This is page numbers 225 - 250 of the Hansard for the 13th Assembly, 4th 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 budget.

Restoration Of Rayrock Mine Site
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 227

James Rabesca North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have had a long history of mining in our country. In most parts the mining companies have cleaned their sites, leaving little or no harmful products behind. I do, however, know of one mining site, a short distance from Rae, that has taken over three decades to get cleaned. This mine is the Rae Rock Mine. In the late 1950s and early 1960s this mine operated. Of course in those days there was little known about the contaminates and effect they have on people and wildlife that go near. Since the closure of this mine, there have been many residents that have passed on due to cancer, which some say is a direct result of these people working at the uranium mine at Rae Rock.

Studies were made, but no clear identifier showed that this was the case. Over the years, my people have lobbied strong and hard to get the company or the government to clean the site and finally, within the last couple of years this mine site has been cleaned. This of course is good, however, how many people and wildlife have died over the years as a result of tailing ponds being unprotected, which allowed animals to drink from there.

Now today we have another mine that may be on the verge of closing, that being the Colomac Mine operated by Royal Oak. My concern, as well as a number of my constituents, is that if this mine closes what will become of the tailings ponds. How can we assure my people that no harm will come from hunting caribou that have travelled past this site and have eaten and watered from this area?

It is my hope that we do not have to wait another 30 years for any and all dangerous goods to be cleaned from this site. The clean up must take place, as part of the parcel of this mine shut down and our government must monitor and ensure that this takes place. At the appropriate time I will be asking the Minister responsible regarding this important issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Restoration Of Rayrock Mine Site
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 228

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Rabesca. Members' statements. Mr. Picco.

Strategies For Northern Issues
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 228

Edward Picco Iqaluit

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I will give my budget address later today. At this time, I want to talk of strategies. Mr. Speaker, a goal without a strategy is just a slogan. On April 1, 1999, do we want to become known as a slogan driven government? All the buzz words of slogan driven agendas are there. We have a common agenda, a common plan. My children, and your children, and the one that creeps up in every discussion, with the board collective in the house at the end of the day. The point here, Mr. Speaker, is our revenue has been reduced, and we seem to be void of other areas of revenue generation outside the doom and gloom of new taxes or tax increases. We have not addressed new social housing issues, or a comprehensive job strategy.

But in fairness, it has been a rough 15 months. Mr. Speaker, the mandate of the 13th Assembly has been fraught with less federal funding, looming division, a forced growth rate in the social envelope that is driving the majority of our expenditures. It is not a time, Mr. Speaker, to begin to sit down as an Assembly and ask the residents, the constituency of the Northwest Territories, where the focus for the last 700-odd days of this government are headed before division.

We will have to evaluate the down sizing, reductions, and lay offs, the program cuts, and elimination of jobs and services. The full impact on the pace and direction of our community empowerment and our hiring policies. Then, and only then, can we plan for a course of action leading up to April 1 division and beyond.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to raising these and other issues during the main estimate debates of the particular departments in the committee of the whole over the next few weeks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Strategies For Northern Issues
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 228

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Picco. Members' statements. Mr. Roland.

Cbc Radio Interview
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 228

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to make comment on an interview I did yesterday with CBC Radio. During the interview, I was told that there was information given that Inuvik had taken 11 percent reduction, the highest of all the other communities that were mentioned. It threw me off during the interview, and at the same time they asked how would I defend this.

I replied that I do not believe it is my job to defend the reductions that are coming by this government. I agree I take part in committees, and I put forward suggestions in the committees that I sit on, but if those are not accepted as options, then I have no recourse but not to buy into what is being put forward. I told them it was my job to make sure, as I have said here in the house many times, that fairness needed to be looked at. That we need to deal with communities in a fair and equitable manner.

-- Applause

As I said, with great interest I would see how this budget unfolded. I do not know where this information of the 11 percent came in, but I intend to try and find this out, because no doubt, as the people of Inuvik heard that interview, they are probably wondering why is this happening for the second year in a row? Later on, Mr. Speaker, I will be questioning the appropriate Minister on this information. Thank you.

Cbc Radio Interview
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 228

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Erasmus.

Southern Hires
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 228

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement is on the recent appointments of southerners to high profile jobs, and in particular, on the recent job offer for assistant deputy minister to head the community empowerment initiative.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday Mr. Miltenberger said he was appalled that a southerner had been offered this position. I, too, am appalled. I am appalled, shocked, dismayed, and ashamed. Yes, ashamed. Ashamed to be part of a government that would make a job offer of assistant deputy minister in charge of community empowerment to a southern person with no northern experience whatsoever.

Mr. Speaker, no doubt the person is a good worker, he has a good resume, and all the rest of that, but in this past year alone, we have laid off over 200 people in Yellowknife, and somewhere in the vicinity of 400 in the Northwest Territories. The Premier and the Finance Minister have indicated that we still have an affirmative action policy, but the Minister of MACA does not want to indicate that our department follows this mythical policy. This indicates to me that this mythical policy does not seem to apply to Cabinet. A Cabinet that is supposed to lead by example. What kind of example is Cabinet setting when, in the last year, they have hired three out of five high profile positions, they have hired people from the south. Mr. Speaker, the community people are already sceptical about community empowerment. I would have thought that they would have found a friendly, honest, respected face. No, we get a southerner with no northern experience to lead the charge on community empowerment. What will the community leaders think, when this person comes to consult with them, when he does not even know what Treaty 8 is, or the South Slave Region?

-- Applause

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

Southern Hires
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 228

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Member for Yellowknife North is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. You have unanimous consent, Mr. Erasmus.

Southern Hires
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 228

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Does this government still have an affirmative action policy? If we do, does this affirmative action policy apply to cabinet? Apparently not. The Minister of MACA would not answer yesterday when I asked if MACA follows the policy. Now, for this assistant deputy minister position, it should not have even been advertised in the south, never mind hire a southerner. Talk about kicking a person while he is down. You hire a

southerner, and they have absolutely no northern experience whatsoever. I would suggest that if the interviewers were not happy with the northern applicants, they should have re-advertised the position. This has been done many times. I would like to know why this was not done in this instance. Mr. Speaker, in the words of a well known, beloved, benevolent benefactor, who is all things for all people in all areas of the NWT, why, why, why?

The only word that comes to mind is arrogance, Mr. Speaker. Yes, arrogance, and I cannot understand the arrogance of this cabinet, and I cannot condone it. The job offer for this assistant deputy minister position should never have been made, and I am asking the Minister to revoke it. Thank you.

-- Applause

Southern Hires
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 229

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Erasmus. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery, Mr. Ootes.

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

Page 229

Jake Ootes

Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to introduce a very well-known and respected Metis elder in the north, a northern prospector. He is a good friend of mine and a constituent, Darcy Arden.

-- Applause

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

January 27th, 1997

Page 229

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Welcome to the Assembly. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

I would like to make a ruling on the point of order raised by Mr. Kakfwi on January 24, 1997. The rules and procedures of this House require the Speaker to rule on all points of order and privilege as they arise in the House. I would therefore like to rule on the point of order raised by the Member for Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi, on Friday, January 24 regarding dress and decorum.

Speaker's Ruling

In providing this ruling, I considered past practices and rulings that have been made on the question of dress and decorum in the Assembly. I do not intend to address, in great detail, the specific point raised by Mr. Kakfwi so as not to provide further profile to this particular incident.

First, to the question of what attire and dress in the chamber would be considered a matter for a ruling by the chair if Rule 12 is challenged. In our rules, under the heading, Order and Decorum, Rule 12(9), provides for the following and I quote:

"When in the Assembly, every Member shall be attired in native dress or in a manner appropriate to the dignity of the Assembly."

This is perhaps one of the most difficult rules that we have with respect to its interpretation and application. For example, other rules under the same section are far more clear, such as the following, and I quote Rule 12(10):

"Smoking is not permitted during any proceedings of the Assembly. Food and beverages, other than water, may not be brought into or consumed in the chamber."

By way of illustration, that rule is easy to interpret and when an infraction occurs, it is obvious to the chair and the rule can be clearly and quickly applied. This, as I indicated, is not as simple when considering the attire of Members. This question has been raised before in the 13th Assembly and it also has been raised in other Assemblies. The chair has previously allowed some latitude in the matter when it is raised more as a way of providing, some might say, comic relief. However, I feel that comic relief of this nature is not something that I will continue to tolerate and I am sure those who follow the actions of Members in the House, through television and radio, do not wish to see their elected members behaving in a manner that may discredit the Legislative Assembly as a whole.

To the specific point of order raised by Mr. Kakfwi, he felt, and I quote from Mr. Kakfwi's comments contained on page 343 of the unedited Hansard:

"Mr. Speaker, there are two points. One, that the wearing of a tie that has Mickey Mouse on it offends the dignity of the Dene jacket that is worn. The second point raised was that the wearing of a Mickey Mouse tie offends the dignity of the House in which the Member is sitting."

With regard to the first point, on the question of wearing a tie with a traditional Dene jacket, I would suggest it would be very difficult to deal with this issue in isolation of all Members' opinions on the matter. I do not intend to waste the time of the House to do this and will comment on this later. I do note, however, that the Member for Mackenzie Delta, in responding to the point of order, did indicate some understanding of Mr. Kakfwi's concern and I quote from his comments contained on page 343 of the unedited Hansard:

"I do have to agree with my colleague who raised the point in regards to wearing just the traditional jacket without a tie. I was told that I had to wear a tie. I do agree that when we are using traditional dress, that we should not wear a tie."

Other jurisdictions are not of much assistance to us in addressing this matter. The House of Commons' standing orders are virtually silent on the subject of Members' dress. Many Speakers in the House of Commons, and in other jurisdictions, have ruled that male Members must wear a jacket, shirt and tie.

In general, Speakers have enforced conservative, contemporary standards relating to dress. Native dress is recognized specifically in our rules, which should be the case, as rules should reflect the Members' cultures and traditions of the jurisdiction they are elected to serve.

I am of the opinion that it would be impossible for the Speaker to produce a dress code where certain items may or may not offend the dignity of the House and the many traditions in the Northwest Territories. It is also clear that there does have to be a standard that has to be applied to ensure the dignity of the House is maintained. I think the constituencies we represent expect more of us in this regard.

In researching this point, I noted that, in the House of Commons, it is usually up to the Speaker where he or she views the dress as disruptive to the conduct of the House. Problems rarely arise unless the attire has been chosen specifically intended to disrupt the House and then the Speaker must focus, not on the dress, but on the disruption.

I am confident that when Members get up in the morning and contemplate their attire for the day, that they do so without any attempt to cause disruption or discomfort to other Members or to make a political statement. I wish to be quite clear that, if I find that any Member does dress to cause a disruption, I will deal with that Member with the full authority you have given me as Speaker.

The present Rule 12(9) does not give the Chair a clear definition as to what or what is not an acceptable mode of dress. Comments last week indicated many Members are also uncertain. I therefore refer the matter of attire of Members and wording of Rule 12(9) to the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures, to provide guidance and direction so that we do not continue with this type of debate in the House.

In light of this referral and, in anticipation of additional clarity on the issue, I rule that Mr. Kakfwi does not have a point of order.

On another somewhat related issue, while considering this ruling, I am conscious of the fact that it was raised during question period. The matter of raising points of order or questions of privilege during question period has concerned me for some time. Such points of order or questions of privilege take up the valuable time allotted to question period. I agree that this is a concern and would point out that a number of other jurisdictions do not permit points of order or matters of privilege to be raised during question period. We have the longest question period of all the Canadian jurisdictions, which may be necessary in our consensus style of government. In our consensus style, it is equally important that we make efficient and, I would hope, effective use of the time available, so that as many Members as possible can ask questions. I therefore rule that:

Questions of privilege and points of order that Members may wish to raise during question period, ought to be taken up after the question period, unless the Speaker considers it to be an extremely grave or urgent matter.

Members, thank you for your attention. Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Enuaraq.

Tommy Enuaraq Baffin Central

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my Member's statement earlier, I will be asking the Minister of MACA regarding an arena for Clyde River. I would like to ask the Minister, the Honourable Manitok Thompson, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, I would like to ask her what her staff have planned for the arena in Clyde River. Thank you. (Translation ends)

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Ms Thompson.

Return To Question 138-13(4): Plans For Arena In Clyde River
Question 138-13(4): Plans For Arena In Clyde River
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 230

Manitok Thompson Aivilik

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Regarding the arena in Clyde River, it has not changed as planned in 1995 and 1996. We consulted with the community and there have been no changes to this point. In 1997-98, drafting will be done, in 1998, the construction will begin in Clyde River and in 1999, it will be completed. (Translation ends)

Return To Question 138-13(4): Plans For Arena In Clyde River
Question 138-13(4): Plans For Arena In Clyde River
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 230

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral questions. Mr. Picco.

Edward Picco Iqaluit

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the Baffin, we enjoy the services of a regional librarian. This person supports the four community libraries in the region, along with running the library in Iqaluit. The regional librarian provides a variety of services including training, developing a Nunavut collection, oral services for residents living outside of Iqaluit, and also building up a very useful resource materials of Inuktitut going back several decades. Can the Minister of Education, Culture and Careers, confirm that the regional librarian position is proposed to be cut in 1997-98 budget, next year.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Dent.

Return To Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 230

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct. That position as well as the other remaining position which is in the Keewatin, are not funded in the 1997-98 budget.

Return To Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 230

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Supplementary To Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 230

Edward Picco Iqaluit

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is a major concern in the Baffin region, especially in my community, about the loss of this position. I understand that with the proposal on the table, is that the people now in the Baffin will have to request/borrow books from the NWT head office of the library service in Hay River. That is where the headquarters for the library service is located. Can the Minister confirm that for me?

Supplementary To Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 230

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Mr. Dent.

Further Return To Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 230

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the intention is to move to an electronic data base which would mean that all of the libraries across the north will be linked, so that resources are available in every community from all northern libraries. It does not mean that all of the services will necessarily be provided from Hay River. No.

Further Return To Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 230

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Oral question. Supplementary, Mr. Picco.

Supplementary To Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Question 139-13(4): Baffin Regional Librarian Position
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 231

Edward Picco Iqaluit

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what does that mean that it is going to be hooked up to the Internet? Does that mean electronic service? What I am saying is, if the book right now is available in Iqaluit, is based in the Iqaluit regional library. It is mailed from Iqaluit to Pond, to Pang, to Dorset. If there is no regional librarian in Iqaluit, does that mean that the library service has to pay to ship the book from Hay River to Iqaluit, or ship it from Hay River to Pond Inlet, at what cost? The principle of the library service, Mr. Speaker, in the Northwest Territories according to the Act is that we would provide a free library service to the people of the Northwest Territories. Who will pay for this, and where is the money coming from?