This is page numbers 5493 - 5530 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 5th 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 territories.

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Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

I, too, would like to recognize Ms. Verna Currimbhoy. As one of the MLAs from the region who comes here to work 50 percent of the time, I might add.

The amount of work that she does on my behalf is invaluable. She will be sorely missed and she just makes my office run very smoothly.

As well, special recognition to Gay Kennedy. It’s a pleasure to serve with her on our committees, and all the work that she does on our behalf as well.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

I’d like to recognize the leadership from Deline. I’ll go through the list here: Mr. Peter Menacho, president of the Deline Land Corporation; Morris Neyelle; Paul Modeste, who’s from Russell Bay; elder Alfred Taniton; former Chief Dolphus Baton; band manager, if she’s there, Pauline Roach; Chief Raymond Tutcho; elder John Yukon; member from Deline, Russell Kenny and Danny Gaudet.

Also I’d like to recognize two of the Pages from Tulita’s Chief Albert Wright School: Jordan Lennie and Erica MacCauley.

I’d also like to say thank you to Verna and Gay for all their hard work for the Members who come from out of town to the Leg. here.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

I also want to recognize the hard work and dedication of the two employees who are being recognized today. Ms. Currimbhoy, we’ll miss your smiling face around the second floor of the building, that’s for sure. I wish her all the best in her retirement.

And to Gay Kennedy, I think the last two years have been a well-run ship with Ms. Kennedy at the helm of our research department, and I want to wish her

every success and all the best, too, in her retirement.

As well, I want to recognize all the visitors in the gallery: Chief Raymond Tutcho from Deline, and also my friends, Danny Gaudet and Peter Menacho. Welcome.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to stand up today and thank Ms. Gay Kennedy for all the hard work that she’s done with myself and working on our Member’s statements and making sure they’re concise and to the point. Then for Ms. Verna Currimbhoy for the last three years here. As soon as you walk in the door, she’s right there, did you get this, did you get that, just like having my mother.

---Laughter

She’s done a lot of hard work for us, a lot of hard work for Nunakput, and the people of Nunakput want to thank you, Verna. I hope you enjoy your retirement.

I’d also like to recognize Mr. Peter Menacho and Danny Gaudet, good friends. Thank you.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also would like to recognize a couple of individuals in the House. Verna certainly has been great as the first person I get a cheery good morning from every day. I also want to recognize her as an amazing citizen. I see her working in Bailey House at the swap shop, and she’s a major recycler in town and involved in all kinds of volunteer activities. Gay Kennedy, I think Gay knows that all the Members are really great people here, but I have to admit, at times we must be challenging to work with. I really appreciate the two solid years she’s put in on our behalf. Thank you.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. If we’ve missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber. I hope you’re enjoying the proceedings. It’s always nice to have an audience in here. Item 7, acknowledgements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to congratulate Thomas Manuel Sr. He is 73 years old and a well-respected elder in Fort Good Hope. His bravery was recently celebrated by the Governor General of Canada, David Johnson. It was a great honour and the people of the Sahtu

region are proud of Mr. Manuel. He received a Medal of Bravery for protecting his wife and three grandchildren from an armed intruder three years ago. People across the Northwest Territories remember this incident well. It was widely covered in the media. A young man broke into Mr. Manuel’s house. He had a shotgun and he used it. Mr. Manuel was actually shot in the face, neck and stomach. He was badly hurt and spent weeks in the hospital in Edmonton. It took weeks of surgery to remove 23 pellets of buckshot from Mr. Manuel’s body, including two that damaged his left eye. Mr. Manuel also received a letter from this Premier on behalf of this government. This elder truly deserves this Medal of Bravery and we honour your name in this House. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 8, oral questions. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my questions earlier today and ask questions of the Premier as the Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations.

The proceeding on with the AIP with the agreement of our aboriginal government partners is not a good start to the process nor a desired start, I know. The decision by the Premier to proceed without agreement and in the face of clear condemnation from aboriginal governments not only sours these beginnings, it could seriously damage the long-term prospects of ever reaching an amicable partnership.

To complete this work we need a respective, collaborative relationship with willing and engaged aboriginal partners. Does the Premier realize the long-term and future consequences should he take this unilateral, much criticized action? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, Mr. Roland.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No doubt, as the Premier of the Northwest Territories, as the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, yes, I know just exactly how important this agreement is to the Northwest Territories, to the GNWT, to aboriginal governments and to the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I was speaking about the consequences to the future, and I’m sure that’s what the Premier was responding to.

The Premier claims the AIP is a good deal for the NWT and for aboriginal government partners who may eventually sign on, and it looks good to me. I have to wonder why, though, if this is such a good deal, our aboriginal partners are not already signed on and moving towards the strength in numbers that the partnership could bring to this. Obviously, we’re not there yet. I realize there are meetings scheduled for this evening and I hope that’s not the only step that the Premier is going to take towards really dealing with this. Recognizing that we really need the willingness and approval of our aboriginal partners, will the Premier listen to the criticism, pull back from his with-or-without-you stance, and take the time necessary to do the groundwork for a good deal on the agreement so we can go forward with this AIP? Mahsi.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Let’s put the full context on the table. As we’ve been trying to say and as I’ve said in many of my statements today, this process has been nine years in the making, that has involved aboriginal governments and will continue to do so if they want to move with us. We have to yet make a decision if we proceed with this or not. But let’s be clear. If a decision is not to proceed, there are no more discussions to be had, because the AIP has been signed off by the negotiators who have reached their mandate. So it is time for decisions of the North. Thank you.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Of course, I would say that’s sort of illogical. That’s simply a negotiating position. I’m all for getting this AIP through, but it has to meet these conditions. I won’t say that the Minister is absolutely false there, but clearly his logic is lacking, perhaps, in the conclusion.

Respecting northern values requires that those affected by a new regime, which is every citizen of the NWT, has an opportunity to comment and participate in developing our political future. Assuming resource management power is the single biggest political issue at this stage of our movement towards provincehood, will the Premier commit to a timely, comprehensive and inclusive consultation process involving all NWT governments and citizens in identifying our unique values as the basis for a northern management regime? Mahsi.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Now, I guess -- and I’ll have to tread carefully here -- that the Member’s logic sometimes might be well placed, but I wonder where it goes at times. If we want to play that game, we can. But the simple fact is, in this forum where we are nine years-plus working… The Member for Mackenzie Delta raises the Northern Accord, raises the Dene-Metis comprehensive

process. Years in working together in trying to move authority from Ottawa to the North. This is the time for a still, stable approach as we try to progress on and allow aboriginal governments to have their time to look at the deal as it was penned by the two chief negotiators. We’ve been doing the same and now we get to have a meeting, at least to start the direct discussion about some of the issues and concerns that have been raised publicly between the leadership, and we will continue to be working and incorporating that approach as we look to the future. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Roland. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will give up on the logic bit here, but I’ll just say that the many years the Premier talks about has been the time during which, thanks to our aboriginal partners, we have made considerable and great progress towards benefits that accrue to all residents of the Northwest Territories. Our history shows that Northerners have high standards for the way our government should cooperate with all citizens in building a sustainable future. We are patient and we make progress towards our goals one step at a time, regardless of barriers to the obvious and big steps we would like to see happen. We have learned that we must take the time needed…

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Do you have a question, Mr. Bromley?

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Mr. Speaker, will the Premier commit to our demonstrated principles of inclusion and patient perseverance and take the time needed to build the consensus needed on this motion for an issue before us today, the AIP? Mahsi.

Floyd Roland

Floyd Roland Inuvik Boot Lake

Mr. Speaker, I believe, during the life of the 16th Legislative Assembly we

have shown that patience. We have shown a commitment for inclusion; in fact, establishing the regional leaders’ table which will be meeting later on today to discuss the AIP issue. The fact that as this government took over, announced, to the displeasure of some, that we were prepared to put it on the backburner -- it being the devolution resource revenue sharing process -- put it on the backburner until we as Northerners can talk about a common ground and working together. In the meantime, during those talks, during those meetings, the leadership asked for that issue to be brought back to the table. That has been done. The federal government has engaged.

This process is not new. We have to come to a place where we need to make a decision together. I have followed through on my commitment as I told Members here when we first brought the AIP forward. There is a process. We are going to honour that process and only standing up to put factual information on the table about that process. In the spirit of working together in the Northwest

Territories, we are continuing on with an example of that by this evening’s meeting. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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