Mr. Clerk, would you ascertain if the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable George Tuccaro, is prepared to enter the Chamber to deliver his opening address to the Third Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly.

If everyone could rise to the singing of O Canada.

---Singing of O Canada

I’d like to call a recess so we can have a reception in the Great Hall with all our colleagues and members of the community. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

Good afternoon, colleagues. On behalf of all Members, I’d like to thank Commissioner Tuccaro for opening the Third Session of the 17th Legislative Assembly. I’d also

like to say thank you to Pastor Emmanuel Adam from Glad Tidings Mission from my home in Tuktoyaktuk, and to the Fort Good Hope Drummers and the children’s choir from N.J. Macpherson School here in Yellowknife, for their contributions this afternoon.

Thank you, as well, to Grand Chief Frank Andrew, Sahtu Dene Council; Ms. Ethel Blondin-Andrew, chair of the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated; Ms. Betty Villebrun, president of the Northwest Territories Metis Nation; and Mayor Gordon Van Tighem, president of the Northwest Territories Association of Communities, for joining Members on the floor of the House this afternoon.

I’d also like to extend appreciation of the House to Chief Superintendent Wade Blake, RCMP “G” Division; and Mr. Tony Whitford, our Honourary Table Officer of the Assembly, for joining us here today.

---Applause

Of course, a warm welcome to all our guests who are here in the gallery.

I’m happy to inform Members that we’ll have Pages from the following schools working with us during this sitting:

• St. Patrick High School out of Yellowknife,

• Range Lake North School in Yellowknife,

• Kalemi Dene School in Ndilo,

• Samuel Hearne Secondary School in Inuvik,

• Diamond Jenness School in Hay River,

• Angik School in Paulauk,

• Alexis Arrowmaker School, and

• Mackenzie Mountain School in Norman Wells.

Welcome to all the Pages.

---Applause

I hope all Pages are as eager to take part in the Assembly’s proceedings as we are to have them here. Welcome on behalf of all our Members.

On a sadder note, colleagues, I’d like take the opportunity to extend condolences to all of those who lost loved ones since we last met across the territory. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.

In Nunakput, I would like to personally extend condolences to the families of:

• Geddes Wolki Sr., who passed away in Sachs

Harbour. Condolences to his wife, Lena, and the Wolki family;

• Robin Gruben of Tuktoyaktuk, condolences to

his parents, Roger and Winnie Gruben, and family;

• Therese Voudrach of Tuktoyaktuk, condolences

to her daughter Karen and to her family;

• Jessica Jerome from out of Yellowknife.

Condolences to Tootsie Jerome and Chauna Kikoak, who I grew up with in Tuk, who lost her daughter this past week here in Yellowknife. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you.

• Roy Inuktalik of Ulukhaktok, condolences to his

wife, Kate Inuktalik, and family.

Also, we’re going to miss a good friend of all of ours in this House, Mr. Ed Jeske. He will be sadly missed here in the House and for our long conversations and coffees with him. I suggest he’ll be sadly missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family on behalf of myself and all Members.

Colleagues, I know that we will all give thoughtful consideration to the important work we have before us over the next weeks ahead during this sitting. I ask you to follow the rules and procedures that we have established to guide the proceedings. As your Speaker, I will assist in any way to make your work here as productive as possible.

Another brief announcement before we begin work here today: please join me in wishing our colleagues Ms. Bisaro and Mr. Beaulieu a very happy birthday here today in the House.

---Applause

What a great day to begin a budget session.

---Laughter

Item 3, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that I will deliver the budget address on Thursday, May 24, 2012. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Item 4, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about fairness. This government has an obligation to consider decentralization of government programs and services. We can’t change where some things are located, where there is a river, a lake, rare earths, diamonds, natural deposits. We can’t change where those things are located and the industry that may spring up around them, but we can certainly change the economic outlook for our regions and for our communities.

Centralization of government is a self-perpetuating problem. The more centralization occurs, the more rationale there is for more centralization. Growth spawns a capacity, and capacity attracts growth. Someone has to have the political will to stand up for what is fair. This is what is fair: that this government, with its resources, use every opportunity possible to bring this question to bear. This is the question: Is this a service, a program, a project, a position, an activity, a meeting or a departmental activity that could be carried out within a community or a region outside the capital?

No one wants to deny Yellowknife its prosperity, but it isn’t necessary to sit back, to the detriment to the regions, and watch Yellowknife thrive. Businesses will make choices based on their interests of their enterprises and we do not control that, but the GNWT has the opportunity to consider, within the parameters of efficiency and effectiveness, the goals and mandates of this government to bring this lens of fairness to the decision it makes. Left to the bureaucracy, I am sad to say, I doubt that this kind of decentralization will happen.

I am looking for strong political leadership to put actions to the statements that we say we want

strong and viable regions, communities, and where we have the opportunity to positively affect this, Mr. Speaker, I believe that we as a government have to stop talking and we have to start to see some actions.

Now, I believe this is a government that can do it. I have every confidence that this Premier, this Cabinet, this 17th Legislative Assembly is the

government that is going to start to bring real action to decentralization in support of communities and regions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A couple of months ago I spoke strongly about the procurement dealings of this government on the highway for bypass project. I am returning once again to this House on such topic.

I indicated then, this is not the last time I will be speaking to the House for the ill-fitted Negotiated Contracts Policy and how such policy undermines our territory’s ability to protect public first in what is already an established market economy.

You see, few disagree that Yellowknife itself is at full market capacity. As such, things are very competitive in the highway construction industry. All businesses, large and small, strongly depend on the ability to bid competitively on contracts to meet the needs of their workers and overall business survival. Negotiated contracts in what is deemed a market economy do not make sense and, in my humble opinion, goes against the grain of such policy intent.

My broad brush approach on this subject has always been about the policy itself in areas where capacity building is not required, and that any further destruction of the use of such policy in already established economies will do nothing more than create division, and upset the established competitive advantages of the taxpayer.

Interestingly enough, this very community is in a divisive stance right now. The root cause of this community’s standoff is occurring a mere stone’s throw from this Legislative Assembly and is being fueled by anger, confusion and lack of trust from the government being transparent and open with its people.

For months now I have been asking this government and the Transportation Minister for a Cabinet justification paper on the highway for bypass project. Shamefully, I must indicate to the Members of this House that I received a formal response only this morning, the first day of session.

What I received was not a Cabinet justification paper but reference to a confidential Cabinet decision paper that will not be shared with the Regular Members. Not only is this not fair to the Members of the House and the residents of the NWT, but to the proponent itself who is patiently waiting and wondering why this government has not signed the negotiated contract papers.

One needs to ask: Why the delays? Why the secrecy? Interestingly, an article today in our local paper caught my attention and sheds an even more unique spin to the already controversial subject before us. The writer talks about the Negotiated Contracts Policy in reference to the great Trojan horse style of politics, where metaphorically this government is allowing backdoor, hidden agendas and deals to infiltrate our public purse. Cleverly, the writer envisions that capacity building could also produce an air of ill-fated cannibalism of sorts amongst government oversubscribed companies. In essence, the very aspect of helping build capacity itself will create destruction of others. If memory serves me, let’s hope that fate for the people of the Northwest Territories will not fall for this same level of catastrophe as the villagers of Troy.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

I will be discussing once again during oral questions with the Minister of Transportation on this subject to make sure that taxpayers and residents of NWT are getting a fair price for this project, that money is being spent in the North and that jobs are truly going to Northerners. In the end, I have said all along that opportunity, not exclusivity, is to be the way of this government, and that transparency and accountability cannot take a backseat for the people of the Northwest Territories.

I ask once again for this government, the Minister of Transportation and the department to come forward with clean hands and to justify why an exclusive highway contract was used in Yellowknife. I believe we owe it to the hardworking taxpayers, a fair and reasonable explanation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It has been a tough six months for our territory. We have lost many of our residents to illnesses, accidents, desperation and old age. We had one recently, as you mentioned earlier. Some we have lost years before their time; some a bit before their time; and some who left us after a life well lived. All had contributions yet to be made. We will miss each

and every one. My heart goes out to the families and the friends of each of them.

The circumstances around each death were different, but one death here in Yellowknife was particularly troubling to many of us. A constituent reflected on that death and on another one, as well, and shared the following: “A few thoughts post-demise of two Inuit women: The lack of culturally relevant services in Yellowknife may be a factor in our failure to effectively assist these women who resorted to desperate acts and ended their lives. In Yellowknife, the locus of control for services to women at risk to harm themselves or others is not within the culture of these clients. Services are provided by Caucasians with political savvy and proposal writing skills. Nunavut is focusing on both language and cultural aspects in these sensitive and difficult areas of service provision. Maybe there needs to be a reallocation of government funds to ensure services are as culturally relevant as possible.”

I read that comment and it struck a chord with me. We are blessed with great diversity in our territory and in the North, but that diversity is also an impediment. Our service providers often must deal with people from different cultures, speaking different languages. They do their best, but do we provide them with the necessary training so they are comfortable in their job, comfortable dealing with our diverse population?

People do not always make the effort to understand each other, to accept our differences. It is human nature to take the easy way out, especially if we have no background training or knowledge to help us understand a different culture. As a government, we have to recognize that failing and do something about it.

The RCMP announced recently that they will establish an Aboriginal Advisory Committee here in the NWT. I applaud that move. How we treat each other depends on how well we understand each other. We cannot understand and treat the actions of someone who is not like us, without some effort. That the RCMP has recognized that and is willing to take action to correct the situation is good news.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

For a start, the RCMP wants their members to learn local culture, meet with chief and council and attend a feast soon after they arrive in the community. For our part, the GNWT has to do something similar. We have to recognize the diversity of the clients we provide services for. We have to then educate and train our service providers so they understand the diversity and the different cultures that make up our great territory so our service providers can understand why a client

acts as they do and provide service that is as culturally relevant as possible.

If we don’t, as my constituents powerfully stated, the carnage will continue. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Colleagues, before we go on I’d like to welcome back former Member, Minister, Premier, Mr. Jim Antoine, into the House. Welcome.

---Applause

The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Devolution is the process of taking over responsibility for managing lands and resources. Devolution has been going on for more than 200 years, so it’s important to know the history.

Most of the devolution had Britain and then Canada taking over resources from Aboriginal peoples. It has been done subject to the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the Rupert’s Land Act in 1868, Treaty 8 in 1899, Treaty 11 in 1921, and into modern times.

Treaty 11 is seen by the Dene as a peace and friendship treaty with the Crown, but the treaty was spurred by the discovery of oil and gas in Norman Wells and the written version included extinguishment of Aboriginal rights to land and resources.

The process sped up after the treaties, when more people streamed into this land bringing disease, famine, hardships, residential schools and reserves. The Natural Resources Transfers Act in 1930 covering the western provinces is another example of devolution without any consultation with First Nations.

Assimilation of Aboriginal peoples in Canada was still a policy in 1969 when it was published by then Indian Affairs Minister Jean Chretien in the aptly named White Paper.

I’m proud to say that in the past 40 years the Aboriginal peoples of Canada and the North have organized and fought back in court in the Berger Inquiry, repatriation of the Constitution, land claims, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and so on. It is a fight to change the fundamental relationship between First Nations in Canada.

Where does the GNWT fit in? It delivers programs and services on behalf of Canada, but now the GNWT wants to take control of lands and resources. This government is unilaterally pushing for devolution to itself; this government has done an end run around the recommendations of the Bourque Commission, the Denendeh Government Proposal, the Western Constitutional Forum and the Constitutional Alliance. It is an approach that

may alienate Aboriginal groups and spur more legal challenges. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about the market disruption caused by the Minister of Transportation and this McLeod government by sole sourcing the Highway No. 4 realignment, which frankly, Mr. Speaker, wouldn’t pass the smell test of ITI’s Market Disruption Policy.

As we all know, Minister Ramsay has been consistently critical of sole-sourced contracts as a Member in this Assembly, but now he’s in Cabinet, he’s reversed his position; because if you listen to the concerns in the community, you would hear people referring to him as Reverse Ramsay now, the new champion of sole source.

Because only Reverse Ramsay, they say, can now justify the meddling in a healthy, well-established environment, local industry. People are asking where is the old Ramsay, as they hang their head low, but now the Minister of Transportation will justify his new founded love for sole-sourced contracts with dismal comments such as they approached us, it’s better for the taxpayer, we are building capacity. So accordingly, as the people see it, and as well as they say it, this McLeod government is finally shedding light on what little respect they have for the taxpayers and the local industry. The Minister will try to use the guise of a negotiated contract with sleight of hand, but really he just means sole sourced by another name, and he will talk about community benefits. Sadly, none of these would even matter to Member Ramsay if he was sitting on this side of the House, because I could hear him now screaming as he drives up to the rafters yelling for an RFP.

So just like the children’s story book is called, “Where’s Waldo,” the public is asking where is Ramsay.

The actions of the McLeod government show that they stand behind market disruption as their new policy in our capital area, which is a competitive area; a very vibrant one, I may add. So people ask why are they trying to attract business if they do what they’ve just done. What about the BIP policy? Does it not matter? Why are we encouraging northern business to invest here if we’re just going to do what they’re doing?

I’d like to quote Member Ramsay, as he’s clearly put on the record a number of times: “My difficulty is when contracts are handed over.” Another one: “The public asks us as political leaders to govern in a fashion that is fair, open and transparent. We are

the protectors of the public purse.” Here’s another one: “Why is this happening when the work should rightfully go to an RFP?” My personal favourite is: “I’m not suggesting that the people who have received these contracts are not competent, I’m not suggesting that they are not offering a fair price. What I’m saying is that there’s no way to be sure of either of these things and if we do not use a competitive process like a tender or an RFP...”

So all I’m asking for is do the right thing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I was thrilled to be part of a small change in our government wherein the Commissioner delivered a throne speech, and this is symbolic because it sets the tone and direction of our government for the future years to come. However, I was dismayed that the address failed to mention two words important to me, my people and my constituency: Highway No. 7.

So it means to me that it is not a priority of this government and I see it as a failure to take care of my people and their needs. I have been trying very hard to get the attention of this government for Highway No. 7 for the past nine years. Never has a session gone by where I haven’t done a Member’s statement on this subject. I feel like I’m a lone voice crying from the wilderness.

I will continue to raise this issue during this particular session in the House, in Committee of the Whole and in our committee meetings. I’d truly like to see this government put those two words in the next throne speech, and I believe that with the support of my colleagues and support of Cabinet, we can make this a priority of our government and we should not fail the people any further. Mahsi cho.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to do my Member’s statement on a critical situation that we find ourselves in in Inuvik. It’s the gas situation. I’ve had conversations with certain Ministers over this and we are working hard to find a solution in Inuvik and we’re looking at trying to get support from this government.

During our most current business planning sessions that we had last month and part of this month, all

the departments recognize the gas situation as something that we’ve got to take into consideration when they’re planning the business plans, how it’s going to affect them. What some don’t realize is that in Inuvik where we’re going through this situation and the cost of living is already high, what I’m concerned about is we’re going to start losing professionals from the community. We’re going to lose teachers; we’re going to lose nurses; we’re going to lose caregivers and people who run programs and services, because they can’t afford to pay those prices. Businesses are going to be affected very hard. They’re going to have to accrue their costs somehow, which means they’re going to increase the goods and services that they provide to the residents of Inuvik and it’s going to put those residents into a poverty situation, which will impact income support.

The situation doesn’t only affect Inuvik, but it’s going to have a rippling effect right across the Northwest Territories. You will see it, and if this government doesn’t make the commitments to address the issue and look at how we can mitigate them, I know where we are making some of our buildings and turning them over to diesel, but the money that’s going into mitigating the effects of this situation could be better spent by investing it into a long-term solution for Inuvik so that later on we don’t have to pay the price. Invest now and we won’t have to pay later.

Throughout this government, throughout this session I will continue to speak on the situation. In Inuvik right now we see a lot of homes up for sale since the announcement of the gas situation in Inuvik. It’s something that we need to address, something that we’d like to get some support on from this government that the residents of Inuvik don’t have to go through some hard times here.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This House has debated and put in place a responsible policy that allows for negotiated contracts. It was created to “lead to benefits for businesses or residents which could not reasonably be expected to be achieved through competitive contracting, or contribute to the creation, growth and competitive capacity of Northwest Territories-based businesses.” This policy has regularly been applied in appropriate cases across the NWT, with major benefits accruing to our residents and businesses.

A couple of my colleagues have questioned the application of this policy for the Giant Mine bypass road through the Chief Drygeese territory. Rather than attacking the policy, they have attacked this

application. This to me is wrong-headed, achieves little and ignores the benefits the policy was intended to create.

A negotiated contract with Det’on Cho means our NWT tax dollars will stay in the NWT economy. Det’on Cho has invested $10 million – all spent locally – to purchase equipment that will be used on the Giant Mine road realignment. It’s mounted major training programs locally to ensure people are ready and able to get to work. That training, in fact, paid off with an 85 percent Aboriginal hiring rate on the successful Detah road project, which has only been partially funded to date.

The negotiated contract for a small portion of the Detah road was completed on time and on budget, with the participation of an array of locally owned subcontractors. Thanks to that contract, Det’on Cho now has a start on equipment, staff, experience and business partnerships to deliver a cost effective and quality realignment of the trail through Giant Mine.

For the Yellowknives First Nation owners of Det’on Cho, the highway realignment is also part of the long overdue remediation of the environmental disaster inflicted on Akaitcho lands.

Over the years the Yellowknives Dene have lost use and occupation of traditional lands and have suffered the introduction of poisons into the environment they rely upon and cherish. They have not had the opportunity to participate in the development of industry capacity which exists today. The Giant bypass project begins to address some of this harm, by promoting the prosperity of those who have been most affected.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

The Negotiated Contracts Policy exists for good reasons, and I’m glad we’ve put it to good use here. If there are problems with the policy, let’s have a discussion, but let’s not wait until the policy happens to be applied in our own backyard to speak out on it.

I look forward to the successful completion of the contract negotiations and the flow of benefits to our local economy that will result. I will have questions for the Minister of Transportation.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to add my Member’s statement today to talk about the potential benefits to the Sahtu region of the Northwest Territories. I want to say, first of all, congratulations to the GNWT and their negotiating

team for working with the people in the Sahtu and allowing them flexibility, and more importantly, for the Sahtu people to come to a decision to sit at the negotiating table on devolution. This gives them some flexibility to come, as I said in my press release, to negotiate our own faith within the Sahtu and the Northwest Territories.

This is not a done deal yet; however, we can see the benefits of us coming to the table and to take ownership of our own destiny. I wanted to say this first of all in my Member’s statement: Congratulations to the leadership and the people in the Sahtu.

I also want to say that as part of this process, and my colleague the honourable Member for Hay River Mrs. Groenewegen talked about, was the issue of decentralization and putting the decentralization process to work. We want to see results where programs, services and, more importantly, the positions are going to go into the regions and not automatically assume that the city of Yellowknife and the buildings here are going to have them. The bureaucracy needs to know that they need to put these positions in the regions and not make it easier for us as government to say it has to go to Yellowknife because it makes more sense. It makes more sense to see the services go to the regions. That’s what I’m going to be harping on this government, to hold them accountable and see if your words are real true to us and put these positions in the regions where they make more sense to my people. We’ll wait and see that approach for me.

I do want to say that’s my forewarning to the Cabinet members; that I will be here, as any other Members, to hold them accountable and transfer them and make sure that government does what is says it’s going to do.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In today’s Hub, my local newspaper, I was quoted on a discussion that I had to have with the press about our new health care facility in Hay River. This should be an exciting time for our new facility; however, there are many people in the community that are concerned that this new health care facility will be downgraded from the current hospital that we have today. The residents of Hay River are concerned that they will have to travel to Yellowknife and southern areas to have blood work, patient care and medical services done, because the facility is being downgraded. I know this is not the fact; however, the Department of Health has not been doing anything in this public relations mess.

In response to all the negative press, the two MLAs – myself and Mrs. Groenewegen – have had a meeting with the department to clear up this mess, to hopefully bury this issue. The department indicated that there was no plan to downgrade the service but that the facility would be the future of Hay River and would also be a benefit for 50 years. If it was going to be a benefit for 50 years, the difficulty that I have is the 10 long-term care beds that we have there now are not in the existing design for the new building. How can it be the future for 50 years if it doesn’t meet today’s needs?

This is a large problem in Hay River. Our population is not getting any younger. Like the rest of Canada, we are getting older. I will have questions for the Minister of Health later today.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This afternoon I want to talk about spring, which I know is in all of our minds. This simple word has many meanings, but to most of us it is a celebration. We once celebrated surviving the long, cold winter and also a successful trapping season. We celebrated by travelling to the nearest outpost or settlement and by feasting and dancing with our families, neighbours and community. Today we celebrate with jamborees, and of course we still feast and dance and celebrate our friendships. For the fortunate people who live on the banks of our rivers, we depend on spring to bring us fresh water, fish, and migratory ducks and geese.

I want to remind my colleagues that for me spring is a time to harvest for my family and provide for my elders. That is what my parents taught me. First provide for the elders and those who cannot go hunting, then have enough for your own family.

I also want to remind everyone that we must take precautions during spring. With the ice moving and waters flowing, fast rivers are very dangerous, especially for the little ones who are very curious and want to explore. We need to educate them about the dangers of fast flowing waters. Even experienced hunters need to be careful. We need to wear lifejackets in our boats and look out for our neighbours.

Our government should also be prepared for spring. For example, there is a good chance there will again be some flooding in Aklavik. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs should be ready in case Aklavik and other communities need help. The community of Aklavik has not fully recovered from the last big flood, when the

government assistance was not available for the community.

I will have questions for the Minister later today. Have a safe and enjoyable spring, everyone.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. The honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. Robert McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to recognize a constituent of mine and mayor of the Town of Inuvik, Mr. Denny Rodgers. Welcome.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I also would like to recognize Chief Jim Antoine – welcome to the gallery – and my assistant, Ms. Pearl Norwegian, who is here for this week. Great to see them travelling.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize the mayor of Inuvik, Denny Rodgers, and Chief Jim Antoine, who both have been strong role models for leaders across the Northwest Territories.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just saw her a few minutes ago; I think she’s still up there. I’d like to recognize Sandra Taylor. She’s the president of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society. I, too, at this time, would like to recognize the wise elder Jim Antoine.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Pastor Emmanuel Adam. He’s not my constituent, he’s yours, but I appreciate the good work he does in Tuktoyaktuk. Often when my husband has visited up there, he’s stopped in at the church and I do not think we can underestimate the good spiritual leadership provided by our pastors here in the North.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. I, too, would like to welcome Pastor Emmanuel Adam from Tuk. Thank you for coming down and taking part in our opening day today here in the House. Mayor of Inuvik Denny Rodgers, a good friend too. Welcome to the House. Everybody that’s here,

welcome to the Legislative Assembly’s proceedings.

Item 6, acknowledgements. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to acknowledge all those ladies who were recognized with regional Wise Women awards this year. This is a very prestigious group of women who in their regions deserve to be recognized at a territorial level. It is my pleasure to acknowledge our selections this year.

Mrs. Ethel Blondin-Andrew has been chosen for many reasons, and for many reasons I will not list them here, only to say it was a wise choice. I want to say thank you to Ethel, and continue to lead where no man dares to lead.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In following up on my Member’s statement, my questions are for the Minister of Transportation. I want to note that the development of the Giant Mine never delivered economic benefits to the people of the Drygeese territory. It crippled the subsistence wealth of their traditional lands and left a legacy of poisons to deal with. If Giant were a new mine being developed today, an economic benefits agreement would certainly be in place as a first order.

Suppose that this mine were being developed today, based on his experience over the last 12 years of diamond and other mining developments in the territory, what economic benefits would the Minister see as the basic opportunities made available for the YKDFN economic participation?

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. David Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In answering the Member’s question, I think the Northwest Territories has come a long way when it comes to developing mines in our territory. We have resources like the Mackenzie Valley Resource

Management Act, and certainly back in the 1930s, a property like Giant, the Aboriginal community at the time wouldn’t have access to impact benefit agreements. There was no such thing as a socio-economic agreement with the government of the day.

Nowadays, when we develop new mines in this territory, there are such items like IBAs and socio-economic agreements where Aboriginal governments and companies can avail themselves of opportunities from resource development in our territory. That includes business opportunities, education, training and employment opportunities. Certainly, with the advance of diamond mining in our territory, many of our communities, especially in the North Slave region of our territory, have benefited tremendously from the development of our resources here. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for those comments. As I’ve noted, some critics of this negotiated contract underway right now claim that we already have a full, competitive complement capable of this project. I don’t disagree with them on that point. Yet, as I said, YKDFN’s Det’on Cho Corporation is taking root today because that First Nations’ participation was never promoted when the mine was developed.

I’m wondering what are the Minister’s views on ensuring that Det’on Cho is enabled to join the ranks of our successful First Nations and other development corporations and finally get an opportunity to join the competitive capacity of industry on their own traditional lands. Thank you.

Certainly, through the Detah access road program that Det’on Cho was involved in, they have proven themselves. I believe this will just benefit Det’on Cho and the Yellowknives Dene tremendously, in that it will give their members more opportunities for employment, for education and for training their own people and advancing their capacity.

As I mentioned, with Giant Mine being on the very doorstep of Chief Drygeese territory, I think having the Giant Mine Liability Fund fund the work of the realignment of Highway No. 4, it’s the very least this government could do to help the Yellowknives Dene on Chief Drygeese territory.

Thanks to the Minister for those comments again. The Detah road, as the Minister mentioned, is actually an unfinished project because of lack of government funds, and I’m hoping we can find some. But it’s a prime example of the good work being done by Det’on Cho. I’m wondering if the Minister can outline some of the local and territorial economic benefits resulting from this negotiated contract, assuming that there’s some monitoring of those benefits.

Certainly, I talked about the employment opportunities that came as a result of the $6 million negotiated contract between the government and Det’on Cho on the Detah access road. We have to identify further funds to allow that project to continue, and we will be continuing to look for further funding opportunities to continue the work on the Detah access road.

But specific to opportunities, I know Det’on Cho provided a great deal of training in partnership with Flemming College, and also with the Mine Training Society here in the NWT. The quarry was used for field training, drilling and blasting, and it resulted in numerous employment opportunities for First Nation members of the Yellowknives Dene on that project.

Thank you, Minister Ramsay. Final supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to just follow that up by stating that I am aware that there are a number of local and regional corporations who have expressed an interest in participating with the Det’on Cho on this project. As part of the negotiations for establishing the contract, what steps is the department taking to ensure a full complement of local subcontractors are included in the Det’on Cho Giant bypass work?

Mr. Speaker, the negotiations will be concluded here shortly, but certainly the Det’on Cho proposal will include a wide variety of local and northern businesses that will help Det’on Cho as they work to construct the realignment of Highway No. 4. They also will need some support in the areas of administration and management and other areas, and we look forward to seeing a finalized negotiation with Det’on Cho that will include that wide array of northern businesses that will help Det’on Cho achieve the work that’s there.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As most people in this House know, Hay River is an entrepreneurial, resilient little town that has bounced back from many losses; thinking back not so far to the loss of Pine Point as our neighbours, and we have continued to hold our own. But it’s time, although we try to stay very positive, it is time to sound the alarm. I feel the pain of my colleagues from Inuvik, as well, with what they’re facing. The Mackenzie Gas Project is being deferred, it would appear. Electricity rates are going up. There are lots of things pressing in upon us, and we now look

to the government and say what can the government do to help us get through this difficult time. Of course, in the backdrop are the ever looming global economy issues which we see on the news.

I’d like to ask the Premier if the government has a position or a stance at this time on the significance and the issue of decentralization in the interest of fairness. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can tell the Member that she can count on us. We are supportive of decentralization and we are beginning plans to take that under consideration. Thank you.

I’d like to ask the Premier, is he prepared to, I guess, issue a decree as the leader here in the North to his Cabinet colleagues and to the people in the bureaucracy that this is something we are serious about. Not to do things that are insensible, but to seriously analyze opportunities to do things in the regions, in communities outside of Yellowknife wherever possible. Is he prepared to put that message out in a way that we can recognize it and see it? Thank you.

At the start of the 17th Assembly, one of the priorities that was identified by this Caucus or all the Members was decentralization. We are starting work in that direction. We are looking at doing inventories on what’s available in the communities. We are looking at it from a deputy minister level, to identify those programs and positions and divisions that could be considered for decentralization.

I want to say that Hay River has capacity. We have affordable homes. We have space available. We have schools that need more children in there to populate our schools. We have capacity. There’s nothing infrastructure-wise that we need to add to be able to absorb some of the government.

One of the biggest decisions that came out of the program review office was to build another $40 million office building in Yellowknife. Maybe it’s time to re-profile the program review office to analyzing department or government-wide opportunities for decentralization. Perhaps we should change their mandate. Is that something the Premier could support?

One of the commitments we have made to committee is that we will work with them as we deal with decentralization, and I’m quite prepared to look at the program review office, if that will assist us in dealing with this initiative of this government.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Your final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that there are a lot of skills contained in that office and certainly we don’t want to make rash moves without sufficient analysis before we would make moves in the area of decentralization, but I just want to say that I do appreciate the Premier’s public commitment here today and his willingness to look at this. I thank him very much. Thank you.

In looking at other successful initiatives on decentralization, generally it works best when you make fast decisions and move quickly on it, so we are working very closely with the committees on this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Human Resources. I would like to follow up on some of the thoughts in my Member’s statement. I spoke about the diversity within our territory and the need for our service providers to have an understanding of the diversity that exists, of the different languages and the different cultures that exist within our territory. I feel that we as a government have to change our mindset and we also have to change our mindset as workers. What programs exist now that go to training our service providers to be culturally aware so that they can provide culturally relevant service to our clients? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To date there is no standardized GNWT training available to staff to make sure that they are aware of the different cultures and are prepared to deal with those situations here in the Northwest Territories. But in our strategic plan, 20/20, building a public service, we are committed to actually pursue that training and put that training into place.

To that end, a request proposal for Aboriginal cultural awareness training has just been concluded. We are about to award that contract and develop appropriate culturally relevant training here in the Northwest Territories for GNWT staff so that they can be aware of the different cultures here in the North, just like the Member is suggesting.

Thanks to the Minister. I appreciate that we may not have anything at this point and he is going to work towards something, but in the

interim we have nothing. We put people into a job where they are required to deal with clients, particularly in Yellowknife where they are dealing with an extremely diverse group of clients. In the interim, until we get this training that we are going to do, what does the Department of Human Resources do to help our client service providers?

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, we have done an RFP and we are concluding that right now. We will have training. We are planning to roll out a pilot in the fall of 2012 that will be available to employees in the Northwest Territories of the GNWT so that they are aware of the different cultures and aware of the realities that they have to deal with here in the Northwest Territories.

As far as other departments, other departments have different programs, depending on the types of programs they are responsible for. The Department of Justice does have cultural sensitivity training as part of their corrections officer training in the facilities. So different departments have different types of training, but the Department of Human Resources doesn’t have, as I indicated, a territorial-wide program and that is what we are working on now.

Thanks to the Minister. Everything I have heard is in the future. I’m looking for something that is going to happen a little sooner than the fall of this year, although I’m glad to hear that there will be something even though it is a small thing and it’s a pilot.

The people who come to our service providers are very often in pain, they are struggling, they are at wits’ end. If they are not adequately understood, we see the horrendous ramifications that we have experienced in the last several months, particularly here in Yellowknife. I feel that the Department of Human Resources should be taking the lead on training for all of the government. They certainly provide training in many other areas. Does the Minister recognize that this is an area – and I would hope he would say yes, because he is going to develop a territorial-wide policy – but can we not do something now that will assist our client service providers, even though it’s not a fully developed training program? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, obviously we agree. Obviously this is something that is important and needs to be done, but it does take time to develop appropriate training. We can’t snap our fingers and have this done overnight. We need to engage the Aboriginal groups. We need to look at the different Aboriginal groups throughout the territory and make sure the training is specific to all the different regions in the Northwest Territories and then we have to put it into place. We have committed to have something in place. We pilot it in

the fall. I stand by that commitment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. Again, everything is in the future. I would hope that the Minister would recognize that the need is now, and yes, we can plan and develop and put frameworks in place, but again I would ask the Minister if he would commit to try to develop something for our service providers before they start the pilot in the fall. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we will have a program in place in the fall to be piloted. I can’t create something with a snap of my fingers. It takes time. We have to consult with the different Aboriginal groups. We have to make sure we have proper input. We have to make sure that the program is going to work. We can put something in place overnight, but I can pretty much guarantee that it’s going to be a failure.

Give us a bit of time to get this done right. The fall is not that far away. It’s May. Summer is here. We will have something ready in the fall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to have a question for the Minister of Health today. In our Caucus priorities, we mentioned enhancing addiction treatment programs using existing infrastructure. Last year during the Forging the Future Youth Conference, they recognized as the number one recommendation was regional treatment centres, with the end goal of creating a full treatment centre for people of the Northwest Territories.

On March 26th I read an editorial that says, the

Minister of Health says that a new addiction treatment centre might not be the best option. It raised a little bit of concern for me and a few other constituents that I have. We are not looking at creating a new treatment centre. We want to provide a service, using what we have right now in the Northwest Territories for the people that need it.

What is the Minister’s plan in looking at creating these treatment centres in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was responding to a piece of infrastructure that possibly could be used for the treatment of youth. What we have discovered is that a youth treatment facility is youth going into a treatment facility may not necessarily work the best. Most youth that enter treatment are forced into a treatment facility. That is why most of the youth that go to a residential treatment facility end up going to the South. But I was suggesting that maybe there is something that can be developed that is community and culturally specific so that the youth can attend treatment closer to home. Thank you.

Last session I asked and got a written question asking for buildings in three of the northern communities, Fort Simpson, Norman Wells and Inuvik. I only received the one for Inuvik and that is a start for this government to move forward to look at these three buildings that can be used as a treatment centre, as the Minister of Health is willing to look at these buildings in Inuvik and look at creating some type of programs. The people in our region – the Beaufort-Delta region, the Sahtu region – that need the treatment have some place to go, that they are comfortable in the environment and that they will have the support of family and friends. Is the Minister committed to looking at those buildings as a possible treatment centre for the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, we are prepared to look at those buildings. When we travelled into the communities, that was something that the community suggested, that perhaps without an in-depth analysis of any sort, the community suggested that maybe this building would be good for a youth treatment facility.

We are prepared to look at that, but first we want to do wellness plans. That is working with the communities, going to the communities, getting some information from the communities so that the communities will tell us what they think will work in the area of treatment of youth and adults, of course. Yes, I think we are prepared to look at the buildings that are suggested, such as the one that was suggested in Inuvik. Thank you.

With that said, we’ve got the buildings in Inuvik, we’ve got the O and M costs. In one of our previous sessions we passed a motion to look at the Old Crow model for programs, which is similar to any community across the Northwest Territories. We’ve got the programs, we’ve got the building, can we somehow put it together and start moving on this so our people who are suffering from addictions and that need the treatment and the help that they need can have someplace to go? Can I ask the Minister where is his department with that motion that we passed here in the House in the previous session?

The department is responding to the Members in the House and responding to the people of the Territories. We are going to be tabling a Mental Health and Addictions Plan this session, and within that plan it talks about the various ways that we’re going to attempt to treat individuals suffering from mental health and addictions.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With the tabling of the document this session, when can we start seeing some action put on that document so that people in the Northwest Territories have an idea of when they can start seeing some services in the communities and in the Northwest Territories? So, can he commit to a time frame of putting that action into place?

It’s a three-year plan, so we’re going to have to do something very quickly. Within this coming budget that’s approved, we’ve got some money put in there. The Standing Committee on Social Programs has asked us to add more money into prevention and treatment, so we’re looking at that. So we don’t have a long, long period to contemplate this. We’re going to start actioning the plan as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement I was discussing the new health care facility in Hay River. My questions today would be for the Minister of Health, pertaining to the new health care centre and our existing hospital. My first question would be: Can the Minister explain to me what the difference between a hospital and health care centre are and is Hay River being downgraded?

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Minister of Health, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What is being built in Hay River is a modern health centre, and the term “hospital” often refers to what is being provided. Tertiary care is being provided in there. In the health centre we will be providing other types of services. We’re going to have acute care beds in the health centre and emergency beds. Essentially all of the services that are being provided by H.H. Williams will be provided in the health centre. Some of the things that may move offsite could be social services, public health and administration, finance and so on. Aside from that, all of the services that are being provided in the

hospital in Hay River now will be provided in the new health centre. Thank you.

In our briefing about the new health care centre, the department indicated that the 10 long-term care beds were not in the current facility design. Will the Minister commit to replacing those beds? We have more demand than we have beds currently in the long-term care facility. So will the Minister commit to that?

Long-term care is not really an appropriate place to be housed in a hospital. The hospital, I guess, is not really an appropriate place to house long-term care, is what I’m trying to say. So what we’re looking at is we do want to take the 10 long-term care beds in the current hospital and move them as part of the overall long-term care units that are being provided in Hay River now.

Right now we are going to be doing a midlife retrofit of the Woodland Manor long-term care facility and that’s going to happen between 2015 and 2020. This hospital is scheduled to start construction this fall and finish over the next couple of years. So we’re trying to time it so that these 10 beds are covered off within Hay River. At the end of the day, those beds will not be lost to the community. Thank you.

My only concerns are he indicated that the facility would be completed before their midterm review for the upgrade of the facility at Woodland Manor. So there’s a year or two where these beds are going to be out in the cold, or these people. Where would we be putting them? I know at Woodland Manor we currently have a wait list. So we’re talking about 10 beds that we’re currently supplying at the hospital and we have a wait list of five. So our demands are at least 15, and like I indicated in my Member’s speech, the aging population in the Northwest Territories and Canada is growing. So our demands for this facility will be higher than what is currently planned for the department. I guess my concern or my question is: How will the Minister close that gap of those dates when the new facility is completed and the upgrades are not completed at Woodland Manor?

The modern health centre in Hay River is scheduled to be completed 100 percent by 2015. We’re going to put into the capital plan, prior to that, the work that is going to be going into Woodland to expand Woodland to accommodate that. So in between I can see where the Member would indicate that there would be some gap. We will be discussing this further with the Members and also with the authority, the local health and social services authority, to close that gap so that people are not out in the cold and those people are accommodated right through the process so that there will always be someplace for them to go, and then eventually lead into the

expansion at Woodland or a facility built on the Woodland Manor site that’s closely affiliated with Woodland Manor. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated in my speech, this is important to Hay River, and to seniors that require these long-term beds it’s very important. Can I get the Minister’s commitment of when the department will attend a public meeting and explain to the public of Hay River what is going on with this facility?

The department and I will be going into Hay River before the end of June to have a public meeting and provide the information to the public. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister of Transportation, I’ve heard the exchange between Premier McLeod and the honourable Member for Hay River, Mrs. Groenewegen, on this decentralization. I want to ask the Minister of Transportation about one issue that’s been bugging me for awhile.

As you know, the issue of the Tulita district, Norman Wells and Tulita, that there seems to be some interest by some oil companies to look at some of the work that could possibly happen. So I wanted to ask the Minister in terms of the decentralization issue – the Premier is saying you can count on us – if the department can look at plans moving their transportation office that will serve the Sahtu, moving it out of Fort Simpson’s regional office and Inuvik’s regional office so that it makes sense. It just makes sense to move those regional offices to the Sahtu rather than have that outside-looking approach where the two different regions are taking care of what we could take care of ourselves. Is the Minister looking at that concept where maybe one day he can convince his Cabinet colleagues to make that move for us?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. David Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As things progress in the Sahtu – and we’re very excited about the prospects that are there – it certainly is something I think that would be in the mix as we look at the opportunities that are there. It’s something that the government certainly should take into consideration and we will do just that.

I’d like to ask the Minister when we can have some serious discussions where this government can say let’s make a move in the Sahtu, let’s look at moving some of the transportation responsibilities to the people in the Sahtu. When can we do that? When can the Minister provide this House and me with some discussion paper that this is the right move to make for this government?

In the Premier’s response to Mrs. Groenewegen, that work is going to start. We’re going to take a look at some of the decentralization and positions that may in fact find their way into the regional centres. Certainly in the case of the Sahtu, that would figure into that mix.

Again, it’s a process that has only just begun. As far as the timeline goes, I wouldn’t want to take a guess at that, but sooner rather than later.

Last year in the Sahtu the oil companies spent $80 million in the Sahtu just for looking at oil and gas exploration. They are expected to do double that this year. Further on they’re supposed to do a little more. We know there is business happening in the Sahtu. We’re asking this government, we’re willing to help the North, will you help us and start by putting some of these regional offices such as transportation? I know sooner sounds a lot better to me than later. Can the Minister, within the three years of this government, at least start seeing some shift of the regional transportation being moved into the Sahtu? Now we’re asking you to help us. I’m hoping that with the Premier’s work you can count on us that we can take that to the bank. Will the Minister look at something that we can do within the next business plan?

Yes, and I think again as things progress in the Sahtu, government has to realize that we’re going to have to look at capacity there. Not just in transportation but in business development and tourism and other things that are just going to be natural for us to be looking at should the population expand there, should the infrastructure expand there, and opportunities are there. We will have to certainly pay attention to that, and again, on the transportation and having an office in the Sahtu, that is something that we will consider.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Minister assure me or the House that he’s bringing these types of discussions to the Cabinet level where they’ll have some discussions? It just makes sense and makes it right that we do, looking at decentralization of a Transportation department and make it into the Sahtu. Will the Minister then provide me with some concrete information saying

that we’re going to have this discussion with the Cabinet? Can the Minister do that for us?

I can assure the Member that I have had those discussions with both my deputy ministers both in Transportation and at ITI. For me we’re going to have to see how that fits into the government-wide initiative when it comes to decentralization and where our resources are based. We will get to that work.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today will be for the Minister of Transportation. There’s no doubt that there’s been a lot of flurry of activity in the media lately regarding the Highway No. 4 bypass here in Yellowknife, and for good reason. There’s obviously a lot of concern out there. Contrary to what was reported by the media spokespeople by the Department of Transportation on this highway project and the Negotiated Contracts Policy, there has been more than just one company that’s come forward. There have been many companies that have come forward to seek an interest and, more importantly, an opportunity to bid on this contract.

Can the Minister of Transportation indicate to this House and to the Members here what was said and what was done with these hardworking Yellowknife taxpaying companies who did not get an opportunity to do an RFP?