Good afternoon, colleagues. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Abernethy.

Mr. Speaker, for many years, we had a problem filling entry-level vacancies for corrections officers with northern people who had the basic skills that would qualify them to be hired.

In 2009 the corrections service looked at the problem and developed a six-week training program to ensure we have a representative northern workforce in our corrections facilities. The end result is the Corrections Northern Recruit Training Program.

I am pleased to report that this program has been a success. On November 25th we added 12 more

graduates to join the 52 who have gone before and are now trained to work in a security-related field in the NWT. Of the 64 graduates, 47 continue to be employed with the corrections service.

In addition to the classroom training for six weeks, each recruit also receives paid on-the-job training for up to four months in one of our corrections facilities.

At the end of the orientation, they are encouraged to apply for jobs. While we certainly hope they will choose to apply to openings in the Department of Justice, the training received is transferable to any security position.

This was the sixth session of this program and I want to inform the Members and the public that we continue to support this training. The next intake will be advertised in January, with the training to take place in Hay River.

In the words of one of the graduates, Mr. Don Cameron, at the November ceremony: “I think it

was the pride in the accomplishment, the work that we went through, the amount of information, the camaraderie, the unique environment that we were in; it all comes together.”

I ask my colleagues to encourage anyone they know who is interested in pursuing a career in the satisfying and rewarding field, to consider applying to the Corrections Northern Recruit Training Program as we work together to build a representative northern workforce. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment supports community-based teacher education programming which provides increased access to students across the Northwest Territories. Graduates of these programs will increase the number of Aboriginal educators in our school system.

Currently Aurora College is delivering the community-based Teacher Education Program, including a community educator preparation component, for both the Teacher Education and Aboriginal Language and Cultural Instructor programs. In 2010-11 the college began offering the first year of the Aboriginal Language and Cultural Instructor Program, and for 2011-12 the first year of the Teacher Education Program is available in the Beaufort-Delta. Eighteen students are enrolled in this three-year diploma program, based in Inuvik, and language and culture are being included in the courses wherever possible. Aurora College is also delivering the Aboriginal Language and Cultural Instructor Program at the K’atlodeeche First Nations Reserve.

This builds on the success of these programs. Working with First Nations, Aboriginal governments, Aurora College and the district education councils, the department is ensuring greater access and

relevant programming for educational opportunities at the community level.

The advantages of community-based Teacher Education and Aboriginal Language Cultural Instructor programs are numerous, which is the reason behind our commitment to implement delivery at the community level. This approach provides continuous community support of teacher candidates and the program, and puts a stronger focus on the role of the teacher as community member. It provides greater opportunities to join theory and practice throughout the program. It enhances the interaction between community- and campus-based faculties, and strengthens the emotional connection in students’ social, cultural and family networks.

Graduates will be eligible to support an educational system that is based on the culture and heritage of the people of the NWT. These programs are an important part of the Strategy for Teacher Education in the Northwest Territories: 2007-2015 and the Northwest Territories Aboriginal Languages Plan – A Shared Responsibility, and reflect the goals of all Members of this Assembly in choosing our theme: Believing in People and Building on the Strengths of Northerners. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Colleagues, before we go on, I’d like to welcome a former Member of Mackenzie Delta, former Speaker, former Minister, Mr. David Krutko. Welcome back to the House, Mr. Krutko.

The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The mining, oil and gas sectors are literally in the bedrock of the Northwest Territories economy. These industries rely on modern, accessible geoscience information to make investment and land use decisions. The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment partners with the federal department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development to deliver geoscience programs for the Northwest Territories.

This partnership – known as the Northwest Territories Geoscience Office or NTGO – provides industry, government, Aboriginal organizations and many other stakeholders with up-to-date, easily accessible geoscience information. This information is key to encouraging investment in minerals and petroleum exploration.

In November of this year, Minister Leona Aglukkaq, from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, announced an additional $3.275 million in funding to support further geoscience research in the NWT. Combined with

an in-kind contribution from Government of the Northwest Territories of $1.1 million as well as contributions from the private sector, this investment totals over $5 million over three years. Reliable geoscience data is vital to encourage exploration in areas with high resource potential which, in turn, contributes to the sustainability of the NWT mining industry.

Significant discoveries often stimulate additional private sector investment. It is estimated that for every dollar invested in government-funded geosciences in the NWT, five dollars are in turn spent by mineral exploration companies. This year the total NTGO investment in geoscience is $2.5 million.

This should result in approximately $12.5 million of investment by mineral and petroleum exploration companies in the NWT through activities like prospecting, diamond drilling and seismic surveys. In addition to the investment dollars, these companies further contribute to our economy by employing local residents and purchasing goods and services from local NWT businesses.

I recently attended the Yellowknife Geoscience Forum and saw firsthand the hard work and dedication of the Geoscience Office scientists. Their research ranks with some of the very best in the world.

The NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines and NTGO co-host the Geoscience Forum, which this year had almost 800 delegates; the biggest conference in the North. Not only is this the platform for experts to share geosciences research and best practices in mineral exploration, it is also a huge boon to our economy. Delegates stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and fly with our airlines.

The NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines and the staff at the NTGO are to be commended for a job well done, this year and every year.

At the appropriate time today I will be tabling the five-year NTGO Strategic Plan. A key focus of the strategic plan is working with communities to support initiatives, including developing local energy sources as well as supporting local business opportunities using carving stone, limestone and silica sand.

The NTGO is also often called upon to provide unbiased scientific advice on complex or contentious issues. Their role is to provide independent geoscience information that is essential to support governments and communities in making informed decisions for the planning, construction and maintenance of critical northern infrastructure.

An understanding of minerals and petroleum potential is essential when considering the location of transportation infrastructure. Industry, Tourism

and Investment will also be working closely with other GNWT departments and northern stakeholders to better understand permafrost issues and other infrastructure issues relating to climate change in the North.

Investing in geoscience research today supports future economic development tomorrow by attracting investment to our territory and creating spinoff exploration projects that will provide employment and business opportunities for NWT residents.

The work performed at the NWT Geoscience Office is vital to growing mineral exploration in our territory. Through the responsible development of natural resources in the NWT, we will continue to work towards our government’s goal of creating a diversified economy that provides all communities and regions with opportunities that benefit our residents. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My colleagues are sharing their thoughts today on poverty, in the hopes that we may begin the journey of preparing a proper Anti-Poverty Strategy framework. No matter what angle we look at, the message is very clear: It’s time to get the ball rolling on this strategy.

Countless volunteers and civic coalition partners have invested much time and energy as of late to get one anti-poverty chess piece off the concept table and into action. This much needed transitional facility is none other than Betty House.

My personal role started about a year ago, as president of the Yellowknife Community Foundation, when our board helped with the largest single donation in our foundation’s history to get Betty House off the ground. With coalition partners such as the Yellowknife Homelessness Coalition, BHP, The Brick, governments, women’s organizations and citizens of the NWT, together they have made Betty House a reality.

Why should we be so passionate about homelessness for women? Admittedly, most homelessness research is traditionally focused on men, but gender-specific literature has begun to emerge focusing on women’s unique housing issues, concerns and needs. Women, as we are finding out, account for a significant and growing proportion of population of homelessness which require gender-specific needs and preferences in

terms of approaches to treatment, recovery and housing stabilization.

We know from our research that women also experience homelessness differently than men. Women are more likely to be guardians of children or are younger and homeless for shorter periods of time. Research also tells us they prefer self-contained units and women-only buildings, and favour communal living areas where they can form groups for social support; not to mention this new facility will need to consider the culturally appropriate services and living environments to support spiritual and traditional values.

It is truly unfortunate, but for many women, turning to homelessness is sometimes the only solution to escape from domestic conflict, abuse, or poor social housing conditions. It is where Betty House will play a significant role.

Betty House is a critical chess piece in our future Anti-Poverty Strategy framework to which all Members of the 17th Assembly are looking forward

to be putting on their agenda. Therefore, let’s not disappoint our coalition partners and truly support an Anti-Poverty Strategy we can be proud of.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Poverty is a huge issue for NWT residents and I believe that this government can do better in our efforts to eradicate poverty. We have many programs and services in place, programs and services whose goal it is to assist our residents who are marginalized, programs and services to reduce the level and amount of poverty in our territory.

These many activities are not coordinated across our government system. They are not coordinated with the activities and programs of non-government organizations, and local and Aboriginal governments. There are gaps in the services out there to help our residents. There are holes in the poverty safety net.

By working together we can close those gaps, mend those holes and accomplish so much more than we can right now. A comprehensive, targeted strategy to address poverty in the NWT is of paramount importance and it is what is needed to assist our residents, our residents who are struggling to feel successful and to struggle to feel they are contributing members of our society.

The development of any government Anti-Poverty Strategy must be based in legislation, not just policy. To do otherwise will lead to failure. Without an anti-poverty act, long-term, coordinated efforts and accountability towards the eradication of poverty will both be lacking.

The development of any strategy or legislation must involve all parties, including businesses and those who are experiencing poverty. We will not succeed if it is developed in isolation by government alone.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Several Canadian jurisdictions have developed good strategies and have good legislation on which we can base our own strategy and our own act. Both New Brunswick and Newfoundland have enacted very successful legislation on which we can base an NWT act. Newfoundland, in fact, passed their bill unanimously December 6, 2006; that’s quite some time ago. Nunavut has started down the road towards an Anti-Poverty Strategy. They’re in the midst of a public engagement process and expect to have a strategy by the end of 2011; that’s this year. Anecdotal evidence suggests that they’ve already seen a reduction in the level of poverty amongst Nunavummiut.

As my colleague has mentioned already, the time has come for action. We need to move this issue forward. We can do it, so let’s get started.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As residents of the Northwest Territories, we take pride in saying to our southern neighbours, and in the world, for that matter, that the North is situated on top of the world. We also explain that we are rich in natural resources and that we could potentially create billions of dollars in wealth.

The North’s brief history is founded on tradition such as caring for each other and closely knit families and communities. During this festive time, being with families and reflecting upon our community, we remember the values of caring and sharing. We want all of our people in the Northwest Territories to be proud, confident, take on responsibilities and play an active role in our communities. Unfortunately, there are some of our brothers and sisters that need our help.

In the early 1900s our ancestors experienced the hardship of living in poor conditions. They were challenged by famine-like conditions when wildlife they relied on for food was scarce. In some cases, people lived on the brink of starvation or succumbed to illness related to malnutrition. At that time the family unit and bond was strong. We lived independent of assistance and lived a simple existence. Unlike today, the well-being of families was more important to individual interests. The way we live and our values have changed. From those experiences of hardships we emboldened our resolve to rise up and find our place in our society.

Today the Government of the Northwest Territories depends upon the federal government for transfer payments. Similarly, Northerners depend on the Government of the Northwest Territories for good government and programs and services, such as income support and health. There are times when governments have to act, and when words are put to action they result in dramatic changes, such as the universal health care which we presently enjoy here in Canada.

I’ll be asking the Minister of Health questions related to this effect later. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to use my Member’s statement today to put a bit of a profile behind who the working poor are in our Northwest Territories.

This is a question often asked by many because they want to know who we are talking about. Well, more often than not, women are the subjects of being considered the most vulnerable in comparison to men. On average in the NWT, women earn 23 percent less than their male counterparts. That’s a shame that we should never be proud of, and certainly something that we should strive hard to fix.

Many of our working poor, it’s well known, are single families that make less than $30,000 a year. In the Northwest Territories it’s estimated that there are over 1,200 people in this situation that make less than $30,000 a year. What does $30,000 buy you? Well, let’s put it on the table. A two-bedroom apartment in Yellowknife costs almost $1,600 a month to rent, and if you make that $30,000 a year, after taxes you’d be left with less than $900 a month to pay for your food, buy clothing, get your transportation and whatever else your family needs for help. Well, how does this work? It doesn’t. Quite frankly, I don’t know how people survive.

I know a woman in my constituency who uses her credit card to pay her utilities and her food for her children through the winter and she hopes for a good summer to balance it off. It’s a crying shame to know that she balances summer against winter. We’re not talking about a month-to-month problem; we’re talking about a year-to-year problem.

If she goes to income support, guess what their answer is? Sell your house and then we’ll help you. What type of independence do we support when we tell people to sell their house even though their mortgage is cheaper than their rent? I get it; the solution becomes put them back on the system, that’s the only way. Once they’re on the system, I

see very few people who’ve ever had a fair shot of getting out of the system. We have people who want to be independent. We must find ways to help support them.

I can tell you specific to this one case alone, although there are many and we all know that. All that these families are looking for is a little financial support to stay out of the system. Let’s embrace their independence and support them in ways that we can make a difference to support families.

I’ll have questions later today. Thank you, colleagues.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member’s statement today reflects on something that results in poverty. It results from the drug dealers and the bootleggers that continue to keep our people hostage in the community and don’t give them a chance to succeed or strive to live a healthy, normal life like most of us do.

The drug dealers and bootleggers in our communities don’t have any morals. They don’t have any compassion for the people. All they care about is the dollar that goes in their pocket, feeding off people’s weaknesses and their addictions. What the government needs to do is develop more funding and more programs that will help people become empowered in the community so that they can speak up and take action against the drug dealers and get them out of the communities, and the bootleggers out of the communities, and allow them to live healthier lifestyles. Everyone has brothers, sisters, family members that are going through addictions, going through problems based on somebody else’s monetary gains. That needs to stop.

In terms of poverty, when somebody does get addicted and they are battling addictions, they do lead to having less money to make the daily services that they need to survive and have a healthy lifestyle.

Today I wanted to empower the people of the Northwest Territories and the people in the communities to stand up against these drug dealers, talk to your politicians, talk to your community members, talk to the RCMP officers. Use the Crime Stoppers website to get these guys out of your communities, and start living a healthy lifestyle and getting out of these poverty situations that we are talking about here today.

It is a different approach to poverty, and it is a healthy approach and it is a strong approach that

can empower our people to be stronger as one and have a stronger territory in the end. GNWT can look at also helping out by giving services; for instance, having more road checks on the highways that access into the Northwest Territories, as well as doing more checks within the cargo services provided at the airports as well as doing more bag checks at the airports as well. We need to take this stand and get the drug dealers out of our communities so that our people can live a healthy and normal lifestyle. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later today I will be tabling information on the gap in household incomes in the Northwest Territories. The information is startling. It shows that the average annual household income of the bottom 20 percent of NWT earners is just $16,000, with the highest 20 percent of earners’ annual household income is $206,000. That is a gap of $189,000, the highest spread between wealthy and poor in all of Canada. The wealthiest 20 percent of NWT families make 13 times as much a year as the poorest 20 percent of families, on average. The disparity is growing.

Recent reports from the Conference Board of Canada and the OECD show our income disparity figures mirror national and international trends. The richest 1 percent of Canadians hold 14 percent of the national wealth. They make hundreds of times as much annually as our poorest citizens, and this 1 percent gained one-third of the new wealth created in the last 22 years, largely during the 10 years of highest economic growth in Canada.

Internationally, the trend is the same. With global economic instability, the potential for social unrest could follow upon income and equities we haven’t seen since the late 1920s. Despite white-hot economic growth in the NWT over the past decade, 20 percent of our households struggle to live on $16,000 a year. This puts the lie to the myths that a rising tide lifts all boats or that a job is a ticket out of poverty.

What can we do? Some known causes suggest obvious actions. Examples include stagnation of minimum wages, decreased unionization, fewer employment benefits, lower welfare payments and the 50 percent slashing of the top marginal tax rate over the past 50 years from 80 percent to 43 percent.

Rather than individual actions, we need a broad, integrated and comprehensive response. As a motion before this Assembly later today will urge, we need an egalitarian society built by strategically

helping people out of poverty rather than helping them live in poverty.

Action was promised in the 16th Assembly, with no

results. Eighteen Members elected this fall promised to make fighting poverty a top priority. Twenty-six of the territory’s foremost advocacy groups – the Dene Nation has just signed on...

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

---Unanimous consent granted

Twenty-six of the NWT’s foremost advocacy groups – the Dene Nation has just signed on – and four municipalities have insisted we sit down with businesses, communities, organizations and those living in poverty, to create a strategic multi-faceted approach to help our citizens out of poverty.

I will be asking the Premier questions on his plans for carrying these commitments forward. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was thinking about the Member’s statement I’m going to say this afternoon and I’m thinking about growing up in Tulita with my family. I want to start my Member’s statements from one of my uncle’s visits. He often talked to me over the time that he was alive in Tulita. He said if you wanted something done or you wanted something for yourself or your family just go and do it. Don’t rely on anybody. You have two hands, you have two ears and you have a mind, and thank God that he’s going to make use of you today.

Today people may be wondering why I’m starting my Member’s statement like this on the subject of anti-poverty. I think my uncle was saying do things for yourself. People have always done that. As I said, growing up in Tulita, my brothers and sisters and my friends’ lives were hard; but when I think back today, we didn’t know what poor was. We were just surviving. We had to hitch up the dogs in the winter, get wood, get ice. We did what we had to do to survive. We listened to our elders, we helped our grandparents and we worked as a family unit. Everybody helped out in the community. Everybody helped to make the community strong. Basically we supported our families, and we lived in our cultural way and we followed the beliefs of our people.

Today that is totally different. We rely on the government. We’ve become so dependent on the government, we’ve become poor. Our land is so rich and wealthy, our culture is so rich in culture

and beliefs, but we have relied on the government and become so poor. When we look at our material wealth, we are poor in our communities. Single families especially are having a hard time. We have become so dependent on the government to get us water, haul out our waste, feed us, to clothe us. There are some strong, good people in the Northwest Territories who want to make a difference and we should get on board with them and help them, and get this Anti-Poverty Strategy developed and strategize to be implemented as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to speak on the Anti-Poverty Strategy in the Northwest Territories.

Some people believe that the state of poverty is a self-induced state; however, there are more examples that it’s a dependency on government systems. The Anti-Poverty Strategy would have the government look at the current system and to get people off the dependency. The strategy would have all departments work together to solve these difficult problems for the people of the Northwest Territories. Poverty includes those people that are working in the Northwest Territories. Our high cost of living has us living in crowded areas and living in minimal accommodations, living with minimal food and basic needs.

I believe that most people are looking for a hand up, not a hand out. We need to bring everyone’s income levels up, and decrease the gap between the highest income earners and the lowest income earners. I think that we need to work on more jobs in the small communities. I understand that jobs are not all the solution to poverty; however, it is one aspect.

We need to help people with their unemployment rates in the small communities. In some of the smaller communities in the Northwest Territories there’s more people not working than working. We need to work on this situation.

My colleagues and I believe that we need to help solve poverty in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.