Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber.

Before we begin I’d like to draw your attention to the gallery and the presence of a former Member and the first female Member of the Legislative Assembly. Lena Pedersen is with us.

Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The traditional economy is a critical component of the Northwest Territories economy. For many community residents these activities are not only a traditional way of life but a matter of necessity.

The traditional economy has sustained the Aboriginal people of the Northwest Territories for thousands of years, providing food, clothing, shelter, tools and goods for trade. The Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes both the economic value and inherent challenges in traditional harvesting. The government is taking action to ensure traditional economy practices continue and that these traditional values are sustained. This support serves to advance the 16

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Legislative Assembly’s goal of a diversified economy that provides all communities and regions with opportunities and choices.

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment provides funding assistance through the Community Harvesters Assistance Program to local wildlife committees for distribution to their respective memberships. Funding is available for renewable resource harvesters for the purchase of small tools and related equipment required to store, process and preserve foods from community hunts or harvests.

Mr. Speaker, the Community Harvesters Assistance Program is particularly important in the small communities where incomes are substantially lower and local economies are less diversified compared to the larger regional centres. This funding plays a key role in ensuring community hunts and harvests take place and that families who rely on food that is traditionally harvested have a reliable food source.

Many households outside regional centres rely on food that is traditionally harvested for over 50 percent of the meat and fish they consume. The economic realities faced by these small communities are challenging and make the traditional economy a vital and valued economic sector of the North.

Mr. Speaker, in 2011-2012, with the full support and direction of the Sustainability of Rural and Remote Communities committee, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment will invest an additional $475,000. This brings the total budget of the Community Harvesters Assistance Program to over $1 million.

This investment has been made as part of the government’s Maximizing Opportunities Strategic Initiative. This will offset the high costs associated with harvesting in remote northern communities while continuing to support traditional practices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Ms. Lee.

100

TH

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One hundred years ago women were chattels with no privileges or rights as those enjoyed by men, yet women felt the full brunt of the punishment of law. One hundred years ago women did not have the right to vote, as women were not considered responsible enough to have a say in how Canada was governed. One hundred years ago women were not considered persons under the law.

Today marks the 100

th

anniversary of International

Women’s Day, Mr. Speaker. March 8

th

is a global

day of celebrations connecting all women around

the world to honour women’s advancement, while reminding all of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women’s equality is maintained in every aspect of society. We have come far, Mr. Speaker, but we still have work to do.

Since 1992, the Status of Women Council has sponsored the annual Wise Women Awards in acknowledgement that individual greatness is not found only in high-profile achievements, but is also found in the leadership, wisdom and service that individuals selflessly provide others throughout their lives.

This prestigious award honours women who have shaped the hearts, minds and futures of others and serve as role models in their communities. It recognizes the advocacy work, support and education to improve the status of women in the Northwest Territories, and to encourage women to continue their great works. It reminds us that communities are not simply about the abundance of physical infrastructure, but also the social support networks we form and how we are connected to each other.

It is my great pleasure to recognize in this House the recipients of the Wise Women awards for 2011. They are:

•

Ann Kasook for the Beaufort-Delta –

nominated for her work with the Inuvik Transition House Society and her dedication to women and children who have experienced family violence and to families who require counselling services;

•

Allison Dejong for the Sahtu – A teacher from Tulita, Allison was nominated in recognition for the care she provides to the sick and the fundraising efforts she undertook for a ladies team to travel from Tulita to Yellowknife for a tournament;

•

Sylvia Nadli for the Deh Cho – nominated for her creative ability to make beautiful things from simple beginnings and her willingness to teach others traditional skills such as moosehide tanning;

•

Alizette Lockhart for the South Slave –

nominated for her work as a community health representative in pre and post-natal and her work with new mothers and fathers. Alizette’s traditional skills are strong. She is a very good listener and is considered a major stabilizer in Lutselk’e;

•

Lena Pedersen for the North Slave/Tlicho – nominated for her years of work with helping people, Lena worked hard to established the medical boarding facility; so hard, in fact, the facility is named after her. Lena is also the first woman ever elected to the Legislative Assembly of the NWT, called the Territorial

Council at the time. She remains very active with the Centre for Northern Families and the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society.

---Applause

Mr. Speaker, these outstanding women were celebrated at the Bread and Roses Luncheon earlier today during the Status of Women conference -- Celebrating Northern Women – 100 Years of Achievement -- marking the 100

th

anniversary of International Women’s Day, with roses and an “Originals by T-Bo” designed pendant.

Mr. Speaker, these women prove the truth contained in the title of our strategic plan, Northerners Working Together, that we are at our best and our most successful when we work together in the interests of the whole Northwest Territories.

I invite the Assembly to join me in congratulating these recipients and extending our appreciation for their lifetime’s work on behalf of northern families and northern communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we have just heard, today is the 100

th

anniversary of

International Women’s Day. This year to celebrate the 100 year anniversary, the Status of Women Council of the NWT has gathered women from all over the NWT for their conference called Celebrating Northern Women – A Century of Achievement.

Since 1911, every March 8

th

women and men

throughout the world celebrate progress towards equality for women and their full participation. They reflect on the challenges and barriers that remain and consider future steps to achieving equality for all women in all aspects of their lives.

The North is now, and always has been, full of strong women, Mr. Speaker, women who have made huge contributions to the development and advancement of our Territory. But in the area of elected office, equal representation for women is sadly lacking. Women are almost 50 percent of the NWT general population, but there have never been more than three female MLAs in any Legislative Assembly. In this Legislature, only 14 percent of Cabinet is female, only 16 percent of the MLAs are female and that is the highest it has ever been. An acknowledged goal for women’s groups is

to achieve 30 percent female elected Members and the NWT is a long way from that.

Over the years, since women gained the right to vote -- and that was 1920 -- the number of women candidates in elections has gradually increased, but the number of women elected has not. As NWT residents, we have an election opportunity looming this fall, an opportunity to increase the representation of women in our Legislative Assembly. In the last election, less than half the ridings had a female candidate. Of the 40 candidates in total, only 20 percent were female. NWT residents need to start now to encourage more women to run for the office of MLA and then to provide support to those women candidates, financially, morally, emotionally, any and all kinds of support, Mr. Speaker. To my male colleagues, I put out this challenge: find a female candidate to run against you, or if you are not running, find one you will support prior to and on October 3

rd

.

Our Legislature should be representative of its people, Mr. Speaker. We will not achieve that until at least half of our MLAs are female. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are always talking about getting at the root causes of our problems in the Northwest Territories and how hard it is for us to do that mainly because we are often dealing with the immediate crises, the symptom, instead of the cause.

In health care there is an emerging group of professionals who focus on treating underlying causes. Naturopathic doctors stress preventative care, they practice natural medicine that combines scientific knowledge and traditional healing wisdom. They seek to tap into the healing power of nature. Of course, naturopathic medicine is not new, but there has been resistance in the larger medical community to official recognition and regulation of practitioners of natural medicine.

That situation is changing, Mr. Speaker. Five Canadian provinces now regulate naturopathic medicine. They have set standards for practicing it, including the scope of naturopathic practice. It is a growing sector in health care. There are now more than 1,200 naturopathic doctors across the country. In Canada we have two of the six accredited naturopathic colleges in North America and that shows that Canada is taking leadership in this area.

There are four-year college programs which first require a Bachelor of Arts degree to get in. So

graduates emerge with eight years of study behind them and are very well educated in their field.

In the Northwest Territories only a handful of professionals practice natural medicine. One of these professionals is Dr. Nicole Redvers, a naturopathic doctor practicing in Yellowknife. She was born and raised in the North, and I want to say mostly in Hay River, Chipewyan Metis, and is proud to be part of a growing profession that blends modern scientific knowledge with natural and traditional forms of medicine. Mr. Speaker, we are not regulating a field here or setting standards for their certification. That should change.

Mr. Speaker, residents of the Northwest Territories would benefit from regulation of naturopathic medicine. First, it sets standards for care and it might also help draw practitioners into this exciting field of practice in the Northwest Territories and encourage our own people to pursue it as a career. For once we have an opportunity to get out ahead of five of the provinces who don’t have legislation, but benefit from the other five who have done work in this area. I understand that Health and Social Services is working on an umbrella Health and Social Services Profession Act to cover professions with small numbers of practitioners in the Territories and, Mr. Speaker, we should include practitioners of natural medicine in this legislation. It is surely for our greater good. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I have the mayor of Paulatuk on the phone wondering why people are being evicted from their homes, where they’re going to go, to live in the school, Mr. Speaker, we have a big problem. I’ve spoken to it many times in this House and the Housing Minister has come to the community and yet on and on it goes without a solution.

Four families have already had to be moved in with relatives. It puts stress on the families involved, it’s hard on the kids and even harder on the grandparents. Elders wonder what’s happening, why is it happening. Now another eight families are slated to be evicted. In the crisis, we have to do something about this, Mr. Speaker. We cannot just keep kicking people out of the houses they live in in the middle of winter. Where can the families go in a community of 340 people? What are they supposed to do?

The crisis stems from the arrears built up from 2006 to 2010 when the Department of Education, Culture and Employment was in charge of the system. Now

the Housing Corporation has taken the responsibility back. Members have been told the problems and the arrears are being solved.

Well, Mr. Speaker, problems are not being solved. Do we want to see eight houses in the community of Paulatuk empty? And where are the people going to live while they sit vacant, Mr. Speaker? We have to put people in these homes and keep them there.

When the Housing Minister last came to Paulatuk I thought it was a start. We had major resolving in the crisis. Now the people in the leadership want them to come back to answer the questions and find solutions to this together.

Mr. Speaker, in the meantime, the Housing Minister must put a stop to any more evictions. He must put a stop to getting people kicked out in the cold.

Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

[English translation not provided.]

Today I would like to talk about the Food First Program and its positive impacts on the two schools in Tu Nedhe. The Food First Program in the schools has allowed schools to ensure that kids have at least one good, healthy meal per day. The program has even allowed the parents to become more involved with the students by coming into the schools and preparing breakfast for the students in Lutselk’e. In the Deninu School in Fort Resolution the school has combined the Food First Program with the Kids in the Kitchen Program to prepare a good, healthy breakfast for the students each morning.

I have spoken in the past about the importance of education and within that how essential it is for the students to attend school regularly. The Food First Program has reduced absenteeism in the schools. In other words, absenteeism is down as a result of this breakfast program. In addition, it helps a lot of students to get to school on time as they get there, enjoy a tasty breakfast, and are off to their first class.

The Food First Program has had so many positive impacts that this government must find a way to continue the program for the rest of the school year and into the future. The elimination of this program is a step backwards for our government in as far as building a vibrant and educational society in the Northwest Territories.

I will have questions for the Minister of Education at the appropriate time today.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Policing services are an essential service similar to health care, education, and more importantly, the service that we basically do not have sometimes we take for granted. I’m talking about RCMP services to the community of Tsiigehtchic, a community that I represent that does not have full-time permanent RCMP members stationed in the community.

Over the years I’ve raised this issue and now the remedy was to station an RCMP member in Fort McPherson to serve the community of Tsiigehtchic. From the records, it indicates that some 73 calls have been made to the RCMP detachment in the last year for services, yet the community continues to raise concerns with myself as their MLA, that they make their calls and are not getting the response they were hoping for. In most cases they’re not getting the response regarding the incident and in most cases the incidents don’t get investigated or responded to.

As a government we have an obligation to serve all our communities in the Northwest Territories and enhance our policing service regardless the size of the community. In light of the situation in Tsiigehtchic, I know the department has been in the community several times along with the Minister. Commitments have been made to the communities that they were going to enhance the presence of police in the community, they were going to enhance the visits by the RCMP and spend weekends in the community. Those were great promises. I think it’s important that the Department of Justice and the RCMP find a system by working with the community to find a workable solution so that they can have policing services that are deliverable and meets the community’s needs and brings down the crime rates in our communities, ensuring that we have safe, vibrant communities.

At the appropriate time I will be asking the Minister of Justice questions on this matter.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’m going to speak about an issue that continues to hang over the Health Minister and this government. At issue is the status of the City Centre Airport in Edmonton. The runway that had instrumentation which allows for flights to land in bad weather has

been closed. To my knowledge there is now only one runway available at that airport. If you’re a medevac patient or a family member of a patient, you had better hope that the weather is good enough to land.

The fact is that the weather does not always cooperate and medevac flights from our Territory carrying our residents to services in Edmonton have been diverted to the International Airport. Just recently there have been at least three such diversions. In one case the patient being medevacced had to wait two hours at the International Airport for ground ambulance to arrive and then another 30 minutes in transit to an emergency room in the city. Is this what the Minister had in mind when she told this House that she had a plan?

The problem is this Minister has been invisible in the debate to close the City Centre Airport. She has not written one letter identifying the concerns of the public of the Northwest Territories which she represents. If the Minister is not going to defend our residents, then who will? How long will medevac patients from the Northwest Territories be at the mercy of Mother Nature? Where is the plan for services and a transition to using the International Airport? Are we just going to let Alberta dictate what is going to happen? Who exactly is our voice in these discussions?

Medevac flights are often life and death situations where time plays a huge factor in the outcome patients can expect. Where are our residents being housed while waiting for ground transport by ambulance? Are they waiting in the plane? Are they waiting on the tarmac? Are they waiting in a hallway? Perhaps they’re even waiting in the pilots lounge.

The bottom line is we need to make sure our residents are getting to Edmonton with a plan in place that will get them the services they need as quickly as possible.

I will have questions for the Minister of Health at the appropriate time.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to congratulate the City of Yellowknife for its national recognition with a 2011 Sustainable Communities Award from the Canadian Federation of Municipalities. The award recognizes the City’s outstanding work in developing its Smart Growth Development Plan.

Creation of the plan involved public consultation with over 2,000 residents and consultation with

local First Nations. It tackles such issues as urban design, land use, preservation of natural areas, transportation, economic development and energy use. The plan is a roadmap to improve the environmental character of the community through brown field redevelopment, protection of environmentally sensitive areas, expansion of community gardens and green spaces, implementation of green development standards, and the improvement of transit and pedestrian infrastructure. It aims to improve the municipal economy through a mix of tax incentives, targeted investments and neighbourhood revitalization initiatives.

The results of this good work are already being felt. The plan generated a development incentive program bylaw which encourages the construction of energy-efficient buildings, progressive residential density and heritage preservation. The City adopted a non-market housing strategy to promote affordable housing. LEED Silver Certification is the minimum target for all new municipal buildings. A major output of the plan has been action on the Con geothermal project, which I’ll speak about more tomorrow.

This award is a salute to the excellence of our capital city’s approach and achievements. As the award announcement states, this is environmental leadership on the front lines of sustainable development in Canada to inspire other Canadian communities. It’s an honour shared by all Yellowknifers who have contributed to this process.

What impresses me most about the City’s action is their comprehensive approach and their connecting of the dots between social, economic and environmental issues. They have recognized the need to act in a coordinated way on simultaneous fronts to achieve the goals of preventing predictable future dilemmas and providing healthy options to people and business. Let’s join with the Canadian Federation of Municipalities in offering hearty congratulations to our capital city’s achievements.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the entertainment world we have the Oscars; in the music business we have the Grammys; in the world of trapping we have the NWT Trappers Achievement Award. This award recognizes a way of life for our trappers and their supporting casts. Throughout the North, each season our trappers live off the land, teach their children a way of life, educate them about life on the trapline and get the young ones to use their minds, the most powerful tool in life.

This award recognizes the trappers’ business sense. It recognizes the economics of doing business. This award recognizes what it means to be self-reliant, to be able to rely on one’s own ability to live and support their families. This award recognizes trapping as a healthy lifestyle and we must have a school of trapping in the North.

I want to recognize the following trappers in the Northwest Territories and the Sahtu. May your traps always be full. I want to recognize: an elder from Fort Good Hope, George Voudrach; a trapper from Colville Lake, Robert Kochon; and I want to recognize a trapper in Colville Lake who is a youth trapper receiving this award, Jarrett Lafferty. I want to say wholeheartedly mahsi cho for all the trappers and the people in the Northwest Territories and the families for keeping our culture and tradition alive.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Today I would like to raise my concerns with regard to Aboriginal employment and representation in our Government of the Northwest Territories. We have an Affirmative Action Plan that government employees should have a representative workforce, which means half our workers should be Aboriginal. Our population is 51 percent Aboriginal. The most recent Public Service Annual Report indicates that indigenous Aboriginals, P1s, who have the highest hiring priority represent only 31 percent of our Government of the Northwest Territories workforce. Aboriginal people are well represented in finance, administration, trades and in departments like Transportation and ENR. However, 31 percent just isn’t good enough. One likely reason is that most government jobs are in Yellowknife but most Aboriginal people live in the communities and regions. Only 23 percent of Yellowknifers are Aboriginal. So in order to increase Aboriginal employees, it seems we have to continue to decentralize.

I do wish to note on this International Women’s Day that 65 percent of Aboriginal workers are women. Congratulations to them all. Another unsettling statistic is that Aboriginal government employees have the lowest average wage. Our salary for P1s is $69,000, a full $14,000 less than the average of all other employees. This is because we are staying at entry-level positions and not advancing.

I believe we have to concentrate on our Affirmative Action Policy. Where is our employment strategy? Where are our internal management training

courses? Where is the recruitment plan to encourage Aboriginals to join the public service?

In closing, we need to work harder to ensure that our Government of the Northwest Territories workforce is representative of our general population at all levels.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to mention a constituent whose longstanding efforts to improve the lives and situations of people of the North have been recognized by the Status of Women Council. Today is International Women’s Day and at noon the Wise Women Awards were presented. This year Lena Pedersen is one of the recipients.

Last year was the 40

th

anniversary of Lena

Pedersen’s election to the Legislative Assembly. In 1970 Lena was the first woman to be elected to the Assembly. Born and raised in Greenland and upon coming to the Northwest Territories in 1959, Lena has lived and worked throughout the North in communities from Pangnirtung, Cape Dorset and Coppermine, to Yellowknife and Rae. The constituency she represented was Central Arctic, made up of Pelly Bay, Spence Bay, Gjoa Haven, Cambridge Bay, Bathurst Inlet, Bay Chimo, Coppermine and Holman. One of Lena’s earlier accomplishments in the Legislative Assembly was getting funding to build the Kitikmeot Boarding Home for out-of-town patients to stay at when in Yellowknife for medical care. It was named in her honour.

During her term, Lena was a member of the Housing Corporation and she chaired a special education report. Getting schools built in communities was also a very important goal for her. When she was elected, many communities had one-room buildings and taught grades 1 through 5.

Lena’s community activities involvement did not end with her groundbreaking term in office. Over the years she has worked as a drug and alcohol program coordinator in Kugluktuk, served as a board member of the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, and served as a commissioner for Nunavut’s Law Review Commission.

Her activities in Yellowknife have included time spent working at the Yellowknife Women’s Centre, where she has used traditional culture and language activities to help people build their self-esteem and reduce feelings of isolation that some have experienced.

Lena has been a board member for the Native Women’s Association of the Northwest Territories and is an active member of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society. She worked at Bosco Homes Territorial Treatment Centre for a number of years and in 2010 began working as a community wellness and addictions counsellor at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre.

Throughout, Lena has acknowledged that if a person is going to be able to help improve a situation, listening carefully to the people involved is an important first step. She continues to encourage effective and positive communication between and among people, not just elders and youth or politicians and the people they serve.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Lena for all that she has done and continues to do for the people of the Northwest Territories as well as congratulate her for this most deserved award. Thank you, Lena.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to speak today again regarding the Minister’s lack of answers to the House regarding naturopath therapy as well as massage therapy in the inclusion of the coming forward omnibus legislation.

Mr. Speaker, it continues to be increasingly clear that the Minister continues down a conservative agenda and shows little interest in deliberalizing health care reform that would help people of the Northwest Territories. In areas such as massage and naturopathic therapy there have been numerous calls by people in industry as well as individual constituents that feel strongly that regulatory legislation needs to be out there to ensure that naturopathic therapists as well as massage therapists have the proper licence and qualifications to be doing what they need to do.

Mr. Speaker, it also helps define the practice in the full scope of efforts which they, quite clearly, have received a significant amount of education and this will help support the work that they rightly do in our North. Mr. Speaker, the work that they do collaborates well with other licensed professionals and why do we continue to deny them?

Mr. Speaker, there are great hopes and expectations, reasonable expectations that this government would be a true partner in making sure there is protection and quality of these services and health care options are out there for our citizens. But rather, this government would rather stand by and do nothing and watch it go by.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister equates the creation of good legislation for our public as a float plane not being able to take off. So to continue the Minister’s foolish analogy, it’s about packing a float plane correctly as to what you actually need rather than just trying to waste time and pack it full of everything which becomes useless in the end.

Mr. Speaker, the problem that lies before us here is no one is asking for another Wildlife Act and the review process. Clearly, five other provinces get it right. Why can’t this Territory jump on the bus rather than watch another one keep going by? Mr. Speaker, perhaps the reason the Minister is being so resistant is because it’s a good idea from this side of the House, and quite evidently, that seems to be the problem here.

Mr. Speaker, let’s get down to business. Let’s see if this Minister, certainly, I hope, will do something, and rather than protecting the status quo will move forward rather than defending conservatively the status quo any day of the week as she continues to do so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, in 1992 the Status of Women Council began presenting the annual Wise Women Awards. This award honours the outstanding women throughout the five regions of the Northwest Territories. Recipients of this prestigious award are described by the Status of Women Council as community role models who demonstrate wisdom, perseverance and deification while standing up for women, children and families in the communities. They strive to make the North a better place to live, to work and to raise families.

Mr. Speaker, this year I’m very pleased to announce that Ms. Sylvia Nadli has been presented with the Wise Women Award for the Deh Cho. This award was presented today at the Status of Women’s annual Bread and Roses Luncheon.

Ms. Nadli is a resident of Fort Providence and is my constituent. She was nominated by Ms. Edith Squirrel and Mrs. Ruby Minoza of the Zhahti Koe Friendship Centre. Sylvia is described as very kind and always ready to help when needed. She provides women with a safe place to go when it is required. She provides guidance and assistance to young girls wanting to learn the traditional arts of beading and sewing. She is a self-taught teacher. She also devotes her time to the community as a whole by volunteering and working tirelessly.

Ms. Nadli is a mother with strong traditional values which are being passed on to her children, and it is

very evident that making the North a better place to live and raise families cannot be done without commitment of people such as Sylvia. She is a great asset to the community of Fort Providence, Mr. Speaker, and very deserving of this Wise Women Award. We wish her and other recipients of the Wise Women Awards health, prosperity and continued success throughout their future endeavours. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are quite a few people in the gallery that I would like to recognize, with the House’s indulgence. We have the Wise Women Award recipient Ann Kasook and her husband, who sings beautifully. Her husband’s name is Charlie. I didn’t want to be wrong. Allison Dejong for the Sahtu; she has her mother with her in her honour. Sylvia Nadli from Deh Cho; Alizette Lockhart from South Slave; Lena Pedersen for North Slave/Tlicho. We also have the president of the Status of Women Council, Dolly Simon, and executive director of the Status of Women Council of the NWT, Lorraine Phaneuf. I see that there are lots of friends joining the wise women recipients today and I want to recognize them as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to congratulate all the recipients for the Wise Women Awards from the Status of Women. I’d like to make mention of a constituent of mine, Allison Dejong, for the Sahtu, congratulate her and I would also like to welcome her mother, Claire, into the House and to the Northwest Territories.

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

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to recognize another MacLeod in the House. I’d like to recognize Lisa MacLeod, the MPP for Ontario, Nepean-Carleton, who works out of Queens Park. She’s the official opposition critic for revenue and government accountability. I’d also like to recognize a constituent of mine from Yellowknife South, Emily Stevenson. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize two constituents of mine: Alizette Lockhart, who received a Wise Women Award, and

Theresa Dolly Simon from Fort Resolution. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Michael McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s not very often I get visitors in the gallery so I’d like to welcome Ms. Sylvia Nadli, the award winner for the Wise Women Award for this year. It’s her first time at the Legislative Assembly so I’d like to say welcome and to have safe travels home. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to welcome Charlie and Ann Kasook from Inuvik. I’d like to also congratulate Ann for this Wise Women Award. And my good friend, Baba Pedersen’s mom, Ms. Lena Pedersen. Welcome to the House. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome my constituents to this House: Charlie and Ann Kasook, and as was recognized earlier, Ann’s commitment to our community. I can remember a long time ago, it seems like almost 15, close to 16 years ago, some of my first meetings, Ann called me in to talk about the transition house and the help they needed. So keep up the good work and thank you very much.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize Lena Pedersen one more time. She is a resident of the Great Slave riding as well as the recipient of the Wise Women Award. I would like to thank Lena and all the other recipients of the award. Their contributions are certainly acknowledged and appreciated. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. If we missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It is always nice to have an audience in here.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement in terms of the recognition for trappers in the Sahtu and the

Northwest Territories. I want to ask the Minister of ITI what progress or update can he provide to the House with providing small harvesting foods in our stores. I know we had some discussion before as to harvesters harvesting their wildlife foods and bringing them into the stores for people to purchase them.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Traditional economy is a very important part in the Northwest Territories. The value that we have placed on country foods if we had to replace it with store-bought foods, we attributed it to be about $30 million, so it is a very important part of our economy.

For several years now we have been trying to establish what we call a red meat market. Over the years we have had difficulties because of the federal agriculture and inspection requirements. What we are endeavouring to do this year, and with our budget approved we are going to spend in the neighbourhood of $300,000 to do exactly that, find local markets for country food and for local fish. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in helping to find the local markets for country food and fish, has the Minister identified areas that could have this red meat market a project going on such as the Sahtu or any other communities that support trapping and fishing in their area?

Mr. Speaker, we are in the process of identifying those areas. We have received federal funding as part of our Growing Forward initiative which would look at things like muskox, wood bison and, of course, Great Bear Lake obviously has a lot of fish, so those are the areas that we would be looking at. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, has the Minister looked at some of the fish up there in the Sahtu such as Great Bear Lake or any other fish areas such as Colville Lake where most of the economy is trapping and harvesting for the local residents there in my region where there is a pretty good percentage of harvesters and trappers that see this as a lifestyle for them?

Mr. Speaker, we are looking at locally produced food, and obviously fish is one of the foods that are available in every community. It is a matter of harvesting and distribution. We will be looking at those areas. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Has his department also looked at providing some of

these foods into our institutions such as the Stanton Hospital or Beaufort-Delta and up in the Inuvik Hospital for some of their patients that often cry for traditional foods once they get into the hospitals? They certainly look for something like that. It would help them with their recovery and health.

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we are intending to do, to work with the institutions and the government and so on. Most of them have started already and we want to maximize that kind of food. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Human Resources. The federal government, through HRSDC, the names of which I can never remember, but Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, I think, offers funding through a program called Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities. In 2008 -- that is the latest date for which I found figures -- the program offered over $218 million to the 13 Canadian jurisdictions. Of that money, which is now currently expired, the NWT didn’t get any. I would like to ask the Minister whether or not he is aware of this federal program. In my mind, it is free money which would have enabled the GNWT to advance the employment of persons with disabilities. Why did the GNWT not negotiate a labour market agreement for persons with disabilities when we had the chance? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Labour market agreements are generally negotiated through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. As far as the $218 million, I was not aware of it. I would have to check as to why the government did not apply. Typically, these federal programs are not available outside of the provinces, so I would think that would probably be the reason. We haven’t accessed it because it is probably not available to our Territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I would appreciate anything he can discover as to why we did not take advantage of this. I believe that there were other jurisdictions that were not provinces that did. I could be corrected on that.

Another program which is not yet expired is a labour market agreement. The Yukon last year negotiated some $218,000 worth of funding. Some of it, not all of it, because labour market agreement in this case was for sort of all employment, but some of it was specifically earmarked for the Yukon Council on Disability. I know that the Minister of HR has been talking with that group in terms of their work on getting more disabled persons employed. I would like to know, since this program has not yet expired, if the Minister has considered accessing funding under this labour market agreement to specifically assist people with disabilities. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as a government, we are not averse to incorporating the best practices that are out there. That was the reason we approached the Yukon government, because they are seen as having one of the best diversity programs. I would expect that we would have been aware of that program. I will find out where we are at in terms of applying for money through that program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I look forward to getting that information. I found another opportunity for free money. Well, it is matching dollars, but it is half free anyway. This is a federal program called Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities. It offers some $30 million to provinces and territories. I know it is a federal program, but I would like to know whether the Department of HR has ever taken any action to assist employers, individuals or organizations who have persons with disabilities to assist them to access this funding to increase PWD employment. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I don’t believe that we have been doing or promoting the work of the federal government, but this is an area that certainly we can look into. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would hope that the Minister would take advantage of any funding that we have available that would increase the employment of persons with disabilities within our workforce. I would hope that he would look into this program.

The Yukon has a program called the Yukon Disability Employment Strategy. What are we doing that is similar to that kind of a strategy? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, we have met with the Yukon and we are basically following the approach that the Yukon government has taken. We are developing a disabilities framework that we will be rolling out this coming year and as well as any programs that we can

access money, we will be sure to pursue it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement was regarding the Paulatuk housing situation we’re having over there with the evictions that have been taking place. We had four evicted already, Mr. Speaker. I was talking to the mayor this morning and he said there are eight more families supposedly on the list.

Mr. Speaker, I’m asking the Minister, will the Minister order that any evictions now that are in the works for Paulatuk be stopped in their tracks until we can deal with the issue out of the Inuvik office? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is concern with the amount of arrears that are out in Paulatuk. It’s not something that they just decided that they were going to do. This was a long process that they followed to get to the eviction process. I’m not quite sure if it’s a court ordered or rental officer ordered eviction. I’d have to follow up on that. The local housing organization up there does have policies that it goes by and people are given ample opportunity to come in and try to work out a repayment plan. I have to say, Mr. Speaker, that Paulatuk, for the number of units it’s got, has the highest average of arrears in the Northwest Territories, in around $34,000 per unit. So it is obviously an issue up there and it’s one that we have to deal with as a corporation, but more importantly, the residents of Paulatuk have to deal with. Thank you.

Thank you. The biggest problem is when in 2006 ECE took this program over, all the arrears that all built up. Now that Housing is taking it back they’re seeing fit to try to get the money back, which I’m in full agreement with. The Minister always says, you know, sweat equity, everybody has to pay, and I agree with that. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit to me in regard to coming back to the community of Paulatuk himself to sit down with the leaders to keep the current tenants in their homes? Thank you.

Thank you. One of the plans that I would come up with to keep the tenants in their home is to pay their rent, or work out a repayment plan, which most LHOs have shown that they’re willing to do as far as helping those folks that may have accumulated some arrears during the time ECE was doing the assessments. But I can

tell the Minister that of all the units in Paulatuk, there’s only three people that haven’t come back to get their reassessments done for that particular time and their actual assessment that they’re getting done in Paulatuk now is up to almost 100 percent, whereas before it was, like, 65 percent when ECE was doing the assessments. So there has been a great improvement there on the people getting their assessments done. Like I said, there was only three that needed to get their reassessments done. Thank you.

The assessments that are being done, in regard to the assessment, the people that are going into the corporation, some of them not wanting to go there because of certain staff, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister follow up with the officials at Housing to make sure the housing arrangements are made with the tenants of Paulatuk who are in danger of eviction? Thank you.

Thank you. In my meeting when I was up in Paulatuk, I did hear some concerns about the LHO up there. We have some new folks in there that are actually following the policy as it’s laid out and now they’re starting to make some headway as far as trying to get rent arrears taken care of, but I understand the people’s concern up there and I did say that I’d be talking to the district office about it. But again, the folks in Paulatuk, and anyone else out there that are in arrears, have to realize that there is an opportunity for them to come back to the LHOs, get their reassessments done, confirm their income, and adjustments will be made. It’s been shown in the past that this could happen and I’m sure if there were adjustments that could be made in Paulatuk, they will be made. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Short supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I’m asking the Minister, Mr. Speaker, that if we could stop all the evictions that are taking place now until they get the families to go in and get a repayment plan done and work together to keep the people in their homes instead of having the houses sitting there empty and being able to keep families in their homes and not causing grief to the family in regard to having to move into other families’ houses. There are not too many houses in Paulatuk, Mr. Speaker. There’s nowhere to go. So I’m asking if the Minister could commit to me today to stop the evictions until we can get in there and get a repayment plan for those families that are on the eviction list. Thank you.

Thank you. The residents had ample opportunity, as I said before, to work out a repayment plan, and not knowing what state we’re at right now, if it’s a rental office ordered eviction, I would have to follow up and be in contact with the Member as to the status of some

of these evictions. So I’m not sure if they’re court ordered evictions. I’d have to follow up on that.

Again, I say, Mr. Speaker, the Housing Corporation is not in the business of evicting people, we’re in the business of trying to house people. We’ll do our part in making sure that happens, but they also have to do their part to make sure they don’t put us in a position where we’re left with no other choice but to follow through with the termination and the eviction process. But I will commit to the Member that I’ll follow up and I’ll see what stage we’re at and I will be in contact with the Member. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement today, I continue to raise concern about how conservative this government continues to be and leans towards stepping forward with government-appropriate legislation to protect people. Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what rules and regulations are out there that are in place at this moment to stop someone from calling themselves a massage therapist or a naturopath therapist. Thank you.

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

Absolutely nothing, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Absolutely nothing, yes, that’s the problem. What rules, regulations or anything of that nature are out there and any type of regulation that ensures that these people are qualified to do the job that they are doing? Thank you.

Thank you. There are massage therapists and other professionals who are able and allowed to practice in the Northwest Territories and their credentials that they received from other jurisdictions are recognized here. Thank you.

So I guess the Minister should maybe explain to us what group association in the sense of regulation and legislation that actually recognizes these qualifications, because apparently she said earlier there is nothing out there to define that. Can she maybe clarify that for the House?

I believe I did a very good job in explaining that yesterday, but it doesn’t seem to make any difference to the Member. I said it

yesterday and I’ll say it again, there’s nothing absolutely that stops a naturopath or other therapist and professions from practicing in the Northwest Territories. They are absolutely welcome and able to practice. Thank you.

Thank you. Ms. Lee. Your final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, there certainly should be. Both the public and the industry are demanding fair and reasonable regulations. My last question would be: in unedited Hansard of yesterday the Minister was quoted as saying I want to say that those that are licensed to practice as a therapist or naturopathic practitioner, and even acupuncturists, all of those professionals are allowed to practice in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, what governing body, registration style of body, or legislation or, certainly, regulation licence these people in the Northwest Territories to practice that ensures that there’s safety and competency out there to ensure the public is protected? Thank you.

The naturopathic practitioners were met with the staff from the department. The department advised them, they had a meeting together and they explained to them about their power and ability to practice here.

I repeat once again that they’re allowed to practice here. There’s nothing that stops them from practicing naturopathic profession here. They were encouraged to keep their credentials from other jurisdictions because that allows them to practice here. I’m not sure what the issue is. They are allowed to practice here. We encourage them to do their work.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the Food First Program in the schools. I would like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment questions on that. Would the Minister thoroughly examine the ECE budget with the staff to find money to continue the Food First Program?

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We just went through the budget process and it’s been approved by this Assembly. Every year we go through the business planning cycle. I’m sure this Food First Program will be before us again once we go through the process.

I must highlight that there are programs available as well, as I indicated, on the Healthy Food for Learning. There is upwards of $380,000 that’s been dispersed to all schools. Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative to focus on absenteeism and attendance, this is an area that’s been discussed as well. We have over $30,000 in that respect. There is money out there through our government and also the federal funding, that we’ve highlighted in the House already that those schools can access as well.

I’d like to thank the Minister for that response, however, it appears as though the Food First Program that’s essentially feeding the kids in school is going to discontinue on March 31

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Could the Minister check right now with the department and see if it’s possible to find money to at least continue the food program in the schools until the end of the school year? That’s three more months, that’s it.

I, again, indicated that the schools are receiving funding. With our budget that’s been approved, it has been allocated to various different programs in the schools. The majority of our funding also goes to the school boards and they decide where the money should be distributed, based on their interest in the students, the teachers, the programming. The school boards can also decide on the various areas that they can allocate funding. If it’s going to be towards the Food First Program, then it’s at their discretion to work with that. There are other program dollars that we have identified and will continue to support those funds as well.

It appears as though the money is...all the other money that the Minister is speaking of is allocated to other programs. This money for the Food First Program was scheduled to be one-year money, that is true, but it’s been such a huge success that I’m wondering if the department would look at actually replacing this program. If this program is going to end regardless on March 31

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then would the department find a program that’s similar that they can achieve the same results that this program has achieved since its inception?

With any pilot project that’s been undertaken in the past we’ve always reviewed the program, how successful it’s been or if there are areas for improvement, and then taken into consideration as we move forward if we need to reintegrate that into our business planning cycle. If it’s been successful, let’s look at it; if not, then there’s room for improvement. This is an area that has been earmarked for discussion. As a pilot project, we’ve done the pilot project for a year and we’re here now. It’s sunsetting but, as the Member is indicating, maybe the program should be reviewed. As I stated, any program that’s been

initiated as a pilot project, obviously there’s a review that needs to take place as well.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Minister then direct an evaluation of that program to look at all the positive impacts that program has had on all the schools across the North? Would the Minister then direct his staff to do that evaluation immediately?

The program is sunsetting the end of the month. As I stated, with any pilot program initiative that’s been undertaken, there’s a need for re-evaluating the program if it’s been successful. Discussion comes forward after that. As we move forward to the business planning cycle, this I’m sure will be a topic of discussion as well.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve been reading some of the Hansard from the discussion yesterday in the House about naturopathic medicine and incorporating this practice in a new piece of legislation that’s come forward to licence health care practitioners in the Northwest Territories. In reading the Q and A in Hansard and stuff, I’m not really understanding what the issue is. So let me ask the Minister my own set of questions, because I can’t understand the answers to other people’s but maybe I’ll understand it if it’s just between me and her. Do you plan to include the practice of naturopathic medicine in new legislation coming forward to cover the practice of different disciplines within the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I said that yesterday, and today I say it again, that we are reviewing the possibility of including that.

As I said in my Member’s statement, it would appear that this is something that is regulated already in other jurisdictions so we do have legislation that we could review in terms of wording and how it plays out in other jurisdictions. Why are we only reviewing this? This should be, I didn’t want to say a no brainer, but this to me should just be pretty straightforward, and if it isn’t, why isn’t it?

The writing of legislation to regulate a profession is a lot more complex than we think. Regulating a profession for engineers and architects took 10 years. Regulating a profession for nurse practitioners and midwives took many, many, many years. You would have to ask a lawyer and other professionals to see why that is so complex, but it is not just something that you do lightly. It’s not as expeditious and easy as we would like.

As I said to Members yesterday, we are working on an umbrella legislation that would be called Health and Social Services Profession Legislation. The groups that we have been working on to regulate are licensed practical nurses -- which we have a lot more of in the Territories -- psychologists, emergency medical service providers, and chiropractors. Those have been in the works and I said it’s possible to add naturopathic practitioners, but we have these other professions that are practicing in more numerous numbers that we are trying to regulate and they remain our priority.

None of that answer makes any sense to me. We are writing legislation for these different disciplines for people who are already delivering services in the Northwest Territories. How difficult and what would be the resistance to including naturopathic medicine in that? As I said, the precedent legislation is already out there in other jurisdictions. I don’t think it would take 10 years to go and see what they’re doing in Alberta or British Columbia and see what we could do. It just seems like an opportune time. If we’re already doing this legislation, why wouldn’t we add this one?

I did not say we would not do that. I said we are reviewing the possibility of adding that. This issue came up within the last couple of months and we are reviewing to see if we could add that extra profession. Let me say that lack of regulation does not preclude the practitioners from practicing. There’s nothing that precludes them from practicing.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We as a government are going out on the road spending countless hundreds and thousands, probably millions of dollars trying to tell people they should come and leave their mark, come to the Northwest Territories. Yet we get a northern person who goes out, studies their profession, comes back to the Northwest Territories to practice and we’re saying don’t give up your registration down south because we don’t have any way to register you here, don’t give up your credentials from another jurisdiction. We’re just telling them they might as well go back to that jurisdiction to do it. There has to be protection for these practitioners. There has to

be a framework. There has to be a scope of practice to protect their practice. I think the Minister should just say yes, this one will be included in this new legislation.

As I stated, we are looking at it, we’re reviewing it and looking at the possibility of including it.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.