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.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Priorities set by the Members of the 17

th Legislative

Assembly include increased employment opportunities where they are most needed. One facet of that priority is supporting child care programs to help parents become or stay employed. In the No Place for Poverty report drafted in 2010, the number two recommendation is child care, that any effort to adjust poverty must include quality, accessible, affordable and reliable child care and early childhood development.

Research has proven that children who have access to early childhood development programs have a high success rate further in life. This would address some of our social issues that we are facing today in the North. More importantly, recently the Town of Inuvik has contributed $2.3 million to an early childhood development centre in Inuvik. That goes above and beyond the mandate of the town council and shows that they have a vested interest in the community of Inuvik and the members of their riding as well.

Also, there is a group of dedicated volunteers, the Children First Society, who have worked endless hours to fundraise $1.5 million over the past couple of years for the same cause. The current facility, the Inuvik Child Development Centre, has 46 licensed spots. With the new school being built and ready for move in in the fall of 2012, these spots, this facility is not going to be available anymore for future use.

The proposed new child care facility is said to have 120 spots available for people and children of Inuvik. This would allow single parents to get back into the workforce and would give families an opportunity to become a double-income household. More importantly, it would give the children of Inuvik

an early start into living a successful, healthy and educated life. The people of Inuvik have invested time, energy and money for the future of the community, the region and, more importantly, the future of the children.

Currently, the Children First Society is seeking an additional $1.5 million to complete the centre.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

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.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, there is no denial that this has been a very difficult year in the world of northern aviation. Recent air tragedies and the recent loss of aviation pioneers like Mr. Paul Laserich of Adlair Aviation have made some of Range Lake constituents ask what can be done to remind us of the ongoing contribution of aviation in our communities and to commemorate those who risk their lives for the safety and well-being of others.

Bush Pilots Monument in Yellowknife’s Old Town was established in 1967, dedicated to bush pilots and engineers who lost their lives flying in the Northwest Territories in the 1920s and the 1930s. Although the contribution of these individuals should not be marginalized, the Northwest

Territories has yet to formally establish a permanent memorial for those who have lost their lives since. It is sad to say, but 44 years have passed for the Bush Pilots Monument, and apart from a new plaque in 1999 and the maintenance by the City of Yellowknife, we, as a territory, have done very little to commemorate our fallen northern aviation heroes.

For the record, there are no other official aviation memorial sites in the Northwest Territories. However, we know that the Government of the Northwest Territories is allocating upgrades to the Norman Wells float base that is to include an aviation museum. Therefore, I ask this government why an aviation memorial could not also be incorporated during these upgrades. It would seem simple, but as Northerners who depend so much on aviation travel, wouldn’t we agree that having multiple aviation memorial sites throughout our land would be the proper way to deal with respect? Many think so, including the constituents of Range Lake.

Mr. Speaker, as a resident of the North, I am always concerned why it takes a series of public tragedies for one to reflect on why something has not been done correctly. Therefore, in the spirit of respect and moving forward, I ask that this government look at formally establishing permanent memorials for our northern aviation pilots and for those aviation victims who have sacrificed their lives since 1967. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For a number of years the community of Tsiigehtchic has been asking for a full-time nurse to be permanently stationed in Tsiigehtchic. The community has also set aside housing, should a full-time nurse be available to work in the community. I do believe there is legislation stating that every community must have a nurse. I would like to let the honourable Minister of Health know that I am willing to assist him in any way I can to meet the needs of the community.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] …things I will be talking about and I would like to talk to you in regard to education and

about wondering how you might be able to assist us in coming up with a new school. [Translation ends]

…and I also know that money is going to be very tight, as Mr. Premier had said. But that is no excuse for planning for the needs of the people in Nahendeh, and particularly the young people of Nahanni Butte and Trout Lake who need new schools.

It seems we can spend more than $100 million on a super school in Inuvik and more than $180 million on the Deh Cho Bridge. Next to these projects, schools in Nahanni Butte and Trout Lake may be tiny but they are no less important. We have to educate our students wherever they live, including in our small communities.

The school in Nahanni Butte is an old log building. It really does need to be replaced. We also need to get started in Trout Lake. The situation there is even worse. Technically there is no school. Parents send their kids to the recreation centre for classes. Government has told the community that this was temporary, and this has been going on for way too long. The teachers are working hard, but the current system is not fair to them either. Their students that are from kindergarten to Grade 10 are jammed in the small, renovated area in the recreation centre. There is no gym in the community as well. I have been pushing for new schools in Trout Lake and Nahanni Butte for several years. What does it take to get some action for these communities?

It is the Department of Education’s duty to provide students with a healthy learning environment and that duty extends to all students across this territory, not just Inuvik and Yellowknife.

I want this government to do what is right and spend its money on the most important necessities in our regions and small communities. A decent education and facilities is a fundamental right. That means schools in Trout Lake and Nahanni Butte should be built before we spend money on new mega projects. The planning must begin now. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about emergency protection orders and the concerns that have arisen out of that.

The Protection Against Family Violence Act has been in force for about six years now, and I have no doubt that the emergency protection orders that have been issued have been instrumental in preventing violence against many people such as

women and children. However, recent events have certainly highlighted potential abuse in this process and it has created terrible consequences that we have seen. The act does not provide relief for people who have been subjected to emergency protection orders that have been based on false claims and information. In the end, the onus for that person to clear themselves has been defined as someone who has had threatening or violent behaviour is they have to go to court and pay the court costs themselves to clear their name. The fair and unnatural justice isn’t a prevalent solution in this particular case. It falls upon the accused to now prove that they have become the victim.

Now that the emergency protection order process has been in place for a few years, I think it is now a good opportunity to take a look at this particular process to see how we can make sure that the system is fair for both those who are seeking protection and justice as well as those who have been accused. Ultimately, the question today before the House will lie is simply this: Will the Department of Justice allow an injustice process to stand or will they find a way to work through it? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to pay tribute to Kenneth Frank Delorme of Fort Resolution who passed away in October. He was more commonly known as Tinker.

Ken Delorme was born on April 12, 1969, and passed away on Monday, October 24, 2011. He was only 42 years old.

Ken had terminal cancer, with no cure, and spent many months in the hospital in the North and the South. Although Mr. Delorme may have been in a lot of pain and turmoil, he never once complained. Ken was a Metis man who loved life and lived it with a passion. He kept his humour about him until the day of his passing.

Ken was a family-oriented man who devoted a great deal of his time to his wife, children and siblings. He always felt connected to the land and enjoyed nothing more than being outdoors in the wilderness.

Tinker was a good hunter, trapper and fisherman and provided for his family. He learned to do the cultural and traditional skills at a very young age from his father and maintained this for his entire life. He always made sure he was never short, or his family was never short, of wild meat, fish or foods from the land. Tinker worked as a carpenter, truck driver and buffalo rancher.

Mr. Kenneth Delorme was a young man with a lot of wisdom. Over the past four years I got to know Ken. He gave me a lot of good, sound advice. It was always given for the benefit of the people of Fort Resolution. When I spoke to him for the very last time, he said, “Remember, we still have to build a road to Big Eddy.” For my friend Tinker, I will continue to work on that road.

Tinker is survived by his wife Cynthia; five children, Travis, Kenneth, Jordan, Adam and Tia; two grandchildren, Hailey and Harlin; four siblings, Lucy, Warren and his wife Velma, Richard and Grant; numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and a great-nephew. He was very close to all of his family and spent a lot of time with them. Tinker was a son of the late Eva Fabien and Angus Delorme.

Today I would like to pass my condolence on to his family and friends, especially his wife and kids. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to rise today to pay tribute, as well, to a constituent on the recent achievements of this constituent. That constituent is Dr. Curtis Brown, who is with us in the gallery today. He is an educator that has spent 23 years or so working between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, mainly in the Northwest Territories and mainly his time as superintendent of the South Slave Divisional Education Council.

In that capacity, Dr. Brown has provided innovative leadership. His leadership over the years has been recognized in the North by the Government of the Northwest Territories. In 2006 he received the Premier’s Award for Excellence; in 2009, the Premier’s Award for Collaboration; in 2009, again, the Excellence in Education Award.

Most recently Dr. Brown has been awarded the 2011 Canadian Superintendent of the Year by the Canadian Association of School Administrators for his work in the Northwest Territories. This is a prestigious award. It is equivalent to the Stanley Cup for administrators, and it is a singular achievement for a Northerner to make it. It is a credit to Dr. Brown. It is a credit to the government and to the Department of Education and he has served the people of the Northwest Territories very well by those achievements. As a result of this award, he also gets to go to Houston, Texas, in February, to represent Canadian Superintendents at the American Association of School Superintendents.

I would like to ask colleagues in this House to join with me in congratulating Dr. Brown for his singular award and thanking him for his years of service.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize some of the people in this gallery, members of the Official Languages Board and Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board here in Yellowknife this week as part of their board meetings. They are in the gallery joining us today. Vance Sanderson from Fort Smith, Emily Kudlak from Ulukhaktok, Lucy Lafferty from Behchoko, Georgina Biscaye from Fort Resolution, Margaret Leishman from Kakisa, Rosa Mantla from Behchoko, Elizabeth Hardisty from Fort Simpson, Nadine Koe from Yellowknife, Dora Grandjambe from Norman Wells, Wendy Mantla from Behchoko, Ann Kochon-Orlias from Colville Lake, and also I would like to recognize Albert Canadien who is the director of official languages within our department.

I would like to recognize Dr. Brown who just received his prestigious award. Congratulations. I would like to also recognize my constituent Jonas Lafferty who is a Tlicho interpreter from Behchoko, and also Barb Zoe, my new constituency assistant out of Behchoko. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Frame Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a constituent of Kam Lake, Mr. Jeff Corradetti.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Sorry, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a couple of people in the gallery. I’d like to recognize the father of my grandson, Mr. Vance Sanderson – he’s chairman of the Official Languages Board – and my cousin Georgina Biscaye from Fort Resolution. She’s the chairman of the Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize my eldest sister Betty, Elizabeth Hardisty, who is in the gallery with the Official Languages Board. Great to see her here. Mahsi cho.

Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to recognize today an ex-constituent who

has now moved into the Kam Lake riding, Mr. Jeff Corradetti. I’d also like to recognize constituent Cheryl Fountain and last but not least my hardworking constituency assistant, Amanda Mallon. Welcome to the House.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Myrtle Graham, my new constituency assistant, and she’s from Hay River North. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Member for Boot Lake, Mr. Alfred Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize constituent Jane Charlie and her two boys from Inuvik and I’m not sure if she’s still here, but Ms. Lillian Elias from Inuvik as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize two Languages Board representatives from the Sahtu: Dora Grandjambe from Norman Wells and Ann Orlias from Colville Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up from my statement earlier today with questions for the Minister of the Environment. I’d like to ask the Minister if he does indeed agree with the science that has overwhelmingly been stated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, that global emission must be reduced by at least 25 to 40 percent by 2020 from the levels in 1990. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The science as it pertains to climate change is not under dispute or question by the government. Thank you.

Thank you. I appreciate that response. Still, given that and given that we are one of the richest countries in the world – and indeed on average one of the richest regions in Canada – how can this government justify doubling our greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels or 66 percent from 2005, 66 percent-plus, when we need to reduce by 25 to 40 percent by 2020? How can

we justify that and expect other partner jurisdictions around the world to reduce their emissions when they’re in a much poorer and more strident state? Mahsi.

Thank you. What we as a territorial government can justify is the $60 million that we’ve put into alternative energy, the work we’ve done with our Greenhouse Gas Strategy, the work we’ve done in the areas of biomass, wind, geothermal, hydro, the work that we will have done and will continue to do in those areas. The construction standards, the attempts to look at efficiencies across the North. So we are a northern jurisdiction and we recognize we have a heavy reliance on fossil fuels, but we are doing things that I think are very progressive and I have no trouble speaking to those. Thank you.

Thank you. Again, given what we know and given what’s required, will the Minister commit to developing a firm track of actions to achieve the necessary 25 percent or greater reductions from 1990 levels in our emissions by 2020? Mahsi.

This government intends to follow through on the work that’s been laid out in a recently concluded Greenhouse Gas Strategy, and the path laid out in that strategy to look at how we will set targets and meet our obligations as a territory within Canada, of course, and as inhabitants of planet earth. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did note the Premier’s statement today that we must be responsible stewards of our environment so our land and water can continue to sustain future generations. Indeed, it’s future generations that we’re talking about here.

This morning in Durban, the Canadian youth delegation was kicked out of the talks because of their civil disobedience. The Canadian Youth Coalition, of course, includes some residents of the Northwest Territories that I’m very proud of. They stood up during the talks, turned around and on the backs of their sweatshirts or T-shirts were the words “Turn your backs on Canada.” I have to ask why would they go to such extremes. It’s simply because these are the people that we are making policies for. These are the people that will be dealing with all of the impacts, et cetera, of such policies. So I would like to ask, because they are the ones who will suffer the consequences of our policies and actions, what words does the Minister have to explain our policies, which essentially amount to a crime against humanity, given our understanding of the science, as the Minister has stated today. Mahsi.

Thank you. It appears we’re going to take up where we left off in the 16

th Assembly.

I totally disagree and reputed the Member’s allegation that somehow this government, this Assembly is engaged in crimes against humanity. We are doing an enormous amount of good work, not up to the Member’s standards maybe, but very, very progressive work as it pertains to water, as it pertains to mitigation adaptation to climate change, putting significant amounts of money to that, and to put us in the same category as Gbagbo and some of these folks from Serbia and other folks that have been charged over the years, Nazis and stuff with crimes against humanity is I think to me unacceptable and does nothing to help us carry on a respectful dialogue on the best way forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was very pleased to hear the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation announce a freeze on the evictions for public housing tenants who have arrears. I wanted to ask the Minister when will this policy come into effect and what steps will the people who have arrears have to take to address them between now and April 2012.

I want to thank the Minister and this government for a good Christmas present for the people in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister for Housing, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The moratorium actually will take effect right away.

As far as the Member’s question goes as to what steps do they have to take, we want to encourage public housing tenants to go to their LHOs, enter into repayment plans, not only enter into them, we would ask that they honour them, because, as I said in my Minister’s statement, come April 1

st for

those that haven’t entered into and honoured their repayment plans, evictions will happen.

I’ve received notice from Deline that there were a lot of people on the eviction list that have to go through that legal process. This government, through the Minister, has put a moratorium to not go through that legal process. I want to ask the Minister, given the time to educate the people on the arrears if the tenants are not quite there and given the amount of time that we have, and not honour their repayment plan or to look at what the Minister’s hoping to do, what are

the consequences for those tenants not quite there to start working on their arrears?

The process that the LHOs are going to follow is all the processes that are in place right now will continue to move ahead. So if there are terminations or rental officer hearings, those processes will not stop. The actual evictions will not happen until April 1

st . This gives

people ample opportunity to try and get into repayment plans.

The Member asked about the consequences, obviously, and as much as we don’t want to do it, come April 1

st evictions will happen, and then it’s

going to be a shame that these people haven’t stepped up to the plate after having another opportunity on top of the many that they’ve already had before.

I take this announcement as a golden opportunity to educate people in public housing units with arrears, to look at the responsible side of paying your bills and look at some of the consequences of not paying them. Some of the tenants that we have are fairly young. They think that whatever you damage or break in these units, windows and that, that the government will be there automatically to fix these places. What about the people – I just want to confirm – who are not being responsible for their units, through partying or damages? Will they be part of the evictions as the Minister has stated?

The process won’t change at all for those who are being terminated or evicted with cause, damaging units and the likes of that. Those terminations and evictions will go ahead. The moratorium only applies to rental arrears and rental arrears only.

I believe the Minister is being very clear that this is a one-time event and that people really need to address their arrears. I’m hoping that the Minister has a good educational plan to help people become informed as to their arrears and how they can be able to start paying off their arrears. Can the Minister inform me in the House here what type of plans they have with the Shelter Policy review and the rent scale review?

The Member makes a very good point, that this is another opportunity to deal with the tenant arrears. Our TROs actually work very closely with the tenants to try and educate them on the responsibility that they have as clients. In many cases in the past we’ve had numerous opportunities where we’ve tried to contact tenants, in some cases up to 18 times, and tenants are given chance after chance after chance. We’re hoping that they don’t see this as another opportunity to put off what they should be taking care of.

I still believe that some people will step up to the plate and that’s our goal in all of this, because this is, as the Member said, a one-time opportunity. It will not happen again.

This is the beginning of a new Assembly, the beginning of a new government. We thought this would be a good leeway into the work of the Shelter Policy Review and the rent scale review. That work has for the most part been completed. We’re looking for an opportunity to meet with committee and share with them some of our findings and recommendations and options and try to have that implemented as soon as possible. This is a piece of work that has been going on for a while and it’s one that people across the Northwest Territories, I think, are going to embrace. It addresses a lot of the concerns that we’ve heard during the campaign and from Members of this House and Members of the previous Assembly. That work is pretty well complete. We’re just going to inform Members and then we’ll go public with it.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister has talked about the arrears with our public housing tenants. A lot of our people in those units also are Aboriginal people with Aboriginal languages being their first form of communication. Can the Minister, through the Housing Corporation, talk about how to translate these kind of issues and do they have some form of plan to educate people in their own language? Other than having a non-Aboriginal person come to the community to talk about it, can we have some provisions there where people in the community could be looked at in that process to help educate the people on the arrears?

People are still stuck with the version of the history that rent is only going to cost $2 a month. As I said, the translators that translated this with the chief, and the federal government’s take on housing for the Aboriginal people. Can we look for that type of creativity with the Housing Corporation?

The LHOs in the communities are the ones that work directly with a lot of the clients, and for the most part a lot of the LHOs have someone in the office that’s from the community that’s able to speak the local language. If they don’t, I’m sure they would do what they can to ensure that clients coming in that don’t have a good understanding of English are able to hear some of the instructions in their language. We’ve always tried to make a commitment that we will work as closely as possible with some of the communities in providing Aboriginal translation services as we did with the NWT Housing Corporation. For the most part the LHOs are local people that know the folks in the community and they speak and understand the language. I can assure the Member that we’ll do our best to ensure

that all people understand this process as it’s being laid out.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about emergency protection orders and some concerns highlighted in them. The Minister is well aware of some of the concerns as of late that have had an emergency protection order being issued incorrectly under false information. I’d like to ask the Department of Justice if they are going to review these particular circumstances to see if amendments are required to the emergency protection order process.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Justice, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not able to speak to specific cases or matters that are before the courts, but I can say that the Protection Against Family Violence Act and emergency protection orders are an effective and necessary response to the high rate of family violence in the Northwest Territories. NGOs working with the victims of family violence tell us that one of the most helpful tools are the emergency protection orders.

To the Member’s questions, an evaluation of the legislation and associated program was conducted in 2011. It indicates that the legislation is meeting its goals of awareness and protection of victims of family violence.

The Minister failed to recognize the fact this issue isn’t before the courts at all in any manner. The Minister further failed to recognize that this was a particular issue that he thought was fraught with problems. All I’m asking the House here today is: Would the Minister be willing to take a look at this particular issue, ask someone within the department to take a look at this particular situation to see if changes and adjustments need to be made if an EPO was issued in error due to false information? The burden of the removal of the EPO falls on the person it’s issued against. It does turn out to be quite costly.

There are penalties under the act and under the Criminal Code for knowingly making a false statement in an application or a hearing. Under Section 18(b) of the act, any person who “knowingly makes a false statement in an application or hearing under this act…is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction…not exceeding $5,000,” or some time in

jail. So there are punishments already in the act for those individuals who choose to bear false witness against another.

Clearly, the point is being missed or, rather, it’s being avoided. The issue is about the person who the EPO is issued against. That person has been accused falsely in this circumstance. The Minister knows very well of this example. The issue is it’s not about the person who lied. The person who lied, the process is correct, as he’s highlighted. How does the person who has been accused, who has now become the victim of the circumstance, get the EPO removed? They have to take it to court and it costs $5,000 in this particular example. There is no relief mechanism built into the process when it’s recognized it’s been issued in error. That is the problem. Would the Minister be willing to ask the department to have a look to see what to do or what can be done to provide relief to those who have been falsely accused and issued an EPO against?

As I indicated earlier, there has been a review of this legislation done. It has made some recommendations with respect to EPOs. The department is currently reviewing those recommendations and will be following up on those recommendations.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister said they had reviewed. Now he says they’re reviewing. I’d like to be clear on the record. Are they reviewing it at this particular time and are they taking the example I provided to the House as consideration for this review?

A review of the legislation has been completed and some recommendations have gone forth to the Department of Justice which are being considered right now.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my Member’s statement, Hay River does not currently have any permanent doctors. My question is for the Minister of Health. What is the territorial government doing to assist local health authorities to recruit permanent doctors?

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health is working with the Department of Human Resources to get a health human resource specialist involved in developing some sort of recruitment strategy for physicians that need to come to the Northwest Territories outside of Yellowknife to try to fill the vacancies. We have almost 100 percent vacancy across the territory, with the exception of Stanton and Tlicho.

Does the territorial government currently have any money in the budget to do this, or is this a future process?

Yes, the Department of Health has a process of recruiting. We have budgets that we work with the Department of Human Resources to recruit physicians across the North. As is the standard for recruiting anyone in the NWT, we have that money to recruit doctors.

Is the territorial government working with the federal government to get any additional dollars to alleviate this problem? I know it’s not just a territorial problem, that they’re having the same difficulties in the provinces.

The Member is right that this is an issue across a lot of jurisdictions who are unable to get physicians to go to a lot of their rural areas. However, our whole system in dealing with the federal government is not specific to recruiting doctors. We do have discussions with the federal government on the Health Accord and the federal government provides money through the Health Accord to the government, which portions of it can be used for recruiting. Thank you.

Is the government committed to spending additional dollars in this situation for many communities in the Northwest Territories that don’t have doctors in their communities? Thank you.

We are hoping that it doesn’t require a lot of additional dollars to recruit doctors, but the intention is to try to recruit doctors in all the authorities across the North, but we’re doing what we can. The difficulty has not been the money; the difficulty has actually been getting doctors to those locations. Many doctors that want to come to the Northwest Territories have a desire to work in Yellowknife. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is also for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Coming from Inuvik, over the past couple of years I’ve seen a backlog of surgeries, specifically joint replacement surgeries and the

backlog has led to inactivity, sedentary lifestyles, which lead to people becoming overweight and can lead to obesity, which also leads to chronic conditions. With our ever growing senior populations, I’d like to ask the Minister of Health what is the reason for this backlog, specifically joint replacement surgeries.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The honourable Minister of Health, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reason that the Stanton Territorial Health Authority is not actively doing elective joint replacement surgeries at this time is due to ongoing renovations to the ventilation system. They have to achieve a super clean operating room in order to do joint replacements because there is high possibility of infection with that type of surgery.

With the new standard put in place, that’s probably been about the amount of time since the backlog started. It has taken awhile and I was just wondering what the plan in place was to address the backlog and what exactly is the plan that the Department of Health has come up with to address the backlog of these elective surgeries.

The Member is right; there has been a backlog as a result of not doing the elective joint replacement surgery. What we are doing is we are approaching Edmonton, the ones that are emergency situations. Some of the emergency situations are maybe what the Member is describing are possibilities. Although Edmonton, too, also has some on the waiting list. So that is our backup plan, but realistically our objective is to get the operating room back operational. Thank you.

I respect the answer that the department is doing as much as it can. Is there an expected timeline that these surgeries can be brought back on schedule so that the people in the communities that have been waiting of the last couple of years have confidence in this government that they are moving forward and have that interest in getting them back on their feet and healthy and becoming society again.

The project to turn the operating room into a super clean operating room is out to tender now. Our objective is to have the operating room operational, I guess, on April of 2012, this coming year. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. April of 2012 we can expect people of the communities of the Northwest Territories, the ones that have been waiting for the last few years, to start moving through the process and getting their surgeries taken care of by this 17

th Legislative Assembly and

the government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. More of a comment. Moving on. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up on my Member’s statement, and I would address these questions to the Minister responsible for Women and the Executive.

I would like to, again, commend all my male colleagues for wearing a white ribbon today, and I would hope that you don’t just wear the white ribbon today but that you will continue to wear the white ribbon throughout the year as an indication of your pledge to actively work against violence against women.

The Coalition on Family Violence Action Plan 2 has certainly done a lot of work. It has increased the awareness and the prevention of family violence and abuse throughout the NWT but, as I said in my statement, we need to continue the work that the coalition has been doing. They’ve done a good job and I feel that we need to continue to support them. I would like to ask the Minister what consideration has the Minister and/or his staff given to the 19 recommendations in the Phase 3 action plan. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We, too, are very grateful for the work that has been done by the Status of Women Council and also the Native Women’s Association. With regard to the 19 recommendations on the Coalition Against Family Violence, we are just starting the process of reviewing them as we begin getting ready for the business planning process.

Thanks to the Minister for that response. We are probably entering into a time where the staff and Ministers are developing business plans for the 2012-13 year now and probably in early January. There’s a specific request from the coalition for core funding in three areas: one, to stabilize existing shelters; two, enhance community services related to family violence; and three, establish a program for men who use violence and abuse. I’d like to know from the Minister, relative to these three specific requests for core funding to continue the work that’s already been done and accomplished and that we recognize, I’d like to ask the Minister how this government will respond to that particular request for core funding. Thank you.