Mr. Chairman, I just wanted to make a few comments on the Sessional Statement by the Premier. We talk about building our future. One of the issues that I have is the NGOs again. I would like to see them get some multi-year funding and seriously look at having regional treatment centers where there’s some after-care — help for those that are coming back from getting help, trying to beat their addictions.
We talk about housing programs and people that are eligible for them. I hear from constituents that they are both working, they’re both starting to make good money, they’re in public housing, yet they don’t qualify for some of the programs. These are the people that these programs were designed for — to get them out of public housing, to get them to stand on their own two feet — and that’s something we have to have a look at.
We talk about reducing the cost of living. I’ve spoken to it the other day when I spoke about the power rates continuing to go up. It’s affecting the services in Inuvik. I hear of a recreational complex where they are turning the heat down because it’s getting too expensive to heat. You’ve got kids skating around in a cold rink, and one reason that…. The complex was designed for them to enjoy those kinds of facilities without having to worry about dressing for the cold.
We talk about reducing the cost of living, and something we seriously have to have a look at is monitoring how they want to continue to increase their rates. I have my opinions on why I think they do it sometimes. If a “levelized” rate will help reduce the cost to some of the folks in the northern part of the Territories, then it’s something that we may have to look at.
We talk about managing this land. I spoke to it today, on the caribou. I’m concerned with what I’ve been hearing on the condition of our caribou herds. I would like to see that followed up on, and any recommendations that came out of the Caribou Summit in Inuvik, I’d like to see them acted on. This is going to have to be something that, as the Northwest Territories, we’re going to have to do together. Otherwise, I think we’ll be faced with the day — and I think that day will come — where caribou are like the buffalo on the plains, where they’re almost nonexistent. That’s cheating our
grandchildren and their children out of something we’ve been able to enjoy.
We talk about maximizing opportunities. The Mackenzie Valley pipeline, in my opinion, will be done right; it will be monitored right. There’s no possible way that the Government of the Northwest Territories, the aboriginal governments and anybody else that is going to monitor this — the development — are going to let them just come in here and just rake over our land. I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think we’ve learned our lessons from the past, and I think this one will be done with a lot of scrutiny.
I’ve seen it firsthand, where there is some work going on down the coast, and they have environmental monitors that “don’t take nothin’ from nobody.” Everybody has to follow the rules. I could tell you a couple of stories about some of the stuff that goes on there, but they do monitor well.
There are going to be economic opportunities for all residents. I don’t think it will just be a few residents who will benefit from the business opportunities that come with a pipeline, although I did say the other day that because of the fuel situation in Inuvik and their attitude over the whole thing, it’s almost starting to change the way I’m thinking about the whole Mackenzie Valley pipeline. I hope that attitude they bring to the pipeline, if it ever goes through and they start doing the work.… There has to be a change of attitude there.
This fuel situation in Inuvik, I think, is a good case for the attitude that Esso has been showing. They need to address that we’re not just up here for anybody’s pleasure. We have to live and work here, and we will continue to make sure our Territory is well looked after.
Another thing is bringing workers up from the south. I understand there are some cases where they need to do it. The problem I have is we have a lot of people up in Beaufort-Delta who have worked in industry for a while that I feel are quite skilled. That skill is not being utilized in the mines, and that is something I find quite troubling. When you talk about the mines — and I’ve heard it said before — it’s “your” mines. And then we talk about the gas and the pipeline, and all of a sudden it’s “ours”, “our” gas, “our” pipeline.
We have to have the attitude that those are our mines too. Just because we’re living a couple thousand kilometres away doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be able to benefit from some of the work that goes on up there.
Talking about refocusing all aspects of the government, I believe this exercise that we’re going through now is going to be a good opportunity for us to stand back and have a good look at the programs and the money that’s being spent. I look
at a document for contracts $5,000 and over. I see the amount of dollars paid out, and it just blows me away. I see our public servants…. And we have a lot of good ones out there, especially in the front lines in the regions — good, hard-working people. They take all their direction from Yellowknife.
A lot of departments, in my opinion, are top-heavy, and they’re giving direction to the people in the regions. And these are hard working people. There are a lot of knowledgeable people within the government who could do a lot of this work that we continually contract out. I don’t want to see them become nothing more than contract administrators. I think they have the knowledge and capability to do a lot of this work. I have confidence in them, and I think it’s time we utilized them a lot more instead of coming up with an idea, and “let’s go do a study and put it out to tender and do another study.” We’re studied to death up here.
Lastly, Mr. Chair, we talk about resource revenue sharing. The key word is sharing. We share; they don’t. They take. There’s a difference, and as long as we allow them to do it, then they will. We have to get the leadership of the Northwest Territories on the same page and dealing with this issue, because we’re playing right into Ottawa’s hands by always disagreeing with each other. They just continue to take, take, take, take. They give back in transfer payments, but we’re not a welfare state. They give transfer payments, I believe, to each province, so there’s no reason we shouldn’t get ours. They believe that gives them the right to come and help themselves to anything we have up here. I found it quite interesting reading an article: “Ottawa Inviting Bids for Exploration Rights in the Beaufort-Delta.” Ottawa inviting bids.
These are issues that we have to look at. I think as the Northwest Territories, we’ve matured enough as a government. We’re 40 years old now. We should be mature at 40. I think we’re mature enough to make a lot of these decisions ourselves. I think it’s time Ottawa realized that. I think it’s time the government and the aboriginal governments across the Northwest Territories realized that. As long as we continue to disagree, we’re never going to get anywhere. That’s the truth.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the opportunity to say a few words on the Sessional Statement.