Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber. Welcome to all our guests in the Chamber today in the gallery.

Colleagues, on behalf of Members, I would like to congratulate Wendy Bisaro on being named the 2011 winner of the Ann MacLean Award for Outstanding Service by Women in Municipal Politics.

---Applause

The NWT Association for Communities nominated Wendy for this prestigious award. We are very pleased to see our friend and colleague honoured for her nearly two decades of outstanding service to her community. And, of course, she continues to serve Yellowknifers at the territorial level.

The Ann MacLean Award is presented annually by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to recognize women municipal politicians who have shown exemplary service to their community and constituents and to mentoring women who want to run in elected municipal office.

The Ann MacLean Award for Outstanding Service by Women in Municipal Politics was created in April of 2009 and is named in honour of former CFM President Ann MacLean and retired long-time mayor of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.

Ms. Bisaro was first selected to the board of trustees for Yellowknife Education District No. 1 in 1988. She was re-elected three times and served as a board member for 12 years and also as a board chairperson.

Ms. Bisaro moved to municipal politics in 2000 and was elected to Yellowknife City Council for two consecutive three-year terms. She was chosen to serve as deputy mayor by her fellow council members during her second term.

Ms. Bisaro was elected to the 16th Legislative

Assembly on October 1, 2007, as the Member for Frame Lake in Yellowknife. Congratulations, Ms. Bisaro.

---Applause

Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased to advise this House that a ceremony was held today to celebrate the tremendous contributions that people across this territory have made to education.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment launched the Education Hall of Fame in 2010. We recognize that we all play an important role in supporting the education of our children and the Education Hall of Fame reflects the valuable contributions that people make as educators, volunteers, board members, administrators, and other community members.

In February 2011 we distributed advertisements requesting nominations be put forward for those Northerners who made lasting and selfless contributions to education. Nominations poured in from every region and seven people were chosen from across the territory. The 2011 inductees embody the commitment, diligence, creativity, and passion that we want education to inspire in us all.

Ms. Joanne Tetlichi from Fort McPherson is a custodian of 18 years at Chief Julius School and a coach. She takes great pride in her work and greets the students every morning, and opens her home to anyone in need of a safe place.

Mrs. Dorothy Beaulieu of Fort Resolution began her teaching career as a part-time classroom assistant in 1974, and over her 30 years as an educator she taught many subjects to all grades. After teaching Chipewyan for 22 years, Mrs. Beaulieu earned an Aboriginal Language Certificate and continued teaching Chipewyan until she retired.

Mrs. Ethel Blondin-Andrew of Tulita taught for 10 years across the Northwest Territories before moving to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment as a language specialist fluent in North Slavey. Ethel was involved in policy

development for the preservation of Aboriginal languages and culture. In 1988 she became the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to the Parliament of Canada and appointed to the Privy Council and Cabinet. During her tenure as a Member of Parliament, she served as Secretary of State and then Minister of State for Children and Youth. Ethel now sits on the Aurora College Board of Governors and remains a tireless advocate for children in the North.

Mr. Ed Jeske began teaching at Sir John Franklin High School in 1958 and devoted his time and energy to his students both in the classroom, the heavy duty mechanics shop, and on the hockey ice. Even after retiring in 1989, he continued mentoring hundreds of youth on the ice as a hockey coach.

Ms. Lucy Lafferty spent her nearly 30 years in education as an educational assistant, teacher, principal, and director of education in the Tlicho region. She was instrumental in the implementation of many language and culture programs, including Community Teacher Education Program and Aboriginal Language and Culture Instructor Program. Ms. Lafferty continues supporting education today as the culture coordinator for the Tlicho Community Services Agency.

Ms. Margaret Field passionately provided students in Fort Providence with an education balanced with both academic and cultural knowledge for 41 years. With positions such as supervisor at LaPointe Hall, classroom assistant, teacher, and later as community adult educator, almost every child in the community learned her lessons in academics, culture and Slavey, and some returned as adults to continue their education with her.

Mr. Garth Brasseur came to Yellowknife in 1989 to teach at St. Patrick’s High School and has since taken on roles of teacher, friend, confidant, advocate, taskmaster, coach, counsellor, tutor, drug and alcohol counsellor, taxi driver, lawyer and parent. His unconventional methods forged trust with even the most at-risk students, relating to them at their level as he works to affect change and see them through to graduation.

Of these distinguished people, some are with us today in the gallery, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, today we stand on the shoulders of giants. Without the dedication and hard work of these people and people like them, education in the North would not be where it is today. Just as they built upon the foundation laid by the many people who came before them, we must continue to build upon their efforts for strong minds and a strong North.

Mr. Speaker, this is our second group of inductees into the Education Hall of Fame. They are truly impressive people who inspire thousands of us to do more, be better and believe in ourselves.

Healthy, educated people is one of the goals of this Assembly, and I hope all Members of this Assembly will join me in honouring the inductees in the Education Hall of Fame and thank them for dedicating their life’s work to the students of the Northwest Territories. Mahsi cho.

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

Mr. Speaker, later today I will be tabling the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy Action Plan. The action plan outlines how the Water Stewardship Strategy will be implemented and reflects the needs and interests of NWT residents. Implementing the plan will address this Assembly’s priority to ensure an environment that sustains present and future generations and protects our water supply and quality.

The action plan builds upon the multi-year, multi-million dollar Water Stewardship Strategy, and is the result of multiple water partner meetings, public input and multi-agency workshops. It represents the interests of the GNWT, Aboriginal governments, environmental non-government organizations, regulatory bodies, industry, federal government departments, NWT residents and interested parties across the North.

The action plan was developed by the GNWT, the Government of Canada and the Aboriginal Steering Committee, with active input from NWT residents. Water partners worked with Aboriginal governments to ensure Aboriginal and treaty rights as well as spiritual and cultural values are well respected. Both scientific and traditional knowledge continue to play a crucial role in informing decision-making and water stewardship by all users and regulators of water in the Northwest Territories.

The action plan identifies the key components central to the successful implementation of the strategy such as transboundary water agreement negotiations, community-based monitoring and a collaborative partnership approach to all implementation.

Mr. Speaker, the successful implementation is contingent on water partners working together. Many of the strategy’s actions address the means to routinely share information and work together with multiple agencies to plan priority actions and establish partnerships. Our partnerships with Aboriginal governments and the Government of Canada will ensure ongoing dialogue, and interagency collaboration continues to benefit all water partners.

Protecting our territorial waters remains a strong priority for this government. The action plan outlines the actions we will take to maintain and sustain our watersheds for the benefit of current and future generations. Development activities have the potential to alter the equality, the quantity and the timing of water flow. These changes can affect aquatic ecosystem health and, as a consequence, affect how we can rely on these water sources.

With increased pressure on our water resources being felt from both within the Northwest Territories and upstream in Alberta and British Columbia, we must ensure our rich natural resources are protected. It also requires a willingness at the political level to make change.

We believe the Water Stewardship Strategy and this action plan represent such a change. The collaborative, inclusive approach we’ve used to develop these initiatives should be seen as a model for how we, as a government, plan on managing water and land resources when responsibility is devolved.

The action plan will address a number of issues including the rapid pace of oilsands and hydroelectric development in the upstream reaches of the Mackenzie River Basin. It will also serve as a foundation as we continue negotiations on a bilateral transboundary water agreement with Alberta.

During the past fiscal year this government has helped form the Slave River and Delta Partnership that includes the GNWT and 15 different organizations as water partners working towards a community-based water quality and fish monitoring program. An expert was also contracted to assist in developing a source water protection model that will assist all communities in the NWT in developing their own personalized plan.

As water partners we must continue to show strong leadership in water stewardship to ensure the sustainable use of this valuable resource. Decisions on how the waters within our watersheds are used have the potential to affect many ecosystems. With this action plan, we can develop and execute sound and effective water management policies. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation continues to work with the local housing organizations (LHOs) in their rent collection efforts under the Public Housing Program. This work is intended to increase collection of rent and

rental arrears. These funds are reinvested in community housing.

Mr. Speaker, the success of the Public Housing Program depends on a partnership between the Housing Corporation, LHOs and tenants. If each does their part, it contributes to the sustainability of the program and reduces the cost of living to Northwest Territories residents and it also contributes to the overall sustainability, vibrancy and safety of communities, one of the goals of this Assembly.

As Members are aware, public housing arrears have accumulated over a number of years. They are now a significant challenge to us and to communities in our efforts to address housing needs.

We recognize that the long-term solution to housing relies on partnerships with communities and individuals, and an understanding that addressing arrears is a shared responsibility. We also believe that our approach must be fair and equitable, recognizing that many of our public housing tenants have faithfully paid their rents for many years. We work closely with tenants so they can stay in their homes. We counsel them and help them to develop repayment plans.

Local housing organizations are doing excellent work in delivering the Public Housing Program. Although some LHOs continue to face challenges, the NWTHC and LHOs are working together to ensure a common and consistent approach. Most LHOs have improved their assessment and collection rates. In just the last year, monthly assessments have increased from 65 to 90 percent. We also have approximately six LHOs that have a collection rate of over 100 percent, reflecting collections of both monthly payments and arrears. We expect that our year-end financial statements will show a strong correlation between improvements in rent assessments and collections.

But it is still a challenge in some communities. We need to make sure that all of our tenants are aware that their rent is an investment in their community.

Mr. Speaker, it is encouraging to see that more and more tenants are choosing to work with our LHOs in order to succeed and remain in their homes. The majority of tenants pay their rent on a regular basis and I want to thank them for continuing to work with their community LHOs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The time has come again where representatives from Statistics Canada have fanned out across the

Northwest Territories to complete the national census.

The Government of Canada is required to conduct a census of the population every five years. Historically, the census has been composed of two mandatory parts. The “short form” questionnaire which includes questions on a number of people in the dwelling, their age and gender, and information on languages, and the “long form” questionnaire which looked at more detailed subject areas such as Aboriginal identity, education, housing and employment. For 2011 the federal government has eliminated the mandatory long form for the census and replaced it with a voluntary survey called the National Household Survey.

It is important that residents of the NWT complete both the census and the National Household Survey for a number of reasons. Many national and territorial programs use population estimates based on the census to distribute funding, including the territorial financing formula. Since each person counted in the NWT yields approximately $28,000 per person per year from the federal government, it is important to all Northerners that every person is counted in the census so that we can continue to deliver programs and services. NWT residents need to ensure that they include all members of their family in the census, including those who are away at school or working in the mines or anyone else staying with them with no regular home.

Completing the National Household Survey is also important as it helps us understand how our communities are doing with respect to education levels, employment patterns, housing conditions and income. These statistics are the foundation for community planning, monitoring programs, developing policies and identifying emerging issues.

I want to take this opportunity to encourage all residents of the Northwest Territories to complete both the census and the National Household Survey, and I ask my colleagues to promote this important initiative in their constituencies.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of the Northwest Territories for participating in the census and the National Household Survey. These important sources of community information would not be available without the cooperation and goodwill of our residents.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On May 12th , during question period, I

indicated that I would share with committee the report and recommendations, and I will do that on a confidential basis. I am prevented legally from sharing the report. Subsection 15(4) of the Evidence Act prevents any person with whom the report is shared from disclosing it unless it is for the purpose of medical research or medical education. It can also be shared for the purpose of other quality assurance committee activities which are carried out by quality assurance committees.

I wish to clarify that, as I stated previously, I will provide Standing Committee on Social Programs with any recommendations that result from the review of the incident and that I will also share those recommendations with Mrs. Leishman.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent of this House to proceed and advance to recognition of visitors in the gallery under today’s agenda item number five.

---Unanimous consent granted

Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Monfwi, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’d just like to highlight the inductees for 2011 Education Hall of Fame that are here with us: Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Lucy Lafferty, Ed Jeske, Margaret Field, Dorothy Beaulieu and Garth Brasseur. Congratulations.

[English translation not provided.]

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize constituents of mine in the gallery today: Mrs. Dorothy Beaulieu and Mr. Angus Beaulieu, her husband.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s an honour today to recognize Mandy Day, part of the Ingamo Hall Friendship Centre in Inuvik.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize the Grade 5 class from Sissons that’s here today in the gallery and has been visiting the Assembly. The students who are visiting us here today are: Kienan Ashton, Aliya Aumond, Nicolas Bennett, Grace Clark, Sophie Clark, Daniel Enge, Noah Hache, Delilah Hashi, Sean Irwin, Jack Panayi, Jacob Schubert, Lauren Seabrook, Jesper Sorensen, Niva Stephenson, Sarah Taggart-Miles, Anne Thomas, Elizabeth Thomas, and their teacher, Monique Marinier.

Finally, I would also like to recognize Mr. Ed Jeske, a worthy recipient of today’s Education Hall of Fame Award, and of course the lovely Ms. Vivian Squires, executive director of the YK Seniors’ Society.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to stand today and recognize Ms. Tina McNeill from the Uncle Gabe’s Friendship Centre in Fort Smith.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize all of the recent inductees into the Education Hall of Fame. In particular, my old friend and teaching colleague, Mr. Ed Jeske. I’d also like to recognize Mr. Garry Hubert, who is the executive director of the SideDoor Ministries.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to welcome to the gallery a good constituent of mine, Mr. Amir Suliman. I would also like to welcome all the participants of the youth centre’s conference that’s going on here in Yellowknife. I’m sure their MLAs will stand up and recognize them, but we have I think four or five of them up there that are not from the Northwest Territories and I’ll use this as an opportunity to recognize them: Josy Labbe from Youth Centres Canada, Dale Pearson from Youth Centres Canada, Kevin Morris from Youth Centres Canada, Benjamin Leikin from the City of Ottawa, and Colby Tootoosis from the City of Saskatoon. Welcome to the NWT and welcome to the Assembly.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize constituents of Nahendeh in the gallery here: Mr. Aaron McNabb, executive director of the Deh Cho Friendship Centre in Fort Simpson;

Ms. Breagh Ingarfield from Nahanni Butte; and Ms. Shaylene Moses out of Wrigley. Mahsi cho and welcome.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to welcome everybody here today. I want to especially recognize an inductee to the Hall of Fame, a well-known educator from Fort Providence, Ms. Margaret Field. She’s been working for many years at the school and more recently as an adult educator. She was here as a senior parliamentarian and did a very good job. I want to say congratulations to her. I also wanted to congratulate her on her most recent addition to her clan, her recent grandchild that was born about a month ago.

I also wanted to, since I don’t get very many visitors here, recognize a former resident of Fort Providence, Ms. Ethel Blondin-Andrew and her husband. I want to say welcome to them, too.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize the delegation of youth at the Tree of Peace conference: Sheena Kochon from Colville Lake, Gloria Gaudet from the community of Deline, Freda Kelly from Gahcho Kue Dene Fort Good Hope community, and Myles Erb, one of the Canol trekkers from Norman Wells.

I also want to recognize Ms. Ethel Blondin-Andrew and her husband Leon, and to congratulate Ethel on her achievement of being a Hall of Famer in education.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to start by recognizing some members of Weledeh in Ms. Marinier’s class. I’d like to start with Miss Sophie Clark and Miss Grace Clark, Miss Niva Stephenson, Master Kienan Ashton, Master Jack Panayi. Welcome to the House.

I’d also like to add my congratulations to all of the recent inductees into the Education Hall of Fame and thank them for their tremendous work.

I see Father Don Flumerfelt who used to be of Yellowknife -- I’m not sure where he is these days -- in the House. I’d like to recognize him.

Perhaps most importantly I’d like to recognize my mother, Barbara Bromley, resident of Yellowknife and Weledeh and with a bevy of old-time Yellowknifers including Jan Stirling, Ed Jeske and Vivian Squires.

Finally, I’d like to recognize some old friends from Rendezvous Lake: Billy and Eileen Jacobson.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize all the nominees to the Education Hall of Fame. In particular I want to recognize Ed Jeske. I’ll have to bow to him every time I see him now with all of his nominations.

Also Ethel Blondin-Andrew, a fellow student at Grandin College for many years, and her husband, Leon Andrew.

Margaret Field, another Fort Providencer from way back.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a couple of constituents from the Great Slave riding. First I’d like to recognize Ms. Jan Stirling. I’d also like to recognize Mr. Mark Bogan.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today it is an honour of mine to welcome my uncle, Billy Jacobson and my auntie, Eileen, from Rendezvous Lake in Tuktoyaktuk.

I’d like to welcome Annie Smith, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, and Leon. It’s good to see them.

A constituent from Paulatuk, Lanita Thrasher; and from Sachs Harbour, Jolene Donovan. Welcome to the House.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. It gives me great pleasure today to recognize my wife, Davida, in the gallery today. It’s not very often I get to introduce her. Also with her is my executive assistant, Sue Tkachuk.

I would also like to recognize Father Don in the Chamber today. He’s the parish priest from Hay River. Welcome.

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 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

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

Today I wish to talk about the problem with dust in the Tu Nedhe communities. In Fort Resolution the

hamlet council plans to have the community chipsealed this summer. I understand they have put the money into the plan to chipseal the community. I believe they are looking at the economies of scale and will be working with DOT to have the community chipsealed while Highway No. 6 is being done.

In Lutselk’e the situation is quite different. In Lutselk’e the community plan on paper does not match the actual siting of the residential houses in the community. However, the community does not wish to relocate the houses and would rather have the plan redrawn to match actual sitings of the houses.

In the summer months there is a cloud of dust sitting over Lutselk’e as long as there are vehicles moving around the community. Lutselk’e has just become responsible for the municipal services in the last two or three years. I feel that they could use the support from this government to make it possible to put some dust suppressant on the road this summer or fall.

The Department of MACA must continue to provide support and the logistics of actually getting the product into Lutselk’e and some technical support to apply the product. I have spoken to the SAO and he advises me that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to get the work completed this summer without the support of the government.

MACA should not be taking the position that they are no longer responsible for completing capital projects in the communities. What will it take for MACA’s staff to ensure that this project gets completed? The project is very important to the whole community. The community needs the project completed this summer. They have the funding and they need the assistance in the technical aspects of the project, such as the amount of material needed, what preparation work is needed, and the marshalling of the materials and equipment into the community.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Four years ago, it was reported in the Globe and Mail newspaper, the Federation of Municipalities of Canada reported that we needed at least $123 billion to repair or replace municipal infrastructure in Canada. It’s beyond our wildest imagination as to where or how Canada will ever find those resources in today’s economy let alone the Northwest Territories communities. We have gas tax initiatives, community planning and infrastructure funding, and in some places, the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund. However, this is not enough

and will never be enough if we really want to begin doing all that we need to do for the municipal infrastructure.

Some time back, Fort Good Hope and other smaller communities benefited from the GNWT main street chipseal program, which to some people was a great thing. It cut down on the dust and gave people a sense of what a community can expect with government helping with this problem. However, this program was cut and now the community has to take over the program along with other projects. Because of competing priorities, the chipseal has deteriorated and there are giant potholes in the roads of Fort Good Hope. It is in need of much repair.

Mr. Speaker, even four by fours have a difficult time getting out of these giant potholes, let alone a regular pickup. My point, Mr. Speaker, we need to begin to reprofile some of the dollars that will eliminate the dust once and for all and consider advancing discussions with companies like Easy Street to help Fort Good Hope and other communities with potholes. MACA has moved a long way to empower communities with decision-making abilities and it is the right thing to do. However, we all know municipalities are our government, and our government must find the solutions to settle the dust once and for all, or at least get out of the potholes. I think so, my community leaders think so, and this government should also help us in this solution. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On January 26th of this year the Premier of the

Northwest Territories signed an agreement-in-principle on devolution of public lands and resources to the Government of the Northwest Territories from the federal government.

On February 2, 2011, I held my regular constituency meeting for residents of the Great Slave riding. I hold one prior to every session. One of the issues which was discussed at length during that meeting was the recent AIP on devolution in the Northwest Territories. Clearly, there are many varied opinions out there on this topic. To that end, during the meeting I agreed with a request from one of my constituents to poll my constituents to get a sense of where they stand on this important issue.

As such, immediately after the winter session I set up a poll on my website asking a few devolution-related questions. I notified all of my constituents by way of my regular newsletters and included references on my website and did a public news

release, as well. Although my focus for the poll was on my constituents’ input, I did open the poll to all residents of the Northwest Territories so I could include their thoughts and their input. Here are the questions and the results:

Question one was: Do you support the transfer of management of Crown lands and a share of resource revenue from the federal government to the GNWT and Aboriginal government?

Out of 67 individual responses, 82 percent, or 55, said yes; 18 percent, or 12 people, said no.

The second question was: Do you support the GNWT in moving forward with the negotiations of a final devolution agreement?

Out of 66 individual responses, 42 percent, or 28 individuals, said yes, but make every reasonable effort to include all Aboriginal governments and organizations in the negotiations; 35 percent, or 23 individuals, said yes, commencing with negotiations with the existing signatories; and 23 percent, or 15 individuals, said no.

The third question was: Do you support the GNWT signing a final agreement on devolution?

Out of 71 individual responses, 30 percent, or 21 people, said yes, with the existing signatories; 27 percent, or 19, said yes, with a signed bilateral agreement between the GNWT and the federal government; 17 percent, or 12, said yes, only if at least 50 percent of recognized Aboriginal governments and organizations will also sign; 14 percent, or 10, said yes, only if all recognized Aboriginal governments and organizations agreed to sign on as well; 12 percent, or 9 people, said no.

Mr. Speaker, during the winter session, in response to questions from Members, the Premier agreed to meet with interested parties throughout the Northwest Territories to provide information and clarity on what devolution of public…

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, during the winter session, in response to questions from Members, the Premier agreed to meet with interested parties throughout the Northwest Territories to provide both information and clarity on what devolution of public lands and resources means to the Northwest Territories.

To that end, this evening the Yellowknife MLAs will be holding a public information session for all residents of Yellowknife with the Premier of the Northwest Territories. This will be an opportunity for all Yellowknife residents to ask the Premier their questions about devolution, and an opportunity for all Yellowknife MLAs to hear what Yellowknifers think about this important topic.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to seeing many Yellowknife residents in the Great Hall of the Legislative Assembly this evening starting at 7 p.m. for this meeting. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The current way the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation manages their tenants’ arrears is obviously not working. I think these procedures have been unrealistic for far too long.

My colleagues and I representing small and remote communities are sitting in this Assembly year after year telling the honourable Minister that the government’s current system is broken.

The Housing Corporation is not getting what they need; the tenants in small communities are not getting what they need; and meanwhile, the less privileged residents are suffering. Our single mothers with no employment, our elders with no support, and people who are finding it tougher and tougher just to get by are all affected, and that’s a shame, Mr. Speaker.

We need to get realistic about the problem. We know the economic and social situation of these affected communities, so we need to develop a plan to address them rather than just evicting them. Evicting our residents who have no way to pay, no short-term opportunities, is just changing one problem to another. If this government continues to deal with the arrears in the way they have been in the past, the results are going to get more serious. We already have serious overcrowding conditions resulting in health and social problems. Some of our residents live in shacks because they have nowhere to go, and that’s a shame from this government, Mr. Speaker.

The respective Minister of this government needs to help these people to get back some dignity in their lives. When someone loses a job and then they lose their home, they lose hope and this results in serious social problems. We can no longer have this situation left to the market conditions to fix itself. This is unrealistic. In the wintertime the temperatures in Nunakput communities can easily range from minus 30 to minus 50, and that’s not including the wind. For the families being evicted, the conditions are inhumane and wrong.

Every community in Nunakput is having major problems in the way housing is being evaluated and administered. I wonder if this government and the Housing Corporation recognize the impact that they’re making in the region. The small and remote communities have nowhere to go. There are no

shelters like here in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, the service programs.

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if these evictions are being directed by the central office to local housing authorities that are forced to do their dirty work on behalf of the NWT Housing Corporation. Just saying that, the Housing Corporation’s problem with the rules followed is wrong. People deserve more. They deserve our respect and compassion.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

As I stated previously, overcrowding in housing units is a symptom of a much larger systemic problem and causes many problems in the communities. Mr. Speaker, this government must see firsthand how their policies in the NWT Housing Corporation headquarters are affecting small and remote communities. They must get in touch with the concerns of the communities. Until that happens, Mr. Speaker, the policies will never truly recognize the housing challenges in the small and remote communities.

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

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The federal government is proposing to amend the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, the most fundamental and key environmental review legislation we have. And just in case you missed it, Mr. Speaker, the federal government is proposing to amend the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act.

I was surprised to learn from outside sources that this government is consulting with INAC on these amendments. Once again, the GNWT response is being compiled by GNWT deputy ministers or Cabinet without any plan for seeking input of Regular Members through committee. Despite requests, I have still not received the list of amendments being considered.

Last week I learned from another outside source that INAC is also consulting with stakeholders on creation of an NWT surface rights board act. Again, I have yet to receive this information through committee. My research indicates that the board will “provide a single process for dispute resolution between surface rights and subsurface rights holders who have been unable to reach a

negotiated access agreement.” My source, the industry journal Pipeline News, also says MVRMA amendments will “clarify terms, enact timelines and may include board restructuring while NWT Waters Act amendments will define the jurisdiction of the board.”

These are huge changes, Mr. Speaker. Obviously the readers of Pipeline News and the public groups being asked for their input have a better pipeline to information than our standing committees.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve strongly stated my views previously, that without all our Aboriginal governments at the devolution table, we cannot develop a respectful and successful regulatory regime. I’ve also called repeatedly for this government to ask our citizens what resource regime we want for our future. Rather than spending more than a half a million dollars on the blue sky Creating Our Future Together process we could have been, and still could be, asking our citizens real questions towards made-in-the-NWT law to manage our birthright.

When devolution goes ahead we need to be ready, not to bring down the same old made-in-Ottawa law and mismanagement, Mr. Speaker. We need to prepare now with our Aboriginal partners at the table to map our future cooperatively.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Is keeping the committees of this consensus government in the dark when critical changes are in the works a strategy of this government? Is refusing to go to all residents of our territory to hear their vision of a responsible land and resource management regime part of this strategy? What’s the significance of not having our Aboriginal partners at the devolution table while all this transpires?

I’ll be asking these questions later today, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to some of the statements that have been made regarding young people at risk in that 14 to 16 age group, I’d like to add my observations and comments, and question if our government could do more to support parents that are going through a difficult time with their teenagers.

Mr. Ramsay shared a story of a mother’s frustration. It seems that she can only sit by

helplessly while observing her daughter making choices that may change the course of her life permanently, and not for the good.

First of all, let’s get the myth off the table that this only happens in someone else’s family, or to children of parents who must have failed in some way along the parenthood path. Young people from homes of all socio and economic and even religious backgrounds can go through a phase that can put their well-being in jeopardy. They are of an age where the parents have very few discipline tools at their disposal to counter this quest for control and seeming disregard for boundaries. I’m sure if we surveyed even the leaders sitting in this room today, some would admit that they put their parents through more than a few sleepless nights of worry, and to some extent this may be some rite of passage and no irreparable harm results. But for too many, these risky choices made in these tender years set a young person on a path of destructive behaviour and unhealthy choices.

As Minister Miltenberger expressed earlier in the week, there seems little that parents or authorities can do to intervene due to the rights and autonomy of a young person, the right to choose for themselves where they go, who they associate with and what they do. So what can we do as a government to support parents who fear for the well-being of their children and look to the social workers, police, teachers and other parents and this government to help support them help their child make it through these years intact?

Here’s how I’ve heard so many of these stories unfold. Little Johnny is a good student, an accomplished athlete, an all around good kid. Then comes the high school years, the peer pressure, the temptations and the next thing we know Johnny is out behind the school smoking dope with a bunch of his friends. Some may say innocent enough, but it is illegal and it can be the start of much worse things.

Some parents tune into it right away and it’s off to a strict private school, and for those who can impose this and afford it, maybe it’s a solution, but what about everyone else? Now the stakes are raised and there’s experimentation with harder drugs and excessive alcohol and the rebellion is in full swing. Now the problem becomes each and every decision being made in this downward spiral is made under the influence of impaired judgment and a sense of being invincible.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Some kids will come to their senses and pull back. They find an appeal of such choices worn off and turn their attention to

wholesome pursuits. But what about the ones who don’t, the ones entangled in a life of struggle with addictions? What can we as a government do to support the parents and caregivers through these years? I don’t think we can throw up our hands and say hey, you’re on your own. They are people with a right to their own choices, even if these choices are unquestionably bad choices.

I believe that we need to do more to support parents, maybe counselling, coping skills, the understanding of other parents who have been there, social workers specially trained in the management of these types of behaviours, training for educators who can detect early on and liaise with parents of children who are showing the signs of destructive behaviour, maybe even placement options, not necessarily foster care, but alternative care with programming to teach and help young people to set better boundaries for themselves.

Mr. Speaker, in question period today I’ll have further questions on this matter for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last November I spoke about the proposed realignment of Highway No. 4, the Ingraham Trail. The highway needs to be realigned to accommodate the remediation process at the former Giant Mine property. The realignment has been on the drawing board for four years now. Three options were put out in the public realm by the Department of Transportation. Seeing as the majority of the capital costs of the realignment will be funded by the federal government, we must use this as an opportunity to maximize benefits to our residents.

Last November the Minister of Transportation told me to have some patience, Mr. Speaker, even though the process had been dragging on for three years at the time. Mr. Speaker, I do have patience, but when seven more months go by and we still have no idea of what is going to happen with the realignment, then I have to ask some more questions about where this issue currently is at.

The Minister also stated that construction of the road realignment would start in the fall of 2011. That’s only three or four months from now. So again, where are the committee and the department on this issue?

Mr. Speaker, if the option is chosen to bypass most of the mine infrastructure -- the option that I fully support, by the way -- then it will bring many

opportunities for both businesses, residents and tourists.

Prior to being elected in 2003, I worked as a tourism development officer in the North Slave region, and it was apparent then that Yellowknife was in desperate need of an RV park. That was eight years ago. The issue has just seemed to disappear while demand continues to skyrocket. The realignment of Highway No. 4 could be the much needed catalyst for finally expanding the campground at Fred Henne Territorial Park to include more RV sites. This will not only be good for local residents who frequent Fred Henne Park but also for the tourists who oftentimes show up and are told that the park and the campground are full.

The bottom line, Mr. Speaker, is we need a decision to be made and I hope that we as a government can make the case that we want to maximize opportunities where we can. I look forward to asking the Minister of Transportation again today how it is that we are making a case for taking the option to bypass all of the mine’s infrastructure, thus opening up a whole new world of possibilities for new development. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In regards to the previous election that took place, one of the predominant issues at hand was the whole devolution process in the Northwest Territories and where a particular candidate stood on the issue. Mr. Speaker, not only in the campaign but also full-page ads, which were paid by this government, to combat certain opponents of the Devolution Agreement, especially the Gwich’in leadership and the Gwich’in people that I represent, which I took offense to the article I read in the paper.

Mr. Speaker, the question that’s being asked out there is how can the Premier explain the lack of any participation on the Devolution Agreement-in-Principle to the federal government and to the federal opposition leader in light of what is happening, where we have two Aboriginal groups at the table, where six are not presently partaking.

Mr. Speaker, the question also has to be asked, exactly what is this Premier doing to advance the talks on devolution with the Gwich’in and other Aboriginal and Dene leaders throughout the Northwest Territories and ensure there is a current outstanding process that they can be involved in. Land claim agreements allow for arbitration. There also are appeal mechanisms in regards to how you

can appeal certain mechanisms in those agreements.

---Proceedings interrupted due to power outage

Mr. Krutko, you may continue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are mechanisms we can use to entice people to the table, but more importantly, mechanisms, if we can’t work with them, let’s find a person who can through arbitration. Bring someone in who can bring the parties to the table, bring the parties with their issues, and at the end of the day, have a deal for all Northerners and have the best deal we can for the Northwest Territories and the people that we serve.

Mr. Speaker, there has to be questions out there and resolutions to these outstanding problems. Mr. Speaker, Dene issues and Dene concerns are valid. They have concerns about what’s happening with Norman Wells and why it isn’t on the table. They have concerns on exactly how management of lands and resources are going to be handled in their regions, regardless of whether it’s the Gwich’in or Inuvialuit or Sahtu or Tlicho or the Deh Cho, so they know that any activities or decisions that are going to be made will be done in consolidation with the people that are going to be affected by those decisions.

Mr. Speaker, we, as government and as a Legislature, have to be attuned to what’s being said out there about the lack of Dene participation in a process of that magnitude in regards to where we are going in the future.

Mr. Speaker, the leadership in the Northwest Territories have made it blatantly clear to the Premier and other northern leaders that if we can’t agree to devolution, why are we even talking about a northern vision if we expect to move forward on this matter.

Mr. Speaker, it’s critical that this Premier ensures that there are going to be meetings held with those groups who are basically outside the tent and are not presently fully participating and willing to sign, but we have to find a mechanism for them to be heard, regardless if it’s the obligations we have in land claim agreements, which clearly stipulated that they shall be involved in these negotiations, in which they are not. Also, the ongoing negotiations of devolution, including a package that will be beneficial to all Northerners, all residents and, more importantly, the Aboriginal people who are the ones who are ultimately going to be affected by what happens on their lands. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There has been a longstanding need for transition housing in Yellowknife for women, and through the leadership of the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition, we are now getting closer to achieving that goal by addressing some of that need.

The Betty House is short for Better Environment to Transition in Yellowknife. This transition house will help northern women in addressing the homelessness issue and helping those at risk of becoming homeless, giving them a place to go.

Mr. Speaker, Betty House will provide a stable atmosphere for women who have no place to go and are trying to get through and get out of challenging situations. It will provide a safe place for them to begin their lives and put their lives in order.

Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the hard work of the YWCA for championing this project, and more specifically, I’d like to recognize the City of Yellowknife and their homelessness coordinator, Dale Hernblad, for her leadership on this particular project.

Recently, the Betty House received very welcome news from BHP Billiton. They contributed $700,000 towards the estimated $6 million cost of building the Betty House. Mr. Speaker, that is a significant contribution towards this project and their generosity is certainly greatly appreciated by all.

The Yellowknife Community Foundation, a very well-known NGO in our city here, is contributing money. The City of Yellowknife is moving forward on this initiative by contributing efforts, resources and money, and private sector partners are all wanting to contribute in some way or form. The question really then that comes to mind is: where is the Government of the Northwest Territories?

Mr. Speaker, later today I will have questions for the Minister responsible for homelessness as to what partnership role our government is providing in this important initiative providing much needed transition housing for women in the city and in the North. Thank you.

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

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

Summer is on our doorstep, Mr. Speaker, and students have come back from colleges and universities ready to work. I have received four inquiries from Nahendeh students looking for

opportunities within the territorial government. The GNWT needs to hire summer students not just in Yellowknife but in all our communities and regions.

Many government employees take holidays, leaving positions vacant for weeks at a time; a summer student could fill those positions with little impact on our overall budget. The passive restraint this government is exercising does not need to impact our future or the ability for students to earn much needed income for the fall time when they return to school.

A summer job is a great opportunity for a young person to experience the work world and acquire skills. Many students recall summer jobs during university as a valid learning experience that helped them make decisions about their future career. Taking on the responsibility of a full-time job helped build maturity and leadership.

The NWT is lucky to have young people who are willing to work. We often talk about supporting our youth, but when it comes to job opportunities, this year the support seems weak. Students that spoke with me were upset last year when there were opportunities now that our commitment for summer employment is obviously declined or even absent. I don’t believe passive restraint should be used for these valuable summer work opportunities. Reduction in government should not be on our youth and students. Let’s turn our intentions into actions, Mr. Speaker, and get these students employed. Mahsi cho.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is with regret that I have to, again, bring up the subject of how we fund one of our most valuable resources, the non-government partner organizations who deliver GNWT programs and services for us.

There is a need to better fund our NGOs, one that is not acknowledged by this government. In February I suggested to the House that the GNWT should not only provide multi-year funding, but multi-year core funding for our NGO partners. In my mind, multi-year contracts are a no-brainer, but the NGOs I hear from cannot convince the GNWT to enter into multi-year contracts.

Yet, Mr. Speaker, I recently learned that the government does provide five-year funding agreements to some organizations that we make contributions to. The time that our NGOs have to spend negotiating and developing contracts with the government is huge. Many receive funding from more than one government department and our obstructionist policies require them to have a contract with each one. The imposition that that

requirement places on an organization which usually has little administration capacity to begin with is large.

Core funding would provide an NGO with financial stability and some freedom from the excessive administrative burden we place on them. For one, it would reduce the number of contracts they have to negotiate and sign, saving time and money for both the NGO and the GNWT.

Core funding would enable those multiple contracts to be reduced to one. As well, many NGOs are funded for programs which they deliver year after year. The NWT Seniors’ Society, for instance, has successfully delivered the 1-800 Seniors Information Line since 1995. Yet, now some 16 years later, they must still apply every year for funding to run this program. The government knows that the program is needed every year, they know the society does a good job delivering it, they know the Seniors’ Society is the best NGO for the job. Why, then, do we not provide them with a base funding amount to cover the services and programs that we know we want them to deliver for us?

On another note, we need to provide NGOs with regular increases in their funding; increases geared to the cost of living. Currently, no provision exists which takes into account increases in the operational costs for an NGO: salary increases, increased costs for equipment and supplies, the rise in cost of infrastructure and so on. The government must provide our NGO partners with adequate funds to cover two things: the cost of running the organization and the cost of programs and services that they do on an ongoing basis. Other projects which are beyond their normal activities would then be funded on an application basis.

The work, the services...

Ms. Bisaro, your time for your Member’s statement is expired.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. The work, the services and the programs the NGOs do on behalf of the GNWT is invaluable. It’s time to rethink how we fund our NGO partners before it’s too late and we lose them. I will have questions for the Premier and the Minister of the Executive at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 6, acknowledgements. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to acknowledge the recent passing of Matthew (Matt) Benyk. Mr. Benyk lived a very long and full life, most of it in northern Manitoba and northern Alberta. Several years ago he moved to Yellowknife to live with his daughter Pearl, a long-time Northerner and a resident of Northland in Frame Lake.

Condolences go out to Pearl and the rest of her family from the Members of the Assembly. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Premier and they are in follow-up from my Member’s statement earlier today. Could the Premier please give us an update on the status of the devolution negotiations between the GNWT and the other signatories of the AIP and the federal government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The status at this point, although delayed by the federal election, there has been no formal negotiations. We have been working with the parties, northern parties that have signed the AIP, on a work plan. So that is where we are at this point. We expect that over the summer, negotiations may begin on initial pieces being put on the table, but we’ll have to wait to see with the appointment of a federal Minister how they will re-engage on this file. Thank you.

During the winter session the Premier made a commitment to Regular Members to meet with residents of the Northwest Territories throughout the Northwest Territories to provide some clarity and information on the devolution process and what devolution means to the residents of the Northwest Territories. Could the Premier tell us what steps he has taken to meet with the residents of the Northwest Territories to provide this information and clarity? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Since the signing of the agreement-in-principle, we’ve taken a number of

initiatives to get as much of the facts out to the public as we could. We did a householder, radio ads, as well as had meetings; for example, at the request of the Sahtu, travelled up there and had a meeting with a number of the communities on the agreement-in-principle. We went again into the Sahtu more with a Chamber event and spoke to them about the agreement-in-principle. We took the opportunity to raise the issue in Hay River with the Chamber there as well as in Inuvik. As well, as the Member stated, we’ve taken advantage of all opportunities when Members or leadership make requests to travel into their communities. We will be looking to add to that as we begin negotiations and use, for example, this evening’s town hall with Members of Yellowknife and the public to further discuss the AIP.

In my poll, one of the questions was: Do you support the GNWT moving forward with negotiations on a final devolution agreement? The most popular response, with 42 percent of the vote, was yes, but make every reasonable effort to include all Aboriginal governments and organizations in the negotiations. Could the Premier please let me know what steps his office is taking to include Aboriginal governments and organizations in the negotiations of a final Devolution Agreement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The process that we’ve engaged in, and will continue to engage in, in bringing partners to the table is one where we’ve communicated prior to the signing of the AIP of a process. We looked at establishing a protocol; unfortunately, that wasn’t successful.

Since the signing of the AIP, we’ve informed and keep all groups informed of the work we are about to do. Hopefully in the near future we’ll send another letter to all of the leadership explaining the work we’ve done setting up a work plan, and continue to urge them to come back to the table for more discussions and signing of the agreement-in-principle to look at how we could continue. The door remains open going forward on the basis of moving forward on an agreement-in-principle and we hope again that they would take the opportunity to come forward, whether it’s days or weeks coming up towards negotiations.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talk about the infrastructure in our small communities and I specifically spoke about the potholes and Fort Good Hope’s chipsealing program that the government has eliminated. I want to ask the Minister of MACA, in

light of all the initiatives we have done to empower our communities to make their own decisions and the limited amount of funding the communities have to compete with other priorities, is MACA looking at other options within the municipality in the NWT Federation of Municipalities or even the Government of Canada to look at how we can help small communities deal with chipsealing issues, repairs or just to get these programs into the communities because we have such a limited budget here in the North?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I’ve stated on a number of occasions in the past, responsibility for community infrastructure now lies with the community. We have been fortunate that we have been able to access the Building Canada Plan money, the infrastructure stimulus money, as well as all the infrastructure money that we give to the communities. They have received a significant amount of money. If there are any projects that are meaning to be done in the community, it would be a community responsibility to identify the projects and work with the funding that they do have.

With the amount of responsibilities that we give to the communities, there needs to be the matching dollars to go with the responsibility. I want to ask the Minister if there are any discussions, either with his Cabinet or his own staff, to look at other additional support funding such as the ones that he’s listed off. We appreciate it, but there are ones we could look at within the life of this government to see if funding like this could be discussed at a federal-provincial level to look at chipsealing programs and dust control in our communities.

With the responsibility that we’ve given the community, we like to believe that we’ve given them a significant amount of money to help them with that. It’s a benefit to the community in a number of ways.

In all our dealings with the NWT Association of Communities, meeting with the mayors and councils and that, we’ve really had no concerns, and we continue to work with them and making sure that they have the capacity, that they’re trained to take on the responsibility. My understanding is the Minister of infrastructure, Mr. McLeod, will at his first opportunity be raising with the federal Minister, once he’s named, our desire to explore other funding options for the Northwest Territories.

I look forward to that. It’s good news that the Minister has noted that the Minister of infrastructure along with the honourable Minister to look at how they can support communities. I want to ask the Minister if he’s going to involve the other

municipalities in the North to look at how they can get their message to the Minister of infrastructure once the meeting is held with this government to look at dollars that could be supported in the communities for infrastructure such as the potholes or if we want to somehow initiate some partnership on chipsealing some of the communities.

Each community has five-year capital plans and I’ve had the opportunity to see some of the plans. They’ve identified some of their priorities in the community and I want to commend them for doing a very good job. We have a very strong NWT Association of Communities membership. The president sometimes attends the Federation of Communities and Municipalities, FCM, and they have opportunity there again to raise any concerns that they might have with funding from the federal government to the Northwest Territories. It is an ongoing work but we continue to support the communities with a lot of technical expertise and training. We’ll continue to go along those lines, but the communities themselves have done a very good job at working with the money that’s given to them.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister, with the support of technical and training to the communities, has the Minister entered any discussions with a company called Easy Street that can look at repairs to the chipsealed roads that are already done in the communities that have done main street chipsealing?

That is a program that is no longer available. This was before the communities had the responsibility of making their own decisions. I’m sure if the community has some concerns, then they will initiate discussions with Easy Street and see if it’s something that’s feasible for them to apply to their roads. At the end of the day, I’d like to point out that the ultimate responsibility and the decision lies with the community.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve received a copy of the recent e-mail from INAC’s Ottawa-based director of resource policy and programs updating agencies and groups on progress under the federal government’s May 2010 Action Plan to Improve the Northern Regulatory Regime. The memo refers to work on developing

an NWT surface rights board act. I don’t recall committee receiving any information on this. Certainly I’ve heard nothing on any action that could redefine the jurisdiction of the NWT Water Board. I’m wondering if the appropriate Minister could tell me whether his department is aware of and/or participating in these surface rights consultations.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we discussed somewhat in this House last week, this process is driven by the federal government. They’ve, for the most part, treated the GNWT as just another stakeholder. There’s been some improvement in that relationship since the signing of the AIP. The proposed surface rights legislation which is contemplated in the MVRMA, there was a first draft done in 2010 and we’re still waiting for a possible second draft. Things were delayed because of the election.

I appreciate the Minister’s remarks. I just hope the others that are being consulted include their membership a little more efficiently, or at all, than our Minister has. So far my best source of detailed information on the Mackenzie Valley Resource Manage Act, surface rights and Water Board matters is an industry journal and the sharing of information by public parties. Yet principle three, as you know, of the 10 Guiding Principles of Consensus Government, includes “open and respectful communication between all Members is the most essential feature of consensus government. While it is impossible to reach unanimous agreement on all issues, the opportunity for all Members to have meaningful input into important decisions is fundamental.” I would suggest that the MVRMA is important to our Members. Can the Minister explain how the record of consultation with Members on these amendments honours the 10 Guiding Principles?

The Member has been quoting from documents that I don’t have. I take his point about consultation. This is a federal process. This is federal legislation. We have been, for the most part, up until recently, treated like a stakeholder, much to our chagrin. They’re expecting the second draft. Most of the changes being contemplated at this point are legislative in nature. There’s been no significant reply to our response to the McCrank Report that we submitted back in 2009 where there was significant changes put forward and recommended by Mr. McCrank, some of which we took exception to and did not support. That report is public and filed. This process so far is federally driven and is focussing a lot, by our estimation, on legislative changes.

Thanks to the Minister again. If I could just ask him to imagine if he feels chagrined at being treated as a stakeholder, what Members on this side of the House are feeling at not being consulted at all.

INAC’s arbitrary May 12th deadline for the MVRMA

consultations has come and gone. The invitation to provide input was apparently even suspended by the department during the federal election, although no corresponding extension to the deadline was given. Committee and Assembly Members had no opportunity to provide their views during this consultation. The act itself actually has specified conditions that must be met for peer consultation. Will the Minister commit to contacting the DIAND Minister and asking that the deadline be extended while the input of Members is requested and included in this government’s response?

My

understanding is that the deadlines that were set by the federal government have slipped because of the election. Cabinet is not going to be sworn in or appointed until possibly tomorrow. We have this on our list to follow up on, along with many other issues. I will, of course, make note of the Member’s concerns.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister taking note of my concerns. I’m just hoping that means actually consulting with us, keeping us informed what he finds out and so on. We’ve had McCrank; we’re waiting for the Pollard Report. The possibly connected MVRMA surface rights and Waters Act consultations are underway in some unexplained way. We have the devolution AIP and we have yet to ask our citizens for their specific views on these important matters. Can the Minister say when we’re going to put aside these regulatory scatter guns, get our Aboriginal partners back at the table, invite the specific views of our citizens, and proceed with one comprehensive made-in-the-NWT approach to charting our regulatory future? I’d prefer to see this before we take the plunge, not after.

This whole process is a classic example of why Northerners have to have control over their own decision-making in this area; regulatory reform and resource development, land and water.

Here we are in this Assembly trying to find out what the federal government’s up to. They haven’t told us clearly. They’ve made some comments about something dramatic that they want to do. We are concerned that they’re going to do things that are not going to be in our best interest as a territory. There’s been some improvement in relationships since the signing of the AIP where now the federal government has acknowledged that we’re in the

process of transferring that responsibility finally to Northerners.

If the Member is content to sit here as a second-class Canadian waiting for the federal government to decide our future, then we will be here for a long time. I don’t think that is what most people want, not listening to the results of Mr. Abernethy’s poll that he took. We are moving on this. This is a classic reason why we want devolution. Members will be kept involved, but at this point we do not control this process. The federal government still has the authority to do something dramatic and we don’t know what that is.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll have questions to the Minister responsible for homelessness today. In my Member’s statement earlier today I talked about the issue of the Betty House and how particularly it is important to addressing the need for women who need transition housing. It’s a significant step forward in addressing this particular problem and I recognize the important work provided by the YWCA as well as the City of Yellowknife, for moving this initiative forward.

BHP Billiton has generously offered and given a cheque for $700,000 to this association so that they can work forward to accomplishing this project and addressing that need. My question to the Minister responsible for homelessness is: what is the government’s specific contribution to this project ensuring that women have a place to go?

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Homelessness, Mr. Miltenberger.

We have made no specific contribution of that nature. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, what we have here is particularly very clear, in my mind. We have another community organization stepping forward addressing what really, rightfully, should be a government responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask the Minister, again, responsible for Homelessness, specifically, will there be a contribution from this government towards this initiative, and if so, when and how much? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we have a contribution and a plan and an interdepartmental plan that pools resources to deal

with homelessness across the Northwest Territories. What we have here is another situation where infrastructure is being developed because of the local will to do the construction with no O and M money in place to run it as of yet. We went through the same long process with the dementia centre and we are not in the situation fiscally where we are in a position to offer up millions of dollars of homelessness money as it doesn’t now exist unless we take it from the few dollars that are shared among other communities.

These folks are moving ahead on an initiative and they are hoping to cobble together the resources to do it. We are not in a position, at this point, to contribute further support and investment to infrastructure here at the same time as we’re trying to deal with a lot of the other issues outside of this community. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, BHP Billiton has generously stepped forward, as I’ve said, on a couple of occasions, and again their generosity needs to be acknowledged, but yet again I say this: that private sector is stepping in what truly is a government responsibility. Mr. Speaker, if these people were anywhere else, government would step down in some type of form or capacity to support an NGO to help protect these particular women at risk, yet when an initiative is presented to help provide some coordinated and safe transition housing, the government is stepping away and saying it’s a community organization, they’re doing their thing, none of our business.

Mr. Speaker, there are merits here and what type of initiatives or interest would it take to draw the government’s responsibility in this particular case, because I think it’s very important that they are stepping in in a government role. Thank you.