Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the course of the past several months, a great deal of criminal activity has occurred in the riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes, as well as other parts of Inuvik. This raises a community-wide concern. In the opinion of my constituents, this issue has surfaced too many times in a number of forums without any recourse or corrective action.

Mr. Speaker, the issue of youth crimes is not the only source of contention or the only problem from my community's perspective. At issue is the Criminal Code as it is applied under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Mr. Speaker, the "judicial measures" parts of the Youth Criminal Justice Act only reference how to deal with the conduct of judicial proceedings against young people.

Mr. Speaker, although the act itself conforms to the jurisprudence under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms where a young person must be provided with the opportunity to exercise his or her rights to counsel in private, subsection 25(2) requires the police to conform to this provision upon arrest or detention of a young person. Mr. Speaker, the majority of my constituents emphasize that this speaks mainly to the provision of counsel and in no way does this subsection refer to the powers under which the young offender can be arrested or detained. We need further clarification on the due process for the act to effectively reduce or minimize youth crime in all our municipalities.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to discussing this very important matter more thoroughly with the Minister and his officials, in an attempt to make my constituents more aware of the effectiveness of this act and I will ask the Minister pertinent questions at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 4, Members' statements. The Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I'm here to talk to you about family. This past weekend, I happened to have the pleasure of attending a special surprise birthday party for a couple of constituents of mine, Larry and Hermie Pineda. They're 75 years and 74 years of age respectively, and they've been married almost 54 years. I think that's an incredible feat to recognize and it's with an amazing amount of respect you have to look towards folks like this. They don't just build a family; they build a community, folks like this.

On that note, sometimes you can look around and there are sad stories out there that don't necessarily have happy endings and we have to pray extra hard. So at this moment, I want to recognize the teamwork of the Department of Health and Social Services over the Christmas season.

As we all know, Christmas is a stressful time. A constituent of mine came to me with a concern that truly was a life-and-death circumstance; it wasn't blown out of proportion. It was reality. I have to stress that the staff of the Department of Health and Social Services recognized the compassion needed to deal with the issue. They took a realistic approach with a willingness to find a solution. The staff did find a solution by taking reasonable steps and they worked within the policy and found a way to make this happen to unite a family.

So with that being said, I just want to take a moment to recognize them and say that though sometimes happy stories get overlooked about departments, I want to bring this forward today.

I'm going to close my statement by pointing out that I'm going to put this government on notice of my high expectation of a good working relationship between Cabinet Ministers and Regular Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 4, Members' statements. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to wish the House a happy New Year and say that I'm looking forward to working with the Cabinet on new initiatives for this year. Over the past couple of months, from early November to a couple of days ago, there were many deaths in the Sahtu region. This Christmas, there were Christmas cards, New Year's cards and sympathy cards. In the Sahtu, we had many losses and communities were heavily impacted. I want to acknowledge the families because it was one death after another and families, grandparents and children were all impacted. It was just one after another. The communities are really feeling it now. We need to do some work on dealing with losses in our regions, especially in our communities in the Sahtu. I want to look at that more closely.

However, Mr. Speaker, I want to just acknowledge the people in the Sahtu communities who have already dealt with these losses and hope that this government will also look at an approach to dealing with the losses of the families in the small communities. I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that there are elders who were lost in our communities and a lot of knowledge left with them. People in our region are looking forward to working with their elders to deal with some of the issues that are being faced today. That's all I have to say, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

---Applause

Item 4, Members' statements. The Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to start by complimenting Mr. Handley on his sessional address and the messages that he has again sent to the Assembly and to the people of the NWT about the desires that we have to really be an Assembly that demonstrates how consensus can work, and how we can get on and really prove by our actions that we can and will do a good job.

This morning, as my colleague Mrs. Groenewegen indicated in her statement, we heard on CBC news that Minister Michael Miltenberger was suggesting that sweeping changes to health, social services and education boards and authorities were in the offing. My concern, Mr. Speaker, is not with the substance of the idea but, at this early point in our Assembly, with how it was presented.

Hearing of an issue, even in the most general ways, but of something with the scope and the range of this kind of news is not the way we want to operate. It compromises us, Mr. Speaker, as Regular Members, when we hear about this kind of thing outside of our process or, indeed, as one of our Members did in the coffee shop first thing this morning. It forces us into a reactive mode and, as I'm doing right now, a critical mode.

I don't want to work this way, Mr. Speaker. I want to be collaborative, constructive and, where I can, supportive. This is what consensus is all about. I know I speak for my colleagues when I say that we want to see this Assembly set a new standard for consensus. What we heard this morning, Mr. Speaker, does not meet that standard. I'd like to remind Ministers that their best sounding board, their first sounding board, is just down the hall in the offices of the Members and in our committee rooms. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 4, Members' statements. The Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mr. Speaker, mahsi cho. (Translation) Today, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to speak about the pipeline. (Translation ends) I would like to let them know that I'm on a steep learning curve, but I am getting up to speed.

Speaking of getting up to speed, Mr. Speaker, the GNWT needs to get up to speed on dealing with the opportunities that will come with the construction of the gas pipeline down the Mackenzie.

---Applause

Oil and gas remains central to the economic development and viability of the Deh Cho region and the NWT. Even though this government has placed great emphasis on the Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline, it has not attached the necessary resources for communities to capitalize on the opportunities that will be available to them in the very near future. For example, the communities future loan fund in my region is one of the smallest in the NWT.

In short, Mr. Speaker, we need to get ready for the pipeline. We need to have funding in place to support aboriginal and local businesses in getting their share of opportunities. We need to have employment and training opportunities coordinated with the needs of industry.

I believe, Mr. Speaker, there is a need for a central agency in Fort Simpson to coordinate all economic and GNWT activities relating to the construction and operation of the pipeline up the Mackenzie. The federal government has created a pipeline readiness office to deal with the pipeline from their perspective. I believe the time is now for the GNWT to show leadership and open a similar office in Fort Simpson. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 4, Members' statements. The Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we embark on our work as the 15th legislature in earnest today and in response to the Premier's sessional statement, I would like to take this opportunity to express my strong and very broad desire to work very hard and to do everything I can during the life of this Assembly to improve the social conditions of the residents of the Northwest Territories.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, just in the two months since our election in November, not a week has gone by when we haven't heard reports in the media about an array of tragedies befalling our people. Just in this month of January, we're on the verge of breaking all records in suicides, homicides and other incidents, most of them related to alcohol and drug use and abuse.

Mr. Speaker, I believe we're very well aware of the enormous economic and political potential we have as a territory and people. We're experiencing already a great deal of wealth coming from mining industries. Yet, there are so many in our communities and in our city who are unwell or hurting too much from abuse to enjoy this wealth and progress. We have too many addicted to alcohol and drugs or unrecovered from abuse they have suffered in the past, or those who are born with the effects of alcohol.

Mr. Speaker, I firmly believe that at the end of our time here, no amount of progress in devolution or formula financing self-government agreements would mean much or make much difference, or be of much value, unless we make an equal progress in addressing the social conditions of our people so that our children are growing with a fair chance at a full life, that they are given opportunities to educate themselves and take full advantage of all that our economic and political advancements have to offer. We need to heal the adults suffering from abuse and addiction of all forms so that they can raise our young and be full participants of our society.

I would like to close this statement, Mr. Speaker, by pledging my commitment to work with everyone in this House, and my proven energy and tenacity to move this agenda and to put the government on notice that they should expect to hear from me about these issues in the days and months to come, in and out of this House, in whatever means I can possibly express them, to make sure that we make real and substantial progress by the end of this term. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 4, Members' statements. The Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to speak about health and social services and staffing in my riding of Nunakput. For the past number of years, the Nunakput riding has experienced reductions in services and staffing. A number of other concerns are raised by my constituents, such as elderly patients traveling without escorts and the lack of translation services. Recently, Mr. Speaker, on my return to Yellowknife, I received a short memo from the Minister of Health and copy of the letter indicating the closure of the health centre in Paulatuk, from January 6th to the 9th, 2004. This concerns me as well as my constituents.

The Inuvik Regional Hospital may at times provide translation services. Plus, let's not forget the Inuvialuit. There are different languages, dialects. How can this be addressed to ensure my constituents receive proper translation services? Also, Mr. Speaker, escorts for elderly patients should be reviewed because our loved ones may not feel comfortable when traveling alone to an urban or city centre.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, these reductions in services and staffing cause great frustration both to the nurses, doctors and the public. So where do we go from here?

In closing, Mr. Speaker, again, I will follow up with the Health Minister on these issues sometime during the next session of the legislature. Thank you.

Item 4, Members' statements. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have in the gallery, students from Kiononia Christian School in Yellowknife. The students came and visited here last year during the last assembly and we enjoyed it so much that they insisted that they come back here and they call this House "righteous house." With the indulgence of the House, if I may recognize the students one by one, if they could get up and be recognized: Lydiah Rabesca; Layah Rabesca; Nadia Wilson; Devon Allooloo; Michael Fowler; Jena Westergreen; Hannah McLeod; Nathan Rabesca; Liam Cameron; and the parents, Titus -- a former Member of this House -- Titus Allooloo; Cathy Allooloo and Mrs. Westergreen; and the teachers, Mr. Gordon Johnston and Morina Feenstra. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Welcome to the House. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have three constituents in the gallery I would like to recognize today: Mr. Blake Lyons, who is president of the NWT Association of Communities and a constituent; also, Ms. Karen Hamre, a businessperson in town and a former candidate in the NWT election; also, Barb Wyness, with the UNW, who is joining us again. I should mention that she is beside Mr. Todd Parsons and both of them participated in a reading buddies program at Weledeh with me. Also I would like to make special note of an old friend, Mr. Ed Jeske, who typically joins us on our openings in the House here. Thank you.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to note one of our most notable seniors in Yellowknife, Mr. Ed Jeske. I believe he is up there, he was waving to me when I came in. Thank you.

---Applause

Welcome. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Zoe.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also would like to recognize Yvette Gonzales, executive director for the NWT Association of Communities. She is up there somewhere.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome...as Mr. Menicoche said while I'm on a learning curve, I would like to recognize the visitor in the gallery, my spouse, Cheryl Bonnetrouge, who also supported me through this process. I want to say I love you, babe.

---Laughter

---Applause