Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A basic theme in the history of Ireland through the centuries of English dominance was the desire for control over its domestic affairs. Home rule constantly refers to the demands for greater self-government within a central government.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has been struggling with the federal government to complete the full transfer of decision-making powers since the ’70s. We keep insisting on the need for greater local control and accountability by Northerners for decisions that will affect our future.

Early on we made some progress with devolution of education and health and social services, for example. Unfortunately, devolution stalled when we started talking about legislative powers and responsibilities for land and resources. Interestingly enough, these are the areas that would allow the GNWT to make money, to generate revenues from the many riches that our territory has to offer. This leaves a bitter taste. We are allowed to be responsible for what costs money, but we are not allowed control over our revenues.

Mr. Speaker, does this sound like a history chapter from a hundred years ago? It is upsetting that this is not history from the past. We are in the 21st century

and still negotiating our rights to take care of our own affairs.

Mr. Speaker, it was this look at history that inspired my idea of the NWT home rule movement. Enough of the tyranny that belongs in the past. We have proven that we need to end this begging. We have

provided plenty of proof that we are able to take care of our own affairs.

The example of Newfoundland and Labrador, under the committed leadership of their Premier, Danny Williams, has demonstrated that it can be done. The pressure of a home rule movement may convince the federal government to devolve complete legislative jurisdiction and powers to the GNWT.

It is time that this House takes care of its own affairs. If this House had any courage, we would pass our own legislation that recognizes our rights as full partners in the Confederation of Canada. The NWT is not a second-class province, Mr. Speaker. I am committed to getting this done and working to a full devolution agreement. I hope our Premier is too.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

Homelessness permeates all of our communities. It comes in two forms: the problem of those who have no home at all and the problem of overcrowding in many homes. Not surprisingly, the largest number of homeless people is in Yellowknife, our largest community. Many of these people have come to Yellowknife from our smaller communities in search of services or jobs only to discover that they can’t afford the housing once they get here.

The Finance Minister’s Budget Address spoke often about economic development but did not once reference the negative aspects of that development, particularly housing. An economic boom brings new workers and their families to communities. These new workers need a place to live. If the supply of housing is limited, housing costs go up, often beyond the ability of people to pay the increased rent or purchase price for a home. As prices go up, the vacancy rates fall. Yellowknife’s vacancy rate right now is less than 1 per cent.

Limited housing options mean displaced individuals and families who have nowhere to turn when they’re down and out. Where can the following people go: women and children needing a shelter; a resident whose home has been destroyed by fire; a youth escaping an abusive home; a teenager on her own with an unplanned pregnancy.

In October of 2005 the report Homelessness in the NWT: Recommendations to Improve the GNWT Response was issued. In January 2007 the GNWT replied with the report Framework for the GNWT Response to Homelessness. In summarizing the 2005 report, the 2007 response outlines the concept of continuum of housing; identifies goals, principles, commitments, the needs of NGOs; and lists the four next steps. Has any progress been made on these four actions? Does the Minister responsible for the homeless have a plan and a budget to expand the housing continuum? Did Health and Social Services and the NWT Housing Corporation produce a Housing Needs Survey in 2007? Did Health and Social Services establish a Territorial Homelessness Emergency Funding Advisory Panel? Did the GNWT Social Program departments collaborate to improve coordination and reduce program conflicts in relation to homelessness? The 2008–2009 budget has minimal funding for the issue of homelessness. Is it a priority for this government?

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister responsible for the homeless at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. Lakes

across Canada, including the Northwest Territories, face being turned into mine dump sites under federal legislation. CBC reports that 16 Canadian lakes are slated to be officially but quietly reclassified as toxic dump sites for mines. This process amounts to a hidden subsidy to mining companies, allowing them to get around laws against the destruction of fish habitats.

Under the Fisheries Act it’s illegal to put harmful substances into fish-bearing waters. But under a little known subsection known as Schedule 2 of the Mining Effluent Regulations, federal bureaucrats can redefine lakes as tailings impoundment areas. This means mining companies don’t need to build containment ponds for toxic mine tailings.

Elizabeth Gardner, vice-president for technical affairs for the Mining Association of Canada, said that lakes are often the best way for mine tailings to be contained. But Catherine Coumans, spokeswoman for the environmental group MiningWatch, said the federal government is making it too easy. Using the obscure Schedule 2 regulations, they quietly reclassify lakes and other waters as tailings dumps. By being put under Schedule 2 of this regulation, something that used

to be a lake or even a river is no longer a lake or a river. It’s a tailings impoundment area. It’s a waste disposal site. It’s an industrial waste dump. Coumans said the procedure amounts to a subsidy to the industry that enables mines to get around the Fisheries Act. What Canadians need to know is that from March 2008 to March 2009, eight lakes are subject to being put on Schedule 2, which is just about every mine that is going ahead this year. Winter Lake in the Northwest Territories, as many of us know, is being considered. This is not just one lake at a time. This is a trend. It’s open season on Canadian waters. This is a precedent-setting decision by the federal government to start using fish-bearing habitat as a waste management area.

With climate change and rapidly increasing fuel costs, food supplies are becoming scarcer and costlier. We in the North rely on our caribou, our moose, our sea mammals and especially our fish. All are under siege.

I ask this government to engage in the active protection and true valuing of our land and water. Let’s guide our federal government to a position of sustainability.

Thank you. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mr. Speaker, I spoke a number of times about the various issues regarding housing in Fort Resolution and Lutselk’e. Today I’d like to summarize issues surrounding this important topic.

During my short tenure as MLA issues surrounding housing have been raised time and time again. Also, I have heard many of my colleagues raise the housing issue.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s pretty safe to say there is room for improvement on many fronts within the whole housing area. Coincidentally, the findings in the Auditor General’s report confirm that, yes, there are a number of problems with the NWT Housing Corporation and the way the housing programs are being delivered. However, I think that with this government we have a real opportunity to effectively address many of these issues or at least to establish a concrete work plan to address these problems. I believe this has already started, with the release of the Housing Corporation’s Framework for Action 2008–2011 and, more recently, the approval of a committee motion to reallocate funds to new construction to much-needed repair programs.

The amalgamation of the previous 14 housing programs into the current four programs, and the transfer of public housing programs from the Housing Corporation to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, certainly caused a number of new issues, mainly because of learning curves that go along with substantial changes seen with these programs.

However, Mr.

Speaker, I have hope that this

government and the Ordinary MLAs working together should and will resolve many of these housing issues, and that we will soon begin to see positive changes for the people of the NWT.

Thank you, Mr.

Beaulieu. The

honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Mr.

Speaker, our Health and

Social Services authorities have been getting heightened profile and press coverage because of cost overruns, and I, too, am concerned. Firstly though, I want to commend all our hard-working staff — the doctors, the nurses and the many health professionals who serve us in our communities throughout the North. I also wish to extend my appreciation to the Deh Cho Health and Social Services Authority in my riding for their due diligence and hard work.

I do also recognize that differences exist and that each authority may have other unique challenges. I’m not intending to pit one authority against another but to point out that we do have successes and I do not wish to paint all our authorities with the same brush.

Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that government has guidelines and procedures and many checklists that should have alarmed us that an organization of ours was facing financial difficulty, yet we’ve done nothing. I have not heard any good answers about how we’re going to help and assist beyond the $17 million bailout option. What message are we giving to our other organizations that are well run? We have to break our cycle of hand-out mentality, and demand accountability.

So, Government, I lend my voice to the need to fully assess what is happening with our authorities and to provide this side of the House with your plan to follow your guidelines and to get our health authorities back on track.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize a class from Sissons. It is the grade 5 middle French immersion class, and the students here today have come to watch our session. Their names are Taylor Clark, Caeley Cluderay, Ali Fleming, Jay Fleming, Sterling Ingraham, Anna Koldewey, Katie Lapka, Rylie McGuire, Liam McKay, Cassidy Menard, Nancy Ngo, Tisha Organ, Nathan Round, Kristy Taggard, and their teacher, who I believe has to go now — she’s waited very patiently — is Monique Marinier. I

appreciate them staying and watching our

Members’ statements.

It gives me great pleasure to recognize a relative of mine in the gallery, Mr. James Cardinal from Tsiigehtchic. I wish James all the best, and welcome to the House.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. If we missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the House. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s good to have an audience in here.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services. It’s with regard to my Member’s statement. The question is: why is there such a disparity with regard to programs and services in the larger centres and the smaller communities?

Thank you, Mr.

Krutko. The

honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

I appreciate the Member’s passion and commitment to enhance everything that is or is not in small communities, but that is quite a general statement. Under the integrated service delivery model that we follow in the Territories, all residents are entitled to have access to Health and Social Services programs. All the authorities do their best every day to make those programs accessible to everyone in the Territories.

Mr. Speaker, one of the priorities of this government is to have safe and vibrant communities. I think one of the fundamental bases

of any community is to have health care, a good education system, and good programs and services. I think it’s important that we see the disparity between our small communities and larger communities because of the social conditions that they’re in. Not having access to health care is definitely one of them.

I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly why is it that this disparity exists, when most communities don’t have to worry about access to health care? They take it for granted.

Mr. Speaker, the Member is well aware that we do have different categories of services that are available in communities, but every community in the Territories has access to programs as they need them. I think the community of Fort McPherson, for example, is quite fortunate in having a stable nurse-in-charge and long-term staff who work there. The same is the case for Aklavik. For the community of Tsiigehtchic, while they may not have a number of health care professionals and social service professionals residing in the community, they do have access to care in the Inuvik facility by medical travel or whatever services they may require. It’s a constant challenge for us, but I do believe that we have a program that we can be proud of and that we need to continue to work from.

I don’t think we should be proud of a system where you don’t have front-line workers in communities — from nurses to basically having the basic services.

I’d like to ask the Minister: exactly why is it we don’t even have nurses in our community?

Communities of different sizes have different PYs allocated, whether it’s for nursing or any other services. We do have a constant challenge of vacancy rates and being able to recruit and retain, so we do work constantly on making sure that every community, no matter the size, has the level of service that people require.

Thank you, Ms.

Lee. Final

supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Mr.

Speaker, I’d like to ask the

Minister if she can verify or get information in regard to the health of communities based on the lack of programs and services. What’s the mental, emotional and physical health of those people in those communities, compared to other communities that have those services?

Mr. Speaker, I just reviewed and approved a document that’s been produced by the Department of Health that gives a very good indication as to why the residents of the Territories visit health centres and access Health and Social

Services care. I expect to have that published and tabled in the House. I think that would give us a good starting point to have further discussion on that. I agree with the Member that we need to continue to work on this challenge. I look forward to doing more work with the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Oral questions. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.