Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber. I’d also like to welcome everyone in the gallery today. We have a group of young folks from Alberta visiting us today. Welcome to the Chamber.

Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The Hon. Michael McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, it’s with great pleasure that I rise today to recognize the significant athletic achievements of a number of young northern athletes. Ms. Sarah Daitch of Fort Smith has been recently named to the Canadian National Cross-Country Ski Team. This is a tremendous achievement by Ms. Daitch and marks the first time an athlete from the Northwest Territories has achieved this standing since the era of Burt Bullock, Roseanne Allen, Ernie Lennie, Sharon and Shirley Firth and others.

Mr. Michael Gilday of Yellowknife recently concluded an outstanding speed skating season that saw him not only set a new world record in the 1,000 metres but also named to the National Short Track Speed Skating Team.

Those accomplishments complement those of Thomsen D’Hont of Yellowknife, who was part of the 2007–2008 national development squad in cross-country skiing, and Mr. Brendan Green of Hay River, who was part of the 2007–2008 senior national training group in biathlon.

Mr. Speaker,

these

are truly outstanding

accomplishments by young Northerners who have demonstrated that dedication, hard work and determination pay off. These individuals also serve

as excellent role models for many other young Northerners who aspire to achieve great things.

As the 2010 Winter Olympics and the Paralympic Games approach, Northerners will be following these and other young Canadians with great pride as Canada hosts the world in Vancouver and Whistler in less than two years’ time. The athletes I’ve mentioned today are among our best and are representative of a growing group of youth who are achieving great results in sports.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is pleased to support these athletes through the NWT High Performance Athlete Grant Program, which provides assistance to offset training and competition expenses.

Of course, these athletes could not succeed without tremendous support from their families, friends and communities, and it’s fair to say that almost every athlete who attains this level of success does so because of the significant support they receive from those around them. To those individuals, sponsors and communities, I would like to pass on our sincere thanks for your contribution to the development of these youths and for helping all of us feel proud to be Northerners.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Applause.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Hon. Jackson Lafferty.

Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased to inform you about the success of the initial year of the Small Community Homelessness Fund. Homelessness is a pressing and complex issue across the Northwest Territories that requires cross-departmental collaboration to make an impact. As a government, we recognize that we need partnerships with all levels of government and community organizations to address these issues and support individuals and communities.

The Small Community Homelessness Fund is an excellent example of a cross-departmental initiative

that supported local government and agencies to create projects designed and implemented by community members. This application-based fund was launched in May of 2007 to all small communities, excluding Inuvik, Yellowknife, Fort Smith and Hay River, and was intended to respond to local homelessness issues through a committee-initiated, -driven, and -implemented project. The Small Community Homelessness Fund provided funding for emergency shelter projects up to $40,000 or homelessness support projects for up to $10,000.

In 2007–2008 the GNWT approved six applications for funding in five communities. Each demonstrated creative use of existing community resources, buildings and skills, and integrated several partnerships to extend the impact and use of the limited funding. A total of $170,000 was provided to organizations to help take care of the needs of the people who are homeless.

I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of the outcomes of the 2007–2008 projects.

In Wrigley funding went to the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation for two projects. A life-skills workshop was held, and work has begun on creating a shelter.

Funding was provided to two different projects in Fort Providence. One is through the Deh Gah Got’ie council to support renovations of an existing building as an additional emergency housing option. The other project in Fort Providence is through the Zhahti Koe Friendship Centre and is a healthy-meals program.

A similar program was implemented in Aklavik to provide weekly meals to homeless individuals. This project enhanced an existing snack program.

The Acho Dene Koe First Nation in Fort Liard received funds to implement their winter warm-up program, which includes a weekly hot nutritious meal, access to clothing banks and an emergency funding program.

In Hay River we have been working with the Katlodeeche First Nation to help them achieve their goal of renovating a three-bedroom home into two bachelor units that will help provide accommodations for the homeless.

The homeless-support projects have been excellent examples of community volunteerism and local solutions to homeless support. The uptake of these initiatives exceeded expectations and demonstrated the need and commitment that is present in the communities through lead projects when some support is provided.

I am pleased to announce that the Small Community Homelessness Fund will be available to communities again in 2008–2009. Information

packages will be distributed shortly to community governments, local organizations, housing offices, interagency committees, community support staff, churches and other local organizers to take advantage of this fund. I would encourage all communities to apply.

I look forward to informing you on the continued progress and outcomes from this innovative project that has created new support for the people of the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 3, Members’ statements. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Speaker, today, during this busy budget session, on a somewhat lighter note I wanted to take time to speak about the presence of two grade 6 classes in the visitors’ gallery.

It is becoming a tradition for Hay River students to come to the Assembly. Earlier this week we had the grades 5 and 6 classes from École Boreale. Today we have two grade 6 classes from Princess Alexandra School in Hay River. This annual event requires quite a bit of planning on the part of Speaker Delorey’s and my constituency assistants, Mrs. Mageean and Mrs. Morgan. It is also supported by sponsorship from a couple of organizations that I would like to thank.

The students here today arrived in Yellowknife via a bus charter with Frontier Coachlines, driven by the owner of that company, Mr. Joe Gagnier. The cost of the charter was sponsored by the Hay River Elks Club. I know Mr. Gagnier does a little extra to make sure the kids have a good chance to have a look at Yellowknife.

The students are staying at the Yellowknife Ski Club. They’ve been swimming at the Ruth Inch Memorial Pool, sponsored by Northland Utilities in Hay River, and they have been to the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre. They have been to the Prince of Wales museum, where they were fortunate to hear northern wildlife brought to life by local naturalist Jamie Bastedo. We are very proud of these young people.

Just a little story in keeping with school trips that the Members might find humorous. I grew up in Ontario, where every grade 8 student in our small town made a pilgrimage to the Ontario Legislature in Toronto. I lived only 120 miles from Toronto. I set out on a trip with my classmates, but I only made it to the nearest village of Tavistock, where I

convinced the bus driver to let me off the bus. I called my dad to come and get me. I lived in a little town like Hay River, but I didn’t want to go to the big city of Toronto. So I’m very proud of all these students, because at their young age I was too timid and shy to make it all the way on a school trip to Toronto. I may say I’ve changed.

Laughter.

This is a very educational experience for these students, and I’d like to thank Minister Jackson Lafferty for taking a few minutes to speak with our visiting classes from Hay River today. I hope they will go home well informed about our Legislative Assembly and have a new interest in the role of the government in the North. Also, I’d like to thank the parents and chaperones for taking time out of their schedules to escort our students here.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today is the second National Day of Action in Support of First Nations. I would like to acknowledge the Government of Canada for recently forming the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This commission is part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement and will allow people who have experienced harm at residential schools to share their stories in a safe and culturally sensitive environment.

This commission will not decide on guilt or innocence but will fill in a sad history to help people to heal and encourage reconciliation between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people of Canada. With a budget of $60 million, the commission will start this June 1 — that’s in a few days — and will complete its work in five years.

Mr. Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, views the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a turning point in the relationship between aboriginal people in Canada. He said it will set the historical record straight and “give our people an opportunity to speak to Canadians in a way they have never been able to do before. There will be no…secrets.”

Commission Chair Mr. Justice Harry LaForme says it will help to discover why the current relationship between aboriginal people and the rest of Canada is as fractured and misunderstood as it is. To quote Justice LaForme, “Once we are able to define this faulty relationship, we may be able to provide a road map for a more healthy relationship into the future.”

Two women of aboriginal descent join Justice LaForme on the commission: Jane Brewin Morley, a lawyer, mediator and public policy advisor, and Claudette Dumont-Smith, a registered nurse active in aboriginal health issues.

There will be a special place for elders in the development of their important work. Northerners have been consulted, and the travel schedule for the TRC will be established next month.

I’m sure all Members join me in acknowledging the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its important task to help all Canadians reconcile our past and live together more honourably in the future.

As an addendum, Mr. Speaker, in my own riding of Weledeh there is a shameful display of the lack of understanding among people. The paving of the roads on Latham Island stops dramatically at the entrance to N’dilo. After years of unsuccessful requests for paving to extend into N’dilo, today the Yellowknives First Nation is stopping vehicles, handing out information about their road and requesting donations. I have made a personal donation to this cause.

The paving of the N’dilo road requires….

Mr. Bromley, your time for the Member’s statement has expired.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Unanimous statement granted.

On the issue of paving the N’dilo road, I have made a personal donation to this cause. It is happening as we speak. The paving of the N’dilo road requires all levels of government — federal, municipal, territorial and aboriginal — to fulfill their roles and responsibilities. I call on all parties to get this done. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I will be speaking about an all-too-familiar frustration for individuals and businesses in our territory: red tape. Red tape refers to those non-essential procedures — forms, licences and regulations — that add to the cost of dealing with government. To be clear, red tape does not refer to regulations that are effective and necessary for the protection of public health, safety, the environment and consumers. Those types of regulations are important and essential for good government.

The regulations we need to do away with are those that are obsolete, redundant and confusing and those that hurt our economic competitiveness or simply waste taxpayers’ time and money.

Several provinces, including British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Quebec, have red tape–reduction initiatives underway. In 2001 the British Columbia government committed to reducing the unnecessary red tape and regulations by one-third within three years. The government Ministers are now required to maintain a zero per cent increase to regulatory requirements from their June 2004 baselines, and they continue to identify further reductions and reform opportunities. In addition to reducing the number of regulations, the British Columbia government has introduced strict criteria to ensure that new and remaining regulations are as efficient and as effective as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I believe it’s time for the GNWT to look at its own red tape–reduction initiative, perhaps dusting off some of the work started on regulatory reform during the 13th Assembly. This is

a project that would fit well with the mandate of the Refocusing Government Strategic Initiative Committee led by Minister Miltenberger, which he spoke about yesterday. I’ll be encouraging the committee to consider this type of initiative to make government as effective and efficient as possible.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I want to speak again about Stanton Territorial Hospital. I’m very encouraged and happy to hear the Minister is trying to get some answers to the problems at that hospital.

Today I wanted to focus on a couple of decisions previous governments have made regarding the privatization of services at that hospital. I believe the decisions to privatize the housekeeping, laundry and food services at that hospital were, in fact, bad decisions. Seeing that we are currently looking at human resource, operational and financial issues at that hospital, we would be remiss if we did not look at revisiting these decisions.

Housekeeping, laundry services and food services are all integral components of having a well-run hospital. Staffing in these areas is always a problem, and turnover is sky-high, which means new staff are forever being trained. These staff interact day in and day out with health care professionals and other staff in this facility, and it is adding to the low-morale issue when there appears

to be no continuity or consistency in services in these areas.

I would like to know how much these contracts cost us and whether the Department of Health and Social Services is the least bit interested in re-examining these contracts.

Sodexo is a huge $7.9 billion corporation headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland. How much money is this big corporation taking with them that should stay here in the Northwest Territories, where the government should repatriate these functions and services to the people? Even if repatriating these functions back to Stanton would cost us a little bit more, the economic impact of actually paying people a decent wage would add greatly to the local economy and to the level of service provided to health care professionals and members of the public who utilize the hospital.

Mr. Speaker, let’s put all the evidence and all the contracts on the table and have a discussion about the future of these services. As I mentioned yesterday, Stanton has a number of issues it’s dealing with. This is just one issue, and it won’t fix everything. But these are functions that cannot be underestimated or overlooked when looking at the overall health and well-being of Stanton Territorial Hospital.

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mahsi. Mr. Speaker, today the Assembly of First Nations and the Dene Nation are calling on all Canadians to join with them in the National Day of Action. This is the second National Day of Action declared by the Assembly of First Nations. It’s an opportunity for all Canadians to stand together and call on the federal government to work with First Nations to ensure they have the same quality of life other Canadians take for granted.

The Assembly of First Nations and First Nations communities have been trying to work with the federal government to address fundamental issues that affect First Nations communities. These issues are well known and well documented. For example, First Nations families are three times more likely to live in poverty compared to other Canadian families. One in four First Nations children live in poverty. First Nations youth graduate from high school at a rate half the national average. Public health issues such as contaminated drinking water and mould-infected housing are becoming the norm

rather than the exception in many First Nations communities. The focus of this year’s National Day of Action is about our children, our future and our responsibility to one another as citizens of this nation.

The Assembly of First Nations, Dene Nation and First Nations leaders across the country are calling on the Government of Canada to protect our children by ensuring there is fairness in funding to support quality education and child and family services for First Nations children; invest in our future by supporting First Nations youth to succeed in the workplace and in post-secondary education opportunities; invest in healthy environments for our people by addressing the shameful conditions that exist in too many First Nations communities, like overcrowded housing, dangerous drinking water and crumbling infrastructures; respect our responsibilities to one another by giving First Nations the right and responsibility to make decisions that affect their lives; work with First Nations to bring honour to the communities, to resolve long-standing land claims; and work together to begin to share in the wealth of this land.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Northerners to join the Assembly of First Nations and the Dene Nation today in calling on the Government of Canada to act now and begin working with First Nations people. In doing so, we will build a stronger and better Canada for all Canadians. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I rise once again today to speak on the closure of the Arctic Tern young female facility in Inuvik. The Department of Justice has given us many reasons for the closure of Arctic Tern. Frankly, I don’t believe any of them. I think the department used the budget reduction as an opportunity and an excuse to get rid of a facility that was always in the crosshairs.

Surely, Mr. Speaker, when the facility was built six years ago at a cost of around $14 million, the department had to have had some idea that the Youth Criminal Justice Act of Canada was going to change. This, in my opinion, is poor planning and not a good use of government money. They say the facility is underutilized. First of all, that should be a good thing — fewer young girls incarcerated. When you build a school for 500 students and you have 200 to 300 students, is that considered underutilized, and is that an opportunity to close the school?

There are many ways for this government to realize savings and staff reductions. Has anyone asked the employees of Arctic Tern, or the public service for that matter, how best to save the GNWT money? A way you can know how to save money is to ask the public in all 33 communities, and they’ll give you fine examples of government money that is poorly spent. I would encourage all residents of the Northwest Territories to e-mail us and give us your views and opinions on how to save money, and we can use that in our deliberations with Cabinet.

Mr. Speaker, I am not a critical or a disruptive person by nature. I try to look at everything from a common sense point of view, and common sense in this case tells me that more thought should have been put into this budget, more consultations with the Regular MLAs and, most importantly, consultations with the people around the Northwest Territories who have to live with the reductions without really having any sort of genuine input or opinions into the budget. These people are why we are here, and we should never overlook the importance of their views. I have said it before and I’ll say it again: this budget has all the markings of a bureaucratic budget and not a people’s budget.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I’ve stated, First Nations people in Canada, which is one of the richest countries in the world, still live in poverty. People have unsafe drinking water in their communities. People have the highest rate of diabetes and TB in Canada. Canada is recognized as one of the G8 countries, which are the eight richest countries in the world, yet we have these statistics in this great country. It makes us wonder why in this day and age Canada still allows these things to happen to its residents, especially to its First Nations people, who were the first people of this country. It’s sad to have to have a day of protest to bring attention to an issue we should all be working on to find solutions for.

I’ve brought up issues in this House for over 12 years in regard to quality water in my communities. I had to pound on this table to get the attention of the government on the other side. Yet we’re still having problems where you have to have teams of doctors go into our communities to test every citizen because of contamination of our water system. We have situations where we have 12 people in a home that was designed for four.

Overcrowding, unsafe drinking water and poverty are what hold the aboriginal people back. We have communities with an average income of $30,000 per year, yet we have large centres, such as Yellowknife, where the average income is $90,000 per year. That alone should tell us there is injustice in this territory.

So with that, Mr. Speaker, I again would like to thank the people who did take part in this march and, more importantly, hope for more people to

speak out on these issues. That’s the only way it’s going to get the attention it deserves.

I will ask the Deputy Premier some questions on this matter later.