This is page numbers 781 - 810 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 ---agreed.

Topics

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. Lafferty, Ms. Lee, Mr. McLeod, Honourable Michael Miltenberger, Mr. Roland, Honourable Vince Steen, Honourable Tony Whitford,

Mr.Krutko

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

Page 781

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Bonjour, mes amis et bienvenue. Welcome back from your well-deserved break. I wish to inform the House that I have received the following message from Her Honour, the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.

"Dear, Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories the passage of Supplementary Appropriations Act Number 1, 2003-2004, during the Sixth Session of the 14th Legislative Assembly. Yours truly, Glenna F. Hansen, Commissioner."

Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Minister's Statement 42-14(6): Sessional Statement
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

June 3rd, 2003

Page 781

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, four years ago we, the 14th Legislative Assembly, promised the people of the Northwest Territories that we would be ambitious and we would challenge the status quo and that we would work together to realize the full potential of our new territory and its residents. In the coming months we will complete almost four years of our work to develop, establish and realize the social, economic and political agenda we are taking in our vision statement, Towards a Better Tomorrow. By the end of this summer, I believe the results and successes of our collective commitment will be much clearer, but still much work needs to be done.

Prior to the election in November, the Tlicho Agreement will need to be ratified by all three parties and signed at the Tlicho assembly planned for Fort Rae in August; that the recently completed Deline agreement-in-principle will need to be signed by all parties; that we will need to work hard to advance negotiations on all other lands and resources at the self-government tables; that the devolution framework agreement must be agreed to and signed by all parties, setting the stage for negotiations of an agreement-in-principle for the transfer of land and resources responsibilities to the Northwest Territories governments; that territorial and federal infrastructure agreements need to be finalized and completed; and that we must continue to work to ensure that northern governments and that communities and the people of the Northwest Territories will have access and can participate in a meaningful way in the pipeline regulatory and planning process; and that pilot projects encompassing the many goals and objectives of our social agenda still need to be initiated.

Mr. Speaker, as we return to the Assembly today, an extensive legislative agenda is ahead of us. We will have to be focussed, united, serious and committed if we are to complete the agenda we have laid out. One issue in particular will set the context for the session and for the remainder of our mandate. I am referring to the government's financial situation updated by Minister Handley last month. The short and long term elements of these fiscal challenges must be considered in context.

These challenges are not new. In the past, downsizing and federal cuts have created immense challenges for the Government of the Northwest Territories. In fact, when we first took office with this legislature we were within months of hitting the debt wall. We have consistently addressed our fiscal situation positively and with confidence and always with the fundamental belief that investment now in our territory and its residents will pay dividends in the future. Together we have effectively delivered this message of investment to the federal government, the provincial governments, to industry and to our aboriginal partners who now fully support this approach. Today the Northwest Territories is one of the most attractive places in Canada to live, to work and to raise a family.

There is a growing recognition by industry that the Northwest Territories has a stable and attractive investment climate. More importantly, there is growing recognition in Ottawa that changes need to be made to the Northwest Territories formula financing agreement and that per capita funding arrangements are inadequate. It was a point made clear by candidates in the recent Liberal leadership debate in Whitehorse, who all stated repeatedly that financial arrangements for Canada's northern territories need to take into account the unique needs and circumstances of each territory. It was also apparent in February from Canada's First Ministers, who were unanimous in their call for an independent health care fund to make up for the shortfall in federal transfer payments to the territories.

The Prime Minister himself admitted in the House of Commons that current per capita funding arrangements are not satisfactory for territorial governments in that it makes no sense to treat territories exactly the same way as provinces because their populations are too small. Soon after, we were able to reach an agreement with the Prime Minister to increase federal health care funding to the three territories by an extra $60 million over three years and, more importantly, to launch a process to explore long-term solutions to the inequity of federal per capita funding agreements.

A report, Mr. Speaker, will be provided to the Prime Minister this fall. In the meantime, we remain confident that the federal government, through Finance Minister Manley, will respond positively on tax effort and perversity issues as they relate to the formula. Meanwhile, we will continue to negotiate with our federal and aboriginal partners on the resource revenue sharing agreement that will provide long-term net fiscal benefit for all governments of the Northwest Territories.

This is going to be important during this time in the next few months to show Ottawa, industry and the people of the Northwest Territories that we are together, that we still have a vision and a plan and that we are sticking to it. Our residents and their governments, both aboriginal and public, are determined to reduce their dependency on the federal government and to have the ability and resources to achieve this objective. Current and projected economic activity in the Northwest Territories will soon make us a net contributor to Canada, contributing more than we receive. Clearly we have outgrown our current funding agreement with Ottawa. We will continue to call upon federal cabinet Ministers and the federal government to move quickly to resolve this issue. With a strong and consistent message from all Members of this House I am confident we will be successful. Thank you.

---Applause

Minister's Statement 42-14(6): Sessional Statement
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

Page 782

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Minister's Statement 43-14(6): Seniors' Week
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

Page 782

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, the week of June 1st to 7th is Seniors' Week. I rise to recognize the seniors of the Northwest Territories and their contributions to our communities and society in the Northwest Territories. They truly are the touchstone to our past and the foundation of our future.

Mr. Speaker, early on in the 14th Legislative Assembly, the Members of this assembly recommended that the Government of the Northwest Territories take steps to improve programming for seniors. The government responded by creating an inter-agency working group to conduct a technical review of existing Government of the Northwest Territories programs and services and then consult with Northwest Territories seniors. This work culminated in the release on June 5, 2002, of the Seniors' Action Plan 2002-2003. The action plan, which was released jointly with the President of the Northwest Territories Seniors' Society at last year's seniors' social tea outlined activities that would be undertaken to strengthen seniors' programs and services in the following year.

Earlier today, on the first anniversary of the release of the Seniors' Action Plan it was my great pleasure to announce the release of the Seniors' Action Plan Status Report and a profile of Northwest Territories seniors in the company of Ms. Patricia Rainmaker, chairperson of the National Advisory Council on Aging, Ms. Beatrice Campbell, the president of the Northwest Territories Seniors' Society, and seniors attending a seniors' social luncheon. A profile of Northwest Territories seniors fulfilled a commitment made in the action plan to research issues facing seniors. It builds on work done previously by the Northwest Territories Health Status Report 1999 and the Northwest Territories Health Services Report 2000.

The profile provides information on indicators related to the health and well-being of seniors, including demographics; social economics; social and cultural characteristics; personal health practices; health status; illness; mortality and use of health services; the extended health benefits; drug plan; home care; and long-term care. It also makes a comparison between seniors in the Northwest Territories, nationally and with other jurisdictions with similar socio-economic characteristics.

The status report details progress made and work completed up to the end of April 2003 on the Seniors' Action Plan. With the release of the profile today, 12 of 28 recommendations from the action plan have been completed. Mr. Speaker, work is on-going on the remaining recommendations. During the March 2003 Seniors' Forum, seniors identified action plan priorities for the 2003-2004 year and provided valuable feedback on work underway. We can expect over the coming year to see many of the remaining recommendations completed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Minister's Statement 43-14(6): Seniors' Week
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

Page 782

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Merci, Monsieur Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha. Minister Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide an update to Members on the status of the specialist negotiations. As Members know, the Government of the Northwest Territories has been advised that physician specialists declined the Government of the Northwest Territories' final offer to conclude negotiations through a process of binding arbitration. This decision has signalled an unsuccessful conclusion on negotiations with specialists as a group.

Mr. Speaker, this outcome is very disappointing to me. These negotiations have been a top priority for this government because we recognize the valued role that Northwest Territories specialists have within our health care system. We believe that the proposal offered to specialists was fair and competitive and we were prepared to submit a proposal to an independent and impartial arbitrator.

Members of this House are aware of the considerable difference between the Government of the Northwest Territories and the specialists' proposals. The Government of the Northwest Territories has offered a 27 percent increase in total compensation over a two-year period while the specialists' proposal requested a 57 percent increase. Added to this is the announced resignation of 12 of Stanton Territorial Health Authority's specialists on July 1st unless a settlement is reached. It is important to note that all specialist physicians signed individual employment contracts and these specialists must now decide whether or not they wish to remain in the Northwest Territories. While the Government of the Northwest Territories' proposal may not have been satisfactory to the specialists as a group, it is my hope that most specialists will still choose to continue practising their specialty in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to emphasize to this House and the Northwest Territories public that the Government of the Northwest Territories takes this matter very seriously. Access to quality health care remains a priority to this government and a significant shortage of health professionals in any area, including specialized services, presents real pressures on our health care system. The resignation of 12 specialists will have an impact on service delivery in the Northwest Territories; however, Stanton Territorial Health Authority is working to ensure that urgent medical care is in place on July 1st and thereafter while vacancies are filled. While I am hopeful that on July 1st specialized services will continue to be delivered by current Northwest Territories specialists, some services may be provided by temporary locum specialists and others may be available through referral to southern facilities.

I wish to reassure members of the Northwest Territories public that primary health care, that is care provided by general practitioners, nurses and other front line staff in our communities, will continue to be provided to Northwest Territories residents. People are referred to specialists only if their medical requirements cannot be met by front line health care professionals. I would also like to take this opportunity to let specialists know that they are an important part of our health care system. Although there may be questions about what constitutes appropriate compensation, I can assure you that there is no question about our respect for their contributions to the Northwest Territories health care system and the health of Northwest Territories residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Antoine.

Jim Antoine Nahendeh

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, air is one of the world's most shared resources and clean air is one of its most valuable. Air knows no political or geographical boundaries. Pollutants we put in the air today will affect us tomorrow and in years to come. Today is a good time to contemplate the quality of our air. It is Clean Air Day in Canada. Clean Air Day is about all of us as individuals and as members of our communities making choices that help to create a cleaner and safer world for our families, future generations and ourselves.

The 2001-2002 annual report on the state of air quality in the Northwest Territories will be released today and posted on the department's Web site. This report summarizes information collected on air quality since monitoring first began in 1989.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to report that air quality in Yellowknife continues to improve since the closure of Giant Mine's roaster in 1999, concentration of sulphur dioxide and arsenic in the air have decreased significantly and are now barely detectible. The dust levels in Yellowknife continued to decline during 2002, and were the lowest recorded in the last decade.

I'm also pleased report that air quality in Fort Liard appears unaffected by ongoing natural gas exploration in the area. Despite this good news, it is critical that we remain vigilant. The increase in development of our natural resources, together with the growth of our communities, has the potential to affect the quality of our air. Thanks to the new partnership with the Government of Canada, the municipalities, the Northwest Territories has been able to establish a network of state-of-the-art air quality monitoring stations. The data gathered through this network will continue to be analyzed and reported to the public through reports such as that being released today.

In the future we anticipate making air quality information accessible through the Internet. We have recently upgraded our existing air quality monitoring stations in Yellowknife and Fort Liard, and are opening new stations in both Norman Wells and Inuvik. We will also be monitoring levels of dust this summer in Fort Simpson.

Mr. Speaker, today being Clean Air Day in Canada, I encourage all Members to breathe deeply and remember the importance and value of our clean air. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Mahsi, Mr. Antoine. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Kakfwi.

Stephen Kakfwi

Stephen Kakfwi Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to advise Members of the House that the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment will be absent from the House for the remainder of the week to attend the Ministers of education and labour market meeting that is taking place in Halifax. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The chair recognizes the honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for North Slave, that Minister's Statement 44-14(6) be moved into Committee of the Whole for discussion at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

We have a motion on the floor. The motion is in order and not debatable. All those in favour, please signify. Thank you. All those opposed? Thank you. The motion is carried.

---Carried

The Minister's statement is now moved into Committee of the Whole. Colleagues, before we proceed to the next item, I would like to, with your concurrence, direct your attention to the presence of the Speaker's Gallery of Mr. Yoshikazu Takeuchi, Consul General of Japan, and Mrs. Takeuchi.

---Applause

Accompanying the consul general is Mr. Al Shimeda, and he's the political/economic analyst for the consul. Please welcome him to our Assembly.

---Applause

My apologies, that's the kimona (sic), Mr. Al Shimeda. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on an issue that's been slandered all over the newspapers, slandered in the communities I represent, and myself as the MLA for Mackenzie Delta, from the so-called boys club called the NWT Construction Association.

Mr. Speaker, the whole idea of negotiated contracts is to help communities build capacity. In our small communities, the unemployment rate goes from 30 percent to almost 40 percent; yet in the larger regional centres, it's six or seven percent unemployment.

Mr. Speaker, the land claim agreements that have been settled between the Gwich'in and the Inuvialuit clearly state the intent is to build capacity and have those people and those organizations be self-sufficient in the future. We talk about self-government agreements, we talk about NWT policies that are in place. Those policies are there to be used. We have negotiated contracting policies, we have sole-source contracting policies, we have negotiating policies and also we have ways of maximizing benefits to the Northwest Territories such as the BIP, which gives a company 25 percent write-up.

Mr. Speaker, in the land claim agreements it clearly states the intent of the GNWT preferential contracting policies, procedures and approaches is to maximize local, regional and northern employment and business opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, recently you heard about an MOU being signed by the Gwich'in and the Government of the Northwest Territories where it looks at a five-year agreement of 50 percent negotiated contracts. That again flows through the land claim agreements.

Mr. Speaker, we talk about building capacity, we talk about getting our students to go off to post-secondary education, get their trades, go out there and really feel that you're part of the economic development of the Northwest Territories. But when we hear organizations such as the NWT Construction Association telling communities that you're incapable, you don't have the capacity and you cannot handle anything over constructing a house, that's pathetic. In this day and age when we have people in our communities who have gone out of their way to go get a trade, be a journeyman or be a mechanic or be an electrician or be a plumber coming from our communities and then being told sorry, you've gone out of your way, you've taken the program, you're now a journeyman, but you're not qualified to construct a curling rink...

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Mr. Krutko, your time for Member's statement is up. Mr. Krutko.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

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

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

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

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Speaker, as I stated, we always encourage the people of the Northwest Territories and especially our First Nations people to get an education, to go out of your way to succeed in developing your career and make some meaningful input into developing capacity in our communities. The biggest challenge we have in the Northwest Territories right now is capacity dealing with people in the trades area. We have the same problem in our communities to attract people that will establish their businesses, raise their families and stay in our communities, and not to see them migrating outwards because those opportunities are not there.

I have always stated I support negotiated contracts and I will continue to do so, because I see the advantages that these things have done in my riding for a lot of people who are now working in the mining industry and the oil and gas industry and other sectors of our economy, started out because of those opportunities. With that, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister some questions on this matter with regard to the Minister responsible for the policies of this government. Thank you.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

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

Action On Elder Abuse
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 784

Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. On May 26th of this year at the invitation of the NWT Seniors' Society and Weledeh MLA Joe Handley, I had an opportunity to attend a workshop in Ndilo. It was a workshop about elder abuse, Mr. Speaker. It's a sad and, until now, silent reality for many seniors in the NWT. A similar workshop was held in Hay River a few weeks ago, and more will happen in other communities. The theme, Mr. Speaker, is "Respect Our Elders - They Deserve It." Perhaps the issue is most clearly and plainly stated in a resolution from that Hay River workshop, Mr. Speaker, and that resolution said make it against the law to abuse our elders.

There are no available statistics in the NWT on elder abuse but, Mr. Speaker, it's an issue that's being raised more and more when seniors are getting together. Elder abuse is any action or lack of action that is harmful to health or wellbeing of an elder. It may take the form of physical, emotional, financial or even sexual abuse. In the past when elders have been victimized, they've been hesitant to speak out for fear of the consequences, and especially, Mr. Speaker, it's a difficult thing to talk about when they're suffering abuse at the hands too often of their own families.

The NWT Seniors' Society, supported by this government's seniors' action plan, as the Minister referred to in his statement earlier today, is working to promote zero tolerance for elder abuse in the NWT. They are to be commended for their efforts. Mr. Speaker, we're shining some light on what's been a very dark corner for some of our people, and it's encouraging to see elders speaking out and identifying their own issues and concerns. As the moderator at that workshop said, this is something new and it's about time it happened.

I urge this government to look at the root causes of elder abuse such as over-crowded housing and substance abuse, and later in this session to address that resolution from Hay River which called on us to make elder abuse illegal, when we look at passing the family violence legislation that will enable law enforcement and community officials to act more quickly in family violence and elder abuse situations. Mr. Speaker, the elders of the NWT do deserve this action. Thank you.

---Applause

Action On Elder Abuse
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 784

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Mahsi, Mr. Braden. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

National Seniors' Week
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 784

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as Minister Miltenberger indicated in his statement, this is National Seniors' Week. The motto, "Respect Our Elders - They Deserve It," was very fitting. The community which I represent has a very active, vocal and vibrant seniors' society. Their meeting agendas and activities encompass many issues of importance to seniors, from recreation and social activities to housing needs. Through their president, Mr. Lloyd Brunes, they also have a voice on matters of relevance to all seniors in our territory, through the Northwest Territories Seniors' Society.

The Northwest Territories Seniors' Society has also been very active through their toll-free support and information number for seniors, public service announcements and recently workshops convened on the important topic of seniors' abuse, just to name a few of their activities.

With this being National Seniors' Week we are very honoured to have the members of the National Advisory Council on Aging holding their meeting here with representatives from across our country. This council has been in existence for 23 years and this is the first time that they have convened one of their meetings in the Northwest Territories. I would like to thank our Northwest Territories representative publicly, Mr. Lloyd Brunes, for inviting this distinguished group to our territory. I hope they felt welcomed by the Premier's attendance at their gathering this morning and by the reception here in the Great Hall at noon. We hope that they will have productive meetings, and when they return home they will feel that they better know and understand the seniors and the people of the Northwest Territories.

Finally, I would like to recognize and thank all the volunteers, including the seniors themselves in the Northwest Territories who have contributed so much and who work tirelessly to enrich the lives of our seniors. I encourage everyone to especially take note of seniors around them this week and honour them in tangible ways and acknowledge them for who they are, and especially today I would like to send greetings and good wishes to all the seniors of my community in Hay River. Thank you.

---Applause

National Seniors' Week
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 785

The Speaker

The Speaker Tony Whitford

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Item 3, Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.