Welcome back to the Chamber, colleagues, to resume the First Session of the 17

th Legislative Assembly.

During the month of November we met often and spent many productive hours working together, taking part in departmental briefings, identifying issues and concerns facing our territory, setting up constituency offices and staff, and becoming familiar with new portfolios.

We are forming relationships, recognizing strengths and building on the knowledge and information that has been provided – all very important as we carry out our work over the next four years.

I look forward to working with all of you.

Before we begin our work, I would like to take this opportunity to extend the condolences of the House to those families and communities who have lost loved ones since we last met. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

I would like to send my special condolences to the following families in Nunakput: the family of Mary Louise Elias, of Molly Umoak, of Mike Ekootak, of Terry Nokadlak and of Dolly Sydney.

My thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

Now, colleagues, I wish to advise you that I have received the following message from the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories:

Dear Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise that I recommend to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, the passage of

•

Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), 2012-2013

during the First Session of the 17

th Legislative

Assembly.

Yours truly, George Tuccaro, Commissioner.

Thank you, colleagues. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome all Members back to the continuation of the First Session of the 17

th Assembly. In this sitting

we will review the capital estimates for next fiscal year and begin to debate some important issues. I believe all Members of this House have a shared interest in creating an environmentally sustainable and prosperous territory for all the people we serve. Despite some significant challenges, our territory is strong and we are even stronger when we work together.

We are still a relatively new government, but we have taken our first steps towards a shared vision: a unified, sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories. In establishing the priorities of the 17

th Assembly, all Members have recognized that it is best to take a common sense approach to developing our plans for the territory. This means we must continue to responsibly manage our existing programs and services to maximize positive benefits at the community level. We must be responsible stewards of our environment, so our land and water can continue to sustain future generations. We must seek ways to find the flexibility to pay for our plans, by pressing the federal government on our borrowing limit and looking for new revenues, such as the royalties that would flow following the signing of a Devolution Agreement.

These are challenging times, Mr. Speaker, for the government and the people we serve. The global economic crisis continues to have an impact on our economy and the cost of living remains high. This will place limits on what we can do, but we can weather this storm together. In doing so, we must seek to understand the aspirations of our residents, maintain an ongoing dialogue with our stakeholders and ensure that core programs and services are sustained.

Relationships will be key to our success as an Assembly. Our territory is diverse, but we are united by common interests and a shared desire to overcome our challenges. The Government of the Northwest Territories represents all residents and is

committed to strengthening the partnerships that are needed to benefit the entire territory. We are renewing relationships with Aboriginal governments, communities and people across the Northwest Territories.

We are also looking forward to strengthening our relationships with the federal government. Last month I spoke to Prime Minister Harper about Canada’s Northern Strategy and the federal vision for the North. There is good alignment between the priorities of this Assembly and the goals and objectives of the Northern Strategy. I was particularly encouraged to hear of Canada’s commitment to the principle of northern governments taking on greater authority for their affairs. Devolution is an essential element in the political evolution of the Northwest Territories and a priority of this Assembly and for Canada.

This Assembly has also committed to an open and respectful dialogue with Aboriginal governments. Without this dialogue and a shared commitment to the people we serve, the promise of our future may not be realized. One of our first actions as Members of the 17

th Legislative Assembly was to meet with

regional Aboriginal leaders from across the Northwest Territories in Detah. We agreed that we need to find ways to work together on issues that concern all of us. I have continued to meet with chiefs and leaders, and have been given very positive signals that they are willing to work with the Government of the Northwest Territories. I have also met with community leaders, representatives from the NGO sector and industry to hear their views on how we can better work together.

The decisions we make together in this Assembly have direct and long-lasting effects on our people and our territory. The choices we make determine what programs and services we provide to our residents, how much we invest in public infrastructure, how we protect our environment and how we grow our economy. The people of the Northwest Territories rely on us to make the right choices on their behalf, choices that will help to build a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories providing opportunities for all of us.

Creating the kind of future we want for our people is a long-term project. Many of the issues we face are the same ones that past governments faced: the need for infrastructure investment, a strong economy, employment opportunities for Northerners, a balanced approach to development, environmental stewardship, the need to address the cost of living in all communities, housing and, our most critical governance issue, devolution. These are long-term challenges that require long-term plans.

Northerners are familiar with long-term challenges and because of that, we are a patient people. We

waited for six years for the Mackenzie Gas Project to work its way through the environmental and regulatory review process and it has now been approved by the federal government. In those six years there were investments made by this government, business owners and individuals to prepare for the pipeline. I believe those investments will see a significant return. We are closer now than we have ever been to finalizing this basin-opening project. In its recent report on Canada’s Energy Future, the National Energy Board stated that by 2020 the price of natural gas will be high enough to make the project economically feasible. With the cooperation of the proponents and the federal government, we expect to see construction of the pipeline start in 2015.

Strengthening and diversifying our economy is a priority of this Assembly. One of the ways that we can do that is by securing funding for strategic infrastructure investments, including:

•

investments in the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway

to help to support sustainable development in the region, including oil and gas and mining projects, and work towards completion of a Mackenzie Valley Highway;

•

P3 private sector investments for the Mackenzie

Valley fibre optic link to improve communications infrastructure in communities along the route, support the operation of the Inuvik satellite station, and position our communities to become players in the expanding international digital economy;

•

investments in hydro initiatives to provide lower

cost and environmentally friendly power to our residents and our businesses, lowering the cost of living for our residents, and making investment in the Northwest Territories more feasible and more attractive.

These infrastructure projects represent the economic futures of this territory and are critical to achieving our vision, goals and priorities. Without them we will continue to struggle. But the limited fiscal flexibility we face will make it difficult for us to invest in projects like these that will create positive benefits for Northerners. We are working with the federal government to address our borrowing limit and to see a Devolution Agreement that will bring much needed resources to the Northwest Territories and allow us the flexibility we need.

Mr. Speaker, investing in infrastructure that will help grow our economy is one of the ways that we can create jobs in our communities. The Conference Board of Canada recently determined that employment in the Northwest Territories is expected to rise by 3.4 percent this year. This is good news; however, we will continue to work to increase employment opportunities where they are most needed. At the same time, we need to make

sure that our people have the personal resources to take advantage of new opportunities. That means supporting them through education and training, including a review of the Student Financial Assistance Program, as well as helping them address issues like addictions and mental wellness.

Addressing housing needs is another priority of our government that links to our economic and social agendas. We know that housing is a major determinant of health and that lack of housing makes economic development difficult, especially in our communities. Completing and implementing the Shelter Policy Review will provide a long-term strategic framework for delivering housing in the Northwest Territories and give us a basis for undertaking specific actions on this priority, including actions to help public housing tenants deal with arrears.

Affording our plans will be a challenge. Minister Miltenberger will be providing Members with a fiscal and economic update tomorrow and we know the fiscal situation will be tight. This will limit our flexibility to make needed investments, negotiating four collective agreements, or deal with unknown or unexpected expenditures. Our aim is to protect our existing programs and services, so we will have to find ways to increase our flexibility. One thing we need to do is finalize our work with the federal government on our borrowing limit. We will also have to work at the F/P/T table to successfully conclude negotiations on a renewed Health and Social Transfer Agreement.

While our immediate fiscal situation is difficult, we will manage our way through the challenge. With limited resources for new programs and services, we will have to make careful choices about how we spend our money. Planning will be more important than ever, and the Government of the Northwest Territories will be developing our approach that will help us address these issues. Our decisions will be guided by the vision of this Assembly. We have spent several weeks together as Members, discussing the challenges and opportunities ahead of us. Those discussions will inform our plans and we will continue to see your input as we move forward.

There are a few things we will need to keep in mind as we develop our approach:

•

Our decisions will need to be fair and balanced,

taking the needs and interests of all of our residents, communities and regions into account.

•

We will have to be strategic. We cannot do

everything all at once, so we will have to focus our attention on those areas where our efforts can create the greatest long-term benefits for our people.

•

Above all, we will have to be realistic, clearly

understanding of the challenges and opportunities we face and what we can do about them in the context of our fiscal situation.

We are early in the mandate of this government and our plans are still in development, but there are already some areas that will demand our attention, including:

•

concluding an agreement on devolution;

•

working with the federal government to increase

our borrowing limit;

•

forging strong working relationships with

Aboriginal governments;

•

working with our partners to protect our land

and waters;

•

developing a socially responsible and

environmentally sustainable economic development and mining strategy;

•

finding creative ways to address addictions,

mental health and promote wellness;

•

addressing housing needs through the Shelter

Policy Review; and

•

making strategic investments in our infrastructure.

Much of our work is interrelated. Action on one priority will support action on other priorities. We cannot address social issues like poverty and dependence if we do not have a strong economy. We cannot have a strong economy if we do not have healthy, educated people able to run businesses and fill jobs in our communities, or houses for them to live in. We cannot have healthy people if we do not have a healthy, sustainable environment.

At the beginning of this Assembly I made a commitment to doing business differently. As part of that, I have reached out to Aboriginal and community leaders to hear their views. We have taken the same approach to working with Members of this House. All of Cabinet has made the commitment to work effectively with Members through respectful dialogue and an ongoing commitment to the people we all serve. We encourage all Members of this House to remain focused on our goal of a prosperous and sustainable future for our territory.

We know that we face some significant challenges, but we also have some real opportunities to make a better and more prosperous territory for all our residents. The vision, goals and priorities identified by this Legislative Assembly provide the basis for a balanced, realistic agenda that will help us achieve success on all fronts – social, economic, environmental. I look forward to working with all Members over the next few months as we develop

and review our plans to implement the direction we have set for ourselves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Before we go on, colleagues, I would like to recognize a few of my constituents in the House today: my Mayor of Tuktoyaktuk, Mr. Mervin Gruben and Miss Emily Kudlak. Welcome to the House. Thank you.

The honourable Minister of the NWT Housing Corporation, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to inform Members that the Housing Corporation will be offering a one-time temporary moratorium on evictions for public housing clients with arrears.

This moratorium is consistent with the work the Housing Corporation has been undertaking over the past few years to encourage tenants with arrears to work with local housing organizations to find solutions to maintain their tenancies. We are committed to helping tenants in arrears to find positive solutions to become successful public housing tenants.

Postponing evictions due to arrears is a unique situation, is only temporary and will end on April 1, 2012. To be clear, we will continue to attempt to collect from those that do not pay their rent or do not enter into a repayment plan on any outstanding arrears. However, we will not take the final step of eviction during this moratorium. It must also be emphasized that this postponement is only for situations stemming from arrears. Tenants who damage their units or violate their leases in other ways will still be evicted.

I am hopeful that the tenants see this as a real opportunity to address their arrears, instead of worrying about being evicted this winter. This moratorium should not be looked at as a chance for tenants to stop paying their rent or paying their arrears. All that does is lead to bigger debts and a strong possibility of eviction action this spring when the moratorium ends.

As Members know, the 17

th Legislative Assembly

has made addressing housing needs a priority. We will complete and implement the Shelter Policy Review, which will include introducing a new public housing rent scale that is fair and sustainable. The Shelter Policy Review will provide an overall framework to implement positive changes for housing in the Northwest Territories and this moratorium will allow our public housing tenants with arrears some time to address their debts before these changes come into effect.

No one wants to see residents evicted from public housing units. LHOs work tirelessly, counselling

tenants and giving them ample opportunity to resolve their arrears. The reality is that evictions do not happen very often, with just a few occurring each year. This is a clear result of the Housing Corporation’s and LHOs’ hard work and commitment to working with tenants to maintain their tenancies. Unfortunately, despite all efforts, there are some situations where an eviction becomes necessary.

I would again encourage any public housing tenant with arrears to contact their LHO and take advantage of the opportunity provided by the moratorium to resolve their outstanding issues.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

One avenue that the Children First Society has taken is through the Aviva Community Fund. Should they be successful, they would receive a grant in the amount of $150,000. They’ve been doing a great job, working long hours and doing a lot of campaigning in this area.

As the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake riding, I’m in strong support of this challenge and in strong support of this facility. I encourage the people of the Northwest Territories to also jump on board and go to the Aviva Community Fund website and put a vote in on a daily basis to go for this Children First Centre.

I would also like support from this government to ensure that the Children First Centre does become a reality in this government, and that we can provide the same infrastructure and programs in all communities across the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about a large problem that we’re having in Hay River. For several years now, our local hospital does not have any permanent doctors. Hay River is one of the largest communities in the North and we do not have any permanent doctors. The Hay River hospital is a regional centre that helps out a lot of the members in the community as well as the surrounding communities. The local hospital authority has been working with locums for several years now. I know that the hospital authority has been successful in getting a lot of locums to flow through Hay River. There are some times when we don’t have any doctors.

The lack of permanent doctors is lowering the quality of health care in Hay River. Patients are seeing a different doctor every time they attend the hospital or the medical clinic. The lack of permanent doctors is costing this government more money. Costs are higher when individuals have to

be shipped out of the community because there are no doctors to admit them.

I’m asking the territorial government to help the community of Hay River to get permanent doctors.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday was December 6

th , the 22

nd anniversary of the

Montreal Massacre, a horrendous and violent act against women in 1989 that took place at the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal: the shooting of 23 women in the engineering program, 14 of whom were killed.

December 6

th is titled Canada’s National Day of

Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. I attended a vigil last night to honour and remember the 14 victims of the Montreal Massacre and to honour and remember all women who have been killed or affected by violence. It was heartening to see the Premier, the Minister responsible for Women, at the vigil, as well as the Minister of Justice. Every year the number of men at the vigil commemorating the Montreal Massacre grows.

I note that many Members of this House are wearing a white ribbon today. That’s also heartening. The White Ribbon Campaign signifies men working to end violence against women. Wearing a white ribbon is a man’s personal pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls. Wearing a white ribbon is a way of saying our future has no violence against women. I congratulate and thank each and every man who wears the white ribbon showing that commitment.

The NWT has a very high incidence of violent acts against women and particularly against Aboriginal women, almost double the rate in southern jurisdictions. In Nunavut it’s four times the rate in the South.

In 1989 the Coalition on Family Violence, of which the GNWT is an integral part, a coalition of 21 non-government and government organizations was formed. In 2003 the coalition developed the NWT Family Violence Action Plan: Phase 1. In November 2009 the coalition produced the Family Violence Action Plan: Phase 2, a document that was a successor to Phase 1 of the action plan. The coalition has been actively pursuing Phase 2 of the plan over the last two years, but it’s a plan whose funding will sunset at the end of March 2012.

Some months ago the coalition developed and published Phase 3 of the Family Violence Action Plan, following on the activities in Phase 2. The

Phase 3 Family Violence Action Plan has 19 recommendations which will require continued funding by the GNWT for any results to be realized.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

In the last 10 years we’ve made progress in battling family violence and particularly violence against women. Increased access to shelters is just one example of the coalition’s successes. Now is not the time to stop the activities of the coalition. Ongoing and constructive work must continue. The job is not yet complete. We cannot yet say our future has no violence against women.

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

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

53

RD

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to make note of a couple of events recently held in Hay River. This past Saturday night was the 53

rd Annual Firemen’s Ball

and the 61

st anniversary of the Hay River Volunteer

Fire Department. This annual ball is an opportunity for members of the fire department and their flames – that’s their significant others – to attend a gala event to celebrate and receive recognition for their accomplishments of the past year.

Again this year, in Chief Ross Potter’s annual report, those gathered heard of the many calls and responses made in the community. We also heard of the many training milestones attained by the various members as they continued to expand their skill set and credentials as ambulance attendants and fire call responders.

The volunteer fire department also contributes many hours of public awareness and safety campaigns and other community service organizations. This year Chief Potter commented on the 185 cumulative years of experience of the members of the Hay River Fire Department, and that includes and is averaged with the many new members who have recently joined the department. They responded to 296 emergency calls, attended 71 training events and each averaged 127 hours of volunteer work.

This group of firefighters seems to be getting younger every year, are highly motivated and competent, and this is something to be proud of in a

time when other types of service organizations are struggling to replace members who have retired or moved on and having challenges with recruiting new and young members to carry on the work on behalf of the community.

The event was emceed by Deputy Chief Vince McKay, who is next to Chief Potter with 28 years. The deputy chief is the longest serving member next to the chief, with 17.3 years of service.

This evening also sees the presentation of the Firefighter of the Year. This year’s recipient was Sara Conley, who was recognized for the second year in a row as the Firefighter of the Year. It was very nice to see how many women are now serving in the Hay River Fire Department. Ms. Conley clocked 320 volunteer hours of service this past year.

I’d like to thank the Town of Hay River for their support of the department. I’d like to thank the employers of the firefighters, who allow them to leave their place of employment to attend the fire calls. Also to the families of our firefighters for their support of their family member who works to keep our community safe.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

I said I was going to talk about two events, not just one, but I only made it through the first one. Sorry.

On the subject of keeping our communities safe, I also had the opportunity to attend an evening of appreciation for our local RCMP. This event was organized by Terry Rideout and was attended by members of our Hay River detachment as well as the administrative branch office in Hay River. I’d also like to thank our new Minister of Justice, Glen Abernethy, for taking time on his weekend to come to Hay River to attend this RCMP appreciation event.

On behalf of the people of Hay River, I would like to thank the members of our volunteer fire department under the leadership of Chief Ross Potter, and the members of our Hay River detachment under the direction of Sergeant Scott Buchanan for all they do on and off duty to make Hay River the community that it is.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories released a Biomass Strategy in 2010. It’s time to put it into action.

Fort Providence is the ideal location for a biomass-based business. It is surrounded by forests, on the Mackenzie River, and at the junction of Highways No. 1 and No. 3, only distances from Yellowknife and Hay River where more and more homes and businesses are using wood pellets. Biomass products produced in Fort Providence could be shipped by barge to communities along the Mackenzie River.

Like most Northwest Territories communities, many people in Fort Providence already heat their homes with wood. The biomass industry would complement the traditional economy, take advantage of people’s existing land skills, and offer opportunities for employment.

[Translation] Recently the Environment Minister visited Fort Providence and he talked to people about biomass, from the meeting, in the future how are we going to be able to heat our homes using wood from around the area. In regard to that, they talked about woodchips and how they can work with the people in Fort Providence to possibly come out with a biomass production project. I feel that if there are further meetings in regard to this, it would be helpful. [Translation ends]

Deh Cho region is important to the Northwest Territories Biomass Strategy. There’s a pellet mill at Checkpoint in Jean Marie River which once operated a saw mill. We need to find ways to enhance the project at Checkpoint and get the sawmill back into production. Kakisa, Enterprise and the Hay River Reserve are also interested in opportunities for biomass. We can use this motivation to build our economy on sustainable resources.

The Deh Cho is a region of great potential. Fort Providence could be the biomass capital of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the past six weeks our residents have been shocked to see open water in Tuk Harbour in November. We saw plus 14 degree temperatures in Fort Liard in December, and roller-coaster weather with repeated changes of 20 to 30 degrees from day to day in Yellowknife that defies predictability or preparedness.

We know such huge change brings unprecedented costs, often in unpredictable ways and at rates faster than ever contemplated. The City of Yellowknife hires staff now to clear high snow loads a month earlier than ever before. We have learned to expect the unexpected. Given the phenomena

we are witnessing, the only sure thing is that whatever happens, without effective actions the costs will be ever greater. In the face of this stark reality, our government has the opportunity to provide the leadership required.

Canada understands and accepts that global emissions must be reduced from 1990 levels by at least 25 percent by 2020 to avoid dangerous climate change with all that means in terms of loss of life, species and the ability of ecosystems to support us. Unfortunately, the disconnect between climate change talks in Durban and scientific reality is stark. Despite acknowledging the science, Canada has allowed a 30 percent increase in emissions while adopting a weak-kneed commitment of 2 percent reductions by 2017, a goal clearly unachievable under current measures.

In Durban last week, Canada said that without movement from large industrial emitters, we will not budge. Yet, when China announced openness to a more flexible position, Canada was not prepared to live up to its end of the bargain, with the Minister saying that even if China moves, Canada’s position is set in stone. Despite Canada being in the top 10 global emitters, we can expect no real action from the feds. Under this leadership, the polluters are clearly the winners and the people suffer the consequences.

According to our Greenhouse Gas Strategy, the GNWT is prepared to allow our emissions to surge by almost 100 percent above 1990 levels by 2020. Given what we know, such policy followed through by any jurisdiction would constitute a crime against humanity. I, for one, and hopefully my colleagues, too, want no part in this.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, I call upon all concerned residents to let all orders of government know that they want prompt, effective and timely action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions based on the accepted science. Our leadership has recognized that federal action is insufficient, that sub-national governments like us must provide the leadership needed. To fail in this commitment would be to fail our people. I am looking for that leadership. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This afternoon I was going to do a Member’s statement on the school in Colville Lake and the health centre with their honey bucket system that they have there

– it doesn’t smell too good – but I want to change that to what I just heard from the Minister of the Housing Corporation talk about: the moratorium on the arrears with the people in the Northwest Territories.

I think the Minister made a good statement. It’s Christmas and maybe that’s a gift to the people in the public housing units, that they have a huge present from the Government of the Northwest Territories for them until April 2012.

I applaud the Members around this House here for raising this issue, and Cabinet, under the leadership of Premier Bob McLeod, to look at this and say this is something very serious that we need to deal with with our people and not kick them out this winter. There are people right down the valley in the Northwest Territories that have huge amounts of arrears, some because they do not go to the Housing Association to let them know that they’re not working. If they don’t go there, they are charged automatic economic rent, whatever it costs for that unit. Some of them are stuck after that with a huge amount of arrears. However, that can be worked out. I take this as a real opportunity to work with the people, educate our people on these units, and looking at how do we come together to reduce the arrears or the amount of money owing to the Housing Corporation.

A little bit of history here: I talked to a person last night who was at a housing meeting in the 1970s that spoke about how the government said you’ll only pay $2 a month for the rest of your life if you move into housing. Now that’s changed so much.

I will ask the Minister other questions on the arrears and how that will work with this announcement on the public housing units. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.