Thank you very much. I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the honourable Wendy Bisaro of the electoral district of Frame Lake do take the chair of this House as Acting Speaker for today. Mahsi.

Thank you very much, colleagues. This is an unexpected privilege and pleasure. I’m looking forward to today’s proceedings. It’s a different experience for me. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. Premier McLeod.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report that we continue to make progress on devolution, one of this Assembly’s major priorities.

Recently we saw the leaders of the Sahtu step forward to re-engage directly in devolution negotiations with the Government of the Northwest Territories, Canada, the Inuvialuit and Northwest Territory Métis Nation by signing the Agreement-in-Principle.

As the MLA for Sahtu has noted, the best way to influence negotiations is to be at the table. The devolution process is only made stronger with the Sahtu back at the table.

We hope to welcome other Aboriginal governments back to the negotiating table. There is a place for each of them there and they also will have the option of signing on to the Final Agreement, if they wish to do so.

This government has been working hard to engage with Aboriginal leadership and build respectful relationships with Aboriginal governments. I know that we may not always agree on every issue, but I want to extend my appreciation to the Aboriginal governments that we have been meeting with, for their willingness to engage in respectful dialogue, build understanding of our respective priorities and concerns and to find common ground.

It has now been 16 months since we signed the Devolution AIP. We continue to make progress and hope to conclude negotiations by this fall.

Madam Speaker, devolution is about bringing decision-making over public lands and resources, and rights in respect of water home to the Government of the Northwest Territories. It is about having a more accessible, accountable and responsive government making important decisions around land and resource management. It is about bringing those decisions closer to the people most affected by them. This is something that is long overdue.

Through devolution, greater direct benefits from land and resource development will flow to the people of the Northwest Territories. We will also have access to resource revenues we do not currently receive. If the net fiscal benefit provisions outlined in the Devolution AIP were already in place, an additional $62 million would be available to us this year alone. That is money that we could use to directly benefit the people of the Northwest Territories. That is money that could fund education, health care, environment stewardship

and infrastructure in our communities and many other priorities of this House. Without devolution, these resource royalties will continue to flow to Ottawa.

Working cooperatively with Aboriginal governments who also own and administer their settlement lands is a key feature of our devolution discussions. Chapter 6 of the AIP provides for an intergovernmental forum that would let our governments work together on managing lands and resources in the territory. With participating Aboriginal governments, we are finalizing an agreement that will fulfill this vision. We are also working on a resource revenue sharing agreement that will give Aboriginal governments 25 percent of the net fiscal benefit the Government of the Northwest Territories will receive each year. This will be over and above any resource royalties they collect directly from their own settlement lands. And of course, all citizens – including Aboriginal residents – will benefit from the remaining 75 percent of the net fiscal benefit.

Madam Speaker, it is important to say again that devolution will not interfere with settled claim agreements or those that are under negotiation. In unsettled areas, Aboriginal governments will continue to identify public lands for selection in their land claims, just as they do now. Devolution is not about Aboriginal rights; it is not about treaty rights; it is not about self-government rights; it is about transferring authority over public lands and resources, and rights in respect of water, from the Government of Canada to the Government of the Northwest Territories. Aboriginal and treaty rights will continue to be recognized and applied after devolution just as they are now.

As we work on concluding negotiations and preparing for implementation of devolution, we know that there will be challenges. Resources and effort must be invested in implementation planning in order to meet our objective of seeing as smooth a transition as possible under devolution. With the support of this House, we are laying the ground for a successful transition. Early implementation planning work is well underway and will provide a solid foundation for us to build upon.

As Members know, implementation will require legislative changes. Federal legislation that is currently in place governing land and resource management in the Northwest Territories will need to be amended or repealed by Parliament in order to make room for this Assembly to pass laws governing land and resource management.

In order to implement devolution as smoothly as possible, the AIP makes reference to the Government of the Northwest Territories “substantially mirroring” existing federal legislation. This will allow for certainty and a smooth transition for stakeholders, as well as for staff who will be

joining the Government of the Northwest Territories public service, who are familiar with the existing legislative framework.

Special consideration needs to be given to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. This is unique legislation. It embodies commitments made in the Gwich’in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement, the Sahtu Dene Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement and the Tlicho Agreement. Those agreements set the model for environmental review and assessment in the Mackenzie Valley and the key features of that legislation must remain consistent with the commitments made in the claims. Devolution will not and cannot undo the commitment to have an integrated system of land and water regulation as set out in these modern, constitutionally protected treaties.

In Yukon, the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Act remains federal legislation, with the Yukon government assuming virtually all operational responsibility for that act under a delegation. This type of approach, referred to as delegated authority, preserves the option of drawing down legislation at a later date, but allows for immediate operational authority for the regulatory system. This option is under consideration, and certainly appears to be working well for Yukon, but we will have to weigh the pros and cons carefully. We also need to consider the time that would be required to mirror the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act and whether doing so could run the risk of delaying devolution, particularly since amendments to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act are under consideration by Canada at this time, as part of the national regulatory improvement initiative. Ultimately, we will need to find an approach that works best for the people of the Northwest Territories.

As I just mentioned, Canada’s regulatory improvement initiative is underway. The Government of the Northwest Territories shares Canada’s objective of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Northwest Territories regulatory system. We need only look at our sister territories in Yukon and Nunavut to see the difference that a clear, efficient and stable regulatory system can make in stimulating and attracting the mining sector, and the resulting economic benefits. Although regulatory improvement is a nation-wide initiative driven by the federal government, we are working to ensure that northern views are heard and understood in that process. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report that Canada has been receptive to receiving our suggestions, and we will continue to work with the federal government and Aboriginal governments to improve regulatory processes in the Northwest Territories.

Achieving devolution will be the culmination of decades of work by this government. It will bring tremendous benefit to all residents of the Northwest Territories and this government will achieve it.

Devolution is, of course, a subject that I frequently raise in my conversations with the Prime Minister and Minister Duncan, and the federal government continues to support devolution as a pillar of the Conservative government’s Northern Strategy.

With the continued support of Members of this House, devolution may soon be a reality. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister for Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Our spectacular landscape, vibrant Aboriginal cultures, and beautiful arts and crafts are proving to be marketable attractions for visitors from around the world. With increased visitors, there are increased opportunities for our small and community-based business sector, which diversifies and strengthens our economy. Today I would like to speak about the progress we have made towards developing authentic Aboriginal tourism products in the Northwest Territories.

The Government of the Northwest Territories has provided significant investment over the last year to support efforts to grow the Aboriginal tourism sector. The Aboriginal Tourism Champions Advisory Council was established last July to provide strategic advice on the responsible development of Aboriginal tourism in the NWT. Its main mission is to oversee the planning, development and implementation of an Aboriginal tourism framework strategy.

Just last month the council hosted a two-day Aboriginal tourism forum in Detah, sponsored by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment. The forum’s theme was “Sharing Our Culture” and provided an ideal opportunity for representatives from Aboriginal tourism operators and government to share ideas and set priorities for developing Aboriginal tourism.

Participants also heard from Aboriginal tourism operators from across Canada. These successful business owners shared best practices, experiences and information about Aboriginal tourism products in their areas. I am happy to report that the forum was a success.

I would like to thank MLA Robert Hawkins, chair of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure, for attending on my behalf.

Forum participants said they appreciated the opportunity to meet and hear concerns and ideas from other attendees, and to consult directly with those involved in the industry on how to advance Aboriginal tourism development in the NWT. Participants also said they looked forward to sharing their cultures with visitors to the NWT.

With information gathered at the forum, the council will now dedicate the next year to developing and shaping the actual strategy. The council is aiming to complete the strategy by spring 2013, and specific tactics in the strategy will be put in place soon after that.

Madam Speaker, we have great potential, capacity and enthusiasm in the NWT to develop and establish Aboriginal tourism, and share our diverse cultures with the world.

A strong tourism industry is a key element in achieving our Assembly’s goal of a diversified and healthy economy that provides all regions and communities with opportunities and choices. We must continue to do all we can to drive growth of the Aboriginal tourism sector in our territory. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister responsible for Persons with Disabilities, Mr. Beaulieu.

Madam Speaker, this Assembly has a vision of strong individuals, families and communities sharing in the benefits and responsibilities of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories. Our vision includes persons with disabilities.

June 4

th to 8

th is Disability Awareness Week in the

Northwest Territories. Each year Disability Awareness Week gives us an opportunity to celebrate and recognize the contributions persons with disabilities make to our communities in spite of the many challenges they may face every day. This year’s theme is Broadening our Acceptance, Through Accessibility.

Most of us take accessibility for granted. Access to a service, building or business is not something we think about unless we don’t have access.

Accessibility means access to educational opportunities, employment or recreation.

It also means access to medical facilities and services, churches and grocery stores.

Accessibility means people with disabilities can participate in the aspects of daily life that most of us take for granted.

It means the world to the person who needs it.

Madam Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services will continue to work with the health authorities and stakeholders to improve the quality of life of Northerners with disabilities by providing the appropriate access to sustainable programs and services.

Everybody has the right to live with dignity. Providing funding that gives opportunities for people with disabilities so that they can live more independently and contribute to their communities is important. The services that we offer through the health and social services authorities include home care, where home support workers provide assistance with personal care, light housework and meal preparation. Respite services that are offered through the Home Care Program provide temporary relief for families taking care of their loved ones who have disabilities. We also provide funding for supportive living. Supportive living helps adults 19 and over with assistance to promote their independence, dignity, personal choices and being involved in the community through the provision of residential services and a day program.

The Department of Health and Social Services supports the work of the NWT Disabilities Council, the NWT Autism Society, the Yellowknife Association for Community Living, the YWCA, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association.

These organizations all provide invaluable support to persons with disabilities, promote inclusion and independence, and help to meet the needs and rights of persons with disabilities. I want to acknowledge the staff of these organizations for their excellent work and their commitment to persons with disabilities.

Madam Speaker, we also recognize the family members and volunteers who play a significant role in the care of NWT residents with disabilities.

To highlight NWT Disability Awareness Week, I am pleased to host the annual tea in the Great Hall. This is an opportunity to acknowledge the staff, volunteers and businesses that work to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities in the NWT. Their efforts make a real difference. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am very pleased to rise today to talk about an issue

that is important to each of us in this Assembly. That issue is drowning prevention.

We all know people in our communities whose lives are lost needlessly due to drowning. It is a needless waste of human life and potential. It is a devastating loss for our communities, people and families.

Between 1998 and 2008, an average of seven people annually drowned in the Northwest Territories. Eighty-four percent of the drownings were male and alcohol played a factor one-third of the time. Failure to wear a lifejacket was the major reason people drown. I am pleased to say that since 2008 the numbers have greatly improved, and last year there were no drownings at all. I believe it’s primarily due to an increase in the number of people who are wearing lifejackets instead of leaving them at home or on the floor of the boats.

The effort to persuade people to wear lifejackets takes many forms. This afternoon I had the privilege of having lunch with one of my constituents, a young lady from Trout Lake named Katrina Deneron, who entered and won a poster contest to promote the use of lifejackets. I will have the opportunity to introduce this young lady at the appropriate time and we will have a ceremony at the break to honour her.

In the meantime, I want to say that when the young people take the lead on this important issue, we need to pay attention, Madam Speaker. Mahsi cho.

Thank you to the Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Member for Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Over the last few months, we’ve been able to review business plans and now we’re reviewing the current operating budget. Throughout the process, one of my main concerns has been that there’s been a large amount of positions in headquarters and in Yellowknife.

At the beginning of this Assembly we set out as a priority that getting jobs in the communities was one of our priorities. Little of that priority has been seen or placed in the past business plans and the current budget reflects very little of that.

I have heard all the excuses, such as: it will come with devolution; we cannot move those positions; it costs more in the communities; employees need to meet more regularly. Excuses. Excuses why not. This decentralization of positions needs to start now. Devolution may take time and it may come with a bunch of excuses as well.

The excuse that people need to meet on a regular basis or communicate, with today’s technology, that communication should be done easily through technology, through Face Time, through Skype, through e-mail, by phone. I believe that moving positions into the regions and communities will benefit all. Stronger communities will be less dependent on government programs and help the economy in those communities. People will come back to love Yellowknife and spend more money here.

I believe that these positions in the communities are an important future for the NWT. Quit coming up with reasons why not. Tell us on this side of the House how we are going to get the jobs in the communities to benefit the North.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today I’d like to dedicate my Member’s statement to recent high school graduates. In fact, I’d like to thank all graduates throughout the Northwest Territories for accomplishing their goals, including Aurora College.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t spend a bit of time today to congratulate the special class of 2012 graduates of St. Pat’s High School, who recently celebrated their march, prom dance, church service, and cap and gown ceremony this past weekend.

As a Member of this Assembly and as a proud father in attendance, it made me both happy and proud to see the fruits of much of our hard work and dedication on display. As Members, we sometimes tend to focus on large-picture education issues and trying to foster better education systems for our people. Sometimes we forget that our system is doing a pretty good job in delivering a solid performance.

With many witnesses, this past weekend was a high school of 94 St. Pat’s graduates with poise, faith and community spirit. As you listened to their graduation speeches, their toasts and their intentions after high school, you immediately received a sense of pride knowing that this new crop of community leaders had the right tools and attitude to attain their goals and dreams.

I would like to point out some thank yous, Madam Speaker.

To the administration of the Yellowknife catholic school system and to the teachers of St. Pat’s High School for all their hard work and determination in guiding our children for tomorrow’s challenges, thank you.

To the parents who helped the dry grad ceremonies and family entertainment, who put on a safe and memorable event for our students, thank you.

To all the family that came great distances to celebrate this event, safe journeys on the return home and thank you for sharing that special day.

To you graduates of St. Pat’s High School – and to all graduates, as I mentioned, throughout the territory – as you celebrate your accomplishments, I wish to leave you my sincere congratulations in attaining your goals. We hope that many of you will continue your pursuit in either the trades or post-secondary studies and it is the hope of this Assembly that you will return one day with your newly minted tools and talents and make the Northwest Territories your future.

Until that day, Madam Speaker, we await with open arms upon your return. Thank you very much.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today I also wanted to recognize that today is the kickoff for NWT Disabilities Week. I just wanted to add on to what the Minister of Health and Social Services had said and bring a couple more little items to attention for everybody across the Northwest Territories on how important and significant this week actually is.

According to studies, the approximate number of individuals that self-identify with disabilities in the NWT is one in nine. That is 11 percent of our population that self-identifies. The numbers could be higher and more significant. That’s why we need to take action. I’m really happy to hear that the Minister did make a commitment to working with all organizations throughout this government.

In 2010 Canada ratified the UN Convention Rights for Persons with Disabilities. This is the right of full inclusion for every person. Only through ensuring accessibility in all aspects of a person’s life can there be full acceptance and inclusion. This includes the removal of all visible and invisible barriers that restrict access to activities and services. Until this is accomplished, individuals with disabilities will continue to experience a lesser accessibility to housing, education, employment, medical or health, recreational, community, social and required services. Pretty well the whole gamut of services that are provided in the Northwest Territories. We need to act on that today and bring it to the attention as we move forward through this week.

I’ve said this many times over in this Assembly and made some good comments about it. The NWT has a lot of great resources that we can build upon and invest in, but our number one resource is our people. Regardless of whether they’re disabled or there are other language barriers or anything, we have to invest in our people so that we can have a strong economic future.

I’d like to also commend all the hard work of all people working with people with disabilities. Specifically, the NWT Disability Council, who’s putting on some great events this week, and also the Inuvik Disability Council, who I volunteer for on numerous occasions and invest in the hard work that they do for people of the Northwest Territories and my community back home. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Over the last nine years since I’ve been the MLA for Sahtu, I’ve been working with several governments and this government here, the last government and this government here, I really want to, I guess, express mine and my people’s appreciation to the 16

th and to this government here. We keep our eye

on the prize of a long-term care facility.

In the Sahtu, many of our people, the elders, people that need 24-hour care, often have to go outside the region to get the long-term care facilities that they need. For example, in the Dementia Centre here in Yellowknife there are five people from the Sahtu at that centre. There is one at the Aven Manor. There is another at the Stanton Territorial Hospital, one in Fort Simpson and one in Inuvik.

When the Minister of Health and Social Services and I went over to the Sahtu to do the community tour, we stopped in Deline, and the Deline people really expressed the need for a long-term care facility or a place where their elders can at least be placed at a home in their community. We talked about Norman Wells being a place where it was approved a long-term care facility would be put there.

My people want to come home. Too many of my people have gone out of the region and have died in those facilities, only to be brought back in caskets so that they can have their funeral. It really bothers my people that they have to go out and that’s possibly the last time their grandchildren, or their children, or their relatives see them alive. They are asking that the government keeps their eye on the prize to have a long-term care facility in the Sahtu and work with the people in Deline at looking

at a temporary place where they can at least have their elders come back and they can live their last days on this land with their own people.

I’m going to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services about the status of this long-term care facility in the Sahtu. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. We have many problems of housing within our communities. In my region, in 2009 the NWT Housing Corporation considered 40 percent of the homes to be in core need. We are always talking about public housing, but we have lots of homeowners in the Mackenzie Delta. In Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic, almost half of the homes are privately owned. In Aklavik it is about one-third, but that is still about 80 houses.

Many homeowners have a hard time keeping their houses in good shape. Upkeep in Fort McPherson or Aklavik is a far cry from a situation in Yellowknife. If you want to replace a window, a door, insulation, or some siding, you will probably have to order it and then wait quite awhile before it arrives. When it does, the freight will add a lot of costs.

You can’t just call your contractor to do the work. In many small communities there are very few contractors. If you do find qualified people to repair or maintain your house, it is very expensive. Some homeowners just can’t afford it. This is especially true for elders who can no longer do the basic maintenance themselves. That is how good houses slide into core need. If it goes on too long, these houses become unfit to live in.

You know that the NWT Housing Corporation plans to improve its care of home maintenance programs. The goal is to make it easier to access and increase the assistance limit to $3,000. But these changes are not due until August. We will miss the summer season in the Delta and Nunakput.

You know very well that $3,000 does not go very far in most of the communities. I don’t see much home maintenance and training being done. I would like to see local teams making rounds of homes in need of repair and doing the work at an affordable cost. We could use the jobs too. Thank you, Madam Speaker.