger who each lost their lives serving our citizens.
We have been working towards making communities safer and policing more effective in the Northwest Territories by building trust and improving relationships between law enforcement and those they serve.
We will continue to build these positive relations through community policing plans and working with community members on common goals and priorities. These relationships need to be continually nurtured. Great work has been accomplished in the past few years.
I know all the Members of this Assembly will want to be sure that the men and women who work hard and have dedicated their lives to public safety and public service know they have our sincere appreciation.
Selfless commitment, sacrifice and dedication; these qualities were exemplified by each officer we have lost. Every peace officer deserves to go home safely to their loved ones at the end of their shift. To those who didn’t make it back, we will never forget you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Four years ago we were elected to this House. One of the first statements I made was about dredging of the Hay River and the requirement for this. This issue has been before this Assembly for more than a decade to look at Hay River dredging, and our government continues to ignore that. Our government keeps saying, federally it’s a responsibility. Again, the Premier makes a statement about key infrastructure today, and he talks about a whole bunch of different highways, a whole bunch of road construction, which is also supposed to be a federal responsibility.
I’m getting very frustrated and it’s very difficult to even speak in this House without getting called on a point of order on the language that I want to use.
This has become a crisis for the community of Hay River. We have veteran fishermen who are not going on the water because it’s unsafe in the springtime to go there. Until the bigger ships take some of the sediment down, they’re not willing to go out on the water. They’re not creating a livelihood there.
We know that the hub of the North is Hay River. We know that this is key to the Northwest Territories to resupplying a whole bunch of the communities in the Northwest Territories. How can our government sit here for four years, for decades and ignore that concern?
We have all kinds of discussion about major infrastructure here and the dredging in Hay River is ignored. I’ve asked this Minister several times, along with the federal government, to deal with the dredging. I understand millions of dollars are the issue, but we write a $12 million cheque when we have a cost overrun on a project, no problem. We need $12 million for a key piece of infrastructure like the Hay River and we ignore it for more than a decade.
It’s ludicrous that we haven’t dealt with this problem.
We’ve been dealing with the Town of Hay River, with NTCL, the shipping company there. They’re interested in being partners, but the GNWT is not interested in being partners. They want to just ignore it and tell us it’s a federal responsibility. Our government needs to take responsibility for dredging in the Hay River area.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Mr. Speaker, I feel like putting my notes aside and following with the same passion as my colleague for Hay River North, but I’m not feeling well today so I’m afraid it wouldn’t come across with as much gusto.
I’m going to tag team with my colleague here today and reiterate again that Hay River is a transportation hub right on the south shore of Great Slave Lake and at the mouth of the Hay River itself. Once upon a time, the federal government met its responsibility for dredging, but that practice was discontinued in 1994. They sold all of their equipment. Since that time no one has taken up responsibility, even though the waterways have continued to be used. Our harbour is used by tug and barge operators, by the Canadian Coast Guard, by the commercial fishermen and by recreational boaters. Let’s not forget, as my colleague for Hay River North has said before in this House, that the Hay River Flood Mitigation Committee has identified dredging as an option and a proactive approach to the annual threat of flooding in Hay River.
I can tell you what’s happened in terms of dredging in the Hay River port since the federal program was discontinued more than 20 years ago. Nothing! Basically, we walked off a cliff. We went from annual dredging – annual dredging – to absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, responsibility for the dredging is passed around like a political football. That response no longer cuts it with the residents of Hay River. We need to see decisive action taken.
The town is looking to this government for some assistance. If I said it before, I’ll say it again, it’s affecting our people and it’s affecting our industry, and even if it is not technically or hasn’t technically been our responsibility, it’s having real impacts on the people, the livelihoods and the supply chains out of Hay River.
Lack of action on this issue undermines the spirit and soul of our community. The harbour in Hay River is the lifeblood of why that community is there. We’ve continued to press for action, and we’ve talked about pushing and partnering with the federal government and about taking action as a territory, and we’ve talked about accessing funds from the National Disaster Mitigation Program. In the life of this Assembly alone, we’d hoped for a new federal plan in 2014, heard promises of territorial budget commitment, but this plan has still not come through and still the harbour hasn’t been dealt with. The Department of Transportation’s new 25-year plan barely even mentions dredging.
Hay River is the second largest community in the Northwest Territories. Surely it’s time to do something. When it comes to question period, I’m going to ask questions but also throw in a few suggestions.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been receiving many concerns on the ferry services in my riding on the ferry landings to the Peel River, which are very soft from weeks of rain and high waters. Earlier this summer a fuel tanker had a puncture in its tank and thousands of litres spilled into the Peel River. This was due to the landings, soft landings, the gravel there, because of the high water and rain we’ve been receiving. For about three weeks solid we’ve had rain every day.
My constituents would like this government to construct something, whether it’s solid landings made of concrete, rig mats, anything that would make these landings more safe for fuel trucks.
Also, the ferry schedule in Tsiigehtchic, which operates from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. The last ferry service is 11 p.m. at the Inuvik landing, 11:25 at the Fort McPherson landing and 11:45 at the Tsiigehtchic landing. If you wanted to travel to Fort McPherson from Tsiigehtchic at 11:45 for the last ferry service, you’ll be denied. So, in fact, the last service from Tsiigehtchic to Fort McPherson is actually 10:30.
A number of my constituents have had to overnight at the ferry landings due to the hours that are in place. We need to provide a better service for the residents of the Beaufort-Delta region.
I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I rise today dismayed by the sudden prospect of up to a $32 million claim to the GNWT for the construction of the Inuvik-Tuk Highway. We’re not talking about nickels and dimes. This is a massive potential expense that the GNWT has not kept Regular Members up to date properly.
The GNWT press release last Friday says the contract claims are a normal part of the process, but the amount of the claim is not normal.
This is a potential absolute blow for our small communities. If the GNWT picks up the tab for this kind of contract over-expenditure, it eats into the money available for other projects. That means essential community infrastructure projects in our small communities suffer. In Nahendeh alone, that kind of money could have been spent on a school for Trout Lake, the Fort Simpson Health Centre and Highway No. 7.
On a territorial level, the recent CBC News report states it would cost $21 million for universal child care. Imagine that was possible or could be possible, but these claims are interfering.
Without a doubt, the Inuvik-Tuk Highway has made big improvements in employment in the Inuvik and Beaufort-Delta region, contributing to our NWT economy, and the project promises vital all-weather road connections, but it is unacceptable that other projects throughout the NWT could suffer.
As the GNWT evaluates these claims and because we’re so close to the election, Members must be regularly updated and there must be a full and fulsome debate here in the Legislative Assembly before any decisions are made.
I will be asking Cabinet to ensure that they do not proceed without consulting with Members or, and if needed, to discuss this fulsomely in the 18th Assembly. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we approach the final days of the 17th Legislative Assembly, it’s only fitting that we take the time to evaluate the fiscal performance and accountability of the McLeod government.
Some may say things are going well; others may posture that this post-devolution government has the worst performance record since the modern era of consensus system of government. No matter what one may think, it’s about what you can measure. So, it’s really about the numbers; it’s about our operational spending; it’s about our capital spending; it’s about our limited revenue options; it’s about our tax regime; it’s about our debt and borrowing capacity; it’s about growth in our public workforce; and finally, it’s how we wrap all this information and report to the very people who give us their votes every four years.
Later today I have the privilege of tabling an extensive 14-page report, a report that was researched by the office of Range Lake and was fact checked by our very own legislative research staff, a report that talks about the numbers. Numbers don’t lie, they don’t hold prejudice, but they certainly tell a story, a story that I’ll share over the next couple days in this House. This will be a story of fact, not fiction, a story that started 15 years ago and ends in dramatic fashion with a McLeod government cliff-hanger. So stay tuned as we hear this story might not end, that a gripping box office sequel is in the works with potentially many of the lead characters returning to the 18th legislative stage.
On top of all this excitement, we know that over the coming days various committees of this House will be tabling their transition reports as we pass the torch to the future Assembly. These transition reports will also tell a story where many of the committees have found frustration or the lack of resolve on many of the issues that matter to all Northerners.
So, Mr. Speaker, no matter how you look at it, it’s report card time. So brace for impact, because I can tell you right now, this could be a bumpy ride. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
