Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to speak today to voice my displeasure in this government’s inaction as it pertains to implementing a 911 system here in the Northwest Territories.

This is not the first time I have spoken about 911 in this Assembly and today I find myself leading the weigh-in again, because of the absolute absurdity of the argument not to take action by this government.

During debate on October 15th , Minister Robert C.

McLeod said: “we have to also ensure that this service or any basic service is available to a lot of remote communities we have out there.” What the government is doing, Mr. Speaker, or attempting to do, is turn what is a public safety issue and turn it into a have and have-not argument, which is completely unbelievable and completely bizarre.

If Members of this House were to bring forward a motion to get basic cell phone service in all communities in the Northwest Territories, I would be sure they would have the support to get that motion supported by every Member in here.

Why hasn’t a motion like that hit the floor of this House and can Cabinet not see the forest through

the trees? How many more of our residents have to be put in peril because our government refuses to help phase in an emergency telephone number that, if implemented, could help save lives? How many coroner’s reports have to get stacked upon one another recommending implementation of a 911 service?

Mr. Speaker, we have to start somewhere and if we get the service to 77 percent of our population in the near future, then we need to do that. Mr. Speaker, this should also come with a plan to address the other 23 percent of our population who will require, and absolutely deserve, the same service.

No one is saying don’t do it in small communities. We are just saying, from a public safety standpoint, the government just can’t continue to sit on its hands. Why can’t there be a phased-in approach addressing the needs of all communities?

Mr. Speaker, looking across the floor I see Mr. Lafferty who’s largest community of Behchoko would benefit from 911. Mr. Miltenberger from Fort Smith who’s community would be a safer place with 911. Mr. Roland and Minister Robert McLeod represent Inuvik, another community that would be safer with 911. Minister Lee and Minister Bob McLeod from Yellowknife, why aren’t they supporting a phased-in approach to 911, which would make their constituents safer?

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

---Unanimous consent granted.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to speak about housing in Fort Liard today. When I am talking with my constituents in Fort Liard, I hear that there are few available public housing units. With few homes to rent, there tends to be overcrowding. This has been an ongoing issue.

The community housing needs study completed in 2004 identified that 29 houses, or 16 percent, were overcrowded or did not have enough bedrooms appropriate for the number of people. I don’t think that these statistics have improved very much. Residents of Fort Liard require adequate and affordable housing. Adequate housing is necessary for health, especially in this time of H1N1 concerns, as viruses spread when there is overcrowding.

Adequate housing also contributes to children’s general health and the ability to learn, develop socially at school and in their community. At the same time as this scarcity of public housing, there are homes available for ownership and more homeownership units planned for construction next year.

The community needs rental housing but is being provided with homeownership units. What is wrong with this picture? Fort Liard is not the only community where this imbalance is occurring. This imbalance is created, by and large, by overdue accounts or arrears to people from accessing previous NWT Housing Corporation programs. Some of these are even decades old, Mr. Speaker. So my assessment is that these homes will be difficult to fill as we have many people in arrears. We need a strategy to address this.

Currently it does seem wrong that houses would stand vacant and become subject to possible vandalism when individuals and families need housing. When there are available homeownership units and no available rental units, can we rent out the homeownership units? There must be some way that we, the NWT Housing Corporation, could offer these homes for rent as this is the biggest need right now in Fort Liard. I urge the Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation to work with the hamlet, the ADK Dene Band, to make sure that available housing is utilized in Fort Liard. Mahsi cho.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Determined individuals and groups are working to build agriculture as a new sector in the NWT economy. Success has been variable but increasing overall. Egg production is well established in Hay River and the farmers at Paradise Gardens produce a wide range of vegetables, fruit and meat products for local markets. Many recall the days of yore when fields of grain crops grew in Fort Simpson. Gardens throughout the Mackenzie Valley supply communities and schools. The Cunninghams ran commercial gardens in Yellowknife and everyone,

including trappers like my colleague’s father Mike Krutko, in the ‘30s had gardens. Unfortunately, our Bureau of Stats doesn’t monitor agricultural production, but in Yukon, 148 farms and 10,000 hectares had primary sales in 2006 of $4.1 million. Some Yukon farms span generations, with steady and dependable production.

In August the Territorial Farmers’ Association made a presentation to the EDI committee. Based on their members’ experience, NWT agricultural operations could readily supply 25 percent of the NWT market for meat, market vegetables and cereals. An investment of only $7 million into industry expansion would yield an ongoing increase of $2.7 million per year in the territorial GDP, with dozens of jobs and increased incomes. They concluded that agriculture is technically and economically feasible and that people want to see expansion of the industry.

Obvious benefits of producing our own food extend beyond economics; for example, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, healthier foods and food security. The current lack of a GNWT strategy for agriculture with comprehensive support programs is crippling. Availability of land and an agricultural land use plan making available new agricultural land is required with cooperative interim agreements developing the possibility of leased land in land claim areas.

We have not even been evaluating the extent of agricultural land or the opportunities to provide thoughtful support. Other issues need attention. Fuel taxes for mobile equipment are currently levied on farm machinery. This pricing and the lack of off-road vehicle fuel rebates is damaging to our farming efforts. A further burden is the current restriction to using municipal lands which brings in appropriate municipal assessment rates.

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of ITI on these real and abundant opportunities. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to speak to the question in regards to the outfitters in the Mackenzie Mountains and, more importantly, in the Gwich’in Settlement Area and the implications of the land claim agreement which clearly describes that any licences held in those areas, if they were up for sale, have to be offered to the First Nations groups in regards to first right of refusal for they have an opportunity to purchase or

decide not to purchase or partner with someone else to purchase a licence.

In regards to the Arctic Red Outfitters, because of the time that was allowed, that opportunity to do a fair comparison look at the possibility of requiring that licence and the cost associated with assets of that business in which you would have to travel to the outfitter’s base camp, which is the headwaters of the Arctic Red River which, again, was in the springtime.

Again, Mr. Speaker, the alarming part of the process that just took place is that the licence which was basically being purchased was purchased by a majority of those directors who are Americans in regards to people who are living in Utah who basically have purchased licences who are millionaires who can afford to make this decision and have a front man in regards to how you purchase a licence.

I think that the legislation this government has in place is flawed. It has to be overhauled and we have to ensure that we do not have systems where we have a major land area which is being managed and controlled by people outside of Canada and, more importantly, that that opportunity should be given by way of opportunities to get into the tourism business, the outfitter business for the aboriginal people in those regions so that they can take advantage of an economic opportunity which is in their region or on their doorstep. Again, Mr. Speaker, I believe it is important that this government clearly looks at this issue when we review the Wildlife Act, ensure that the wording in the agreement in regards to first right of refusal, management of species and ownership of these outfitter licences has to be looked at.

In light of the circumstances in regards to the situation we see with the Barren Ground caribou issue and the licensing aspect of that and, I think, more importantly, the effects of other species that we see going forward in regards to sheep, moose or even wolverine which we have to look at in regards to how these licences are being used.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be asking the Minister questions on this matter and exactly where this government is going on this matter. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to the gallery, to the presence of the consul general of Japan, Mr. Yasuo Minemura, and along with him is vice consul for information and culture, Ms. Kobayashi. Accompanying them is our very own

chief of protocol, Ms. Carmen Moore, with the Department of the Executive.

Also it gives me great pleasure to welcome constituents of mine in the gallery today, Mr. Gordon and Carol Norberg and their daughter Natasha with us.

The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Arlene Hache, executive director for the Centre for Northern Families and a constituent of Weledeh. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Member for Yellowknife South, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to recognize Gord Norberg and Carol. Gord is a fellow student from Grandin College and a former goalie. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Ms. Lee.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a newly elected woman councillor to the City of Yellowknife, Mira Hall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mira Hall, a constituent of Yellowknife Centre and the most recent addition as a YK1 School Board trustee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

I would like to recognize Mr. Gordon Norberg originally from Tuk, his wife and his daughter Natasha. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

I would like to also recognize Mr. Gordie Norberg and his family. Gordie was the goaltender for the famous Grollier Hall finalists.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. I welcome everyone in the gallery today. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It is always nice to have an audience in here.

Item 6, acknowledgements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to acknowledge the newly elected chief of Deninu K’ue of First Nations, Louis Balsillie.

Last night the DKFN held an election to elect a new chief and council. Louis Balsillie, who was acting chief for the last two years, was elected in a very, very close race.

Recently there had been some issues and uncertainty with respect to the leadership, so it is good to see this issue behind them.

With that, I would like to congratulate Chief Balsillie and the newly elected council. I look forward to working with him. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.