Good morning, Members. Welcome back to the House. Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Gwich'in Tribal Council recently advised the other parties that it no longer views the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit Self-Government Agreement-in-Principle as the foundation for negotiations towards a final agreement in the Beaufort-Delta. Instead, they would like to pursue a stand-alone Gwich'in self-government agreement.

Mr. Speaker, these negotiations began in 1993 when the Gwich'in Tribal Council and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation put forward a model for a Beaufort-Delta regional self-government. Later in 1993, the leaders of the Inuvialuit and Gwich'in, along with the eight Beaufort-Delta communities, passed a unanimous motion to support the public model proposal in principle. The core of this model was the creation of a regional public government, which would represent and serve all residents of the Beaufort-Delta.

In February 1994, the Gwich'in Tribal Council and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation met with Canada and the GNWT. They proposed that regional public government model form the basis for negotiating a joint self-government agreement for the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit in the Beaufort-Delta.

Canada and the GNWT accepted the proposal. The federal inherent rights policy, later released in 1995, was consistent with this. The policy states a preference for implementing self-government primarily, though not exclusively, through public government in the NWT. Negotiations using the model proposed by the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit began in 1996, and in 2003, all parties signed an agreement-in-principle.

Mr. Speaker, over the past 10 years, the Gwich'in, Inuvialuit, Canada and the GNWT have all invested a substantial amount of time, resources and money on self-government negotiations. An AIP is the last step before a final agreement can be reached. The new direction proposed by the Gwich'in is a very significant departure from the government's model we have negotiated.

While the GNWT has always respected the right of aboriginal people to pursue self-government through a public or an aboriginal model, it has been our preference to pursue these negotiations through a public government model because it best serves communities with mixed populations. However, at the end of the day, we recognize that self-government agreements must be practical, broadly supported and capable of being implemented.

While the GNWT reviews the AIP as a practical way to fairly implement the inherent rights of the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit, we fully respect the right of any party to rethink or change the preferred approach to self-government. The Gwich'in Tribal Council has made such a decision and we respect that decision.

The GNWT is in the process of reviewing the implications of the Gwich'in's proposal and in the near future will formally respond to the Gwich'in Tribal Council. Over the coming months, I will be talking with my counterparts in the federal government, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and the Gwich'in Tribal Council. These discussions will focus on potential next steps towards negotiating and concluding self-government agreements in the Beaufort-Delta.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT's vision of a strong northern voice and identity depends on the successful negotiation and implementation of aboriginal land, resource and self-government agreements in all regions. We are committed to finding a resolution that will allow us to move forward with the Gwich'in and the Inuvialuit. Thank you. Mahsi.

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Thank you, Mr. Handley. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Braden.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. A very important commission to the work of this Assembly has recently started travels and hearings, Mr. Speaker, into the electoral boundaries that are set for, at least at this point, the 19 ridings that make up this Assembly. The commission gave MLAs and members of the public in Yellowknife an opportunity to speak earlier this week. I wanted to take this opportunity in my statement to just do a pr‚cis of a couple of points that I made to the commission.

Mr. Speaker, the first is consideration of whether or not more ridings or more Members are needed to do the job of not only representing the people of the Northwest Territories, but also to achieve the work of the Assembly. With our ministerial style of government, I think we have a

lot of work in front of us at any one time. With a seven-Member Executive Council and 11 Members on this side, we're hard pressed sometimes to look after everything and do a good job of it. I think that right now, Mr. Speaker, one of the things that we should look at is we are in the process, through devolution and resource revenue sharing and self-government, of really fundamentally changing the nature of this Legislative Assembly over time. I think that for that reason, we should not either decrease or enlarge the size of the Assembly.

The other factor, Mr. Speaker, that comes into play is that by the numbers, four of our ridings are outside of a reasonable range of variance to a Canadian convention that 25 percent should be the threshold; 25 percent over and under-representation. I asked the commission to look at that aspect and see what adjustments could be realistically proposed in those ridings to see if we can achieve that representation by population balance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this week is NWT Mental Health Week. The health of the mind, like the health of the body, is taken for granted until something goes wrong. Mr. Speaker, we all have some experience with stress in our lives. There can be enormous pressures to meet the obligations of the workplace and balance work with the demands of family life and other obligations. Fortunately, most of us are able to manage these pressures and maintain a balanced state of mind by making healthy choices about how to deal with life's challenges. Not everyone is so fortunate, Mr. Speaker.

Approximately 20 percent of Canadians will personally experience a serious mental illness during their lifetime. Indirectly, mental illness affects all Canadians through illness in family members, friends and colleagues. Mental illness is brought on by a very complex interplay of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors. It does not discriminate. Mental illness can affect people of all ages, education, income levels and cultures.

Mr. Speaker, 36 percent of all hospitalizations in the Northwest Territories are for mental health illnesses and they are related to alcohol and drug abuse. This is followed by depression, the second most common reason, that being at 30 percent.

In 2003, five percent of NWT residents age 12 and older reported a major depressive episode. In other words, Mr. Speaker, approximately 1,600 NWT residents over the age of 12 suffered from clinical depression. Statistics indicate that there is no significant difference in the prevalence of depression between communities. However, smaller communities have more limited access to programs and services than does our capital.

Mr. Speaker, Hay River residents, for example, have limited access to prevention and treatment services. The Department of Health and Social Services released the report on NWT integrated service delivery model in 2004. In it, they identified challenges to the current service delivery for mental health and addictions services. To meet these challenges, the department initiated a strategy to roll out 77 new mental health and addictions workers throughout the NWT communities over a three-year period. Mr. Speaker, I hope to see the situation improve as the strategy is implemented.

According to experts on mental illness in Canada, they characterize mental illness as the last taboo. Mr. Speaker, the stigma attached to mental illness presents serious barriers to diagnoses and treatment. I will leave it at that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Mr. Speaker...(English not provided)

Mr. Speaker, when I talk to the youth throughout the North and ask them what comes to mind when I say post-secondary education, the replies are first excitement and then they recall not being able to afford expenses on a monthly basis.

Post-secondary education is very important for the healthy development, not only to Nahendeh, but throughout the Northwest Territories. An elder once told me the greatest gift you can give our youth is a good education, and this is the fundamental principle I use as an MLA.

A northern student, especially a first-year student, experiences many overwhelming challenges emotionally, financially and educationally. To further compound the transition to post-secondary education, our students face additional challenges most southern students take for granted like being alone, receiving consistent funding, et cetera. A recent publication regarding the composition of various boards and committees illustrate a very disconcerting trend; the Student Financial Assistance Appeal Board has all Yellowknife representation and none from the communities. For a government that prides themselves on being a government of the people, examples such as these seem to be contradictory.

These concerns are not isolated as many students throughout the North have experienced difficulties while dealing with the regional student assistance office. Many students cannot afford to cover the costs of education on their own and cannot retain loans or financial assistance other than the assistance offered by the Government of the Northwest Territories. This leaves the students with what is often described as one-chance policies, closing very important doors very early in a youth's education.

This government must recognize our educated youth and adults as the key to a successful future and must be proactive and creative with student financial assistance policies. A shortage of a skilled and educated workforce will only get worse and we must be prepared. This government must be prepared to be flexible when dealing with our students. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, working for the GNWT is filled with many surprises, but I think showing up at work one day only to be told that the building you are working in is at risk of structural collapse and that you need to pack up your files immediately and get out, is beyond what any employee should expect or consider reasonable.

That's exactly, Mr. Speaker, the situation that 57 Inuvik employees who, until yesterday were working in the Perry Building, find themselves in. Employees should not have to worry about their building falling down around them.

Recent events in Inuvik have brought the safety of GNWT workers and the public into question. First we had to close down Samuel Hearne School because the foyer collapsed. Then before the school year even started, we had to close it again because of the fear of the building collapsing. Now the parents of some of the students who have been forced out of their school are now being forced out and abandoned from their workplace because of the danger of a collapsing building. When is it going to stop, Mr. Speaker?

I find it very ironic that just last August, during our pre-budget consultation, a resident in Inuvik brought up the poor state of the GNWT's buildings. She said to us, just walk around. Do they make you feel proud? Well, Mr. Speaker, they certainly don't make me feel very proud. I will have questions for the Minister of Public Works at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak today, once again, about the high cost of doing business for small businesses and more specifically about the skyrocketing WCB premiums for franchise businesses in the city.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the fact that my riding of Range Lake is the home of the only Tim Horton's in the NWT.

It is also the home of Pizza Hut, Quiznos, Subway, Domino's Pizza and, of course, we have the good old KFC and A&W downtown. Mr. Speaker, these and other eateries, pubs and restaurants are an essential part of our city life. Mr. Speaker, what has been happening is they have been suffering under the burdens of all kinds of increases, taxes, garbage collection fees, cost of fuel and, in particular, the WCB premium rates have been going up for the classification they are in by 25 percent every year for the last four years. This is the maximum amount an increase can be given to a classification, as I learned this morning at a meeting, Mr. Speaker. I really appreciate the staff at WCB for organizing and attending the meeting. Fortunately for us, I have learned at this meeting that the governance council has the mandate to review the classification and rates each year. I would like to call upon them to look at this situation ASAP.

Mr. Speaker, I need to tell you that they have a virtual ratepayer revolt on their hands. This issue has to be addressed immediately. We cannot allow the rate for one class to go up by 25 percent each year for four years in a row and not look at it to see what the problems are and put our heads together to solve them.

Mr. Speaker, all the mathematical and statistical information might explain how they got there, but they do not justify this kind of increase. Mr. Speaker, the ratepayers want to work with the WCB and consider all options on how to address them. We all need to listen.

Mr. Speaker, I don't believe anyone in this House would put up with a 25 percent increase in their auto or home insurance every year without asking very legitimate questions.

...that these operators are asking, and ones that I will be asking the Minister later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement, I spoke on the state of the buildings in Inuvik. My questions are for the Minister of Public Works. In July of 2005, cracks were noticed in the Perry Building during a visual inspection and yet we didn't call the structural engineer until October. I would like to know why it took so long before we called in a structural engineer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Public Works, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Perry Building is a leased asset. It is not our own facility. When the initial problems were noted, there was some investigation into what was occurring. Some work happened around removing the stone roof that was there and applying a different roofing material to lighten the load. That was done. After that was done, we had more staff move into the building and noticed that there were some more cracks and issues happening there. At that point, a call was made to bring in a structural engineer to have a look. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A structural engineer was called in October, I believe. He didn't report back to DPW until the beginning of February. I would like to know why it took so long for the structural engineer to come back to DPW and, meanwhile, the employees are working in potentially unsafe conditions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Roland.