This is page numbers 1433 - 1457 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 judicial.

Topics

Members Present

Honourable Jim Antoine, Honourable Goo Arlooktoo, Mr. Barnabas, Mr. Enuaraq, Mr. Erasmus, Mr. Evaloarjuk, Honourable Sam Gargan, Mrs. Groenewegen, Mr. Henry, Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Krutko, Mr. Miltenberger, Honourable Don Morin, Mr. Ningark, Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Ootes, Mr. Picco, Mr. Rabesca, Mr. Roland, 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 1433

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Good afternoon. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to advise the Members that the Honourable Charles Dent will be absent from the House for the remainder of the week to attend the Third National Forum on Education in St. John's, Newfoundland. Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Kelvin Ng will be absent from the House today due to illness. Mr. Speaker, I also wish to advise Members that I will be absent from the House on Friday, May 29th, to attend a meeting of Ministers responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety in Edmonton on behalf of the Honourable Jim Antoine.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. I understand that Mr. Antoine and Mr. Kakfwi are just on their way from the airport. They will be here. Mr. Morin, are you going to do their statements?

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, their plane was late so they will be here in a few minutes. Mr. Speaker, developing partnerships with community organizations is a key ingredient in the success of our wildlife management programs. Today, I am pleased to provide Members with an update on a successful management project in Fort Resolution involving the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development and the Deninu Ku'e First Nation.

For the past several years, community members have been working on a plan to repopulate the Hook Lake area with bison that are free from brucellosis and tuberculosis. There used to be several thousand bison in the Hook Lake area, but due to these diseases, the population is now only a few hundred animals. In the past three years, 62 healthy bison calves have been captured near Hook Lake and brought to a large corral near Fort Resolution. Here, they are tested, treated with antibiotics and vaccinated. The 22 calves that were captured this spring will be held for a year before they are released into a larger corral with 38 adults from previous captures.

Mr. Speaker, this year's capture marks the end of the first phase of this project. During the coming years, the 60 captive bison will be allowed to breed. In five years, there could be as many as 150 disease-free bison in corrals near Fort Resolution, enough to form the basis for a healthy herd which can be reintroduced into the Hook Lake area.

In the meantime, residents of the community will consider what to do with the remaining bison in the wild. Many are likely infected with brucellosis and tuberculosis, and until they are removed, the healthy animals captured during the past three years cannot be returned to their natural home.

Mr. Speaker, the Hook Lake Bison Recovery Project is another example of the government's leadership in effective, responsible wildlife management. It points to the success of working in partnership with community organizations such as the Aboriginal Wildlife Harvesters Committee, which is made up of the Deninu Ku'e First Nation and the Metis Nation Local. This project also demonstrates our commitment to providing a sustainable resource for future generations of northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, this year I would like to ask the Members of the Legislative Assembly to help launch the Small Boat Safety Awareness Program for 1998. The program is an educational initiative aimed at improving public awareness of water and boating safety. Since 1995, the Department of Transportation has managed the program's delivery in the Northwest Territories for the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard. The Northwest Territories has the highest rate of drowning fatalities per capita in Canada. Many, if not all, of these drownings are preventable and prevention is the aim of the Small Boat Safety Program.

Each spring, people from the many organizations participating in the program attend the training seminar. The number of participating organizations has grown over the years to include the Departments of Municipal and Community Affairs; National Defence; Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; the Canadian Red Cross; Sports North; NWT Canoeing Association; NWT Hunters and Trappers Association; NWT Coast Guard Auxiliary; the Yellowknife Fire Department and both Students Against Drinking and Driving groups at St. Patrick and Sir John Franklin High schools in Yellowknife.

The program enlists people in the communities to teach our young people about the importance and proper use of boating safety equipment, safe loading limits for passengers and cargo, as well as the use of a boat's power rating to match the boat and the motor properly. All our territorial schools are visited before summer begins. As the boating season progresses, meetings are held with Hunters and Trappers Associations, yacht clubs and the general public. Last year, the Small Boat Safety Program reached 20,000 people in 44 communities across the Northwest Territories.

The target audience for 1998 will again be our children. Most boating fatalities are alcohol related and involve young men between 16 and 35 years of age. The program directs its message at young people, so that as they grow up and before they reach the critical age group, safe boating is already part of their thinking.

You will remember PUKTA, the Water Safety Bear, from last year's program launch. The Canadian Coast Guard has adopted PUKTA as its mascot and PUKTA now appears regularly across Canada promoting water safety. Several Members of the Assembly made public service announcements that were broadcast through the boating season on TVNC and CBC North with great success. This year, there are already a variety of public service announcements related to water safety playing on television.

I am pleased to invite you to take part in the launching of the 1998 Program in the Great Hall during this afternoon's break. The presentation is centred on the viewing of some public service videos on water safety.

Mr. Speaker, the growing interest of communities in taking a greater part in the Small Boat Safety Awareness Program indicates its success. As the season progresses, you will see more and more communities taking the lead in encouraging water and boating safety in their areas. I know that Members are with me in hoping that the Small Boat Safety Awareness Program contributes to a safe, accident-free boating season this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Now that the Sahtu and Gwich'in land claims have been settled, oil and gas exploration in the Mackenzie Valley is well underway. The last three years have resulted in the awarding of 14 exploration licences, with selected companies proposing to spend a minimum of $50 million over the term of their licences. Oil and gas exploration has also been occurring in the Liard region since 1994. Fourteen exploration licences have been awarded. This significant amount of investment sends a very important signal of the resource potential of the region and its increasing role in the economic development of the Mackenzie Valley.

Over the last year, communities in the Sahtu and numerous oil companies have been negotiating land access and benefits agreements, as required by land claim settlements. Tulita has recently announced successful agreements with Cascade Oil and Gas and Imperial Oil. These agreements will pave the way for exploratory drilling to begin next winter.

In the Fort Good Hope region, the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development is mediating between the community and Alberta Energy on access to Alberta Energy's exploration licence. It is anticipated that an agreement can be reached in time for next winter's exploration season.

Mr. Speaker, the oil and gas industry is, and will continue to be, a critical driver of economic development in the Liard and Sahtu regions. Through the provision of meaningful benefits and the development of valuable infrastructures, communities in these regions will have more opportunities to grow and prosper. In the gas industry, the current development of the Ikhil gas field to supply natural gas to Inuvik is a successful example of northerners benefiting from northern resources. Mr. Speaker, our government will continue to look at new ways in which northern resources can be used to enhance other economic opportunities in the north. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to point out the successes and the accomplishments of the Arctic Co-operatives Limited which is a well-established organization across the Northwest Territories. First, I would like to take this time to thank the Arctic Co-operatives Limited and its affiliated companies for the assistance they gave to the community of Fort McPherson after the Co-op store was destroyed by fire. At the same time, I would like to thank the residents of Fort McPherson for all the work and effort that has been done to ensure that the Co-op continues to operate and deliver good service to the people of Fort McPherson. Mr. Speaker, the Co-op has been in existence in the Northwest Territories for some 25 years, in which the pioneers of the Co-op had a dream of eventually maintaining and running Co-op stores which are owned and operated by the shareholders and the people in the communities. Mr. Speaker, Co-ops have served the people of the north well from the days of just running the store operations to now being into the cable industry and to fuel delivery, hotels to gas stations, you name it, they have played a role in developing our communities. Mr. Speaker, the Co-op is one of the leading employers of NWT aboriginal people. Today, they employ some 700 people in the Northwest Territories. They are owned and controlled by some 14,000 dedicated people as

shareholders of this corporation.

At the same time, I would like to pay tribute to those people who have pioneered and had the vision and ambition some 25 years ago to take the step of ensuring that there will be control, ownership and dedication by the people in the communities. One of the things that the Co-operative effort is presently doing and looking at is the wholesale and marketing of crafts, cravings and other artifacts that are made in the north and produced in the north for which they have established a retail operation and wholesale marketing distribution by establishing a store in Edmonton through Northern Images to sell northern products. With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Co-op movement and the Arctic Co-operatives Limited for their efforts in ensuring that aboriginal people and the people of the north have a say in what happens in our communities. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Mr. O'Brien.

Kevin O'Brien Kivallivik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with little more than 300 days left before the official creation of Nunavut, the pressure on our new government officials is at its peak. Mr. Jack Anawak, our Interim Commissioner, and the recently appointed deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers will be sitting before a very full plate with their collective sleeves rolled up for the foreseeable future.

Mr. Speaker, I have every confidence that each of these individuals will do their best to meet their objectives, to oversee a smooth transition of government services, and carry out the daily responsibilities of the new Nunavut government. Yes, Mr. Speaker, there will be wrinkles and hurdles to overcome.

Unfortunately, there have been a lot of criticism and voices of doom from various quarters regarding our officials and their ability to meet the time lines and to get the new government up and running. Mr. Speaker, I cannot think of anything more destructive to the success of a new government than a barrage of negative comments and ongoing criticism unless, of course, it is constructive criticism.

Mr. Speaker, one only has to listen to the radio and watch television to see that even long established government and their Members have their differences and uphill battles in their efforts to provide effective and efficient government. Differences are to be expected, but they can and should be discussed in a respectful manner as they are usually resolved more effectively and in a friendly and cooperative environment. Mr. Speaker, I believe this is the Nunavut way.

Considering the daunting work load our Interim Commissioner and deputy ministers are facing, I think we should make every effort to work with them and support their staff. They are not, after all, merely sitting on their duffs doing nothing. Finally, Mr. Speaker, we need to keep an eye on the big picture, and that is Nunavut. Nunavut citizens have dreamed, planned and worked for a very long time to set up their own government. We cannot allow petty egos and resentments to slow down this process. After all, Mr. Speaker, the Nunavut dream is at our doorstep. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Ms. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, NorthwesTel, a telecommunications company wholly owned by Bell Canada, the largest company in Canada in terms of capitalization, recently stated that it needs an annual subsidy of between $20 and $30 million per year to continue providing phone services in the north after July 1, 2000.

July 1, 2000, Mr. Speaker, is when the telecommunications industry in the Northwest Territories reaches its first milestone in the long distance liberalization game. Long distance providers will be able to compete in NorthwesTel's operating area.

However, if you look at the numbers, the $18 million accounts for $2.5 million averaged annually in expended credits from 1991 to 1998. There are still unreported credits left. NorthwesTel netted $13 million in 1996, and if it did not conveniently write down its cable division last fiscal year, it would have netted $10 million. It is obvious that an annual $2.5 million loss in deferred credit can be easily absorbed by NorthwesTel.

NorthwesTel must have become very comfortable operating as a monopoly. It has requested that Canada's telecommunications company and even the federal government should pay into a national fund aimed at subsidizing service in Canada's high cost regions. I say to NorthwesTel, welcome to reality. Most northern businesses are built on sweat and prowess of determined and insightful entrepreneurs. The telecommunications business should not be any different.

Mr. Speaker, northern business people do not go hat in hand to the government every time there is new competition in town. Northern businesses face competition every day, locally and extra territorially. If anyone deserves an operational subsidy, Mr. Speaker, it would be northern businesses who have been paying the exorbitant rates we have for our phone services for many, many years. If NorthwesTel cannot maintain local services, then I am confident that there is someone out there who can. The more I analyze their proposal, the more apparent it is that NorthwesTel... Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to continue my statement. Thank you.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Member for Hay River is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Do we have any nays? Mrs. Groenewegen, you have unanimous consent.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The more I analyze their proposal, the more apparent it is that at NorthwesTel, panhandling is a mission statement, competition is a four-letter word and squander is an everyday management tool.

Mr. Speaker, technological progress in the telecommunications industry means that monopolies, government control and protected markets are no longer sustainable. Mr. Speaker, I am going to shorten my statement here just to get to the end of it. Mr. Speaker, I believe there will be many comments and discussion on this subject, and I think it is a good one that we debate, but I believe that the government should do NorthwesTel a favour by telling them to face up to the market conditions. Mr. Speaker, I want to tell NorthwesTel that denial is not just a river in Egypt. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Members' statements. Mr. Ningark.

John Ningark Natilikmiot

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for the past two days, we have been discussing and debating the state of education in the NWT. All indications seem to point out that things have not been good in the NWT for the past ten years, although some Members have reported positively that we have come a long way. I think it is important to point out that we may have some serious problems in the area of education.

Mr. Speaker, some of the rationale has pointed out why things have not progressed as they should in the area of education. In the report we have received from Members, leaders, parents and politicians, some are more compelling than inspiring, vice versa. Mr. Speaker, some Members have indicated that some improvisions have to be made or conceded in order to deliver basic or special education. I think we have to think and realize what is happening in education. Some of the indications that came out from Members in the area of inadequacy of funds, erosions, Mr. Speaker, of pay and benefits to staff, overcrowding in the classrooms, language programs not meeting the need in schools, and there are no or hardly any prospects of graduates having to find a job in the end after their graduation.

We have to ask the questions. What is the problem here, Mr. Speaker and what are we willing to do as politicians? Perhaps each of us can give a little to the future of education, whatever volumes it holds, whatever it is perceived to be. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Mr. Evaloarjuk.

Mark Evaloarjuk Amittuq

(Translation) Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to update my fellow colleagues about the trends that have been occurring in our community this past week. First, a member of the Pond Inlet community, Nellie Sangoya, passed away in the hospital in Edmonton. Her relatives, husband, children, brothers and sisters, I feel for all of them, but it cannot be helped. The other announcement I have is in my own community of Igloolik, a young man named Joda Ukaliannuk had committed suicide just this morning. This young man was my nephew. I would like to pass this information on to my fellow MLAs and I ask that we pray and send our condolences to the families involved. Thank you. (Translation ends)

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Evaloarjuk. Members' statements. Mr. Henry.

Seamus Henry Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last night there was a meeting held in Yellowknife for residents to discuss the issues surrounding low water levels in one of the lakes within the city. The meeting was organized by the city of Yellowknife's Department of Public Works for residents to discuss the current Range Lake water level. Mr. Speaker, the gate which controls the lake's water level was accidentally left open which resulted in water running out of the lake this spring. This caused a reduction in the lake's water level.

The lake is in the midst of a residential area in my constituency. Residents of the area have many immediate concerns about this situation, ranging from a foul stench around the lake where there is now exposed bed lake, lack of sufficient water levels to cover previously water filled areas, potential harm to water fowl which inhabit this area, and most importantly, a potential health risk due to emissions of arsenic and now exposed sediment. Mr. Speaker, the residents' concerns are all genuine and must be addressed with satisfactory answers found.

Prior to this meeting, I was made aware of some of the concerns on this matter by area residents. I also know that as of yesterday, concerns have been brought to the offices of Minister Ng and Minister Kakfwi as their offices and mine have received letters from area residents outlining their concerns. At the meeting last night, the city of Yellowknife committed to the residents to refill the lake up to acceptable levels and continue to monitor this level. Mr. Speaker, I also had discussions with Mr. Brad Colpitts. He is manager of Environmental Health for Yellowknife Health and Social Services who has also assured me that there is no immediate risk or hazard to residents of the area. His department is continuing to monitor the situation and is working with the city to bring the matter to a close. From discussions with the director of Public Works and Services within the city of Yellowknife, Mr. Gary Craig, I am also confident and assured that the city of Yellowknife is doing their utmost to replenish the water levels of this lake which, Mr. Speaker, will also eliminate any perceived potential health risk to residents and return the water levels to the previous state. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Miltenberger.