The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mr. Beaulieu, your time for your Member’s statement is expired.

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

Unanimous consent granted.

Recently a constituent told me that there are many other young people in the community that are in desperate need of proper counselling. This is a very serious concern for the community of Lutselk’e. I can understand the challenges our government is facing, working in these times of fiscal restraint, but when you have three suicides in the span of 24 months in a community of under 400, we need to review the programs and services that are being delivered, in areas such as effective cross-cultural training for our front-line staff in these communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve had the chance to do a small review of the Budget Address heard last week, and a number of statements in the address made me go, “Huh?” I’d like to discuss a few of those and the questions they raised in my mind.

We had some communication last week about how the government is accommodating employees who have been affected by budget reductions. There seems to be a genuine desire on the part of the government to make the transition as easy as possible, but where are the actions that show us that desire? I haven’t seen anything.

The Minister of Human Resources said that GNWT policies don’t allow certain actions that could better accommodate staff whose positions are being reduced — early retirement, for example. I would think that if the government is serious about needing to reduce positions, we would be looking at every available possibility to smooth the way. Surely we can amend policies or, at the very least, agree to waive them for a specified period of time to accomplish the easy accommodation of our affected employees. After all, it seems the government writes the policies.

The Budget Address indicated that there are plans for approximately $500 million of capital investments over the next four years but that we will only incur $17 million in debt in doing so. I suggest that we would be better off retaining the 111 affected positions set to be reduced and use more of our borrowing power to pay for the capital investments.

Page B2 of the address document includes a graph titled Revenue and Expenditure Growth. It shows revenues increasing faster than expenditures, at least to my eye, and contradicts the Finance Minister’s statement that expenses are outgrowing our revenues. I am unable to reconcile the words and the picture.

In summary, Mr. Speaker, I am particularly disappointed in three aspects of this budget: that there is no new revenue source; that budget reductions seem to target jobs first, not as a last resort; that there is no coordinated approach from the government for the consideration of saving the environment — reducing greenhouse gas emissions, for example; energy planning; and minimizing climate change through all of our programs and services. Energy conservation, climate change prevention and mitigation should be at the front of and integral to everything that we do as a government: new buildings, roads, bridges, economic development, utility costs — everything.

As I mentioned in my statement last week, few departmental budget briefings presented a good

rationale or justification for the content of their budget. I hope to see that information during budget debate. I need convincing that the various departments’ proposals are the right ones. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker,

yesterday I had the opportunity in Fort Smith to attend the installation of the new bishop for the Mackenzie–Fort Smith diocese, Bishop Murray Chatlain.

We also at the same time celebrated the retirement and dedication of years of service of now Bishop Emeritus Denis Croteau. Bishop Croteau will be staying in the North. He will be working in communities in the North as well. He is going to take his vast experience in compassion and caring to the fields of the Lord outside of Canada.

I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize and welcome Bishop Murray Chatlain into his new role. He has a huge area to cover. He has many challenges. He is very young and enthusiastic, and clearly the Pope made a wise decision in picking the new bishop, and I welcome him to this new diocese. Thank you.

The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

[Translation.]

I rise today in the House to speak on behalf of my people of the Sahtu. On May 15, 2008, the Prime Minister of Canada announced the names of the 2007–2008 recipients of the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. On behalf of the people of the Sahtu, I’m proud to extend my great wishes and congratulations to one of my constituents who’s visiting, Sister Celeste Goulet. I’m so proud to say “Mahsi cho.” Mahsi for believing and supporting our children’s development and realizing their potential. Mahsi for guiding my people to make better choices for themselves. Good job, Sister. You have truly demonstrated your love and meaningful caring for our children in Tulita and Sahtu.

Sister Celeste Goulet was recognized for the Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education for running the Child Development Centre in Tulita. She was recognized for embracing

the community’s history and traditions to put children in a learning environment that will be a strong foundation to build their education and learning. She started the Tulita preschool program back in 1981 and has since helped start the drop-in centre in 1983. Today the preschool cares for several children. Her doors are always open for the community, the coffee’s always hot and everyone is welcome to drop in to chat and visit with her.

Sister Celeste’s countless years extend beyond the people of Tulita. She provides a safe place for women and children to go if there are problems in the home. She does volunteer work in the community schools on a regular basis and helps our women and children with their applications, resumes and legal forms. She has been instrumental in serving on various boards as part of the local education community and justice circle community. Sister Celeste was also a nominee, twice, of the Wise Woman Award and a winner in 1999.

Sister Celeste has lived with the people in Tulita since 1979. Amongst the people in Tulita, she is considered to be one of the people from Tulita. I look forward to working with Sister Celeste in the future as she brings more history to the people of Tulita. Mahsi. [Translation ends.]

Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Ms. Candy Brown

in

the gallery today. Welcome.

I’d like to recognize Ms. Amanda Mallon, outgoing president of the NWT Teachers’ Association, and Mr. Jean-Francois Des Lauriers of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize Donna Pick and Gayla Wick, Yellowknife South constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize my sister in the gallery today, Judy Payne.

If we’ve missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the House. Hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. Always a pleasure to have an audience in here. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier, in light of my Member’s statement and the practice that was seen in the 13th Assembly, which

still originates in our communities, especially in the areas of programs and services, in regard to services in general, from health care services, education services, and having the ability to access professions in our communities.

In regard to the biggest challenge, we hear from a lot of our professions in the area of housing. I think as a government we have to try something different, so I’d like to ask the Premier: have you considered looking at an alternative for retention and recruitment in communities outside the regional centres by way of some sort of housing initiative? I’ll use an example: in most communities we have accommodations in the health centres for the nurses, but we don’t have accommodations in our communities for teachers. Is it a possibility of looking at that, by way of precedence, and working with the private sector and working with the local education boards to see if there’s a possibility of implementing that type of program?

The Hon. Premier, Mr. Roland.

We all are aware of the reductions that happened in 1995–1996. For the record, back then the government of the day looked at $150 million worth of reductions, and those were peer reductions. I believe the numbers back then for employees affected were in the neighbourhood of 700 to 800. Our scenario at this stage: we’ve minimized that to the largest extent possible.

The housing piece is something we’re still affected with, as the Member has pointed out. We have looked at.... For example, in the last Assembly there was the Market Housing Initiative to try to get units into communities for professionals. This government, the Minister of the Housing Corporation along with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment have been working on, for example, the guaranteed program for development corporations to get into that market and provide housing at that level.

Again, the problem seems to be around the area of collective bargaining in regard to the northern allowance that’s offered and with regard to a housing subsidy. I think we have to work around that. Like I say, through the nursing staff that we have in our communities who worry about the work — that’s through the precedence that’s there. Can we work either through the collective bargaining agreement or with the different professions to have some sort of universal program

in isolated communities outside regional centres where there is no real housing market? It is having a major effect on delivering programs and services in our communities. Will the Premier consider looking at...? I know we’ve gone through discussions with the unions, but again, we have to find ways of working out this problem. I’d like to ask the Premier: is he open to those type of suggestions?

Back in 1995–1996, the housing package, along with the VTAs that were in place, at that time tallied close to $30 million. In today’s environment I wouldn’t even speculate as to how high it’s gone from that area. We are looking at ways of trying to have development corporations, the private sector, get involved in the housing in those communities. We’re trying to find that option.

When it comes to collective agreements, if the roles participating, the negotiators for the unions, ask to discuss it, there’s no stopping us from having the discussion. The fact will come in as: can we afford anything of that nature?

We also have to also recognize the northern allowance was put in place to make up the difference and each community has different rates. Some communities have a substantial northern allowance rate to try to mitigate those higher costs.

Again, working with the private sector with regard to housing we have the development corporations, community corporations, and also a few individuals who are looking at that by way of business opportunities. It is a major capital investment in a lot of our communities. You’re talking about a very high cost to construct in a lot of these communities. If anyone wants to take on this endeavour, they are going to be on a long term, being able to recoup their investments.

I’d like to ask the Premier: are there any programs that we may have where we can invest in these type of projects where the corporations could maybe look at it, knowing they’re going to have to probably wait a while before they get paid back for their investment within a long-term lease or long-term financial commitment, either by this government or the divisional boards to help their education?

Much like we did during the Market Housing strategy, the two-year pilot program that started bringing modular units into communities for the professionals, that was done on a cost-mutual basis in the sense that full recovery of having that unit there, utilities and so on, had to be a part of the package. That actually worked out fairly well for the most part. Some of those units came in at a lower cost than what we were having paid to rent for those in our communities living in standard public housing units.

So that was an initiative. It’s something we can look at again.

The Housing Corporation in today’s environment has a loan guarantee program that would help development corporations get involved in that area, but we’d expect part of that solution would have to be made up from their rent structure.