Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise Members of this House that starting on June 1, 2015, the minimum wage in the Northwest Territories is going up.
The minimum wage in the NWT will increase from $10 per hour to $12.50 per hour, making it the highest in Canada today. This is the first increase to the minimum wage in the Northwest Territories since 2011.
In 2013 I appointed a Minimum Wage Committee consisting of business, non-governmental organizations and other community representatives, which included the NWT Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Territories Federation of Labour.
This decision to increase the minimum wage was informed by the thorough and considered research of the Minimum Wage Committee, which reviewed relevant information including social and economic factors as well as current minimum and average hourly wages in other Canadian jurisdictions and the cost of living across Canada.
The committee provided three options on the minimum wage rate. The option chosen carefully balances the needs of our minimum wage earners with the cost to small businesses that employ them.
The average minimum wage for each jurisdiction in Canada is about 45 percent of its average hourly wage. In 2013 the average hourly wage in the NWT was $27.80. The present minimum wage of $10 per hour only reflects 36 percent of the average hourly wage in the NWT. Increasing the minimum wage to $12.50 per hour brings it up to
approximately 45 percent of the NWT average hourly wage, which is in line with the average for Canada.
Most employers in the NWT already pay more than the minimum wage because this is what is required to attract and retain employees in the NWT. It is anticipated that a higher minimum wage may improve employee retention, enhance recruitment opportunities and attract more people to the workforce.
On its own, increasing the minimum wage rate is not an effective means of fighting poverty. Across this government we have many strategies in place to help Northerners achieve their goals, support their families and live healthy, successful lives: the Early Childhood Development Framework, the Anti-Poverty Strategy, the NWT Housing Corporation Transitional Rent Program, the Income Assistance program, the Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan, Community Wellness Plans and Child Care User Subsidy that help to support the most vulnerable in our society. The increased minimum wage joins these strategies to help Northerners.
Mr. Speaker, we have a shared vision of a prosperous NWT where people can afford to support themselves and their families. Raising the minimum wage is one part of creating a vibrant and diversified economy supported by a strong labour force that will share in the economic prosperity and opportunities emerging in the NWT. We believe increasing the minimum wage in the NWT to $12.50 an hour is a much needed, tangible and practical way to help make that happen. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Public Works and Services, Mr. Beaulieu.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to update Members on some recent activities of the Department of Public Works and Services with regards to fuel prices in communities served by its petroleum products division.
Recent changes in the market have seen oil prices go from all-time highs to record lows over the past year. This current market pricing has provided the petroleum products division with an opportunity to lower its costs and pass on these savings to residents.
The lower wholesale prices for fuel have made it possible to pass savings on to residents now, during the peak of the winter heating season. Mr. Speaker, on Monday February 2nd, the petroleum products division dropped the price of heating fuel in all 16 communities that it serves.
Those reductions included an eight cent per litre decrease in the communities of Lutselk’e, Wekweeti, Jean Marie River, Wrigley, Tulita, Fort Good Hope, Deline, Tsiigehtchic, Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok, while the communities of Whati, Gameti, Nahanni Butte, Trout Lake, Colville Lake and Sachs Harbour received a nine cent per litre decrease in heating fuel.
With our winter resupply underway, the department expects that further reductions to the price of heating fuel and future reductions to the price of gasoline are possible in the coming months should current market prices continue.
Mr. Speaker, lowering the cost of living for NWT residents is a priority for our government. While dramatic shifts in the international market for oil have made it possible to pass on savings to residents, we cannot rely on prices staying low. We still need to be looking for long-term ways to reduce energy costs.
Energy efficiency and alternative energy solutions offer a stable, longer term solution to living in the North. Through its other programs, the Department of Public Works and Services will continue to advance our goals as a government to reduce our costs and dependency on imported diesel.
I am encouraged that as a government we continue to look at all ways to reduce the high cost of living in the NWT. I am pleased that we are able, when the market allows, to provide some much needed relief in our smaller communities during the peak of the heating season. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to tell you about a new way of raising animals. It’s called Holistic Animal Management. This approach is good for animals, good for the environment, good for employees and good for the bottom line.
The Savory Institute is an international organization that supports this innovative approach to animal management. The core of their business model is to establish 100 locally-owned, led and managed savory hubs by 2025. Their method is to demonstrate, educate, support and coordinate the adoption of holistic animal management around the globe. To accomplish this, they are establishing partner hubs around the world. They have already partnered with organizations in Mexico, the United States, Africa, Turkey and Scandinavia. Now the Savory Institute has chosen to partner with Hay River’s Northern Farm Training Institute.
I’m told that there was very stiff competition and that, to date, the Northern Farm Training Institute is the only savory hub in Canada. This is a real honour, Mr. Speaker, and much credit goes to the leadership of the Northern Farm Training Institute and particularly Jackie Milne, who applied for this designation literally at the 11th hour out of a very, very wide variety of applicants and candidates and got Hay River in there.
Over the next year, the Northern Farm Training Institute will receive specialized training from the Savory Institute’s world-class staff. The Northern Farm Training Institute, in turn, will be able to collect revenue by offering holistic management courses, which will be of interest to people all over Canada.
A side benefit is that the institute will become an even more popular tourist attraction in the Hay River area. This is a huge boost for our community and the Northwest Territories. I would like to extend sincere congratulations to the forward-thinking staff of the Northern Farm Training Institute, and I’m eager to support and build on their achievements.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank MLA Bromley and MLA Hawkins who joined MLA Bouchard and myself to attend a large crowd of people who came out to hear this announcement made in Hay River, and I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to find out more about this exciting opportunity to do so. You will not believe it; it is unbelievable.
With that, congratulations again to Jackie and the Northern Farm Training Institute. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since the spring of 2013, we’ve had a number of issues come up with disaster compensation claims that were put in in the Mackenzie Delta. With that, 13 people have filed claims, and over the last almost a year and a half now, only one has been approved. But over the last month, I got the latest update from the department and 10 out of 13 were approved. On behalf of my constituents, I’d like to thank the Minister and the Department. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Blake. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. By all accounts, it’s estimated that 10 to 25 percent of our Canadian population is uninsured or underinsured for prescription drugs. When unforeseen illnesses, disability and medical complication strike, this portion of the population is vulnerable to financial hardship. In essence, those unable to afford these drug costs are placed in serious situations of life or death.
To put in perspective where drug costs are going, just last week I saw a bill for a new Hep C drug, called Harvoni, for the 12-week therapy of $92,000. Shocking, I know.
Efforts both nationally and internationally have tried to address this. Yet, in the NWT there is still no concrete action on catastrophic drug coverage programs designed for people with serious medical conditions or that would protect against undue financial hardship resulting from prescription drugs.
Nationally, this issue has been bounced around with First Ministers in 2003, supporting a $16 billion reform fund to improve provisions of catastrophic drug coverage to a 2004 National Pharmaceuticals Strategy and a creation of a task force and, finally, in 2008, with Health Ministers reaffirming that catastrophic drug coverage would be implemented. However, as of 2015 this matter still remains unaddressed in part because of disagreements over the federal government’s cost sharing responsibilities. But moreover, Mr. Speaker, I believe it’s the lack of political will.
During this time, and as of today, provinces and territories were exempted or expected to employ a patchwork of public and private drug coverage plans in the absence of a national strategy. In essence, there are seven provinces and Nunavut that have an official catastrophic drug coverage plan in place. Unfortunately, NWT is not one of them.
In the NWT, First Nations and Inuit residents are covered for all medications through the Health Canada’s often complex and red tape burdened Non-Insured Health Benefits, NIHB, formulary. Although the GNWT does not provide catastrophic drug coverage for non-Natives and Metis residents, it does however, using this plagued NIHB formulary as a guide, and through its extended health benefits, provide Pharmacare for seniors and residents with specific disease conditions.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
I could dissect our Pharmacare program ad nauseam with my two decades of private practice and advocacy on this topic. So let me just say that in a 2012 review of policy options prepared by the Alberta Blue Cross, it was noted that this NIHB formulary did not align with coverage in many provincial jurisdictions including Alberta and, of course, our own NWT Extended Health Benefits Program. Add all this up, the GNWT continues to still use a flawed, square design to deal with a round hole when it comes to those who cannot afford their medication.
So yes, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions later today for the Minister responsible. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In the winter semester of 2014, the Thomas Simpson Secondary School became the first in the Northwest Territories to have its high school students access to the Martin Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Program and still is the only school in the NWT to offer this program.
A big and special commendation and thanks to Enbridge Pipelines Inc. and the Department of Education for being the primary sponsors with the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative. This foundation is created by none other than our former Prime Minister of Canada, Paul Martin himself.
Since the program began, over 35 students have enrolled. Thirty students completed full business plans and 12 former students have graduated high school. Plans included restaurants, tourism, fish farming, mobile apps and supports in the business service sector. Each course has always ended with the students presenting their business plans to community business leaders in a Dragon’s Den type format and receiving feedback from their ideas.
Exceptional secondary sponsors include the Liidlii Kue First Nations, Dehcho First Nations, Metis Local 52, the Dehcho Divisional Council, department and staff of ITI in Fort Simpson and the mayor of the Village of Fort Simpson.
Students receive business presentations on ideas such as helicopter charters, tourism charters, Parks Canada, e-commerce businesses, green energy businesses and how to manage them. Today the TSS and teachers are getting requests from schools and school boards, asking how they can be involved in such an exceptional program.
The Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative provides teacher training, student workbooks, course materials and ongoing supports. Paul Martin told the Northern Journal during his visit to Fort Simpson for the first graduating class in May of 2013, the purpose of it is to essentially give young First Nations, Metis and Inuit an opportunity to know what business is all about in order to determine (a) whether they would get into a business when they graduate from high school or (b) just to teach them what the economy is all about.
Since the three years of its operation, I have personally been participating by speaking to each of these classes in the past five semesters.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.
---Unanimous consent granted
I shared with them an outlook of the GNWT economy and my shared personal experience of being involved in the business world. It was great to have a discussion with these young adults, aged 14 to 17, about their ideas for starting their own businesses and discussing the economy of the GNWT and Canada as a whole.
In closing, congratulations to the students, the Thomas Simpson School and teachers, and keep up the good work in getting our youth to see their potential and their place in this world. I would like to see this expanded to all our schools in the NWT so our youth can understand the importance of the business sector and what keeps our economy going. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The science is irrefutable. In polar regions the climate is changing faster than anywhere else in the world. The climate change does not receive due attention in this government’s strategic and long-range planning. I offer a few snapshots to illustrate the need for urgent action.
Sea ice is changing rapidly. The Arctic Ocean will be almost ice-free by mid-century. Glaciers and ice caps are melting at an accelerated rate. This is increasing the fresh water flow and impacting ocean circulation. Permafrost is warming and losing integrity. Ocean currents are shifting, leading non-Arctic species to encroach on northern water ecosystems. Caribou populations are declining. Caribou are becoming confused by changing seasons and conditions. At one time elders could predict and tell you where the herds would be, based on the time of the year, but that’s no longer the case.
Contaminants are entering the ecosystem at an accelerated rate. Tundra shrubs are expanding and choking out berry-producing plants. This will obviously impact the health and culture of Northerners.
Forest fires are expected to increase in number and size. Fire temperatures can cause forests to be drier, fires to start more easily and also make fires harder to put out.
Scientists have demonstrated a direct link between climate change and fossil fuel emissions. This government should be taking the science more seriously. It should be demonstrably divesting from fossil fuels and investing in climate change alternatives. As Global Divestment Day approaches on February 13th, I call on the government to articulate a stronger commitment to climate-friendly energy sources. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I first want to say thank you to the government for lowering the diesel prices in the Sahtu communities and other communities. When the Minister of Transportation and I did a tour in the Sahtu at the beginning of January, that was one of the issues that Fort Good Hope, Tulita and Norman Wells talked about, the high cost of gasoline and diesel fuel. The Minister made a point of telling people in Fort Good Hope and Tulita that there are things in play that maybe could bring the costs down. So, true to his word, the Minister told the people that if things work out well, that the price of heating fuel would go down. Certainly, he has been true to his word by his statement this morning. So I want to thank the Minister, that something as important as this in our small communities means a lot to our people.
Ever since man has invented machinery that is fueled by diesel or gasoline, we have created dependency on it. From the Northwest Territories point of view, for myself, from wood-heated stoves to a furnace, we have moved in that evolution, from dog teams to skidoos to four by fours and trucks. We know that is a given that we have created some dependency on fossil fuels in the Northwest Territories.
Recently, we have seen in the news that the world prices have gone down and people in the Sahtu have been saying, how come our prices have not gone down in some of our communities? They want to know why Yellowknife is paying $1.03 while Colville Lake pays $1.99 for gasoline. Why are those differences in the prices here? We wanted to raise that concern.
The other thing that the people wanted to know is will the price of gasoline go down in the Sahtu as it did with the heating fuel. Eighty-six percent of homes in Colville Lake are owned by private homeownership, so they definitely are going to benefit by the low cost of heating fuel in their community.
I will have more questions for the Minister on the price of fuel. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is never too late for this McLeod government to be reminded about what is truly important. Even when they pay little attention to whatever advice Regular Members offer to share, I continue, once again, to feel the need to remind this government about the great crisis of our time.
The crisis I speak of is affordability. It’s known by many names, all of equal value, but whatever name you choose to use, it is always the same problem to the same families.
If you can’t afford to live, there are very few – ridiculously few – options for people to turn towards. The cost of living is the millstone carried by the everyday family. Unfortunately, it’s not viewed that way by this government. Unfortunately, it continues to weigh heavier on those families trying to get by each and every day.
As the bricks continue to pile up, respite is far from in sight. While we all know that it’s not easy for this government to sit on their perch of power and it’s a job that only can be done by a very few, but we on the ground can see the results. We see the poverty; we see the families struggling, trying to get ahead. So, as we watch the cost of living continue to grow for the everyday family, why isn’t this the primary call to duty by this government to fight this particular crisis?
Families are leaving the North every day, not because of the lack of work, in many cases, but it is because they can’t find affordable work. They can’t find housing they can afford to rent. They can’t afford to pay their power bills. These are burdens that stop the everyday family from getting ahead. Families work because they need to afford to go to work. That is the crisis.
Our Bureau of Stats, which I am very thankful for and am often surprised that they still exist considering how many times I thank them, this government has the facts before them. Workforce participation numbers shrink, our unemployment rates increase, unemployment rates decrease, numbers speak for themselves. The government has all the information. Our population continues to leave because of the times and the problems before us.
If it weren’t for our birthrates, that are actually quite notable in consideration to other places in Canada, our population would be a tragedy in itself.
The cost of living must be fought and it must be a call to duty by this government. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We heard some good news in the House today: the minimum wage increase as well as dropping fuel prices. That’s great for our residents and great for people in the Northwest Territories. Today I want to speak about the small business sector and possibly how this minimum wage increase can affect our small businesses in the communities who are trying to get ahead, employ our residents and now they’re going to have to deal with the wage increase as well. I will be asking questions of the Minister of ITI if there’s a possibility that we can subsidize this.
The reality is that our small businesses, our big businesses are struggling in the Northwest Territories. We know there’s a high cost to doing business in the North – transportation, freight, moving things in and out of the small and remote communities – and another reality is there is a downturn in our economy. We see it in the Sahtu; we see it in the Beaufort-Delta and we’ve got to start looking at ways to support the small businesses and the big businesses in our communities so they can stay afloat.
So I’ll have questions today for the Minister of ITI, specifically on the SEED funding. It’s a program that we fund to our entrepreneurs to increase economic development and talk about when was the last time we had increases in the funding, when was the last time the policy was looked at. Due to the economic downturn in the North and in our territory, what are we doing to offset those so that the small business, the mom and pop businesses in the communities can stay afloat, some of them which have been residents of the Northwest Territories for a very long time.
So today I’ll talk about small businesses in the Northwest Territories, how we can continue to support them so that they can support our economy and the Northwest Territories and get people in the Northwest Territories working. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, colleagues. Recent articles in the prestigious Nature science journal show that in order to salvage even a 50 percent chance of stopping dangerous climate change, as mentioned by my colleague Mr. Nadli, most of the untapped fossil fuels worldwide need to stay in the ground. Specifically, 80 percent of known coal reserves, 50 percent of gas and 30 percent of oil reserves must be left untapped over the next 40 years to keep to the internationally agreed upon limit of a two degree increase in average global temperature.
With additional study and taking into account regional costs of extraction, researchers determined how and what regions must reduce their fossil fuel production. They calculated which resources could be extracted the most effectively. Results show all of the current producers must make sacrifices, a painful move for countries that are economically depending on fossil fuel resources.
It’s particularly bleak for Canada and the North. The researchers found that extraction of Arctic fossil fuels must be completely avoided with essentially all of our hydrocarbons left untouched. None of the oil or gas reserves in the Northwest Territories make the cut.
What happens if these stranded reserves are burned? Dr. McGlade, an author of the Nature article, says things get “worse and worse as we head towards higher temperatures.” Without effective action, we are heading for four or five degrees rise right now. A two-degree rise is dangerous, but the effects of a three-degree rise are terrible. The differences thereafter are catastrophic. With more pronounced effects on weather, we risk hitting tipping points that will cause runaway climate change with severe implications for civilization as we know it.
Here in the Northwest Territories we are seeing cumulative climate change impacts already with exceptional drought, fire and shipping-related costs of over $100 million so far this year. Despite these facts, our Premier and Cabinet are off touting hydro carbon development to the world, putting out calls for exploration and exploitation and developing fracking protocols. They must know this means committing our land and our people to the most weak and vulnerable form of economic development, resulting in the destruction of our communities, our economy and our future.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
They must also know that we must turn to renewable energy-based development in order to minimize the destruction and begin to build a sustainable future. On behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories, what will it take to reverse this participation in the insane march to destruction and shift to a truly beneficial and progressive renewable energy-based economy?
As the great Canadian Ms. Naomi Klein says, “It’s time to stop digging poisons from the deep and shift with all speed to powering our lives from the abundant energies on our planet’s surface.” Residents of the North call upon our Premier and Cabinet to make it so. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There’s an obstacle I’ve encountered throughout my life as an elected official and it is that of being a minority gender on an elected body. It’s quite obvious, as you look around the Chamber here, that the NWT Legislature does not have gender parity; we’re not even close; and there’s not even an inkling of any balanced gender differential in Cabinet.
Across Canada the best percentage of women in elected office is 36 percent in British Columbia, and the NWT is a long way from that.
Today and tomorrow the NWT Status of Women Council is holding a Campaign School for women, an event intended to encourage and prepare women to run for office in our upcoming territorial and municipal elections. Some 40 people have registered for the two-day school, people who will be candidates, campaign managers, agents and other campaign workers. They’ll learn about and discuss all the elements associated with an election: campaigning, that of talking to constituents, going door to door, funding a campaign, the rules of an election and so on.
Some may think that it’s too early to be thinking about an election which is eight or nine months away, but it is not. We need more women in this Legislature and in our municipal councils. Women are 50 percent of our population and we ought to be represented in that same proportion on our elected bodies.
I encourage NWT women to seriously consider running for an MLA seat this fall. Give it some thought, make a decision and start planning now. So I don’t get accused of being sexist, to NWT male residents, you do the same. Think about challenging your current MLA. Better yet, don’t think about it, do it.
I look forward to the excitement of the 2015 NWT Election. I hope to see a female candidate in every one of our 19 ridings, and my fervent wish is that the result of the fall election will be far more female MLAs in the 18th Assembly than the current two of 19.
I am pleased to be part of the Campaign School, along with my only other female colleague here, Mrs. Groenewegen, as well as Mr. Abernethy and Ms. Lisa Dempster from the House of Assembly in Newfoundland and Labrador who has come to help us out. I know it will be a busy but constructive weekend, and I wish all the participants the best. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased to recognize visitors in the gallery who are participating in the NWT Campaign School today and tomorrow, so at the end of this year I expect some of them will be sitting down here. Tina Gargan, president of the Status of Women Council; Lisa Dempster, Newfoundland Parliamentarian; participants Pertice Moffat, Darlene Sibbeston, Jan Fullerton, Debbie Dechief, Gail Cyr, Karen Willy, Sarah Pope, Diana Pellissey, Amanda Kanbari, Kathy Paul-Drover, Caroline Cochrane-Johnson, Laura Boileau; and Status of Women Council staff Lorraine Phaneuf, Samantha Thomas and Annemeike Mulders. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize a few Great Slave constituents who are here, who are either participating or involved in organizing the NWT Campaign School. They are Karen Willy, Kathy Paul-Drover as well as Samantha Thomas. Thank you all for coming today.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Mr. Mark Prins to the House today. He’s a physician up in Inuvik and hopefully he’ll be a long-time resident and providing the health care and services to people in Inuvik and the Northwest Territories.
I’d also like to take the opportunity to welcome all participants from the Campaign School and recognize the staff of the Status of Women Council for putting on such a great program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize the lady in the pink house, the irrepressible Gail Cyr, a resident of Weledeh. I also appreciate very much the work that’s being done and the people who are attending the school. So, hats off to the Status of Women Council staff. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to say welcome to Ms. Darlene Sibbeston out of Fort Simpson to the gallery, and to everyone in the Campaign School, have a great weekend as you learn about valuable public service to the public. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
