This is page numbers 861 - 906 of the Hansard for the 15th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was health.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Mr. Speaker, the youth, when they saw that caribou, they saw it in a different light as our guide from Ottawa saw the caribou. We had two different views, two different perspectives on how that caribou should be looked at. I just wanted to remind that that is very key to our discussion here. Thank you.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Pokiak.

Electrical Power Rates In Nunakput Communities
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to send Valentine's greetings to my wife, since 1988, back in Tuktoyaktuk.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, prior to me coming down to this session, I received a number of complaints regarding the recent power bills that they received for January, December and January. A number of complaints that I received in excess of $1,800, $1,200-plus, $650-plus, $450-plus. One of the reasons that they talked about, Mr. Speaker, is that recently, in October and November, there was a contract in the community of Tuktoyaktuk that actually went out and changed some of the meters. They are wondering if that might be one of the reasons why.

Mr. Speaker, presently in Tuktoyaktuk, as an example, we pay 61.61 cents per kilowatt per hour. After the first 700 kilowatts it's subsidized. On top of that, Mr. Speaker, we also incur another cost of 13.73 cents per kilowatt per hour. That's very costly. We talk about trying to become homeowners in the communities a lot and with the cost escalation of the power right now and the fuel rider, it's going to discourage the people to maybe even consider that.

One of the things I would like to say, Mr. Speaker, as a homeowner myself, we do enjoy being private homeowners, but at the same time with the cost of the power and the fuel rider on top of that, you know it's discouraging. I would like to say that another example, in Sachs Harbour, Mr. Speaker, they are paying 97.75 cents per kilowatt an hour, on top of that 13.73, so these kinds of rates are very discouraging.

Just in closing, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to say I'm going to have a question for the Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation in regard to the power rates. Thank you.

---Applause

Electrical Power Rates In Nunakput Communities
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Martin Luther King once said I have a dream. I, too, Mr. Speaker, have a dream. I have a dream that someday the residents of the Northwest Territories will be connected by a series of highways so we can be connected from coast to coast to coast.

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

An Hon. Member

Ooh, big vision. Hear! Hear!

---Applause

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

I have a dream that the people of the Beaufort-Delta can walk hand in hand, or vehicle to vehicle, with people from the Sahtu and the Tlicho...

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

Some Hon. Members

Hear! Hear!

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

...and Yellowknife.

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

An Hon. Member

Hear! Hear! We have a dream.

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

But it is just a dream, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

An Hon. Member

A pipe dream.

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

It is just a dream, but we have the means to make it a reality.

Mr. Speaker, in 1977, they halted construction of an all-weather road because of the uncertainty of the oil and gas industry. Who drives the Territories, Mr. Speaker? Is it the oil and gas industry, is it industry, or is it the needs of the people in the Northwest Territories?

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

An Hon. Member

Good question.

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 865

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

I think we have to get that in perspective and do what's best for the people of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT is ranked fourth out of 65 countries worldwide, surveyed by the Fraser Institute, but we're ranked last in terms of infrastructure and the quality of our infrastructure and this has a significant impact on the development and the investment in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, $90 million is spent annually in the Northwest Territories in tourism. We can double that with a highway, Mr. Speaker. All the small communities along the way would benefit from it; people in the Northwest Territories would benefit from it. We have to continue to lobby Ottawa to get what's right for the Northwest Territories.

They have a Canada strategic infrastructure fund and it's directed to projects of major federal and regional significance. Now, this project is of major significance to the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. It also says it enhances the quality of life of Canadians. We are Canadians. It would enhance our quality of life and it's something we should seriously look at. The budget 2006 announced an additional $2 billion going into the funding, which brings the total to $6 billion. Where's our share of that? I don't see it, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to know what the other provinces are getting.

I think we have to quit dreaming, Mr. Speaker, and have this highway become reality because it's something that we do need. Thank you.

---Applause

Importance Of Transportation Infrastructure
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 866

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Valentine Letter To Prime Minister Harper
Item 3: Members' Statements

February 13th, 2007

Page 866

Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is Valentine's Day and I would like to share with the Legislative Assembly this morning a letter that I wrote to the Prime Minister on this day, and it starts out like this: Dearest Prime Minister, or may we say Steve?

---Laughter

We pen this valentine with trembling hand and heart all aflutter with deepest affection for the 40 years of almost wedded bliss we have shared. Yes, Dearest, it's been four long decades since you lead us to the alter of constitutional consummation with your passionate promises of provincehood, your breathless whispers of fiscal fulfillment, your shameless wooing that one day our relationship would blossom and we would live together happily even after. Oh, Stephen.

---Laughter

Ohhh, Stephen. How we fell for you, lusting and pining and panting for the day when it all might come true. Was it only last summer when you stood before us here in our own humble parlour and professed yet again your solemn pledge that if we behaved ourselves and if we kept faith, we could be just like our big sister Alberta, and rein supreme and rich and bear many children in the bosom of our untold wealth. But, darling Stephen, our long-distance relationship is troubled.

---Laughter

Troubled. We grow restless. Your seductive temptations that once fuelled the wild beating of our heart are alas sounding empty and hollow, and cold as the Arctic tempest that blasts across our fevered brow. The truth is, Dearest, the many children of our union are getting out of hand. They demand so much. What with doctors' bills, power bills, fuel bills, grocery bills, day care bills, legislative bills, are we getting through? Then there's the matter of that diamond engagement ring. Beloved, may we remind you that we were the ones who found it. We mined it. We cut it. We polished it. But it's like you're taking all the credit and we're the ones still paying for it. Will the day come, Beloved, when we will consummate our relationship? Oh, Stephen, what's gone wrong? Where is the love? Where is the heart? Where is the happiness? Signed, With great expectations, the 15th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Valentine Letter To Prime Minister Harper
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 866

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Need For Territorial Pension Legislation
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 866

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, wish it acknowledge it's Valentine's Day to my wife and my two lovely monsters. Before I left for work this morning, the three boys, including myself, made a card for my wife. It reminded me why we're here, Mr. Speaker, because the important things we're here to do is to help people who are in need.

Mr. Speaker, employee pension plans in the Northwest Territories are regulated through the Federal Pension Benefit Standards Act. Currently, we have no ability to make changes to our pension rules that affect the NWT retirees. Most provinces have enacted their own pension legislation so they can be more flexible and responsive to the needs of their constituents. For example, people who leave their jobs before they're eligible for pensions can convert the transfer value to a locked-in vehicle such as a life income fund or a life retirement income fund. Like RRSPs, locked-investments have maximum annual withdrawal amounts.

Under federal legislation, and until recently, under most provincial legislation, retirees who find themselves in financial hardship are not allowed to exceed the maximum withdraw of their life income fund no matter how much they need to access their money, Mr. Speaker. Many provinces have recently amended their pension legislation to allow extra withdraws for low-income retirees and those experiencing financial hardship. Alberta recently changed its legislation to allow people to unlock up to 50 percent of their money and roll it into an RRSP or a RIFF, which offers more flexibility in terms of investment choices and withdraw decisions, Mr. Speaker, which can be useful for first time homebuyers and people wanting education plan money.

Mr. Speaker, these are examples of how our own pension legislation would give us flexibility to make life easier for our average citizens, Mr. Speaker. I believe the government should seriously consider pursuing northern pension legislation, and later today I will have questions for the Minister of Finance to that matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Need For Territorial Pension Legislation
Item 3: Members' Statements

Page 866

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Honourable Premier, Mr. Handley.

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 866

Joe Handley

Joe Handley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Elva Arsenault. Alva is a sister to Carmen

Moore, our chief of protocol. Alva is visiting from Prince Edward Island, so welcome, Alva.

---Applause

Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Item 5: Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 867

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. I'd like to welcome everyone in the gallery today for taking in the proceedings. It's nice to have an audience in here. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my statement today I talked about the significant contribution that the diamond mines have made in the Northwest Territories, the timing at which they came along -- around the time of the decline of the gold mining and the division of the Northwest Territories -- and how much they have played a role in the economy of the Northwest Territories. I want to thank Minister Bell for a recent opportunity to learn a little bit more about diamonds, as we went off to meet with De Beers in London and view their operations. It was very enlightening. I missed the little part of the tour that had to do with the retail, so my husband was very glad about that.

The one area, after hearing some of the reports on the socio-economic agreements and that, that I still think we could capitalize on a great deal is finding ways to attract the workers at the mines who don't currently reside in the North to move to the North. But as I said in my statement, I think that's going to take a very coordinated effort. After hearing about the efforts of the mining industry, I'm quite convinced that they are doing their part to contribute to that. I do think, though, that there are gaps. I think that the GNWT should be doing more. I think that the communities could be doing more. I don't know exactly the way we could go about coordinating that. I mean all of us came to the North. We're either from here or we moved here. We obviously see the benefits of living here, because we love it and we live here, and there's many advantages to living in the North, that's for certain. We need to find a way to convey that to some of the what we call migrant workers who still commute to the Northwest Territories to work. I'd like to ask the Minister if there is any appetite on the part of his department, Industry, Tourism and Investment, to work more closely with industry and communities. I represent a community that has a lot of capacity to grow. We would like more people in our community and we would like to find some vehicle to encourage these workers to locate in the North, in conjunction, in joint effort with industry and this government. Is there any funding available for such a campaign? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Return To Question 309-15(5): Programs To Encourage Northern Residency Of Resource Sector Employees
Question 309-15(5): Programs To Encourage Northern Residency Of Resource Sector Employees
Item 6: Oral Questions

Page 867

Brendan Bell

Brendan Bell Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think there's a lot of merit in doing what the Member is proposing and, in fact, at the Canada Winter Games we will be rolling out this Pan-Northern Strategy, the three territories, to talk about not only promoting the North in southern Canada as a tourist destination, a tourist attraction, but also in terms of business and employment opportunities. We've had some discussions, the other Ministers and myself, about how we carry this strategy forward, how we move it along. There's a lot of legacy potential here in the work that we're doing, and it makes sense for us to continue to pursue this course. So I'm open to suggestions about how we best do that. I think, and the Member made the point, that we certainly do need to do a better job of linking what we're doing in this overall Pan-Northern Strategy and bringing it right down to working with communities who, in effect, will be the deciding factor as to whether or not people are coming north for these employment opportunities. So a very good suggestion. I'd like to take the Member up on that. Thank you.