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

Thank you very much, honourable colleagues. In the past, these discussions became frustrated by suggestions such as BOB. Although this has some serious undertones and undermines aboriginal contributions of this jurisdiction, we must nevertheless continue these discussions. Together we can change exclusivity of a territorial name that does not reflect the present people and land. Together we can honour the people of our past and diverse culture of the present through this initiative. It is time this Assembly is committed in uniting the communities and their leadership to discuss important issues for a new North.

As reverberated in the past, I believe the new North has arrived. We were on the right path several years ago when the territory began discussing these issues and we must return to these paths, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had a nice statement all prepared, a text all prepared today to stand up and congratulate the winners of the municipal elections, but, Mr. Speaker, I am going to deviate from that topic because I have something more important to talk about today. It would be somewhat untrue to my own conscience to sit here and just talk about the nice things, because there is another topic that is not so nice. The topic is the issue of the abuse and the legacy of abuse in the Northwest Territories. It is something that I would like to look away from. I would like to not have to deal with it, but it has come to the forefront in discussions, in media articles and amongst people in recent days. It is difficult to stand up here and talk about it because there are nicer things to talk about. You do so at some personal risk because I went home to my riding after taking a stand with some other MLAs in a press release. I had a constituent come up and say, why are you picking on the Premier? Mr. Speaker, I am not picking on the Premier. I have a lot of confidence that the Premier will remember the day he announced he was going to put his name forward. I shook his hand and I said I would support him, and I have supported him. This is not personal. This is something that is so pervasive and so far reaching in the Northwest Territories that we have to talk about it.

We have to know where the leader of our government stands on this issue of abuse and the very vulnerable situation that young children found themselves in in institutions at the hand of people who were in positions of trust and in positions of authority and what did we do as a government to protect them. In response to issues now that have been raised, we want to talk, as a government, about consent. We want to talk about age of moral majority. Were these children Inuit and therefore they had been out on the land and somehow were operating as adults? Are we going to talk about whether they are lying or not? Are we going to talk about 150 students going over to their teacher's house on a consensual basis to have sex with their teacher? I am sorry. These are ugly subjects, Mr. Speaker. I apologize for that. But I just would be so not true to myself and to the people of the Northwest Territories if I sit here and do not say

something about this. So, Mr. Speaker, I have questions. I need answers.

Mrs. Groenewegen, your time for Member's statement is up.

Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The sessional statement that the Premier read this afternoon was a fine inventory of the accomplishments of the 15th Assembly so far. I am proud of these accomplishments, too, Mr. Speaker, but I think at this very critical point in the Northwest Territories development I want to say that I am frustrated that the truly essential goals that we need as a people and territory, resource revenue sharing, territorial formula financing and devolution continue to elude us. These are achievements, Mr. Speaker, that are long overdue as millions of dollars in resource taxation and royalties will not enter the communities and the programs of this government and the communities and aboriginal governments, but flow entirely into Ottawa's coffers.

Mr. Speaker, in his statement, the Premier told us that the number one priority is pursuing a new territorial financing agreement with Ottawa. He said we are pleased with the commitment of the Prime Minister and Finance Minister Flaherty to move forward. On devolution and resource revenue sharing, the Premier says we are optimistic and an agreement-in-principle with the federal government and aboriginal governments can be achieved in the life of this Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, in July, the Prime Minister visited us in the hall just next door to us here and said some pretty impressive things. He said it is time we begin to hear the call of the new North, a North that is stronger, more prosperous and liberated from the paternalistic policies of the past. That is why I am here today, he said, Mr. Speaker, to begin championing your cause in Ottawa and across Canada, because I believe now at last the North's time has arrived.

Mr. Speaker, the message cannot be overstated that northerners expect no less than what the Prime Minister told us, but we have heard for years and decades the same lofty goals, commitments and optimism of politicians everywhere. It is time, Mr. Speaker, for us all to go beyond the speechifying and the rhetoric. It is time for results. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be back in the Legislative Assembly here with my colleagues as we continue to work on behalf of the residents of the Northwest Territories. I would like to begin with the issue of our economy. Mr. Speaker, our economy here in the Northwest Territories is growing. Since 1999, our economy has grown by 71 percent. Mr. Speaker, we have been dubbed by our Premier and other federal politicians as the future economic engine of this country. Interestingly enough, our economy last year grew only one percent. The questions that I have about this, Mr. Speaker, is how real is our economy? Who exactly is benefitting from all of this economic activity?

In my estimation today, there are over 2,000 migrant workers in the Northwest Territories. This would equate to well over $200 million in wages that exit this territory annually. We have a problem, Mr. Speaker. We continue to sit by and let the jets fly workers in and out of the South. Now, they don't even have to stop anywhere; right over our heads, Mr. Speaker.

As if that is not bad enough that our resources continue to be taken from our soil without any revenue flowing through our northern governments, many of these people working to take these resources from our soil are taking with them over $200 million that doesn't get into our economy or our local businesses, Mr. Speaker. To many, our government continues to be seen as the big loser in all of this.

In addition to the migrant worker concern, another issue I have with the reality of our economy is how much corporate revenue actually stays in the Northwest Territories. Joint ventures and other partnerships, out of convenience, are taking millions of dollars out of our economy. We have to do something to identify and protect true northern businesses and ensure that money, jobs and opportunity stay here at home. If it means strengthening the current business incentive policy, let's do something about it. There is a big difference between a company who has employees and infrastructure here in the Northwest Territories than a company with a phone, a fax machine and a warm body who, when they get a contract from this government, bring in workers from the South. As a government, we have to get a handle on what we are losing and take measures to stop the exodus of dollars from our territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Members' statements. The honourable Member for the Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the words of the Premier's opening sessional statement, the next six to 12 months will be critical in determining whether we are successful in negotiating a fair deal with Canada. Mr. Speaker, we, as northerners, here in our communities, where is the beef? We have all of the resources, yet we are beggars in our own land.

Mr. Speaker, my constituency asked for critical, essential, basic services to happen in the Sahtu and other small communities; nurses who need to stay in our communities, youth centres need to be built, youth programs need to be run, taking care of our elders, providing them with some basic care services for our own

people, housing, having policing services like in Colville Lake and Sachs Harbour having the basic security services in our communities, proper infrastructure building, proper roads and bridges. We need some proper buildings in our communities, Mr. Speaker. My Christmas list can go on and on. However, Halloween is coming and I am scared of the boogey man in Ottawa who continues to scare us off with the tricks or treats of goodies.

Mr. Speaker, going back to the quote by our Premier, the next six to 12 months will be very critical for the people in the Northwest Territories. We need some time to gather all of the leaders down the Mackenzie Valley, the municipal and aboriginal leaders, land claim leaders, and we need to focus on some areas to get Ottawa's attention. The best way we need to do and show our people is to start acting our words. We have to put an action plan together, Mr. Speaker. We, as northerners, need to act. When we say to Ottawa, get your hands out of our pocket, as that commercial says on the TV, when will Ottawa cut the cord and let us make our own decisions? In closing, it has been said that to get to the Promised Land, you have to negotiate yourself out of the wilderness to the Promised Land.

Mr. Speaker, when will we, as northerners, stand up and say enough is enough? This is our land and we are calling right now. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to speak in this House to express my deep concern about the federal government's recent move to cut funding for very valuable NGO programs in the North. It is unthinkable to me, Mr. Speaker, that the federal government would cut $17.7 million in literacy funding when 42 percent of Canadians struggle with basic reading and writing. It should be a great concern to all northerners that, between just four groups, NWT Literacy Council, Volunteers NWT, Smart Communities and the French Cultural Association, our community will lose or has lost $1 million from these cuts. This is not including the cuts in the Smoking Cessation Program as something we know is a huge problem for us.

Mr. Speaker, ask anyone in the NWT community and they will tell you how unbelievably significant the large amount of dollars is in delivering programs at the community level and making differences in people's lives. Mr. Speaker, the cuts and the impact of this goes on and on. Mr. Speaker, I was there this summer when Prime Minister Harper spoke at the Great Hall. He suggested that we, the people of the NWT, have to show the rest of Canada and the rest of the world that we are ready for business and we can do so by approving the pipeline.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to suggest that this relationship is supposed to be two-way. He needs to show that he understands the northern needs and northern communities if he wants to do business with us. Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that he shows this by reversing the cuts. If he wants us to do it ourselves, I would suggest to him that he gives us a viable, sensible and substantial deal on resource revenue sharing and devolution before he gets his pipeline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Micha‰lle Jean, Governor General of Canada, presented 12 aboriginal youth from across Canada with the National Aboriginal Role Model Award during a ceremony at Rideau Hall yesterday.

Each year, the National Aboriginal Role Model Program celebrates the accomplishment of 12 aboriginal role models aged 13 to 30 from across Canada, the First Nations communities, Inuit and Metis communities. The role models are nominated by their parents and also selected for their accomplishment under leadership skills initiative through their communities. Through the year, the role models visit First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities and share their stories with other aboriginal youth and strive to meet their goals.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure to recognize Alisa Blake who is 28 years old from our home community of Fort McPherson in the Northwest Territories. Alisa's mixed ancestry of Gwich'in, Inuvialuit, Metis, she is inspired by her son, Justin. Alisa is currently enrolled in a professional pilot program outside of Red Deer, Alberta, and plans to return to Fort McPherson to become a pilot with a local airline industry. Alisa has served on the hamlet council, the youth council, involved with the Metis local and is employed as a program advisor for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation out of the Inuvik office and worked as a radio operator/communicator with the Fort McPherson Airport. At this time, I would like to congratulate Alisa on behalf of the people of the Mackenzie Delta and her home community of Fort McPherson and for the national achievement that she has made us all proud of. Mahsi cho.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the mayor, Peter Martselos, who last night was elected to his fourth term as mayor of the community of Fort Smith. I believe this makes him currently the longest serving mayor in the Northwest Territories. Also re-elected on council were Pat Burke, Marion Berls, Beckie Linaker, and Tim MacDonald. Elected for the first time were Brenda Johnson and Fred Daniels. On behalf of the Metis president Ken Hudson, Chief Jimmy Schaeffer of the Salt

River First Nations and myself, I extend our congratulations. We look forward to working with the town council on the many issues that are before us as a community. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time, I would like to recognize members from the UNW, Mr. Todd Parsons, Mr. Ken Woodley and Ms. Gayla Wick. I would also make special mention to David Wind, our newly elected city councilor just above me. Vivian Squires, YK Seniors; and Ed Jeske, one of our fine seniors in Yellowknife. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Ms. Arlene Hache, one of the great advocates of women and family rights and opportunities here in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize, as well, a constituent from the Frame Lake constituency, a man with a long-time interest in politics and now a newly minted councillor, Mr. David Wind.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize the president of the NWTTA, Ms. Amanda Mallon.

---Applause