This is page numbers 265 - 302 of the Hansard for the 15th Assembly, 6th 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 going.

Topics

Members Present

Honourable Brendan Bell, Mr. Braden, Honourable Paul Delorey, Honourable Charles Dent, Mrs. Groenewegen, Honourable Joe Handley, Mr. Hawkins, Honourable David Krutko, Mr. Lafferty, Ms. Lee, Hon. Michael McLeod, Mr. McLeod, Hon. Kevin Menicoche, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. Pokiak, Mr. Ramsay, Honourable Floyd Roland, Mr. Villeneuve, Mr. Yakeleya

---Prayer

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the House. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

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Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty North Slave

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise in this House today to raise a point of personal privilege. Mahsi.

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. What is your point of privilege?

Point Of Privilege

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

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Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty North Slave

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker...(Translation)...Members of the Legislative Assembly are often called upon to represent and show support for their constituents in a wide variety of situations. It is a fundamental part of our job that every issue, every complaint and every person should get equal attention from his or her MLA.

Last week, I wrote a letter calling for a lenient sentence for a constituent convicted of sexual assault. It was not my intention to condone the actions of this man or in any way make light of the seriousness of his crime. Sexual assault and other acts of violence, particularly against women, are inexcusable. Every person who is in a position of leadership must condemn such acts without hesitation or qualification.

My letter was not intended to lessen the seriousness of this crime or its impact on the victim. Rather, my intention was to act for the well-being of the other victims, the family who rely on his income for support.

Mr. Speaker, I now realize that this letter showed a lack of sensitivity for the victim, who showed great courage to press charges in the first place. I also understand that letters such as these send a message that acts of violence against women are acceptable or less serious than other crimes. They are not.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to offer my sincere apology to the victim for my lack of sensitivity and poor judgement. I also wish to apologize for any additional pain and suffering my actions have caused her family. Leaders must not only support those who request help, but also fully contemplate the implications of their actions on others. I will do my best to meet the standards in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Members. (Translation ends)

Members of the Legislative Assembly are often called upon to represent and show support for their constituents in a wide variety of situations. It is a fundamental part of our job that every issue, every complaint and every person should get equal attention from his or her MLA.

Last week, I wrote a letter calling for a lenient sentence for a constituent convicted of sexual assault. It was not my intention to condone the actions of this man or in any way make light of the seriousness of his crime. Sexual assault and other acts of violence, particularly against women, are inexcusable. Every person who is in a position of leadership must condemn such acts without hesitation or qualification.

My letter was not intended to lessen the seriousness of this crime or its impact on the victim. Rather, my intention was to act for the well-being of the other victims, the family who rely on his income for support.

Mr. Speaker, I now realize that this letter showed a lack of sensitivity for the victim, who showed great courage to press charges in the first place. I also understand that letters such as these send a message that acts of violence against women are acceptable or less serious than other crimes. Mr. Speaker, they are not.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to offer my sincere apology to the victim for my lack of sensitivity and poor judgement. I also wish to apologize for any additional pain and suffering my actions have caused her family. Leaders must not only support those who request help, Mr. Speaker, but also fully contemplate the implications of their actions on others. Mr. Speaker, I will do my best to meet the standards in the future. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi, Members.

Item 1: Prayer
Item 1: Prayer

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Before I go to the orders of the day, colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to the gallery and the presence of a former Member of this House, former Speaker Sam Gargan.

---Applause

Orders of the day. Ministers' statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Dent.

Minister's Statement 25-15(6): Elder Abuse Awareness
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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Charles Dent

Charles Dent Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. On June 15th, NWT seniors will recognize World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which has the theme of My World, Your World, Our World, Free of Elder Abuse. Sadly, 80 percent of abuse or neglect of older adults goes unreported. Many NWT seniors feel isolated and alone, even when they have family visiting regularly.

Also next month, we will celebrate Seniors' Week from June 16th to June 27th. Seniors' Week is an opportunity for us to take some time to recognize the importance of seniors in our northern communities. The theme this year, Seniors Helping Seniors, reflects how seniors work

together to improve the lives of others by sharing experience and values.

These two themes go hand in hand. Seniors are often the only ones in a community who have the trust of other seniors, and they must help each other access the help they need. Because of their shared experience, seniors are often experts on issues such as the abuse of older adults.

Mr. Speaker, all of us should encourage seniors to talk with other seniors about their issues. We can help victims of abuse become aware they do not have to live with abuse or neglect. Knowing this can help empower victims to feel safe enough to report abuse to the proper authorities so seniors can be protected.

The wisdom of our seniors and elders is one of our greatest assets. No one should ever ignore abuse of older adults; we owe them a debt of gratitude that can only be paid when we stand up to protect their right to be free of violence.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the efforts of the NWT Seniors' Society, the Yellowknife Seniors' Society and the Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors. These groups are good examples of seniors helping other seniors.

Our seniors work hard for their communities. Let us make sure they live their lives in peace and happiness, free from abuse. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Minister's Statement 25-15(6): Elder Abuse Awareness
Item 2: Ministers' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Housing Complex For Deninu Kue Seniors
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Robert Villeneuve

Robert Villeneuve Tu Nedhe

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Since we are on the topic of elder abuse, it's a good time to read my Member's statement to talk about some of the housing issues that have come to my attention lately.

Mr. Speaker, about six months ago, the Deninu Kue Seniors' Society, which represents the interest of nearly 100 seniors in Deninu Kue, all of an average age of about 68 years old, made a recommendation to the Housing Corporation to build a six-plex to house seniors in independent living somewhere near the seniors complex. Mr. Speaker, the regional office came back outlining what the Housing Corporation requires in order to carry this initiative forward such as looking for a suitable location, researching land ownership, negotiating land owners to acquire property and gathering written support from various local government organizations in order for them to follow up on this initiative.

The Deninu Kue Seniors' Society did follow up with the Housing Corporation's request from the regional office and eventually the property was purchased by the Housing Corporation and all indications pointed towards the next step of moving forward on this project by putting out a tender for the construction of a seniors' six-plex and this was considered great news for the hard work of the Deninu Kue Seniors' Society.

Just recently, Mr. Speaker, the Deninu Kue Seniors' Society has been informed that the Housing Corporation is again questioning the feasibility of a seniors six-plex and is wondering if the units will be occupied by seniors and would like the Deninu Kue Seniors' Society to seek further support from the local government organizations, something they have already completed. They have assured the Housing Corp that they do have seniors who would be willing to move in as soon as construction is completed. Understandably the reluctance of the Deninu Kue Seniors' Society to go out and seek the same support from local government organizations has created a lot of frustration amongst our elders and is viewed as simply a stalling tactic by the Housing Corp to follow up on their previous commitment. The Deninu Kue Seniors' Society would like to know why.

Later today, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking the Minister of the Housing Corp, at the appropriate time, why the Housing Corp continues to put up barriers and hoops when things are moving along in what seemingly seems to be a cooperative, positive and collaborative manner. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Housing Complex For Deninu Kue Seniors
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve. Members' statements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Regional Development And Autonomy
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member's statement is going to be on the issue of our regions coming to age, Mr. Speaker. I have had the opportunity of being able to accompany the Minister of MACA, Mr. McLeod, and also Premier Handley, leader of the Government of the Northwest Territories, to attend the Association of Municipalities meeting in Norman Wells, along with my colleague, Mr. Hawkins.

Mr. Speaker, the issue I am talking about is in our regions, the smaller communities; they seem to be lacking certain basic essential services that other centres have in their communities. Still in our region alone, in the Sahtu, we are playing catch up, the catch up region that, in terms of services, programs, Mr. Speaker, in terms of the quality of living we have. The mayor of Tulita talked about going to the Northern Store and buying a loaf of bread for $6. It costs even more to make bread in Tulita and those are the prices that we have to live with. It seems to be that our region seems to be lacking the support, Mr. Speaker.

The people in the Sahtu are light years ahead in terms of things that they can do from the South. This is the 21st Century, but some of the government programs are still in the 18th and 19th centuries. Look at the Colville Lake Health Centre. Look at the services of no RCMP in Colville Lake in this day and age. Some of the other communities in the Northwest Territories have those services and it is good for those communities because they require it, so why not in the Sahtu region at this time, day and age, if activity is happening in the region there? We don't have those types of services and the government can, if they want to, bring those services into the community.

Our region has been babysat for too long by other regions. Look at the Department of Transportation. The Inuvik office for the air and transportation is in Fort Smith, but other departments are babysitting our region. We want some autonomy. We want to control our lives. We want to do what is right for the people of the Northwest Territories. There is lots of activity. So let's give back to the region that deserves and not be isolated. Thank you.

---Applause

Regional Development And Autonomy
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in recent years, governments have turned more and more to electronic databases to help them manage vast amounts of personal information used to carry out programs and services. In fact, just this week, the Minister of Health and Social Services announced a major partnership between the GNWT and Canada Health Infoway that will see all NWT communities participating in an electronic health records network within the next year.

Such announcements typically hail electronic databases as promising efficiencies and enhanced quality of services. What they fail to mention are the risks to privacy that the new ease of access to information like social insurance numbers, addresses and bank account numbers entails if appropriate security measures are not put in place. As our Information and Privacy Commissioner has warned repeatedly, identify theft is on the rise everywhere. We cannot afford to pretend that we, in the Northwest Territories, are somehow invulnerable to this threat. Aside from identity theft, there are many other ways that personal information can be misused if it falls into the wrong hands. Having the information conveniently packaged and searchable in a database only increases that risk.

Mr. Speaker, it is certainly not my intent to suggest that we do away with electronic databases which are everywhere and have become the essential part of many government and business activities. I raise these concerns to point out that, along with the efficiencies and enhancements, there are new responsibilities that have come with the electronic age. I would think that, at a minimum, these responsibilities include doing realistic assessments of the risks to privacy, implementing plans to mitigate those risks such as security measures to prevent unauthorized access to personal information, and establishing protocols for dealing with breaches including disclosure that a breach has occurred to any persons who may have been affected.

Earlier this week, I questioned the Minister of Human Resources about a possible breach of the government's PeopleSoft system which includes extremely sensitive personal information on all government employees and raises serious security concerns. As far as I am aware, the department has not taken any steps to communicate with employees about whether or not a breach did occur and who might be affected. I found it extremely disturbing that the Minister was unable to tell me what the protocol would be if a breach did occur.

Mr. Speaker, employees turn over social insurance numbers, addresses and bank accounts on faith that the GNWT, as their employer, will fulfill its responsibility to protect that information and ensure it is only used for the purpose for which it was intended. They have a right to expect that the GNWT has strict security systems in place and protocols to deal with any breaches. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Calvin Pokiak

Calvin Pokiak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this morning, I had an opportunity to meet with the Premier and some of his colleagues and also the mayor and deputy mayor of Tuktoyaktuk. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise a concern in regard to the important need to identify immediate funding dollars for relocation of municipal infrastructure requirements for the Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk. I say this, Mr. Speaker, because the shorelines in the community of Tuktoyaktuk are rapidly deteriorating because of permafrost melting which causes erosion along the west and north end of the community.

Mr. Speaker, the hamlet council has raised this issue with MACA officials from Inuvik on numerous occasions during the review of their five-year capital plan. As an example, the gravesite is full to capacity. The location of the landfill site causes concern for potential health problems, and the point on the north end of town is eroding rapidly to a point where someday the houses located inside the harbour may eventually flood if protection to the sandpit is not protected.

Mr. Speaker, the hamlet council is very concerned and would like this government to immediately direct and discuss with MACA in implementing a plan to provide emergency funding to address the erosion problem in the location of the landfill site, gravesite and the need for gravel requirements.

The hamlet has already identified, in their capital plan, for the relocation of these municipal services. The proposed services are identified on the east side of the harbour and are in close proximity to the proposed access road to source 177.

Mr. Speaker, if these services are not addressed immediately by MACA and discussions with the hamlet, the community, as I said, may be flooded in the near future.

Therefore, I am requesting MACA to immediately meet with the hamlet council of Tuktoyaktuk to discuss and provide emergency funding to address the relocation of the gravesite, a landfill site, and gravel requirements and the ocean problem. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of MACA at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this morning, I read an article that said that there is a meeting going on today between the proponents of the pipeline and the Government of Canada. I got to thinking when they mentioned some of the players that were going to be at the meeting, where was the GNWT in this picture, Mr. Speaker? It is happening too much lately that, with all the talk going on with the pipeline, the GNWT continues to be left out of the picture. I read further on in the article that a document was filed with the National Energy Board. They talk about Alberta will be the main beneficiary from the project; 10,245 jobs to Alberta, 3,200 jobs to the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, where is the NWT in all of this? Thanks to the Aboriginal Pipeline Group, we have some stake in it.

Some Hon. Members

Hear! Hear!

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thirty years ago, Thomas Berger put a moratorium on pipeline development. That was the best thing he ever did, I think, for the people of the Northwest Territories. It gave us an opportunity to get into the picture, take advantage of some of the opportunities. The Inuvialuit, the Gwich'in and the people of the Sahtu have seized that opportunity and put themselves in a position where they could see some benefit from the pipeline for them and the people that they represent.

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions later on for the Minister of ITI or the Premier. I am going to need to know where we are at the table, if we are at the table. Mr. Speaker, this pipeline talk and all of the politics surrounding it across the Northwest Territories is just getting a little out of hand. This pipeline is being used as leverage in land claims talks and it is not acceptable. We could stay at home, sit on our hands and wait for money to fall from the skies, but no. There are people out there. I represent a lot of them that do plan on going out there, seizing the opportunity, seeing what they can benefit out of this pipeline. I want to make sure that the people that I represent and people in the Northwest Territories, as a whole, benefit from the construction of this pipeline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Support Systems For Persons With Disabilities
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Bill Braden

Bill Braden Great Slave

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. During my two terms here as MLA, I have been approached on many occasions by constituents dealing with disability challenges in their families. This can range from parents dealing with dementia, adults with housing accessibility issues, children suffering from mental capacity issues, and caregivers desperate for financial and program support as they cope with their family's disability.

Mr. Speaker, most disabled persons don't want to be wards of the state. They want to remain free and independent. They are very proud of being on their own. In most instances, this also requires great family sacrifice and perseverance. Here is where government can and, in many cases, Mr. Speaker, does step in. For instance, in housing and in program supports, we have made some considerable advances. But it is in the area of income support that causes probably the most strain and stress on these families, Mr. Speaker. Under our current income support system where clients whose income or value is above a certain threshold, essentially our system forces them to liquidate their own assets and, in effect, perhaps even impoverish themselves before they can become eligible for income support. We force them into even further poverty through sometimes punitive policies that lend persons with long-term and perhaps lifetime disabilities along with those who the Income Support Program is truly designed for, those who need temporary assistance in order to get back up and back into society.

Mr. Speaker, our current system makes it easier, perhaps even unavoidable sometimes, for families and caregivers to walk away from disabled ones, loved ones, and have the GNWT assume responsibility for institutional care. The cost of this, of course, can be enormous compared to the cost of the well thought out reasonable program that would assist family members and caregivers to maintain their independence, keep loved ones at home and look after them in that very safe and supportive environment. So, Mr. Speaker, we have a long way to go to close some policy gaps in our support systems for persons with disabilities. Thank you.

---Applause

Support Systems For Persons With Disabilities
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Support For The Taltson Hydro Expansion Project
Item 3: Members' Statements

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Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am nearing 12 years of service in this House going back to the last century and to pre-division along with a number of my colleagues here in this House.

---Laughter

It has been that long since people have talked about what we do with the surplus power at Taltson dam. Back then, Mr. Speaker, the price of fuel was probably about 35 cents a litre. There was a very dark time in the '90s when the economic circumstances and future of the Northwest Territories was very bleak. But over the years, the circumstances have changed and improved. For the last 10 years, we have had diamond mines start up in the North Slave and that growth has only continued. The attractiveness of the surplus power in Taltson has only grown with time. The price of oil is now $65 a barrel. It has reached even higher at times and it shows no signs of diminishing.

I want to stand here today and give my unequivocal support to the Taltson project. There has been a lot of work done. We spent years talking about it. In the last few years, we have actually moved into the planning and some of the implementation pieces that have to be put in place. We know that diamond mines have now been

operating for 10 years, so time is of the essence, though I, like most others, am optimistic that development in the North Slave is only going to continue as more and more discoveries are made of the different resources that are there.

It is very important that we proceed with this process. We started today. It is a five-year project to be able to flick the switch and have power to the diamond mines. So we have to commit to this process. I would like to commend the Government of the Northwest Territories for their work on this, as well as the inclusion of the aboriginal partners into this process and project. I know, in my community, this is seen as a very important project. We don't have oil and gas. We don't have the diamonds. What we have is hydro and the Taltson and hydro on the Slave, and this particular Taltson project is very important to us. I fully support it. The Slave River potential hydro development clearly will require a lot more discussion for me to be convinced that that is the case for that project. But Taltson gets definitely a thumbs up. Thank you.

---Applause

Support For The Taltson Hydro Expansion Project
Item 3: Members' Statements

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The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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