Reverend Williams, could you lead us in prayer?

---Prayer

Thank you, Reverend Williams. Please be seated. Mr. Clerk, would you ascertain if her Honour the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories is prepared to address this Assembly.

---Playing of O' Canada

Item 3, Ministers' statements.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will deliver the Budget Address on Wednesday, March 17, 2004. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 3, Ministers' statements. Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the Department of Justice has completed negotiations for a two-year agreement that will see the GNWT receiving $1.24 million to increase the number of aboriginal RCMP officers in the Northwest Territories.

This funding, from the Government of Canada's First Nations policing program, announced last October, will support a number of projects, including: a recruitment strategy to encourage aboriginal individuals to consider joining the RCMP; an access program to help applicants meet RCMP entrance requirements; a community consultation on policing in the Northwest Territories; and, changes to the formula for funding existing aboriginal RCMP officer positions.

Mr. Speaker, the recruitment strategy and access program will ensure that aboriginal candidates have the encouragement and support they need to succeed in becoming RCMP officers. In return, the Northwest Territories will have a police force that reflects and responds to the cultural diversity of our communities. The community consultation project will help both the Department of Justice and the RCMP understand and meet the policing needs of our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank officials from the aboriginal policing directorate for working with Department of Justice officials to bring this funding to the Northwest Territories. For many years, the Department of Justice has worked to help the federal government understand the unique challenges facing policing in the North. The successful negotiation of this funding shows that with hard work, the GNWT and the federal government can successfully address the unique needs of the Northwest Territories.

These projects will change policing in the Northwest Territories. By increasing the number of aboriginal officers, our police force, the RCMP, will be one that reflects and responds to the needs of our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with our partners, RCMP "G" Division and federal officials, over the next two years and beyond to meet the unique policing needs of our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 3, Ministers' statements. Item 4, Members' statements. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, each Member elected to this Assembly first and foremost has the particular interests of their communities and region at heart. The North is very diverse and often so are the issues of priority to our constituencies. It is important for all of us to listen, learn and understand the pan-territorial big picture and the commonality of needs related to the delivery of government programs and services. This can be accomplished, to some extent, as we listen to each other in the Assembly and in committee meetings. But it's also valuable, whenever possible, for Members and Ministers to travel in the North and see first-hand the challenges and opportunities in other regions. It may be particularly important for Ministers to familiarize themselves with our people and their issues.

To that point, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Premier for his initial visit to Hay River, accompanied by Minister Zoe, as my colleague for Hay River North and I met with the mayor and council and were briefed on issues of significance to the social and economic development of Hay River. The Premier also subsequently spoke at the annual Hay River Chamber of Commerce banquet on the topic of fueling our future.

I would also like to thank Minister McLeod for his attendance in Hay River to meet with the Hay River Seniors' Society and their support board, to hear first-hand their thoughts on how the needs of seniors, regarding housing, could be best met.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank Minister Bell for his visit to Hay River, which included discussions with Patterson Enterprises regarding the sustainable harvest of timber; with representatives of the Great Slave Lake fishermen to hear the challenges that their industry is facing; and with the Territorial Farmer's Association executive to better understand their ambitions relating to the potential of agriculture in the North. He also met with two local companies, Northern Transportation and Kings Manufacturing, that are interested in pursuing opportunities to expand their capacity in the manufacturing sector.

I hope that these types of visits will continue. They are very valuable to all of us as we strive to collectively represent the interests and aspirations of all of our constituents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. March is Aboriginal Languages Month. In celebration of that fact, I would like to speak today on the importance of language and culture in providing a definition of who you are as a person. Mr. Speaker, I ask also just to have initiatives towards language and culture in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, as an aboriginal person, I can say that I've applied and understand the heart of the language and have close ties to the land and the laws of the Sahtu; they clearly define who I am as a person. These laws were taught to me by my elders and when you know who you are and where you're from and the history of your people, you have received a great gift. Mr. Speaker, when you have pride in your language and pride in your culture, you can have pride in everything that you do.

You can succeed on all levels when you know who you are, where you come from and where you're going.

The Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, is a vast land with many languages and cultures. Some have been here for thousands of years and some languages and cultures are newly arrived. Whatever your language, whatever your culture, celebrate it, cherish it and seek to understand it. It will keep you strong in times of trouble and free your spirit in times of joy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement is with regard to recognition of Nunakput athletes at the Arctic Winter Games in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Today, I rise to recognize a number of young athletes from my riding of Nunakput who were representing the NWT in Arctic sports and basketball at the recent Arctic Winter Games held in Fort McMurray, Alberta. These young athletes came from the small communities of Sachs Harbour, Paulatuk, Holman and Tuktoyaktuk. I am confident that each athlete represented the NWT professionally, competitively and with sportsmanship.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to name the following young athletes who participated in this event.

In Arctic sports, from Holman, Victoria Akhiatak, Dale Kigiyok, Bryon Okheena, Heather Okheena and Gary Okheena; from Paulatuk, Jonathan Dillon; from Sachs Harbour, Chelsey Elanik and Christine Esau; from Tuktoyaktuk, Kristy Anderson, Matthew Anikina, Craig Gruben and Steven Kotokak.

In basketball, Randal Emaghok from Tuktoyaktuk. Honourable mention should go to Logan Gruben from Tuktoyaktuk as an alternate in basketball. Thank you to Corrine Carpenter for chaperoning and Edgar Kotokak for coaching these fine athletes.

Mr. Speaker, many of these young athletes had never before competed in such a highly-recognized sports venue. Without the support of MACA, Sports and Recreation and Sport North, these young athletes would not have been able to compete. I would like to encourage Sports and Recreation, the Department of MACA and Sport North to continue to support all young athletes for future competition in events such as the Arctic Winter Games. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Members' statements. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to speak about the alarming rates of crime being committed in the capital city of Yellowknife. Just today, the local media is reporting the latest statistics from the Yellowknife RCMP which shows that in comparison to the first quarter of last year, the number of personal offences, including assaults, were up from 158 cases to 213. This is an increase of 35 percent. The combined offences, including property theft and others, jumped from 1.251 cases to 1,737; a whopping 28 percent increase from 2002.

Mr. Speaker, this comes on the heels of a very disturbing story in the local newspaper just yesterday, where it was reported that a very dangerous predatory youth sex offender was released on parole without sufficient safeguards, with tragic consequences. Not long after being released on parole, this youth offender found and attacked two young victims. They were sexually assaulted at knifepoint while doing the most ordinary thing during broad daylight: walking home from school, and one so very near her home.

Mr. Speaker, I have no idea what actions the Minister is considering or what mechanisms he could put in to improve the situation. I'd like to know and I will be pursuing what steps he's prepared to take to reduce the crime rates in the city and what added protection the government is proposing to make our community much safer.

Mr. Speaker, I do believe, as Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, that this should be on top of his mind and we, as the legislature, also have an obligation to take decisive and aggressive action to address the issue. I would like to reiterate that I will be pursuing this issue in the coming days and weeks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 4, Members' statements. The Member for Inuvik-Twin Lakes, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Throughout the course of the 14th and 15th Legislative Assemblies, the Legislative Assembly and Cabinet have been working diligently on devolution, resource revenue sharing and new fiscal arrangements with the federal government. This has been an exhaustive exercise and could be classified as futile in effort.

On many occasions, we have heard the Premier make public statements to this effect. In a quote from the National Post on February 2nd he states, "This thing has been going on far too long. From a territorial and constituency perspective, I don't believe anyone in the NWT would disagree with that fact..."

Mr. Speaker, I'm not going to criticize the efforts of this government, rather, I would like to offer encouragement to take a more ambitious approach to achieving province-like powers, with the ultimate goal of achieving provincehood. Mr. Speaker, in speaking clearly on defining a process for dealing with issues related to the idea of achieving provincehood, we have to take a look at history. A history lesson happened only 100 short years ago south of our border, to Saskatchewan and Alberta who became provinces in 1905.

Excerpts taken from their entry into provincehood are very similar to ours in this modern day. If I can quote these similarities, Mr. Speaker, they are as follows:

"For a government which possesses almost all the powers and responsibilities of a province in its own right, but which did not have the financial resources to act, the situation began to become difficult. The territories could not borrow money, could not obtain revenues from public lands, as an example."

Final quote, Mr. Speaker:

"It seems that only granting of provincial status would fulfill the politicians' request."

Mr. Speaker, I did not include the full text, but the essence of my message to the 15th Assembly today is to move towards provincehood since we are a responsible government. Mr. Speaker, what we need to do is request the Premier develop a bill of intent which would outline the steps that would be taken to secure support for province formation and include a draft of a bill for federal legislation so that it would not be found ultra vires outside of territorial jurisdiction.

Mr. Speaker, we, as a territory, have experienced the very same constitutional problems that Alberta and Saskatchewan experienced out of the Northwest Territories Act, 1875. My constituents in Inuvik Twin Lakes now seek a full commitment from this Assembly to begin the process of achieving provincehood and we see this as a good way to start. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know from personal experience that running a small business can be a very rewarding and a very satisfying occupation. It can also be very challenging and very risky. In the Northwest Territories, if you're running a small business -- especially in the service sector -- I don't think you can be blamed if you're feeling just a little under siege these days.

Mr. Speaker, at the end of last year, this Assembly increased the minimum wage in the Northwest Territories from $6.50 to $8.25; almost a 30 percent increase. Housing shortages, especially in the Yellowknife area, Mr. Speaker, have made finding employees, especially in the service sector, a real challenge.

Now, Mr. Speaker, we're advised that the Workers' Compensation Board is set to impose another round of increases on the coverage for workers. Four years ago, as I'm to understand, we had the lowest assessment rate in Canada at $1 per $100 of insurable earnings. Then by 2003 that skyrocketed -- those are the words of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Mr. Speaker -- to $1.65. Now we're looking at an average assessment rate for 2004 that's going to be $2.39, an increase of 2.5 times in four years. The impact of this on one fast food restaurant in Yellowknife looks like this: Last year, they paid $4,000; this year it's going to be $6,747. The assessment rate in his sector is going from $1.30 per $100 to $1.90; a 46 percent increase.

Mr. Speaker, the impact of wages and housing and Workers' Compensation Board premiums all have their own merits, but the cumulative effect, the combined effect, even in a booming economy such as we have in Yellowknife, is one that's putting the small business sector under pressure. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said in a survey last year that 58 percent of NWT businesses who responded said that this government's understanding of entrepreneurship was poor. I think we may have another demonstration of that coming up with these Workers' Compensation Board increases. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 4, Members' statements. The Member for Hay River North, Mr. Delorey.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to be back in this wonderful Chamber with yourself and the rest of my colleagues as we embark on what promises to be a very busy and interesting session. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the accomplishments of the 25 athletes and one coach from Hay River who represented us extremely well at the Arctic Winter Games held from February 28th to March 6th in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Mr. Speaker, I would especially like to recognize those athletes from my riding of Hay River North. They are: Trista Nault in basketball; AJ Norberg in snowshoe biathlon; Marc Leblanc and Matthew Davies in cross-country skiing; Jared Monkman in curling; Meagan Cook in female hockey; Corey Coady in midget hockey; and, Michelle Cook in women's volleyball.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT contingent of athletes fared very well at the Arctic Winter Games, garnering a total of 104 medals. I would also like to bestow special recognition on Pat Bobinski, the coach of the snowshoe biathlon team, who has been an extremely dedicated coach to numerous Hay River athletes over the years. Pat has coached all ranks of athletes from beginners to nationally-ranked athletes. In addition, he donates literally hundreds of hours each year to sports and is a prime example of what volunteering can do for sports and the community.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to all the Team NWT athletes. I would also like to encourage all of our youth to set their sights on the Arctic Winter Games so they may recognize the benefits of an active lifestyle. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) Today I'd like to send a message to the elders and youth of my riding. I'd also like to mention... (Translation ends)

...to be gathered with my colleagues. It's an honour to be part of the Third Session of the 15th Legislative Assembly.

Today, I would like to take time to reflect on time and change. Sometimes you wonder where time has gone, it can pass by so quickly. With time comes change. When people come and go, things change along the way and these changes can either be joyful or sad.

Since the Second Session of the Legislative Assembly, there have been a few changes within my riding of Nahendeh. Not only were there a few new constituents born, but also a few who passed away. Some did something special to receive recognition and I would like to take this time to acknowledge the ones that I am aware of. I would like to congratulate Lisa Lafferty, Tina Cournellie, Crystal Gaule and Barbara Bertrand on the birth of their new babies. I would also like to remember those that passed on. The elders are: Flora Sibbeston; Moise Antoine; my good friend, Albert Tonka; and, Lucas Saya of Fort Liard.

I would also like to take this opportunity to say a special congratulations to elder Albertine Rodh of Fort Simpson for receiving the 2004 Wise Woman Award.

---Ringing of fire alarm

We'll take a short break at this point for a fire drill. Can I ask the people in the gallery...

Could the members in the gallery please make their way to the side of the building, please, in an orderly fashion.

---SHORT RECESS

Thank you. I'll call the House back to order. At this time I would like to allow Mr. Menicoche to conclude his Member's statement. Mr. Menicoche.

Mahsi Cho, Mr. Speaker. Dene ke ku'e deh koe gehdi. It means set the house on fire.

---Laughter

Just a special recognition to Albertine Rodh for receiving the Wise Woman Award from the Deh Cho and also a constituent from the Nahendeh riding. As well as to Taylor Speed and David Shaw of Fort Simpson who are recipients of the Apprenticeship and Occupation Awards. As well as the participants from Nahendeh who attended the Arctic Winter Games: Jeff Cressman, Alexa Tsetso, Paul Stepdonk, Val Gendron, Leon Hardisty, Morgan LeBlanc, Kerry Ann Loutit, Jessie Loutit, Sarah Simons, Krista Tong, Jennifer Thistle, Jody Thompson, my daughter Deirdra Villeneuve, and Andrew Wright. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to take this time to remember and acknowledge my constituents of Nahendeh. Mahsi.

---Applause

Item 4, Members' statements. The Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful once again to be here with my fellow MLAs and look forward to the work that we will be carrying out in this Third Session. I would also like to recognize four Grade 8 students from Tu Nedhe who will be working as Pages in the session for the remainder of the week. They are Nakita Enzoe and Jared Marlowe of Lutselk'e, and Robyn Balsille and Tyler Delorme of Deninu K'ue.

I would also like to recognize the following Tu Nedhe students who also attended the 2004 Arctic Winter Games in Fort McMurray. They are Vanessa Sanderson, Glen Collins and Jody Miersch of Deninu K'ue; and, Rocky Catholique and Damien Kailek of Lutselk'e.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I would also like to extend my congratulations to Ms. Marilyn Sanderson of Deninu K'ue who received the 2004 Wise Woman Award for the South Slave region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. I would just like to remind Members that your statement should be on one subject, not three. So just so you know for next time. Item 4, Members' statements. The Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to use my Member's statement today to acknowledge all the hard work of everyone involved in sending Team NWT to the Arctic Winter Games which were held recently in Fort McMurray. The athletes are to be commended for their outstanding sportsmanship, athleticism and dedication to their chosen sports. We can all be very proud of the way our athletes carried themselves. I had the opportunity to attend the games and was overwhelmed by how they were accepted and hosted by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. I wanted to thank the organizing committee from Wood Buffalo for doing such a terrific job, especially the mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Mr. Doug Faulkner, and Guy Boutilier, the MLA for Fort McMurray.

Sport recreation plays a vital role in the physical, emotional and mental well-being of our people, especially our children. Today I wanted to acknowledge this fact and recognize how important it is to life in the Northwest Territories. In closing I would also like to recognize the hard work put in by our staff, Mr. Ian Legaree, director of sport and recreation with MACA; the Minister, Henry Zoe; and, Mr. Gary Schauerte, the manager of sport and recreation, for all of their hard work in putting this together. I also wanted to thank Sport North, Mr. Bill Othmer, and all of the mission staff for doing a wonderful job in putting all of the pieces together to make the 2004 Arctic Winter Games a successful one for Team NWT.

The NWT will host the 2008 Arctic Winter Games and we should all be very excited at bringing the games back home to the Northwest Territories and showcasing our territory to our friends from around the world. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 4, Members' statements. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, I would like to direct your attention to the presence of Ms. Jean Storr in the visitors' gallery who is a constituent of mine from Aklavik and she is also the mother of the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, Ms. Glenna Hansen.

---Applause

In the gallery we also have interns visiting from the Ontario Legislative Assembly: director of the program, Dr. Greg Inwood; Michael Acedo; Sarah Baker; Holly Bondy; David Myles; Amanda Mayer; Chris Shantz-Smiley; Melanie Francis; and, Kate Mulligan. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly. I hope you enjoy your stay here and I hope you have a chance to see how our consensus government works, and hopefully you take some good advice and direction for how we proceed in this House. For my colleagues and the rest of the House, welcome to the Northwest Territories, enjoy your stay.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Ramsay. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with your indulgence I would like to recognize in the gallery students from Central Arctic Baptist Academy, all from Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, we have up there Pastor Frank Siemens, the principal; his wife, Mrs. Jessie Siemens; Melinda Myers, supervisor; Alicia Adair, Grade 7 student; James Adair, Grade 9 student; Alexandra Budgell, Grade 11 student; Albert Castro, Grade 6; Melissa Castro, Grade 7; Kristin Hansen, Grade 11, I believe the daughter of our Commissioner; Felicia Skiffington, Grade 10; and, Justin Skiffington, Grade 9. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has been a while since I had this opportunity to recognize my family who is down visiting myself here in the city. My wife Shawna; my youngest son beside her, Mitchell; my daughter Courtney; my son Justin; my other son Quincey; and my next son, hockey player Samuel. Thank you.

---Applause

Welcome to the House. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to recognize my CA that came down from Fort Simpson, Eliza Jane Lafferty. Thank you very much.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two people I would like to recognize in the gallery. Mr. Ed Jeske is a very respected yet feisty senior here in Yellowknife.

---Applause

The second, I am not sure if she is still up there but Ms. Julie Sorel. She is my constituency assistant, which I want to point out if I look good, the credit is solely due to her, and if I don't look good, obviously I didn't pay attention to her. Thank you.

---Laughter

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, once again it is my pleasure to introduce my good constituent, Major Karen Hoeft, a tireless worker on social issues and especially the issue of homelessness. Thank you.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Pokiak.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my wife, Lucille Pokiak, my oldest son Bertram, and my youngest son Darren. Also my CA, Marilyn Cockney and her husband Archie Chicksi. Thank you.

---Applause

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. At this time I would like to recognize the people that haven't gotten recognized and thank you for being here at the opening of the House. Welcome.

---Applause

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement I encouraged the Premier to draft a bill of intent that would give rise to the creation of the Northwest Territories to a province. I am now going to ask the Premier if he will produce such a bill of intent within this 15th Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Premier, Mr. Handley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on January 20th, the Aboriginal Summit and the GNWT signed a framework agreement on the process for negotiating devolution of resource revenue sharing. I hope the federal government will sign it this week and, if that is the case, then that document will outline the process and mandate and may some day result in legislation. But we want to move this ahead step by step. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No disrespect to the Premier's answer, however, I still feel that the people of the Northwest Territories, especially in my riding of Inuvik Twin Lakes, lost confidence in that document and any subsequent documents thereafter. So I am going to again ask the Premier if he is willing to bring forth this process to discuss further with the western and northern Premiers in the conference in Inuvik in July. So I would ask him if he would begin this work, the political work to start generating support for this process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, this has certainly been an issue of interest to my colleagues across the country. All of the Premiers have asked me about devolution and where we are at. Mr. Speaker, this is a process that is trilateral, it involves aboriginal governments, our government and the federal government. The framework agreement I referred to is a first step. Second, we hope to have an agreement-in-principle and we commit to working toward that by this summer, and a final agreement by 2005 with implementation in 2006. That is a pretty ambitious schedule. I hope constituents across the North don't lose confidence in the process, but I really believe we have to take it step by step and I fully intend to do everything we can to bring this to a conclusion during the life of this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we all recognize the difficulty in trying to persuade the federal government to acknowledge that we are an emerging territory. So I am going to ask the Premier again, failing his undertaking on a trilateral level, if he would call upon the chief electoral office to conduct a referendum on the question of the creation of the Northwest Territories as a province. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, that is something that will most likely get discussed at some point by our partners, the aboriginal governments, and it may be something that we want to do at some point here, but I would certainly have to talk to the partner governments, the aboriginal governments in particular, before we would do it. I wouldn't want to try and do it unilaterally or people will feel we are stepping out too far ahead. Thank you.

Your final supplementary, Mr. Allen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't see the relevancy in the discussion with a third party in terms of the constitutional relationship between the federal and territorial governments. I am going to ask the Premier again if he is willing to bring a bill of intent to the Prime Minister's office through the normal process. Thank you.

Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I've certainly made this issue known to the Prime Minister; that this is an issue that is at the top of the agenda for our government as well as for aboriginal governments. I will continue to do that. I think we also have to keep in mind that all of these processes take time, they are not things that you can do overnight. In fact, the Member made reference to Alberta and Saskatchewan. They got provincehood in 1905 and they didn't get control over the resources and land until 1930 or shortly after that. So it is a long process. We have been at it a long time, but I believe that we can make a lot of progress by working together rather than trying to move it too fast and having the other partners feel that we are moving ahead of them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to today ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment some questions around a comment that he made in an article that appeared in the Yellowknifer on Wednesday, February 4, 2004. The Minister comments on how the opportunity for all people in the North is at an unprecedented high rate with the demands for qualified, skilled trades people increasing here and throughout

Canada. During that first week of February, Mr. Speaker, I had the honour of attending the Apprenticeship and Certification Week Awards ceremony here in the Great Hall of the Legislative Assembly, where the Minister once again spoke of these opportunities. I am wondering today, Mr. Speaker, if I can get a commitment from the Minister that he will address the dire financial reality that the average person has in getting into and staying with the trades program. It's a question that I have for the Minister, and I have some supplementary questions, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories program provides a wage subsidy for employers to take apprenticeships on, so that a significant portion of a first-year apprentice's salary is, in fact, paid by the Government of the Northwest Territories, through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, in order to facilitate the young people getting into the trades. The government also provides funding for the school training that is required to be taken by all apprentices, so there is support for the books and that sort of training. I think that what we're providing for apprentices meets a fairly good standard, and I would be interested in hearing from the Member exactly where he thinks our program is deficient in comparison to others in Canada.

Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister for the response. The first thing I'd like to say is that folks who are in the trades program have to leave the North and go to school. Maybe sometimes it's Fort Smith and other times it's Edmonton or Calgary. When they leave the North, they're on their own for the two months while they're away. They don't get paid for the two months while they're away.

Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering why the trades are different. Why can't apprentices in the Northwest Territories access our student financial assistance program to make sure that they have the resources and the financial wherewithal to see the trades through to completion? We're losing a great number of individuals who can't afford it. During the first two or three years of an apprenticeship program, the average apprentice is making $12 to $15 an hour. It's not a great deal of money, and if you have responsibilities at home, a family and what not, it's a tremendous burden.

I'm wondering, Mr. Speaker, will there be a resource available to those in the first years of the trades program to help them financially to get them through this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, NWT apprentices do qualify for financial assistance for books, for travel if they need to travel to take their training, and for living expenses. So there is funding available to support apprentices in those areas already. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess the final supplementary that I have is can I get a commitment from the Minister that he will look at putting trades on par with other post-secondary pursuits of individuals in the Northwest Territories so that everybody is on an equal footing in terms of access to financial resources? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I suspect that there is overall equity right now, if you take into account the amount of subsidy that is paid to support the apprentices through their work throughout the year. This government contributes a significant amount of money to providing salaries to the apprentices while they're working. One of the advantages you have in the apprenticeship program is that generally you get through that program without thousands and thousands of dollars of student debt, which is unlike post-secondary programs for university students. Right now somebody can come out after four years of university and owe this government $40,000 to $60,000 that they have to pay back over a number of years. For apprentices that's not usually the case, and that is a big difference. I think that has to be factored in as to whether or not there is equity in the current program.

I would certainly be willing to take a look at the program and work with my colleagues on the Standing Committee on Social Programs to ensure that there is, in fact, equity between post-secondary supports and apprenticeship. Thank you.

Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wasn't going to ask this one additional question, but I'll rise and ask one more question. How many apprenticeship officers does this government have to service the residents of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Dent.

Mr. Speaker, I can't answer that question at this time. I don't know exactly how many staff, but I know that, for instance, in the North Slave region, there is one officer supported by five staff in the career centre, who can also provide services to people in apprenticeship programs. That's typically the way it is done; the support is provided through the career centres in the Northwest Territories. I will have to commit to getting the Member the specific numbers at a later date. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Ontario was the first province in Canada to create and implement legislation that established and maintained a sex offender registry. The act, named Christopher's Law, was proclaimed on April 23, 2001; named after an 11-year-old boy, Christopher Stevens, who was killed by a previously-convicted pedophile. Since there was no sign of a federal strategy to implement such a program, Ontario proactively and independently, to protect their citizens, developed their own registry.

Headlining in the territorial News/North paper, there was a story of a girl who was attacked in Yellowknife by a convicted sex offender. The attacker was on probation for only 11 days before his next assault. Six days later, he was picked up by the RCMP for being drunk in public, and released. Three days later, the offender sexually assaulted someone else. He only was later identified to police by someone who knew him.

Mr. Speaker, this leads me to my question for the Honourable Minister of Justice, Charles Dent. Does the Minister agree that a sex offender registry could have helped and played a role in this particular case to aid the RCMP to flag this person as a previous sex offender, to help solve sex crimes in Yellowknife and all of the communities in the NWT?

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Mr. Speaker, that's a hypothetical question that I'm having trouble answering. I'm not sure if it would have helped. It's clearly a regrettable situation that happened, but I'm not sure whether or not a sex offender registry in the Northwest Territories would have helped to identify this person. In this situation, the question as to whether or not to identify this person would have been made, I think, by the parole system as to whether or not he was qualified to be released. The situation was that under the terms and conditions of his release order, there was no specific order about how he should be supervised. The parole staff were, in fact, going above and beyond what had been ordered to supervise the person, but there wasn't really anything that had been set out by the parole board or the courts in terms of what should have been done to supervise him. So I'm not sure how that necessarily would have worked. I can certainly take a look at what the options are for setting up such a registry. I'm not certain how the NWT would be able to operate such a service, but I would be prepared to look into it. Thank you.

Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for answering that question. Then in this case, Mr. Speaker, I would like to further draw attention that on September 6, 2001, the Ontario Conservative Government offered their $2 million software at no cost to any other government in Canada that wished to use it. Noting that this software is free from Ontario, would the Minister be willing to investigate the potential of accessing this free software database program for the Northwest Territories?

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would certainly take a look at it.

Supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you again, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Minister, for offering that. Mr. Minister, would you also be further willing to supply information to all Members of the Legislative Assembly, noting reoffender rates of sex crimes for the last 10 years in the NWT, and if this could be linked to offence locations in correlation to their home location, and further out-of-province offenders who commit crimes in the Northwest Territories, and would you bring that forward to all Members of the Legislative Assembly?

The question is sort of bordering on another question. It sounds like you're beyond the original question that you raised, but I will ask the Minister if he would like to respond. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure that I really understand what the Member is looking for and maybe I could ask him to restate it, if that would be acceptable.

Final supplementary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just a point, due to shortness, I tried to summarize my preamble into my next question. Essentially, I'm asking if the Minister would supply us with information, a database that we could work with to see offences committed in the Northwest Territories, so we could recognize the potential usefulness of a database that would note sex offenders. Therefore, we would note reoccurrence of sex offenders in the Northwest Territories, as well as potential offenders who have offended in the Northwest Territories who are

not Northwest Territories citizens. Therefore, I'm looking for 10 years of data of offenders who reoffend. Thank you.

Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't know how you identify potential offenders in a document. I would certainly be prepared to examine what information is available on charges that have been laid and on convictions that have been laid, and provide that sort of numerical data. But in terms of privacy concerns, until somebody is convicted I can't see how we can provide much information.

Again, I am prepared to work with Members here to provide them what we can, but there will be some limitations on what is publicly available.

Item 6, oral questions. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are following up on the Member's statement that I made, and they also relate to the questions that have been asked by Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Speaker, as I'm listening to the Minister, I'm going to say I'm very surprised by the apparent lack of consideration that the Minister has given to this issue. I would think that, as Minister of Justice and as the Solicitor General in charge of crime prevention or safety, he would have given more thought to how this could have happened and what we could do to prevent that from happening.

Mr. Speaker, that predatory youth sex offender, I'm sure, is an exception rather than the rule, but this young man is a very dangerous guy. He's had a long record of sexual offences and he's had reports from probation officers that said clearly that he was likely to offend and that he is calculating and predatory. So I would like to know what the Minister has done in terms of learning about this case, and has he given any thought as to what he could do within his power to make sure that this doesn't happen again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the issue of the two young people is a very incredible situation, and it's certainly horrible for the young people and their families. I am terribly sympathetic to that, but I have an issue here where there's a person who has been charged with an offence. It's an alleged offence and for the Minister of Justice to be talking about a case while it's before the courts is completely wrong.

So I can speak in general about the issue of what we're trying to do about crime in the Northwest Territories. I have met with the chief superintendent of the RCMP and discussed with him the issues that we face with crime in the Northwest Territories. The Member raised some of the issues about the increase in the amount of crime. It's not just in Yellowknife; it's all across the Northwest Territories. We have the second-highest crime rate in Canada. It is an issue of concern to me.

One of the ways we're hoping to address that is to respond to the RCMP's business plan which called for an increase in the number of officers, and hopefully we will be able to see through that some way to address it. Not only that, but the department has funded one RCMP position to work in the city of Yellowknife with agencies like the Community Wellness Coalition to help deal with issues of public safety. There are a number of different programs that are active in the community. The Citizens on Patrol program is going to be in operation fairly soon; there are a number of other ones.

Members can be assured that I am very concerned about the crime rates in the Northwest Territories. I can't speak specifically about any one case that's currently before the courts though. I will do my best to make sure that we can address the issue of the rising crime rate.

Just to remind Members, as we all know, we are not allowed to touch on issues which are before the courts, and also not to name names in the House. So just to caution the Members that if you're talking about particular programs and services privy to the department I have no problem with that, but just to caution you that you're not allowed to raise issues which are before the courts. Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't know if we're talking about the same case, because as far as I know this case has been tried and this young man has been charged and sent to jail for seven years, and this is his third time before the court and it has been done and dealt with.

I do believe that we have to show more than regret in knowing that our young girls are being sexually assaulted at knifepoint near a school and near a home. This is in our backyard. I have a very specific question to the Minister. Why is it that we don't have any communication plan? Why is it the RCMP cannot let the community know that we have a dangerous sexual offender on the loose? In extreme cases, why can't we do that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The RCMP can do that and have done that in the past, but it is entirely the RCMP's decision as to when they should make that sort of announcement.

Supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's good to know that they can do that, and I would suggest that the Minister let them know that they ought to do that in situations like this. My follow-up question, Mr. Speaker, is in this offender's case there are reports that clearly state that he's at high risk, that it is mostly likely that he will reoffend. There

were reports on him saying that on the previous two occasions. Now he has gone to jail for another seven years. Would he look into whether or not in cases like this -- where there are professional assessments, where there are mental health treatment programs and assessments show that he's likely to offend -- there is something that we can do as a government? Could the Minister do anything to make a note of that and to make sure that that sort of offender who goes on probation is watched and supervised and the community is properly notified? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Justice, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can certainly, as I said I would to Mr. Hawkins, take a look at the issue of a registry and see whether or not that would work in the Northwest Territories. In this sort of situation, the new Youth Criminal Justice Act would allow a different approach, and that is an intensive supervision program. So in the future with this kind of offender, it's likely that there would be a more intensive supervision program in place that would reduce the chances of this kind of offence happening again. Unfortunately, that wasn't in place when he was released the last time. I'm referring to the individual in this case, Mr. Speaker, because the Member is right; the sentence has been issued in this case that she's referring to. I do think that in the future with that kind of support, there's less chance that this sort of reoffence would happen. But the federal law has changed in the interim since his previous release. So I've already answered the first part of her question and to the second part, the federal law has changed to allow a different kind of supervision to ensure this sort of thing doesn't happen again.

Final supplementary, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could I ask the Minister to provide us with his precise action plan as to what he plans on doing, a very specific implementation plan as to what he is prepared to do or what he's putting into place for situations like this kind of offender? I realize we don't have a lot of them, I hope, but in cases as precise and dangerous as this, what specific steps is he putting into place so that if he comes out into the open or anybody else of similar criminality that they will be supervised and monitored? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd be happy to provide that to the Member. I'm not sure if she wants me to provide that in writing so that she's got it in a lot of detail. As I've said earlier, one of the first steps is to try and respond to the RCMP business plan to make sure we have adequate policing here in the Northwest Territories. We are supporting community programs like the Wellness Coalition and the Citizens on Patrol program, which again should help to reduce the opportunities for this sort of offence to ever take place. Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act there is a new sentence that allows for intensive supervision of offenders, which again is another opportunity that would make sure that the offence does not get repeated. Those are just some of the steps, but I would be happy to follow up with the Member in terms of other steps, if she would like. Thank you.

Item 6, oral questions. Mrs. Groenewegen.