This is page numbers 2617 - 2654 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 4th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was work.

Topics

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If our Electoral Boundaries Commission has its way, my Deh Cho riding will not exist in the next election. It will be folded into a large group of far-off communities. This is true of every proposal made by the Boundaries Commission.

This is unjust. It may comply with the cold, hard numbers a court suggested as standards for the composition of a riding, but this is a classic example of how the numbers do not tell the true story.

Even now, Members who live in Yellowknife are fairly quickly available to their constituents most of the time. But an MLA with many isolated communities in his or her riding has little time to visit them all. We spend half the year in Yellowknife away from home. For example, we've been here for about five weeks, in addition to our other business travel.

The proposal for 18 ridings would shift the Hay River Reserve into the Hay River North district. It also eliminates the Tu Nedhe riding. The result would leave the rest of the communities now in the Deh Cho riding with Lutselk'e, Fort Resolution, Whati, Gameti and Wekweeti.

I am pleased to say that many people in these small communities only speak their first language. However, there are three Dene languages in the proposed riding. It is very unlikely that any MLA would speak them all. There are also three Dene land claims covering this riding, and Metis claims as well. There are also competing interests in claims among these groups. The MLA's ability to represent them all would be seriously impaired.

That same riding as is proposed, if there are 19 seats in the Assembly as there are now, once the lines are moved, most of the people of the Deh Cho would end up in the riding with three Monfwi and Tu Nedhe communities. However, the Hay River Reserve would still be moving to the Hay River North. Cultural difference seems to have been ignored.

The Boundaries Commission has also suggested adding two seats, for a total of 21 ridings. That is near the Deh Cho communities, including the Hay River Reserve, will be linked up with the three small Monfwi communities. People in my riding do not see wisdom in this. The Tu Nedhe communities would be combined in a riding with Detah, Ndilo and residents of the Ingraham Trail beyond Yellowknife's boundaries. These proposals technically give every vote something we might call equal power, but votes are not the only source of power, and day to day with any of the people in the affected ridings would actually be better represented.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

The Tu Nedhe communities would be combined in a riding with Detah, Ndilo and residents of the Ingraham Trail beyond Yellowknife's boundaries. These proposals technically give every vote something we might call equal power, but these votes are not the only source of power, and day to day with any of the people in the affected ridings would actually be better represented. I think anyone who knows NWT would say no, and emphatically no at that.

I don't know if there are any ways to improve on these proposals, but I cannot support the choices offered by the Boundaries Commission. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to share my comments on the report of the Auditor General on the NWT income security programs, a report released last week.

Income support is supposed to help people who have no other way to pay for basics such as food, shelter and clothing. The core shelter benefit is for rent or mortgage, utilities, damage deposit, home insurance and so on. The core essential benefit is for food, clothing, personal needs, transportation, telephone and household supplies. This audit looked at four income security programs, the Income Assistance Program, the Student Financial Assistance program, the senior home heating subsidy and the Child Care User Subsidy. For anyone remotely associated with income security, it was no surprise that the report was scathing.

A quick perusal of the report's table of contents shows the following problems with these programs, problems which have long been recognized and suffered through by income security clients and the organizations who help them. They are:

  • inconsistent processing of client applications;
  • payments not made on time and incorrect payments, either too much or too little;
  • forms and back-up paperwork lost or misplaced;
  • inadequately trained staff and insufficient opportunities for staff training;
  • not enough staff to handle the workload;
  • staff overburdened with work, handling too many files;
  • inconsistencies with how different officials apply the rules to applications;
  • management not adequately monitoring staff performance;
  • a lack of clear processes to support program delivery and manage the work; and
  • limited assessment of program performance.

All of these deficiencies indicate a division at Education, Culture and Employment that is not operating as it should. It results in clients who suffer the consequences, a reduced quality of life and a lack of self-respect, both of which the Income Security Program is supposed to avoid.

I would like to quote a constituent I recently met with to discuss consistently late support payments. This is her assessment of the current situation: Over the years, there have been numerous problems with income support. It has been bounced from Health and Social Services, where social workers worked with families and knew all the issues, to Education, Culture and Employment where families are falling through the cracks because there is no one department looking at the whole picture.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

My constituent went on to say: Since ECE has taken over, that department has become the enforcer and the two departments, Health and Social Services and Education, Culture and Employment, do not talk to each other. They are in conflicting roles.

The Auditor General's report didn't tell me anything I didn't already know but it does quantify the deficiencies for MLAs, the department and the public. Now as the department formulates its action plan in response to the Auditor General's report, I hope that the department has the blinders off, and I hope they remain objective and honest about their performance and about the Auditor General's findings.

There's an opportunity here for ECE to make some major adjustments to its Income Security Program delivery, to revise it for the better, and revise it to benefit the clients it's intended to serve. I'm happy to see that the department accepts the Auditor General's recommendations. The proof of their commitment will be in the actions they take to fix the problems. I'll be watching for that. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The review of public accounts is the cornerstone of financial accountability and governance in the public sector. In the NWT Legislative Assembly, this oversight is performed by the Standing Committee on Government Operations or, as we like to call it, Gov Ops for short. Our Gov Ops committee works in tandem with the Auditor General of Canada to hold the government to account for its use of public funds and resources. Generally, in overseeing government's expenditures, we examine the financial accounts; we examine whether the government has spent funds for the purposes intended by the Legislature; we examine whether funds spent were with due regard to economy and efficiencies; and we evaluate governance means to measure its own effectiveness.

In our modified Westminster system of politics, the Auditor General of Canada has the power to report the findings to the Legislature but does not have the sanctioning power. That is, they cannot force departments or agencies to correct deficiencies. Therefore, the Gov Ops committee plays an essential role in bringing about corrective action by endorsing the Auditor General's findings and recommends corrective action.

Sadly, during the 15th and 16th Assemblies, the standing committee chose not to address public accounts as part of its mandate. As a result, there was no standing committee review for public accounts until last year's closed-door review, which was eight years in waiting.

Excitingly, we have turned a new corner and I'm pleased to report that this Friday at 11:30 a.m. the present Standing Committee of Government Operations will, for the first time in the history of the NWT, publicly broadcast our review of the public accounts for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Our Gov Ops committee, chaired by Mr. Nadli, comprises of Ms. Bisaro, Mr. Yakeleya, Mr. Moses and myself, and we look forward to shedding transparency and clarity to our public purse. We want the people of the NWT to know that this committee has fought hard to bring back the proper oversight expected by their elected officials and we look forward to tabling our findings later this spring. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the Minister of Public Works and Services for his very comprehensive Minister's statement today: Diamond Jenness Secondary School Renovations.

It just seems like yesterday that I was standing up in this House waving that thick volume of material that was the technical review of the Diamond Jenness Secondary School and I guess lobbying hard on the government to get that midlife update done on it, and I'm happy to celebrate with the citizens of Hay River on June 29th when we have the unveiling, the reopening of the new and improved Diamond Jenness Secondary School. This event will take place on June 29th and it will coincide with probably the biggest ever homecoming hosted by Hay River. Many, many former graduates of Diamond Jenness Secondary School will be there to celebrate with us, and we have a graduate of that school with us here in the Chamber today, a fine specimen of the GNWT education system, my colleague from Hay River North, Mr. Bouchard.

I'd also like to say that maybe we can televise the grand reopening of the high school on our new Bell Vu channel. I would like to thank again the GNWT, the contractors, the staff at Diamond Jenness, the teachers. About midway through the renovation the Minister was down and we did a tour, and we saw boxes and incoming supplies and everything all over the place. So although it's a happy thing to get your school renovated, it does take a lot of patience for the staff and the teachers who work around a major renovation like that all the while keeping the school open, and for the students as well, I'd like to thank them.

So now we have the Purple People Eater, as it is fondly known, that will remain on Hay River's landscape as a landmark, as a tourist attraction and probably the most remarkable purple school anywhere. Now with this new improved school, with decentralization, we just need more government jobs so more people can fill it up. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Member for Thebacha, Mr. Miltenberger.

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd just like to take this very brief opportunity to thank the Pages for all their work here. In particular, I'd like to recognize two Pages from P.W. Kaeser High School in Fort Smith, Anna Gervais and Aurora Vassal in the corner over there. I want to thank them for their hard work. They came here during a good week. They got to see the Prime Minister and were here during some very, very important proceedings.

I'd also like to thank Anna's hardworking grandmother, who has been chaperoning them for the week.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This week the crew members of Her Majesty's Canadian ship Yellowknife are conducting a namesake city visit here in the city of Yellowknife. During their namesake city visit they will be conducting a number of civic outreach activities with charities, schools, Aboriginal and government organizations, as well as participating in the Long John Jamboree. I had an opportunity to tour the ship late last fall and it was a great opportunity to meet the crew, tour the boat and thank the members of the crew for all the important work that they do for the residents of the Northwest Territories. Later today I will be recognizing a few of the crew members in the gallery.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use my last Member's statement of this long winter session to pay tribute to a Canadian icon who died recently - as my friend Mr. Bouchard also did - the one and only Stompin' Tom Connors.

Stompin' Tom was a friend to all Canadians and wrote timeless songs about our great country from sea to sea. In his honour, I'd like to perform my own version of a song he didn't write but often performed.

I was walking the winter road from Tulita to Norman Wells

when along came a trucker like a bat out of hell.

If you're going to The Wells, he says,

with me you can ride.

I climbed in the cab

and then settled down inside.

He asked me if I'd ever seen a goat road

quite so bad as this.

I said, listen, bud, I've travelled every road

from Tuktoyaktuk to Fort Smith.

I've been everywhere, man,

I've been everywhere, man.

Hiking the Canol Trail, man,

I breathed the mountain air, man.

Travel, I had my share of travel, man.

I've been everywhere, man.

Where ye have been, he says?

Oh, let me see now, a couple places.

I've been to Salt River, Trout Lake, Midway, McPherson,

Taltson, Porcupine, Carcajou, Coppermine,

Detah, Dory Point, Fort Res, Checkpoint,

Behchoko, Gameti, Wekweeti, Whati,

Hay River times two, Boot Lake, Sahtu.

I've been everywhere, man,

I've been everywhere, man.

Drove the Ingraham Trail, man,

I've breathed the mountain air, man.

Travel, I've done my share, man,

I've been everywhere, man.

Now this truck driver turns to me and says,

Look, buddy, you ain't the Sahtu George Jones,

you want to get out and walk?

And I say, why? Somebody else wants to talk?

Inuvik, Aklavik, Ndilo, Tsiigehtchic,

Huskey Lake, Kelly Lake, Lac de Gras, Enodah,

Fort Liard, Fort Good Hope, Wrigley, Paulatuk,

Twin Lakes, Colville, up, up, up in Tuk

K'atlodeeche, Jean Marie, Nahanni Butte, Lidlii Kue

Fort Providence, Jean Marie, it's okay in Lutselk'e.

Now this truck driver says, Look here, buddy,

I'm sick and tired of hearing you talk about all those small communities.

How about a few places from good ol' Yellowknife?

Like Range Lake, Great Slave, Weledeh, Frame Lake,

YK Centre, YK South, Kam Lake

Two more seats for YK? Give me a break!

---Laughter

---Applause

I've been everywhere, man. Everywhere. Ever good, man.

Cross the barrens bare, man,

I've breathed the Arctic air, man.

I'll always be a Sahtu man!

So safe travels to my fellow MLAs, man.

And to you too, Stompin' Tom.

We'll miss you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

I see when you retire you do have a future. Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. McLeod.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My colleague from Boot Lake said it well, before me, when he said we have to thank our families for all the time we're down here. I've got my wife, Judy, up in the gallery. I thank her for her support. I've also got up in the gallery, my sister-in-law Debbie. Welcome to the Assembly. We also have Ellen McDonald and Melissa McDonald, both from Inuvik.

We have been here for a long time. We've been here for six weeks and my grandchildren are watching. I'm coming home tomorrow and, yes, I bought you something.

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Abernethy.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize a couple of individuals from Her Majesty's Canadian ship, the Yellowknife. When I toured this ship last August, I was reminded several times it's a ship, not a boat. I had a note from one of the Members who has indicated that I've called it a boat already. I apologize for that. With us today are Lieutenant-Commander Cory Gleason, the new commanding officer of the HMCS Yellowknife; Petty Officer First Class Calvin Langager, the coxswain and senior non-commissioned officer of the ship; with us as well is Lieutenant David Connelly, the Aboriginal and Northern Affairs advisor Joint Task Force North and vice-chair of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council. Welcome, and thank you for all that you do.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Beaulieu.

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Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to recognize some people from the health authorities and Health and Social Services. These individuals are taking advanced investigations training. We have Cheryl Abraham, Fort Providence, Deh Cho Health and Social Services; Jocelyn MacLean, Fort Simpson, Deh Cho Health and Social Services; Debbie Greenland, Inuvik, Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services; Lisa Norris, Aklavik, Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services; Ellen McDonald, Inuvik; Melissa McDonald, Inuvik; Tasha Lake, Yellowknife; Amanda Neville, Yellowknife; Vanessa Rankin, Yellowknife; Cheryl Armstrong, Yellowknife, all from the YK Health and Social Services; Elaine Sanchioni, Tulita, Sahtu Health and Social Services; Carlie Tucker, Behchoko, Tlicho Community Services Agency; Brian Kolback, Department of Health and Social Services; Anneka Westergreen, Department of Health and Social Services; Lynn Barry from the Canadian Society of Investigation of Child Abuse; and, of course, Judy McLeod, Inuvik, Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services.

Also today I notice Graeme Drew, who is the senior admin officer from Lutselk'e Dene First Nations.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Bromley.

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Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to recognize David Connelly, a resident of Weledeh, here with his colleagues. I would also like to recognize Peter Redvers here representing Sambaa K'e Dene Band of Trout Lake and Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation of Kakisa and their considerable work on the Protected Areas Strategy.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Yakeleya.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

Page 2625

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize the two Colville Lake Pages, Chantell Orlias and Lecy Gully. Both are here this week.

I'd also like to, along with my colleague Mr. Abernethy, recognize the YK ship crew from Vancouver. I appreciate the tour there.

Also some former high school students, Debbie Greenland; of course, Mr. McLeod's wife, Judy, and the mental health worker from Tulita, Elaine. Also a good friend of mine, Peter Redvers.