Good afternoon, colleagues. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, responsible mineral exploration and development strengthens our territorial economy and helps to provide each region with opportunities and choices.

Later today I will be tabling the Mineral Development Strategy Implementation Plan, which will put the recommendations made in the Mineral Development Strategy into place. The creation of an environmentally sustainable NWT Mineral Development Strategy was a key priority of the 17th Legislative Assembly and it establishes a comprehensive plan to ensure the long-term growth of a sustainable mining industry that will create jobs and economic opportunities for the people of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, this implementation plan was a partnership effort and was developed in conjunction with the NWT and Nunavut Chamber of Mines. I also want to thank the members of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure for their input and guidance on the Mineral Development Strategy and the Implementation Plan.

The implementation plan puts the strategy into action by establishing concrete goals, objectives and timelines, and ensures we make progress in the five key areas of importance outlined in the Mineral Development Strategy. These include growing a sustainable mining sector, encouraging responsible mineral development and exploration, improving geoscience information and research, enhancing Aboriginal capacity and creating a Mining Incentive Program.

Some of these actions have already been put in place or are underway. The Mining Incentive Program was launched this past June. It was overwhelmingly popular and was oversubscribed by 200 percent in its very first year. This program aims to offset some of the financial risk associated with grassroots mineral exploration in the NWT, which we anticipate will result in increased investment in the territory and employment opportunities for residents.

The completion of the implementation plan is timely as we are seeing increased exploration activity in the NWT with rejuvenated interest in diamonds. In addition, the mining recorders office has received more than 300 new mineral claim applications since Devolution on April 1st , and the majority of these

claims are located around the existing diamond mines.

Mr. Speaker, the mining industry has been a pillar of the Northwest Territories’ economy for more than 80 years. In addition to being the largest private sector contributor to the NWT economy, the mining industry is also the largest private sector employer. The Mineral Development Strategy and Implementation Plan will help us to ensure the mining industry continues to be a key contributor to the NWT’s economic growth.

The implementation plan will continue to be evaluated and updated as we move forward, to ensure that actions remain relevant and effective, and we will continue to collaborate with our partners and work together to promote the NWT as an exciting place to work and invest.

Mr. Speaker, a key element of devolution was that this government would gain the tools to shape and direct the economic growth of the NWT. Capitalizing on our full potential takes the kind of strategic thought and planning that is reflected in the Mineral Development Strategy and Implementation Plan. I look forward to working with Members to advance the implementation plan and to achieve this Assembly’s vision of a prosperous territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Lands, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands is responsible for managing and administering Territorial Lands and Commissioner’s Land. Territorial Lands are public lands formerly administered by the federal government and devolved to the Government of the Northwest Territories on April 1, 2014. Commissioner’s Land is public land already under the GNWT’s jurisdiction and formerly administered by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Prior to April 1st of this year, the GNWT was

only responsible for 0.02 percent of the land mass, or roughly 2,700 square kilometres. Post-devolution we are now responsible for 85 percent of the land mass of the NWT, or 1.15 million square kilometres.

At this time, Commissioner’s Land and newly devolved Territorial Lands are managed and administered under separate legislation and policy frameworks. Now that the GNWT manages the majority of public land in the NWT, we need to develop new recreational leasing policies that apply to both types of land.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands has begun work on a new Recreational Land Management Framework. The Recreational Land Management Framework will help to harmonize the department’s approach to recreational land management while taking into account existing legislation, regulations and policies. Our goal is to ensure that decisions on recreational leasing consider potential land use needs and that land is managed in a transparent and consistent manner across the territory.

The Recreational Land Management Framework will address unauthorized use, access to leasing opportunities, maintaining public access to popular sites, and protecting areas of ecological and cultural value. It will also include area-specific studies and planning to address local land management issues like high demand for recreational leases.

One area that will be studied is the Ingraham Trail and Highway No. 3 area near Yellowknife, outside of the existing subdivisions. Lands has begun a land use plan scoping study to evaluate the potential benefits of an area-specific land use plan for this area.

The Government of the Northwest Territories will engage Aboriginal governments as it develops the framework, both individually and through the Intergovernmental Council, which was established to give parties to the Devolution Agreement the opportunity to collaborate on land management issues. Letters advising Aboriginal governments of our plans and inviting them to participate have already been sent.

The department will also engage with the public and key stakeholders to identify their interests and concerns about recreational land management as part of developing the framework. The department will post the draft framework on its website so that the public and stakeholders can review, ask questions and provide feedback.

While the Recreational Land Management Framework is being developed, no new applications will be accepted in the focus area. This will ensure the conditions of future leases meet the most up-to-date standards and guidelines. I want to emphasize that existing leases in good standing will not be impacted. Commercial activity will not be affected.

Notwithstanding this, Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands will also be examining options in the short term for managing vacant, previously surveyed lots within existing subdivisions in the focus area.

Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear that the GNWT is also taking action against unauthorized occupancy across the Northwest Territories. We have recently enforced a court order to remove an individual and their belongings at a site that was unlawfully occupied. The department has also increased the number of inspections it conducts in order to identify all unauthorized users and has stepped up efforts to raise public awareness.

Guided by the Land Use and Sustainability Framework, the Department of Lands is committed to managing public land in a fair, transparent and sustainable manner to ensure that rural land across the NWT is managed in a way that reflects traditional use and northern priorities.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, Northerners care about the land and want to enjoy access to rural land for recreational purposes across the Northwest Territories. The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to ensuring that access is responsive to the priorities of our residents and respects traditional use, both now and into the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Deputy Premier, Mr. Lafferty.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the Premier will be absent from the House for today and tomorrow to attend the Fourth Annual Women’s Summit in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Colleagues, before we go on today, I’d like to recognize in the House today with us representative Bob Herron from Bethel, Alaska, champion of Alaskan policy and a real friend of the NWT. Welcome to the House.

Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I listen to my colleagues in this House share the stories of their communities and their regions with respect to the costs of living, and I hear of stories of people who want to leave the North because of the cost of living and people who feel they don’t have options to stay here, I think this government does have a role to play in helping to quantify some of that seemingly anecdotal information. I don’t know if we’ve undertaken an exercise like this lately, but I think the government should look at the different communities. We cannot compare Tuktoyaktuk cost of living to Yellowknife. I know back in the days of EDI, they used to have, for purposes of business development, level I, level II, level III communities. So I think for starters we could compare apples to apples a little more closely if we compared regional centres, if we compared small communities and if we compared Yellowknife as a stand-alone community, because things are quite different here in Yellowknife from a household income point of view and also from a cost of living point of view.

I do think we have a role to play as government, but many things about the cost of living are kind of subjective. Now, you can talk about the price of kilowatt per hour and you can talk about some hard data, but a lot of things are based on personal choices and people’s personal priorities. For example, some people want to drive a new car every few years and some are happy to drive the same car for 10 years. Some people want to buy a new snow machine and harvest their own wildlife on the land. Some people would rather stay home and take that as money and go to the grocery store and buy it.

There are so many subjective aspects to this issue of cost of living. Mr. Miltenberger so aptly pointed out the other day, our government does try to offset those costs, and I think he mentioned a number of $200 million a year in subsidies to try to offset the costs that people incur.

I grew up in south western Ontario in a home with humble means with five children, and my parents always had to pay the Ontario health insurance premium bill when it came every month. That’s unheard of in the Northwest Territories. We don’t pay health insurance up here, and when you get to be 60 it gets even sweeter I’m finding out as my husband is turning 60 next month.

---Laughter

I’m way far behind.

---Laughter

I think that the Government of the Northwest Territories should develop some hard data, some good comparisons on the cost of living comparing apples to apples, oranges to oranges, comparing other jurisdictions in Canada and let’s get some hard facts. Then when people say they are leaving because they can’t afford the cost of living, we have some information to come back to them, and we can also look at some initiatives as a government how we can further target some of these costs and help people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This week is Small Business Week in the Northwest Territories. Small business contributes much more than revenue and services to communities; they strengthen the social fabric and cultural identity of the places we call home. They are strong sponsors and volunteers.

Yellowknife is blessed with entrepreneurs who provide services, goods and employment enriching our lives and being good neighbours. Weledeh itself is rich with businesses that produce healthy ripples throughout the community. The arts, recycling, outdoor guiding and recreation, clothing, furniture, restaurants and accommodation are a few examples. In fact, small entrepreneurs from throughout Yellowknife are coming together to support the sale of their wares to the public through the wildly successful Yellowknife Farmers Market at Somba K’e Civic Plaza operation weekly through the summer in the heart of the city. Today I would like to profile this enterprise.

The market features locally grown, harvested and processed items including fresh produce, fresh and smoked fish, local syrups and teas, jams and preserves, baked goods, international cuisine produced locally, arts and crafts, and health and beauty products. In 2014 the market doubled its GDP impact to nearly $1 million of benefit to Yellowknife.

The market also helps strengthen the social fabric of the city. The Tuesday evening markets encourage people to come together with friends and family congregating to enjoy dinner and entertainment in the fresh, though sometimes smoky, air to visit and purchase products made or grown by their friends and neighbours. Many non-profit and community organizations took advantage of the crowds to deliver their message and raise their profile, and performers were able to increase their public exposure through busking.

The crowds were incredible and the energy amazing, a tribute to what can happen when a community comes together for mutual benefit. It was hugely successful.

ITI came through with investments in the Farmers Market for the purchase of carts, tables, signage and supplies and marketing and promotion, including the development of a logo and branding. Combined with the dedication of the market board and retailers, this modest investment contributed to the development of community self-sufficiency, food security, pride in the community, a stronger social fabric and positive economic activity that helps with the cost of living.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in saying to the Yellowknife market, well done. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about a young, made-in-the-NWT, well-known mental health program for youth; specifically, FOXY, which stands for Fostering Opening eXpression among Youth.

FOXY is a participatory action research project. Big words which means that youth are involved in all aspects of the project, from its development to its implementation and then evaluation. The research component involves looking at the effectiveness of FOXY and empowering NWT youth, and facilitating dialogue about sexual health issues in the NWT.

The NWT has one of the highest rates for sexual abuse in Canada. We have many young girls and women who are unsure how to handle themselves in a sexual environment and who are hesitant to talk about sex, sexual orientation and sexual activity. Young women who need what the FOXY program provides: the empowerment of young NWT women and open dialogue about sexual health.

FOXY uses storytelling, drama and art to talk with girls about building empowered decision-making skills and about sexual health. The girls act out real-world scenarios, like being approached by older men on Facebook, for example, and they take part in positive body image activities in a safe, non-judgemental environment.

Over the past year, thanks to partnership with Canadian North Airlines, the FOXY crew has visited almost a dozen NWT communities, Aklavik, Colville Lake, Fort Good Hope and Tulita among them. Since its inception, FOXY has had several retreats with participants from 11 of our communities: Ulukhaktok, Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk, Fort Good Hope,

Norman Wells, Fort Smith, Whati, Hay River, Fort Liard, Fort Providence and Yellowknife.

FOXY receives funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada but has also developed numerous other partnerships with schools, youth centres and community agencies, including the Northern V Network, which is a non-profit who is fighting to end gender-based violence.

FOXY’s funding is in place until March 31, 2015, but that federal funding will then end, not to be renewed until April of 2017, a two-year gap. It’s very uncertain if the program can continue over the next two years.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

The NWT has been the beneficiary of federally funded FOXY programming, and in the absence of that federal funding next year, it is incumbent on the GNWT to fill the financial void, to find the funding necessary for FOXY to continue. This is a successful program, one that serves NWT youth – and that’s a stated goal of this 17th Assembly – and it is a program that is growing. It would be a crime to let this program fade away. As business plans are being finalized, I urge Cabinet to find the funding for this worthwhile program. If FOXY ends next April and we have sat idly by doing nothing to assist, then all I can say is shame. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Early on in this government, Members of the Assembly had a pretty good debate on an issue in terms of infrastructure. This government funded a non-government organization a certain amount of money to help with the construction of that building, and actually that building that was developed is actually working in the sense that it’s one of the focuses of our priorities, which is early childhood development. Obviously, that didn’t go well with some Members, but it was a really good debate, and at the end of the day, this government put forward money so an NGO could build their infrastructure.

However, Members did agree on that with one fact in mind: that this government go out and create a policy that states that this government will look at supporting non-government organizations in the building of their infrastructure plans on the fact that we do create a policy. Initially it was a policy that was supposed to be developed only for daycares, early childhood facilities. Committee came back

and said we want to focus it on a broader structure moving forward for all NGOs.

There are a lot of non-government organizations that do a lot of great work in the Northwest Territories. We heard earlier this week about some of the job situations in the communities. We have a great organization here in Yellowknife, the NWT SPCA that could use some funding to increase their infrastructure so that they can house more pets and animals. We have shelters that do work on behalf of government by housing the homeless and housing people that might be battling addictions.

I will have questions later today on where the development of this policy is. There are a lot of organizations that continue to struggle in the Northwest Territories but continue to do topnotch work that government should be doing. We want to support these organizations, whether it’s with infrastructure, whether it’s forced growth funding that they don’t see but our departments see. We do spend millions of dollars on forced growth within our departments, but a lot of organizations continue to operate on the same dollar that they always have.

I will have questions later today about an update on this policy. Where is this policy, and if there is no policy, what is the process for an NGO to come to government to ask for that top-up and that support?

Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How worried should we be about our financial future as a government? Well, if you listen to our Finance Minister, he’ll try to reassure that his department restored the balance between revenues and expenditures. But did they? He’ll tell you this administration works on paying down their short-term borrowing debt and focuses on building their cash reserves. But do they? All I can recall is that our short-term borrowing limit was increased by this administration from $175 million to $275 million less than two years ago and we were told last week they want another $25 million to top this up. So I ask, how is this paying down short-term debt and building up cash reserves? It’s a funny way of showing it.

Then there’s that famous reference that devolution will reduce our reliance on federal funding. Very poetic, yet there is absolutely no evidence to this statement. So I ask, how is the Minister measuring this one?

Then there’s the ever popular line that the GNWT has been successful in managing expenditure growth. Well, to be truthful, our expenditure growth is about 1 percent, despite forced growth at about 2

percent, but if you factor in Canada’s 2013 inflation rate of 1.3 percent, in real terms it only suggests a slight reduction in spending. So I ask again, is this successful by definition? Not really.

We know over 70 percent of our revenues come from the Territorial Formula Financing Grant, which we’re always reminded is outside the ability of the GNWT to influence. But again, is this true?

I asked those hard questions earlier this year, yet this government refused to look at a legislative triggering opportunity to review this formula financing with the feds in 2014. Too busy with devolution, they said, and now it’s too late.

Clearly, without growth in other revenues, this government needs to reduce or realign operating and infrastructure budgets, yet this is not happening. Instead, we continue to spend ourselves into a corner with every budget.

Yes, as a strategy, we need to grow our economy to increase revenues, to meet expenditure demands and invest wisely in infrastructure. This is all a given. However, without immediate corrective behavior, I fear history will judge the 17th Legislative

Assembly as the one that went down the wrong path of righteousness at the expense of ignorance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased with the Human Resources department strategy on striving for a representative workforce and ensuring that we follow our Aboriginal… I’m sorry, my notes are a bit mixed up here, but the Affirmative Action Policy is what I wanted to address here.

Our regional education authorities have no involvement or request no training from Human Resources for their hiring committees. This is concerning because I have heard of several cases in the past few years where our Northerners and our Aboriginals who have become teachers are often overlooked for applying for teaching jobs in their home communities.

I did some quick research into the stats of how many Aboriginals and Northerners work in our education system. On a whole, it is about 45 percent. However, when we look at the professionals, when we look at the teachers, we have only about 26 percent that are Aboriginals and/or Northerners. This falls short of our affirmative action and representative workforce goals.

I should qualify that existing teachers mostly become part of our communities and become great Northerners. My concern is that going forward we must involve and allow the Human Resources department to work with our regional education authorities so that our Northerners and Aboriginal teachers are not overlooked and given a chance to truly contribute and teach and give back to our Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. October 19th to 26th , as we heard, is Small Business

Week across Canada. While we should be celebrating the success of our small business owners and entrepreneurs, it’s almost time of a recession in the Sahtu. We saw a record high of investment in the oil and gas sector, but things are starting to quiet down. Actually, News/North put out a full page highlighting the benefits of energy exploration in the North and in the Sahtu. Perhaps the Canadian rock band, the Barenaked Ladies, sang it best: if I had a million dollars. Well, I’ll tell you what I’d do if I had that kind of cash during Small Business Week of 2014. I would get some partners and build a technology institution in the Sahtu.

A Sahtu technical institution that would bring young people together that could be taught how to succeed in life by developing the ability to think in practical terms rather than theoretical terms. Learn by doing, doing things in the business world.

The time is now for our government and industry to invest in our youth and in businesspeople. Our small business is the best investment our government can make. The public and the market will greatly benefit in having educated, skilled workers that build their business. Our best capital is our businesspeople. They have imagination. Where would private industry and our government be without imagination, trail-breaking innovators, the thinkers who dare to think outside the box? We might have the next Bombardier, Steve Jobs or Thomas Edison or Jackie Robinson living in Tulita or Deline or Fort Good Hope. But they will not have the eureka moment or the big break until we lead by example and invest in a technological institution for the Sahtu.

Now it’s time to partnership. Whether you’re a trapper in Fort Good Hope or an oil executive sitting in Norman Wells, it’s time to bring our people together.

These are people benefitting the communities through the breakfast program, bringing our culture together by building the moose skin boat.

Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

At student graduations you see a long list of the businesspeople that come to the graduations to contribute to the success and achievement of the high school graduates.

In conclusion, businesspeople are hardworking people who are on a 24/7 call, year after year pursuing their dreams, the dreams that they pass on to children, that if you work hard, you will get what you want. There are failures, but you have to get yourself up off the ground again and put that as part of the value in their upbringing. Let’s celebrate these businesspeople who are there for us in the North.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a good day. I would like to congratulate Cora Helmer and Stephane Millette. They had a new baby boy this morning, over 8 pounds, and they have not named him yet.

---Applause

I suggested Robert, but I’m not sure if that’s going to fly or not.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, it’s a good day. Today we can announce that we have two midwives in Hay River, Heather Heinrichs and Toni Fehr. Both have experience in delivering babies in a northern remote setting. This Hay River midwifery team will be partnered with Yellowknife doctor, Dr. Guthrie. Dr. Guthrie is well known to Hay River; he used to practice in Hay River.

This team will also receive training, along with some of the RNs in Hay River, to implement this Midwifery Program, a great thing for putting Hay River back on birth certificates, which was a goal of ours when we started this Assembly.

This program will be optional, but it does put Hay River back on the map. This program will be available to Hay River, Hay River Reserve and Enterprise residents. This program was started in January. We are excited to see the future come forward. Good luck everybody. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’m sure Members and the public are ready for a good news story for a change.

Kakisa is getting a new community hall and I wanted to recognize the good work being done on this project. Community halls are important to the social fabric of the NWT. They are the scene of hundreds of local events but also serve the territory as a meeting place for visitors, presentations, consultations and regional special occasions.

The new facility replaces a much smaller community hall attached to the band office, and Kakisa simply outgrew the space. Using its MACA infrastructure contribution, the community planned a new stand-alone hall that will benefit everyone in the community.

The community has let two RFPs for the project and I am pleased that both contracts were awarded to northern companies. Community members were full participants in the design process. The project is now well underway. The foundation and floor have been laid, the walls are up, and hopefully the roof is put on before we get much more snow. The project should be complete by the end of March.

The new hall will make it possible to accommodate meetings, conferences, feasts, programs for youth and people of all ages, special events and, who knows, maybe even the Dehcho First Nations Assembly or the Dene Nation Assembly this summer. Kakisa’s community hall and nearby campground will make a unique venue for a retreat for regional or territorial organizations.

I want to recognize the community members who are leading the charge on this initiative and their efforts for taking on the project. I look forward to seeing the new facility become a well-used gathering place and a real asset to the community.

Please join me in congratulating Kakisa on the work so far. I look forward to the grand opening of the new community hall sometime next spring. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Everywhere I look, and it doesn’t take any effort at all, you see Northerners dedicating themselves to the success of this great territory. You find people committed in every single corner of our North, whether they’re lifelong Northerners or they’re people who have invested a few short years in getting to know the North. It doesn’t matter if they’re First Nation, Metis, Inuvialuit or non-Aboriginal. So

many have dedicated their families to northern values and the opportunities that are before them.

There is certainly much to be proud of. But, as I fear, and certainly many people do, that those values have been under attack by this government and its outlook when it comes to hiring Northerners in real jobs. When the everyday Northerner is trying to find work, they’re looking for a break and certainly a helping hand.

Jobs are different everywhere you look. In Yellowknife the unemployment rate is 3.4 percent. In the communities it’s over 30 percent. That should be a bell ringing loud and clear to this government. But when Northerners see themselves so easily shut out by job fairs that head down south to Ottawa, they wonder, do they matter anymore. Does the investment that they make here with their families, where they pour their hearts and souls into our communities, does it matter little?

Jimmy Carter’s famous slogan was always your politicians will always be there when they need you. Frankly, it couldn’t be more clearly illustrated when this Cabinet recently pulled out their chequebook and waved a $20 million cheque to cover the shortfall of the Power Corp. Now, we all know the citizens certainly were grateful to avoid that rate rider, but frankly, now that the dust has settled, the citizens are asking, was that to ensure that they weren’t hammered continually in this Assembly.

For years I’ve been calling for power rate relief, and it’s always fallen on deaf ears and brushed off as something they would never do. Let’s get to the bottom line. Illustrations like that couldn’t be clearer. This government has had hundreds of ghost jobs on the books, some real, some who knows what when it comes to unreal positions. It’s time this government starts to pony up the truth about where some of these jobs are, what results have been driven by these southern job fairs. Frankly, we’re going to hear whining from this government about micromanagement and too much detail, but the darned everyday citizen calls this accountability and it’s time to step up.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, I’d like to welcome the former Speaker of Nunavut and a former colleague I worked with for CPA, Mr. Hunter Tootoo, in the House today. Welcome. Also, my good cousin, Wanda Norwegian, Norterra, and Mrs. Christy Sinclair. Welcome to the House.

Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to take a second to recognize a Page that I

have working in the Assembly last week and this week. Kyle Stannard from Kam Lake. I also wanted to take a second to recognize representative Bob Herron, visiting us from the great state of Alaska. Welcome, Bob. I see Sean Ivens up there as well. Welcome, Sean. Welcome to the Assembly, and everybody else that’s here today, welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First off I’d like to join you in recognizing Hunter Tootoo. He’s been a good friend over the years that I’ve gotten to know, and as well, he’s flanked by two women amazingly time has stopped for, Christy Sinclair and Wanda Norwegian. I’ve known them a long time and they look as young as ever. I don’t know how I keep getting older. It’s the truth, though; that’s the problem. Same as Mr. Ramsay there, I too wish to recognize Sean Ivens. He’s a very well-known businessman. We grew up together in Fort Simpson. He spent many years in Hay River and certainly in Yellowknife, and he’s certainly sitting next to his lovely wife, Rhonda Ivens, who certainly keeps him walking hard, and it’s great to see them both here today.

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to introduce to you and through you a number of people with us here today, and of course, in no particular order, we do have, as we heard earlier, Mr. Sean Ivens, welcome, and the lovely Rhonda Ivens. Thank you very much for joining us today. With us, our Page Program, as we all know, is a great program introducing youth across the North to our proceedings in the House. I do have a couple of young people here from the Range Lake School who also are Range Lake residents. I apologize if I pronounce this wrong. Nokuthula Rukobo and Quinn Levesque, thank you very much for all your work as Pages for us at the House. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Mr. Bouchard.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Sean Ivens, a long-timer from Hay River and a friend of mine, as well as representative Herron who represents us. We’ve talked quite a bit about Alaska and the Northwest Territories and how much we have in common. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. I’d like to again welcome everybody here in the gallery. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings here today.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of ITI. I’ve talked about the small businesspeople in the North, specifically around the communities I represent in the Sahtu region.

I want to ask the Minister of ITI, given the recent economic recession slowdown this year, has the Minister been monitoring the performance of the number of applicants under the Business Incentive Program this year.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some companies have made business decisions affecting the amount of work that is going to take place in the central Mackenzie Valley in the Sahtu this coming winter. I understand there will be some meetings here this fall, and hopefully the activity returns to the region. But certainly the department and our regional staff are keeping a watchful eye on what’s happening in the region. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, perhaps we could look at the macroeconomics or step back from the government coffers and look at the industry.

Can the Minister of ITI tell us how much investment this government is making in the Sahtu with regard to infrastructure or training, compared to the $35 million invested by big oil in the Tulita district?

Mr. Speaker, I know at ITI we’ve added some positions. There are other government departments that added positions as well. So to get a comprehensive look at what we’ve put into the Sahtu, if the Member wants, over the past two or three years since the activity started, that’s something that I’d like to do for him and we can hopefully put that together and get it to the Member in short order. Thank you.

The businesspeople in the Sahtu are certainly suffering due to a decision by the oil companies. The Sahtu Dene Inn will be a heritage hotel in Norman Wells, or even the Yamoria Inn. They are both beautiful hotels, well-furnished and fully staffed. They are just maintaining the level of just keeping the lights on. Some weeks they only had one or two guests in those hotels, compared to the years back where they were so fully booked that they had to bring in extra trailers.

I want to ask the Minister, this being Small Business Week – and this is the only sector of the businesspeople that I’m talking about in the Sahtu – what is the government doing in regards to the

slowdown of the economic activity of the oil and gas industry in the Sahtu, so that our businesspeople do not have to close their doors, turn off their lights and come back when the activity if ramping up again. What is this government doing?

Mr. Speaker, we have to continue as a government to make investments in the Sahtu, and that is in infrastructure. If there’s a way that we can look at projects or opportunities to partner with the region, that’s something that I think is very important, if there’s a lull in the activity here, at least for the next winter. Hopefully there is a return of some activity in the central Mackenzie Valley, so that companies and employers have opportunities there to put people to work. It’s important to see that happen, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Member to see that happen. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The people in the Sahtu from 2006, 2010, had about six Aboriginal businesses, I believe, and later on over the years they have grown to over 30 businesses, maybe more. The economy has slowed down for a time, but they will come back. Believe me, they will come back.

I want to ask the Minister in regard to the activity that’s happened in past years. Can the Minister, through his colleagues, tell us in regard to the income support that this government has given out to our people in the Sahtu region? When the business was booming in the Sahtu, did our income support payments to the Sahtu go down a significant amount of dollars compared to now that we see a huge increase because there is no oil and gas exploration happening in the Sahtu? Thank you.

Thank you. It is a very proud statistic for the region that we saw in Tulita the growth from six Aboriginal-owned businesses to 30 Aboriginal-owned businesses in the past few years. That’s a testament to all the activity and the entrepreneurial spirit that’s in the community. We also saw a big decrease in the amount of income support payments paid to people in the Sahtu. For the exact figure, the Member would probably want to go to ECE and get an exact figure, but anecdotally that figure was around $1 million less in income support payments paid to the people in the Sahtu last year. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I spoke about the difficulties of our Aboriginal teachers and new northern teachers in getting into our education authorities.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to advise me how is the current hiring process set up with our district education authorities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The district education authorities go through a process of hiring teachers and other professions in the community, such as principals or administrators. They all follow the Affirmative Action Policy that’s been established by this government, by all education authorities. Not only that but they also have to follow an established hiring process monitored and overseen by our Human Resources department.

The selection committee is also responsible for hiring teachers, also including local DEA members. So they can involve the community as well.

So that’s part of the process of the hiring process of DEAs. Mahsi.

Thank you very much. I’m going to have to contradict the Minister on the DEAs following our Affirmative Action Policy and our representative Workforce Strategy because I’ve been informed in the past, there’s one particular case, where an Aboriginal teacher had the same equivalencies as southern teachers, where we get a lot of them from, I’ll say that in this House, but that job was given to a southern teacher instead of our Aboriginal teacher. The affirmative guidelines clearly state same experience, same level of training and we lean towards the Aboriginal teacher.

So once again, can the Minister ensure me or show me where our education authorities must follow our Affirmative Action Policy, because I’m given to believe it’s not happening. Thank you.

Mahsi. We work very closely with the local DEAs and DECs, so we have to ensure that they all follow. That Affirmative Action Policy fully applies to all education authorities across the Northwest Territories and they must follow and establish a hiring process monitor and are also overseen by our HR department that Mr. Tom Beaulieu is responsible for.

So those are some of the processes that we need to work closely with all the DEAs across the

Northwest Territories to make sure that they hire the most qualified people from the communities as well. Mahsi.

While the policy may be there, I don’t believe that it is being followed out, because in our Health department, which is also a stand-alone department, they involved Human Resources right throughout the selection committee and to the hiring committees as well. But there’s no such thing that happens with our education authorities. Human Resources is not involved, nor are they with the selection committee and our interview committee and I think that’s an issue and that’s what I’d like to see our education authorities do. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, part of the process obviously involves Human Resources staff personnel. There are regions that differ when it comes to hiring, but with respect to the Dehcho DEA, I have to make further inquiries about Human Resources being part of the process as well. So I’ll get that information and previous incidents of hiring practices, if they have involved Human Resources. I’ll get that information. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much. I’m pleased with the Minister’s commitment to look into it and I truly believe that all our education authorities must involve Human Resources and must involve them at all levels, even at the interview stage, because I believe that we’ve taken great strides for this government. This government wants a represented workforce and it must include our education authorities. So once more I ask the Minister to look at that, meet with his officials at the boards and ensure that our Affirmative Action Policy is followed. Thank you.

Yes, we will continue to monitor and make sure that the DEAs are following the Affirmative Action Policy, and the process itself involving the Human Resources will be brought to the DEAs’ attention. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. According to Tabled Document 127-17(5) – and my questions today are for the Minister of Lands – Canadian Zinc’s Prairie Creek Mine has a shortfall of $6 million in the amount of financial securities provided, evenly split between the environmental land use permits and water licence. The same tabled document indicates GNWT has failed to collect the startling $170 million-plus in securities

related to the water licence related to Dominion Diamonds’ Ekati mine.

Can the Minister explain these shortfalls and indicate when the required security will be forthcoming? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister of Lands, Mr. R.C. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Prairie Creek operation is a fairly complex operation as I believe some of the land is still on land that is retained by the federal government, so we’re in the process of trying to iron out the details to make sure that… We’re still in negotiations with these folks as to the security that is being required of them.

Mr. Speaker, how can you allow the responder to only answer to $6 million out of $176 million here? I’m wondering why the Minister has failed to answer that question. I’m perplexed here.

Federal failures to collect securities such as this are costing the Canadian public $8 billion. In addition to hundreds of millions in failed securities with this government, Dominion Diamonds have baulked at a condition proposed by the Wek’eezhii Land and Water Board to include a 90-day requirement for compliance with any revised water board security requirements. This, apparently, is also the position of the GNWT.

Can the Minister explain why this government is opposed to a condition sought by the Wek’eezhii Land and Water Board requiring timely payment of security deposits designed to protect the public? And I’d love to hear about the other $170 million. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, it’s too early in the game to say the sky is falling. This is a responsibility that’s being given to us and we currently, I think, have over $500 million in securities. There may have been some slippages in the past. We as a territorial government are going to do our best to ensure that these don’t happen again. We’ve formed a liability division within the Department of Lands to deal with this particular issue.

Again, I will follow up on the Member’s concern with these particular sites that he is pointing out, but I do know that there are some negotiations that are going on. We are hoping to have a resolution soon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the Minister’s intent, but we are looking for performance here. We are talking hundreds of millions of dollars here in liabilities, and history, yes, we have history up the gazoo, Mr. Speaker, on failed collection of securities.

The two shortfalls I referred to in my first two questions exposed the GNWT to liability, as I mentioned, and amount to a backdoor subsidy to industry and a proven risk – a proven risk – to taxpayers. These securities are levied to cover real liabilities.

Will the Minister commit to vigorously pursuing these two outstanding, legally required securities and safeguard the people of the NWT from huge financial and environmental liabilities such as the $8 billion Canadian liability mostly from northern mines? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, I will commit to watching over this. I think it’s a commitment that we made to committee when we were speaking to them. Again, it is fairly early in the game and we’re still getting our hands or our mind wrapped around the liabilities and all that we inherited and what we can and can’t do. But I will commit to the Member and to this Legislative Assembly that we will be watching these developments and the liabilities securities that are required like a hawk and make sure that any future cleanup, if there needs to be, is covered. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s commitment. I realize that despite the fact that I’ve been talking about this for over a year, that this has just been dropped into this Minister’s lap and I appreciate that commitment.

To be failsafe, governments have learned securities held must be in the form of bankable instruments such as cash or irrevocable letters of credit. Other instruments such as surety bonds are basically promises to pay. I note that the form of security is missing for Dominion Diamond $42 million environmental security listed in the tabled document.

After the Giant Mine experience, Treminco’s Ptarmigan Mine, Taherra, Snowfields and others, will the Minister commit to avoiding setting a low security instrument threshold such as surety bonds, and instead require highly secure and bankable instruments such as the ILOCs to provide the certainty we have learned is required to protect the public? Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, The boards set the security and we negotiate with the company as to the form of instrument that we’re going to use. I can assure this Assembly that we will ensure that we have security that’s, as the Member said, something other than a promise to pay. I think with these particular ones, we might be in the process of negotiating right now the instrument, so I will give Members an update once that work is complete. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For many years the community of Tsiigehtchic has been asking for an RCMP detachment in the community. I would like to ask the Minister of Justice, it has been over six months now that we had a commitment that we would have the RCMP start overnighting in the community.

How many times since that commitment has the RCMP overnighted in Tsiigehtchic? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Minister of Justice, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Member for the question. We have had a lot of back and forth with the community of Tsiigehtchic on trying to identify accommodations. There have been some difficulties in that. We are hopeful that we can rectify those problems and we can have members overnight in the community of Tsiigehtchic, and I hope to see that happen sooner rather than later. This is something that I will make sure happens. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I know the policy is one of the issues, that we cannot have one person put in a community, like a small community like Tsiigehtchic.

So I would like to ask the Minister, will the Minister adopt the policy from Alaska which allows community officers in small communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I recently was at an FPT meeting in Banff where Ministers from around the country were discussing Aboriginal and First Nations policing and the fact that the federal government hasn’t been forthcoming with more funding to see community constables put into small Aboriginal communities across the country.

It’s not only an issue here in the Northwest Territories but it’s something other jurisdictions are struggling with as well. I believe I was the fifth Justice Minister from the Northwest Territories to sit around that table and let the federal government know that we’re not happy with the amount of funding that we’re getting. We want to see more funding. We want to see an opportunity to have Aboriginal people back in the communities doing police service, and that’s something we believe strongly in. We have four positions that are legacy positions we received funding for in the Northwest Territories, but we certainly need more funding to deliver First Nations policing and have communities work with communities to have a better policing service.

We have made great strides in working with communities and the leadership in communities on developing community policing plans and community safety plans, and that’s been a real benefit to providing that service in communities as well.

Will the Minister continue to rely on our bylaw and my constituents to do citizen’s arrests, or with the Minister solve our problems and approve a detachment for our community of Tsiigehtchic?

It’s our intent to continue to work with the leadership in the community of Tsiigehtchic and other communities around the Northwest Territories to ensure that they have the best policing service possible. In terms of a detachment, a stand-alone detachment, it could cost somewhere between $10 million and $15 million, and of course, we don’t have the capital today to see us do that. We are moving forward with plans to repair and bring up to speed a couple of other larger detachments in the Northwest Territories, including Inuvik and Behchoko, at this time.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Historically, environmental remediation costs have been handled as a post-year and supplementary appropriation by this government. Given our new-found post-devolution powers as stewards of the land and environmental cleanup, this current practice of seeing an appropriation for the annual accrual for such liability is a direct violation of current public accounting standards of practice. According to the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, these new accounting standards require these remediation costs to be done up front.

Can the Minister of Finance confirm that the Office of the Auditor General of Canada assist the departments responsible for remediating sites under devolution, and did the OAG fully explain to these departments this is now the norm in accounting standards?

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are taking all the steps necessary along with all the other departments post-devolution to make sure that we comply with all the appropriate statutes, requirements, regulations and guidelines.

We haven’t had confirmation if the OAG staff did confirm that they did meet with

these departments, but can the Minister of Finance explain why his department is still currently in direct violation to these public accounting standards of practice today?

We just had a successful audit. We are going to be tabling the public accounts in the next little bit, and we fully expect to be compliant as required.

We still hear that the department here is compliant. We haven’t seen the final results yet, but I can tell you that the standards of practice are in violation, so to be fair I will ask this one more time and offer to the Minister of Finance to clearly articulate why his department refuses to deal with environmental remediation costs properly.

We fully engage ourselves in complying with all the necessary regulations and requirements that govern us, or if we have any other kind of involvement with the senior government like the federal government, we will, of course, work to comply in those areas as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s difficult to continue with these types of questions when we continue to hear a paid public announcement here by the Minister. Clearly, the Minister and department are keen in ignoring these standards of public accounting.

So in preparation for the upcoming public accounts, can the Minister maybe enlighten us as to how many other breaches of accounting standards the Department of Finance intends to violate this year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As we sit through the political bavardage of my colleague, we can clearly see he’s on a fishing expedition. We, of course, pride ourselves on complying and having good audits, Aa1 credit rating, budgets passed unanimously in this House, public accounts that meet the test, and we are going to continue to hit those standards. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just following up on my Member’s statement, a direction was given to the government to create a policy in terms of providing funding to non-government organizations for their infrastructure needs. I will ask the Deputy Premier – who also is the Minister of Education whom this came to, so he’s well

versed in this policy that we’re talking about today – has the government undertaken this work to create such a policy that we can fund non-government organizations for the infrastructure they need who do good work on behalf of government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Moses. Honourable Deputy Premier, Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Executive and also Finance are working on a draft policy on publicly funding privately owned infrastructure. Once there’s an approval for referral, it will be presented to a standing committee for their review and also for their comments. The plan is to have the policy rated for review by next session. So that is the overall plan, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

There is a concern because I know there were a lot of non-government organizations who were looking at this House when we actually approved a non-government organization for the infrastructure needs. It’s taken over two years to get this policy in place.

Is there any opportunity to speed up the process so it comes to committee… Or can I ask the Minister, with the draft policy that he’s working on, can that policy be given to committee to give any input right now to speed up the process? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Part of the plan was to introduce that in the next session, but I can commit to the Member I will find out the status of where the actual draft policy is at. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

As I mentioned, we do have a lot of NGOs out in the territory who do great work on behalf of the Northwest Territories. As I mentioned earlier, the NWT SPCA who takes wild, I won’t say wild, but stray dogs from the communities and putting them into their compound but it’s getting filled up, also shelters who are sheltering homeless and people who are battling addictions. In the meantime, while we are creating this policy – obviously there’s a policy coming – can any NGOs apply for funding for infrastructure needs from now until when we see this policy come into the next session? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The NGOs, obviously, can apply for programming we have within GNWT. This particular focus is on having a policy in place to deal with private funding for public infrastructure. That is in a draft format and will be ready for next session, but I will get the status on that.

With respect to accessing other programs or infrastructure funds, there is a venue for that, as well, within GNWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m quite aware of some of the programs that are available that NGOs can actually utilize, but can the Deputy Premier clarify what programs the government has right now that NGOs can access for their infrastructure needs as he stated in his last remarks? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I committed in this House, I will be providing the latest status on the draft policy on infrastructure. At the same time, we will provide those various different types of programming, funding that’s available for NGOs within the GNWT. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated, it’s a good day. My questions are to the Minister of Health about the program of midwifery.

Can he give me an update on how other programs on midwifery are being rolled out currently?

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following the plan, we have put money into the Hay River region for two positions. Those two positions are filled. The next step is, obviously, we are planning to put some money in the budget for 2015-16 for Inuvik. In the meantime, we are working with Inuvik to explain the protocols and procedures that will be followed in that jurisdiction and we are hoping to fill those positions in 2015-16.

As we begin to roll out more midwifery programs, will this program speed up? Will we be implementing two programs in one year, or are we doing one a year? I guess we are learning our process as we go. Can we speed the process up?

Every region, every community in the Northwest Territories is different and has their own unique realities. The plan was originally to put them in Hay River one year, Beaufort-Delta the second year and then move forward with Yellowknife. We are also exploring the possibility of putting it in other communities and regions. Only recently the Dehcho Health and Social Services Authority has approached us with an indication that they would be interested in doing midwifery services there. We are working with them to see when we might be able to roll that out. We do have a midwifery coordinator position within the

department that actually helps us do a significant amount of that work. That position, unfortunately, is currently vacant. We are out recruiting for that position today. We are hoping to have that position filled by December, which will help us continue to roll this work forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I guess people are anxious to have this program in all their communities. I’m just wondering how many other communities – he indicated the Deh Cho – and what are the limitations in implementing this type of program in the communities.

We have gone to the Beaufort-Delta and started having some initial conversations with the people in the health centre there. They raised concerns that are unique to their own hospitals or health centres. We want to make sure that the Midwifery Program works in the regions and communities based on the protocols that already exist in those areas. That would have to be true coming into Yellowknife. We would have to make sure it works in the system and in the infrastructure that we have here.

The Deh Cho is different, once again, in that they don’t actually have a hospital. They have regional health centres, so we would have to modify the program to suit their needs. So every region, every community is going to take some modification to make sure, during the deliveries, the mothers and babies are safe and they have proper connections with physicians at all times. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As these programs go out, what kind of evaluation have you done? My biggest concern would be actually a funding requirement, if the programs are underfunded.

What evaluations are the department doing as they roll it out for the funding needs of these programs? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That’s part of the work that we’re doing in the design or the implementation in each of the different communities or regions where we deliver this service. We need to track the types of things that are happening and put in an evaluation framework so that we can make some evidence-based decisions moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.