Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the continuation of the Fifth Session of the 15th Legislative Assembly. I would like to take this opportunity to belatedly, but most sincerely, offer my personal best wishes to each and every one of you for a happy and healthy new year. Although we have not met formally for several months, I know that you all continue to work diligently in committees, Cabinet and in your constituencies.

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. Vince Steen on Saturday, February 3rd, in Inuvik. Mr. Steen was a former Member of this Assembly and esteemed colleague to many of us. I would like to take this opportunity to extend personal condolences and from those of this House to his family and his community. A Member of the Assembly from 1995 to 2003, Vince worked tirelessly for the people of Nunakput, and as a Member of the Executive Council for all residents of the Northwest Territories. Our thoughts during this difficult time are with his family, his wife, Betty Elias, and their children.

At this time, I would like to ask that all Members rise and observe a moment of silence to honour Mr. Steen.

---Moment of Silence

Thank you, colleagues. You may be seated. As we enter this budget session, I would like to acknowledge, on behalf of the Legislative Assembly, the efforts of our standing committees, Cabinet, government and Assembly staff on contributing to our budget development process. I would also like to acknowledge the residents of the Northwest Territories who participated in the pre-budget consultation that took place throughout the North last year. By expressing your views and concerns, you have also aided in this important process.

I look forward to a very productive session, to lively debate on issues that are important to all residents of the Northwest Territories and to discussions that lead to positive, informed decisions. I ask only that you conduct yourself within the rules that you have set down and continue to respect the dignity of the House and all of its Members.

It is now my duty to advise the House that I have received the following message from the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories. It reads, "Dear Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly the passage of the Appropriation Act, 2007-2008 and Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 3, 2006-2007 during the Fifth Session of the 15th Legislative Assembly. Yours truly, Anthony W. J. Whitford, Commissioner."

Thank you, colleagues. Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. The honourable Deputy Premier, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that we observe the passing of Mr. Vince Steen, a former Member of the 13th and 14th Legislative Assemblies and a dear colleague to many of us in this House. We extend our deepest condolences and those of the Government of the Northwest Territories to Mr. Steen's family; his partner Betty, sons Warren and Waylon, and daughters Tina, Shannon and Meeka, and to his many friends, and offer them our thoughts and prayers.

Vince was admired as a man who was able to live a traditional lifestyle while maintaining an important political career, locally and territorially.

In his community life in Tuktoyaktuk, he served as mayor, justice of the peace and coroner. Vince also served as chief of the Inuvialuit Land Administration Committee for the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, vice-president of Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, chairman of the NWT Game Council, a board member of Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation, a board member of Tuktoyaktuk Hunters' and Trappers' Committee and a member of the federal Fisheries and Oceans Advisory Committee on Whales and Whaling.

Mr. Speaker, we will remember Vince as a man of integrity, honour and commitment; a man not afraid to speak his mind, who offered practical solutions for change and who always considered the impact of his and our government's actions on people in the communities. Vince was a man who wanted to make a positive difference in people's lives. We believe he achieved his goal. His family, his friends and his community should be very proud of him. He will be missed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce the week of February 4 to 10 as Mental Health Week. "Finding your Balance" is this year's theme in the NWT.

Today, I would like to speak about the importance of good mental health for every person, family and community within the NWT, and the valuable contributions made to

mental health by our Health and Social Services Authorities and non-government organizations.

As many as one in five northerners will struggle with mental illness. Most of us know someone who is directly affected by addictions, mental health, or family violence issues. We all feel the many demands in our daily lives, but as northerners we have a particular appreciation for maintaining a healthy balance mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Mental Health Week is an opportunity for each of us to take note of our coping skills and supports that help us deal with stress in our lives.

The Department of Health and Social Services has made it a priority to increase supports where people need them: in the communities. Some of the department's enhancements within the mental health field include:

• • the Community Counselling Program, part of the mental health and addictions core services within our integrated service delivery model. Since 2003, the program has focused on the prevention and treatment of mental health issues, addictions and family violence problems at the community level. This week, the department is pleased to host, here in Yellowknife, the second annual conference for workers in this program;
• • the FRIENDS for Life Resiliency Training Program. This program has been launched in 11 communities across the NWT, and children are receiving tools they can use to assist in maintaining a healthy balance for life. Group leaders are trained to help children develop methods to cope with stress and anxiety before they develop mental health problems such as depression;
• • training for community wellness workers through a partnership with Keyano College in Alberta since 2003-04. Students work in their home communities and participate in 10 one-week university-level modules at Aurora College in Yellowknife between September and March;
• • the Youth Net Program is a mental health promotion program for youth, lead and delivered by young people in schools and youth settings. Youth Net provides a safe place where youth can begin to talk about mental health stresses and connect with a youth-friendly support system;
• • Open Minds is an anti-stigma program that will be launched this spring. People living with mental illness will share their personal stories with youth for enlightenment and information; and
• • mental health workers are preparing for the national Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, CASP, conference in Yellowknife this coming October. This conference will bring together health professionals, volunteers, educators and many others in the mental health field who work to help prevent suicide.

Mr. Speaker, we are proud to have partnerships with non-government organizations such as the Canadian Mental Health Association, Northwest Territories division, who work closely with us in sharing information and promoting Mental Health Week.

The Canadian Mental Health Association operates the NWT Helpline that has been in existence for more than a decade. Anonymous, trained volunteers answer a countless number of calls 365 days a year on where residents can turn to for help in their community.

In closing, I would encourage everyone here to take a moment to understand how mental health issues affect the lives of northerners, and appreciate those working to improve and protect our well-being. I commend those who find balance for themselves, their families and their communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Roland.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will deliver the budget address on Thursday, February 8, 2007. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A very prominent and distinguished individual from Tuktoyaktuk died peacefully, after suffering a long battle with cancer, on Saturday, February 3, 2007. He was a dedicated father, businessman and, more importantly, a distinguished politician. I am speaking of none other than the late Mr. Vince Steen.

Mr. Speaker, some of my colleagues from the 13th and 14th Assemblies knew Mr. Steen very well. Mr. Steen represented his constituents well in the 13th and 14th Assemblies. During the 14th Assembly, he held the portfolios of Public Works and Transportation.

Mr. Speaker, prior to becoming MLA, Mr. Steen served as hamlet councillor and mayor of Tuktoyaktuk, sat on the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation, hunters' and trappers' committee and was a justice of the peace. These are just a few of his accomplishments since becoming a politician.

Mr. Speaker, after the election of the 15th Assembly, Mr. Steen returned to Tuk to retire. However, being the individual and politician that he was, he ran and was elected to sit as hamlet councillor and board member for the Tuktoyaktuk Community Corporation and hunters' and trappers' committee until his recent death.

Mr. Steen was a dedicated husband to his wife, Betty, his children Tina, Warren, Shannon, Waylon and Meeka. Mr. Steen loved being out on the land during his breaks, which really wasn't long enough to enjoy because as a politician the well-being of the constituents were foremost in his mind as he represented the people of Nunakput.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, on behalf of my family and constituents, I would like to send condolences to the family of the late Mr. Vince Steen. Our thoughts and prayers are with Betty and her children during this time of sorrow. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to extend condolences to all those across the NWT who have lost loved ones in the past year. Our prayers are with you.

Mr. Speaker, the leadership of the Northwest Territories is at an important time in our history. Decisions we make, Mr. Speaker, within the next few years will affect future generations, our children, our grandchildren. Decisions we make, Mr. Speaker, are like trying to find a resource revenue sharing deal to negotiate. We have to negotiate with Ottawa for our own wealth.

Mr. Speaker, as I speak, $30,000 will leave the Northwest Territories. The leadership has been trying to advance this and it will only work, Mr. Speaker, if everyone gets on board. We should take offence to something being taken out of our neighbour's yard, Mr. Speaker. If I had $100 for every time I heard the Prime Minister quoted as saying the North should be the primary beneficiaries of our own wealth, I would be a wealthy man right now and I wouldn't need a resource revenue sharing deal.

Mr. Speaker, we have decisions like management of the caribou population across the Northwest Territories. For generations the caribou has taken care of our families; they've fed us and clothed us and now it's our turn to return the favour. We have to do this, Mr. Speaker, so our children and grandchildren won't have to be raised on pork chops.

Mr. Speaker, at the recent summit in Inuvik, they came up with some recommendations and we look forward to seeing these recommendations being put into action. Mr. Speaker, we have many important decisions that we have to make as a 15th Assembly, not only as a 15th Assembly but as a leadership of the Northwest Territories. We have to make these decisions wisely and with the best interest of the future generations in mind.

This will go a long way, Mr. Speaker, towards addressing the legacy of not only this Assembly but the entire leadership across the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

----Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members of this House are well aware that Nats'ejee K'eh Treatment Centre has been closed since the fall due to the ongoing labour dispute. However, it is my understanding that the government has continued to make payments to the tune of just over a half a million dollars since the dispute began on October 23rd. Under the terms of their agreement, the GNWT shells out $1.89 million annually for this service. As of today, there has been no service provided at this facility. That's 107 days, Mr. Speaker.

Aside from the fact that this represents a clear waste of public funds by continuing the payments for a service that they cannot provide, the government may, in fact, be providing a disincentive for the society to move quickly towards a settlement for their workers. I hope the government will take lessons from this situation, Mr. Speaker, when they consider negotiating future contracts. Perhaps we should include provisions requiring contractors to pay back money when services are not rendered as promised; better yet, allowing the government to suspend payments when services are disrupted for periods of time.

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on this the first day back in the Assembly, I would like to title my Member's statement bragging rights for Hay River. We have had a number of outstanding accomplishments on the part of athletes just recently. I will go into more detail perhaps in the future.

Amy MacDonald, an outstanding biathlete, has just had some very successful races. The Monique Delorey Gagnier rink is off to the Scott Tournament of Hearts in Lethbridge.

I would particularly today like to highlight the success of Brendan Green. Most of you have probably heard a little bit about what happened at the world championship races in Val Martello, Italy, just a few days ago. Following the individual races, Brendan was a part of the Canadian team that ran an astonishing race. They were overjoyed to be on the podium, and proudly accepted the bronze medal for Canada. We were only a fraction of a second away from the silver. Every member of the four-man team had to come up with a near perfect performance to make the podium finish possible. All came through without picking up any shooting penalties.

In the anchor position, Hay River's Brendan Green had a major role to play in the success of the Canadian team. Brendan earned the honour of anchor after having the most consistent placings for the team in the three individual events.

A lot can happen in the final leg of a relay event when the teams are close. Nerves of steel are needed to cope with the excitement and intense pressure that develops. That was certainly the situation that Brendan faced when the handoff to him took place. At this point, Germany had a commanding lead of several minutes, but Canada was still

in medal contention at fourth place with five or six teams bunched together within a minute or so of each other. To reach the podium, Brendan had to overtake Poland or Austria, but several other strong teams including the powerful Norwegian and Russian teams were close behind and in position to overtake him if he lost his focus for only a minute.

Mr. Speaker, Brendan managed to overtake all but the Germans who had developed an insurmountable lead. Outshooting the Norwegian who had to take a penalty loop, Brendan managed to lead the range with clean targets and a slim seven-second lead. It came down to a skiing sprint to the finish, and seven-tenths of a second was all that separated the two as they crossed the finish line with Norwegians pulling ahead to snatch the silver. However, the Canadians could accept the bronze with pride, knowing that they had given one of the great skiing nations a run for their money.

Mr. Speaker, on the subject of bragging rights, I also -- in case my grandchildren ever read Hansard and wonder what their grandmother was doing -- I just want to say that I am a proud grandmother now of Grayson James Groenewegen and Julianne Elizabeth Groenewegen all since the last time we were here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we know that the winters are warming as is our climate. We know that, over the years, the ice road season has shrunk and as the diamond mines develop, the issue of resupply is a constant problem. Mr. Speaker, the issue I would like to talk about today briefly is the all-weather road access up to the mines.

In the mid-'90s, after I first got elected, I attended some meetings with the Tlicho people and some of the people from Hay River to talk about the viability of a road to supply the mines. This road would be a multi-purpose road. It will be through the Tlicho region, connecting all of the communities in the Tlicho at the same time and continue north to resupply the mines.

Mr. Speaker, I believe it is time to revisit that suggestion and that concept. I think there is tremendous merit to that. It would ease the tremendous amount of traffic on the over-used portions of Highway No. 3. It would allow a direct route across the river, down the highway, up north to the mines. It would connect all of the communities in the Tlicho, which is long overdue.

I believe we, as the territorial government, should be sitting down with the Tlicho Government as well as the diamond mines to talk about this. I don't believe this is far fetched. I believe it is a very real, doable issue. As you look towards the 16th Assembly and how we are going to open the North and how we are going to deal, anticipate and adapt to climate change like the shrinking ice road season, this is one way to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. (Translation) Mr. Speaker, every time there is a road built to the outlying communities, it is pretty hard to really look at it. We are saying that we want to work together regarding the winter road. Can they build a road on the land? We are talking about an all-weather access road. Later on, I would direct the question to the Transportation Minister. (Translation ends)

...fully depend on aircraft which, of course, is very expensive as you know, Mr. Speaker.

In recent years, the winter road season has been getting shorter and shorter as global warming continues. It is foreseeable that one day we will not be able to build a winter road at all. We need to begin planning for the possibility now, Mr. Speaker.

The Tlicho Government, as my colleague indicated, supports a realignment of the current winter road to a more direct multi-land-based wealth. This new road could eventually be converted to an all-weather highway with construction of a few bridges along the way, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this road is a critical link to the three isolated communities in the Tlicho region. New highways are not built overnight, Mr. Speaker. We must start planning and working now in partnership with the Tlicho Government and the federal government to ensure that these communities will continue to have road access in the near future. I will have questions for the Department of Transportation Minister at the appropriate time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We passed a very important motion in this Assembly last October, Mr. Speaker. It directed the Premier, as the key member of our Assembly, to bring back an agreement-in-principle to this Assembly and to the people of Northwest Territories on devolution and resource revenue sharing between Canada and the aboriginal governments of the NWT. Mr. Speaker, we were motivated by a sense of urgency because as the diamond mines continue to reap their rich harvest and the Norman Wells oilfield pumps its mammoth field, we are seeing roughly $750,000 a day leave the NWT and flow directly to Ottawa. With more mines built and the potential Mackenzie Valley pipeline coming on stream, that could mean some $3.5 million a day, Mr. Speaker.

Since our motion of just four months ago, there has been a considerable shift in the political landscape here in the NWT because with the regrettable collapse of the

Aboriginal Summit in December, the players have changed and so too have my expectations of achieving this agreement-in-principle, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the difficulties of maintaining consensus among organizations. Goodness knows, we have our issues and our difficulties here in this Assembly, Mr. Speaker, so I do not want my concern to be taken as a criticism of the aboriginal governments, but a recognition that without their voices the collective will of the NWT can't be fully heard at the negotiating table.

Mr. Speaker, earlier in my statement I spoke of urgency. We also face uncertainty as yet another federal election is possible at any time. We know that our own election is due here in the fall. Each change of leadership, of course, adds yet more time to this already urgent timetable.

Mr. Speaker, these issues must remain at the very top of our legislative priority list. It is time that we turn our vision into reality. The question remains still, how do we do this? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I would like to start off by wishing everybody a Happy New Year this first time we're sitting in the House since 2006. Mr. Speaker, it's good to see that my colleagues are all back and in good spirits, I see. I'm looking forward to working with them over the next two months during this fifth sitting of the 15th Assembly.

Recently, Mr. Speaker, some circumstances in my family dynamics have changed and I have to reorganize my priorities somewhat. Between my work here and these new changes in my life, I see that there will be many new challenges for me. I look forward with excitement and encouragement toward having more direct input into the future for my kids and their kids, a future which we all have an opportunity in this House to lay the groundwork for in a political sense. Now that I have a bigger workload on the personal side, I have to really attend to that side of the equation more seriously, as we all do I'm sure.

That being said, Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate my dedication to my Tu Nedhe constituents towards building better working relationships with all levels of government, with industry in our Akaitcho Territory and the NWT, and especially building relationships amongst ourselves; that being the most challenging and compromising not to mention the most difficult to talk about, especially at the community level.

Mr. Speaker, many new issues have arisen since our last sitting that are going to require decisions made here that will have territorial-wide ramifications in areas such as wildlife, especially caribou management, energy, the environment and resource development, just to name a few. These should be at the top of this 15th Assembly's priority list over the next eight months. I'm confident that we can find some northern solutions to many of these very important decisions that will have to be very well thought out before actions can be taken. All these in conjunction with many other personal concerns in areas of housing, health, justice and seniors will be brought to the attention of this government for more consideration and hopefully some timely resolution so that people can actually see and touch some changes before the end of this 15th Assembly.

Mr. Villeneuve, your time for Member's statements has expired.