This is page numbers 649 - 694 of the Hansard for the 14th 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

Frame Lake Arctic Winter Games Participants
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 652

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to join Minister Steen and the other Members who have extended their wishes of good luck to the Arctic Winter Games participants. Participation in sports, as we know, is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. To achieve the level these young folks who have been selected for Team NWT have achieved means they have worked really hard.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish good luck to the indoor soccer team members from my constituency: Lindsay Beck, Anneluzelia Hernandez, Brandon Fabien, Dustin Milligan and Michelle Tuma.

From my constituency going to participate in basketball is Candace Bradbury, Orthan Memedovski and Jason Fietcher. For ice hockey we have Pam Edwards, Brittany Herriot and Brennan Gagnon going. For cross-country skiing, Holly Lennie will be going.

As a cultural performer from my constituency, Robert James Mantla will also be attending the games. Going as coaches and chaperones are Shelly Beck and Bernard Hogan. I would just like to echo Minister Handley's comments that without the efforts of volunteers like Ms. Beck and Mr. Hogan, we could not possibly have games like this.

I hope all of the participants enjoy themselves and achieve at their best level. I hope they are also able to make some new friends and hopefully win a medal or two. Good luck, Team NWT.

-- Applause

Frame Lake Arctic Winter Games Participants
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 652

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. McLeod.

Literacy Programming
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 652

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, literacy in the Northwest Territories is an issue that merits attention. Through the Literacy Strategy, this government has committed $2.4 million per year for the next five years to address the issue of literacy in the Northwest Territories.

The communities outside of the major centres have small populations but the same program requirements of larger centres. There is a requirement for early childhood and family literacy programs, school-aged children and youth, working people, and elders programs.

To deliver a range of programs of varied requirements such as this may require the use of not one but several instructors, a luxury that small communities cannot afford due to limited funding.

Mr. Speaker, it is good to know there is financial commitment to literacy by this government. However, there is more than throwing dollars at an issue as important as this. There has to be a viable long-term plan. The plan must take into consideration infrastructure and social issues in the communities outside of major centres. These issues must address the lack of housing for instructors, a lack of facilities and equipment to effectively host programs and lack of childcare for participants' children.

As you can see, this issue crosses through a number of government departments and I would suggest that these departments actively participate in the implementation of the Literacy Strategy. Mr. Speaker, it is important that the people in the communities take ownership of this programming.

However, in my region, as an example, the Deh Cho process and development activities keep those residents who are qualified to coordinate the delivery of programs very busy. This limits the time they may devote to important matters such as this. I would encourage this government to cooperate with the smaller communities to help them coordinate literacy activities. This cooperation should be in the form of multi-year funding to attract qualified personnel and coordination of activities between communities.

Multi-year funding is important in providing communities the opportunity to assess the requirements and ensure programs are delivered on a consistent and timely basis. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment during question period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

Literacy Programming
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 653

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.

Support For Wildlife Harvesters
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 653

Leon Lafferty North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is on the trapping and harvesting of wildlife. Mr. Speaker, we as a government must support the trappers who want to continue trapping. To do this, we must increase the harvesters fund that we allocate to the communities.

Mr. Speaker, in the last year, we have seen an increase in trappers going out on the land and bringing back fur for marketing. We also see fur prices rising in southern markets. Mr. Speaker, we are putting more money into training and arts and crafts, but there is no mention of funding for communities that may have an increase in trappers going out on the land.

Mr. Speaker, we must recognize the trappers who kept trapping even when the prices were down. This was a way of life for them and they continue to live that way of life. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions on this matter later in this session today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Support For Wildlife Harvesters
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 653

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.

Federal Court Ruling On Tax And Treaty Rights
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 653

Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in his decision, Justice Campbell concluded, and I quote:

I find that the treaty term must be interpreted to provide to aboriginal people who are entitled to the benefits of Treaty 8 a treaty right not to have any tax imposed upon them at any time for any reason.

Mr. Speaker, that was the decision last Thursday.

As the House is aware, I represent the riding that is in the Akaitcho Treaty 8 area. Many people have questions about the relevancy of this court ruling to their own rights. There are questions coming from Treaty 8 citizens who are currently employed by the Government of the Northwest Territories. We need to bring some information to them and to the Akaitcho people as well, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to give a brief background on the issues as understood by the Akaitcho people. The Akaitcho First Nations became a party to a peace and friendship treaty with the Crown on July 25, 1900, at Deninu K'ue. The Crown considered that treaty to be a continuation to the making of Treaty 8, begun in 1899.

For the Akaitcho, the treaty is not a land surrender treaty but rather a stand-alone treaty consisting of the agreements and assurances made on July 25, 1900. The federal court in the Benoit decision said that the honour of the Crown required that Treaty 8 be interpreted as including a full treaty right not to be taxed, since this was believed by the First Nations parties to Treaty 8 at the time of the treaty.

The Akaitcho First Nations have the same general conviction that a treaty term of the 1900 treaty is the right not to be taxed at any time without explicit consent. Whether this right arises by virtue of the explicit promise made in 1900 or whether this right is recognized through the principle of the honour of the Crown, all Akaitcho citizens have their treaty right not to be taxed unless they consent.

The Akaitcho First Nations are currently in treaty implementation negotiations that include, among many other subject matters, Mr. Speaker, issues of taxation. The Akaitcho have stated on a number of occasions that they prefer a negotiated agreement on issues of taxation. At the same time, the federal court has affirmed our treaty right to be free of all forms of taxation and I, along with the Akaitcho chiefs, encourage our citizens to take advantage of this recognized...

Federal Court Ruling On Tax And Treaty Rights
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Mr. Nitah, your time for your Member's statement is over. Mr. Nitah.

Federal Court Ruling On Tax And Treaty Rights
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 654

Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe

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

Federal Court Ruling On Tax And Treaty Rights
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 654

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude your statement, Mr. Nitah.

Federal Court Ruling On Tax And Treaty Rights
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 654

Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are political accords signed by the GNWT and the Akaitcho chiefs to recognize that there are treaty issues which might arise in the course of the negotiations. Our government has undertaken to support the Akaitcho in these discussions on their treaty rights.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, one of the sad aspects of the Benoit decision has been a lot of negative language in the press and in the public regarding the treaty right to be free from taxation. The language has been fuelling negative comments that are hurtful. It would be prudent on the part of the Government of the Northwest Territories to undertake to implement a number of initiatives to mitigate this negative stereotyping of treaty rights.

Mr. Speaker, these negative words go far into the bureaucracy of the Government of Canada. Supreme Court Justice Beverly McLaughlin recently stated to a Canadian Club presentation that the First Nations people in Canada are conquered people. That is not the case and the Benoit decision reaffirms that particular assertion by First Nations that these treaties are peace and friendship treaties.

Mr. Speaker, I think our government could help mitigate some of these problems by developing curriculum that should be viewed with the objective of including materials related to the treaty making process in Canada and more importantly, in the Northwest Territories. All people have treaty rights within the Territory that are members of First Nations. It is by virtue of the treaty that people can live and share the resources of the Territory. These concepts of co-existence should be included in the curriculum. Any review should include the Dene people so that the product is an accurate reflection of their history and view of the treaty and history of the North.

As Judge Campbell has written that the oral testimony is an important component in this analysis of the materials placed before him, there needs to be an understanding and support for this work, Mr. Speaker, in our educational institutions. I will ask some questions of the appropriate Minister to try and clarify and ascertain the position of this government on the Benoit decision at the appropriate time. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Federal Court Ruling On Tax And Treaty Rights
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 654

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Mahsi, Mr. Nitah. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. Bell.

Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In keeping with the mini theme day that seems to be building, I would like to congratulate my constituents who are going to the Arctic Winter Games in Iqaluit and Nuuk. I would have loved to have been able to attend and cheer them on but I will be cheering from here, Mr. Speaker. There are 38 constituents from Yellowknife South that I have to recognize who are going to proudly represent Team NWT as coaches, athletes and officials.

Before I get to naming them, I would just like to say that in hearing Minister's Steen statement today, he mentioned the fact that they would be meeting with their ministerial counterparts from Greenland to discuss culture. I think that is a very important aspect of these games. I know that in the two games I participated in, Mr. Speaker, that was much of the value that I came away with.

The constituents I have to recognize are: Gail Nesbit, Bill Othmer, Brie-Anne Jefferson, Trevor Moss, William Chapple, Colton Sangris, Carlos Gonzalez, Linda Dunbar, Thomsen D'Hont, Megan Bowden, Shauna Burry, Graeme Chan, Kristan Fairbairn, Kenny Mann, Gord Monteath, Julie Monteath, Christopher Wong, Antonio Babic, Christopher Kelln, Robert Borden, Mackenzie Bentley-Little, Hailey Grayston, Nicole Hamm, Jody Doherty, Jeff Fraser, Andrew Hunter, Alex Chapple, Matt Green, Corey Taylor, Danielle Ellis, Brian Hunter, Robert Latremouille, Mathew Walker, Michele Bourgois, Tobi Taylor, Allister McCreadie, Sarolta Wouters and Russel Becker.

I would notice that Matthew Walker is going for snowboarding, Mr. Speaker, certainly an event that was not around in my time, but it is nice to see that we are keeping up with the times.

Congratulations to all my constituents who are going and are attending, and I will be cheering them on from here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Tragic Death Of Young Man
Item 3: Members' Statements

March 13th, 2002

Page 654

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we wind down this session, I would rather end it on a happy note, but I am afraid I have to speak to something much more sad. It has to do with the alcohol and drug problems of our people and how we are not doing enough to help them.

Mr. Speaker, late last night, along with all other Members of this House, I received a fax in my mailbox. The impact of the contents of this letter just began to sink in for me this morning. I have contacted the originator of this letter, Sandra Elliott, and she asked me that I share this with everyone here. I am sure that it is in the interests of the Minister and all Members to hear this story.

Mr. Speaker, the whole letter is too long to read and I will be tabling it later, but to set the stage, Ms. Elliott owns a company called Fibreglass North. She has hired people from the Yellowknife jail over many, many years. It appears that one of her employees has gone missing and is presumed dead and she is not able to find any information about this person. I will start with the section of the letter where it says,

A common sense fund should be set up by this government, the sooner and better. Although development is tremendous for the NWT, it costs money developing oil, gas and minerals, but we must use more money to get rid of the drug and alcohol problem. It will not go away without money being used to rid the problem. The government will be well paid when they sober NWT people up so that they can get a good education and think for themselves. As long as they are using drugs and alcohol, they will never get their life together.

Every day I go to the Yellowknife Post Office, I could cry to see the wrecked lives sleeping on the Post Office floor. We need more shelters for the homeless, not jails. Yellowknife is a very high problem area. I recently am aware of four suicides this year, all young people on drugs. The most recent two last Thursday; James Mungialuk, born February 19, 1966, one of our employees, was one of these. We were out of town when this happened. We have heard several stories that he was found frozen to death out in the bush near Boundary Creek.

Also, a truck driver from RTL found him on a highway out of Yellowknife with his head shot off...

Tragic Death Of Young Man
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 655

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Ms. Lee, your time for Member's statement has ended. Ms. Lee.

Tragic Death Of Young Man
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to just finish my statement. Thank you.

Tragic Death Of Young Man
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude, Ms. Lee.

Tragic Death Of Young Man
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

He was found dead, Mr. Speaker.

I talked to people from Fort Rae and they say the highway is scary between Yellowknife and Rae. There is a drug dealer living out on the highway by Boundary Creek. Apparently, they see young and old people walking on the highway to the dealer, who lives on the highway. James had no gun, nor did he have any money. If it was suicide, where did he get the gun? The last time we saw him alive was here at our home in Kam Lake, Sunday, March 10th.

I have called the RCMP in Yellowknife and the Yellowknife jail for information on his family or where to locate them. They still have not given us any information. Do you know him? He also goes by John Oliver. I have driven down to the valley to the Vital Abel House to visit people who are staying there.

We first hired James from the Yellowknife jail back in 1994. He has been in and out of jail because of drinking and fighting. James was a unique and very intelligent man. He could do the work of three men. We needed his enthusiasm and told him so. He worked off and on for us. We found him last October down and out at the Yellowknife Post Office, brought him out to the factory and put him to work. He was an alcoholic. He was homeless, so he was living with us.

Living on the edge, homeless in 40-below weather, broke, is not a pretty picture. What can this government do? Is anyone aware of James Mungialuk, John Oliver, of relatives that we can contact?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tragic Death Of Young Man
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 655

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it may appear that both Sri Lanka, a tropical agricultural island in the Indian Ocean near India, and Uruguay in South America are furthest from our minds as we sit here today. However, for two of my constituents, these countries are not too distant at all. I would like to recognize two young men, because for Derek Erasmus and Felix Isiah of Fort Simpson, the six months they spent abroad as exchange participants in the Canada World Youth program has had a great effect in their lives.

For Derek Erasmus, his months in Sri Lanka was a very different experience for him and one that he probably thought he would never encounter. As a Northerner and Canadian, we can only appreciate what democracy means for us. Derek was exposed to men carrying assault type rifles and people he could not communicate with. He was in a totally different way of life on the other side of the world where the daily lives involve militant rebels, soldiers and armoured vehicles. All through this, Derek spent time with a host family, where he spent days working with the family, and he spent his time teaching English in a school run by the government.

As for Felix Isiah, he spent time in the agricultural exchange program in Uruguay in South America, where he learned some Spanish and worked on a farm where he learned to work with very basic machinery and tools.

Both these young men have come back to Fort Simpson after this experience and both have learned to accept these different cultures in different countries, and a different way of life. They view the world differently now from their experience. I would like to welcome them home to Fort Simpson and to Canada. I am sure that this program is a very good program. It is a non-government organization that was established in 1971, and the young people who apply to this...

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Mr. Antoine, the time for your Member's statement is over. Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

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

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you. The honourable Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude his statement. Are there any nays? There are no nays. You may conclude, Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is an excellent program for young people. We here in the Northwest Territories value our young people. This is a good program for our young people. I am sure some have travelled on this program before. I would like to encourage northern young people who want to have an experience of this nature to get involved in this program. It is a good learning experience. The young people today have a lot of opportunities and this is one of them. Once again, I would like to welcome these young men back home to Fort Simpson. Mahsi.

-- Applause