This is page numbers 491 - 519 of the Hansard for the 13th 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 education.

Topics

Members Present

Honourable Jim Antoine, Honourable Charles Dent, Mr. Erasmus, Honourable Sam Gargan, Mrs. Groenewegen, Mr. Henry, Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Krutko, Honourable Michael Miltenberger, Mr. Morin, Mr. Ootes, Mr. Rabesca, Honourable Floyd Roland, Honourable Vince Steen.

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 491

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you, Mr. Rabesca. Good afternoon. I would like to thank the Member for Mackenzie Delta for serving in my place while I was away.

--Applause

Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. Mr. Dent.

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Yellowknife Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome back. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring Members up to date on the status of the Northwest Territories Risk Capital Investment Tax Credit. This initiative was announced in last years' budget, and approved by the House last September. The program allows investors in Northwest Territories and Nunavut businesses a credit of up to 30 percent of the amount of their investment against Northwest Territories income tax payable, to a maximum credit of $30,000 a year.

The purpose of the credit is to encourage Northerners to invest in northern business operations. I am pleased to inform Members that the administration of this program is now in place, and eligible businesses may apply. The government has appointed Carron Business Services as administrators of the program. Northwest Territories businesses interested in raising capital through the plan should contract Carron Business Services directly for information. Information is also available on the Department of Finance Web site.

To date, two businesses have registered to raise a total of about $1.5 million through the program, and several more are working on applications. I am confident this program will encourage new, small and medium-sized northern businesses to start-up, and existing businesses to expand. Smaller businesses create most new jobs for Northerners and contribute to the growth of our economy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Ministers' statements. Mr. Roland.

Minister's Statement 58-13(7): National Nurses' Week
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to advise the Members of this House and the public that May 10-16, 1999, is National Nurses' Week. Nurses across Canada are being recognized this week for the valuable contribution they make to the country's health care system. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize all the nurses in the NWT for the work they do to help all Northerners lead healthy and productive lives.

Nurses play an important role in keeping our communities healthy. Through their public health, health promotion and disease prevention services, nurses help to provide us with resources to lead healthier lives. Nurses are the backbone of the NWT health and social services system. They make up almost 85 percent of our health care workers. In most northern communities, a nurse is the first person you see when you need health care. As the first point of contact, northern nurses are expected to provide a broad range of services, requiring special training and knowledge.

A new initiative announced in the budget, if approved, will commit $3 million over the next two years in nurse compensation to help us attract and retain competent nursing professionals. But compensation is only part of the solution. People also want to feel that their job matters and that they make a difference. A qualified nurse can choose where she or he wants to work. Nurses are in great demand, not just in the North, but right across Canada and internationally. It is important to let them know that they are welcome and appreciated in our communities.

Communities can play a critical role in making the North a more attractive place for nurses by supporting and respecting their role at the community level. Nursing is a challenging profession.

While at the International Council in England, there will be an opportunity for the NWT delegates to do some recruiting, and hopefully attract new nurses to come to work in our territory. National Nurses' Week provides all of us with the opportunity to say thank you to our nurses for the dedicated professional care they continue to offer us. I encourage my fellow Members to take some time during National Nurses' Week to recognize and thank the nurses in their communities for the important work that they do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

Minister's Statement 58-13(7): National Nurses' Week
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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The Speaker Samuel Gargan

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

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mother's Day is a special day of the year to recognize and cherish all the mothers in the Northwest Territories for the caring, loving, guidance and patience they have given us. We all have been given physical attention as newborns with the love and care of our mothers. They were always there when we needed them. Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend all my wishes to all the mothers of the Northwest Territories in recognition of Mother's Day, which was yesterday. I sincerely wish that they all had their day with their loved ones and not just for recognition of one day, but throughout the whole year. I would like to recognize all the mothers in my riding of Mackenzie Delta at this time and wish them all the best for yesterday and for the year to come. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are times that I am sure the average resident of the Northwest Territories gets very confused when they listen to the goings-on of this Assembly. We constantly talk about consultation, between ourselves as MLAs and Cabinet Ministers, between ourselves as MLAs and our constituents and, even, as a government, consultation between ourselves and our aboriginal partners.

While the other side of this House certainly tries to paint a positive picture on the amount of consultation that they do with the Ordinary Members of this Assembly behind closed doors, I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, that the consultation is not quite as all-encompassing as the Cabinet Ministers have led the public to believe. Mr. Speaker, I do not have to try very hard to think of examples of this government spending significant amounts of public money with no consultation with Ordinary Members of the Legislative Assembly or other affected stakeholders.

--Applause

The recent Minister's Forum on Education was formed and mandated with no consultation with the Ordinary Members or the Standing Committee on Social Programs. The $4 million and rising MDAP where any resident of the Northwest Territories could access up to $10,000 was announced by the previous Minister Responsible for the Housing Corporation with no consultation with the Ordinary Members or the Standing Committee on Social Programs.

In last year's budget there was $400,000 extra for the City of Yellowknife so that it could market itself as a potential diamond centre, again, there was no consultation with Ordinary Members.

This Government under the auspices of the former Minister of Finance spent $500,000 on an Economic Strategy, again, with no consultation with the Ordinary Members. Where was this item carefully considered in the Main Estimates?

I hope, Mr. Speaker, that by just mentioning a few examples from the past couple of years residents will realize that the Ordinary Members of this House are not consulted over every decision made by this government. And, that there are several occasions where Ordinary MLAs find our about new government programs and initiatives at the same time as residents of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I bring this up because the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment has stated that the Ordinary Members of this Assembly have had eight months to adjust the budget, behind closed doors, somehow implying that the failure of the government to address financial shortfalls in the education budget had to do with the inability of the Ordinary Members to make this happen.

This is not true, Mr. Speaker, as my colleague from Thebacha well knows having sat on the committee that considered the budget of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment for seven of those eight months. He is well aware of this. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

For the benefit of the translators, I would like to ask the Members to please slow down a bit. The Member for Hay River is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Do we have any nays? There are no nays. Mrs. Groenewegen, you have unanimous consent.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, throughout the budget process, Ordinary Members have stated that there is a need for more money in education. The government has stated that they agree, but instead of

dealing with the issue they have put the ball back in the Ordinary Members' court, by asking us where we should make the cuts.

--Applause

Mr. Speaker, this government appears to be able to make decisions that cost the taxpayers of the Northwest Territories money, without consulting the Ordinary MLAs or the affected stakeholders, when it suits them. However, Mr. Speaker, it appears that when there has to be a major decision made on the future of education funding in the Northwest Territories that requires a major governance decision to be made, this government is content to sit back and point fingers at this side of the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Mr. Ootes.

Jake Ootes

Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on a more subdued note, Mr. Roland spoke about this being Nursing Week and I would also like to make some comments on that. I want to begin by also recognizing and thanking all our nurses for their dedication and professional commitment to the health care system in the Northwest Territories. We have often heard visitors and even residents within the territory comment that our health service workers are outstanding. We have many nurses who have been providing care in our communities for 20 to 25 years. That sort of commitment and continuity is of tremendous benefit to everyone. As a front-line profession, the trust and working relationships established by nurses is crucial to the health of our communities.

The vacancy rate for nurses in the NWT is between 25 to 32 percent, I understand. That compares with what is considered a normal vacancy rate of 7 to 9 percent. The turnover rate in the nursing profession is not an isolated problem, nor is it to the territories. Similar turnover is being experienced in the teaching profession. Some of the circumstances, of course, contributing to the high turnover have to do with wages and benefits, but also with stressful working conditions. Nurses need to be better recognized for the important and crucial role they serve in our communities.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Mr. Rabesca.

James Rabesca North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves in this Chamber ready to continue our discussions regarding our current year's budget as well as working on various other important items. Recently, I received a letter from a concerned educator working in my community. Her concerns, of course, are in regard to the limited amount of funding available for our education system and our children's future in education.

Recently, we have seen the Minister's Forum on Education come forward with a number of very good recommendations, as well as receiving petitions regarding this important issue from across our territory. Yet, our government continues to inform us that we do not have the dollars to implement these recommendations. I ask this House, do we want our children to suffer from the highest pupil/teacher ratio in Canada, when we already have the highest level of special needs students in Canada and the highest illiteracy in Canada? Not to mention the highest dropout rate and the highest suicide rate among the youth in Canada, as well as the lowest funding in Canada.

We must find a solution to this very grave problem or our children's future will be a very dismal sight. We need to work together to ensure proper funding is in place for all of our educational facilities. We must also ensure that our children, have the opportunity to succeed as well as any child across the country has. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Erasmus.

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to comment today on the development of a Northern Accord and the reasons why we need it. Mr. Speaker, last week the Premier and a couple of Cabinet Ministers made a presentation to the Dene chiefs here, in Yellowknife. They had indicated that they had wished to develop some kind of, what we have called in the past, a Northern Accord, to bring control of the northern resources to northerners. In the past the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development has indicated that she would not proceed unless all the aboriginal governments were in agreement.

Mr. Speaker, a good example of why we need to act quickly in this regard is that the federal government refuses to act in the best interests of Northerners. You just have to look at the federal government's refusal to include recommendations on the secondary diamond industry in its comprehensive study of the Diavik Diamond Project. Mr. Speaker, 80 percent of the socio-economic benefits from diamond mining come after the diamonds are taken from the ground. If we cannot ensure northern access to rough diamonds, we may as well just leave those diamonds in the ground.

--Applause

Right now, we receive virtually nothing, no benefits, while the federal government receives over 90 percent of the royalties.

Mr. Speaker, the guidelines for the environmental assessment of the Diavik project state that the project must provide opportunities to diversify the northern economic base to produce and supply new goods and services. The federal government is refusing to put this into their guidelines and we cannot force Diavik to provide rough diamonds for a local secondary diamond industry or to provide jobs to Northerners because the federal government has legal control of our resources currently. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

The Member for Yellowknife North is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Do I have any nays? Mr. Erasmus, you have unanimous consent.

Roy Erasmus Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated, we currently cannot do much to force resource developers to provide rough diamonds for a secondary industry and we know that we are probably going to have a $60 million deficit in a couple of years here and aboriginal governments need money to implement self-government. Mr. Speaker, this indicates to me that the aboriginal governments and the GNWT should focus on developing a process as quickly as possible so that, hopefully, this would provide enough extra revenue so we can maintain current levels of programs and services. I applaud the government in its move and I urge the aboriginal leadership to accept the offer and to move quickly. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I also would suggest that the aboriginal leadership do not try to solve all the problems between us while coming to an agreement. Thank you.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Thank you. Members' statements. Mr. Morin.

Don Morin Tu Nedhe

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As my Member's statement today I will be reading a letter I received from one of my constituents.

As a parent, I would like to say to you, the Minister of Education, the former Minister of Education and the Assembly, the following:

Do any of you know what it is like to teach a child with special needs, along with 20 or more other children in the classroom? I am a parent with a special needs child that is ADHD and I have volunteered my time in the classrooms to help out. As a parent this is not an easy job, to raise a child with special needs. Could you imagine a teacher with just one child with ADHD, ADD, FAS or FAE with no help in the classroom? It would be like trying to teach 40 children all at the same time. In our school a lot of the classrooms are split classrooms. Not only are the teachers frustrated, but the children are as well, not to mention the special needs children. We fail to help them for no other reason than for money. Our children want to learn and are not getting the help they need from their own government. Please do not pass the buck to the next set of MLAs. We need the help now. We are pleading to you for help. Find the money that is needed to help our children, do not tell us there is no money when we hear that $1 million is going to adult education. Put some of it into our young students, and if you do it now, then it will not cost you more in the future. Make sure you know what is important to our future. As a parent and a Northerner, I believe our children's education is our future. I keep hearing that education is very important to our elected officials and yet it is the last to get help.

Our former Minister of Education spent approximately $350,000 on a forum, yet everything that the forum found out was put on the table with Mr. Dent last May by all District Education Council Chairpersons. Do you not think that the money spent should have gone into the classrooms? Do not forget it is taxpayers' money, so do not put us aside. In closing, I would like to thank everyone for listening and I would like you to reconsider your decision and put more money in the classrooms for the benefit of our children.

A parent in need.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Mr. Henry.

Seamus Henry Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, later today I will be tabling a petition signed by over a hundred employees of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. I would like to give a little background to the issue raised in the petition. Under our Public Service Act, the Union of Northern Workers is designated as the employees' association for all employees of the Northwest Territories. The employees have no right under Northwest Territories legislation to decide who will most effectively represent their interests.

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of association as a fundamental freedom of each Canadian citizen. Our Public Service Act expressly denies that right. I have raised this issue before with the Minister responsible for the Power Corporation. I appreciate that he has said that he would be willing to change our act if he was convinced that a majority of Power Corporation employees wanted changes. Mr. Speaker, the petition that I will be tabling today bears the signatures of a majority of the unionized Power Corporation employees in our territory. These employees all want the ability to explore alternative representation. I believe the Minister's condition has now been met.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to point out that even without this petition, the Public Service Act should still be changed for all government workers. Employees must have freedom of association, the right to choose, at all times, not just when the Minister agrees. Employees may or may not choose to stay with the UNW at any time, but it must be their choice, without interference from outside parties.

Mr. Speaker, I trust that once this petition is tabled, the Minister will act with the utmost urgency to bring the necessary amendments to the Public Service Act to the House. As he is aware, negotiations are ongoing and this issue is extremely time sensitive. Changes must be made now or the Power Corporation employees' rights will be denied for a further three years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

--Applause

The Speaker Samuel Gargan

Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Mr. Antoine.