Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I asked the government in terms of this socio-economic agreement with Diavik, BHP and Ekati, what type of programs are given to support the people in the Sahtu, the Beaufort-Delta, the Gwich'in, taking part in this work that is happening in the diamond mines. My people have been asking, how come we are not at that mine working? How come there is no type of support for us to get to those mines to work? How come, just recently, Diavik has been coming to our community and saying, where are your guys to work? Why haven't we been involved right at the forefront with the rest of our people who want a benefit from the Mackenzie gas pipeline? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said, the impact benefit agreements are with people on whose traditional lands the activity is taking place. The socio-economic agreements were broader umbrella agreements that provided for training, employment opportunities, contracting and purchasing. It was all done right across the Territories for everybody. Mr. Speaker, it was impossible to bring everybody into the room to help negotiate these things, so, as a government, we negotiated on behalf of all people, aboriginal and non-aboriginal. Mr. Speaker, I might also add, though, that those who settled claims have not been cut out completely from the benefit of economic development, the mines for example. They do get a share, revenues through their claim, from the economic activity. The situation we have now is in the Sahtu or the Gwich'in area, they do get benefit through their land claims already even though the activity is far away from their lands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Handley. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have asked the Premier if he would work with his officials to ensure that the numbers are increasing in terms of employment for people in the Sahtu and other regions that may not see much employment in the areas of working in the diamond mines. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Handley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This one is getting pretty specific in terms of our plans, so, Mr. Speaker, I would like to refer it to the Minister of ITI.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bell.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question. We have had a number of recent discussions. Some of the committee members have been involved in presentations from the mines, but the mines are struggling and will continue to struggle to meet northern targets. We have approached them and suggested that one of the best ideas or ways to deal with this is to go out into the other regions like the Sahtu and up in the Beaufort-Delta, hold trade fairs and be involved in trying to recruit people because we know, in the Beaufort-Delta, for instance, that there has been a bit of a slide in terms of oil and gas activity. We think there are some people on the ground who would be interested in mining jobs, so we have encouraged the mines to do this. They have been very receptive, all three mines, to the idea. We are talking with them about joint efforts between the GNWT and the three mines in how we get out to the other regions to encourage people to come to work in those mines. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bell. Written questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Displacing one group to accommodate another group

1. Why does everyone at YK 1 have to move aside and be dispersed to allow a group of students from a different board to move in?
2. If it is not okay for St. Joe's students to be separated, what makes it okay for YK 1 students to be? Who will be paying to bus these students?
3. Why are YK 1 schools not good enough to share but are good enough to have?
4. Why has an agreement not been reached; YK 1 wants to share space but YCS does not, is this where the deadlock is or is it at the government level?
5. Why do people think that 250 YCS students being displaced is made better by displacing 250 YK 1 students?
6. According to Minister Dent's figures, between 100 and 280 students need to be accommodated over a two-year period. Does this mean all students for two complete years, or various numbers at various times of the year, or all students at different times over the two years?

Financial - Fairness

7. What is the cost of putting all the YK 1 students into different schools compared to putting 100 St. Joe's students into shared space at YK 1?
8. Why does ECE want parents to put more money into YK 1 programs that they are already happy with?
9. In light of this new funding for YK 1, losing $300,000 because it is now being funded based on enrolment/utilization as opposed to capacity, how will all NWT school boards be funded?
10. What does ECE need parents to do so YK 1 will be funded in the same manner as all other boards in the NWT?
11. Page 16 in the facilities report recommends that the GNWT find a better calculation for determining capacity. Will there be a review by ECE based on this recommendation?
12. Minister Dent's letter states that reasoning for not having St. Joe's students housed in multiple schools is because of increased costs for administration and transportation of YCS students. What are the predicted costs for administration and transportation? How do these costs compare to the costs of YK 1 giving a school to YCS for two years?

Two Boards Sharing One School/One Board For Yellowknife

13. Has a shared arrangement for a French immersion school been considered, similar to Alberta, where the Catholic and public systems share?
14. What about one district sharing schools with two administrations; one Catholic and one non-Catholic?
15. Why can't YCS students benefit from YK 1 programs?
16. Is there another school district in Canada with two public school boards in one community?
17. Would one school board be better than giving up one school to save money?

Shared Space - Well Received

18. YK 1 opened their school to YCS after the fire, why can't this cooperation continue?
19. What sense does it make to move all the students out of one school so another group of students can move in?
20. Why is YCS opposed to sharing space?
21. Why are YK 1 kids going to be shuffled? No parents want to save tax dollars at the expense of a child's education.
22. This is a divisive situation, one that can cause ripples and reach far into the future, shouldn't shared space be the only option?
23. What date is this decision being made?
24. Shared space offers a perfect example of tolerance and unity, which both schools promote and teach. How does this situation reflect our values and what does it show the students of both boards?
25. Is the Minister willing to openly listen to the concept of shared space? The wording of Mr. Dent's letter to YK 1 sounds like a decision has been made. Has it?

Parents' Handwritten Questions Left For Minister After The Public Meeting

26. Disabled students need consistency. ECE is suggesting disrupting their education by moving; it will take a considerable amount of time to re-adjust. How do you explain to a child who doesn't understand why this is happening?
27. What has been done to consider the effect of moving the students to different facilities?
28. How can parents explain this situation to their children if ECE is not explaining their decision adequately to the parents of the affected students?
29. Will there be space in YK 1 for the Montessori program to exist and expand?

Additional Comments Made By Parents And Other Stakeholders

We Chose To Live By Our School Of Choice

30. What about those parents who chose their housing location based on proximity to their children's school? Are those people expected to adjust and make up any costs in transportation et cetera as a result of this decision?

Dealing With Renovations

31. Why isn't YCS being forced to deal with the impact of their choice to renovate, as YK 1 was during Mildred Hall renovations?

Other

32. If a school is taken away, where are the guarantees construction will only take two years?
33. What precipitated the letter? I did read it as a directive. What discussions have taken place?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Written questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, I have three questions for the Minister...

...of Education, Culture and Employment. Three.

1. I would like to know how many students from Yellowknife are being housed to take courses at the college, and how many students are from the outlying communities.
2. How many of these students have applied from the outlying communities, and how many of them have been turned down due to lack of housing?
3. I would also like to know the percentage of students housed in Aurora College that are from Yellowknife.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Written questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have one written question today. My question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Can the Minister provide a breakdown by community where the 1,608 new positions were established in the Government of the Northwest Territories since 1999?

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to go to item 5 on the Order Paper.

The Member is seeking unanimous consent to return to item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Are there any nays? There are no nays. We'll return to item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great honour to recognize in the gallery my son, Keone, and his spouse, Theresa, and my grandson, Kayleb.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. We welcome everyone in the gallery today. I hope you're enjoying the proceedings. Returns to written questions. Replies to opening address. Petitions. Reports of standing and special committees. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in April 2004, soon after the beginning of the 15th Legislative Assembly's term of office, the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight set its priorities and objectives. These plans were shared with our colleagues and the public in our first Report on Priorities and Objectives on June 1, 2004. The committee followed with progress reports in June 2005 and June 2006.

This will be our final progress report. It is our intention to also present a transition report later this year in order to highlight those areas we believe will require the continued attention of our successor committee in the 16th Assembly.

Background

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight includes all 11 Regular Members. Its mandate as set out in the rules of the Legislative Assembly is to:

1. review issues which have government-wide implications, including the overview of the budget and fiscal framework;
2. review multi-year business plans, budgets and bills of the Department of the Executive, including the executive offices, the Financial Management Board Secretariat, the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, and the Department of
4. Human Resources, as well as the Department of Finance;
3. consider the budgets and financial management of any other boards and agencies that are outside the responsibility of any standing committee;
4. examine the reports on the annual financial statements and public accounts of the Government of the Northwest Territories and the report of the Auditor General;
5. review government reports on financial and performance results on program and policy evaluations to ensure anticipated outcomes are being achieved and accountability is maximized;
6. review, as necessary or appropriate, the annual and other reports of statutory offices of the Legislative Assembly, including the
7. Commissioner of Official Languages, the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, the Information and Privacy Commissioner, the Equal Pay Commissioner and the Human Rights Commissioner;
8. coordinate House business, scheduling and planning in cooperation with appropriate Cabinet representatives; and,
9. consider any other matters referred by the House.

Mr. Speaker, the vision adopted by the committee in April 2004 is:

a strong, effective consensus government that has the confidence of the people of the NWT.

Our mission is:

to take purposeful and unified action, where appropriate, to support, question or oppose government initiatives and to hold government accountable. We will also use our collective power to influence government to take action and/or to change its policies when in the public interest.

Progress On Committee Priorities

As we stated in our June 2004 Report on Priorities and Objectives, our key priority is:

holding government accountable to our collective 15th Assembly vision and goals.

The standing committee accomplishes this through a number of regular activities, and in particular the annual review of the government's draft business plans. In the fall of 2005, the committee implemented the first ever pre-budget consultations, which added a new aspect to the committee's role and allowed it to exercise its mandate in a way the public could see and participate in. The committee held a second round of pre-budget consultations in the fall of 2006, bringing the total number of communities visited to 16 in the Northwest Territories.

The committee also holds government accountable through its input on policy, program and legislative initiatives, by organizing theme days on various topics and formal motions in the Assembly directing the government to take specific actions.

The committee continues to see our constitutional evolution and the negotiation of a fair devolution and resource revenue sharing deal for our territory, as key to achieving our collective vision that the people of the Northwest Territories should be the primary beneficiaries of the development of our resources.

In this context, the committee initiated a motion, carried on October 25, 2006, strongly recommending that the Government of Canada, the Government of the Northwest Territories, and Northwest Territories aboriginal governments reach a fair and equitable devolution and resource revenue sharing agreement-in-principle before the next federal budget. It further called on all northern leaders to set aside their differences and work together for the sake of future generations to achieve an agreement that will stop the flood of resource revenues leaving the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I'll pass it on to Mr. Braden. Mahsi.