This is page numbers 2821 - 2866 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 agreed.

Topics

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

The more this session goes on the more we’re in agreement with where we need to go in our approach with the three territories, ourselves, and the First Nations within the Territories. We will continue and I will commit to working with the Premiers. I will commit to working with the regional aboriginal leadership within the Northwest Territories to coming up with an approach that makes sense and builds our business case on a common front of what we see moving to the North and engaging the federal government on that.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of ENR. We had a briefing today from the Pembina Institute for appropriate development on the tar sands entitled, “The Waters That Bind Us: Transboundary Implications of Oil Sands Development”. We learned that the NWT has only one transboundary agreement right now and that’s with Yukon. Major developments are proposed in the headwaters of the Peel River watershed with big implications for downstream communities of Tsiigehtchic, Fort McPherson, and so on. Yet the agreement with Yukon has no teeth, even though we have it. Northerners are obviously very concerned about this. Will the Minister commit to renegotiating that agreement and establishing some real teeth, some binding agreements in the Yukon transboundary agreement with specific targets on water quality and quantity to protect NWT watersheds and people?

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Agreement was signed in 1997. We’re one of six signatories: the federal government, Saskatchewan, Alberta, B.C., Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. As well, there’s aboriginal representation. It was signed almost 12 years ago now in a different time and different place. The sensitivity about water has gone up by orders of magnitude. We have been pushing for a full meeting on the Mackenzie River Basin Board to talk about the transboundary agreement, to talk about the bilaterals, to talk about how do we move forward with integrated watershed management. We’ve been raising the issue at the FPT table for a National Water Strategy. We have it on our list of things to do. It’s not something we can do unilaterally. It’s going to take cooperation and it’s going to take the commitment and buy-in by a lot of players, especially for us and the federal government.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I appreciate the comments from the Minister. As I mentioned and as he is well aware, this is a very strong and emotional and meaningful issue to the people of the North. Are we also fighting for a seat at the management table for the tar sands development given that we are most vulnerable and, of course, immediately downstream from these developments? Are we fighting for a seat, a major voice in the participation of the management of the tar sands development?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Our first and major focus of attention has been to move forward and get this Northern Voices, Northern Water Strategy developed with buy-in for the aboriginal governments that will lay out in considerable detail the principles and all the key areas and issues of where we want to focus our attention, how we intend to move forward, and what will be our policy base as we look at negotiating the bilaterals, looking at other areas we want to be involved in on a transboundary nature, as well as to be able to better guide our thinking as we look at all the resource development in the Territory. That has been our focus. We haven’t asked for a seat at any particular management table in Alberta.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I’d also like to, well, perhaps I could, Mr. Speaker, for clarification, do I only have a couple questions left here? Perhaps I could request that the Minister commit to working to establish ourselves at that management table given that these transboundary agreements will undoubtedly take many years. They’ve already taken decades. I’m sure with this Minister at the helm it’s going to take a lot shorter time than that now. But, nevertheless, we can expect it to be years. Would the Minister go for a role at the management table so that we can actually protect ourselves? These water bodies, these toxic ponds

measured from the satellites are perched right on the shore of the Athabasca and can crumble at any time.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

I would like to submit that we have through the Premier accessed at the highest level and, as myself as Minister of Environment, I also have the ability to deal directly with my counterpart in Alberta. I know the intent of the Member would be to have us sitting on a working basis at the table. For us to do that we have to do the first fundamental foundational work, which is to get that strategy in place, get the policy accepted, and then map out how we’re going to deal with transboundary issues, both through the Mackenzie River Basin Transboundary Agreement as well as a more one-on-one relationship with the Province of Alberta.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for those comments from the Minister. I appreciate that the Premier is at the table, but I have to make the observation that here we are in this situation. If the Premier was at the table, how did this happen? I really do think we need to try to do something fairly quickly to address this. I’d like to ask the Minister, they’ve just started a review of the tar sands development at the federal level. I’m sure they’re looking for input. Will this Minister aggressively participate in that review and offer the perspectives of Northerners on what they’re feeling with the vulnerability to this development?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

I became aware of this committee that the House of Parliament is setting up. I’ve asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to give us a briefing note that I can take to Cabinet for consideration about looking for possible standing at the committee hearings to be able to make the case for concerns about integrated watershed management, the need for the National Water Strategy, downstream concerns, and all those very fundamental and pressing issues.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue I raised today in my Member’s statement is quite a pointillist problem. I’m not trying to distemper the system, but the fact is often the problem is created in the process. Certainly the Department of Health isn’t the issue here, but I

want to make sure the Department of Health doesn’t become the issue in the sense that it becomes timely and the process overtakes the problem. The issue right now is my constituent’s trying to get an appointment with her doctor. That doctor will need time to review the file. That will require time for consideration. That will require more time for arranging specialists. We all know here, quite clearly, that when you try to navigate the system by getting a hold of a specialist in certain time, that’s a very valuable thing when you get an appointment from the specialist.

Clearly saying that the Department of Health isn’t the issue, I just want to make sure that if my constituent hits the wall when they try to get this appointment and support from their doctor to get a referral to the specialist, will the Minister of Health and Social Services be willing to keep a watchful eye on this file to make sure that she gets the support she needs and the treatment of this tumour?

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not sure if there has been...We do not know right now what she could be eligible for or not. Right now I think it’s important for the Member to advise the constituent to contact Inuvik office. Specifically the insured services specialist. There is a process and the staff there who can help her determine what she’s eligible for.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

That’s a hopeful answer. I’m wondering if this file can go through the Minister’s office. The fear of losing a specialists appointment in just a few weeks is a reality out there. Again, it’s not the fault...The process needs to go through its normal steps and checks and balances, but again specialist appointments are very difficult to get. Would the Minister allow the paperwork be flowed through her office on this issue?

Sandy Lee

Sandy Lee Range Lake

As soon as we are out of the House here, because I was advised of this at noon today, I will provide the Member with all the documentation and I would encourage him to advise the constituent to contact Inuvik office. There are people there who can help them. There is a process in place and I’m sure the staff will be happy to help the constituent.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of ECE. It’s in regard to my Member’s statement and the process that was used to do a survey that he mentioned yesterday in regards to the theme day on housing. Mr. Speaker, my constituents are asking me to request from the Ministers of Housing and ECE to go to my constituents and have public meetings and hear what the clients are saying in our communities because they weren’t aware such a survey took place.

Is the Minister willing to consider having public meetings in my constituency to basically hear directly from my constituents on the whole area of income reform and housing?

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We did commit in this House yesterday that the Minister of the Housing Corporation and I will be dealing with this review issue within our own departments. We will continue to work with the standing committee and also with the communities. If there is an invitation to go visit the community, then we will be more than happy to go to those communities. We have to keep in mind that we can’t visit all 33 communities to deal with this particular issue, but certainly we are dealing with the regional areas. Certainly we would like to hear more from the respective Beaufort-Delta region if that is the case. Mahsi.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Speaker, in regards to the survey that the Minister mentioned, I think that is the outcry that people are hearing. His comments were that people are happy with the services that they are receiving. In order to determine how happy they are, I would just like to know what survey was done and exactly what was the method of the survey. Was it a follow-up letter? Was it a mail out survey? Was it done by the phone? Was it done by fax? Exactly how did you determine the survey and how did you come to the conclusion that people are happy with that survey?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, the survey that was referred to yesterday was income assistance client satisfaction survey. That was conducted by the Stats Bureau on behalf of our department. They did a mail out survey to 780 clients out there. Also, they did it by telephone, Mr. Speaker, as well as face to face in communities such as Aklavik, Behchoko, Deline, Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Paulatuk

and Tulita. Those are the communities and regions that the Bureau of Statistics conducted those interviews.

Also, Mr. Speaker, what it covers is productive choices activity, funding levels, frequency of contacts, access to other services, programs and areas for improvement. Those are the survey questions that were thrown at these clientele that we have within our departments.

I have to put on the record that I didn’t say they were happy, but there was 76.7 percent who were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied. So we are not saying that everybody is happy. There is satisfaction with our program delivery. Mahsi.

David Krutko

David Krutko Mackenzie Delta

Mr. Speaker, is it possible I can get a copy of that survey to see for myself exactly how it was concluded? In regards to meetings that the Minister is going to in the communities, I know the Minister was in my riding along with Ms. Lee and also with the Beaufort leaders. This issue is top and centre every time we have these meetings. Is any of that taken into consideration when you consider the satisfaction of communities when you hear the outcry, when you go to communities, in the area of income support and housing?