This is page numbers 3003 - 3034 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was work.

Topics

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Minister of Justice

Mr. Speaker, I think what it comes down to is obviously the health hazard of the other workers within the facility. We have to start somewhere. We can’t have it in all buildings as of April 1st , but certainly we are starting

within our corrections area. There have been complaints brought to our attention that individuals going out to have a smoke coming back in and second and third-hand they can smell it off a person. Certainly it is a health hazard that has been brought to our attention. So those are the issues that have been brought forward. So that’s been acted upon.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Smoking is a health hazard for any public servant or any person, for that matter. It is a health hazard. Yet all other public servants are allowed to smoke on government premises. It’s been years since anybody has been allowed to smoke inside. Smoking inside is not the issue. The issue is why can’t corrections officers smoke on the property outdoors?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Minister of Justice

That area again has been brought to our attention, not just by of course the workers, but people who do visit the facility as well. We took all those into consideration when this...I guess, we’re putting a stop to smoking on the premises. It has been an ongoing issue and finally I think we’ve made the decision to say, okay, well, we’ll follow through with what’s been brought to our attention.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know what avenue the government would have to check with anybody to see if this is some form of violation of human right. Like I said, I don’t think anybody should smoke, but I just don’t see why corrections workers should be singled out and treated differently than any other government employee when it comes to this matter. I’d like to know if the Minister would undertake to find out if this has ever been raised anywhere else in Canada or as an issue of a human right.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Minister of Justice

Certainly we can undertake to do some work in this area in other jurisdictions as well. April 1st is certainly in a few

weeks. Obviously we are moving forward on this particular target, but certainly we will do more research in that area. I will commit to the Member to do that.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Item 9, written questions. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

---Unanimous consent granted

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize the Yellowknife Rotary Club and the event that they bring here to our Territory and our Legislature. They’re bringing a bunch of students that represent Alberta and certainly the Northwest Territories in a program called Northern Experience. The students by name are: Geordan Vine from Edmonton, Megan Fraser from Lloydminster, Levi Bourque from Nisku-Leduc, Lorne Ghostkeeper from Edmonton, Chase Goebel from Edmonton, Marcha Duvenage from Vermillion, Lauren Zeilke from Edmonton, Jerome Ang from Morinville, Anna Brandt from Jasper, Colleen Thomas from Whitecourt, Alexa Saleh from Whitecourt, Corrie Lance from Calgary, as well as Jen Potter from Drumheller, Alex Rockwell from Calgary, Shane Pullam from Lloydminster, and a name that will be no surprise to our Premier certainly is Sam Roland, originally from Inuvik. Our northern students as well are Nicole Anderson from Fort Smith, Rebecca Kaufman from Inuvik, Ramona Menicoche from Fort Simpson, George Bailey from

Behchoko, and Caleb Milne from Hay River. Welcome to the Legislative Assembly.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize my niece Ms. Ramona Menicoche, who lives in Fort Simpson. Welcome to the gallery. This is where your uncle works.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank a couple of the Pages from Great Slave riding who have been here with us on and off for the last six weeks: James, or rather J.J., Gardiner and Katherine Thomas. Thank you for your assistance. It’s been great.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Miltenberger.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

I’d like to recognize Ms. Nicole Anderson coming to the Assembly from Fort Smith.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

I’d like to recognize the good work of the Rotary Clubs in the Northwest Territories and across this nation, and recognize Caleb Milne, a constituent of Hay River South.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Premier Roland.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

Inuvik Boot Lake

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Premier

It is a pleasure to recognize youth from Inuvik, both Rebecca Kaufman and, of course, my son as I refer to him as, Samuel Roland.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Welcome to everyone in the gallery today. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. Item 9, written questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

I seek unanimous consent to go back to item 8 on the orders of the day.

---Unanimous consent granted

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery (Reversion)

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. My question is to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Several years ago, the then-Minister of Education Jim Antoine indicated in this House that education is a treaty right. The First Nations have taken comfort in that and trusted the GNWT. Recently the Dene Nation has taken a more active interest in education. They discovered that NWT students are only eligible for six years of student financial assistance, but the southern First Nation students are eligible for 10 years of student financial assistance. For instance, Alberta students are eligible for two extra years for a master’s and two or three more years for a doctor’s degree. Would the Minister explain to me in this House why it is that NWT First Nations students receive four to five years less SFA than southern First Nations students do?