Good afternoon, colleagues. Welcome back to the Chamber. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to extend best wishes to Team NWT’s 120 athletes, coaches and mission staff...

---Applause

...who will be participating in the 2011 Canada Winter Games being held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from February 11

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The Canada Games are an important event that demonstrates the benefit of healthy, active living. The GNWT continues to provide funding for NWT youth to participate in multisport games as a way to encourage youth to be physically active and achieve this Assembly’s goal of healthy, educated people.

Our athletes have been preparing themselves physically and mentally for these games. They will compete in biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, hockey, speed skating, snowboarding, judo, badminton, squash and gymnastics. All have spent countless hours training hard in preparation for what will be the pinnacle of their sporting careers to date.

The hard work and long hours put in by the athletes and coaches in preparation for the Canada Games is worthy of our recognition and applause. Not only do these athletes represent the Northwest Territories on the national stage but they are also excellent, healthy, lifestyle role models for the entire North.

The hard work of Team NWT’s athletes could not be accomplished without the behind-the-scenes

efforts and support from members of their communities. The extra hours of preparation, the fundraising, the organizing and support from family members are all critical to the athletes’ experience and ultimately their success. To all of those behind-the-scenes -- volunteers, parents, staff, schools and community governments -- thank you.

As Team NWT sets out for Halifax as ambassadors for the North, I wish to commend them for their efforts and, whether or not they come home with medals, let them know that they will return better for the experience, with new friendships and experiences that will last a lifetime.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is working hard to build our future by promoting healthy and active living among children and youth. Improving the physical and mental well-being of our youth will create healthy, educated Northerners as envisioned in the 16

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Assembly’s vision of

Northerners Working Together.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Support for apprentices is a key part of the Government of the Northwest Territories’ plan to maximize opportunities for Northwest Territories residents and contributes to achieving this Assembly’s goals of healthy, educated people and a diversified economy. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment, along with our partners and apprentices, celebrate the success of the Northwest Territories apprentices and journeypersons during the Northwest Territories Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Week, February 7

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The department supports training and certification in 53 designated trades. Thirty are eligible for interprovincial Red Seal endorsement. In addition, the department supports certification in 25 designated occupations.

Currently there are 421 apprentices in the Northwest Territories. More than half are Aboriginal.

We invest over $1 million in apprenticeship technical training and another million dollars in job wage subsidies each year, available to employers of Northwest Territories apprentices.

For the 2009-2010 academic year the department issued 110 certificates for qualification, 69 with interprovincial Red Seal endorsement, to journeypersons. We also issued nine certificates of competence for people in designated occupations. During February and March each regional Education, Culture and Employment service centre holds apprenticeship and occupation certification awards ceremonies recognizing academic achievement of apprentices. Forty-one apprentices will receive top mark for achieving the highest mark in their respective trade or occupation during the 2009-2010 academic year.

Mr. Speaker, I invite you and other Members of this House to join me in congratulating the Northwest Territories apprentices and certified journeypersons. I also want to take this opportunity to thank and recognize our many partners in apprenticeship training, skilled trades and occupational certification. In particular, we want to acknowledge the employers who participate in the program and without whom the program could not exist.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This Assembly has made it a priority to focus on prevention by promoting healthy choices and lifestyles and the role of personal and family responsibility. One of the ways that the Government of the Northwest Territories supports this is through the delivery of programs like Drop the Pop. This year the Drop the Pop campaign takes places from January 17, 2011, to February 28, 2011.

Since 2006, Drop the Pop has encouraged students across the three territories to make healthier choices. This year the campaign is more important than ever as childhood obesity continues to be a serious issue across Canada and is considered an international epidemic. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s report, Overview: Curbing Childhood Obesity: A Federal, Provincial and Territorial Framework for Action to Promote Healthy Weights, more than one in four children and youth in Canada are overweight or obese.

Mr. Speaker, a child’s risk for obesity increases with every additional daily serving of soda. Drop the Pop, now in its sixth year, raises awareness of the negative impacts of sugary beverages and

encourages children to make healthier beverage choices. One of the ways to reverse the trend towards obesity is by reducing the amount of sugary beverages that children drink. Last year 43 of the 51 schools in the Northwest Territories participated in the challenge. This is more than a 300 percent increase from its inception in 2006. I would like to see all schools participate in this year’s challenge. Along with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, we encourage all schools to visit www.dropthepopnwt.ca website and register for this year’s campaign.

Mr. Speaker, this year’s theme is Take the Lead. This was recommended by school staff and students. To be successful, Drop the Pop needs to involve everyone: students, teachers, parents, elders, stores and the community. This is why I am strongly encouraging everyone to take on a leadership and championship role when it comes to healthy eating and beverage consumption. Together we will make a difference. Certainly the Legislative Assembly, by dropping the pop, has taken a leadership role in this regard.

Health and Social Services is pleased to continue working with our partners, Education, Culture and Employment, communities, parents, as well as food and other retail stores across the NWT to provide support and education about drinking too many sugar-sweetened beverages. Without their support, this campaign would not be as successful as it is.

Mr. Speaker, Drop the Pop and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs Get Active campaign are important initiatives that raise awareness of obesity and engage our children and families in a fun manner that creates supportive environments for change. These initiatives help maintain a very important goal in the Foundation for Change action plan to ensure health promotion is delivered effectively across the NWT through resources that help Northerners make healthy choices.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services will continue to raise awareness about the negative effects of drinking sugary beverages through our Drop the Pop campaign and will have an added school lesson plan-based program that is being piloted this spring called Sip Smart NWT.

To my colleagues and our residents, I encourage everyone to think about what can be done to change the trends towards obesity at homes, school and in your community. Be a role model and join us in promoting healthy lifestyles by dropping the pop. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The 4th Annual YK Film Festival kicked off last week and runs until this coming Friday. I encourage everyone to get out and watch some of these films. A complete list of events can be found at Western Arctic Moving Pictures’ website.

This event is hosted by the Western Arctic Moving Pictures, which is often referred to as WAMP, whose mandate it is to promote, encourage, support, showcase and produce independent film, video, audio and digital media with the social, cultural and artistic community of the Northwest Territories. In addition to acting as an advocate to the film industry and supporting events throughout the NWT such as the YK Film Festival, the 48-hour music video competition and film screenings, WAMP supports northern filmmakers by offering advice, equipment and community.

Early last calendar year my colleague Bob Bromley and I facilitated a meeting with representatives of WAMP as well as other filmmakers from throughout the NWT and the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment to discuss the value of a sustainable film industry within the Northwest Territories

The artists present explained in detail the concerns they have with respect to support currently provided by the Government of the Northwest Territories to this industry and how this industry could be a real contributor to our Territory’s economy. Personally, I believe the industry could be a real sustainable portion of our economy. It brings many advantages, including promoting the Northwest Territories as a place to visit, tourism. It will result in employment and training opportunities across the Northwest Territories and it will help circulate money throughout the NWT as filmmakers travel to different locations throughout the Northwest Territories and engage other small local business for assistance in their productions. It is a win-win industry, Mr. Speaker.

I was very pleased when the Minister indicated that he would have his department conduct some research and develop a report outlining the pros and cons of supporting the film industry and expanding the role of the film commission in the Northwest Territories. I believe the findings will be positive and I look forward to the final report.

Later today I will be asking the Minister of ITI some questions concerning the status of this report. Mr. Speaker, it is time that this government support this industry in a more meaningful way. There are significant opportunities for northern stories, and for films and other media; stories such as the "Lesser Blessed" by Richard Van Camp. It tells a story of growing up in small northern towns like Fort Smith and Behchoko. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The people from Fort Liard have some serious concerns about social services in their community. The community needs a second social worker to support the one that is currently there.

Minister Lee and I travelled to Fort Liard in the fall of 2010. She had heard from the concerned citizens about this. There is a second social worker. However, due to medical reasons, she has been off work now for about eight months. Deh Cho Health and Social Services did have a plan for extra coverage, but it is difficult to do from Fort Simpson.

There has been a case where a previous social worker from Fort Liard resigned due to job burnout. During the Christmas holidays the health addictions counsellor went on holidays, leaving the social worker to do the job of three people.

The community wants a social worker and it needs them to be supported. The Minister advised that it was not possible to fill the position in Fort Liard on a casual basis. I think that this is a mistake. We need to find a way to have full-time casual workers or another solution to the problem. We must take this issue seriously and do all we can to help Fort Liard. Staff has been available from Fort Simpson to support Fort Liard, but short visits and long-distance phone calls is not the same as having local staff.

At the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker, I will be asking questions for the Minister. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I speak today on the need to maintain Aurora College’s vital Nurse Practitioner Master of Nursing and Introduction to Advanced Practice programs. The introduction to the Nurse Practitioner Program offered since 1989 is a six-week program running three times a year with an average of 12 nurses attending. Graduating nurses gain advanced health assessment skills and techniques needed to practice in remote rural communities.

According to the course instructor, this training has been proven to prevent the sometimes disastrous treatment and cost consequences when “nurses

were hired who were not adequately prepared to work in advanced practice.” What are these consequences? The inability to distinguish between medevac cases and those who could be treated in the community. It includes nurses who “arrive in the community, stay for two or three days, realize they were in over their heads and leave on the next available plane.” Imagine the cost both in money and patient care.

The Nurse Practitioner Masters Program was established in 2001 on the recommendation of an independent program review in the ‘90s. There have been 14 graduates, 12 of whom are still working in the NWT. Four more are expected to graduate this year. ECE tells me this program will continue until 2012, depending on demand and funding. However, other sources tell me that the program will end when federal funds are cut in 2012.

The value of the two programs is unanimously endorsed by graduates, employers and community members. Yet, despite the fact that the 2010-2011 Health and Social Services business plan says that “the GNWT is committed to increasing the number of nurse practitioners in the NWT,” it appears that both programs will probably disappear.

This government struggles with health professional recruitment and retention and high position vacancy rates. These two programs train professionals who save us money in recruitment and operating costs and who provide masters level health professional care and deliver high quality treatment relative to the communities we serve.

Mr. Speaker, nurse practitioners, nurses skilled in rural practice and the nursing station health care model are the way to go. How could we possibly risk this loss? I’ll be asking the Minister of ECE and possibly Health and Social Services questions. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to talk about how badly we need our youth in the Northwest Territories today to stay alive. Mr. Speaker, it’s very hard in our small communities, and I’m pleading right now to the youth in the Northwest Territories. There are families right now in the North that are dealing with issues of suicide, family violence, drugs and alcohol and with our youth. There are families right now that need help and our youth are so valuable and they’re bombarded with so many issues.

Mr. Speaker, I had to deal with one in Colville Lake and I’m asking the youth how hard sometimes they

put the families of their communities through. A lot of youth want to give up on life. I’ve asked an elder on the Hay River Reserve, Daniel Sonfrere, how to deal with this kind of issue where youth have all the reasons why they want to end their lives. He says that’s something new. We never had this in our culture. It just became new. I said, “What did you have before?” He said we had all the reasons they wanted to live. It was a good life, a beautiful life. Today the elders are saying that the youth have changed that. So I’m pleading with the youth to go and sit down with the elders and talk to them.

I have done many workshops in the past on suicide prevention across the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Mr. Speaker, as a government we need to save lives. More importantly, we need to give them hope and inspiration to live and to get up and live life, but we need to teach them in the right way. We need to listen to them. I applaud any initiatives this government does to keep one youth alive, but more importantly, to help the families. So I ask the youth again…

Mr. Yakeleya, your time for your Member’s statements has expired. Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to speak today about a very significant and disturbing issue here in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, family violence continues to plague our Territory. In 2010 there were 640 reported incidents of spousal assault. This is 20 percent higher than last year and, incredibly, 107 percent higher under this government’s watch than it was four years earlier, in 2006.

A parliamentary committee recently visited the Northwest Territories to discuss abuse against Aboriginal women. The root causes of abuse should come as no surprise to Members of this House: poverty, addiction, poor housing situations and a lack of services in our smaller communities.

Mr. Speaker, I know our government is live to the statistics. We have developed action plans, we’ve brought in the Protection Against Family Violence Act back in 2005 and we were spending millions of dollars in an effort to lower the incidence of family violence. However, if we are doing all of these things, why do the numbers continue to climb? Why do we have five times the national average of violence against women?

We have only five family violence shelters to serve our 33 communities, Mr. Speaker, and our shelter usage rate is four times the national average, even despite the travel factor to get to these shelters.

I’d like to share some further evidence that we need to take immediate action. We have the highest crime rate in Canada, the second highest rate of violent crime in this country. In 2008, close to 70 percent of all adults in custody in the Northwest Territories were sentenced for violent crimes compared to 49 percent in 2001-2002; a staggering 43 percent increase over seven years.

As if the statistics are not bad enough, it seems in the Northwest Territories perpetrators of family violence continue to get woefully inadequate sentences. For example, how could an individual with over 40 prior convictions -- almost half of them of a violent nature -- beat up his partner and get five months in jail? What message does this send to the victims and what message are we sending to people out there inflicting violence in the home?

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

The Northwest Territories is in desperate need of more awareness and education about family violence. Later this week I will be highlighting V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to respond to the Minister’s response to the Standing Committee on Social Programs with regard to child and family services. After glancing through the report, I have some real problems with the recommendations not being supported by the government; especially the 10 that are being rejected. Without those 10 recommendations being implemented, it very much undermines the community involvement in a process that should include communities, should include families and working with the families to find solutions to keep our children in our communities.

This legislation has been around as long as I have. It was introduced in the 13

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some 15 years ago. Yet the problems that this thing has, at that time the cost of this program was $2 million. Right now there are over 600 children in care in the system and it’s costing us $12 million a year. I go through this report and it says, well, because of fiscal challenges -- well, I think if you reinvest that $12 million, re-profile the program from what we heard going around to the majority of the communities throughout the Northwest Territories,

and getting those people to come out to the meetings stating the concerns they have with the Child and Family Services Act, clearly requires some major changes and those changes are going to cost us money.

At the end of the day, what happens to the children in the system? As we heard lately in the news, these young people who are under permanent custody of this government are taking their lives. We have to do a better job to improve the quality of life of not only the children in care but of their families and their communities.

I, for one, have put a lot of time and effort into going out there, hearing from the general public, the people in the communities, the caretakers, the people who take care of children in foster homes, and most importantly, the children who have been affected by this system. I feel that we have to do everything we can to implement the 73 recommendations that were put forward and save the lives of the children in our system.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we begin the consideration of the Health and Social Services budget today I want to give voice to my concerns about the Foundation for Change planning document apparently in use by the department. It apparently guides the department’s operations and activities, but this “strategic document,” to quote the Minister, contains little detail on how it does that. That is my concern.

The idea of a strategic document to reform the Department of Health and Social Services was first presented to Members through the Standing Committee on Social Programs about a year and a half ago. I was excited to hear of the department’s plan and anticipated some fundamental changes to the way Health and Social Services delivers its programs; changes which would increase efficiencies and the coordination of their programs. I looked forward to further information and some specifics from the Minister; a fleshing out of the document, so to speak, to have the department put some meat on the bones. That information, that detail, never came. Since the initial briefing by the Minister to the Standing Committee on Social Programs, Members have heard consistent reference to the Foundation for Change in response to questions, queries for information, and in briefings, but without any details provided.

The Minister has referenced us to a website that she says tells us everything we want to know, that it gives us the detail we’re working for and provides

quarterly updates on the Foundation for Change. I’ve checked out that website several times and have been disappointed each time I go there. The actions listed under the priorities are more fittingly titled objectives, and the actions necessary to achieve those objectives are very much missing. Priorities and desired results are there, but there’s little to show how the department will achieve those desired results. The detail which would explain how the promised reform will happen is just not there. As of today, the most recent update on the Foundation for Change website covers the period January 1 to March 31, 2010, almost a year old.

As Mr. Ramsay often remarks, we Regular Members are here to stay on top of things and keep the government accountable. I agree with that view and, like the Member for Kam Lake, I take that responsibility seriously. But how can I, how can we Regular Members do our job in the absence of valid, meaningful information?

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The division of health care services located in Inuvik is called Health Services Administration and has 22 positions that deal with health card registrations, renewals, vital statistics, births, deaths, marriages and insured services benefits administration; for example, medical travel, extended health benefits for specific diseases, seniors’ benefits, Metis benefits, non-insured health benefits, and some of these benefits are partially administered by Alberta Blue Cross or DIAND as they are non-insured health benefits.

There are parties in Hay River, persons in Hay River that would like to see a satellite office for health care services located in Hay River. There are a large number of patients that come from the Deh Cho and South Slave regions to attend medical appointments in Hay River, have testing done, blood work done, ultrasounds, mammograms, et cetera, and these patients would then have an opportunity to visit a health care office, health insurance office in Hay River rather than trying to contact the Inuvik office to file a claim or obtain assistance.

Inuvik is very busy and it takes too long to respond to claims and inquiries, and there have been numerous complaints about the time involved for waiting for claims to be processed and reimbursed. An office in Hay River could relieve the backlog and take the pressure off the Inuvik office. This would alleviate some of the waiting time and reduce the frustration of communicating long distance, as well

as provide on-site communication with patients. Health insurance workers could meet face to face with patients, providing more effective and efficient services to clients.

Inuvik, I’m sad to say -- I’m sorry, I hope the Premier and Mr. McLeod are not offended -- is frequently off line when their Internet is down or they have power outages. This is an interruption in service that would not affect a place like Hay River. The delays in receiving claims causes emotional and financial hardship on some people, especially seniors and small businesses who cannot afford to carry the cost in the interim. An office in Hay River could work directly with the people involved and provide efficiencies in the system. Hay River is a large enough community that experienced and skilled staff could easily be recruited to such a satellite office.

Opening an office in Hay River would also provide an economic benefit of the jobs that it would create. There are local businesses and much community support for an office such as this to be opened in Hay River. I want to say that I do believe in decentralization. I’m glad the office is in Inuvik and not Yellowknife, but we’d like a piece of it in Hay River.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Nunakput, Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is the Inuvialuit tradition respecting our elders and people who have passed away. It’s very important to me. I always start off my Member’s statements with paying respect to the people who have passed away and their families and friends.

Since the last sitting of the Assembly there have been many deaths in our region. In the community of Tuktoyaktuk we lost elder Suzie Kikoak. Condolences to the family, her children: Lena, Caroline, Brenda, Steven and Violet.

December 4

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we lost Daniel Reid. Condolences go

to his wife, Maryanne, and his stepchildren, Priscilla and Vaughan.

On January 25

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we lost Ernest Cockney Elias.

Condolences go to his family and his wife, Georgina Cockney, and children, Shirley Steenburg, Steven Cockney, Joanne Cockney, and Brenda Wolki.

In the community of Ulukhaktok, on October 20, 2010, Wilma Memogana, daughter to Nora Memogana. Condolences to the Memogana family. Her common-law was Ronald Binder. Her children are Kevin, Justin and Brianne Memogana.

On December 1, 2010, we lost Nora Memogana. Condolences go to the Memogana family. Wife of the late Jimmy Memogana, children, Emma, Jean, Helen, Beverly, Barb, Roger, Mary, Roberta, Leslie and Kevin.

We are close-knit communities in the communities of Nunakput. All share the loss of our people together.

Lastly, I wish all my condolences to all the people who have lost loved ones in the Northwest Territories in the past few months. Prayers and thoughts are with their families.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. During my recent visit to Fort Resolution I discovered the community services officer position had been reduced to half time.

In the small communities, as I indicated many times in this House, we have very low employment rates. We cannot afford to give up even a half PY; especially a GNWT half PY, something that this government has direct control over.

I thought there was plenty of work for a community services officer in the small communities. The requirement for information is usually what holds up the income support payments. People in small communities that do not have job opportunities are often like that due to low literacy skills, and the community services officer in the small communities can do extra to help these citizens complete the required documentation.

Surely the Department of Education, Culture and Employment can find work for an individual in order to retain a full-time job in Fort Resolution. Part of the reason this government does not centralize positions used to be a lack of confidence in their own employees. In other words, the decision-making and too many things are held at a very high level and is a very centralized model.

Surely with the employment rates in small communities below 40 percent this government does not want to decrease employment. This government must do all it can to maintain any and all positions in the small communities. I, for one, cannot sit back and allow the government to reduce a single position in Tu Nedhe. This government must be creative and find meaningful work for the community services officer to do.

I know the transfer of public housing back to the local housing organization has left a bit of a vacancy in work, but surely we can find work to keep the community services officer employed full

time. It is important to note that the transfer back of the Public Housing Program does not decrease the number of clients the community services officer is seeing and it’s only a slight decrease in the volume of work per client.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe we’re at a critical time in Aurora College development. There’s a widespread call across our Territory to build towards a northern university, a full degree, university-accredited degree programming that could be satisfied very perfectly in the next of what we’ve seen our Aurora College develop into.

I believe that Aurora College offers fine programming today and I believe it must stay true to its roots where it has provided much needed upgrading to students for its 40 years. It must also include a focus that moves forward, not back.

I believe great challenges are facing our college here in Yellowknife. Our local campus suffers from space that is not available in the Northern United Building and with its lease up in less than two years, now is the time to ensure the planning is done to ensure that we build a new local campus that suits the needs of the future.

We must take advantage of the downtown location to ensure that a new campus is seriously located in a way that makes sense to the students, whether it’s close to libraries, recreational facilities, shopping, but good housing as well.

Mr. Speaker, with Yellowknife’s population of about 20,000, our local campus here in Yellowknife only serves approximately 200 students. That’s only 50 more than the Inuvik campus where Inuvik is only one-fifth of the size of Yellowknife. The point I make of this is our campus here in Yellowknife is underutilized for the potential it could provide. Mr. Speaker, one reason I wonder why our campus population and uptake is not higher is because of the space and lack of.

There are private partners out there who would be interested in providing a partnering with the college on doing more and help possibly turn it into a university as such, as we typically would know it. We all know that Aurora College is presently providing that type of programming, but it’s just one step away from that type of university-level recognition. As many people will know, when you become a university you are also able to tap into southern institutional investment where they spend money to come do studies and research here in the

North. Mr. Speaker, that would be new investment into the Northwest Territories; much needed investment to the Territory as a whole.

I think there are a lot of advantages that are being overlooked and I think it’s time that we take advantage of the growing interest in our northern programming before we lose any type of interest. We should make sure that we have a northern focus that is based here in the Territories supported by our college. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment and relate to my Member’s statement earlier today where I was talking about the study that the department is currently doing into a sustainable film industry.

I was wondering if the Minister could please give me a bit of a timeline as to when we could see that report come in front of the House for consideration, or at least to committee for consideration. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Bob McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s good to see the amount of interest in establishing an NWT film industry in the Northwest Territories. We have three MLAs that I met with: MLAs Bromley, Abernethy and Hawkins. We’re on schedule. We hired a Yellowknife-based consultant to undertake a review of the film industry and the report is out. We will be doing a review of the report and meeting with the stakeholders sometime in February. We will also have a session with the stakeholders to review the options and I expect to table the report probably in May. Thank you.

The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about the further programming opportunities before Aurora College and one of the problems put forward is the lease is expiring in about two years. The issue is about not just the lease, but its present location, I don’t

believe it suits its need for future growth. My question would be to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. What is the Minister’s plan to help support the college to move forward towards an independent campus that I believe Aurora College needs to have in the Yellowknife Campus location? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The college campus itself has been in discussion for quite some time now. We’re fully aware that the lease is up in 2012, and we are working towards possibly extending the lease until we have a plan in place. We probably have to do that anyway, because it will take a few years to develop a plan of action and then find a suitable location, if that needs to happen.

Mr. Speaker, this is an area where we met with several other potential partners as well. We’ve had numerous discussions with different organizations on how we can move forward. This is an ongoing piece of work that’s before us. Probably this fall, Mr. Speaker, we will probably request an extension of the lease on the Northern United Place, as it stands right now. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the answer from the Minister there. I’d like to pursue, in my questioning, the area of partnership. As I understand it, the federal government has a P3 office suited for public partnerships, public, private, and institutions like Aurora College would fit into this particular case. Mr. Speaker, what has the Minister done to support the long-term planning of Aurora College with the private partners that do exist out there? I am aware that there are two potentially wanting to work with Aurora College, so I think we have an opportunity of interest. How does the Minister see his department helping that? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, there has been a couple meetings a few years back on potential partners, private partners, organizations, but the information has been brought back to our attention as we need to move forward. Those are the discussions that we’ve had in the past and we are open to ideas and suggestions on how we can move forward. There have been talks about having possibly a First Nations organization build a facility for us and lease it back to the GNWT. That was an option that was thrown at us, but we haven’t seen anything as a proposal or anything that we can move forward on.

Mr. Speaker, this is an area that I’ve also met with INAC Minister Mr. Strahl, a former Minister, and also dealing with the INAC office in Ottawa, identifying a three territorial jurisdictions MOU we

talked about. This is of real high interest for us and we need to discuss it further.

Mr. Speaker, would the Minister of Education be willing to commit to see if he could bring those partners to the table with Aurora College to discuss about putting forward a joint proposal to P3 Canada to take advantage of those opportunities? I won’t name the particular parties here in the House, for obvious reasons. They may not have publicly committed their interest at this stage so I don’t want to put them on the spot. Would the Minister be willing to commit to bringing these parties to the table in short order so a proposal could be put forward? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we’re definitely open to discuss any potential opportunities with respect to a facility or programming. We did have a meeting in the past. I’m sure those individuals or organizations are listening to these House proceedings, so by all means, if they want to meet with us as the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, we are more than willing to meet with them. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In speaking to the Board of Governors last month when they were here in Yellowknife having their Board of Governors meeting, I know they are specifically targeting a long-term solution for the Yellowknife Campus. They need a solution that works, and the present solution in the NUP does not work. They are looking beyond that and they need someone to help lead that partnership role. That’s why I’m asking, would the Minister, once again, commit to seeing if he could pull the Aurora College president’s office as well as those potential partners together to develop a joint proposal for P3 Canada? Thank you.

I also met with the Board of Governors on that same day, probably before or after Mr. Hawkins. We talked about the same issue. My understanding is that the Board of Governors will bring an idea forward to our attention within the ECE department. So we are waiting for the Board of Governors to bring us information that we can work on. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement. The people of Fort Liard had serious concerns about the social worker position. Minister Lee had accompanied me to Fort Liard and we heard the residents at that time. They were very concerned

that the social worker was away for about three months for medical leave, Mr. Speaker. We had asked if we can fill it with a casual worker position, but the Minister responded to myself, and I responded to the community, that they will not fill this position on a casual basis. I still don’t understand why. The residents still don’t understand why. I would like to ask Minister Lee to explain why they won’t fill that position on a casual basis. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is right; I had responded to him on this issue on November 12

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last year. There were

specific personnel details involved with this position that made it difficult to fill the position at that time, but it has been three months since. I would be happy to undertake to see where we are at and get back to him. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly would like to take the Minister’s commitment and move forward with that. Maybe I can ask the Minister what would be the next steps on following through on this commitment. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as the Member stated, the incumbent is away from the job for personal reasons. I need to inquire as to where that situation is. Secondly, that position cannot be filled by a casual because of the statutory obligations and requirements that need to be placed on a worker. That couldn’t be done for a casual, but if it is a situation that the person has to be away longer, we have to look at filling the position or filling it temporarily. Once again, I will undertake to look into that and get back to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some questions today for the Minister of Health and Social Services, getting back to my Member’s statement. In 2005 the Legislative Assembly brought in the Protection Against Family Violence Act, an act the Minister is well aware of. Also, we have developed a Framework for Action Against Family Violence. That is going into the second stage of that. I would like to ask the Minister why the incidents of spousal assault have gone up 107 percent increase in the last four years, from 309 to 640. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to first off commend the Member for saying that he will participate in the V-Day events and I would be happy to cooperate with the Member on that event. Secondly, I am not sure if I could give him exact reasons why we are experiencing increased numbers of family violence, but we do keep detailed statistics on that. Thirdly, this government has increased funding and programs in the family violence area in many different ways over the last three years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I highlighted some of the things the government has been doing over the last three years, but the statistics don’t lie, Mr. Speaker. There is a 107 percent increase in the last four years of incidents of spousal assault in the Northwest Territories. The Minister didn’t answer the question. How is the Minister and the government going to evaluate the success of the measures that we brought in, the legislation that we brought in as well as the action plan on family violence? How is that going to be evaluated, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we are in the third phase of the Action Plan on Family Violence. Part of the plan is to have it evaluated. I will undertake to look at where we are with the evaluation and share it with the Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, that is what scares me. I am not sure why the Minister can’t stand up today and articulate what exactly the government is going to do to address the fact that spousal assault in the Northwest Territories has increased 107 percent under their watch. What are you going to do about that matter, Minister? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I could say not what we are going to do, but what we are actually doing right now and what we have been doing for the last three years we will continue to do with the support of all the Members on the other side, we as an Assembly have made a full commitment to addressing the family violence issue. We have increased funding under the Shelter Stablilzation Fund. We have also expanded our Family Violence Program funding to communities where there are no shelters, so we have enhanced funding for those communities with shelters and we made funding available for communities without shelters. We have also invested money on children who witness violence. But as the Member stated so well in his statement, there are many factors involved in combating family violence. We work in partnerships with the NGOs to continue to address this issue. That is a serious issue for all of us without one quick simple answer. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, judging by the statistics, what we are doing currently is not working. I would suggest that the Minister try to find a way forward that will get those numbers trending the right way, and that is back towards the historic low in 2006, to 309. There shouldn’t be any assault in the Northwest Territories, but if there is going to be a way to trend, it should be the other way, Mr. Speaker.

We have five family violence shelters in the Northwest Territories. The Minister has talked about a Shelter Stabilization Plan. Are there any plans to expand the availability of the shelters in more of the communities than are presently served by family violence shelters today? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I could tell you that the shelters that we have now are having a hard time finding providers, so our focus for now has to be in strengthening the shelters that we have, but understanding that there are communities without shelters that need our assistance as well. We are providing and supporting that. We need to concentrate on that.

As to why we are seeing an increase in the number, I am sure we will have to do a more in-depth analysis on that, but the NWT has not been spared from the economic downtown. Often when there is economic downturn, lots of facts show that family violence and other social problems arise. Perhaps with a more longitudinal time period, we could see that. We hope that with the economic recovery, the numbers go down as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I talked about the youth. Certainly we do our best to support the youth. We want to keep our youth alive. I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what types of programs are in her department that would gear towards working with the youth and specifically the elders in terms of having them come together and look at programs or initiatives that they can do to support each other in the challenges that both the elders and the youth face today.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a lot of programs and funding that the department provides to communities, whether it be through authorities, NGOs, Aboriginal governments. Sometimes we get funding from the federal

government. Some programs involve just working with the youth on suicide prevention. We do have programs that work with elders and youth. I would be happy to present the Member with all of the details that he requires. I don’t have it right in front of me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Can the Minister provide to me and the House in terms of types of specifically cultural programs that could be used in our small communities which are primarily in my region, primarily Aboriginal communities in regard to how to deal with these types of issues and if there are ways that they involve elders through the languages?

Yes, we do have those and we work with other departments and agencies on cultural and language components. I will undertake to have that as part of the reply I provide to him. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Your final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya. Thank you. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister of Health and Social Services in regard to the response that was tabled in this House yesterday. Mr. Speaker, the area I have concerns about is recommendation number 4. The reason for us that number 4 was at the top of the list was because we thought that was doable. Mr. Speaker, the recommendation states that to ensure funding for prevention and early intervention programs in every community, and also to present it in the Legislative Assembly’s 2010-2011 budget. But, Mr. Speaker, the response by the Minister clearly stipulates that they cannot get it into the 2011-2012 budget. Mr. Speaker, the budget hasn’t been passed yet. So I’d like to ask the Minister if she can work with Members of this House to implement recommendation number 4 in the budget process we’re going through now. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my opening statement to my budget on Friday I stated a couple of programs that we are expanding to Inuvik and Fort Simpson, Healthy Children Initiatives.

Mr. Speaker, I think everybody here knows how the budget process works. A major initiative such as this will require significant funding and the timing issue... Their report came out after we went through the business plan review. The Members had a chance to have a look at this budget in January and the Members are aware that it was not part of that budget.

Mr. Speaker, I think it’s really important for us to state and I’d like to state that we have, in every way possible, worked to respond favourably to the report. We have accepted 61 out of 73 recommendations, and even the 10 that we are not able to accept as it is written, we explain in detail why that is so. So I can tell the Member that we are committed to providing the substantiation as a department to look at these additional funding initiatives in the next business cycle, but given our fiscal pressure, unless we take out something that’s already in the budget it would not be possible for us to add a new program, to add an Early Childhood Intervention Program in every community in this budget. Thank you.

Again, this has been tabled in the House last fall. We’ve given the Minister ample time to bring forward the budget. In the budget right now there’s already $900,000 in regard to intervention or prevention programs. So we already have a category that we can work this into. It’s just a matter of moving the $12 million that’s in that portfolio to the areas where it’s important.

Mr. Speaker, this was a very important element of the consultation that took place. Community members and individuals wanted to ensure…

Do you have a question, Mr. Krutko?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell us exactly how can communities prevent children from being taken away from their communities and working with the families and the children before it gets to this stage where you have to apprehend?

Thank you. If the Member could provide me with more information on what he said that’s within my budget that I should re-look at, I’d be happy to do that.

On page 8-30 of the budget under child services, intervention services, $858,000. That is something we can work with. I’d like to ask the Minister, can you seriously consider reprofiling these dollars and put it in the area of prevention and intervention?

The department already spends a lot of money and effort on prevention and the recommendations suggest that we must expend that, which we, in principle, agree with, we need to come up with the resources. But I will have to look at the section that the Member is referring to

because I am certain that we have every cent of that accounted for. So if we’re going to talk about reprofiling that, we need to have the full scope of the information so we know exactly what we’re changing.

I’m sure as we go through debating our budget in the next couple of days we will have a chance to do that, but I’d be happy to engage with the Members on the other side about what choices we’re prepared to make, because without knowing even all of the details, I am certain that every cent of that is spoken for and there will be repercussions. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, it’s clear that it seems like the health and social services boards are block funded in regard to how these dollars are being expended and what we heard out in the field is that a lot of these core services are not being prevented in all communities in the Northwest Territories and that’s what the recommendation is asking for. So would you consider re-profiling these dollars, directly expend them in the communities and not send them to the health and social services authorities, and spend it where it really would make a difference? Thank you.

Thank you. I will undertake to look at that, but I believe that all of the Members on the other side would like to know exactly where that money is being spent before we make a decision about reprofiling them. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Health and Social Services. In my statement I presented my perception of the Foundation for Change strategic document that the department is currently using. So my first question to the Minister today is to ask whether or not she can confirm that I’ve understood it correctly and can she define for me and for the people listening the purpose of the Foundation for Change? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Foundation for Change is a pretty straightforward, clearly written document about what the department is proposing to realign the way we deliver our services and what we are focusing on. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that over the three and a half years I’ve

been here working with MLA Bisaro, she has an insatiable appetite for details. So instead of making a broad statement about lack of information, if the Member could tell me exactly what detail she is looking for, I’d be more than happy to provide her with the details she needs. Thank you.

To the Minister, I like to think that my insatiable appetite for detail enables me to do my job properly.

As to the detail that the Minister is asking that I want, I think I explained in my statement that the Foundation for Change document, to me, has objectives and it has no detail on how those objectives will be achieved. About a month ago, Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Social Programs met with the Minister to discuss the document. We asked for that kind of detail, we asked for the actions, we asked for an evaluation plan to flesh out the Foundation for Change document. Unless those things came today, Mr. Speaker, I haven’t seen them, the committee hasn’t got it. So I’d like to ask the Minister when Members can expect to receive the Foundation for Change update information that was promised to us a month ago. Thank you.

I don’t believe that was a month ago. I think it was January 14

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or 19

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. We

are working on the details the Member asked for and it’s in my office, it’s about 50 pages long. I’d be happy to get the document to the Member as soon as possible. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for that commitment. I hope that we will see it sooner rather than later. If it’s in her office, I guess that means sooner.

To the Minister: if this is a strategic document and it guides the department, I would think that it should be reactive to new info and it should be a living and breathing document. So I’d like to ask the Minister what actions identified under the Foundation for Change document, the actions which presumably are on her desk, deal with recommendations from the Child and Family Services Act review report?

The three pillars of Foundation for Change are wellness, accessibility and sustainability. There is a section in Foundation for Change about working to support children, to enhance services for children, and as I said in my Minister’s statement on Friday, we support the direction and the general spirit and intent of the standing committee report on the review because it’s very much in line with what our department’s goals are under Foundation for Change. I see no gaps there and it’s very much in line. We are, I believe, moving in the same direction.

Thank you, Ms. Lee. Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess I have to take from the Minister’s answer that there are no specific recommendations from the Child and Family Services Act review which are dealt with in the Foundation for Change. I asked about actions. I didn’t ask about intent and I didn’t ask about direction.

My last question to the Minister is: I would like to know whether the Foundation for Change document has been re-evaluated and/or updated in light of the Child and Family Services Act report. Does it reflect the recommendations in the report, and, if not, will it be updated?

The Foundation for Change is an action plan that requires direction and intent and spirit. I say again, Children and Family Services Act review of the standing committee we agree with the recommendations. We support the recommendations. We have agreed to implement 61 out of 73 recommendations. The 10 that we’re not able to, the exact way that the committee has recommended, we say in our reply how we are going to go about them.

As I said, I realize it’s not the answer that the Member is looking for, but we see nothing in the recommendations from the report that’s not in line with what the department wants to do and what the Foundation for Change action plan has to say. I believe in that way we are in harmony about what we need to do for the benefit of the children and families in the Territories.

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

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to ask questions of the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on employment in small communities, particularly the client services officer position in Fort Resolution.

Can the Minister tell me if there is any dialogue on how to retain these positions that have been reduced to half time, to full-time positions within the department?

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As Members know, the transfer of the positions back to NWT Housing Corporation on the Public Housing Rental Subsidy has been active. As a result, there has been a loss of administration dollars within our Department of ECE. ECE is required to reduce the number of client services offices across the Northwest Territories. Those individuals were also handling the case of public

subsidy units, public housing rental subsidy area, and then at the same time the client services officers were responsible for income security. Now the responsibility is with NWT Housing Corporation so we had to downsize the client services officers.

Can the Minister advise me if there are other positions of a client services officer nature that were filled within the South Slave region?

Yes, there have been other positions such as client services officers in a number of communities across the Northwest Territories that fill similar positions. Full-time/part-time employment status is determined also on the clientele caseloads.

Can the Minister tell me if there are any discussions at all in the area of employment rates when the department decided to reduce some of the positions. I’m referring to filling positions in communities that have higher employment rates, reducing positions in communities that have lower employment rates. Was there any of that type of discussion in the department?

There have been numerous discussion and consideration taking into account a number of factors when deciding when and where the reduction will happen, including where the positions were initially established, with the funding and the current client caseload again. So, yes, to answer the Member’s question, these have all been taken into consideration when we were deciding.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister direct his staff to re-establish a full-time position of the client services officer in Fort Resolution and find work in the department that’s appropriate for full-time position status?

I appreciate that the Member is persistent. At the same time, we have to look at the caseload. If there is an increase in the caseload for a client services officer to perform extra duty on income security, this is an area we can definitely look at. We will seriously monitor the caseloads in the region.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. I’ve received conflicting information on funding for the Introduction to Advanced Nursing Practice

Program at Aurora College. My question is for the Minister of ECE.

It is my understanding that the Department of Health and Social Services contributes support directly to this program, as well as indirectly through coverage of student tuition fees, and that ECE and the federal government may also be contributors, but obviously this needs clarification. I ask the Minister: what is the current and planned status of funding from these partners for this program?

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The program that we deliver through Aurora College, the funding that’s required is $2.7 million from ECE to Aurora College for a bachelor of nursing, special work in nursing, health access programs. As well, Aurora College receives additional money from the Department of Health and Social Services in the amount of $511,000 to cover the masses of Nursing, Nurse Practitioner and Introduction to Advanced Practice programs. This is funding that’s been required for these programs.

Again I would ask the Minister: what is the status of these dollars? What is the current plan for the immediate and long-term future of these programs?

Part of our plan of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, working closely with Health and Social Services and also the college, is to continue delivering this program. If there are any changes in the program delivery or if there is an issue with the funding, then we definitely need to sit down and discuss our objectives and options and we’ll definitely let the Members know if there are any changes.

I haven’t heard the Minister talk about federal funding, although I have a communication from him indicating that will end and contribute to the end of the Nurse Practitioner Program, again conflicting with what I’m hearing today from the Minister just a day or two later. I’m looking for clarification. What is at least the status of the federal funding? Are we going to have that renewed, I’m going to ask the Minister on top of that.

The federal funding, I don’t have that information specifically. I just highlighted our department and Health and Social Services’ contribution to Aurora College. I will gather that information on federal funding, if it does exist, to the Members.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks for the comments from the Minister on that. I’ll look forward to the details that he can provide.

I’d like to ask one last question. As far as the Minister knows, does the following commitment from Health and Social Services still stand? How does this reflect on the longevity of the program as planned? The GNWT is committed to increasing the number of NPs in the NWT. The Health and Social Services planning document also says, “Through Foundation for Change, we will focus on delivering the right services using the most appropriate service provider.” All too often we use high-cost service providers such as physicians to deliver primary care that would be more appropriately delivered by community health nurses or nurse practitioners. Obviously this speaks to the...