Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In response to the annual report of the rental officer and questions raised in the House, the department undertook a review of the act through a contractor here in Yellowknife, and information about the review and the issues that were brought up were shared with the Standing Committee on Social Programs in December 2012. The review is based on a series of interviews as well as examinations and other discussions with individuals who had concerns about the Residential Tenancies Act.

Initial consultation work is underway and is going to be completed soon. We expect that we’ll be coming forward with an LP to standing committee in the fall to make revisions to the Residential Tenancies Act.

There are eight core issues that have been identified in the report that we’ll be dealing with: securing a tenure in public housing, application of the act to transitional housing, enforcement of orders, unofficial occupants, conversion to public housing, retention of the inspection report, and consistency with the Condominium Act and tenants’ liability and domestic violence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, that is certainly good news. The issue I think I didn’t hear the Minister speak to is protection for renters. Is there a chance to look at opportunities to create some type of rent protection measure?

As we all know, the act allows landlords to raise the rent once a year, only on that anniversary, but the problem with that is they could raise it to any amount. If your rent is $2,000 and they say, well, let’s raise it to $5,000, which is something legally we can’t stop them from doing, we need to put a check and safety valve on this process. That is what I’m asking for.

Would the Minister be willing to look at that issue and consider it in the update? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, it is an interesting point. We certainly are willing to have discussion with committee as we bring the LP forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, maybe just one more on the issue of helping complainants bring forward their cause or concerns. When they go to the rental tenancy office, if they are fighting a landlord, quite often, not always, the landlord is well resourced and able to hire a lawyer to fight their perspective, but the little guy or gal who is fighting their cause, for various reasons is under-resourced, and we want a fair hearing.

Would the Minister be willing to look at that type of fairness and find some way to see how we can find our way through this problem? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, it is an interesting concept. We are certainly willing to have that discussion with the committee as we bring the LP forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following two documents, entitled “NWT Arts Strategy Progress Report as of March 31, 2013,” and “Right From the Start: A Framework for Early Childhood Development in the Northwest Territories.” Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Public Works and Services Energy Conservation Projects Annual Report, 2012-2013.” Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Microphone turned off] 32-1(2) of the Financial Administration Act, I wish to table the following document, entitled “List of Interactivity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 for the Period April 1, 2012, to March 31, 2013.” Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Tabling of documents. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table three documents today, the first of which is a copy of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the section where I’ve highlighted regarding the access to information as a Member of this House. Second item, I have a series of e-mails from my office of Range Lake to the office of Minister Abernethy, which deal with the requests and the ATIPP questions regarding the access to information of the Yellowknife downtown construction of the building. The third item is a copy of a bill for Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act in request of such information. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. We’ll take a 10-minute recess.

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Order. Item 17, motions. The honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The motion is in order. To the motion. Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to introduce this motion seeking the support of the Legislative Assembly for the approval of the Northwest Territories Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement. We are here today because we want to seek clear direction from the Legislative Assembly on this question and we will respect the wishes of this House. This is not simply a symbolic motion. We would not have brought forward this motion today if we did not want Members’ support.

When I joined the Prime Minister and the leaders of the Aboriginal governments in this Chamber in March to announce that we had successfully concluded devolution negotiations, I made a commitment to bring this agreement to the floor of this House for approval. We have not done this for other devolution from Canada before and we did not have to do that for this devolution, but we recognize that this is an important agreement, Mr. Speaker. This agreement has the potential to transform the economy of the Northwest Territories, create a future of opportunity and prosperity for all people, give us new tools to manage our environment and help us forge new partnerships with this territory’s Aboriginal governments.

An agreement this significant deserves some attention from the people of the Northwest Territories and from the Members of this Assembly that are elected to represent them and their interests.

We have done our public engagement, Mr. Speaker. We have consulted the territory’s Aboriginal governments. The agreement-in-principle has been publicly available for more than a year and a draft agreement has been available since negotiations have been concluded in March.

Devolution has been a goal of this and previous Legislative Assemblies for many years. When we first met as a Caucus in October 2011, we identified devolution as one of our priorities. We have debated it on the floor of this House many times. We have spent years in negotiations. Now it is time to reap the rewards of that hard work and effort. We have a deal, Mr. Speaker. It is a good deal that creates a solid foundation for a prosperous future.

I am proud of this agreement and I am proud to be able to bring it to Members today to seek the support of this House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The seconder of the motion, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very honoured today to second this motion. This is history in the making in the Northwest Territories.

If I could go back to my campaign material for the last five elections, I’m sure I’d see devolution at the top of every platform, and that is also a part of a platform that I believe everyone in this House ran on. It is an amazing feat, indeed, to see the agreement that has come into place that is before us today.

I see that the newspaper, the Yellowknifer, says that MLAs have no say on devolution. I would like to know about those hours and hours of briefings that I attended, because we certainly did have a lot of information shared with us as it went along, as did our Aboriginal governments and our Aboriginal leaders, and I want to commend them today, too, for their part in this.

Looking back, I’ve said this before in this House, but I’ll say it again, and not to belabour the point, but as over the years I have scanned the landscape for what kind of leadership it would take to pull this agreement together and pull the Aboriginal governments together, and we know that not every Aboriginal government in the Northwest Territories is yet a signatory to the agreement-in-principle or to the Devolution Agreement, but we have high hopes that they will be.

Like I said, as I look back, I wondered, in my own mind, I would see leaders come along and I’d say, who will lead the staff, the technical people to have that relationship with Ottawa. There are so many things that had to come into alignment in order to get to the day where we are today. I would like to very much commend our Premier, Mr. McLeod, for the work that he has done. He picked up the mantle from previous leaders as well.

I remember the day that Premier Floyd Roland signed the agreement-in-principle in the Great Hall with the Metis and the Inuvialuit, and I believe that was a brave move on his part. There was some heckling going on, and I know he had some trepidation, as well, as he embarked on this, because we want a good deal for our people. We don’t want to sign on to something that we cannot believe in and truly endorse, and say that this will advance the aspirations and potential of the people we represent.

Today, as the Premier says, this is a good deal. As everyone knows in negotiations, negotiations are negotiations. There’s no such thing as a perfect deal, but this is a good deal. It’s a start of much work that lies ahead. There’s much legislation to

pen as we go forward, and continued consultations with our partner governments as well, and many things had to align today to bring us to this point.

As I said, I am extremely proud to second this motion, and I am extremely proud of this government and where it has brought the devolution file.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. To the motion. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to add my comments to this motion here. It has been a long time coming. From the small communities in the Sahtu and through my experience of being an MLA for the last nine years and my other years as being a chief negotiator in the Sahtu land claim, and also through the self-government framework in our endeavours to become our own government in our own land, not until I became a Member of the Legislative Assembly did I realize the difficulty and the challenges that we had, and I realized the amount of authority that Ottawa has on our resources, our lands and our water, and how difficult at times it is for them to honour and respect the people in the Northwest Territories.

It came to a point where I made different analogies about the Northwest Territories being the orphans in the Confederation of Canada. We have to go on our knees to beg Ottawa for this and for that. Even the Department of Indian Affairs, at that time, had more power in the Legislative Assembly, and I thought this is not right. Something’s got to be done, and the doors of devolution were opened. Then I said we have a chance.

Then I looked at the economic benefits of this devolution deal, and again, I said Ottawa must have pulled a real fast one on us, because of the amount of millions of dollars they’re pulling out of our resources of our land, and the billions of dollars they have taken away from the Northwest Territories. We are asking for health centres, good schools, roads, training centres. We have eight communities in the Northwest Territories that do not have full-time nurses. Unheard of. We have 11 communities without RCMP officers. Should we not be treated like any other community in Canada that we can assure our residents where we come from that they should have those essential services in our communities? On top of that, we should be the boss of our own land that the unparalleled precedent that this motion talks about is the partnership building with the Aboriginal governments.

We have settled land claims. We are in negotiation with self-government. That will not change. We are building up our own Aboriginal governments, inspiring our young people to go to school in classrooms or go to school on the land, learn education wherever you are going to be – that is

the uniqueness of the Northwest Territories – and work with other regions and other people. We have plenty to dream of. This devolution deal is giving us that. We are going to close one door and now open another door to provinces and futures envisioned, but not keep looking at that door and say, well, this is what it could be.

I know we are strong enough. We are smart enough to look at the challenges before us. That is what makes us Northerners. That’s what makes us Aboriginal communities, leaders and people. That is what this devolution deal is there for. My grandmother said, anything is worthwhile in your life. You have to work hard. It also means commitment and sacrifice. Do more than what you are paid for. This deal has laid a foundation for my little children, your children and the sacrifice we make.

Ottawa is not going to give up easily. I know that in negotiations they fight tooth and nail like it was them that made the land, them that made the water. We know that is not true, but they act that way. They continue. This devolution will give us strength to the people across the Northwest Territories, that if we are to get what we want, we have to negotiate.

Also, someone said, if you want to get to the Promised Land, you have to negotiate your way out of the wilderness. We have to carry our own load. This devolution is scary because it is a means to success. Now we are going to be the owners. Are we scared of success? We cannot blame anybody but ourselves. We can only pat each other on the back and say, do your best.

We are not going to last forever, but our land will. Our land is the boss. If you put your mind to the land, it will make you very strong. That is what the elders would say. Put your mind to the land, and your land and your mind will be strong. Do not be afraid. If you have God with you, he will guide you. He works in mysterious ways.

I think this devolution deal is telling Ottawa, come to a point where we are standing up. The long-term vision is to have a constitutional place in Canada as true, equal partners of the founding fathers, mothers of Canada. It is the Aboriginal people. That is where we are building our relationship, is to honour them.

When I started the self-government negotiations of Tulita, we only imagined our own government. A lot of people said it can’t be done, it won’t be done. I said, okay, continue sitting on the sidelines while we go to work. That is what this devolution is doing for us. We are going to work and not to be afraid and work together and show Ottawa. Take your hands out of our pockets in the Northwest Territories and leave the resources where we need them to help our people. That is what it is doing for us and pushing us to challenge ourselves. That is why this devolution deal is critical at this time, that

we start working together with our partnership, create a North that we want to have. The Northwest Territories can be a very unique type of province.

I applaud all of the people that put this deal together over the years that this is going out and talked about, the people who have made some sacrifices for this devolution deal. The time is right to do this. The timing is right on this one here. At first I said no, no. However, over the time I’ve read and learned about it and I said this is a good deal here, yes.

So I think, Mr. Speaker, that I will continue to support the Sahtu people, and the Sahtu people say yes, we want this deal, let’s negotiate our own destiny, let’s have it in our hands so that we can tell our kids you did it, and you did it and this is the kind of North that we’ve created.

I thank the mover and the seconder for bringing this motion to the floor and I’m glad that we’re finally having this discussion, and I believe and hope, and the Northwest Territories has a lot of hope. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. To the motion. Ms. Bisaro.