This is page numbers 2333 – 2388 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 community.

Topics

Jane Groenewegen

Jane Groenewegen Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I’ll be interested in monitoring how that goes, that agreement, that commitment that the Minister is talking about, because I have already started to hear rumblings, some very strange rumblings with regard to the commitment to the socio-economic agreement.

I would like to ask the Minister, when he talks about commitment, is that something that is in writing? Because you understand that when you’re trying to open a mine, you’re going to be making a lot of commitments to the folks you’re dealing with because that’s when we’ve got more leverage. I’d like to ask the Minister what makes him feel assured that this is actually going to transfer over.

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

That would come from the ownership at Harry Winston and their commitment to the Northwest Territories to see diamond mining be a success here in the NWT. We’ve got every assurance from the ownership at Harry Winston that will happen. We have known them for a number of years now, having been partial owner at

the Diavik Mine, and we certainly look forward to their continued involvement in diamond mining here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Item 8, written questions. Mr. Moses.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have written questions today for the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding the NWT Mental Health Act for treatment data for the fiscal year 2009-2010 to the present.

1. In accordance with Section 6.(a) and (b) of the

Mental Health Act, how many voluntary patients applied for hospital admittance in the Northwest Territories and how many of those voluntary patients were denied admittance due to a lack of beds and/or space?

2. In accordance with Section 8.(1) of the Mental

Health Act, in how many cases has a medical practitioner had to make an order for the detention of a patient for a psychiatric assessment?

3. In accordance with Section 8.(3) of the Mental

Health Act, how many reports has the Minister’s office received?

4. In accordance with Section 15.(1) of the Mental

Health Act, how many times has a medical practitioner had to apply to admit an involuntary patient?

5. Under Section 16.(1) and (2) of the Mental

Health Act, how many applications has the Minister examined, and how many of those were approved and how many refused?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Item 9, returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Tim Mercer Clerk Of The House

Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to Written Question 14-17(4) asked by Mr. Hawkins on February 20, 2013, to the Honourable Jackson Lafferty, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, regarding reduction in inclusive schooling funding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In the spring of 2012, the Members of the Legislative Assembly encouraged me to use the

information from the program review office (PRO), and other studies to develop more effective strategies for the development and education of our children. On February 16, 2012, the PRO had noted that Inclusive Schooling funding was well beyond legislated levels.

On May 31, 2012, the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning (SCOPP) recommended to the Premier a number of actions respecting Early Childhood Development, including the transfer of some resources from Inclusive Schooling to Early Childhood Development beginning in 2012-13.

I agreed with the Members about the need to take immediate action to reallocate Inclusive Schooling funding in order to invest in early childhood programs.

On June 7, 2012, the Premier informed SCOPP that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) would re-profile $1 million from Inclusive Schooling to increase Early Childhood Development funding for 2012-13.

The ECE strategy chosen was to move $1 million from the $27 million Inclusive Schooling budget to early childhood programs. We decided to move funds from those areas of the Inclusive Schooling funding formula that did not directly impact staffing levels or services to students. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. 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. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled GNWT Response to Motion 20-17(3), Mental Health and Addictions Resources. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Mr. Miltenberger.

Bill 3: Wildlife Act
Second Reading of Bills

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 3, Wildlife Act, be read for the second time.

This bill replaces the Wildlife Act. It modernizes wildlife management processes in a manner consistent with land claim agreements. Provisions respecting the harvest of wildlife were updated and measures for the protection of wildlife habitat are included. Consequential amendments are made to the Environmental Protection Act, the Forest Management Act and the Herd and Fencing Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 3: Wildlife Act
Second Reading of Bills

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Bill 3 has had second reading.

---Carried

Bill 3: Wildlife Act
Second Reading of Bills

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Table Document 9-17(4), NWT Main Estimates, 2013-2014; and Bill 1, Tlicho Statutes Amendment Act; Education, Culture and Employment, Transportation, with Mrs. Groenewegen in the chair.

By the authority given to me as Speaker, by Motion 1-17(4), I hereby authorize the House to sit beyond the daily hour of adjournment to consider the business before the House.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

March 4th, 2013

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee today? Mr. Dolynny.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. Committee wishes to continue deliberations on Transportation with the main estimates and then Municipal and Community Affairs.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you. We will resume with that after a short break.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

---SHORT RECESS

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. When we left off yesterday we were dealing with the Department of Transportation main estimates. I would like to ask Minister Ramsay if he would like to bring witnesses into the Chamber.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Yes, please, Madam Chair.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Is committee agreed?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Agreed. Thank you. I’ll ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses to the table.

For the record, Mr. Ramsay, could you please introduce your witnesses.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. To my right I’ve got Russell Neudorf, deputy minister of the Department of Transportation. To my left, Mr. Daniel Auger, assistant deputy minister, Department of Transportation.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Minister Ramsay. We will start with general comments on the Department of Transportation. Any general comments on the Department of Transportation? Mr. Dolynny.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Daryl Dolynny

Daryl Dolynny Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’m going to start my conversation possibly where I left off earlier today in my Member’s statement. Really, when it was brought forward the first time to the public’s light, was the $299 million cost estimate that was provided to the federal government from this department. Now, in reading the opening comments of the Minister, I was struck back that this number is now being carried forward as a number for negotiations. We’ve heard earlier that the Minister is not closing or doing any deals. Anything that we were talking outside of this $299 million is deemed hypothetical, which I do have a concern with that comment.

I guess the roundabout is the fact that this is going to be, by and large, probably the second or third largest expenditure on our public purse, one in which, I think, the public needs to have an active voice, not only at the end stage of negotiations but during the stage of negotiations. I think it’s very clear to the public that we are venturing down a pathway to which the public has had very little information. The Members here have had, and I do appreciate the fact the Minister has been upfront and has brought some information, and I say some, not all information. But the general public, to this day, is still seeking that information.

Given the fact that this is an open process, this budget process is open, I find it fairly interesting that the Minister would actually include this information in his opening address, yet has not provided any details or level of detail to which I believe that the public is deserving of. For that, I would ask, in the Minister’s comments, to include why. Why are we not sharing this information? Why are we not bringing the public into the light? Why are we not bringing the public up to speed in terms of, as we indicated earlier, the royalties for the granular component? What about the 15 percent of the road that is not accommodated within the cost estimate? What if this 15 percent will encompass barriers or extremely high levels of cost within the

completion of the road? We don’t know that, and I don’t think any of the Members here know that as well.

Also, the issue of the risk matrix, and as a component of a matter of point, this was deemed by the Auditor General of Canada during her deliberations on the Deh Cho Bridge as being a very weak project and a very weak process of this government. Our job as Members is to clearly put a lens on making improvements, nothing more. We want to see this project go forward as any other project in the Northwest Territories. We’re just accountable for the public purse, and I think the questions that we’re asking are very fair and reasonable in design. I think we need to also get a response back from the Minister that is equally fair and reasonable. Some of the responses that were received are less than I consider appropriate and are obviously causing frustrations amongst the Members here.

I do applaud the general aspect of the Department of Transportation and their main estimates. We are seeing that they are working within their means, but those means also include the fact that we have many other roads of infrastructure that are going to have to be dealt with in the years to come, and really, there’s a lot of concern out there. I know this is not a capital budget; this is an operations budget. I’ll leave it at that. I will have questions for detail as we go from page to page, but I really strongly encourage the Minister to not heed to the political Mackenzie two-step that goes with a project of this magnitude and to cooperate fully with the Members, cooperate fully with the public, and let’s just share the information. That’s all we’re asking. Share what we’ve got today. Let’s not wait to hear back from the feds. Let’s not wait until we’ve got to a make a five-minute decision on a $300 million project. Let the public be aware. That’s all I’m asking. Thank you.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair Jane Groenewegen

General comments. Ms. Bisaro.