This is page numbers 753 - 787 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 development.

Topics

Members Present

Mr. Allooloo, Mr. Antoine, Hon. Silas Arngna'naaq, Mr. Arvaluk, Mr. Ballantyne, Hon. Nellie Cournoyea, Mr. Gargan, 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, Hon. John Todd, Mr. Whitford

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

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The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Good afternoon. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Kitikmeot, Mr. Ng.

Congratulating Candidates In Nti And Kia Elections
Item 3: Members' Statements

March 21st, 1994

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Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot

Thank you, Madam Speaker. On behalf of all Kitikmeot residents, I wish to congratulate Mr. Jose Kusugak on his election to the presidency of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. I'm sure he will work diligently and cooperatively with his new colleagues, members of NIC, the regional associations, the Nunavut Caucus, and all other organizations towards fulfilling his duties as NTI president.

Madam Speaker, I also wish to advise Members that the Kitikmeot Inuit Association also held elections yesterday. Inuit in Kitikmeot elected Mr. Pat Lyall as the new vice-president, Mrs. Millie Evalik as secretary-treasurer, Mrs. Clara O'Gorman as the Cambridge Bay director and Mr. Adam Tootalik as the Taloyoak director. I know these individuals will contribute significantly to the overall future success of KIA and their endeavours to represent the Inuit of Kitikmeot.

Finally, I also wish to congratulate the five unsuccessful candidates in the NTI election and the 21 unsuccessful candidates in the KIA election. Their participation gave voters the freedom of choice during yesterday's elections. Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in congratulating all candidates in yesterday's NTI and KIA elections. Thank you.

---Applause

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

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

John Ningark Natilikmiot

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would also like to echo what my colleague from the Kitikmeot already said. I would like to congratulate from the bottom of my heart the successful candidates who were elected at the KIA election held March 21, 1994: Pat Lyall, vice president-elect from Taloyoak, which is my riding; Adam Tootalik, director-elect also from Taloyoak; Millie Evalik, secretary treasurer-elect from Cambridge Bay; and, Clara O'Gorman, director-elect from Cambridge Bay. I know the newly-elected members of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association will do well and work to the benefit of all the people of the Kitikmeot.

Again, Madam Speaker, congratulations go to the people I have already mentioned. I would also like to congratulate those unsuccessful candidates and Jose Kusugak, now the president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., formerly from Repulse Bay. I know Mr. Kusugak will do a good job for the people of Nunavut. Thank you.

---Applause

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. The honourable Member for Baffin South, Mr. Pudlat.

Congratulations To Candidates In Nti Election
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Kenoayoak Pudlat Baffin South

(Translation) Thank you, Madam Speaker. Along with my colleagues representing Nunavut, I would also like to congratulate the candidates. Their responsibility to prepare the people of Nunavut is going to be very difficult and I would like to thank the previous president who prepared the way towards Nunavut, as well as James Eetoolook, the vice-president, who has helped pave the way towards Nunavut. I would like to congratulate all the people of Nunavut for having come this far. I would like to thank the previous president as well as the unsuccessful candidates. Even though they did not win the presidency, they will still be required to assist the president-elect along the way to Nunavut. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Congratulations To Candidates In Nti Election
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

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

Writer's News Agency Article On Yellowknife
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. On the weekend, I was shown an article that appeared in a paper in Cape Town, South Africa last month. It is about the city of Yellowknife. I was rather alarmed to read the description which appeared there and which was attributed to the Writers' News Agency, which people know is the recognized agency for good, factual reporting.

The article described Yellowknife as a riotous town with a night life that was unmatched anywhere in the world, that there were fights all over the place, that there was one local bar where fighting was part of the local entertainment. The article goes on to say that 80 per cent of the people in the Northwest Territories are addicted to alcohol or drugs.

Having listened to the comments yesterday about violence and the kind of society we have, it bothers me somewhat that here we are finding reputable news agencies spreading information throughout the world, which may have some glimmer of truth to it, but really is not based on fact. What bothers me most is that the factual information that appeared in this article was supplied by the Government of the Northwest Territories and there are individual people who were given credit for this particular information, which I don't believe is statistically accurate.

So, Madam Speaker, it concerns me that if public servants are going to provide information to anybody, they had better be sure that they've got their facts right. Thank you.

Writer's News Agency Article On Yellowknife
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

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

Beaver Tail Jamboree And Aboriginal Week
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I just wanted to bring to the attention of the Legislative Assembly that over the weekend I was back in my home community of Fort Simpson and they had their annual Beaver Tail Jamboree, their spring carnival. It was good to get back into community celebration and spending a few days, getting back into the grass roots involvement of the people. It was very, very enjoyable.

The thing that I wanted to mention is that the student council in Fort Simpson have declared this week aboriginal week. It started off with a feast on Sunday, with different speakers. It was a very successful feast. The whole gym and school were full of people from the community and from other communities. Later on that evening, there was a drum dance that was put together with some drummers from Fort Simpson and other communities. It was a really good event that happened over the weekend with the beginning of aboriginal week in recognition of last year being the year of Indigenous People declared by the United Nations. Nothing happened as a result of that, so this year the students decided to have a week dedicated for aboriginal recognition in Fort Simpson and the region. So I would like to recognize them today. Mahsi.

---Applause

Beaver Tail Jamboree And Aboriginal Week
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

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

The Third Nunavut Trade Show In Iqaluit
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Dennis Patterson Iqaluit

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am pleased to inform this House that the third Nunavut trade show will begin this evening in Iqaluit with a three-day business conference. For the trade show on the weekend, there are 69 booths now registered including delegates from most Baffin communities, other parts of the Northwest Territories and also numerous companies from Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. Very topical subjects for the business conference occurring this week are: effective customer service; how to prepare a business plan; finding and keeping the best employees; government assistance for new businesses; and, what computers can do for you.

The Baffin Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting will take place on Wednesday night. Thursday night will feature the opening of the new NorthwesTel building. Friday night, a highlight, a keynote address by the Honourable John Todd. I want to thank Mr. Todd for taking the trouble from his busy schedule to attend this meeting. I would also like to publicly thank him for his help and that of his department in assisting the Baffin Chamber of Commerce, who are sponsoring this show, to purchase the booth materials for use in future trade shows and other events.

Saturday night there will be a service auction. I should tell Members I will be leaving tomorrow to attend this event. My services will be on the block at the auction. I am hoping there will be a higher bid than 25 cents. Later that night, in lieu of a prominent politician, the organizers inform me they have arranged for a comedian from Yuk Yuks to provide a colour commentary.

Madam Speaker, this promises to be a very exciting event. Between 800 and 1,200 people are expected to visit the trade show on the weekend. There are at least 150 people who will be in town for the event. At the trade show itself, there will be door prizes and draws. This promises to be a fabulous event. The best Nunavut trade show ever. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

The Third Nunavut Trade Show In Iqaluit
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife North, Mr. Ballantyne.

Reasons For Privatization Of Power Corporation
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Michael Ballantyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, today I would like to make a few comments about the Power Corporation. The Government Leader has indicated that she will introduce a discussion paper in the House. I have some concerns and I would like to put them on the record.

There are normally not that many reasons why one privatizes a Power Corporation, but those that there are, I think probably follow in this pattern. Either that the government-run organization is inefficient. If that is the case here, then we want to hear about it because we certainly have to deal with that. Another reason is that a government or Power Corporation tries to gain management experience and access to capital by selling the corporation or a majority share to a large utility company. The third reason is that a government needs to sell off its assets to pay out an accumulated debt, which I don't think is the case here. The fourth reason are ideological reasons. This government has never been an illogical government. It has always been a government that is practical and tries to solve problems.

I will tell you my concerns right now about the timing of the concept of privatization. When division is looming, the Power Corporation is a very viable asset. There is going to be some discussion between east and west as to how that asset will be apportioned in the long term. I am also sure that the next Nunavut government would like to make the decision as to what they want to do with their Power Corporation.

Secondly, the Power Corporation has been a very useful tool, public policy. The example is the Dogrib Power Corporation, which eventually will supply power to the city of Yellowknife and hopefully if mining does take off, will eventually supply power to the mining areas. So it is a tremendous tool for the GNWT to unify the regions of the territories. We have precious few of those in these changing times.

I also think we should wait until the formula financing agreement has been finalized and the cost of division has been agreed to. If we don't, any money that comes into our coffers will either be quickly spent on a multitude of projects or will be quickly discounted by the federal government in their negotiations with the Finance Minister.

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

Reasons For Privatization Of Power Corporation
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Ballantyne.

Reasons For Privatization Of Power Corporation
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Michael Ballantyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think also it would make some sense to wait until the constitutional discussions in the west have reached some sort of conclusion. Right now, the political landscape is very uncertain. I don't think this is the best time to go forward with this type of initiative.

I am also a little bit surprised because there has been very little public pressure that I am aware of to privatize the corporation. There has been none that I am aware of from this side of the House. In fact, I think it has been clear by most of the MLAs that there is not a lot of enthusiasm for privatization of the Power Corporation at this particular time. We believe, and we have said many times, there are many important priorities facing this government and we don't think, at this point in time, that it is appropriate to take the time and energy it will take to privatize the corporation.

In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I, along with other Members and the public, are looking forward to this discussion paper on privatization. We are interested, and I am sure the public is interested, in the way the government is bringing forward this initiative at this time. I guess most importantly, we are very interested in the government's concept of exactly how they feel this will help the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

---Applause

Reasons For Privatization Of Power Corporation
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. The honourable Member for Baffin Central, Ms. Mike.

Return To Question 322-12(5): Policy For Advertising In Southern Newspapers
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions

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Rebecca Mike Baffin Central

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Whitford on March 18, 1994 regarding a policy for advertising in southern newspapers.

The Department of Personnel is committed to hiring north and the affirmative action policy. Advertising outside the Northwest Territories is only undertaken when:

1. Advertising in the NWT has failed to attract qualified applicants; or,

When previous attempts to fill vacancies in the specific area are unsuccessful, Personnel will advertise north and south simultaneously. Such was the case of a transportation planner, recently advertised in the Toronto Globe and Mail. This position requires a degree in transportation planning, engineering of a related discipline with five years of experience in the areas of transportation planning, design, construction, operations and program development. This level of education and experience is not readily available in the north. The position is classified at pay level 29 and is not a junior level position. In keeping with the affirmative action policy and the government's northern hire philosophy, all northern applicants are given priority consideration. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Return To Question 322-12(5): Policy For Advertising In Southern Newspapers
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions

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The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Lewis.

Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister of Social Services, could she tell me what percentage of the people of the Northwest Territories are addicted to alcohol or drugs?

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Minister of Social Services, Ms. Mike.

Rebecca Mike Baffin Central

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I don't know the exact percentage of the population who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. I will have to take his question as notice. Thank you.

The Speaker Jeannie Marie-Jewell

Thank you. Item 5, oral questions. The honourable Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson.