This is page numbers 100 - 122 of the Hansard for the 12th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was school.

Topics

Members Present

Hon. Titus Allooloo, Mr. Antoine, Mr. Arngna'naaq, Mr. Arvaluk, Hon. Michael Ballantyne, Mr. Bernhardt, Hon. Nellie Cournoyea, Mr. Dent, Mr. Gargan, Hon. Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Koe, Mr. Lewis, Mrs. Marie-Jewell, Ms. Mike, Hon. Don Morin, Mr. Nerysoo, Hon. John Ningark, Hon. Dennis Patterson, Hon. John Pollard, Mr. Pudlat, Mr. Pudluk, Mr. Todd, Hon. Tony Whitford, Mr. Zoe

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

Page 100

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Good afternoon. Orders of the day for Monday, February 24, 1992. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Patterson.

Dennis Patterson Iqaluit

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Members will recall that at the last session of the Legislative Assembly I announced a new consultative process for mining safety legislation would take place under the auspices of a mining safety bill committee. This committee would have an independent chairperson who is knowledgeable in mining, two representatives from industry and one representative each from unionized and non-unionized labour.

In the Assembly last Friday, I mentioned that the NWT coalition of mining unions, comprising the United Steel Workers of America and the Canadian Association of Smelter and Allied Workers, had informed me that they would not participate on this committee. The coalition is firm in their belief that miners working in the remote fly-in mines outside of Yellowknife have no mandate to participate on the committee because they are not members of a union.

Mr. Speaker, I have extended the opportunity to participate to all groups who will be affected by new mining safety legislation. While I am very disappointed that the coalition will not participate, the mining safety bill committee must go forward. The need for a new mining safety act is crucial for the occupational health and safety of all those working in the mining industry. I have accepted the nominee from the Union of Northern Workers to represent organized labour on this committee. In the next day or two I will announce the full membership of the committee.

As you know, the Legislative Assembly has established a new legislative process which provides ample opportunities for the public to have input on proposed legislation while it is being reviewed by standing committees of this House. Mr. Speaker, this is in keeping with our aim of a more responsible and open government, which is expected of us by the citizens of the entire Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Members will join me in welcoming Mr. Jack Anawak, the Member of Parliament for Nunatsiaq.

---Applause

Ministers' statements. Mr. Whitford.

Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it will be with pleasure that I will table the annual report of the Science Institute of the Northwest Territories for the fiscal year 1990-91 at the appropriate time today.

Mr. Speaker, in preparing its annual report, the Science Institute recognizes the need to preserve our natural resources and has chosen to use recycled paper for this report.

As you are aware, Mr. Speaker, the Science Institute operates research centres in Inuvik, Igloolik and Iqaluit. During the past fiscal year over 400 researchers, involved in some 180 separate research projects, received assistance at the research centres. Through the efforts of the Science Institute, more and more results of such research are being provided to the citizens of the Northwest Territories.

Cross cultural science camps for students nine to 13 years of age, initiated by the Science Institute in 1989, continued in 1990-91 with a repeat of the camp near Rae. Mr. Speaker, I wish to draw the attention of Members to the fact that the science camps have been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, as a significant event of the world decade of cultural development, 1988 to 1997. The camps bring together centuries of traditional knowledge and modern scientific methods in the minds and lives of our young people.

Mr. Speaker, the Science Institute inaugurated a technology development program in December 1990. The thrust of the program is to seek technologies which can be adapted to the needs of Northerners and to develop technologies which may be exported to other polar nations and elsewhere. Work on alternate energy projects such electrical power generation by photo-voltaic systems and wind power as well as aspects of food production and alternative household heating systems is ongoing.

Small northern industries continue to receive assistance through the industrial research assistance program, a National Research Council of Canada program delivered in the NWT by the Science Institute.

Mr. Speaker, it is with a great deal of pleasure that I will present this annual report to the Legislative Assembly later today.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Gargan.

Hockey Game, Fort Liard
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 100

Samuel Gargan Deh Cho

Mr. Speaker, last weekend was a great one for Canada's national sport. While the national hockey team won the silver medal in Albertville, the Legislative Assembly's own high-flying team, "LA Senators," took to the ice in Fort Liard. The event was the opening of a new arena in Fort

Liard, and I would like to thank the honourable Member for Nahendeh, my friend Jim Antoine, for the kind invitation.

The game began immediately after the official opening ceremony, and we played three 30-minute periods. It was clear from the opening face-off that the strategy of the local team was to tire us out and then take advantage of our fatigue. I recognize that strategy, Mr. Speaker, because it is one that I have used myself from time to time in this House, and it almost worked for them, Mr. Speaker.

It was not long before the Minister of the Housing Corporation was experiencing dizzy spells. I think it may have been because our opponents were skating circles around him, not to mention the spinning and turning he was doing himself. Mr. Morin took the only penalty for body contact, whatever that means. Fortunately for our opponents, though, Mr. Arvaluk was holding back on taking out his aggression on the ice. I personally felt that this was motivated by his desire for a smooth resolution of the boundary issue.

The honourable Member for Kitikmeot, Ernie Bernhardt, was our goal tender for most of the game and allowed only five of the eight goals scored against us, Mr. Speaker. Watching Mr. Bernhardt in the net, I was reminded of the earlier days when we took the first electronics progam at AVTC, Adult Vocational Training Centre, in Fort Smith, and were among the first northern students to receive our diplomas in the program. We used to watch Ken Dryden playing for the Canadiens at that time, and I wondered if Mr. Bernhardt was daydreaming of those days too, especially when the puck went trickling past him on several occasions.

Of course, one of the better "Stars on Ice" was our host, Jim Antoine. He showed a lot of leadership during the game, similar to the qualities which have brought him to the floor of this House.

---Applause

Hockey Game, Fort Liard
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 101

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Unanimous consent has been requested. Are there any nays? There being no nays, continue.

Hockey Game, Fort Liard
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 101

Samuel Gargan Deh Cho

Yes, thank you. I would like to thank the Members for allowing me to complete my statement. Finally, it would be wrong for me not to mention our secret weapon. Without a doubt, the most improved player on the team was my friend, the Hon. Dennis Patterson. Honourable Members interested in our rich parliamentary history will know that last year, in Fort Resolution, Mr. Patterson did win the prestigious "Bambi on Ice" award. Believe me, Mr. Speaker, there has been a substantial improvement. Now, instead of Bambi on ice, he looks more like the Roadrunner. His playing style reminded me of his usual reply to the Opening Address here in the House; once he winds up and gets going, there is no stopping him.

---Laughter

---Applause

In fact, one of the most exciting plays of the game occurred when Mr. Patterson dished out a punishing bodycheck on the MLA for Nahendeh. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, they both happened to be on the same team.

---Laughter

Further, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Patterson showed his usual fine understanding of the relationship between politicians and public servants by repeatedly checking his own deputy minister -- his team mate, Al Menard -- and taking the puck away from him. And Mr. Menard, being a perfect example of a civil servant, allowed Mr. Patterson to do that.

A special thanks goes to our coach, the honourable Member for High Arctic. As the Dean of this Assembly, Mr. Pudluk brought his wisdom and experience and sense of humour to the game in the same way in which he brings it to our House as Deputy Speaker.

Many other MLAs were in attendance at this special event, Mr. Speaker, but did not have the opportunity to lace up the skates.

I must say that we all enjoyed the excellent feast put on by the people of Fort Liard, and we appreciated the first-rate organization which surrounded the opening festivities. I am certain that I speak for all my honourable colleagues, and especially for our team of hockey all-stars, in thanking Mr. Jim Antoine, Chief Stephen Kotchea, Mayor Dale Hoose, and all the people of Fort Liard for their hospitality. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Hockey Game, Fort Liard
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 101

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Thank you. I think all Members will agree with the words of the "Golden Gargan."

---Laughter

Members' statements. Mr. Bernhardt.

Absolute Discharge For Paul Quassa
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 101

Ernie Bernhardt Kitikmeot

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to make a statement on the absolute discharge for Paul Quassa. Mr. Speaker, like my honourable colleagues for Deh Cho and Thebacha who spoke on this subject last week, I am dismayed and offended by the territorial court's decision to reward the anti-social and criminal behaviour of a political figure by granting an absolute discharge.

Last July, Mr. Speaker, Paul Quassa came into my home town of Coppermine and committed a sexual assault. As a guest at a private house party he made lewd and suggestive comments to a respected female member of our community, and then he followed this uncouth conduct with unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature.

It was not an outsider who behaved in this way, Mr. Speaker. This insult came from a so-called leader of our own people. As president of the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, Mr. Quassa should be committed to protecting Inuit women from this sort of dehumanizing experience.

Absolute Discharge For Paul Quassa
Item 3: Members' Statements

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An Hon. Member

Hear, hear!

---Applause

Absolute Discharge For Paul Quassa
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Ernie Bernhardt Kitikmeot

He should know that no Inuk woman has to endure the indignity of sexual victimization in the 1990s. And even if Mr. Quassa was not aware of this fact, Mr. Speaker, our court system should be.

I cannot understand how Judge Thomas Davis of the territorial court. could excuse this behaviour with an absolute discharge. Later today I will be tabling an earlier court decision which summarizes a range of sexual assault cases, some of which occurred under very similar circumstances to Mr. Quassa's -- which all resulted in a court-imposed penalty of some sort.

Mr. Speaker, honourable colleagues will be aware that at one point in my life I was in court and was sent to jail because I physically abused a woman. I am not proud of that time, Mr.

Speaker, and I have apologized to the victim and to women's organizations throughout the Territories.

I would like to seek unanimous consent to continue, Mr. Speaker.

Absolute Discharge For Paul Quassa
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 102

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Unanimous consent has been requested. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Bernhardt.

Absolute Discharge For Paul Quassa
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 102

Ernie Bernhardt Kitikmeot

I have never made a secret of the fact that what I did was wrong, and I accepted my punishment. I can remember some of the authorities telling me at the time that they planned to make an example of my situation. Well, what sort of example has been made by the court's judgment of Paul Quassa?

With this decision, I am afraid that Judge Davis has provided us with an example that drunkenness, sexism and lack of self-control are all excusable, so long as you happen to be a political figure of today in the Northwest Territories. This court decision has failed to respect the dignity of aboriginal women, or to uphold their right to safety from humiliation and sexual harassment.

Mr. Speaker, within our past traditions our Inuvialuit forefathers used to turn their backs on people who were unwilling or unable to live in harmony with our society. In modern times we have counted on the court system to deal with the deviants among us. Since the court has now demonstrated its unwillingness to perform this role, perhaps we should now turn our backs collectively on Paul Quassa until he delivers an appropriate apology and seeks the confidence of Inuit in a general election. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Absolute Discharge For Paul Quassa
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Members' statements. Members' statements. Mr. Lewis.

Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about the continuing public dissatisfaction with the standards of education in the Northwest Territories. In the 1950s, Mr. Speaker, the major concern of the federal government was to make schooling available for as large a number of students as possible, because at that time many people lived in scattered communities and hunting camps throughout the Northwest Territories. This was the period, Mr. Speaker, when there were huge schools and school residence building programs. The goal at that time was to get 100 per cent enrolment of school-age children.

It was not until the transfer of education to the territorial government in 1969 and 1970 that the focus changed to the actual content of the school program to reflect northern interests. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, over the past 20 years, despite this focus, the statistical emphasis by this government is still on enrolment -- just bodies. This forms the basis for the expansion of grades in communities and the continuing demand for the expansion of capital assets in communities. We do too little, in the opinion of many people, to measure the output, or to reassure the public about the standards being achieved in our system. We continue to expand grades in communities with no assurances that before grade 10 is added that there is an adequate grade nine, and so on. Our students, in many cases, are being short-changed in pursuit of government policy that only makes sense if it is implemented sensibly. In many cases there is evidence that it is not being implemented sensibly.

Residential schooling in the West, Mr. Speaker, commenced in 1867 at Fort Providence, and yet in the West there are still only six schools that offer high school programs. In the Eastern Arctic, high school programs are offered in 13 schools. Many of my colleagues do not believe that in the Eastern Arctic, where schools were not established until the 1950's, that the standards are so much higher than they are in the West. Many of us refuse to believe that.

When we deal with Education capital, and also the O and M estimates, I am sure there will be much discussion about this issue of quality and standards and, also, the whole issue of value for money, because there are vast amounts of money being poured into education without any reassurances about what we are receiving in exchange for it. Thank you.

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Members will join me in welcoming Mr. Paul Kaludjak, the mayor of Rankin Inlet.

---Applause

Members' statements. Mr. Arvaluk.

School Space Requirement, Coral Harbour
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 102

James Arvaluk Aivilik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During my observations in Sakku School in Coral Harbour, it became obvious to me that the school is under some pressure spacewise in teaching areas. The older grade nine and 10 are using the community education committee chambers and have done so for the last three years. Inuktitut classes for grades four to nine are held on the stage at the gymnasium. Although there is a partition between the gymnasium and the Inuktitut class, there is still considerable noise interference.

With a grade 10 class of approximately 22 applicants expected for 1992-93, and a kindergarten intake of 24, the school total is expected to rise to 190-plus students for August 1992. Our high school students are much younger than in past years, and it is their parents' expectation that they will continue grades 10, 11 and 12 in their home community. This program expects grade 10 in 1992-93; grade 11, 1993-94; grade 12, 1994-95.

The estimated total of students for 1992-93 is 190-plus; 1993-94, 215-plus students; 1994-95, 245-plus students. This will undoubtedly put tremendous strain on space requirements. The two portables are considered now to be unsuitable for educational purposes. Renovations to the Arctic College building, which would bring much-needed seminar office space and that were planned to be completed last summer or, at the latest, this summer's construction season, appear to have been abandoned.

The present school facilities were built in 1978-79, and Coral Harbour is the only Keewatin community that has not had a new school or an addition built within the last five years. The students and community have taken great pride in and care of their school and have had only one broken window in the last 13 years, and that was done by the front-end loader during snow clearance. Vandalism and damage to the school is negligible. There are no break-ins at the school.

Surely those communities that take care and pride in their community school should be rewarded, not penalized. The community of Coral Harbour will need new teaching space to accommodate the increase in the under-five population. So it is imperative that a capital plan be implemented as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

School Space Requirement, Coral Harbour
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 102

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Members' statements. Mr. Todd

.

Northern Preference Policies
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 103

John Todd Keewatin Central

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week I asked both the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Public Works about implementing policies that would allow only northern-owned and operated businesses to bid on government contracts. The implementation of such a policy is consistent with a motion passed by this House on April 11, 1990. As we are all aware, that motion was proposed by the Ministers of Finance and Public Works when they were ordinary Members of the House.

Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about what I am now hearing from the Minister of Public Works, my good friend Don Morin. The Minister now talks about developing a plan to train northern people, allowing Northerners to do these jobs, and other initiatives. However, the Minister has also told this House that the policy under consideration does not allow only northern businesses to bid on government contracts. This is in stark contrast to the discussions that took place when the "tender north only" motion was adopted by this House. As the honourable Member for Hay River said at that time, "If we do not take the bull by the horns and make a decision that is absolute, then we are going to continue to have these holes that these contracts trickle through."

The leakage of government dollars from the NWT is incredible.

---Applause

When we try to stop these leaks by adjusting and fine-tuning current policies, we are just plugging the holes with our fingers. Pretty soon we are going to run out of fingers to use.

I am sure the Minister has been given many reasons why we cannot institute this policy by his officials in the department, but this is a decision to be made by the politicians, not by the bureaucrats. There will be some political risks attached to this policy, and I would suggest that these risks are worth taking. We do not need 20 reasons why we cannot do the policy; we need one reason why we should do the policy.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance has already told this House that he is committed to this principle of "tender north only." I would suggest the Minister of Public Works reaffirm his commitment to this principle and bring forward a policy that reflects the same. Thank you.

---Applause

Northern Preference Policies
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 103

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Members' statements. Mr. Whitford.

Visit To Rankin Inlet
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 103

Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while some of my colleagues this past weekend were playing hockey in the Liard Valley, other Members of this House, Mr. Todd, Mr. Pollard and myself, were out working. I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that I regret not having the opportunity to go play hockey with my colleagues, because I had to respond to a request by Mr. Todd to visit his constituency, Rankin Inlet, where we had some very productive meetings with the Keewatin Regional Health Board and with the hamlet mayor and council.

Mr. Speaker, I regret that I did not get over to Whale Cove because the weather was not co-operative. However, the concerns of Whale Cove were expressed to other members of the travelling group by teleconference while my deputy minister and I met with the chairperson and the executive director for the Keewatin Regional Health Board in a private meeting that was also very productive.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is in just such meetings like this that good repartee can be established, and I hope that they will continue in the future in the spirit of consultation at a community level. I feel that is where you can get the flavour of what the real problems are, and I just want to say that so far I have been to Thebacha, Nahendeh, South Baffin, Iqaluit, Hay River, and now Rankin, and I look forward to...

Visit To Rankin Inlet
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 103

The Speaker Michael Ballantyne

Mr. Whitford, your Member's statement seems to be dealing with your ministerial responsibilities.

---Applause

A Member's statement should be discussing one item to deal with your responsibilities as a Member, not as a Minister.

Members' statements. Perhaps, Mr. Whitford, you could join the team as another secret weapon in the future. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Whitford.