This is page numbers 3837 – 3872 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 4th 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 communities.

Topics

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. I’d like to follow along with my Member’s statement today, which is my concern about the caribou issue in context of the relationship with the aboriginal peoples of the Northwest Territories.

In my Member’s statement I called for the Minister to show some immediate leadership to this issue, such as working together in a partnership context by calling a caribou summit. This would well be under the authority of the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources to call upon the Dene leadership, as well as the Wekeezhii board chair to get them there, and anyone else who would have a definite interest in this issue.

Would the Minister be willing to take that under advisement and perhaps maybe even some serious consideration that we can do something in a timely way, recognizing that the Wekeezhii board is not going to make some type of decision on this issue for at least three, four, possibly even five months from now?

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First I’d like to point out that the government and the co-management boards and the aboriginal governments across the Northwest Territories have been showing leadership in this issue of declining caribou herds for quite a few years now. We were just in the Yukon, meeting with the various principals to look at the Porcupine herd, for example. They have been hard at work on a quota through co-management process and it’s been working with the Inuvialuit, Gwich’in, Sahtu. The Tlicho is not putting themselves into position to do that as well.

The Caribou Summit, as the Member has pointed out, was held in Inuvik and was very successful, but expensive. It was about a half million dollar exercise. What we recognize first is there’s a need. We have committed already to start working to bring the co-management chairs in with some delegates to look at the very many overlapping issues that are now before us in almost every herd that is now in the Northwest Territories in a state of decline.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

The issue at hand here is that an emergency caribou summit should take place not just with the co-management but also with the affected Dene leadership and groups. That is the issue at hand. I’m not suggesting making the Caribou Summit, which I had the good fortune of attending three years ago, but ultimately the issue is let’s get people here immediately working together on a common solution or path. Would the

Minister show some guidance to this issue of saying, I’ll do that right away and we’ll get on that right away and we’ll work together with these groups?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

There are two distinct issues. There’s the issue of the longer term plan for the Bathurst herd as well as the related Ahiak and Bluenose-East herds. It’s going to take time and it’s going to require a considerable amount of work with the affected aboriginal governments and the territorial government and other stakeholders.

The other big most immediate issue is right now, at present, there are no conditions that would allow protection of the Bathurst herd, whose numbers have gone precipitously down from 120,000 to 30,000 animals. Without action that has been taken, there is a very significant, real chance that within a year or two with the hunting remaining unchanged, that the herd would disappear. We’re committed in the longer term to pull together the appropriate folks and appropriate venue to do that longer term planning. In the meantime we have to offer the herd protection until the Wekeezhii process is finished.

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

I appreciate being schooled in the long-term vision, but the reality is the short-term vision seems to be very nearsighted. The issue here is partnership trust. It’s a relationship that needs to be fostered continually. Therefore, I continue to ask the Minister quite clearly, could we pull a small group of the aboriginal leadership together? Could we work together with the chair of the management board and out of that could follow perhaps a positive direction on the short term, as we all know that the decision is going to be at least three, four, or five months away? How much more destruction on the relationships are we going to continue?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

The issue is, when the Member speaks of destruction, making sure that we avoid the destruction of the Bathurst herd, we have, I believe, a very strong working relationship with the aboriginal governments and co-management boards across the land. We’ve successfully done a Water Strategy, we’ve collaboratively drafted and put in legislation the Species at Risk Act, and we’re doing the same with the Wildlife Act; very progressive and unique processes fully engaging the aboriginal governments. The Premier is engaged in a process with the regional leaders on a regular basis to bring them to the table. This issue in the North Slave, there is support from a whole host of areas. The Tlicho Government has supported us in our efforts, the Northwest Territories Metis has, most of the other folks have as well, the Northwest Territories North Slave Metis up here. So we have some issues to work out with the Yellowknives and we’re

intent on doing that, but let’s keep this thing in perspective. We want to avoid the destruction of the Bathurst herd by making the right decisions.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Robert Hawkins

Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The long-term vision won’t change with anyone. Everyone wants the caribou herd to survive. Everyone wants the caribou to be around forever. The decision may not change, but the fact is they would be party to the decision. They would be involved into the discussion of the decision and they would also feel responsible because they would be part of the outcome. That’s the type of discussion I’m talking about. I’m talking about getting rid of southern style of consultation by making sure that everyone’s involved in the outcome. That’s why I’m asking for an immediate caribou summit with the leadership. Would the Minister reconsider this?

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

I seriously consider everything the Member says. I know his heart is in the right place, his intentions are honourable and pure. Sometimes we have to look at the process, though, and how do we get to where we want to be, which is to protect the herd until these other longer term processes kick into gear. We are, I would suggest to you, probably one of the most consultative governments in this Dominion of Canada.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment questions on the playground in Fort Liard. The National Playground Code about six to eight years ago came into place. We assessed our schools and replaced what we could. In Fort Liard that remained undone. I’d like to ask the Minister why that one school playground equipment was not replaced.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. That particular school was brought to our attention just in December that their playground needs to possibly be replaced within a few months or a couple years. So those are the discussions that we continue to have with the Dehcho Board of Education, specifically with the superintendent, that has brought this to our attention. The focus is that we’re going through our budget planning process

this period, but part of the planning process will be to put this into next year’s budget. Mahsi.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

The parents and the teachers are very concerned in Fort Liard. They raised it with me in my December visit. They’re actually so concerned that they’re looking for ways to fundraise to replace the school ground equipment, but it’s our responsibility, Mr. Speaker. The need is immediate. I’d like to ask the Minister what can be done in this coming fiscal year. Can we release some resources so that we can begin the preliminary work or even remove some of this dangerous pressure-treated wood equipment? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, part of the planning process will be to work closely with PWS. It is the responsibly of that department to look at the infrastructure itself, if it needs to be taken out of the ground when it’s thawed out. Those are discussions that we need to continue having along with the Dehcho Education Council, with the superintendent, and keeping the board members informed of the progress being made and also the Member in that respective riding. So we’ll continue to make that progress as we go along. Mahsi.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

I’m just trying to get a handle on will the playground equipment be removed this year. Probably the planning process to replace the playground in 2011 sounds good, but am I correct in understanding that they’re looking at removing the playground equipment this fiscal year? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, safety is our first priority so we will definitely look at the playground this summer. Whether to remove that due to safety precautions, we certainly need to discuss that further with PWS. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much. When will the discussions take place and how soon can I know, or even the school in Fort Liard know, about the plans for that playground? Thank you.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mr. Speaker, the issue was brought to our attention in December and the discussion is ongoing. We can’t really do anything until it’s thawed. Definitely, we’ll keep the Member informed of our progress to date. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From my Member’s statement today: Mr. Speaker, given that currently there are eight students in the

Nunakput community of Sachs Harbour that have, for various reasons, left high school and moved back to Sachs Harbour -- reasons such as nowhere to live, not enough moral support or resources -- will this government immediately commit the funds and resources available for one high school teacher in Sachs Harbour for the term of about two and a half months left in the school year so they can at least earn some credits for their high school diploma? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Paul Delorey

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