This is page numbers 689 - 717 of the Hansard for the 12th Assembly, 5th 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 community.

Members Present

Mr. Allooloo, Mr. Antoine, Hon. Silas Arngna'naaq, Mr. Arvaluk, Mr. Ballantyne, Hon. Nellie Cournoyea, Mr. Dent, Mr. Gargan, Hon. Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Lewis, Hon. Jeannie Marie-Jewell, Hon. Rebecca Mike, Hon. Don Morin, Hon. Richard Nerysoo, Mr. Ng, Mr. Ningark, Mr. Patterson, Hon. John Pollard, Mr. Pudlat, Mr. Pudluk, Hon. John Todd, Mr. Whitford, Mr. Zoe

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

Page 689

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Good morning. Mr. Clerk, would you please ring the bells, we are short of a quorum. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Amittuq, Mr. Allooloo.

Nunavut Tunngavik Presidential Election
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 689

Titus Allooloo Amittuq

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like, today, to stress the importance of the upcoming election of the Nunavut Tunngavik president which is being held this coming Monday. The Nunavut Caucus has a good working relationship with the aboriginal group which represents Inuit within Nunavut and I'm confident that this relationship will continue after the election of the new president.

I would like to thank Mr. James Eetoolook of Taloyoak, who has been acting president for the past few months, for the hard work and dedication he has shown to the organization.

---Applause

Madam Speaker, to those who are running for the presidency, I, on behalf of the Nunavut Caucus, wish you well. I believe the voters will choose the best person for this important position. To my fellow Inuit, please do not forget to vote on Monday. The polls are open from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm and are located at annex C of the Yellowknife Inn. If you are not on the voters list and are eligible to vote, you can be sworn in when you come to vote. Let us show the rest of Canada that we are involved and interested in our own future. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Nunavut Tunngavik Presidential Election
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 689

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Lewis.

Electing A Government Leader By Popular Vote
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 689

Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Prior to and during this session, I've been working on a discussion paper on electing a leader by popular vote. Members recall that this was an item that was supposed to have been discussed in Cambridge Bay at our strategic planning workshop. The matter was deferred. This issue has been a subject of informal discussion during the six years I've been a Member. It has not proceeded to a full-blow examination in Caucus for two reasons. First, ordinary Members enjoy the privilege of being able to choose the Cabinet. Second, Ministers enjoy being Ministers in a system which makes the Premier leader in name, but with limited authority compared to her southern counterparts.

Change doesn't come very easily or very quickly, Madam Speaker. Some Members will recall the long period of time it took to make many of our internal elections, which took place behind closed doors, into a public process. That was quite a battle. There is widespread disenchantment with the political process today. Citizens have indicated they want more mechanisms for them to be involved in the issues important to them. During the last decade, at least one political party has been formed and has obtained considerable public support for one reason only, and that promise is the promise to involve citizens more in the political process, and no real political platform beyond that.

In the absence of political parties, one obvious form of direct democracy which could work in the Northwest Territories is the election of the Premier in a general election. I believe the issue should be examined at our strategic planning meeting in Fort Smith. I will table a paper outlining how a leader could be elected, while retaining the essential power of the Assembly to remove both Cabinet and Government Leader. I will table, today, a short paper which examines the ramifications and technical problems in relation to choosing a leader by popular vote. Thank you.

Electing A Government Leader By Popular Vote
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 689

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Baffin South, Mr. Pudlat.

The High Cost Of Airfares In The Baffin
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 689

Kenoayoak Pudlat Baffin South

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. This is not the first time that I am going to talk about this through a Member's statement. In Baffin South, we have been paying a high cost of living and also high costs of air freight and airfares. We are very concerned about the high costs of airfares. For example, from Iqaluit to Lake Harbour is only about 25 to 30 minutes and it costs $127 one way. Madam Speaker, I have talked about the children's airfares. As soon as they reach the age of two, they have to pay full airfares. I would like to ask the Department of Transportation if they could do something about the high costs of airfares in the communities. Thank you.

The High Cost Of Airfares In The Baffin
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 690

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Aivilik, Mr. Arvaluk.

James Arvaluk Aivilik

Thank you, Madam Speaker. (Translation) Today, I would like to talk about the concern I have and the concerns that have been expressed by my constituents, with regard to the high cost of living and high cost of products that people buy from the stores. It is not just about my constituency, it concerns all the communities that have no road access.

I know, Madam Speaker, that in the north the cost of products is higher and they have a limited amount of stores in the communities. If there is only one store, and the co-op is not as strong as it should be in the communities, the prices are very high for groceries and other products. Madam Speaker, I would like to also say that Consumer Affairs should be protecting the consumers in the north. In the bigger communities the prices are not as high as in the smaller communities. I would like the government to look into the high costs of products in small communities. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Absence From The House
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 690

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I rise today to advise the House and my constituents that I will be absent from the House next week. As Members know, my wife delivered our new son prematurely in Montreal last week.

---Applause

And I have taken the advice, sagely offered by many in this House, that I should get me hence to Montreal to bring them back.

---Applause

Absence From The House
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 690

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Natilikmiot, Mr. Ningark.

Appreciation To NWT Literacy Council
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 690

John Ningark Natilikmiot

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the MLAs of this legislature, I would like to thank the NWT Literacy Council for providing T-shirts for all of us. Being able to speak in any language is a privilege, but being able to read is equally important. I would like to commend the NWT Literacy Council for their hard work in trying to promote reading and writing, not only in the area of English, but as well in other languages. Thank you.

---Applause

Appreciation To NWT Literacy Council
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 690

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Whitford.

Care Of Sled Dogs
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 690

Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today I would like to speak on a matter that will soon be coming up here in Yellowknife. Recently, I listened to an interview on the radio with an NWT dog musher by the name of Dave Olsen. This was prior to the start of the 1,500 mile Iditarod race in Alaska. It seems that certain animal rights groups are trying to stop events such as the Iditarod, Yukon Quest -- and, no doubt, they will be looking at us shortly -- claiming that this is cruel and mistreating animals, and that they are using animals for the amusement of men.

In the interview, Mr. Olsen, who raises dogs for a living, expressed the sentiments of the dog mushers well, people I have had the pleasure of knowing over the years who raise dogs, which are bred and born for racing, they are raised and trained with care and affection, and they work well with their trainers, not unlike any other show dog or cat that they have in the south. For these dogs, that is their purpose in life and they are treated, in my opinion, with all the care they need.

Madam Speaker, I have been associated with the Yellowknife Rotary Club for a good number of years. The Yellowknife Rotary Club sponsored the 150 mile Canadian championship dog race here on Yellowknife Bay. It's over a three day period of 50 miles each day. I have yet to see, in the ten years that I've been working on that dog race, closely associated with the mushers, cruelty to animals out there on the ice or anywhere, as a matter of fact, in the handling area. They are groomed, they are fed, they are watered. Even out on the trail they are petted. They work hard.

May I seek unanimous consent to conclude?

Care Of Sled Dogs
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 690

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Continue, Mr. Whitford.

Care Of Sled Dogs
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 690

Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

Thank you, colleagues. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, they are tended well out there on the race. I've been associated with dog teams for many years as some of the Members here have, as well, raised dogs in their youth and run them. We look after them because they are part of our life. I no longer raise dogs but I am associated as closely as I can be. I am very concerned, Madam Speaker, and that is why I raise this issue that soon those same animal rights people will be here looking at this Canadian championship dog race and stating the same thing, that this is very cruel. I, for one, Madam Speaker, denounce that kind of statement because they are unfounded and they are interfering in areas where they know little or nothing about. I want to say, for the record, that the mushers have the full support, I am sure, of a lot of people who are associated with this sport and bring a certain amount of recognition to the Northwest Territories through their efforts. Thank you.

---Applause

Care Of Sled Dogs
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 691

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Aboriginal Languages Month
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 691

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. Last year during a special chiefs' meeting of the Assembly of First Nations in Ottawa, the chiefs unanimously approved the designation of March as Aboriginal Languages Month. The chiefs of Canada have recognized that language is part of culture, and it carries the key to self-determination and our future as a First Nations people.

This was done to focus more attention and effort to support aboriginal languages in Canada. Recognition of our languages is recognition of ourselves as a distinct people. It is essential that we express our beliefs and ideals through our own languages. Languages define our thoughts, our values of beliefs and our traditions. We cannot become complacent in our efforts to promote aboriginal languages. Unlike Euro-Canadians, we have no option for returning to the old country and to relearn a forgotten tongue. Once a northern language falls into disuse, it is gone forever. (Translation ends)

Madam Speaker, I am proud of my language and I believe that my language is a very important part of defining who I am as a Dene. This government has started down the road to dealing with the problems surrounding the use of aboriginal languages. Programs administered by the government such as taping of oral histories is an important part of this process. However, Madam Speaker, it is equally important for this government to remember just as it is important to gather traditions of the aboriginal elders, it is also necessary to share and disseminate information and languages with younger generations.

Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Aboriginal Languages Month
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 691

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to continue. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Continue, Mr. Antoine.

Aboriginal Languages Month
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 691

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Since 1990, this organization, the NWT Literacy Council, has done an excellent job in promoting literacy in the NWT. Projects under way include working hand in hand with CBC to raise awareness through interviews and contests. The council has plans to publish native language books written by and for teenagers. This is an excellent program that will not only promote reading of one's own language, it also helps to develop young authors' writing skills. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Aboriginal Languages Month
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 691

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.

Subsidies For Small Businesses
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 691

Dennis Patterson Iqaluit

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to say at the outset to everyone, especially the MLA for Baffin Central, I am a strong supporter of the Pangnirtung fishery. When I was Government Leader I accompanied the Honourable Tom Hockin, then Minister of Small Business and Tourism. We travelled by snowmobile to the site of the first turbot fishery. Mr. Hockin subsequently extended assistance to help get the fishery going, and since then it has prospered and has, in fact, been given significant financial support through the NWT Development Corporation.

As Minister of Education, I also worked with the Honourable John Leefe, then Minister of Fisheries for Nova Scotia, who came to Baffin several times to help Inuit fishermen get access to the excellent fisheries training available in Nova Scotia which I think has worked well.

I will never forget Mr. Leefe's advice to our government at that time. He said that in developing our fishery we had two clear choices to make. We could follow the Newfoundland model: very generous government subsidies for over-capitalized equipment and facilities for large corporations. This approach ignores the reality of real markets and real costs and is ultimately doomed to fail because government cannot afford huge subsidies forever. Or, we could follow what he described as the Nova Scotia model which focused on small businesses, inshore operations and reasonable limits on loans and subsidies to respect the real economy.

Recently, Madam Speaker, I have dared to ask a few questions about the policies and mandate of the NWT Development Corporation when it comes to market disruption. My inquiries have been inspired by the concerns of a small Iqaluit-based company in which northern residents have invested their own money. I have been surprised at the defensive reaction of the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. He rather contemptuously described my corporate constituents as a minor player. I would have hoped, Madam Speaker, that the Minister would have more respect for a small business, which is trying to become involved in developing the eastern fishery using their own capital and without reliance on heavy government subsidies.

---Applause

Subsidies For Small Businesses
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 691

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Mr. Patterson, your allotted time has lapsed.