Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Government, as Members know, has been working with committee members, with Caucus, to iron out the legislative priorities and legislative agenda. It has been pretty clear from our discussions -- I am not going to get into them in detail -- much of them in Caucus. It is probably not appropriate that I talk about that forum and the discussions here, but suffice it to say we did get the message very clear from committee as to what some legislative priorities were. I think we all recognize that there will be some delay in some of the smaller bills so that some of the bigger priorities can move forward and we can be assured that we will be able to deliver on those things in the life of this government. We are talking about things like the Liquor Act, Mr. Speaker. So we do aim to bring the priorities forward and move forward. Will the entire legislative agenda be accomplished before the end of the life of this government? I doubt it will, but we will certainly work as hard and as diligently as we can to get all of the bills brought forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Debates of Feb. 21st, 2007
This is page numbers 1063 - 1110 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 chairman.
Topics
Return To Question 392-15(5): Legislative Priorities
Question 392-15(5): Legislative Priorities
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1077
Return To Question 392-15(5): Legislative Priorities
Question 392-15(5): Legislative Priorities
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1077
![The Speaker](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/14-paul-delorey/a5375803ce4145dd382736a81b5e4e7c.jpg)
The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. Bell. I will caution Members if they are going to speak or ask questions on a document, that they should table it in the House before. Ms. Lee, do you have a supplementary question? Ms. Lee.
Supplementary To Question 392-15(5): Legislative Priorities
Question 392-15(5): Legislative Priorities
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1077
![Sandy Lee](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/14-sandy-lee/da7a37fd52143db575823e29b858daba.jpg)
Sandy Lee Range Lake
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In that exercise of waffling and avoiding, I did not hear the answer. I would like to know why, Mr. Speaker; a very specific question. I would like to know why a legislative proposal from the government that had responses from this side of the table has not received a response for over a year when he is willing to push every other thing? Is he saying that it is the fault of the entire Caucus that can't make that push, or does the Minister not have any power to control his legislative agenda? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Supplementary To Question 392-15(5): Legislative Priorities
Question 392-15(5): Legislative Priorities
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1077
![The Speaker](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/14-paul-delorey/a5375803ce4145dd382736a81b5e4e7c.jpg)
The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Ms. Lee. I am going to rule that question out of order. We are asking questions on a document that is not before the House.
---Ruled Out of Order
Oral questions. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1077
![Jane Groenewegen](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/13-jane-groenewegen/2acfed35ff877d98310bef57c5710cde.jpg)
Jane Groenewegen Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in follow-up to Mr. Braden's questions about the reference to northern residency in the socio-economic agreement, I am at a bit of a loss to understand exactly what the issue is, but I think, for the benefit of the public, we should try to bring it to light. In developing the socio-economic agreement, the Minister must have used his experience and knowledge of former agreements of this nature and also probably some legal advice as to what could be included in this agreement. As a background, can the Minister tell us if he knows of any reason why a resource development company operating in the North desperate for skilled and unskilled labour in a highly competitive labour market would not consider a capable northern candidate to be a prime candidate for employment in their operations here in the North? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1077
![The Speaker](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/14-paul-delorey/a5375803ce4145dd382736a81b5e4e7c.jpg)
The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.
Return To Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1077
![Brendan Bell](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/14-brendan-bell/de3b46c7f655803a3eb6ebc856ab7e74.jpg)
Brendan Bell Yellowknife South
Mr. Speaker, I can't imagine why a company wouldn't want to use northern labour, especially given the fact that the labour market is so tight in Canada, especially western Canada. They have to look north first. It only makes business sense. Thank you.
Return To Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
February 20th, 2007
Page 1077
Supplementary To Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1077
![Jane Groenewegen](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/13-jane-groenewegen/2acfed35ff877d98310bef57c5710cde.jpg)
Jane Groenewegen Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In his capacity as Minister of ITI, I would like to ask the Minister if he has any documented evidence from northerners who want to work for resource development companies in the North who have been unable to obtain employment? If there are such instances, Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of them. I would like to ask the Minister if he is aware of any. Thank you.
Supplementary To Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
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Further Return To Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
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![Brendan Bell](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/14-brendan-bell/de3b46c7f655803a3eb6ebc856ab7e74.jpg)
Brendan Bell Yellowknife South
Mr. Speaker, I can think of maybe a couple of inquiries over the course of the last three years of my capacity as Minister of ITI of people who were concerned that they lost a job at the mines, or weren't able to get a job at the mines. I can't speak to every case, obviously, but I think invariably one of the things that we find is the people don't have the required skills or training oftentimes, Mr. Speaker. That is not always the case, but I think there are also sometimes lifestyle challenges or choices that people have made. It is our job, as government, to work with people to make sure they get the training they need to be successful and take part in our economy. Obviously, the Minister for ECE and I are very much involved in trying to make that happen. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1077
Supplementary To Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
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![Jane Groenewegen](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/13-jane-groenewegen/2acfed35ff877d98310bef57c5710cde.jpg)
Jane Groenewegen Hay River South
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In conclusion, for the record, Minister Bell can confirm that this government and the companies involved in resource development in the Northwest Territories are committed to hiring northerners, training northerners and moving northerners on career development paths within their corporations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Supplementary To Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
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Further Return To Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1078
![Brendan Bell](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/14-brendan-bell/de3b46c7f655803a3eb6ebc856ab7e74.jpg)
Brendan Bell Yellowknife South
Mr. Speaker, my discussions with the mining companies and the oil and gas companies, they very much recognize that this is in their best interests. They are here in the North, are going to ensure that the benefits stay in the North, that they hire northerners, that they are involved in training northerners. I think we've got some very good corporate citizens in the North who are, in fact, adding value.
I should point out that there are differences between this SEA and past SEAs with the mines. The past SEAs with the mines came under the auspices of the Fair Practices Act. We now have human rights legislation and we have to see these agreements through that light. We have to make sure that the agreements are legal. There are mobility provisions under the Charter; we couldn't run afoul of those, Mr. Speaker, and I can tell you, the test is much higher. We now have to prove that any hiring preference is being given to a disadvantaged group. That was one our challenges with the blanket of NWT residents, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Question 393-15(5): Resource Development Employment Opportunities For Northerners
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1078
![The Speaker](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/14-paul-delorey/a5375803ce4145dd382736a81b5e4e7c.jpg)
The Speaker Paul Delorey
Thank you, Mr. Bell. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.
Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1078
![Michael Miltenberger](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/13-michael-miltenberger/47139ac033eb544b16722e5e01a06f8e.jpg)
Michael Miltenberger Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are, once again, for the Premier as a follow-up to discussion of the previous question. Mr. Speaker, clearly we have to get organized as a territory to deal with the issues of development, cumulative impact in the territory. There's a lot of trans-boundary issues as well, that we have to address. Right now we have the Deninu...(inaudible)...people and people from the Deh Cho striking out on their own to try to protect what they see are pressures on their water interests. I'd like to ask the Premier, as we look at these land use plans dealing with all these complex issues, how does he see getting folks together, the various governments, to, in fact, advance the work on this file? Thank you.
Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1078
Return To Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1078
![Joe Handley](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/14-joe-handley/cf8b85987210d51b87cdb98c0939c348.jpg)
Joe Handley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have been appealing to aboriginal leaders, as have other Members in this House, that we all have to work together, that there's a bigger issue that we have to resolve than our own community or regional issues, that this has to happen. Mr. Speaker, I have had meetings with the regional leaders. I intend to have another one as soon as we can get it organized. That has to be the starting point, Mr. Speaker. As I speak today, I know our people are out in the communities talking about the common issues around resource revenue sharing and devolution, in particular. Devolution means having our own responsibility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Return To Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1078
Supplementary To Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1078
![Michael Miltenberger](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/13-michael-miltenberger/47139ac033eb544b16722e5e01a06f8e.jpg)
Michael Miltenberger Thebacha
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, devolution and resource sharing are important issues as cumulative impact is, I believe, of equal importance. We are going to have to be involved in very many tables. The issue of a common strategy with the aboriginal governments in the time that is left, does the Premier envision the ability to be able to come up with a position? For example, to go to Alberta as they proceed with the expansion of the McMurray oil sands when there are all these great concerns. Thank you.
Supplementary To Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1078
Further Return To Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1078
![Joe Handley](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/14-joe-handley/cf8b85987210d51b87cdb98c0939c348.jpg)
Joe Handley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Devolution means control and responsibility over our land and water both for development purposes but also for protection purposes. Mr. Speaker, it's not all just about getting more money out of the system; it's also protecting our land that we've got to work together on.
Further Return To Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1078
Some Hon. Members
Hear! Hear!
---Applause
Further Return To Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Question 394-15(5): Corporate Efforts With Aboriginal Government To Address Impacts Of Resource Development
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 1078
![Joe Handley](/media/CACHE/images/polpics/14-joe-handley/cf8b85987210d51b87cdb98c0939c348.jpg)
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Speaker, as I said before, this is bigger than just a territorial issue; that we can't just look within our boundaries. We also have to look at the whole system in Western Canada, particularly in the Mackenzie River basin, and I intend to meet with the Premier of Alberta as soon as I can. I intend to have our people meet with others in Alberta to try and get a handle on what is happening, what their long-term plans are and how we fit into that; whether it's the hydro projects, oil and gas development, or whatever it may be. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.