Transcript of meeting #2 for Territorial Leadership Committee in the 19th Assembly. (The original version is on the Legislative Assembly's site.)

The winning word was need.

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Now, the moment you have all been waiting for. Ladies and gentlemen, I declare that you have elected Ms. Cochrane as your Premier-elect.

---Applause

Congratulations. The appointment will be confirmed tomorrow by motion in the House. I would now like to give Ms. Cochrane an opportunity to say a few words.

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Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I never actually made a written speech for today, so I'm going to speak from the heart.

I want to begin by thanking all of the people, all of the people of the Northwest Territories, for having faith in me. I thank my constituents for allowing me to get back in. I thank all of the MLAs for their votes, not only for me but for all Members, and I thank the Members who stood forward and put their name. I know, personally, it was very challenging and not easy. My commitment to all of you, though, is that I have heard it, and we need to work better together. For each Member who stands here, my commitment is to always have an open door, to put my heart in the people, and to hear your words, because together we make a stronger government and, working together with our Indigenous and community organizations and the NGO world, we will make these next four years the most progressive government in the Northwest Territories. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker-elect.

---Applause

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Ms. Cochrane. I will now adjourn our proceedings for this morning for lunch. We will reconvene at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon for the election of the Executive Council. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

Confirmation Of Process For Election Of Cabinet
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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Colleagues, I would like to call the Territorial Leadership Committee back to order. The next item on our agenda is the election of Members to the Executive Council. In accordance with our agreed-upon procedures, I will ask Members to indicate whether they wish to allow their names to stand for the Executive Council positions. The 2-2-2 geographic balance on Cabinet will govern all aspects of this selection process. Once Members indicate their interest, we will entertain a 10-minute speech from each nominee before we proceed to voting. Let's get things underway.

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

I will ask all Members from the northern constituencies who wish to allow their names to stand for a position on the Executive Council to please rise. Thank you.

Ms. Chinna, Mr. Jacobson, and Ms. Thom have indicated they wish to be considered for Executive Council membership.

I would now ask all Members from the Yellowknife constituencies who wish to allow their names to stand for a position on the Executive Council to please rise. Thank you.

Ms. Green, Ms. Nokleby, Mr. O'Reilly, and Ms. Wawzonek have indicated they wish to be considered for Executive Council membership.

To bring this portion of our proceedings to an end, I would now like to ask all those Members from the southern constituencies who wish to allow their names to stand for a position on the Executive Council to please rise. Thank you.

Mr. Bonnetrouge, Ms. Martselos, Mr. Simpson, and Mr. Thompson have indicated they wish to be considered for Executive Council membership.

Therefore, the nominees for the Executive Council positions are as follows: from our northern constituencies, we have Ms. Chinna, Mr. Jacobson, and Ms. Thom; from our southern constituencies, we have Mr. Bonnetrouge, Ms. Martselos, Mr. Simpson, and Mr. Thompson; and from Yellowknife, we have Ms. Green, Ms. Nokleby, Mr. O'Reilly, and Ms. Wawzonek.

Each candidate is permitted to make a 10-minute speech. The speeches will be made in alphabetical order, by geographical area and by surname. We will start with the northern constituencies' nominees, so I call upon Ms. Chinna for her speech.

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Ms. Chinna's Candidacy Speech

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Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I wanted to acknowledge before I get started the youth of Colville Lake who encouraged the federal election. I just wanted to acknowledge that community.

Good afternoon, colleagues. I want to pay my respects to the leaders within the Sahtu for this opportunity to submit my nomination for a Cabinet position. I am seeking support from the 19th Legislative Assembly. With my passion and integrity, I bring forward 20 years of work experience and personal triumphs that have molded my leadership to display at one of the highest levels of government in the Northwest Territories.

I am originally from Fort Good Hope, and I am a member of the K'asho Got'ine district. I am the daughter of Martha Chinna and Don Fabien. I was a single mother and did raise my daughter. Presently, I am raising my niece who is 13. I did attend residential school, and I do display the positive effects and experience of being educated in the residential school system. I was also raised in foster care and believe that good homes and guidance display the integrity and the willingness to do better and be better. At the age of 26, I lost my mother to cancer and raised my siblings, ages 16, 15, and 10. During that time, I was the single mother of an eight-year-old daughter, with a single income. In the following years to come, I lost my sister tragically.

My story is similar to the people of the Northwest Territories, and my connection to the residents of the Northwest Territories ignites the passion to work with resilience and demonstrate perseverance. I have the determination to want to improve programs and services throughout the Northwest Territories.

During the past 20 years, I have committed myself to gain work experience in the public sector and with the Government of the Northwest Territories. My first employment opportunity was with the K'asho Got'ine Charter Community Council and the Yamoga Land Corporation in Fort Good Hope. I assisted in the development of their land administration. At the time, I was involved and participated in the creation and development of their community plan and zoning bylaw.

I worked for Municipal and Community Affairs, administering community land administration within the municipal boundary, and program delivery to establish land ownership, administering legal documents, contracts, sales, and financial issues. This position brought me to dealing with the residents at the grassroots level who are affected by the GNWT policies, acts, and regulations that cause difficulty in program delivery for front-line workers.

The experience with MACA brought me to transfer from the Beaufort-Delta, Sahtu, and the South Slave regions. During this time, I observed the programs and the delivery, and the effects that it made, and the changes determined by MACA and the GNWT. This experience brought me to understand the importance of our local community members who are being affected by our decisions we make as a government.

I was very fortunate to work the three regions out of the five in the Northwest Territories, which gives me a more broad perspective of where we sit as the Northwest Territories. I then furthered my experience, gaining employment in Fort Smith with the Fort Smith Health and Social Services Authority as a nurses' aide. This opportunity gave me the perspective of what the healthcare system is enduring. I did notice that the shortage of nurses, housing, and accommodations were definitely a factor.

In the following months, I did further work in employment with forestry management in Fort Smith. I was able to realize the need for forest fire recruits and that the training needs in preparation for the forest fire season were limited. I also held a position with the Sahtu health authority, assisting with medical travel and realizing, even in that position, to be short-staffed. I also worked for the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment in the Sahtu region, working for parks and preparing for business symposiums.

During my 20 years, I committed my work experience to serve the people of the Northwest Territories. I began my career as a front-line worker. I was exposed to the effects that are displayed at the grassroots level. I have seen the results of program delivery in its successes and its failures, the need to work in conjunction with our Indigenous groups, and the determination to support and finalize self-government and land-claim agreements.

I see the effects of climate change that are displayed at our local community level, affecting ground stability for residential areas, affecting erosion and shoreline and the riverbanks, and the short season for the winter roads, which decreases supplies to the communities. I noticed the declining of water levels making it a short season and difficulty to receive scheduled barge services and supplies.

I do look at the Northwest Territories as a whole. I do see the need to represent our local communities. I recognize the need for housing and concerns for overcrowding, and this as a territorial issue, not at a regional level.

We have seen and heard the issues that affect our healthcare, education, and housing systems that do not work in our communities. This opportunity brought me to experience a different working relationship in structures throughout the Northwest Territories. I was able to gain a different perspective.

As a Minister, I see the potential to work in conjunction with Indigenous leadership and working productively and fairly with our consensus government. I would like to see improvement with our education system and develop a strategy to improve our healthcare system to build strong, healthy families across the Northwest Territories, and look and work towards prevention of addictions, support mental illnesses, support our homecare for elderly and people with limited mobility.

I would like to enhance economic diversification, improve the support of local businesses, and utilize the services that already exist at the community level. The need to keep the money in the North is imperative. We need to develop solutions to decrease social dependency, to invest into our regions, and become proactive of expectations of our program delivery so that people of the North qualify.

I also wanted to include that I did work on a community development project, and this was able to bring me to work with the people face-to-face. I was able to see the need and the outcry for help in a lot of the government services that we provide.

I also see the need for addiction, and I would like to work with the people of the Northwest Territories in our Aboriginal groups. I'm confident with the 19th Legislative Assembly, with my colleagues, that the support in me to become Minister is at value. I bring to the table years of experience, learning from the grassroots, and connection to our Indigenous groups and non-Indigenous groups. I look forward to working with you in the 19th Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Speaker-elect.

---Applause

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Ms. Chinna. Next, we have Mr. Jacobson.

Mr. Jacobson's Candidacy Speech

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Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. Colleagues of this Assembly, it's an honour for me to appear in front of you today in support of electing me in a Cabinet position of this 19th Legislative Assembly. I was born and raised in Tuktoyaktuk to my mom and dad, Jimmy and Bella Jacobson. I come from a very large family. I've lived in Tuktoyaktuk my whole life other than leaving for school. I was fortunate to meet my wife Jenny 31 years ago in the lunch line at Grollier Hall. Now, we're so blessed, we have six children and one grandson who we raised up in Tuktoyaktuk. I also provide support for our other children. We had 20 to 30 foster children that we took care of over the last 20-some years.

Although I've always been interested in promoting economic issues in development in the North, I've been committed to participating and supporting social and cultural life in our communities. This participation has included membership in the Canadian Rangers, where I served for 25 years as a local sergeant; the education committee, acting as a director in the Inuvialuit Development Corporation. I also organized a sled dog race and events back home for our jamboree, and assist our local church and social organizations.

In the next few minutes, I'd like to provide Members of the details of my government experience and my thoughts on the economic future of the NWT, the priorities for me. Improvements of our educational system, our healthcare services, and housing issues are my main concerns; the impact of climate change on our land. We need to bring vision and passion into this Assembly to work together, from communities to residents that we represent. I am committed to working with all of you to bring this vision and passion forward to improve living conditions in our territory.

Colleagues, within the House, I've sat in this House for eight years' experience as an MLA and the last four years in the 17th Assembly as a Speaker. During this time, I played an active role supporting my riding and all communities in the NWT. I have a solid understanding on how important it is for Ministers to work in unison with Regular Members. When we build meaningful partnership among MLAs to work together towards a common goal, we will be successful, not only for ourselves but our regions and the Northwest Territories as a whole.

I have also served as community government, as a mayor for four years and as a councillor for 12, in my home community of Tuktoyaktuk. I am proud of our community and our achievements in securing one of the biggest community infrastructure, Tuktoyaktuk Highway or the ITH. That was the largest infrastructure undertaken by the GNWT that came in on schedule and on budget in 2017. It opened up servicing the residents successfully since that time. As MLA and as Speaker, I was charged with listening to all views of all Members, treating all equal and with respect. Through these conversations, I've learned the issues and the concerns of the 33 communities in the NWT to find out so importantly. Being a new Member is never easy, and learning a process that requires you to be there for your people whenever they need you, 24/7. However, like new Members, I've made mistakes in previous Assemblies. I have learned from my mistakes. I tried my best at moving forward. With growth and lessons in mind, I put myself forward for this Cabinet position for the North.

As a consensus government, as a collective, we must be more inclusive and considerate of others in our territory. Some of the older approaches of this government need change. We need to balance and address the needs of both larger centres and smaller communities. We need to facilitate greater engagement with our Indigenous governments, that recognize inherent right to self-government and self-determination. We welcome and respect the different ethnicities, gender, cultural heritage, and LGBTQ2S+ residents. We need to engage all variable participants in our decision- and policy-making process.

As a Speaker, my door was always open. I commit to continuing that practice if elected to Cabinet, and I commit fairly, equally promoting priorities and objectives of all communities and all the residents in the Northwest Territories.

As well, everybody in the Northwest Territories, we're faced with difficult economic times. We grapple with climate change and infrastructure challenges. It is uncertain the levels of support of our federal government. The Economic Conference Board says, the Northwest Territories, we're in a grim situation. We need to pay close attention to our economy to seek out meaningful ways to diversify our economy and attract investment.

Now, firsthand in the community experience when economic downturn occurs, people suffer. This occurred in my own community of Tuktoyaktuk when the resource exploration left, not once but twice in my lifetime. The small communities are hurting. Although we must continue to pursue resource-based projects, particularly which promote alternative local sources of energy, we must transition from uncertain economy, dependent only upon natural resources, to ones based upon tourism, services, and environmental reclamation.

The recent reclamation projects at Giant Mine, Imperial Oil's Tuktoyaktuk base, and Norman Wells oilfield have demonstrated Northerners benefit a reclamation economy. These projects bring much-needed jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars into our territorial economy. Other large projects, including clean-ups at the Cantung and Silver Bear Mines, will soon follow. We must ensure that these projects go ahead and maximize the benefits of all of these projects. To do this, we must pressure the federal government and work with them to ensure that these benefits stay in the Northwest Territories. Too many dollars spent in the NWT are siphoned away to southern companies. We cannot afford to sit by and watch these projects be operated by fly-in, fly-out workers when people in our territory are qualified and ready to work.

New highways and power infrastructure will open up prospective resource development. Combined with tourism, a knowledge-based economy, cold weather and climate research activities, commercial fisheries development and the current and proposed reclamation work, we can strengthen our NWT economy and provide business and training opportunities to our residents. This will also assist us in building the capacity necessary to carry this forward as new economic developments arise.

Another challenge that faces the North, and one which threatens our lifestyle, is the impact of climate change on our rivers, our lands, our animals, and our people. Recent events in my home community demonstrate the impacts that climate change is having on our land and our people. Permafrost melting and sea levels are altering the landscape and threatening homes. Every day I look out the window at the Arctic Ocean, and I see waves beating on Elders' homes, the shoreline eroding, and the old ways of our people becoming less and less certain.

The dramatic environmental changes in the Arctic have also attracted worldwide attention. We need to recognize that interest in the North on the world stage will continue to increase and that we will become more and more incorporated in the global economy and world affairs. We all need to be vigilant in protecting our Arctic sovereignty aggressively representing our northern interests to the federal government and in worldwide forums. Through this increased participation, we will be able to profitably advance our economic objectives.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I challenge us as Members in this House to ensure the economic future of the NWT while adapting to the climate changes that we will continue to face. This is no small task, but a challenge we must all face it together.

At the same time, we need to balance our pursuit of economic prosperity with attention to our social and education needs. It is crucial that we improve education, housing, and healthcare for our residents across the territory, our small communities, and our youth and elders.

As a Cabinet Minister, in addition to pursuing our economic objectives, I will support initiatives to improve housing conditions and build long-term care facilities in our communities. As well, we need to increase educational standards throughout the territory regardless of where our children live, to ensure that they are competitive throughout Canada and worldwide.

I believe that a path forward can be found that will strengthen our economy and protect our lands for those who follow us. It has been over 15 years since my riding was represented in Cabinet. My uncle Vince Steen was the last voice for Nunakput at this Cabinet table. I want to build upon the successes and achievements of our past leaders and bring a perspective to Cabinet that has been absent for far too long.

I am excited to work with this Assembly to identify priorities that reflect the needs of our territory and the residents who we serve. I believe that I can play an important and crucial role in helping us to become a strong, viable territory that reflects our diversity, strengths, cultures, and languages.

With your support, it would be an honour and a privilege to serve as a Cabinet Member. Quyanainni. Quana. Mahsi.

---Applause

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. Next, we have Ms. Thom.

Ms. Thom's Candidacy Speech

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Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect, and good afternoon. I have put my name forward to seek support for Executive of the 19th Legislative Assembly. My knowledge and experience will portray my abilities to take on this challenging role and be a voice for the residents of the Northwest Territories. I bring key components to the table that can be used to ensure accountability and transparency in the 19th Legislative Assembly.

I was born and raised in Aklavik, Northwest Territories, where I was custom adopted by my grandparents, being the oldest grandchild in the family. Raised in a traditional Inuvialuit lifestyle, we lived a nomadic way of life, moving from seasonal camp to seasonal camp, led by my Daduck, my dad, and my Nannuk, my mom. They were the greatest team I have ever known.

I realized from an early stage that academics would be a key to my development and a path into my future. I was always curious and perceptive in school. I wanted to know why things worked the way that they did, so I would challenge myself to learn and understand the subjects taught to me front-to-back and back-to-front, and still do to this day.

I was sent -- it wasn't my choice -- to attend residential school at Grollier Hall to complete my grade 12 and graduated. During this time, I met many friends from across the communities of the Northwest Territories, and I still maintain those friendships today. However, it was a challenge, as Inuvialuktun was the first language spoken in my family, and I quickly lost my mother tongue.

After graduation, I attended Arctic College -- back then, that was the name -- Business Management Diploma program in Inuvik. Upon completion, I began my employment with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation as the Regional Youth Coordinator. This role allowed me to work with youth in the region and also work with ITK on National Youth Initiatives.

Further to this, I moved to the development side of the organization and worked my way up from accounts payable to receivable and eventually to assistant controller for multiple business corporations while completing the Aboriginal Financial Organization designation.

With one more year left to complete my bachelor's degree in management with Athabasca University, I moved south to complete my degree and further develop my academic skill set, then went back to Inuvik and started in community development. I was in charge of programs such as ASETS, Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training, Education Foundation, National Health Initiatives, Economic Development, Early Childcare, Research and Culture, while managing multimillion-dollar budgets in annual and multi-year funding.

There was also an opportunity for me to explore and fulfill my career interests in the oil and gas company. I took a one-year secondment to British Petroleum, BP, as a communication advisor. The role of communication advisor was to liaise between the communities in the Beaufort Sea and the oil and gas industry. I did two weeks up north and two weeks in the south. During this time, it allowed me to get a good understanding of oil and gas licences in the Arctic offshore. This includes 2D and 3D seismic and environmental safety mechanisms.

A week before the tragic event in 2010, I was called back to the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation as Executive Director for Community Development and Community Programs and Initiatives. I was the Inuit representative on the National Inuit Committee on Health, the NICoH, as well as PHAC, the Public Health Agency of Canada. My role was to set strategies and plan policy-driven health priorities for the North. I was also a part of the GNWT's Community Wellness Plans. I took my team to each of the different communities, and we developed priorities for each of the different communities.

I started and completed my master's degree through Royal Roads University in Victoria. My thesis at the time was based on Indigenous self-inherent rights.

Back to Inuvik and to the organization's self-government/intergovernmental relations, I was quickly appointed as chief negotiator and director of intergovernmental relations with the Inuvialuit. My responsibilities included working with the Board of Directors and with communities and beneficiaries, along with territorial and federal negotiation teams. These required a variety of quarterly meetings and community visits, putting together a field work program, and monthly main table sessions.

As the Inuvialuit representative on the GNWT Intergovernmental Relations, I worked alongside Indigenous groups in the Northwest Territories. As part of the work in negotiating a self-government agreement, there was a lot of work in the Implementation, the Financial, the Fiscal, the Tax, and Communication Working Groups with representatives from Canada and the GNWT at various tables.

I was elected and served two terms as a board of director for the Inuvik Community Corporation, where I was vice chair during the first term, and then secretary/treasurer during my last term upon my recent election.

Mr. Speaker-elect, in the last two days, the 19 Members sat down and came up with priorities for this 19th Assembly. They include strengthening partnerships with our Indigenous groups, improving mental wellness, increasing economic diversification, and climate change, just to name a few. I have lived in small communities in Aklavik, Inuvik, Fort McPherson. I also had, during my employment, the opportunity to reach out to some of the smaller communities.

My experience and my education skill set have prepared me for this challenge. It is the reason I put my name forward to run for Inuvik Boot Lake Member of the Legislative Assembly. I also want to acknowledge the support from my husband, Grant Thom, and my son, Connor Sullivan, for supporting me to be here in this role.

That has brought me to where I am today, Mr. Speaker-elect. I ask other MLAs to consider my education and vast experience and think about that today when you cast your vote, as you choose who can best represent the people of the Northwest Territories during this 19th Assembly. I also acknowledge that we have a lot of work to do. We have been tasked with many different challenges, and I am really honoured to be here with everybody right now. Quyanainni, thank you.

---Applause

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Ms. Thom. Before we continue, we are asked if Members could please slow down. The interpreters are having a little difficulty keeping up, so just keep that in mind. I know it's a little nerve-wracking. We will continue now with the southern candidates, starting with Mr. Bonnetrouge.

Mr. Bonnetrouge's Candidacy Speech

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Ronald Bonnetrouge

Ronald Bonnetrouge Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. Good afternoon, colleagues. I would first like to say a huge mahsi cho to my Deh Cho riding constituents for believing in me to represent them at the Legislative Assembly. I thank my family and grandchildren for their continuing support. I will always remember where my roots are grounded.

I would also like to thank my predecessor, Mr. Michael Nadli, for his years of dedicated service to the residents of Deh Cho. Let me congratulate you, Mr. Speaker-elect, and I know you will do a tremendous job in your new position. I also would like to congratulate the new Premier-elect, and I am confident that you will lead the 19th Legislative Assembly to the best of your ability. I look forward to working with both of you in serving the people of the Northwest Territories.

To my colleagues of the 19th Legislative Assembly, I submit my name for your consideration as a Member of the Executive Council. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the fact that the 19th Legislative Assembly is the only government body in Canada, and for that matter in the world, to have a gender-balanced Assembly. We have with us nine women to look after us. I say that with deepest respect. I look forward to learning and working with each and every one of you for the next four years.

Most of you do now know my background, but I attended Sir John Franklin High School back in the day and had the pleasure of not only taking the academic stream, but playing trumpet in music class. I was also fortunate enough to take up photography as an elective, which piqued my interest in seeing my surroundings through the lens of a camera, a hobby I still pursue today.

Some of my work experiences include stints as a classroom assistant, housing maintainer for the Fort Providence local housing authority, log builder, and I worked in the building construction industry for a number of years. For the past 11 years, I was employed in project management as a project officer with GNWT Infrastructure. Previously, this was the Department of Public Works and Services, better known then as DPW. I guess it's safe to say that I do know what hard work is all about. I will bring these work ethics to my position as a Member of Cabinet.

My political career started in my early 20s as a Dene Band councillor. There were many elders who shared their wisdom and knowledge with me, and I am forever grateful. I pay tribute to the many knowledge keepers who have passed on. I also served as chief of the Deh Gah Gotie First Nations and was involved with the Dehcho First Nations as negotiating partners seeking a treaty and self-government agreement. I have also served on the local hamlet council and was currently a councillor prior to this year's territorial election.

I have been around politics for quite some time and have always kept abreast of all the current issues. I seek a position on Cabinet as I am known as a team player, a consensus builder, and a people-person. I bring passion to addressing and solving issues that are common to our territory. It takes a collaborative effort by Cabinet and the Regular MLAs to make informed decisions for the betterment of the people of the Northwest Territories. This is consensus government at its finest, and a true testament to the people that consensus government is alive and well in the Northwest Territories.

There are many challenges facing this Assembly, and I am up for facing those challenges. The biggest challenge is the state of the economy and the uncertain future in terms of new economic development as our territory faces the winding down of the diamond mines. Of course, the diamond mines brought optimism to our territory when the future looked bleak, after the closing of Giant Mine. The diamond mines provided much-needed employment and, most of all, economic and business benefits to Indigenous partners involved in the projects. We have seen that developing partnerships with the Indigenous governments of the Northwest Territories can and does create economic reality and prosperity for our territory.

Should I have your support as a Cabinet Member, I commit to providing optimism and hope for the future by opening up the lines of communications with the pretext of developing partnerships with the Indigenous governments. Of course, this will not happen without the collaborative efforts of all Members of this Assembly. The NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines and the NWT Chamber of Commerce have reached out to the Members of the 19th Legislative Assembly. We heard that mining exploration continues to languish and we are losing out in important investments for our territory. Only our neighbours, the Yukon Territory and Nunavut, continue to benefit from mining activities, which contribute to their respective economies.

According to the Chamber of Mines, the contributing factors affecting mineral exploration is the onerous regulatory requirements and complex permitting processes. There is also the factor that Indigenous governments have set aside protected areas within their land base. I believe this is to protect historical or culturally significant areas and to prevent any type of exploration or development. These areas may be protected and written into each Indigenous government's land management plan or self-government agreement, and they should be respected by everyone involved.

They are also concerned that mineral exploration does damage the land and leads to contamination of the water. As a Cabinet Member, I will suggest to my colleagues to initiate a round-table meeting with invites to the Chamber of Mines and the Indigenous governments. At the meeting, we can put everything on the table and see if we can find commonality and the next steps required to form partnerships and continue meaningful dialogue. I believe this is an important first step to understanding any concerns or aspirations for economic prosperity for the Indigenous governments, the Chamber of Mines, and especially for the people of the Northwest Territories.

In closing, there are a myriad of priorities to be presented to the Executive Council for further work, and I look forward to this exercise, with your blessing and support as a Member of Cabinet. I will always have an open-door policy and expect the same in return. I look forward to all the meaningful dialogue with each and every one of you and, of course, learning from you for the next four years. Together, we can make consensus government work to the benefit of all residents of the Northwest Territories. God bless and mahsi.

---Applause

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Bonnetrouge. Next, we have Ms. Martselos.

Ms. Martselos' Candidacy Speech

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Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. First of all, I want to congratulate our newly elected Premier, Premier Cochrane. I know you will make a great leader, and I know you will be fair. I also want to thank the constituents of my area, Thebacha, for giving me this opportunity to stand before you today, for Cabinet. My community is an amazing community with many diverse people and different interests, and they have given me this opportunity to stand here today to be part of your Cabinet and to put my name forward.

I am a strong advocate for the economy. The economy is extremely important in this 19th Assembly. We saw that we are in over a $1-billion deficit. The deficit has to be addressed. Building of the economy has got to be one of the major issues and not the most important issues because we also have to settle the Indigenous land claims and the outstanding claims and self-government agreements and the implementations of these agreements.

I, too, just got off leadership. It was on August 30 that I was done from Salt River and then went right into the territorial election.

We all have experiences of misgivings with government, and hopefully we can fill those gaps to ensure that the Indigenous file is heard by this 19th Assembly.

I think it is extremely important that all people of the Northwest Territories are included in all decisions that are done in partnership with what we do because it affects them.

When we make a decision around this Assembly, we also have to think of the little person that it affects because many times we forget who we are representing, and I will never forget the people of the Northwest Territories.

I think that the social envelope is also extremely important. You know, we have to have a balance between the economic and the social envelope. It is very important. We have a lot of issues with addiction. We have issues with childcare. We have issues with apprehension of children. We have to support our workers on the front line to ensure that we do the right thing for the people who deliver the services to all of the people of the North and especially to our Indigenous people.

We passed, in the last few days, 22 priorities for the Government of the Northwest Territories. As Minister, I will try to ensure that we do the best we possibly can to deliver these priorities in the best ethical and honest and sincere way as possible. I stand by honesty. Ethical issues are important to me. I stand with transparency, accountability, and a very open-door policy. I think we should all be approachable, whether we are on Cabinet, whether we are a Minister, or whether we are an ordinary Member. We are all here for the same reasons. I said earlier that we are all here to serve the Northwest Territories, and I saw so many faces and everybody wanted to do that. I have learned a lot in the last three weeks. You know, you taught me many things. You taught me that there are many opinions to solving a problem. Consensus is extremely important.

I love this territory as I love my community. I love the Indigenous people, and I love all of the people of the Northwest Territories. Being inclusive is extremely important. Any decision we make is always dependent on what we say and do. We must be role models for the youth. We must be role models for everybody in the Northwest Territories.

When I stand here today, I bring to you a lot of experience in private industry, I bring you experience on the social issues, I bring you the experience on everything because, when you are a chief, you have to deal with each issue individually, you are the social worker, you are the person who makes the decisions for business, you are the person who has to ensure that people have food on the table, and you have to do everything. I am offering that experience and that personal experience to this Assembly and to the Northwest Territories.

With that, I hope that everybody around here realizes that democracy is spoken and, you know, democracy is very important. That is why we are all free in this country we call Canada. Thank you.

---Applause

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Ms. Martselos. Next on our list, we have Mr. Simpson.

Mr. R.J. Simpson's Candidacy Speech

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R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I don't have a speech prepared. I think people have heard me speak enough in the last week.

First, I want to begin by congratulating our Premier-elect. People have asked me am I disappointed about not being Premier. Well, you always want to set out to accomplish your goals, but I am not disappointed with the outcome because the past few weeks that I have spent with this Assembly have given me a lot of faith that we are going to move forward and that we are going to deliver the kind of change that the territory wants.

I am not going to talk about a lot of the things I have spoken about already, about the land claims process and about the governance changes I would like to make because you have all heard that. I want to introduce myself to the new Members, perhaps who don't know who I am. I see now the importance of family in placing you in the territory, and so I want to talk about a bit about my family. My mother is here in the gallery. She came to the Northwest Territories in the '70s, I guess, from Manitoba and grew up on a farming family, where she met my father, Rocky Simpson, who is here on the floor with us, when he was working in the oil and gas industry up in the Beaufort-Delta.

My father's family, my grandpa is from Fort Chipewyan. He grew up living on the land and came to Hay River in the '50s for commercial fishing, which is the reason a lot of us are in Hay River in this day. My nanna, who is watching right now in Hay River, she just turned 96. She came here from England in 1945. She got on a steamship, crossed the ocean, got right onto a train, and, after the seven-day ocean voyage, she had a seven-day train trip up to Peace River in the middle of February. All she had was her fall coat that you wear in England, so it was a bit of a culture shock. There was no road up to the territory back then, so it was a bit of a different world. Like I said, she is still in Hay River where I have a number of relatives, a number of family, aunts, uncles, cousins, you know, and we have spread across the territory.

I have lived in Hay River my entire life, except when either myself or my parents were attending school. That turns out to be a big chunk of time because education is important to my family. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from MacEwan University, and I later received my law degree from the University of Alberta. I returned to the territory to work after receiving my law degree. I know it's hard for us to retain people. Once people go away to school, it's hard to get them back, but I believe this is a land of opportunity, and I believe that we all have something to contribute here and we all owe the territory something. I believe that. The territory helped me. It really shaped who I was, as did my parents and their values of education and their values of community service and giving back to the community. My dad said if no one ran against me that he was going to because no one should get a free ride. I honestly thought that that was one person I might not be able to beat in Hay River, because they do a lot for the community.

That's why I'm here. That's why I ran for government, or ran for MLA, because I wanted to give back and I want to give people those opportunities that I had. You know, I was lucky. I say this all the time. I was tremendously lucky with my upbringing. I had a family who valued education and who provided for me, and because of that I want to be able to extend that to everyone else in the territory to the greatest extent that I can.

Everyone has been talking about the economy, and it's true that the economy is down. That was another reason that I was spurred to run, but we've had diamond mines for a long time in the territory. We have become very wealthy as a territory, but that wealth is centralized in a few different places, and we need to help everyone participate in this economy. I think education is the way to do that, and I always have a strong focus on education. Education is freedom, and we need to address it in all aspects of what we do as a government.

In saying that, I understand that we can pour all the money we want into schools, we can create universities, but, if kids aren't going to school or if they go to school and they can't concentrate because of things that are going on at home, then we are fighting a losing battle. So, like everything else, the focus on education is nothing unless we help solve the issues that are surrounding that, that are causing people to not graduate and not go to school. Those are things like mental health and addictions.

Mental health is a growing problem, the mental health crisis in the territory. I've seen some changes here and there, but we don't treat it the way we should. We are still very reactive in terms of treating mental health issues. We need to be proactive. We need to ensure that people can get out of bed in the morning because they're not depressed, and that they can go to work, and that they can contribute. These are the kinds of investments that we need to make now to provide for the future for everyone.

There is no end to the issues. Often, when I start chatting with people about what I do, I go off on tangents and I have to stop myself, because there is no end to our concerns. There are issues with justice. One of my colleagues was saying that no one has been talking about justice. It's a major issue. There are some promising things that we're doing in the South Slave. There is the therapeutic model that they're implementing at the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre, and that's good, and that's one of the things that I want to make sure that this Cabinet follows up on. I want to make sure that, when we do something, we're seeing it through all the way, and part of that is after-care in the communities. We've been talking about that, as well, and that's something else we need to deal with.

Housing is another major concern. We hear it from everyone. It doesn't matter if you're in a small community or if you're in Yellowknife: we have housing concerns. In Hay River, 150 people just lost their home in Hay River when the Hay River high-rise closed down; 150 people lost their home. We had a housing crunch before that. Now, there's nowhere to go. People would bounce between housing units and the high-rise; now, they bounce out of their housing unit, for whatever reason, and there is nowhere for them to go. We're feeling it all across the territory, and these are some of things that we need to deal with.

I didn't think I was going to go this long. I apologize to everyone. When I was running for Premier, I had a lot of very high-level ideas, but these are the kinds of things that I'm concerned about on the ground that we really need to deal with. I just wanted to share this with my colleagues here, because we haven't had a chance to sit down, but we will in the future and I really look forward to working with this group and doing great things for this territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

---Applause

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. No need to apologize; you all have 10 minutes. Next on the list, we have Mr. Thompson.

Mr. Thompson's Candidacy Speech

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Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. You said 10 minutes; I'll have to slow down. First of all, I'd like to congratulate Premier-elect Caroline Cochrane. I believe you'll do a great job moving forward in the Northwest Territories; as well as Speaker-elect Mr. Blake.

I want to begin my remarks today with an acknowledgement that today's proceedings are taking place on Chief Drygeese Territory, traditional home of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, and also the traditional lands of the North Slave Metis.

For those of you who are new to the Assembly, and for members of the public who are listening in, allow me to introduce myself. I am Shane Thompson. It is my honour today to put my name forward for consideration as a Member of the Executive Council. I have been returned by voters to the Legislative Assembly for a second term as the Member for Nahendeh. I am deeply grateful to the people of Fort Simpson, Jean Marie River, Sambaa K'e, Wrigley, Fort Liard, and Nahanni Butte for their strong support and putting their faith in me a second time.

I am the son of Mary and Gordon Thompson of Hay River and the proud father of seven children and eight grandchildren. I was born and raised in Hay River and spent 23 years with the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs as a senior recreation development coordinator.

In addition to Hay River, I have lived in Inuvik, Kugluktuk, and Fort Simpson, which has given me the chance to experience life in other NWT communities. Additionally, during the course of my career, I have been fortunate enough to travel to 32 of the NWT's 33 communities. Spending my life living and working in the Northwest Territories has given me the opportunity to familiarize myself with our communities and get to know the people who live in them. This helps me to understand what is important to NWT residents.

By the way, the one community that continues to elude me, despite several attempts, is Paulatuk.

I would like to talk for a bit about my personal qualifications and my outlook on northern governance. I want to tell you how these experiences have shaped me and informed what I would bring to the job as a Cabinet Minister. I served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Social Development for the full term of the 18th Legislative Assembly. This committee is responsible for providing oversight for the Departments of Health and Social Services; Education, Culture and Employment; Housing; and Justice. These departments account for approximately 60 percent of the government's budget.

Some of the highlights of my tenure as chair of social development committee was we improved 23 bills. This included partnerships with the Standing Committee on Government Operations on the Cannabis Implementation Act. This federally mandated legislation work was a big job that had to be completed on a tight timeline. The two standing committees worked cooperatively and traveled extensively. Our review produced 20 motions to amend this bill. Some of the amendments included:

  • Allowing for the potential for private cannabis vendors in the NWT;
  • Clarifying the rules around local plebiscites on private sales; and
  • Providing authority for the Minister to make important regulations respecting cannabis cultivation and cannabis smoking in areas adjacent to public places, such as school grounds and business establishments.

I am very proud of the work that the social development committee did, working with the Minister of Justice and his senior officials on the Corrections Act and working with the Minister of Health and Social Services and his senior officials on the Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act. Both of these reviews involved an unprecedented level of cooperation between GNWT departments and standing committee and resulted in sweeping changes to the proposed acts. My experiences as a standing committee chair taught me the importance of the work done by Regular Members in the standing committees, and how this vital review by elected legislators only improves proposed legislation put forward by government.

As a Member of Cabinet, I commit to ensuring that my department is prepared and empowered to work collaboratively, to the greatest possible degree, with the appropriate standing committee. This includes seeking more extensive committee input on proposed legislative initiatives at the earliest possible opportunity.

I had the second-best attendance for the 18th Assembly. I am proud of this record, which speaks to my dedication to my job. I worked hard to stay on top of as many issues as possible, including attending meetings of standing committees that I did not serve on.

I am also proud of my voting record. I worked hard with each Minister to reach agreement on issues and improve budgets for residents of my riding and the NWT. I voted not to support or defeat Cabinet, but according to my conscience, based on what I understood to be the best interests of the communities and the people who elected me. If elected to Cabinet, I will continue to bring this philosophy of hard work and fair play to my new role. I believe that true consensus government means building positive working relationships with each Member of this House, no matter how widely our beliefs differ.

As a Member of Cabinet, I commit to walking the halls of this building, reaching out regularly by phone calls and emails to break down any perceived barriers between Regular Members and Cabinet Ministers. I believe that it is the responsibility of a Cabinet Minister to provide strong, clear, political direction to the bureaucracy and to show that they are dedicated and knowledgeable in public service, taking the necessary steps to implement that direction. I look forward to being challenged by Regular Members and by my Cabinet colleagues, both, to excel in this area.

I also commit to reaching out to each Member individually, especially where work being done by my Ministerial portfolio has potential impact on your constituency. I will work actively to seek your invitation and find opportunities to travel to your communities to better understand your concerns and those of your constituents. I commit to regularly reaching out to the standing committees, not only to inform committee of work of my department or departments but to seek your guidance, thoughts, and input before making key decisions on policies, programs, and legislative initiatives. I know that we may not be able to reach agreement on all issues at all times, but I pledge to you to ensure that the views of the standing committees will be sought, heard, and carefully considered before important decisions are made.

As important as I do, I will do my best to explain the decisions I make and the direction I give my department so that, during these times when your requests have not been fully met, you understand the rationale that has shaped the final decision. Your satisfaction that I communicate frequently, sincerely, and responsibly will be the measure of my success in this area.

I want to talk about some issues that are important to me. During my 23 years in the sports and recreation division with Municipal and Community Affairs, I dedicated my career to facilitating people working together to provide opportunities for young people to learn and grow. This has been an important part of my life and something I always remain committed to. I believe this government must do a better job with respect to providing meaningful summer employment opportunities for our youth, not just so that they have a paycheque but so our future leaders get hands-on learning doing meaningful work that helps these students build skills and understanding.

Like many of you, I worry about the northern economy and about maximizing opportunities for northern employment. I believe the GNWT must look carefully at its procurement practices to ensure that work which could be done by northern companies is not needlessly going to southern contractors.

I also believe strongly that we must come to terms with how the GNWT will need to change in the future or to settle the outstanding claims. Through committee work on the Public Land Act earlier this year, I had become more painfully aware than ever how the NWT colonial legacy has contributed to decades of land mismanagement, which caused unnecessary heartbreak and stress for the people across the NWT. We need a plan to resolve those outstanding individual claims. It will show faith to the people of the Northwest Territories that this government is listening to their concerns and will shore up the economic potential of our small communities by increasing certainty over land ownership.

Finally, while this is not the last of the issues that matter to me, it is one of the more important ones. I believe we must do more as a government to support our elders. As I have said in this House before, I would like to see the GNWT legislate a seniors' advocate who works to ensure that the needs of members of this vulnerable demographic are being met.

While these issues are important to me as a political leader, I will work equally as hard to fulfil the direction set by this Assembly and our priorities for the benefit of the NWT. As a Member of this Assembly, every single one of you was selected by your constituents to represent their concerns. I deeply respect the responsibility that has been placed in you to be the voice of the people you represent.

If you put your trust in me today to serve as a Member of the Executive Council, then I will make you this pledge. Going forward, I vow to always keep this respect in the forefront of my mind to serve as a constant reminder that being a Member of Cabinet does not make anyone more important than a Regular Member of this House. It just adds new responsibilities to their role. I also pledge to the people in Nahendeh that I will continue to be available to my constituents to help you address and hopefully resolve your issues.

I am grateful of this opportunity to speak to you all today, and thank you for your support and the best. Thank you. Marci cho.

---Applause

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson. Next, we have the Yellowknife candidates, starting with Ms. Green.

Ms. Green's Candidacy Speech

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Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I would like to start by acknowledging that I am here on Chief Drygeese Territory and that I am a visitor here.

The 18th Assembly was my first term in this House and the first time ever in an elected position. I was a Regular MLA, chair of the Caucus, deputy chair of the Standing Committees on Social Development and Rules and Procedures, and chair of the Special Committee on Increasing the Representation of Women in the Legislative Assembly. I am thrilled to congratulate Caroline Cochrane on her win. This is the beginning of the change we were elected to bring about in this 19th Assembly.

In all these different roles, I have had an opportunity to learn about how government operates, what this House does, and how to get things done. I stand ready to put this learning into action to accomplish our shared priorities: a healthy, inclusive, and prosperous future for all of us. In the next few minutes, I am going to review my lessons learned, talk about how they strengthened my bid to be on Cabinet, and lastly I will fill in a little of my own background.

Lesson number one: if you do your homework and come to the table prepared, you can be very influential. That means reading the briefing material, digesting the steady stream of reports, letters, and studies that come from colleagues, allies, and lobbyists. It means analyzing all of this information and thinking about what it means to the residents of the Northwest Territories. I have these abilities and strong skills to communicate what I have learned.

Lesson number two: in order to move on our shared priorities, you have to create solid working relationships based on honesty and respect. I was able to do that, especially with the Ministers of the social envelope departments. Together, we worked on a variety of initiatives, from creating a sobering centre in downtown Yellowknife to lobbying for a specific plan to reduce core housing need. Of course, I didn't get everything I wanted, but I got more by working with the Ministers than by ignoring or antagonizing them.

Lesson number three: work with your colleagues on your side of the House. None of us get to choose who we work with, but we all have an opportunity to learn from our colleagues and about the communities they represent. I served with most of the small-community MLAs and heard first-hand about the challenges of crowded housing, food insecurity, limited employment, unsuccessful education, and the lack of hope for a different future. I want to give a special shout-out to Tom Beaulieu and to Michael Nadli for their wisdom and guidance. I will miss them being here.

Lesson number four: standing committees in consensus government play an important oversight role, whether for the budget, legislation, or policy. As a group of Regular MLAs, we were able to influence cuts and spending in budgets and to help shape policy responses to key issues, such as child and family services and the foundational review for Aurora College. I am most proud of my role in improving the Corrections Act. I contacted expert interveners and asked them to provide briefs that would strengthen the act by making it more specific. Staff at the Department of Justice worked with us to make changes, and together we ended up with a better Corrections Act. This is consensus government at its finest.

Lesson number five: take on a leadership role to advance your own priorities. I introduced five motions during the last Assembly. Four passed with the support of my colleagues. The motions were about creating a disabilities action plan, which was completed; creating a plan to reduce core need in housing, which was completed; creating a plan to fully fund junior kindergarten, which was completed; and the motion I am most proud of, committing to action to increase the representation of women, which was completed.

These were my lessons. Now, I'd like to turn to considering how all of these lessons apply to Cabinet. We expect Cabinet Ministers to do the work and come to the table prepared. I've demonstrated I can do that. Second, you have to cultivate your allies in order to action your shared priorities. I have demonstrated I can do that. Third, your colleagues have a wealth of experience to offer from their lives and experience. I recognize that and value it. Fourth, standing committees are essential to consensus government, and developing good working relationships is the starting point for moving on budgets, policy, and legislation. I appreciate that, and I commit to working closely with standing committees. Finally, I'm always going to support someone else's good idea if it makes sense and will improve the lives of the residents of the Northwest Territories.

I'm not going to review my own priorities. They are among our shared priorities that we will be tabled tomorrow, and I commit to implement them without reservation.

Now, I'm going to go to talk about who I am and what I did before I was elected in 2015 and again this month. I am living the dream of every immigrant. My family came here from England when I was a child, and it is obviously the best thing they ever did for me. By coming to Canada, I have had a wealth of opportunities, and the greatest of these was education. I was the first person in my family to go to university. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in History at the University of Saskatchewan, a Master of Arts in History at the University of Calgary, and a Master of Arts in Journalism at the University of Western Ontario. I am also a proud lifelong learner, most recently completing a certificate in fundraising management from Ryerson University.

I was able to apply my skills and knowledge throughout my career at the CBC, where I worked for 16 years; in Labrador for five years; briefly in Nunavut; and then finally, here for the last nine years of my career. In all that time, I travelled to 27 communities in the Northwest Territories to cover stories, including the regulatory review of the Mackenzie Gas Project, and I used the information that I acquired in my master's degree in history to cover resource development, particularly mining. That was coal in Cape Breton, nickel in Labrador, and diamonds when I arrived here. I feel I have a very solid base of information about mining economies like our own, on which we depend, and about oil and gas, from my reporting.

I was able to transform volunteer work at the YWCA into my day job, so I left the CBC 10 years ago. I had a comprehensive lesson in the needs of vulnerable populations in the Northwest Territories. Although many YWCA services are based here in Yellowknife, many of the clients come from other communities. They are rebuilding after instability and need the wraparound services that will help them succeed, and they do succeed.

What you will get from me is evidence-based decision making. That is the person I am. You will also get my heart and dedication to improving the lives of Northerners, particularly those who are vulnerable because they are marginalized. I made a long-term commitment to the North when I moved to Yellowknife almost 20 years ago from Labrador. I got married to my partner, Janice McKenna, in the gallery. We adopted a child from the Delta. When my mom retired in 2007, she moved here, too, and lived in Yellowknife until her death last year.

Eleven years ago, my partner started a business, a funeral home. We learned how to write a business plan and how to run a business. The funeral home has expanded and now employs two full-time staff and two part-time staff. It also operates in Hay River. It hasn't been an easy journey, but I'm proud of its success and the excellent service it provides.

In summary, I bring a lot to the table: experience in diverse fields, a broad knowledge of the Northwest Territories, and an ability to collaborate. I was and I am still excited by the potential of the North and its journey to self-determination. What I offer you is the ability to work hard on our shared future, my integrity, and a results-based orientation. Thank you for your consideration.

---Applause

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Ms. Green. Next, we have Ms. Nokleby.

Ms. Nokleby's Candidacy Speech

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Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

I'm going to try and speak slower. I'm the youngest of four children, so I learned very early on that I needed to speak quickly if I wanted to get what I had to say out there so everyone could hear me.

A lot of times we are asked, as people sitting in this House, why we wanted to be politicians. I can honestly say to you that I never wanted to be a politician. My reason for running solely has been because what I have seen in my experiences in living in the North. I realize that our government often doesn't have a voice that represents science-based decision making in the House or brings the skill set that I can bring to the table. While I'm not experienced within the Government of the Northwest Territories, I am far from inexperienced. What I bring to the table is 13 years of northern engineering experience, working on the ground with Indigenous workers, Indigenous groups, as well as other project managers, engineers, scientists, community members, Indigenous organizations, development corporations, as well as other consultants. I have worked all over the North. That includes Nunavut and the Yukon. I have spent time in your communities. I've drilled holes to investigate what your foundations need to be for your buildings, and I've watched everything change.

The climate is changing. There are impacts happening, and, while those are affecting your communities, they are also affecting my projects. I too was dealing with the ice roads melting. I too am dealing with low water levels so that we can't get the barged equipment in to do your work. All of these things I have seen as I have travelled around in the North including to mine sites, as well. I wanted to bring that experience to the table and bring a different lens to show that we can be doing things differently in the North, that we can be a leader in climate change adaptation and research.

While I may have a very science-based background and I found that, as we've been moving through our priority setting session, there's been a lot of discussion about social issues versus economic issues. It's very easy to try to pigeonhole things or to put them into silos. One of the things that I am really noticing as we go through this is how intertwined everything in the North is. The things that I may consider to be an economic driver, others can see the social ramifications of that. A huge issue, I believe, is our economy, where I note during the campaigning process and period, I was very much labelled an economy and infrastructure type person. However, I would argue that, if we don't have our economy going, we are going to have a huge increase in social issues going forward, so that's an area where I think that we need to stop looking at things as being economic or social and recognize that they're all integrated. That goes for all of us, as well.

While I may be sort of labelled as the economic candidate or the economic person or the infrastructure person, I bring a real balance to the Assembly. I have been very active in social issues or social groups within Yellowknife since I arrived here 13 years ago. I've been a director with the YWCA. I've been a Girl Guide leader for 12 years. I've been working with our youth, and I've been advocating strongly for women in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, and I believe that all of that work and that volunteer experience will bring to me a skillset and a balance that I can use to tackle all of the issues and problems that we may be facing as we move forward.

In my work as a professional engineer, I've worked at the Giant Mine. I've been there for three years, solely on site, and I've worked on that project as a consultant. I believe I'm one of the few people in this room who can bring that knowledge to the table. As well, in the rest of my work, I've done a lot of remediation and environmental assessment work. I go out to these sites. I see what is happening when things are not done right, and I see the impacts that that has on the communities, on the people, and on our budgets. If we could only do things right and we took a proactive approach to things, we would be able to prevent a lot of the issues that happen. We won't be having another Giant Mine. We do have a regulatory system that will prevent that. Now, however, we need to make sure we have people in Cabinet who can understand the implications of certain projects and be able to balance the economic benefits with the social benefits.

I know, in my work with the Indigenous development corporations, that there is a real appetite for mining and resource extraction in the territory. I feel that I bring a really unique skill set and experience in that area that would be very beneficial to all of us trying to move this territory forward and out of this economic slump that we find ourselves in.

Throughout our conversations in the priority-setting, I have been a firm advocate for northern retention and northern businesses, contracts staying in the North and work being done by northern workers. That is something that I promise you, right now, no matter what side of the table I end up sitting on, that that is the lens and that is something that I will continue to push for and advocate for always.

When it comes to the climate change issue that I brought up earlier, I have been trained in the PIEVC protocol, which is an Engineers Canada protocol that is used to assess climate changes on infrastructure. I believe that I can bring that lens to the table and help us all to see things from the bigger picture when it comes to the impacts on our infrastructure.

Another area in which I am quite proud of has been my activity and my involvement in my professional associations, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Associations of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists. There, I have been a two-term councillor, and I have had a lot of involvement with the committee work there. I have been active in planning and presenting at our Professional Development Conference every year, and I also act as a mentor to young women who are entering the engineering and geoscience fields.

The other association that I was speaking to is the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of the Northwest Territories. I am proud to say that I was the first female president of that association, and I represented the Northwest Territories on the national and international stage in Ottawa, spending time on Parliament Hill and meeting Justin Trudeau. I won't show you the really embarrassing photo of me kind of fangirling over him. Maybe that shyness kind of dimmed a bit. I shouldn't say that, I guess.

I think that what I am trying to get at here is that I have a broad range of experience, and I am comfortable either being at a work site, on the ground with workers, all the way up to the leaders of our country and beyond. I feel like that is another asset that would be really important in working in the North.

In politics in the South, it's a very civilized, very set-out protocol, and I am not sure how much filters from the people on the ground all the way up to the top, but in the North, that is completely different. We are going to be going into places where we are going to have to get along and be able to work with, talk to, learn from, and listen to people who maybe aren't in the same field or in the same career area that we are in. I feel that I can do that quite easily, and I am able to move between the different communities.

When it came time to decide about whether or not I was going to put my name forward for Cabinet, I had always been given the advice that it was better to sit and wait, take one term, learn how to be a Regular Member, and that way I would be more effective. I know that I would be effective as a Regular Member. However, my answer to the media when they asked that was that I was going to wait and see, and I was going to look at the skill sets of the rest of you who have been elected and make my decision at that time.

When I look around the room, I see an amazing set of skill sets here. I am actually really, really encouraged. From day one, we have lawyers and nurses. We have people involved with other parts of the health community. We have social advocacy people. We have environmental people. We have infrastructure people. I know that, no matter who does end up in our Cabinet, we are going to be well-served by those people, and I have every intent to work collaboratively, no matter what side I end up on, whether it be in Cabinet, working in one of the portfolios that I think I am actually quite suited towards or on one of the portfolios that maybe doesn't seem to be my natural fit. However, there is nothing out there that does intimidate me, and I think that I could take on any one of those portfolios.

When I look around here, I see that we need to have this balance. We need have to people who can look at all sides of the issue. I will be listening to all of you. My door will always be open. I will always come forward with good ideas, and I can tell you right now that my intent for the territory is to do good. I am not in this for my ego. If I was, I don't think I would have made it through the campaigning period; I would already have been long gone. I want to say that I just want to bring the skill sets that I have, I want to use the knowledge that I have gained, and the uniqueness of that skill set and that voice that I have, to do good things for this territory, and I know that I can be very, very effective as a Cabinet Minister. Thank you very much.

---Applause

Candidates' Speeches
Election Of Ministers
Election Of Ministers

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The Chair

The Chair Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Ms. Nokleby. Next, we have Mr. O'Reilly.

Mr. O'Reilly's Candidacy Speech

Candidates' Speeches
Election Of Ministers
Election Of Ministers

Page 91

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I would like to start with congratulating our Premier-elect, and I look forward to working with you no matter what side of the House I end up on.

I would like to use my time today to talk a little bit myself, my experience, and my approach as a Cabinet Minister in this 19th Assembly. I am on the ballot as one of your choices to serve as a Yellowknife MLA on the Executive Council.

My mother's family is Ukrainian and French-Canadian. Although Shirley Vaillancourt's father spoke French in northern Ontario, the language was not spoken at home and was lost. My father, Thomas O'Reilly, came from the Republic of Ireland to Canada in 1955, and we still have many relatives there. I was born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1958, so I am going to let you do the math, but I do qualify for a free parking sticker with the City and Seniors Extended Health Benefits.

I grew up in southern Ontario. I skipped grade 12 for a day in May 1976 to go into Toronto to watch the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry. That is probably what got me hooked on the North. I went to the University of Waterloo, where I graduated with a Bachelor's in Environmental Studies and stayed on to do a Master's in Planning. My thesis work was on land management in the Yukon, where I spent three summers. I worked in Ottawa for Environment Canada after I graduated in 1983, but my heart was in the North, so I interviewed for and accepted a position with the Dene Nation as the Land Use Planning Coordinator in 1985.

In 1987, the position changed to a joint Dene-Metis assignment. It was a great job as I worked with regional staff that included David Krutko, Gina Bayha, Michael Nadli, Violet Camsell-Blondin, and Raymond Jones. We travelled to most of the communities in the Northwest Territories south of the treeline and met with many elders and harvesters, many of whom are no longer with us. I remember staying with Nap and Annie Norbert, hearing Gabe Etchinellie talk about crossing the Mackenzie Mountains on foot, losing at cribbage to Dolphus Lennie, fishing for pickerel off Dolphus Jumbo's dock at Sambaa K'e, and listening to Frank Laviolette talk about buffalos.

My other work experience includes:

  • being a sessional instructor at Aurora College in the former Native Studies program;
  • executive assistant to the Dene National Chief;
  • opening a northern office for the Canadian Polar Commission,
  • a ten-year stint as the Research Director for the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, where we looked at issues like Impact and Benefit Agreements, policy options for mining, and intervened in the environmental reviews of three diamond mines; and
  • another ten years as Executive Director for a public environmental oversight agency for the Ekati Diamond Mine.

Some of my other work experience and volunteer work includes:

  • three terms as a City Councillor here in Yellowknife, where I led negotiations of a Memorandum of Understanding with Yellowknives Dene First Nation, waste reduction initiatives, and efforts toward an energy plan to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
  • eleven years on the Waste Reduction and Recovery Advisory Committee, reporting to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources when the Beverage Container Deposit Program and an electronic waste recycling program were developed; and
  • negotiation of the Giant Mine Environmental Agreement with the federal and territorial governments, Yellowknives Dene First Nation, North Slave Metis Alliance, the City of Yellowknife, and Alternatives North that set up an oversight body that also has responsibility for ongoing research and development.

I have a broad range of experience working with public governments and Indigenous peoples and their governments. I also have in-depth knowledge and experience related to the environment and resource management. These will be important for whoever serves in Cabinet. I hold people accountable for their commitments and obligations, but also work collaboratively and get results.

What was accomplished in the 18th Assembly? There were many successes in the last Assembly that I helped contribute towards:

  • we will soon have 911 service for the Northwest Territories;
  • an Ombud for the Northwest Territories;
  • there was serious planning towards a university for the Northwest Territories;
  • modernized elections, with more opportunities to vote, as recommended by the Rules and Procedures Committee that I chaired;
  • increased support for women in lineup and efforts to make the Assembly friendlier for MLAs with younger families;
  • tougher and binding rules for MLAs with an independent Integrity Commissioner, also from the Rules and Procedures Committee;
  • more committee business was conducted in public than ever before, with improved reporting of these meetings;
  • hundreds of changes were recommended by the Regular MLAs to the legislation put forward by Cabinet, and many of these changes were accepted by the Ministers;
  • a much-improved Corrections Act, developed cooperatively with Regular MLAs;
  • improved access to information and protection of privacy legislation;
  • new protected areas legislation that lays out a clear process and responsibilities;
  • following suggestions from Cabinet, I developed a Private Member's Bill, the only one from the last Assembly, that helps clarify cremation services that was supported by both sides of the House; and
  • I worked with the Minister of Justice, who agreed to carry out a review of Victim Services programs and supports here in the Northwest Territories.

Having served for one term as a Regular MLA, I know what it is like to be on that side of the House and have learned from that experience. There are many ways that we can improve consensus government. Much of this was set out in the Report of the Special Committee on Transition Matters. I volunteered to serve on that committee. Some of our recommendations included:

  • better orientation and ongoing training of MLAs, and we have been living some of that experience over the last three weeks;
  • setting clearer and fewer priorities;
  • options for the structure and selection of Cabinet and standing committee;
  • improved and more collaborative budgeting;
  • mid-term review with a focus on priorities; and
  • improvements to how legislation is developed, introduced, and reviewed, including future regulations.

You heard my priorities for the 19th Assembly on October 8th, where I laid out a vision of where the Northwest Territories can and should be ten years from now, and I am going to try to highlight some of that again for you.

  • A diversified economy where we would produce a lot more of what we consume.
  • Our workforce would more closely reflect the cultures and diversity of the NWT.
  • We would have vibrant small communities, regional centres, and a capital that serves all of our residents.
  • Indigenous languages would continue to be spoken in each of the regions and taught in our schools, with improved access to all government services in all of our official languages. There would also be a strong French first language education system that would control its own admissions.
  • All of our citizens would have access to affordable, suitable, and adequate housing.
  • Our communities would be self-sufficient for their energy needs, and there would be a solid plan and progress on dealing with climate change mitigation and adaptation.
  • Caribou herds would once again be thriving. There would be a fully-funded and functioning integrated environmental and resource management system.
  • Legally-binding water agreements and land use plans would all be in place to protect us from upstream threats.
  • There would be a new confederation of regional Indigenous governments and a territorial public government with strong community governments, set out in a constitution for the Northwest Territories.

Why should you vote for me as one of the Yellowknife Cabinet Members? I worked very hard in the last Assembly, as my attendance record shows. I participated in as many Committee meetings as I could, so I have a reasonable understanding of what is happening in many of the departments and across GNWT as a whole. I strongly believe in evidence-based decisions. I ask tough questions, do my homework, and come prepared to meetings. I fully intend to continue in these roles, no matter what side of the House I end up on. There needs to be a proper balance between big infrastructure projects and long-term investment into programs and services for our peoples. Decisions should be communicated openly and made transparently, with reasons and evidence provided.

Over the last couple of days, we have collectively developed our priorities for the 19th Assembly. We will need the right people in Cabinet to help develop a mandate to achieve these priorities. I believe that I am one of those people, based on my knowledge, experience, and work ethic, and I ask for your support. Thank you. Mahsi. Merci. Marci. Quana.

---Applause