This is page numbers 4847 – 4890 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 5th 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 housing.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

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.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

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.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

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.

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

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.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

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.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

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.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

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.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

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.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

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.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

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.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

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.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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