This is page numbers 261 - 296 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 6th 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.

Members Present

Honourable Roger Allen, Honourable Jim Antoine, Mr. Bell, Mr. Braden, Mr. Delorey, Mr. Dent, Mrs. Groenewegen, Honourable Joe Handley, Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Krutko, Mr. Lafferty, Ms. Lee, Mr. McLeod, Honourable Michael Miltenberger, Mr. Nitah, Honourable Jake Ootes, Mr. Roland, Honourable Vince Steen

-- Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

Page 261

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Colleagues, I know that you join me in expressing great sadness over the recent passing of Mrs. Elaine Whitford.

Elaine was a wonderful ambassador who gracefully represented the Speaker's office, the Legislative Assembly and the NWT.

During their travels, both Elaine and Tony Whitford have made a deep and lasting impression on those who they have met.

Expressions of sympathy are being received from across the North, Canada and other parts of the Commonwealth. Our thoughts and prayers are with Tony and his family at this time.

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Premier.

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Honourable Jim Antoine will be late arriving in the House today. Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Mr. Ootes.

Minister's Statement 21-14(6): Education Week 2003
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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Jake Ootes

Jake Ootes Yellowknife Centre

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise my colleagues that February 24th to March 2nd is Education Week in the Northwest Territories.

This year's theme, "Choose to Move...Move for Health!" highlights a holistic approach to education and is a joint effort between the departments of Education, Culture and Employment, Health and Social Services, Municipal and Community Affairs, Sport North and the NWT Recreation and Parks Association.

Mr. Speaker, with almost 35 percent of our population under the age of 19 years, and the growing prevalence of obesity among children, this year's Education Week theme reflects the reality that we must emphasize an active lifestyle. Physical activity improves our health, our capacity for learning and enhances our experiences within families and communities.

Studies show that daily physical activity improves student performance in the areas of memory, problem solving, decision-making, reading and mathematical skills. There is also a proven increase in attention and productivity.

To help support schools and communities in their planning of Education Week, comprehensive resource packages were developed and distributed to all territorial educational institutions, recreation offices and health centres. In keeping with our continuing support of our official languages, the posters promoting the theme of Education Week were developed in English, French and seven aboriginal languages. Each of you in the House today will have received copies of these posters and packages for your use.

Schools have been encouraged to develop fitness trails as part of their Education Week activities this year. Today, as we launch Education Week, guests will be visiting the trail developed by the students of K'alemi Dene School in Ndilo. I invite each of you to take the opportunity to visit a school and actively demonstrate your support of physical activity by trying their fitness trail.

Our annual celebration of education is an excellent opportunity for each of us to reflect on the ways in which we can enhance not only our own well-being, but the well-being of our families, our schools and our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister's Statement 21-14(6): Education Week 2003
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Item 3, Members' statements. Mr. Dent.

Charles Dent

Charles Dent Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to Minister Allen last week as he made a statement on family violence legislation. I was impressed as he, early in his statement, clearly outlined the social benefits of such legislation. He correctly noted that such legislation gives people at risk of violence another legal tool they can use to protect themselves and their families. But then, Mr. Speaker, I was astounded to hear the Minister say: "We need to have public consultation on whether or not our residents want this legislation." This, Mr. Speaker, after groups ranging from seniors to members of the Social Agenda Working Group have said that we should have this type of legislation on the books.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister said we couldn't proceed with the legislation because people need to be trained to use it. Mr. Speaker, that would be a good approach, but it's not the one we take most often. Usually we pass legislation, and then set

up the administrative procedures to implement it. That's what we should do with family violence prevention legislation.

Mr. Speaker, let's put some teeth in our declaration of November 3, 2000. In that declaration, Members of this House unanimously said:

The Members of the 14th Legislative Assembly declare their intent to address the issue of family violence through their personal commitments to help stop family violence through their own actions in leadership and further support the collective commitment of the 14th Legislative Assembly to work in partnership with communities and their leaders to help lift the silence surrounding family violence and create caring supports for people experiencing violence.

Mr. Speaker, I checked with Alison MacAteer House, one of the women's shelters in the Northwest Territories. Last year, they had 404 admission inquiries; 153 women were turned away because they were full; 152 women were admitted. When you add in the number of kids who were admitted, that number comes up to 344. Mr. Speaker, it is time to act now. Later today, I will present a motion, seconded by my colleague for Hay River South directing the Minister of Justice to introduce a Family Violence Protection Act in June. Not just table it, as he has offered in his statement, but present it for first and second reading. Mr. Speaker, let's get serious about family violence protection. Thank you.

---Applause

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Item 3, Members' statements. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to address the issue of the need of family violence legislation for the Northwest Territories. Other Canadian jurisdictions have realized the merit of this type of legislation. It is time that we further demonstrated our commitment as an Assembly to the elimination of family violence by enacting legislation as well.

We've been talking about this for long enough. I do not believe that there are any credible arguments to be made for deferring or delaying the passage of this legislation during the life of the 14th Assembly. I am not deluded in thinking that this legislation in and of itself is the answer to all our problems with family violence in the Northwest Territories. However, I do believe that it could be a very significant piece of what needs to be a comprehensive approach to not just family violence, but to many of the underlying root causes which manifest themselves as violence. Things such as substance abuse, mental illness, frustration and societal indifference. One of the most important things that family violence legislation would accomplish, is to provide a tool which could expedite the process by which victims, mostly women and children, could be distanced from the immediate harm of the offender without involving lengthy channels normally used in dealing with criminal offences. This would enable law enforcers to assess the situation, seek timely approvals and remove the offender from the home. An intervention could occur before an incident would potentially escalate to bring irreparable harm to the victim or children in the home, an intervention which would be logistically and emotionally less disruptive to the family. What would happen next is as variable as the circumstances and dynamics of the relationship. It might depend on how prepared the parties are to deal with the situation, how long it has gone on or what supports and remedies are available to assist.

I would liken it to a medical intervention. When someone is injured, remove the patient from the immediate threat of further harm, assess the situation and stabilize the patient. Hopefully removing the offending party would at least temporarily stabilize the situation long enough to assess potential options. With effective help, maybe a relationship could be saved; maybe the integrity of a family could be preserved. Everyone in the family loses when family violence goes unresolved. Mr. Speaker, violence of any type, especially family violence is a very complex matter. Situations get out of control and what ensues can be a very traumatic and debilitating force, both in terms of the obvious physical trauma, but also the more difficult to quantify psychological effect for both victims and even witnesses, often children.

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

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to conclude her statement. Are there any nays? You have unanimous consent.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you colleagues. I suggest to you that a means of timely intervention would most importantly provide assistance to the victims, but it would ultimately benefit perpetrators of violence as well, as most later regret what they have done to a loved one in the heat of anger or under the influence of alcohol.

---Applause

I was given to believe that family violence legislation would be passed during the life of this government and I would be the seconder to a notice of motion today to accomplish that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The pervasive plague that is family violence is an enormous yet sadly under-recognized crisis in our society. In fiscal year 2001, 621 women and children were forced to use safe shelters in the NWT. Collectively, they spent more than 8,300 nights away from their homes. That's the equivalent to more than 13 years in hiding. They were fleeing the 424 spousal assaults reported to the RCMP that year. These are horrific numbers. Indeed our rate of demand for safe shelters is eight times, Mr. Speaker, the national average. These are only the cases reported to authorities. When one understands that far more assaults, beatings and other forms of abuse go unreported, we begin to grasp just how broad and far reaching this is. We have an epidemic raging. It's been described as a tragic and destructive problem of grave proportions. What are we doing about it?

In 1994, the Legislative Assembly of the NWT made a declaration on family violence and this Assembly renewed it in November of 2000. In 1998, the Status of Women Council of the NWT held an interdisciplinary conference and from this was formed the Coalition on Family Violence. Sixteen agencies plus three departments of this government have pooled their collective strength to seek answers. Under the leadership of the Status of Women Council, they produced late last year a research project and survey called Family Violence in the NWT. Its 42 recommendations are based on extensive research and 104 interview surveys across the NWT. A protocol agreement is being circulated across the territory to gain support for this document and the development of an action plan on family violence that will flow from it. We will need to bring many skills together of many levels to really make a difference.

Mr. Speaker, if there is anything encouraging on the face of this devastating issue, it is that so many leaders in government, community and aboriginal circles are focusing on family violence. I want to sharpen this focus and, along with my colleagues, I want to see this Assembly take a stand on one part of the problem and that is to introduce and pass new legislation which, in simple terms, will reverse the process that we use today, which will cause the abusers, not the victims, to deal with the consequences of violent behaviour. I urge the Minister of Justice to proceed without delay in bringing this new bill before the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Doctor Shortage In Hay River
Item 3: Members' Statements

February 23rd, 2003

Page 263

Paul Delorey

Paul Delorey Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the fact that Hay River mothers have to travel to Yellowknife to give birth has been allowed to continue since the spring of 2000 and it's time for this to end. As my colleague, Mrs. Groenewegen, indicated last week, Mr. Speaker, Hay River has a relatively simple solution to this situation. That is to hire two more doctors, so that expectant mothers and other residents of Hay River can be properly served by this government. With the addition of a GP anesthesiologist and a GP surgeon in Hay River, Mr. Speaker, the Hay River hospital will be able to commence birthing again and they can once again provide a wide range of services, including minor surgical procedures, to the South Slave region that have been traditionally performed in Hay River for many, many years. Mr. Speaker, the population that the Hay River Community Health Board currently services is approximately 6,000 and with deliveries, that population is sure to rise to 9,000. You cannot afford to ignore these numbers, Mr. Speaker. If Hay River was to acquire these additional doctors, this would enable Hay River's expectant mothers to stay at home when they give birth, close to their loved ones and you cannot put a dollar value on this.

I might remind everyone, Mr. Speaker, that Hay River is a tax-based community and this government is funded by tax dollars. Hay River residents have every right to expect that they can access primary health services such as obstetrics in their home community. Mr. Speaker, I have brought this issue up many times in this House and I will continue to do so until I find a solution to this matter.

Mr. Speaker, there is another service the Hay River hospital currently offers that is in jeopardy of being discontinued if we are not able to secure these two doctors, and that is dental surgery. The Hay River hospital provides dental surgery services for just about the entire NWT. Mr. Speaker, the dental clinic in Hay River has indicated that they could perform dental surgeries at the Hay River hospital for one week out of every month if we could secure these two doctors. Obviously, Mr. Speaker, there is a demonstrated need.

Mr. Speaker, whenever I rise in this House for more doctors for Hay River, I always receive the answer we are looking into it, we are aware of it, we are studying it, we've hired more consultants, and the list goes on, Mr. Speaker.

The time has come to do something about it. I remember well the name of the final report of the Minister's Forum on Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Doctor Shortage In Hay River
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

The Member for Hay River is seeking unanimous consent. Do I hear any nays? There are no nays, you have unanimous consent to continue on.

Doctor Shortage In Hay River
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Paul Delorey

Paul Delorey Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I remember well the name of the final report of the Minister's Forum on Health and Social Services from January 2000 entitled "Our Communities, Our Decisions, Let's Get on With It." Well, Mr. Speaker, it is now 2003 and I say let's get on with it, too, and allow the Hay River residents the quality of health care they so deserve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Doctor Shortage In Hay River
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 263

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

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

Effectiveness Of Range Lake MLA Web Site
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 263

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this being the budget session, we have really been into talking about numbers. I don't have budget numbers of my own to deliver, but I do have numbers of visits to my Web site that I would like to report to the House. Mr. Speaker, since it was started almost three years ago, I have found my Web site to be a very effective communications tool. By updating it weekly and then daily during sessions, I can keep my constituents informed of what I say and do in and out of the House. It's also great to receive immediate feedback from my constituents on a number of issues, some of them more controversial than others. Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to hear when my constituents say they have my site bookmarked and visit it regularly and by going by the numbers, many others are visiting as well.

Mr. Speaker, my stats are based on the last 12 months from March 2002 to February 20, 2003. The total hits to the site were 238,867. Last month, I received 22,069 hits and this month thus far, the hits are at 17,450. The most hits I received in a month was during the October session where I received 23,261 hits in one month. The numbers do come down during the summer months or when we are not in session. The month of April had the lowest hits at 15,234 followed by August at 16,722. Taking this month of February as the most recent example, I can report to you that the maximum hits recorded in one day this month was February 14th at 1,501 hits. The average daily hits this month has been about 727 per day. The maximum hits I received in one hour this month was 864, but the average per hour spreads out to about 30. The maximum hits I received in one day was also during the October session where it reached 1,730 in one day. I also find it interesting that the most traffic occurred on my site between 8:00 and 9:00 in the morning, then 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon. The last thing I would like to report is the fact that while most of the servers who visit my site are from the North, as indicated by the names of servers, there are others such as AOL and Google being the main search engines. I have had lots of visits from the rest of Canada and around the world as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Effectiveness Of Range Lake MLA Web Site
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

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

Maintenance On Highway No. 3
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Leon Lafferty North Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to say it's nice to be back in the House.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, last Tuesday I made a statement in the House when a point of order was raised. A ruling was made in the House on Friday that the words I used in that statement were inappropriate. Perhaps the words I used in the statement were strong, but as a result of that statement, the grader was parked on Highway No. 3 that evening to start with the work the next day.

Maintenance On Highway No. 3
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 264

Some Hon. Members

Yea!

---Applause

Maintenance On Highway No. 3
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Leon Lafferty North Slave

Also on Friday afternoon, I noticed a new sign indicating a curve and posting a lower speed limit when turning onto the gravel surface. Mr. Speaker, because of the maintenance now happening on the road, Highway No. 3 is a little bit safer for the public to drive. I urge the Minister to ensure that this work continues this week as well.

In the past, I have stated that when the staff does work on the road, the quality of work that is done is good. It just needs to be done more often for safety's sake. Mr. Speaker, as an MLA, my job is to lobby for and ensure the safety and well-being of my constituents and I take this job very seriously. For three years, I have been raising concerns about the condition of Highway No. 3 in this House. It is sad that for the most of this time, my suggestions and concerns have been put in the ignore file. I have had numerous people tell me that my concerns about the road are valid. What is of issue here is the safety of all Northerners. I urge all Members of this House to travel the whole section of road between Yellowknife and Rae and make up their own mind about the condition of this road. Highway No. 3 is a lifeline to health care and it is a link to the central goods and services for my constituents. It is critical that this road be monitored and maintained effectively. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Maintenance On Highway No. 3
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker David Krutko

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 3, Members' statements. The member Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.