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, 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.