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, Ms. Mike, Hon. Don Morin, Hon. Richard Nerysoo, Hon. Kelvin Ng, Mr. Ningark, Hon. John Pollard, Mr. Pudlat, Mr. Pudluk, Mrs. Thompson, Hon. John Todd, Mr. Whitford, Mr. Zoe
---Prayer
Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer
Page 1525
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Good morning. Orders of the day, item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Kakfwi.
Minister's Statement 107-12(7): Gun Control Lobby
Item 2: Ministers' Statements
Page 1525
Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu
Mr. Speaker, I have an emergency statement. Mr. Speaker, Bill C-68, An Act Respecting Firearms and Other Weapons, is currently being debated in the Senate during second reading. The bill will soon be sent to the Senate Standing Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs for further review and public hearings. On behalf of the Legislature, the Member for Iqaluit, Mr. Patterson, and I travelled to Ottawa on Monday to meet with aboriginal leaders Ovide Mercredi, Rosemary Kuptana, Jim Sinclair and Gerald Morin. We also met with a number of Senators representing both the Conservatives and the Liberals.
With respect to the Senate, we targeted Members of the standing committee and the Senate House Leader. In addition to pressing for public hearings, we asked the committee Members to consider visiting the Northwest Territories this summer and fall. We encouraged them to see first hand how northern people use guns -- not as weapons, but as tools -- and discover for themselves how impossible it will be to administer the licensing and registration provisions of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, we impressed upon each Senator how important it is for our lawmakers in this country to meet the very people this new law would affect, should it pass. We told them of Helmut Kohl's visit and the surprising, yet welcome, change of mind this leader has had regarding the fur issue. We said that if Chancellor Kohl could take the time to visit, then surely the Members of the Senate committee could do no less.
---Applause
Mr. Speaker, during the meeting with national aboriginal leaders, we encouraged them to develop a united position on Bill C-68. To that end, they have agreed and accepted our invitation to meet in Yellowknife during the week of July 10th and plan to make Bill C-68 and the fur issue the main focus.
---Applause
As you know, we have done our best to make the lawmakers in Ottawa understand our point of view. In return, they offered up amendments that are, at best, window dressing. The promised consultation has been frustrating and grossly inadequate. Mr. Speaker, laws must make sense to the people they affect and to the people who must explain, enforce and defend them. In the case of Bill C-68, it is difficult to explain, impossible to defend and it will be incredibly expensive to administer and enforce. In addition, its effectiveness is questionable, at best.
Because of this, opposition to this hastily-drafted and poorly-researched legislation is building. Western provinces are concerned about jurisdiction issues and, like both territories, they are concerned about the costs of administration and enforcement. As well, the new government of Ontario has registered it's concerns and some of the Atlantic Premiers are questioning the costs. With additional opposition from a united aboriginal community, it will be difficult for the federal government to remain indifferent to the criticism.
Mr. Speaker, no firm dates have been set for public hearings planned by the Senate committee. The consensus is that they will likely be held in the last part of September, with an October reporting date. We will know in the coming days, as the bill passes second reading and the Senate Standing Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs releases its timetable.
In conclusion, I want to assure Members that the Caucus Subcommittee on Gun Control remains committed and dedicated to seeking an exemption for the Northwest Territories from the offending provisions of Bill C-68. Unless and until the many practical difficulties can be addressed to our satisfaction, we simply cannot see how this bill can be supported. We will appear again before the public hearings to state our case on behalf of the Legislative Assembly and people of the Northwest Territories. Despite the fall election, we will make this lobby an important priority. Our last hope lies with the Senate. Hopefully, it will rise to the occasion and offer that sober second thought that Canada so desperately needs. Thank you.
---Applause
Minister's Statement 107-12(7): Gun Control Lobby
Item 2: Ministers' Statements
Page 1525
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Thank you, Mr. Kakfwi. Mr. Pudluk, your point of order.
Point Of Privilege
Minister's Statement 107-12(7): Gun Control Lobby
Item 2: Ministers' Statements
Page 1525
Ludy Pudluk High Arctic
Point of privilege, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wonder if this very important document will be translated, especially into the Inuktitut language?
Speaker's Ruling
Minister's Statement 107-12(7): Gun Control Lobby
Item 2: Ministers' Statements
Page 1526
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
The reason, Mr. Pudluk, why the statement wasn't translated is so that Mr. Kakfwi could make an emergency statement. The translation is now available. Mr. Pudluk.
Minister's Statement 107-12(7): Gun Control Lobby
Item 2: Ministers' Statements
Page 1526
Ludy Pudluk High Arctic
Mr. Speaker, my apologies. As I made my point of privilege, the translation did come in. Thank you.
Minister's Statement 107-12(7): Gun Control Lobby
Item 2: Ministers' Statements
Page 1526
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Thank you.
---Applause
Thank you, Mr. Pudluk. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Todd.
Minister's Statement 108-12(7): 1994 Annual Report - Workers' Compensation Board
Item 2: Ministers' Statements
Page 1526
John Todd Keewatin Central
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present the annual report of the WCB for the period ending December 31, 1994, in accordance with section 100 of the Financial Management Act.
The financial and statutory responsibilities of the WCB are threefold:
1. It must guarantee that compensation and the pensions awarded to injured workers of their dependants are paid in accordance with entitlement.
2. It must assess employers sufficiently and fairly to meet these obligations.
3. It should maintain stability and achieve a balance, providing benefits to injured workers, while keeping assessment costs to employers as low as possible.
These responsibilities are met by establishing and maintaining adequate reserves.
I am pleased to report, Mr. Speaker, that the financial position of the Workers' Compensation Board improved in 1994. This has allowed the board to restore its reserves to desirable levels.
The future liability reserve ensures that the board is able to pay the total entitlement of its claims. This capability is often referred to as "fully funded."
I am pleased to confirm that again in 1994, the NWT WCB is fully funded. I should add that this is an enviable position to be in compared to the fiscal situation of other boards across Canada.
Mr. Speaker, there are several reasons for the board's positive results:
1. Increased hiring by employers operating in the north resulted in assessment revenue exceeding projections.
2. Thanks to a lower than anticipated consumer price index, supplementary pension increases in 1994 were less than expected.
3. In cooperation with employers, more emphasis was put in training on the job, graduated return to work and alternative job placements.
4. Third-party actions concluded by the board in 1994 recovered additional monies.
Although much of this report focuses on fiscal responsibility, I must emphasize that financial stability is not the only measure of success at the NWT Workers' Compensation Board.
In 1994, the WCB undertook a number of significant initiatives to improve the level of services provided to its clients:
- Implementation of an early intervention claims management model, which will ensure early assessment and diagnosis for injured workers and a quicker return to the workplace;
- A memorandum of understanding with the Department of Renewable Resources to ensure that harvesters injured in the course of their traditional employment receive fair compensation;
- A more "common-sense" approach to rehabilitation services, resulting in greater emphasis on-the-job training, graduated return to work and alternative work programs;
- A Special Needs Committee created to address the special requirements of injured workers and pensions with significant disabilities;
- A comprehensive review and restructuring of the industrial classification system resulted in fewer subclasses and a more equitable system;
- A new multi-industry classification, which allows employers engaged in more than one industry to reduce assessment costs by applying for separate classification;
- The safety incentive rate reduction program which, when it takes effect in 1996, will impose penalties on unsafe businesses within each subclass; and,
- The development of new programs and increased training by the WCB's safety education unit.
Mr. Speaker, the 1994 Annual Report that I will table today confirms that the Workers' Compensation Board continues to operate in an effective and responsible manner. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
Minister's Statement 108-12(7): 1994 Annual Report - Workers' Compensation Board
Item 2: Ministers' Statements
Page 1526
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Thank you, Mr. Todd. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mrs. Thompson.
Bowhead Whales
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1526
Manitok Thompson Aivilik
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise in this House to voice the thoughts and views of my Inuit elders on the bowhead whale. Muktuk from the bowhead whale is a delicacy to the Inuit people, especially our elders who have sampled its flavour in times long past, and, Mr. Speaker, as has been well reported, in more recent times.
I struggle to express the concept of the delicacy of this fine food to people of other ethnic origins. Mr. Speaker, perhaps haggis, truffles or roast pheasant may bring to mind a comparative exotic flavour of a food my people hold in such high regard.
---Applause
Mr. Speaker, between 1820 and 1830, approximately 750 whaling ships journeyed to our Arctic waters and harvested over 8,000 bowhead whales. The Baffin Island bowhead whales were hunted by Dutch whalers in the 18th century. Based on available records for 1719 and 1911, the records say that a minimum of 28,000 bowhead whales were taken from the Baffin Bay stock. This overharvesting not only lead to the shortage of this vital food supply, but also prevented generations of Inuit people from knowing the delicious flavour of bowhead muktuk.
Mr. Speaker, on many occasions, Inuit elders have tried to convey to the younger generation the excitement, the joy and the satisfaction of a successful traditional bowhead hunt and the sharing of muktuk with the entire community. Sadly, Mr. Speaker, this experience can now only be shared legally through the storytelling of our elders and the imagination of the listener.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent from my colleagues to continue.
Bowhead Whales
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1527
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
The Member for Aivilik is seeking unanimous to conclude her statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mrs. Thompson, could you conclude your statement?
Bowhead Whales
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1527
Manitok Thompson Aivilik
I have witnessed, Mr. Speaker, over the years, my father, now in his 70s, relay to visitors and students on many occasions the story of a bowhead whale hunt, complete with actions and an ethnic whaler's bowhead harpoon.
As nature takes its course in the Arctic, Mr. Speaker, many Inuit have witnessed the ageless relationship between predator and prey; of killer whales and polar bears feasting on bowhead whales. The retelling of these experiences have left our elders longing with envy, and wishing to reclaim their place in the natural order of life in which they too are hunters.
In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank the fine people of Igloolik for sharing the recent bowhead muktuk with most of the elders in Nunavut. Mr. Speaker, this was a profoundly emotional moment in which many elders, fortunate enough to again taste the finest of traditional foods, remembered their parents and their relatives who had passed on before them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing the voice of the Inuit elders to speak through me today in this House.
---Applause
Bowhead Whales
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1527
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Thank you, Mrs. Thompson. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Lewis.
Development Of The Cooperative Movement
Item 3: Members' Statements
June 21st, 1995
Page 1527
Brian Lewis Yellowknife Centre
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Throughout the Northwest Territories, one of the major economic developments over the last 30 years has been the development of the cooperative movement. Much of the credit goes to the federal government who saw that this made sense in the kind of jurisdiction that we have.
When I was a young boy, Mr. Speaker, everybody shopped at the co-op in our village. It was locally owned, all the employees were local, all the dividends went to local people, all the staff and management and everything was local, and people had a great attachment to it.
It's been a terrible battle for the co-op to get itself established in the Northwest Territories despite the sense that it made, simply because there was another huge corporation that had been here for 350 years: the Hudson Bay Company, who fought like fury to stop it from getting a foothold. Many of the people who worked for that company remember the battles they had with local co-op people who were trying to provide competition with this monolithic force, which was at that time based in London and Europe.
Mr. Speaker, now that the Hudson Bay Company really doesn't operate in the Northwest Territories, we should not have opposition any more to this kind of development. I believe that our government should recognize what it has done, it's achievements and importance to northern people and we should find in our hearts enough sympathy and understanding to provide the kind of support that this operation needs if it is going to survive into the future.
I shall be asking the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism some questions about this later. Thank you.
Development Of The Cooperative Movement
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1527
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Ms. Mike.
Manufacturing Of Northern Products
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1527
Rebecca Mike Baffin Central
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Two weeks ago, I asked a question in this House about the origin of the sealskin products passed out by the Minister of Renewable Resources during his department's O and M budget presentation last March. In his opening comments on the Renewable Resources budget on March 3, 1995, the Minister stated, and I quote from page 1064 of the unedited Hansard:
"In the eastern Arctic, we have been working hard to promote the sealing and fishing industry. This past year, in cooperation with Economic Development and Tourism, we researched consumer interest in seal and sealskin products. In 1995-96, we are working with the Broughton Island tannery and residents on the pilot project to produce and market these examples of high quality products. Mr. Chairman, if I may, I would like to pass out some samples of products that are being produced. Mr. Chairman, we are providing seal pelts to the tannery through the fur pricing program." This all sounds very promising, Mr. Speaker, but I am concerned that it does not seem to be consistent with what the Minister was telling me in response to my question of two weeks ago. He indicated he was aware that the sealskin products were merely prototypes made by a southern company as a demonstration of the kinds of products that could be made in the NWT. However, the prototypes have Minnguq Sewing Group labels on them, despite the fact that Minnguq was not aware of their existence.
In addition, Mr. Speaker, despite the fact that the Minister assures us that there is active promotion of sealskin products and even a pilot project involving the Broughton Island tannery, the information I have indicates this is not the case. I have heard that there are plans being made to initiate a production line of products under the Minnguq name but the Broughton Island tannery, which is in dire need of work, is not a part of the picture.
Mr. Speaker, it doesn't make any sense to me that this government spends considerable amounts of money on the fur incentive program and other renewable resource...Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue by Member's statement.
Manufacturing Of Northern Products
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1528
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
The Member for Baffin Central is seeking unanimous consent. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Ms. Mike.
Manufacturing Of Northern Products
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1528
Rebecca Mike Baffin Central
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and my colleagues. As I was saying, Mr. Speaker, it doesn't make any sense to me that this government spends considerable amounts of money on the fur incentive program and other renewable resource and economic development programs and, yet, when an opportunity comes along, our northern processors are left out in the cold. More must be done, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that this government and agents of this government continue to pursue economic development initiatives within the Northwest Territories, we should continue to market our products nationally and internationally, but they must be made in the north by northerners and all the benefits must flow to northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
Manufacturing Of Northern Products
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1528
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Thank you. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Whitford.
25th Anniversary Of Buffalo Airways
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1528
Tony Whitford Yellowknife South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, good morning; and good morning, colleagues. Colleagues, I rise today to extend congratulations to a truly northern aviation company celebrating 25 years of service to northerners and to maybe set the record straight about a company that people across the north have come to rely on for hauling everything from foodstuffs, personal mail, mining companies, trappers, fishermen and little league baseball players, who either fly free or at a minimum cost. That company is Buffalo Airways.
---Applause
Congratulations to a company that draws positive international recognition for it's operating standards, standards proven to be so exceptional that leading insurance companies offer prime rates, providing an opportunity for this government to save millions of dollars over the next five years.
---Applause
Congratulations for a level of expertise demonstrated by a professional staff hand-picked by the company's president Mr. McBryan. Congratulations for building a reputation that's unbeatable for the quality of service and the degree of respect offered each and every customer. Congratulations to a company that northerners recognize for the Buffalo green that stands out so well against our snow-covered runways.
Here's a genuine northern company with a history that started at a small mining camp north of Yellowknife in 1946, a history that began in the imagination of a five-year-old boy playing on the shores of Gordon Lake, where he lived with his parents. At a time, Mr. Speaker, when toys were in short supply, young McBryan's toys were a couple of wooden airplanes that his father meticulously carved from the trunk of a jack pine tree, a territorial tree.
This, Mr. Speaker -- what I'm holding in my hand -- is the flagship of the Buffalo fleet as it's known today. This is a little airplane, the first airplane of the fleet, which would eventually become the larger Buffalo airplanes of today. In 1970, a young bush pilot showed up in Fort Smith with an Aztec, the first instrumental flight-rated airplane for hire in that community.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue.
25th Anniversary Of Buffalo Airways
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1528
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
The Member for Yellowknife South is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Please proceed, Mr. Whitford.
25th Anniversary Of Buffalo Airways
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1528
Tony Whitford Yellowknife South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. In 1970, a young bush pilot showed up in Fort Smith with an Aztec, the first instrumental flight-rated airplane for hire in that community. Over the years, Mr. McBryan became a sincere friend and supporter of the trappers around Fort Smith. Indeed, in many cases, he was their lifeline back to civilization after months in the bush. Whether or not the trappers had the money to pay for the service, McBryan hauled them out to their trap lines, gear and all, including their dogteams, and then picked them up at the end of the season without fail.
That same Aztec doubled as a Bird Dog aircraft during the fire season and maintained a base in Fort Smith for medevac service for the rest of the year. It did not go south, Mr. Speaker. During that 10-year period, Buffalo Joe, as he became known, was called on to fly so many medevacs that in one instance, he had a mother from Fort Resolution give birth to her 11th child in the back of the Aztec, and she named the boy after the pilot -- Joe.
The little company was eventually sold to a young bush pilot that he had trained, the late Billy Burke of Fort Smith, who bought the float plane operation and renamed it Loon Air. During those years in Fort Smith, Mr. McBryan entered into a partnership with a couple of southern boys who eventually migrated back home and sold their partnership shares to McBryan who became the sole owner and operator of Buffalo Airways, as we know it today. The company continued to grow from a couple of float planes to a DC-3 service, combined with a small fleet of helicopters. Buffalo today now owns the largest operating fleet of DC-3s in Canada, if not in all North
America. And this is a model of one of their airplanes, Mr. Speaker.
---Applause
My colleague brought a cod head here one time, so I thought a model airplane wouldn't be so bad.
---Laughter
Long-time northerners will easily recall that Buffalo Airways has already provided 15 years of solid service to the forest firefighting industry at its base at Fort Smith and at Fort Simpson. Furthermore, Buffalo Airways has always been a leader in the support, hiring and training of young northerners wanting to enter the aviation industry. Pilots have come up through the training ranks and are held in such high regard in the industry.
Today young pilots, bubbling with more ambition than DC-3s and DC-4s can contain, have gone on to fly in the big leagues with the international airlines on jet planes. Mr. Speaker, I take great pride in being a Member of a government that is willing to demonstrate support for northern entrepreneurs. I am proud to be part of a government that is confident enough to take the necessary steps to ensure that millions of northern dollars will stay in the north. Indeed, a reputable northern company built, according to the dreams of a little northern boy, who used to play on the shores of Gordon Lake with wooden airplanes, who now owns real ones.
I rise today to point out the positive aspects of a genuine northern company that is caught up in the cross fire of a political battle that is taking place in this House and is detracting from the true meaning of northern entrepreneurship. I ask this House to joint me in extending congratulations to Buffalo Airways, a genuine northern company celebrating 25 years of quality aviation services. Thank you.
---Applause
25th Anniversary Of Buffalo Airways
Item 3: Members' Statements
Page 1529
The Speaker Samuel Gargan
Thank you, Mr. Whitford. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Ballantyne.
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