Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is committed to growing the tourism industry in the Northwest Territories.

The department continues to work closely with partners and stakeholders in the Northwest Territories, including industry members and tourism operators, the Destination Marketing Organization - Northwest Territories Tourism, the Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee, as well as communities, bands and aboriginal organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the people in the Northwest Territories tourism industry for their dedication and for providing exceptional service to visitors throughout the year. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of the chair, fellow board members and staff of the Northwest Territories Tourism Association, as well as recognize the contribution of the co-chair and members of the Tourism Marketing Advisory Committee.

In 2009-10 the department’s Product Diversification and Marketing Program supported 18 businesses and organizations in all five regions of the Northwest Territories, with almost $1.5 million in funding.

This year, 2009-10, is the department’s fourth year of the five-year Tourism 2010 Action Plan to support the Northwest Territories tourism industry. One million dollars is spent annually on infrastructure, product development, research, marketing and training.

This year also saw several infrastructure investments under the federal government’s Economic Action Plan. Industry, Tourism and Investment received $481,000 in matching federal funding for 2009-10 projects including trail development, park improvements and building renovations.

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of capital projects underway this year. These include the development of a new visitor centre at the 60th Parallel,

completion of a kitchen shelter in Sambaa Deh Territorial Park and a third loop in Reid Lake Territorial Park.

The 2009 operating season also saw the continuation of cultural programming in parks. Live programs were delivered in Twin Falls, Fred Henne and Hay River Territorial parks.

Visitors from all corners of the globe continue to visit our parks. In 2008 more than 35,000 people camped, picnicked or simply enjoyed quality family time in our many campgrounds and day-use areas.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate parks staff, campground operators and other park service providers in the Northwest Territories for their dedication to this vital industry and to thank them for a job well done.

Thanks to the efforts of our parks contractors and staff and the Northwest Territories tourism industry, visitors learn what those of us who live here already know: the Northwest Territories is a spectacular place to visit. Spread the word. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

: Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, I would like to take a moment to honour our northern elders.

Elders hold a special place in our society. They are the foundation of our culture and our spiritual and cultural leaders, passing traditional knowledge and skills through generations. They are the professors

of tradition and, like teachers, spend much of their time in the classroom working with students. It is important that young people see them in the community, which is why many of our schools prominently display their images and works.

There are a few people who I would like to recognize specifically. In Fort Smith Jane Dragon is highly involved in education and preserving languages as a past board member for the Northern Life Museum, Canadian Museum of Nature and the Western Arctic Leadership Program.

Former counsellor Florence Barnaby of Fort Good Hope works to promote healthy lifestyles free of drugs and alcohol, and works closely with women in abusive relationships.

Inuvik translator Leonard Harry was awarded the Community Language Leader Award in 2003 for his translations in media and at culture-based activities.

I am glad we have so many great elders for our students to look up to. You can often find elders in our schools leading cultural camps, sharing stories, preparing traditional crafts and giving advice to students. They teach the significance of being grounded in culture and the importance of education.

Earlier this month Margaret Vandell of Fort Providence helped students from Deh Gah School and Bompas Elementary School through the rites of passage. As well as helping with culture camps, Margaret is well known for her passion for language, love of the land and passing on the knowledge of elders.

Elizabeth Mackenzie, who passed away this year, signified this commitment with the words “be strong like two people.” These were her last words and when we honour them, we are better people today. The legacy of Mrs. Mackenzie reminds us that while our cultural identities are important, we must also look to the future. It is hard to know how many lives Mrs. Mackenzie touched in her 91 years. In 1991 her name became synonymous with education when we named the Behchoko elementary school after her.

This year also saw the loss of Phillip Zoe. Mr. Zoe modelled the traditional way of life and the importance of combining values from our past with the realities of modern life. When talking to those who were close with him, the first thing people mention is his commitment to traditional education. He was a constant presence in schools and cultural camps, sharing stories and his love for traditional crafts. Today Philip Zoe and his wife, Bella, are honoured as the new culture room at the Jean Wetrade School in Gameti has been named after them.

We are fortunate to benefit from the wisdom of our elders and their desire to share their knowledge

with our youth. I know there are many elders in our communities who are dedicated or committed to making a difference in the lives of young people and I am pleased to be able to recognize some of them today. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to speak today about the government’s lack of support for the Government of the Northwest Territories seniors participating in the Canada Senior Games.

Since I became a Member in 2003 I have seen the participation of NWT seniors increase steadily. First with the Whitehorse games in 2004, the Portage La Prairie games in 2006, and most recently with over 100 participants in the Dieppe, New Brunswick, games.

The 2010 Senior Games are being held in Brockville, Ontario. Despite numerous requests to the various departments and the Minister responsible for Seniors, Ms. Lee, the government has decided that it will not contribute any funds for our seniors to participate in the 2010 Games. The main reason is that the government indicates that the federal funding program that was utilized previously has ended, and that is a shame.

I have had the opportunity in the past to supply participants with pins and flags before they were to leave for the games and they were very excited at the opportunity not only to participate in their chosen activities but to be ambassadors for their community and for the Northwest Territories. I’ve also had the chance to speak to participants on their arrival back home, all of whom were very proud of their accomplishments and excited to keep active. They also spoke of attending future games.

I’m saddened that the government can’t seem to find some source of resources to allow our seniors to continue to take part in the games. In addition to some financial support, our participating seniors require help in administration of their participation. As a government, we need to find a way to keep our seniors active and their participation in the Canada Senior Games is a great investment in supporting our seniors.

As the stated objective of this government is a healthy, active people, our seniors are not looking for the government to pay the full cost of their participation; they are busy raising money on their own. They are willing to support themselves, as

well, Mr. Speaker, but they can’t do it alone. They need some government help. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Ditto, Mr. Speaker. As in previous years, a dedicated group of Northerners wants to participate on behalf of the Northwest Territories at the upcoming 2010 Canada 55-plus Games in Brockville, Ontario. Residents of the NWT have been participating on behalf of the Northwest Territories since 1998. During that first year, only one resident participated. Popularity of NWT participation has increased steadily since then and peaked at nearly 100 during the 2008 Games in Dieppe, New Brunswick.

There are a number of advantages for northern involvement in these games, not the least of which is that there can be significant savings realized in health care costs over the long term by keeping seniors active and involved. In previous years the GNWT has provided some financial support to participants through the NWT Seniors’ Society for planning and logistics. It is my understanding that these dollars were not used to cover the accommodation or travel costs but were used to help coordinate travel, accommodation and participant registration. These dollars were a huge asset to the participants that allowed for seamless and coordinated participation of Team NWT.

Unfortunately, any future funding for this initiative has been cancelled. It seems unreasonable to me that the GNWT would cut these support dollars, the dollars that help participants coordinate their activity as a team, as Team NWT. The NWT participants of the Canada 55-plus Games are not asking for the GNWT to cover the cost of their airfare or accommodations; they are asking for some funding depending on the number of participants to have assistance with the coordination of their participation, details such as arranging travel, registration and providing uniforms. Mr. Speaker, this is a reasonable request.

Later this afternoon I will be asking the Minister responsible for Seniors some questions and seeking her support of these athletes, the champions of the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to speak about the GNWT’s support for the arts and crafts in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, a number of years ago I embarked on an endeavour to collect as much northern arts and crafts that I could acquire. I particularly had an interest in garments. Being as I am a woman and I am not aboriginal, I felt it appropriate to seek the opinion of some respected chiefs in the Northwest Territories about this endeavour, because, you might notice when you go to the communities, it is not normally the women who are adorned in garments such as the one I am wearing today.

These are traditionally made by Dene women and actually are for their husbands to wear. That becomes very apparent when you go to communities such as the one where this jacket came from, which is from Mrs. Bernadette Williah of Behchoko. It was upon visits to her home where I, on numerous occasions, asked if I could try her husband Francis’s jacket on, and each time admiring it so much that it came about that she made one similar for me. It is such a great honour that she did that because it is definitely an art, and in some cases it is an art which is leaving the North. I wanted to try and get as many different styles of…

Mrs. Groenewegen, I think the time didn’t set on your clock so we will start over.

Okay. Are we good to go?

There is such a variety of styles of embroidery, beadwork, quillwork, from all the different regions of the Northwest Territories. The styles vary greatly. I want to try and collect as many different pieces as I could. These pieces become particularly precious when the elders who created them have passed on.

I just want to say that I am very proud to have in my collection things such as beaver mitts that were made by the late Sarah Simon, gauntlet gloves made by the late Annie Buggins, a parka with traditional Delta braid crafted by Florence Peterson from Fort McPherson, Mr. Krutko’s auntie. Mr. Leon Lafferty recently lost his mother in Behchoko and she had embroidered beautiful work on a wool coat for me. So I have all of these things. I have pictures of many of the people who made these pieces of art and they are precious to me.

The other day Mr. Jacobson asked me how many aboriginal garments I have and I had to confess -- I hope my husband’s not listening -- I have 22 now. I suppose at some point I may have to consider donating them to a museum or putting them on display somewhere, because I couldn’t possibly wear them out, that is for sure.

So today, Mr. Speaker, I want to later ask the Minister of ITI about progress that’s being made on supporting people who are involved in traditional activities such as arts and crafts and especially today thank again Mrs. Bernadette Williah of Behchoko for her work -- a labour of love, really -- in producing this jacket that I wear today. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about a subject that residents of Fort Liard continue to raise with me. It is their preference to visit Fort Nelson in British Columbia when they require medical assessment as Fort Nelson is closer than Yellowknife, only 240 kilometres away from Fort Liard.

Presently, when a nurse in Fort Liard refers a patient for medical assessment and treatment, it is to Yellowknife and the patient has to travel by taxi to Fort Simpson and then fly to Yellowknife, a total of about 544 kilometres for assessment and usually taking up to three days. If the patient cannot be treated at that time, the person is then asked to return later. Or in cases of special need, they may end up flying down to Edmonton.

People in Fort Liard think it makes more sense for them to be referred to Fort Nelson in B.C. for assessment and/or immediate care. If there was a need for further care, however, the patient could be referred to Yellowknife or Edmonton. The medical policy does not support this.

I have raised this issue in the House in the past and I understand setting up of this convenient health delivery method is a challenge. However, I urge the Minister of Health and Social Services to ensure our residents are provided the best health care. An objective of quality health care is to make it as convenient as possible for people suffering from illness to access health services. I urge the Minister to consult with Northern Health in British Columbia to allow for patients of the Northwest Territories to be referred to Fort Nelson for assessment, and if further treatment is required, to be subsequently referred to Yellowknife and/or Edmonton.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was contacted this past Sunday by a constituent about a significant public safety issue that they feel this government has failed to address in the public’s interest. The issue is the use of cell phones while driving.

The issue, as many would know already, has stirred up considerable public debate elsewhere in Canada. It has raised concerns and questions about personal responsibility, privacy and, certainly, public safety.

Mr. Speaker, I believe now more than ever as a territory we have reached the point where the need for public safety in this issue has to be examined. To date, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, B.C. and Quebec have either passed or are drafting legislation that bans the use of cell phones while driving. Even as of September 1st of

this year, Strathcona County in Alberta was ahead of their own province on this issue by putting public safety first. I certainly applaud them for the visions and steps, Mr. Speaker.

As I’m trying to highlight, the issue that needs to be looked at is the fact that cell phones are considered too much of a distraction while driving, leading to unnecessary accidents causing injury and death, and most certainly fully preventable accidents, if I may say.

If I might remind this House, the New England Journal of Medicine found that talking on a cell phone while driving quadruples a person’s risk of accident, and also prompting the Canadian Medical Association to call for a ban on cell phones while driving.

Now, some people would rather see stricter enforcement of the existing careless drivers and the fact is this puts the responsibility back on the drivers and enforcement agencies, but the fact is this is a point that we all agree that enforcement and certainly laws need to examine. I believe this government has a role, but certainly waiting for tragedy to inspire action will never be considered responsible.

Mr. Speaker, this issue is of serious concern to a number of Canadians and certainly a number of NWT residents. So, therefore, later today I will be encouraging the Minister of Transportation to seriously look at this issue carefully to find out what the national trends are saying and follow maybe some of the direction that we should be leading in. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my statement yesterday regarding the granting of sole-sourced contracts and my statement on Friday and Ms. Bisaro’s yesterday regarding the setting of government policy without the input of Members, I would like to table two further sole-sourced contracts with a total value of $67,150. One for $35,000 with Angevine Economic Consulting of Calgary is to assess whether natural gas prices would drive some coal-fired electrical generating stations to use natural gas and “therefore reduce greenhouse emissions.” The other is a $32,000 sole-sourced contract with Matthews Energy Consulting to develop a communications strategy on the environmental benefits of northern natural gas based upon the results of the first contract.

The key products of this work were apparently notes for a speaking tour and a promotional CD all under the slogan Gas is Green. Here again I wonder where the mandate to take such a position was obtained and how much rigorous review the products received.

The later contract proposal says the work will address the public policy issues that need to be considered, yet Members have never been asked to consider or set public policy on propaganda to sell fossil fuels as green. Had we been, we would at least have required, I suspect, that they must demonstrably replace more carbon intensive fuels such as coal or fuel oil and not be used to fuel carbon-spewing tar sands. Nor were Members consulted before Premier Roland emerged from the Northern Territorial Leaders Conference last year to announce that no carbon taxes would be considered.

Each Regular Member here can come up with a list of such key priorities into which they have had little or no input, despite our interest and mandate from the voters. Gas is Green, the Science Agenda, Cost of Living Framework, Agreement on Internal Trade, final consensus government policy on carbon taxes all developed and even announced without any input from elected representatives.

It was pointed out yesterday that former Ministers are being contracted to continue influencing government policy. Perhaps contractors have more input into the policy of government than the Members do, but if this is truly to be a consensus government, we need a whole new approach. As Ms. Bisaro said yesterday, we need more than ad hoc offers of briefings when Members ask troublesome questions.

Mr. Speaker, I will be following up with questions on how this government will ensure improved input of

Regular Members into important policy decisions and development. Mahsi.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to again talk about an issue that continues to be the biggest concern for most constituents of Tu Nedhe: housing.

In Tu Nedhe there are many families living in units with all kinds of technical problems, such as mould, leaky roofs and outdated furnaces, fuel tanks and much, much more, but in a general sense, it’s most likely individuals and families that do not make enough money to do repairs and renovations to their homes.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve stood up in this House many times to raise issues and although the corporation has responded to many of my concerns, there’s still a long ways to go. Having three Housing Ministers in the last 24 months has not helped the problem. Each time this happens there are delays and it adds to the frustration of those in need in the communities.

Mr. Speaker, I am fully aware of the corporation’s obligation to address the Auditor General’s report and its recommendations and I appreciate the efforts they are making in this area. However, there still seems to be a problem that is not getting addressed such as basic maintenance and upkeep of their units, and how their clients are being dealt with also continues to be a problem.

The people in Tu Nedhe have mortgage arrears, land and tax lease arrears. This has prevented the NWT Housing Corporation from doing the sensible thing of saving their homes before their entire home needs replacing. They cannot seem to get around their own policies, Mr. Speaker. In a sense, Mr. Speaker, a policy now decides whether or not a person is in need, rather than the assessment of their current situation.

I know the NWT Housing Corporation has been staffing new positions in response to the issues, but more needs to be done. It needs to get creative and start looking at other ways of effectively dealing with the constituents. When clients are approved and sign on the dotted line, the corporation must be assured that they fully and completely understand the implications of what they are signing. Only then can houses become comfortable homes for these clients to live in.

Later today I’ll have questions for the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is National Students Against Impaired and Distracted Driving Day. We’re all well aware of the concerns and dangers to the public of impaired drivers, but what about distracted drivers? Driver distractions include cell phones, eating, drinking, changing a CD, fiddling with radio dials, talking to a passenger, experiencing emotional distress, minding children, personal grooming, looking at billboards, or even looking at other vehicles on the road.

The Canadian Automobile Association publishes a list of the top 10 leading causes of automobile accidents. The number one cause of motor vehicle accidents is cell phone use while driving. Drunk driving is way down the list at number five. How many of us have talked on a cell phone while driving? How many of us have texted on a cell phone while driving?

A study done for the Ontario Medical Association in 2008 determined the following: hands-free and hand-held cell phones both pose a risk of cognitive distraction and that regardless of which one you use, it reduces the speed while the driver processes information. Simulation tests and studies show that drivers using cell phones are 18 percent slower to brake and take 17 percent longer to recover their speed after slowing down.

The Minister of Transportation stated a year ago that studies show that cell phone use while driving reduces reaction times to the same levels as if the driver was intoxicated. The executive director of B.C.’s Safety Training Council has said, “What makes cell phone use distinct from other risky driving behaviours is the magnitude. There are 21 million cell phone users in Canada and as many as 52 percent of them talk on the phone while driving.”

A driver using a cell phone is a distracted driver. Distracted drivers pose serious safety risks to users of our roads, both motor vehicle users and pedestrians. Other jurisdictions are taking action or have taken action. Ontario recently banned hand-held devices while driving. They have joined four other provinces who have already done so. Newfoundland and Labrador were the first province in Canada to ban the use of cell phones, in April 2003. Quebec and Nova Scotia banned the use of cell phones in April 2008. Manitoba passed legislation this past August and Saskatchewan will soon introduce legislation.

I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted.

The Minister of Transportation said some months ago that the GNWT would not be looking at banning cell phone use while driving. We

need to reconsider that decision. A ban on using cell phones while driving must be part of any campaign to reduce distracted driving. In conjunction with education and public pressure, legislation can be an effective tool to make people change their habits. It took a long time, but that approach has been successful for drinking and driving. Now we need to make it work for distractions and driving.