This is page numbers 205 - 225 of the Hansard for the 12th Assembly, 7th 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 ---agreed.

Members Present

Mr. Allooloo, Mr. Antoine, Hon. Silas Arngna'naaq, Mr. Ballantyne, Hon. Nellie Cournoyea, Mr. Dent, Hon. Samuel Gargan, Hon. Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Koe, Mr. Lewis, Mrs. Marie-Jewell, Ms. Mike, Hon. Don Morin, Hon. Richard Nerysoo, Mr. Ningark, Hon. John Pollard, Mr. Pudlat, Mr. Pudluk, Hon. John Todd, Mr. Whitford, Mr. Zoe

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

Page 205

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Ningark.

Omc Response To Proposed Federal Gun Control Legislation
Item 3: Members' Statements

February 20th, 1995

Page 205

John Ningark Natilikmiot

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last October I rose in this House to make a statement on behalf of the Ordinary Members' Caucus regarding gun control. We had just met with the Honourable Allan Rock, the federal Minister of Justice, and shared with him our many concerns regarding potential gun control legislation.

The issues we raised with the Minister included: the use of firearms as tools in traditional lifestyles; the negative impact that the registration of all firearms would have in the north; the need of a large bureaucracy to support this type of registration; and, concern regarding restrictions on sales of ammunition.

Members had a positive feeling about the meeting and felt that Minister Rock listened to and understood our concerns. In concluding our statement in October, I said, Mr. Speaker, "We hope in preparing legislation the Minister will acknowledge our unique situation and provide an exemption or other mechanisms which will provide legislation which is practical, sage and realistic in the northern environment."

Well, Mr. Speaker, as we all know, the legislation tabled by Minister Rock last week did not address any of the concerns we raised with him. There is no acknowledgement in the legislation of the unique circumstances of northern people. Members are not satisfied with many aspects of the gun control legislation tabled by the federal government.

Obviously the meeting with Allan Rock was not sufficient to ensure our concerns were heard and addressed. Therefore, tomorrow I will be introducing a motion on behalf of the Ordinary Members' Caucus which should send a message to the federal government that we are not satisfied and the legislation must be changed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

An Hon. Member

Hear, hear.

---Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Ningark. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Lewis.

Achieving Consensus On Capital Site Area
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 205

Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last February, a bomb shell was dropped when the Capital City Liaison Committee announced restrictions on development around the capital site area. What annoyed Yellowknife MLAs, Mr. Speaker, was the fact that they were blamed for the most contentious restrictions imposed for the capital area even though MLAs were not involved in any way in developing the plan.

As a result of a public outcry by stakeholders, I'm pleased to note that the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs has now taken charge and will develop a better way to build consensus on developing this plan. At a meeting between the city and the Government of the Northwest Territories in January, a list was made of the most contentious elements and it was proposed to talk to various stakeholders about them and achieve consensus by this summer. I look forward to seeing a reasonable plan for development of the capital site and hope that our new Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Ng, will give this matter his close attention. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Achieving Consensus On Capital Site Area
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 205

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Koe.

Fred Koe Inuvik

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Across the north in the past few months, there have been many long service award dinners recognizing employees of this government. In January, there was a dinner held in Inuvik to recognize long-service employees in the Inuvik region. As we all know, employees are the backbone of any organization, especially ones who demonstrate, through long service, their dedication and commitment to their job and to their employer. They provide a valuable service, not in the community or communities in which they have lived, but to northerners in general.

There are many employees in the employ of this government but I want to mention a few in particular from the Inuvik area who received long-service awards: I would especially like to mention Mary Ellen Binder and Helen Lalonde; both are teachers and both received 20 year service awards. Also, Bill English and Liz Hansen received 25-year awards. I would like to mention these four individuals in particular. They've lived in various parts of the Inuvik region and I wish to honour them today by making this statement. Mahsi.

---Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Antoine.

Effect Of Restraint Measures On Communities
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 206

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to talk today about how our government's budget restraint measures are going to affect our communities. We know that the government is taking steps to maintain, as healthy as possible, the financial situation. We also know that this involves spending cuts. But what we don't know, Mr. Speaker, is exactly how the government will go about this and what impact this will have in our communities.

Prior to this session, about two weeks ago, like many of my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, I spent a lot of time visiting people in the communities in my constituency. These people know that governments across the country are cutting back on programs, Mr. Speaker. They want to know how it will affect them. They want some assurance that the government will act responsibly when it comes to cutting spending. They want the government to seriously consider each of their proposed actions in terms of how it will affect communities.

Our hope for the future lies with our communities. In order to survive and flourish, our people need strong communities. We have to focus our efforts on developing strong communities; that is, communities that stand on their own and provide for their people.

Mr. Speaker, I think that this will require some thinking about how we deliver public services. I have heard this referred to as "re-thinking government." We cannot continue to rely on methods of the past. We cannot continue to build huge bureaucratic structures that are supposed to provide people in the communities with what they need. We have to think about how we can help communities to help themselves.

It isn't good enough to filter limited money through a huge bureaucracy. It isn't good enough to have people in the headquarters office telling people in communities how to run their affairs. We need to take a community development approach. We need to restructure our government and its approach to providing community service.

Mr. Speaker, our Finance Minister has delivered his budget address; next week, the federal Finance Minister will present his budget to the country. I will look forward to that and I sincerely hope that each budget will contain at least some good news that is in the form of plans for developing our communities and for restructuring the way public services are delivered. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Effect Of Restraint Measures On Communities
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 206

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Antoine. Item 3, Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions, Mr. Pollard.

Return To Question 91-12(7): Status Of Nursing Profession Act
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions

Page 206

John Pollard Hay River

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Ballantyne on February 17, 1995. It concerned the status of the Nursing Profession Act. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in a letter to the honourable Member on February 8, 1995, I have been advised that drafting and translation of the bill is in the final stages. The government realizes the importance of this bill, to the future graduates of the nursing program, and has every intention of introducing this bill before the end of February 1995 for passage during the 7th Session of the 12th Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Return To Question 91-12(7): Status Of Nursing Profession Act
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions
Item 4: Returns To Oral Questions

Page 206

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Whitford.

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 206

Tony Whitford

Tony Whitford Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, colleagues, I would like to take this occasion to introduce Lydia Bardak, executive director of the Council for the Disabled; formerly with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind here in Yellowknife. Lydia is quite active in the community in many ways, her fund-raising particularly, and a frequent visitor to our gallery. I would like to welcome her.

---Applause

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 206

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Ballantyne.

Michael Ballantyne Yellowknife North

I have a question, Mr. Speaker, to the Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Speaker, because there seems to be a good chance that a diamond mine could open up in the next three years in the Northwest Territories with a potential for 600 or more jobs, I wonder what progress has the department made in producing a skills inventory of the North and South Slave human resources, particularly of aboriginal people, to meet this huge employment opportunity?

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Nerysoo.

Return To Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 206

Richard Nerysoo Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Whitford recommends that I should say, yes, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I cannot say for certain whether or not we have completed the inventory. I can say to the honourable Member we had been working internally with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Renewable Resources and a number of other departments in trying to identify an overall position and an overall response to the whole matter of mining development: in particular, the

whole issue of responding to the matter of the diamond industry. And as a collective, hopefully we can develop an issue that is responsive to the concern that the honourable Member has raised.

Return To Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 207

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Mr. Ballantyne.

Supplementary To Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 207

Michael Ballantyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister is aware of the record of our government in the past, and the opportunities provided to northern people in the past have not been as positive as they should have been. So I am wondering if the Minister could give a time frame when this baseline study will be completed. Thank you.

Supplementary To Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 207

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Nerysoo.

Further Return To Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 207

Richard Nerysoo Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I cannot give the honourable Member a specific time line. I can advise the honourable Member when the whole matter of Izok Lake was being dealt with, we developed an overall assessment of the job requirements in that particular industry and tried to match that with the potential developments that would occur and the kind of training requirements that were identified. That was intended to give us a reflection of what might be required in overall developments in that area. What we now need to do is to be more specific about the actual requirements in the industry itself and match the numbers to that along with the other requirements for training. I hope my other colleagues in our working committee will be able to identify those requirements, including government employment or job requirements, in order for us to participate in that particular development.

Further Return To Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 207

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Item 6, oral questions. Supplementary, Mr. Ballantyne.

Supplementary To Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Question 117-12(7): Status Of Skills Inventory For Potential Diamond Mine
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 207

Michael Ballantyne Yellowknife North

Thank you. I thank the Minister for that response. It appears there will be opportunities, at least, for positions in areas other than the traditional positions that are associated with mining. For instance, in the area of security and there is a possibility for a sorting facility. I just wonder what sort of discussions have taken place with BHP in order to put together training modules in the Northwest Territories, to prepare our people for these opportunities.