Good afternoon. I wish to inform the House that I have received the following communication from Her Honour, the Deputy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories: "Dear Mr. Speaker: I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories the passage of Bill 28, An Act Respecting Interim Appropriations for the Government of the Northwest Territories for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31st, 1993, No. 2; and Bill 29, Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 1, 1992-93, during the second session of the 12th Legislative Assembly. Yours truly, Helen Maksagak, Deputy Commissioner."

Orders of the day for Wednesday, June 17, 1992. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Ms. Cournoyea.

I would like to advise that the Hon. Don Morin will be absent from the House for the remainder of the week to attend meetings in Ottawa with the federal Minister of Housing. Thank you.

Ministers' statements. Mr. Patterson.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to report to the House on the 58-member RCMP tactical unit and emergency response teams brought into Yellowknife on May 25 as a result of the strike at the Royal Oak mine.

On May 24th I was advised on an urgent basis by the commanding officer of G Division RCMP that tensions and the threat of violence at the mine site were well beyond the capacity of the local detachment to respond to and deal with. It was their recommendation that the only available option was to request additional resources from outside the Territories, and according, that request was made to the commissioner of the RCMP on May 24, with an immediate, positive response.

The decision was made after careful consideration of the only other option, which was to draw police resources from the other communities and regions of the Northwest Territories and to retain them in Yellowknife for an undetermined period of time. This is the option usually chosen in the provinces, but it would have been totally unacceptable to reduce, and in some cases eliminate altogether, police services in our communities for this purpose.

Members have expressed concern about costs of the RCMP reinforcements which have been in Yellowknife for three weeks now and were first deployed in full force during a serious incident last Sunday. Estimates provided by the RCMP

indicate that as of last Friday, June 12, costs reached one million dollars. However, they caution us that these do not yet include actual salary and overtime calculations and that they have estimated on the high side rather than underestimating.

Our government takes the firm position that these costs must be borne by the federal government for a number of reasons. Essentially, as we have advised the Solicitor General and his colleagues, the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, this labour-management dispute is exclusively within an area of federal responsibility, both in law and under the policing agreement we have with Canada.

The Minister of Labour has full responsibility for private sector labour relations in the Territories and is in that sense the territorial Minister of Labour. Later today I will circulate a letter that I sent yesterday to the Hon. Marcel Danis, the federal Minister of Labour, concerning the strike. The RCMP reinforcements are here exclusively to deal with the fallout from this strike and are not required in any normal role of preserving the peace and enforcing the criminal laws within the city of Yellowknife. Thank you.

Thank you. I wonder if I could get the attention of the people in the gallery. This is the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, representative of all the people of the Northwest Territories. The public is invited here with full courtesy and warmth. I would ask you, please, not to show your placards here in the Assembly. If you feel you must show your placards, I would ask that you do it outside the building. You are very, very welcome to stay here, but I would ask you to extend to us the same courtesy that we extend to the public in this Assembly. Thank you very much.

Ministers' statements. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in early May the Hon. Titus Allooloo travelled to Japan and met with officials from Daishowa and Mitsubishi. These two companies own the Daishowa and ALPAC pulp mills in northern Alberta. Mr. Allooloo outlined the traditional lifestyle of territorial residents and people's concerns for the quality of the water and fish they depend upon. Mr. Allooloo discussed a letter I sent which invited officials from these companies to visit the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that representatives from Daishowa Canada have accepted my invitation. They will make a presentation to interested Members of the Legislative Assembly on June 25 at 8:00 a.m. Later that day they will meet with government officials and native organizations.

Mr. Speaker, our Government wants to make sure that our waters are not adversely affected by upstream activities. I am pleased that Daishowa Canada has taken this step to learn more about our lifestyles and discuss what must be done so we can protect our environment and live together. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Ministers'

statements. Mr. Ningark.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the first week of June, I attended the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My primary purpose was to speak at a forum on Indigenous Peoples' Use and Management of Resources. This forum was organized by our government and the Inuit Circumpolar Conference and the Comite Intertribal do Brasil.

Over 200 delegates from many countries attended the forum. They heard people from northern Canada, Greenland, Brazil, Panama and eastern Siberia speak about the importance of maintaining their traditional lifestyles and cultures.

As a speaker, I explained that the use of resources by Northerners has always reflected the modern concept of .'sustainable development." I described how actions against hunting and trapping in other countries can have an impact on our lifestyles. I asked people to recognize that cultural needs vary among regions. What is right for New York City or Paris may not be right for Gjoa Haven or Fort Liard. Economic development needs to be based on healthy resources and must suit the lifestyles of the people who live there. This was stressed again by the Hon. Ove-Rosing Olsen, Minister of Environment, Greenland Home Rule Government.

Les Carpenter from Sachs Harbour also spoke at the forum. He highlighted Inuvialuit involvement in resource management through their land claim agreement. Mr. Carpenter pointed out that by blending traditional and scientific knowledge, better decisions can be made and the environment will be respected.

The Hon. Jean Charest, Minister of Environment Canada, also attended our forum and spoke of the importance of recognizing indigenous peoples' needs and interests in resource use management. Mr. Charest, on behalf of our government, presented a final report on the forum to the chairman of the United Nations Conference.

Mr. Speaker, I believe it is important that our government continue to participate at international forums that relate to the environment and development. If people are to respect our lifestyles, they must know who we are. The Government of Canada will continue to support our efforts in this area.

In comparison to the situation of many other indigenous peoples, our residents are fortunate to be blessed with a wealth of resources. Through the policies of our government and the federal government, our residents participate in renewable resource management. In Rio, I heard again and again of the excellence of our renewable resource management programs and how we are leading the way for many other indigenous peoples.

Mr. Speaker, I was proud to represent our people and our government at the United Nations Conference. I will continue to work hard to protect our resources and our rights to harvest those resources. Thank you.

--- Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in this city miners are engaged in a bitter strike that threatens to damage the fabric of this community. It is the toughest strike that Yellowknife has ever seen. As an elected person in this Legislative Assembly, I am a very frustrated man. I see people suffering but I have no power to resolve that suffering or to resolve the issue that causes it.

Responsibility for labour, Mr. Speaker, as we all know, lies with the federal government. Only the federal government and the two parties to the dispute have any method whatsoever available to them to resolve this issue. The House of Commons, Mr. Speaker, shuts down for the summer this Friday, June 19.

Later, Mr. Speaker, I shall table a petition signed by 320 citizens, urging this government to press the federal government to urge its powers and to use them to resolve this labour dispute. Later on I shall also be asking the Minister responsible for safety to at least answer some questions in that area for which we do have responsibility, and that relates to the whole issue of mine safety.

In connection, too, with this strike, if I may, I would like to read a letter for Members, so they can get a flavour of what this city is like as a result of this strike. It is a letter from a group of three young people who have written to all Members, and I would like to share it with you:

"We are a group of concerned teenagers who dislike what is occurring in our town. As you know, our little city of Yellowknife is in the middle of a very intense and violent strike. There is a lot of hurt, anger, and hatred being spread through the people around us because of this strike. It is in the middle of its fourth week and has been carried on for way too long. We have sat around watching and listening, helplessly. There has been nothing we could do to stop it. So we formed our little group, trying to open the eyes of the public of the city, hoping that they would listen to us.

We do not like being affected by the strike. We are..."

Mr. Lewis, your allotted time has expired. Mr. Lewis.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to finish my statement.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Lewis.

"We are being told to take sides and then in turn lose friends. We choose not to take sides. All we want is a resolution to be found. It seems to us there is no end in sight until the talks resume and the violence ends. The disputes are being ignored; the adults seems to view it as something that we have to tolerate. We can't tolerate it. It's tearing the community apart.

It seems they are doing nothing about the strike, so if they choose not to, the rest of us have to. We will no longer stand by and watch the adults of our society act this way. We will fight to end this strike; it may not seem like much but we are trying to open the eyes of the management, the strikers, the public, the entire town, to tell them that we have had enough; it has to end. It will tear the town apart if we don't end it soon. We need to show this little city that we care. This is our home. We need to keep the people together as a community.

One of us is a daughter of a striker. One of us is the daughter of a staff member. One of us is the daughter of someone who shouldn't be affected by the strike, but is. We can stand together in unison. Can the city?"

It is signed by three young people of this community: Laura Howden; Crystal Gaudry-Bouchard and Candice Keenan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--- Applause

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Todd.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to commend the Government Leader for the bold and very significant step she took with the June 16 announcement of a New Directions initiative. This is the sort of thing that has been needed and should have been done years ago. Mr. Speaker, the benefits will be experienced throughout the Northwest Territories from the stimulation of local and regional economies. But that is only half of it. Program delivery decisions will also be made closer to the people who need to be served. On an economic development rationale and a service delivery rationale, the New Directions initiatives have both.

Recipient communities throughout the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, are ready. Local governments and the private sector are poised to take on the task of supporting the infrastructure needed for decentralization. You will find they are willing, devoted, and have the energy and commitment for the planning process. But there is much that must be done, in partnership with the government, with this initiative. So today I am calling on the Government Leader and her cabinet colleagues to keep the momentum building.

First, we all need to begin to work on identifying the housing and office space requirements in the communities targeted for decentralization. Second, joint planning should begin now with the Departments of Public Works and MACA to develop a sound process through which the capital asset base will eventually be accrued to regional and local ownership. Third, there is a need to prepare regional residents for employment in the decentralization programs and services. Mr. Speaker, this is important. There is no sense in a decentralization initiative if it is not accompanied by administrative, and especially management, training that will enable our people to take advantage of this initiative. Fourth, we must support those public servants who accept the challenge of taking new direction in their careers and who agree to move to new communities with a view to making this initiative work.

As a final note, I would like to address a personal comment to those civil servants that will move. To the members of our public civil service who will be faced with a decision about workplace transfer and relocation of their next careers, I would say, do it. Make the decision to accompany the program. Be part of, and contribute to, this new initiative. In return for their commitment, we will have an opportunity, and they will have an opportunity, to experience the warmth of an emerging northern community, a sense of professional renewal, and a personal satisfaction that goes hand in hand with working in the regional setting. I know from my own experience of 20 years in the Keewatin, I would not change it for anything. Thank you.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome students from the management and public administration course at Arctic College. They are here with Allice Legatt.

--- Applause

Members' statements. Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are three field-based teacher education projects operating right now within the Northwest Territories. These projects offer an alternative to attending college for two years in Iqaluit or Fort Smith or taking correspondence courses over a significant period of time. The teacher education projects offer two-year programs in the Keewatin Region, in Arviat, Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet, and in Hay River and Rae-Edzo.

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the intention of these two-year projects was to attract aboriginal students, especially those with experience in the schools, to teach education while offering training within their home communities. There is a high teacher turnover in the Northwest Territories and not enough aboriginal teachers, but many people who would like to become teachers simply cannot leave their homes, families and jobs for the time it takes to attend college in Fort Smith or Iqaluit, and it is not acceptable for the children of the Northwest Territories to be forced to wait until aboriginal people who would be good teachers take all of their correspondence courses after hours.

Mr. Speaker, I am told that 10 students have graduated from the Rae-Edzo project and that two are presently attending at Hay River. I am pleased to inform the House that the teacher education program within the Keewatin communities has been certainly the most successful ever in the Territories in terms of training the most aboriginal people to teach within their communities. The project has been greeted with enthusiasm, and there has been a great demand for courses. At present, there are 25 students attending the program full time, and approximately 10 take courses on a part-time basis. There are also 12 more students who are eligible to join the program for its second year.

But, Mr. Speaker, this brings me to an area of great concern. Many of the students who have enroled in the community teacher education projects were already employed as assistants within the school system and so would bring valuable experience to a teaching position. These students have been eligible for...

Mr. Arngna'naaq, your time has expired. Mr. Arngna'naaq.

I seek unanimous consent to continue with my statement.

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Proceed, Mr. Arngna'naaq.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and honourable Members. These students have been eligible for an education leave benefit so that they can attend teacher training without their families suffering the full loss of their income. The benefit was added to their student financial assistance so that they received about 80 per cent of what they earned in the schools. This allowed them to train to be teachers and still continue to feed their families.

Mr. Speaker, it now turns out that the Department of Education has decided that it will not provide this benefit to any more students who want to take teacher education. In the Keewatin, there are 12 students who could join the teacher education project in its second year to get their diploma. The reason why they are eligible to join the second year is they had begun to study to become teachers before the project even started. The department now tells them that they will not receive the benefit to help support their families that the other students in the project receive. This decision defeats the purpose of the projects. These are obviously motivated people with experience who want to teach, and they are being penalized for their initiative.

Mr. Speaker, the department must change its position and allow these students to train to be teachers; to deny them the benefit is a short-term answer. We will all lose in the long run. The Northwest Territories will have to continue to import teachers, and the students, who need aboriginal teachers who care about their culture, language and community, will take second place again.

The department must reconsider its plans to terminate the Keewatin project after its second year. The department has tried field projects before to involve more aboriginal people in teacher training. In 1981 and 1986 both attempts failed. This is a project that is working and will save the department money in the long run. The government has announced that it is committed to decentralization, allowing programs to be delivered closer to the people they serve. This is a chance to achieve what the government says it wants by holding on to something that works. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements. Mr. Koe.