This is page numbers 1205 - 1264 of the Hansard for the 13th 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 chairman.

Topics

Members Present

Honourable Jim Antoine, Mr. Barnabas, Honourable Charles Dent, Mr. Erasmus, Honourable Sam Gargan, Mrs. Groenewegen, Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Krutko, Mr. Miltenberger, Honourable Don Morin, Mr. Ningark, Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Ootes, Mr. Picco, Mr. Rabesca, Mr. Steen, Honourable Manitok Thompson, Honourable John Todd.

Oh, God, may your spirit and guidance be in us as we work for the benefit of all our people, for peace and justice in our land and for the constant recognition of the dignity and aspirations of those whom we serve. Amen.

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

Page 1205

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Ms. Thompson. Good morning. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Kelvin Ng will be absent from the House today and tomorrow to attend a meeting of Ministers responsible for Seniors in Victoria, British Columbia. As well the Honourable Goo Arlooktoo will be absent from the House for today and tomorrow to travel to Russia and Alaska to discuss trade opportunities and to promote the export of northern housing materials and expertise in the design, financing, construction and expediting of housing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Dent.

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good Morning. Mr. Speaker, as the only jurisdiction in the country that has a majority of aboriginal people, the NWT is in a unique position to provide leadership in developing school curricula that reflects aboriginal perspective. Education, Culture and Employment staff have been providing this leadership in developing a social study curriculum under the Western Canadian Protocol. Under this agreement, ECE staff are working with departments responsible for education in the four western provinces and the Yukon to develop common school curricula.

The Northwest Territories has strongly promoted the involvement of aboriginal people in developing the social study's curriculum and in ensuring that aboriginal perspective is included. As a result of the NWT's efforts and with the agreement of the other jurisdictions, aboriginal staff from the two territories and four western provinces took part in a recent meeting of the social studies working group in Edmonton. Aboriginal staff are now part of the team designing the document which will provide a foundation for the social studies project. The participation of aboriginal people in this kind of curriculum project signals a change in the way curriculum is written in our country.

The social studies curriculum will reflect issues which have become important across the NWT and Canada. A few of the major issues are: the protection and promotion of cultural identity, the development of a more truly representative and accurate history of Canada and citizenship and Canadian unity. The NWT delegation took a collaborative approach involving aboriginal, Francophone and English language representatives to develop an NWT perspective on these issues. This position was presented at the recent meetings in Edmonton. This is an exciting opportunity for the NWT to lead the country in curriculum development that is appropriate for all learners. We see particular promise in these developments for aboriginal learners, whose rich history and culture will be a valuable addition to the curriculum delivered in Canadian schools. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Ministers' statements. Ms. Thompson.

Minister's Statement 83-13(5): Arctic Winter Games
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

Page 1205

Manitok Thompson Aivilik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today it gives me great pleasure to speak to the Members about the young people from the Northwest Territories who will compete at the 1998 Arctic Winter Games being held here in Yellowknife from March 15th-21st. Sport has always been a positive way to develop healthy people and to build strong communities in the Northwest Territories.

Within a few weeks time, NWT athletes will be coming together to compete in this important circumpolar event. They will be joining athletes from Alaska, Yukon, northern Alberta, Greenland and Russia. In all, a total of nearly 2,000 athletes, coaches, officials and visitors will be participating in this important celebration of sport, culture and Arctic friendship.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide Members with some information about our NWT Team. The team is selected through regional and territorial trials. The selection process differs for each sport. The 1998 Arctic Winter Games Team consists of 352 participants, including athletes, coaches and mission staff from 35 different communities across the north. In addition, 120 officials from across the NWT will also be involved. Team NWT will be competing in all 19 sports including traditional events such as dog sledding, Inuit and Dene games, snowshoeing and Inuit wrestling. I will be sharing with Members of this Assembly, a list of the athletes from each constituency, who have earned the right to represent the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize the efforts of the hundreds of volunteer coaches, managers, chaperons and organizers whose time and commitment create this wonderful opportunity for our young people. I wish to also thank all the parents and other adults who provide the family support for our youth to reach their athletic potential, pursue personal excellence and develop socially and culturally within the context of fair and honest competition. There is still much to be done in these last few weeks leading up to the games. Volunteering is a great way to experience the games and to extend our famous northern hospitality to our visitors. I encourage potential volunteers to please contact the Arctic Winter Games Office and they will find a job for you.

I hope that all Members of this House will be able to enjoy the Arctic Winter Games and support the young athletes from your constituencies. Later on, I will be providing Members with souvenir pins of the games which I encourage you to wear with pride.

Mr. Speaker and Members of this Assembly, please join me in congratulating the organizers, coaches, officials, staff and above all the athletes who will represent the Northwest Territories at the Arctic Winter Games. We wish Team NWT the best of luck in their competitions. May they compete in the spirit of friendship and goodwill? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Minister's Statement 83-13(5): Arctic Winter Games
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

Page 1206

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Ms. Thompson. Ministers' statements. Mr. Kakfwi.

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the creation of a Protected Areas Strategy for the Northwest Territories (NWT) is one of the priorities of this government. Once the strategy is in place, it will provide a framework for the overall development and management of a system of protected areas in the NWT.

Much work has been done in developing information on protected areas issues for community groups and the general public. A quarterly newsletter keeps interested parties up-to-date on the development of the strategy. It also highlights the participation of various regions of the NWT and the roles different government departments can play.

Two other publications, which I will table later today, provide information on the various eco-zones of the north. This system of land classification is used across Canada and will help contribute to the framework for a system of protected areas. Entitled Naturally North, one publication focuses on the western Northwest Territories and the other on Nunavut. These booklets define the natural regions by describing the plants, animals and landscapes that make up each of the seven eco-zones in the Western Territory and the six eco-zones in Nunavut.

The Nunavut edition is available in Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun. These publications will be distributed throughout the NWT to encourage participation in this important initiative. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before the House recesses, I would like to take the opportunity to recognize one of my constituents, Cindy Caudron, who was recently appointed to the National Parole Board. I would like to extend my congratulations to Cindy and wish her every success with her new appointment. Cindy, her mother Doris and one of her older sisters have all been social workers in my riding of Hay River. Another sister is a social worker in Fort Smith. Mr. Speaker, Cindy and her family have displayed a commitment to social work in the north.

Cindy is a long-time northerner and has been a resident of Hay River since 1969. She attended school in Hay River and completed her post secondary education at Arctic College and the Nechi Institute outside of Edmonton. The curriculum at the Nechi Institute combines community addictions, counselling services, suicide intervention and organizational development with an aboriginal cultural perspective.

After obtaining her social work diploma, Cindy was assigned to the community of Fort Providence. It was here where she came to the attention of the National Parole Board. Cindy had developed a unique parole system incorporating the concept of community empowerment in the parole process. This innovative model is now in use in many other communities in Canada. Cindy represents the Northwest Territories, the Yukon Territory, Saskatchewan and Alberta on the National Parole Board. Although the parole board is headquartered in Saskatchewan, Cindy chooses to remain and fulfil, as much as possible, her board obligations from her home town community of Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow we should conclude the 1998-99 budget. This will be the last joint budget of this territorial Assembly. Mr. Speaker, of late, we have been consumed and I think somewhat diverted by some of the tempests that have swirled about in this Legislative tea pot. It has detracted a lot from the good work we have

accomplished in the last three years. We have gone from a $150 million deficit to ending up this year with a surplus. That is good work on our part. There were a lot of hard work and decisions that were made by everybody, a lot of restructuring and other activity that had to take place to accomplish this. We could not have done it if we had not worked as an Assembly. Mr. Speaker, this is the last major initiative, in my opinion, of this Assembly. From here on in we are going to tend to operate as eastern and western Caucuses getting ready for division. I see the focus now for myself, and I think, for western MLAs for nailing down adequate formula financing arrangements with the federal government and to do the strategic planning that is going to be necessary for us as a Western Territory to be ready and up and running smoothly April 1, 1999. As we labour these next long days ahead of us until tomorrow night, we should not forget that we have done good work here and we are leaving the budget in a lot better shape than when we first found it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Mr. Ootes.

Jake Ootes

Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I issued a constituency newsletter recently and in it I had a statement about the Workers' Compensation Board's YMIR, or Years Maximum Insurable Earnings. Members will recall that last fall we had legislation to change the YMIR from $49,000 to $52,000. In my newsletter I stated that an injured worker could collect up to $52,000 per year. I received some feedback on that statement from several people and it appears the true picture of the YMIR needs some explanation. The most an injured worker can collect is 90 percent of the net of $52,000 after deductions of such items as CPP, UIC and income tax. For example, a typical northern worker who earned $52,000 or up, would see deductions of about $17,000 for a net pay total of about $34,000. The YMIR would be 90 percent of that $34,000. In fact, even the same worker earning $90,000 could only collect on a base of $52,000 less the deductions of UIC, CPP, income tax, et cetera and would only end up with about $34,000 or $31,000, about one third of his previous pay.

Many people up here in the north earn great high incomes. Should they become injured and go on compensation with a 100 percent disability, their standard of living would plummet dramatically. The point I am trying to make, Mr. Speaker, people should understand exactly what it is that they can expect and my statement today is to give people a sense of what the actual coverage is. Workers and especially employers here in the north need to be informed about this. Hopefully, later today during question period I can ask the Minister responsible some questions on this.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today with a heavy heart and a lot of stress which I have been under during the last week for the community of Fort McPherson which had to face a tragic death that was headline news in some newspapers in regard to a murder that took place. Along with that, we also lost a very respected elder. On Saturday, there was a passing of a young lady who was in the long-term care unit in Inuvik. Within the last week, we have lost three people in the community of Fort McPherson.

The reason I stand here today with a heavy heart is because, as an elected leader, I came to this House hoping to make a change and make life better for the people I represent. I have passed many motions in this House. I have made many long, drawn out speeches in regard to the Tl'oondih Healing Program and the help it did for the few individuals who had the opportunity of taking it. I believe without that facility, I see a real increase in the number of crimes and violent deaths occurring in my community.

Since I was elected, Mr. Speaker, I have had to deal with four violent deaths in my riding, all alcohol related. It is a tragedy, especially when a young life is being taken. The thing that upsets me the most, Mr. Speaker, is that I have passed motions in this House and in committee of the whole. I have made several statements in this House in regard to the alcohol and drug problems we see in our communities and health problems we see in the lives of aboriginal people in aboriginal communities. The cycle that we find our young people in is, where they are stuck in institutions, such as jails, young offenders' facilities and also group homes, they take the problem from the community and they allow the problem to go back home. These two young individuals who were involved in the incident in Fort McPherson were stuck in that cycle of life where they were stuck in institutions ever since they were young, 12, 13 year-old children. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Member from Mackenzie Delta is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mr. Krutko, you have unanimous consent.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. We have to break that cycle as leaders. I thought coming to this House, I was going to improve the life of the people in the communities I represent and not have to hear about a young friend of mine being buried at age 33, a young man who was a member of our band council, was involved in the community and was the radio operator at the airport, to see this young man on Friday and hear that he passed away on Sunday.

I ask for all of your support here today and the people across the north to hear this message: when are we going to change the lives of those people in the communities when it comes to alcohol and drugs which affect everybody in the community? We cannot continue to stand up and make statements every time an incident happens. We have to find a way to prevent these things from happening in our communities. I ask all my colleagues here today and the people out there in the other communities, we all have to work together to resolve this issue. It has affected me greatly in regard to issues I have been raising for the last three years and now have to stand up in this House and make this statement again.

Please, help those people that need the help the most, those people who are desperate, those people who are without jobs, without any hope in the communities of going anywhere because they are unemployed. They are on welfare. There is no hope of jobs being developed out there and they look at all the younger people whom we are putting through our school systems. What opportunity do we have to get a better life for them if there are no economic opportunities in our communities? We have to look at the communities as a part of an overall community of the Northwest Territories. We cannot look at one area where oh, there are diamonds in the ground, so let us go great guns over there. There is oil in the Beaufort; let us go crazy over there. Everything comes down to dollars and cents in this world, but what is the value of one person's life. With that, please, think about the people in those communities. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Mr. Rabesca.

James Rabesca North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate the Lac La Martre Development Corporation, Department of MACA and Public Works for the two-bay fire hall that will be constructed this year.

After several weeks of hard negotiating between the parties at the final hour last week, all parties came to an equitable agreement. This is good news for Wha Ti, as it will bring badly needed employment, training opportunities and, of course, a new fire hall. With many years experience the corporation will provide an efficient and hardworking team to the project, which will give the community a foundation of good fire protection.

I again, would like to congratulate all the parties involved and will celebrate the grand opening in a few months time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Erasmus.

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to congratulate the Yellowknife Bowling Club on raising $62,000 for the Kids' Help Phone-line on Saturday.

--Applause

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every year, there is a bowlathon that is held Canada-wide for the Kids' Help line. There is participation across the Northwest Territories, too, of course. The phone line is open for all children who have problems at home, at school or whatever. You can phone in anonymously. It is a 1-800 number. You do not have to tell your name. It does not matter what your problem is there are trained people who will help children. I understand there were more than 400 calls from the NWT last year.

This year, Mr. Dent, myself and Alex Arychuk bowled, and we had the good fortune to be graced with the presence of the Premier, who was not able to bowl last year because of his wounded knee. We played two games. The first game was a regular bowling game. The second game was what they call, glow bowling. You have flashing lights, glowing balls, loud dancing music, that type of thing. I do not really know what the Premier did as a youth, Mr. Speaker, but he really came into his own during the psychedelic game. He was bouncing around with eyes flashing and he doubled his score from what he got in his first game. Mr. Speaker, the bowlers themselves got pledges for $31,000. This was matched by the Elk's Hall with an additional $31,000, for a total of $62,000. The league pledges have still not come in. They hope to get $64,000.

Our team would like to thank BHP, Diavik and all the individuals who also pledged. We would also like to thank Debbie Euchner, who has been the coordinator for the past two years, as well as all the volunteers who helped across the Northwest Territories. They are all to be congratulated. They have done a wonderful job and keep up the good work. Our kids need the help line. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Mr. Picco.