Good morning, colleagues. Welcome back to the House. Welcome to our guests in the gallery today. Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide Members with a brief update on meetings held this past week in Ottawa.

On Friday, February 24th, I had a lengthy and productive meeting with the Honourable Jim Prentice to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the Northwest Territories. As the new Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and as the Minister responsible for the Mackenzie gas project, Minister Prentice will be a key player in our efforts to resolve several important issues for the Northwest Territories over the next two years.

With regard to the Mackenzie gas project, we specifically discussed the need to move forward with legislation to implement the $500 million socio-economic impact fund. I emphasized our support for this initiative among the federal, aboriginal and territorial governments, and explained its importance in addressing the socio-economic impacts for those aboriginal communities along the pipeline route. While Mr. Prentice did not provide specific commitments, I was pleased with his understanding of the importance of the fund and am optimistic he will address this matter in the short term.

We also had an opportunity to discuss devolution and resource revenue sharing negotiations. I explained our position on the outstanding issues, including the most critical issue holding up these negotiations: an agreement on fair sharing of the resource revenues. I said we were encouraged by the commitment expressed by both the Prime Minister and Minister Prentice during the election campaign to ensure northerners were the primary beneficiaries of northern development. This important commitment is reason for real optimism that working with the new government will lead to successful agreements that have eluded us in the past.

Minister Prentice and I agreed to work cooperatively towards resolution of these negotiations. With respect to an agreement on resource revenue sharing, these discussions will also include the new federal Minister of Finance, the Honourable Jim Flaherty. Mr. Roland will be seeking a meeting in the near future with Mr. Flaherty to discuss these and other important fiscal issues facing our government.

We discussed two national agreements that will impact greatly on many residents in the Northwest Territories. I first expressed our continued support for the principals of the Kelowna First Ministers' Agreement to close the gap between the social and economic conditions for aboriginal Canadians and other Canadians.

We are committed to working with the national government to find ways to implement the commitments made to aboriginal Canadians in the Kelowna Accord. I reiterated our support for the agreement reached to compensate residential school survivors and hope that the new federal government will implement this agreement as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, the initial meeting with Minister Prentice allowed for a productive exchange of views on critical issues facing the territory. This knowledge of the key issues facing the Northwest Territories and his willingness to work cooperatively to address these issues are reasons for optimism.

On Friday evening, the Premiers of all provinces and territories were invited to an informal dinner meeting with Prime Minister Harper. At this meeting, we discussed key national issues, including a fiscal imbalance, post-secondary education funding and national childcare agreements.

On Saturday morning, the three territorial Premiers met with Prime Minister Harper to discuss key territorial issues. It was a cordial and productive meeting. I raised the Mackenzie gas project and devolution and resource revenue sharing negotiations with the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister made clear his understanding of the importance of the Mackenzie gas project not only to the Northwest Territories, but to the country as a whole. With respect to resource revenue sharing, the Prime Minister again stated his view that northerners must be the primary beneficiaries of northern resources and his commitment to work cooperatively to resolve this issue.

Mr. Speaker, these meetings were an initial opportunity to meet with both the Prime Minister and Minister Prentice to discuss key issues for the Northwest Territories. While they were not forums to negotiate or to resolve issues, I was pleased to have this early opportunity to meet and exchange views. I was encouraged by the meeting and impressed with the knowledge and understanding of the key challenges and opportunities facing the Northwest Territories. We welcome the commitment of the Prime Minister and Minister Prentice to work together to move forward on our key priorities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Handley. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to update the Legislative Assembly on upcoming housing meetings in regional centres.

Over the next couple of months, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation will be conducting housing market forums in three communities. The dates and locations are: March 28th in Inuvik; March 30th in Hay River; and, April 4th and 5th in Yellowknife. The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is assisting CMHC with the planning for these meetings.

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the housing market forums is to bring together housing industry stakeholders to provide market updates and to generate discussion and feedback on this information. CMHC has continuously gathered housing market data for Yellowknife. For the first time, CMHC has collected specific information on the emerging market housing communities of Inuvik and Hay River and this baseline data will be presented at the forums.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation will also be conducting regional housing workshops in Fort Simpson and Norman Wells in late March. Representatives of CMHC will be in attendance and I will be working with Mr. Yakeleya and Mr. Menicoche on the planning of these meetings. These workshops will stimulate discussion on community and regional allocations and will help communities focus their housing decisions. The Housing Corporation will consult with communities on significant housing issues, such as the lack of available and suitable land and the processes required for land development.

Mr. Speaker, housing needs are one of the foremost priorities of communities. These housing meetings provide opportunities for housing industry stakeholders to work together in exploring housing solutions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, during the review of the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, I made it clear that I am frustrated with the way the Metis organizations are funded. In my way of thinking, Mr. Speaker, the Metis are forgotten people in the Northwest Territories. The federal government clearly only recognizes the rights of the Metis people when it suits them and when there is no cost to government to do so.

The Government of the Northwest Territories has made a point of recognizing Metis as First Nations people. They have instituted a Health Care Program that is equivalent to what is available to the people under the national Health Benefits Program. I am very happy when they did this. However, Mr. Speaker, whenever I think of the fact that Metis people are not eligible for the university or college entry programs, or the UCEP program as it's called, I am no longer happy.

This is a greater understanding on the part of the ordinary Canadians of the plight of the aboriginal people in Canada. They understand that many aboriginal Canadians live in poverty. They do not have access to clean drinking water or sanitation services and are marginalized when it comes to accessing health and education services.

What I don't think Canadians are aware of is the fact that some of the Metis people live alongside the First Nations people in the same economic and poverty-stricken conditions. Again, Mr. Speaker, the Metis are the forgotten people in the North.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to say to this government that they are very serious about treating the Metis people as First Nations people. They need to examine how Metis organizations are funded. They need to introduce an equivalent program, so that Metis residents of the Northwest Territories can prepare for college and university as they need to do all they can do as a government to ensure that the Metis people have and will take their rightful place in the social fabric of Canada. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to use my Member's statement today to again bring up the issue of FMBS somehow discussing $450,000 to sole source a contract to a Florida-based company. The $450,000 was found in various pockets of the FMBS operation, which, Mr. Speaker, ironically enough, happened during a government-wide budget reduction.

How can FMBS sleep at night? They sent every department scrounging, Mr. Speaker, for peanuts; a one percent reduction exercise. How is this fair, especially to the smaller departments? How can the government reduce spending by one percent in all departments knowing full well that all departments do not have the same ability to find these pockets of cash that FMBS somehow seems to find?

The Minister acknowledges that this American firm specializes in supporting businesses and organizational transformation and that the necessity to sole source a contract to them came as a direct result of the amalgamation of our HR functions. Once the centralization of the various departments was complete, only then did he, and everyone else for that matter, realize what a mess we had on our hands. Now in order to help fix the mess, we have to spend $450,000. The Minister may not want to elaborate on what the problems are, but, Mr. Speaker, some departments of this government were allowed to sit on personnel files for years.

It is very evident to me that some departments were, in fact, negligent in their duties. The new HR department has just inherited all of these issues and problems. What

departments did the problems come from? Who can be held responsible? After seven months of physically leaving our public service, a constituent of mine recently has finally received all of the pension and severance she was entitled to and can actually retire.

Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, we have to learn a lesson from this. We have to go back to the departments that sent the problems, that didn't do the work, that allowed issues to fester and didn't know what they were supposed to do. No wonder deputy ministers wanted control over HR. Some of them should be completely embarrassed over the state of the HR and pay and benefits divisions that they sent to the amalgamation of HR. The departments that sent the incomplete files, the backlog, the problems, that's where FMBS must go to get the $450,000 the review is now costing us. Who is sending the message here? Someone has to be held accountable for the state of our HR department. Departments were allowed to just get away with not doing their jobs and I find it completely unacceptable that our only solution is to spend $450,000. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about the mandate and programming review of the NWT Housing Corporation. I would just like to remind this House, the corporation was enacted by legislation in 1978 and this is an old act. It is from a distant, archaic and colonial past.

The way that the program and policies run is that we tell our people we know better than you; we will do it for you. It removes freedom and flexibility from any clients in the Housing Corporation. I think today, in 2006, we should make homeowners true homeowners, Mr. Speaker. Often we give mortgage loans to clients, but we have to build it for them. I think today that, like any other loans we give to anybody, with ITI or BDIC, we offer loans and we provide them the loans; we don't tell them what trucks to buy or how to purchase investments for their businesses. It should be the same. The client should make the decisions on the type of home they get and they should be getting their own general. They should be hiring their own contractors to build their own homes to their satisfaction, Mr. Speaker. Their own choice. That's all they are asking; to have their own choice to have adequate construction and inspection proceeds for their houses.

That is all our constituents ever asked, is to be heard and to be in control of their own futures. In fact, I had one constituent with a new home being built next door and that person has no say in construction, but they are there. They see there are some inconsistencies, yet they really can't do anything, Mr. Speaker. Anywhere else in the world, when you're given money, you have control over your money and you can say what is built, what is inadequate or what is adequate. Once again, Mr. Speaker, I urge this House, this Minister and this government, to have flexible current policies for our constituents. Mahsi cho.

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Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) I would like to talk about the investment for the future. Today, we have concerns regarding education, even the hydro projects. We have problems with that and we have concerns in our community. The young children of today are our most important people for our future. Mr. Speaker, the communities of Gameti, Wekweeti and Whati have many concerns for the safety of their children walking to school, especially in the dark because there are sightings of wolves and grizzlies around the community. They even kill the dogs in the community, so the people are concerned in their community. We just heard of the caribou decreasing in size. This is the wolves' food, so we have concern about that. If they are decreasing, there is a concern that the wolves are starving. Here in Yellowknife, parents have the option of sending their children on the bus, or the parents drive them to school with their own vehicle. So they don't have any worries of wild animals. We don't have those kinds of concerns here in Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, the communities of Gameti, Wekweeti, and Whati do not have school bus services. We are requesting whether we can have a van or a bus. The parents and grandparents are very concerned about their children and grandchildren. The government has a lot of money. By rights, we should be investing our monies into our future children. Today, we are asking for two vans that they can use before we have a tragedy in the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Villeneuve.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today, I wanted to continue to express my dismay at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' bull-headed approach to the implementation of the seven immediate and what somewhat seems inappropriate and unnecessary actions to address the decline of caribou numbers here in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what the Minister was referring to last week when he responded to my question about why the Department of Environment and Natural Resources are allowing resident hunters to hunt bulls only. The Minister responded, and I quote, "There sure is a lot of bull in that question," Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I don't believe that information from the very experienced aboriginal elderly hunters and trappers say about why not to shoot bulls only should be construed as a lot of bull. Mr. Speaker, I don't think this Minister fully understands the importance that this kind of traditional knowledge and advice offers to this

government. I believe that, if he did understand why this government should listen carefully and adhere to this type of traditional advice from our people, we would not be in this predicament that we are in today.

So I say to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources today, pay heed, Mr. Minister. Not only do all the biologists, consultants and bureaucrats who expeditiously present their reasoning and rationale to addressing wildlife concerns with good intentions, no doubt, but pay very close attention to what people who have lived all their lives with the wildlife since time immemorial are saying, instead of brushing their advice aside in order to make way for the scientific approach, which, in many instances, only works on paper and not in the real world, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as you may recall, we started this session on February 1st with concerns of many franchise businesses speaking out against the ever skyrocketing WCB rates. Mr. Speaker, the Minister took questions in this House and told us that the governance council was meeting in Yellowknife. I assume that we would have received his answers by now. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, we are February 28th now, with two days left to go in this session, and we are still scrambling to find time for a meeting between the businesses and the governance council and the Minister afterward. I have no idea what the outcome will be. We need to remember that meetings cannot be an alibi for inaction and indecision. At this point, Mr. Speaker, I have to believe that the good chair on the governance council will do right by these businesses and not spend the meeting defending why the things are the way they are and why they have to continue on with the status quo.

Mr. Speaker, if we are to understand the grand purpose and goodwill of an insurance system, as a workers' compensation system is, it is that the businesses pay to the system to be prepared in case of worker's injury and fatalities and that the advantage of an insurance system is to share and spread the cost across the board. Where one sector of the membership keeps seeing a 25 percent or more rates increase year after year, the governing body has to look at how to address that situation and make adjustments to address this situation and improve it, whether it be a specific business, subgroup, or the WCB system as a whole, and that, even without being asked to, Mr. Speaker, in my opinion. This is what franchises are looking for from the governance council and the Minister. I believe these are eminently reasonable and sensible positions.

I would like to, once again, challenge the governance council to do right by the businesses. After all, Mr. Speaker, they are the very backbone of our community. If the outcome is not going to change the system for the better, I could give plenty notice to the Minister that I would expect the Minister to take an action and no more speaking about that is not my department; I am just a Minister and can't do anything about that. I just want to give the Minister proper notice today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. A few words this morning about our tourism industry and the welcome news yesterday, Mr. Speaker, that the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has a very bold plan to top up current government investment by $1 million a year. We want to lever that into almost $3 million a year in new annual investment in tourism. The goal is to increase overall tourism spending over the next five years by 50 percent. That is a very lofty goal, probably attainable, but it is going to take some work and some investment and a lot of heart. A lot of heart is what the people who own and run our tourism businesses have.

Mr. Speaker, I have been involved in the tourism industry. I have owned a tourism related business myself and I know the hard work, the dedication and the rewards that come from it. So this is a welcome gesture from this department.

Mr. Speaker, there are a couple of areas that I hope that, as this tourism plan called Tourism 2010 evolves, we can invest some new energies in a couple of specific areas that I don't see a lot of mention in.

Mr. Speaker, something that I have talked about frequently is the importance of festivals and events, not only to the cultural life and enhancement of our communities, but it is a very genuine way of showcasing who we are and what we are to the world. We are unique. We are special. We are very worth coming and seeing. I would advocate that putting our support, money and strategies specifically behind this area would have a great return.

Also, Mr. Speaker, conventions and meetings, I think, are a very viable aspect of the tourism industry that is under its 11th different study right now to see whether or not we can do something. There is a great viability there.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, the arts and the arts and crafts sectors. We have a shared strategy between two departments. There is a lot more mileage that we can get out of this area, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member's statement today is about the need for an airport authority. In the context of grassroots governance, Mr. Speaker, we have health and social services authorities; we have boards for education; we even have the WCB Governance Council, Mr. Speaker; so it is time to consider an airport authority.

We need to empower the airport to act like a business in a business manner, Mr. Speaker. Let businesses tell the authority what they need so they can respond more effectively. Let's give the authority that strength that they can come forward with ideas to help operate and run the airport in a businesslike way. It would respond better to the customers' needs. Let's face it. The airport needs to operate more like an authority under the business context because they could be proactive in meeting the needs such as the clients that fly through the airport everyday. They could help bring out tourism. They could even help with the city of Yellowknife to develop services out there. So it is about responding to customer and client needs, Mr. Speaker. Let's expand the business opportunities where we can give the airport authority the tools so they can encourage businesses out there. Let the airport authority focus on what they do and what they do best, running airports, Mr. Speaker, and they can run it in a businesslike mandate way. It would give them proper focus. Let the authority work and encourage circumpolar flights that could land here in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker. This could encourage much needed revenue in our territory.

The Edmonton Airport Authority acknowledges the role that they play in economic development for businesses. They say supporting the economic growth of regions demands that we show financial and business leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I think that truly speaks to the need. It is about a healthy attitude here. Tourism operators can work with the authority to help bring Japanese tourists directly to Yellowknife. Imagine that, Mr. Speaker; not Alaska, not Whitehorse, but Yellowknife.

Tourism could work with the authority to encourage those large airline companies to consider plans to touch down here. Mr. Speaker, it has been said before, if you pave it, they will come. Our highway is proof of that. So, Mr. Speaker, I think Yellowknife and the NWT have grown up enough. It is time that our airport grows with us so we could make something that befits the capital today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.