This is page numbers 5073 – 5106 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 school.

Topics

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Longstanding questions about the Intergovernmental Council on Land and Resource Management provided for under devolution remain

unanswered. There remains an apparent and disturbing lack of responsibility regarding the mandate of the House and the mandate of the Intergovernmental Council, given that the council is supposed to respect the autonomy and authority of each government over its own lands.

On February 14th I asked the Premier how Regular

Members would have input into the terms of reference for this administrated structure. The Premier replied, “Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don’t think setting up an Intergovernmental Council is going to change any constitution or any construct. Members here represent all the people in the Northwest Territories and, as I said, the legislation that would set up the Intergovernmental Council. I would welcome input from Members as to providing input in terms of our participation with the Intergovernmental Council.”

When asked to take the lead in ensuring the council’s proceedings would be public and transparent, the Premier said he would be pleased to do so. Seven months later, and just before the inaugural meeting a few weeks ago to set the terms of reference for the council, I again raised the matter. I asked for MLA input into the draft terms of reference before they were finalized and observer status at council meetings. Days later, when a draft was to be available, the Premier informed me that the terms of reference had already been finalized and were available to anyone who wanted them.

Opportunity for input? Zip. Terms of reference provided to date? Zip. MLA observer status? No way. So much for consensus government. So much for the people’s representatives participating in governance and setting priorities.

I asked the Minister recently what the department’s legislative priorities were, and incredibly, I was informed that this depended on the Intergovernmental Council. The Members of this House have an obligation to the people who elected them and a duty to set the priorities of this House.

To what degree has the Premier arbitrarily undermined our responsibilities and authorities through the apparent powers of the Intergovernmental Council? I am very concerned that the mandate of Regular MLAs is becoming superfluous to some degree in the decisions regarding legislation and other MLA roles could be usurped by the Intergovernmental Council.

Transparency is one of the cornerstones of consensus government. What other decisions, properly belonging to the House, are the Premier and Intergovernmental Council making without the participation of MLAs? If the Premier has his way…

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

---Unanimous consent granted

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Transparency is one of the cornerstones of consensus government. What other decisions, properly belonging to the House, are the Premier and Intergovernmental Council making without the participation of MLAs? If the Premier has his way, and without even observer status for elected representatives of the people, we may never know. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this month educators around the world celebrated Teachers’ Day on October 4th . That’s the most

honourable job ever held in any position by our people.

Today I rise in the House to discuss the status of education in the Northwest Territories. As our Assembly of First Nations National Chief Sean Atleo said, “Education is detrimental to social and economic health and creates key links to our other priorities, governing capacities and sustainable economic development.” Two large areas, Mr. Speaker. One I think we’re doing very well within the Sahtu; the second we’re still grappling with. But if the feasibility study for a technical institute in the Sahtu comes to fruition – because today we’re still sending them to the Aurora College campus – we will become masters of our own destiny, tackling sustainable economic development in our region, for the NWT and for Canada.

For the NWT to succeed in building the workforce and benefit from resource development, we must create an environment for learning, an environment for builders, an environment with a “yes, we can” attitude.

Our youth want to enter the workforce. They want to learn a trade and find a career path that wouldn’t take them away from their families and communities. Our First Nations and Aboriginal youth need to be motivated, to be inspired so they can dream and imagine possibilities that are endless. The world doesn’t end at Grade 12 nor does it end with a welding certificate or a bachelor’s degree or a science degree.

We have five great schools in the Sahtu: Chief Albert Wright School, Chief T’Selehye School, Colville Lake School, ?ehtseo School and the Mackenzie Mountain School, all powerful names for our students to be reminded of who we are and where we come from. For example, two of our junior volleyball teams captured first place last weekend at the Junior Spike It. I’m sure we’ll see more athletes from the Sahtu in town this weekend for the Senior Spike It Volleyball Tournament.

While we heard about the challenges of our educators in the small communities, let us also celebrate our successes across the Northwest Territories and tell them, yes, you can succeed and that we are 100 percent behind them.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, colleagues. Education is important because, for example, in Deline the first-ever community self-government is a reality. It means it is now our responsibility to succeed. Yes, we can succeed, providing the changes to education in this government do happen and it happens with our people’s consent. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is about Fort Liard, which sorely needs a full-time school counsellor. The community currently receives only monthly drop-in service from a regional school counsellor. With a population exceeding 500 people, Fort Liard is large enough to warrant an RCMP detachment, nursing and basic health infrastructure, a social service office, a fire hall and schools from K-12, yet today it has no full-time school counsellor.

Fort Liard has more than its share of social problems. We can get a glimpse from the Frontier Foundation, an Aboriginal non-profit organization whose mission it is to support socially disadvantaged communities. They recently were in Fort Liard, and during a brainstorming session with Fort Liard teenagers, the Frontier Foundation volunteers recorded a staggering litany of social problems. The list included stealing, drinking, smoking, drugs, bullying, drug dealing, bootlegging, break and entering, drinking and driving, violence, violent crime and parents abusing kids.

You may counter by saying these are subjective descriptions, but plenty of cold hard facts can make these descriptions plausible. Consider these numbers. The violent crime rate in Fort Liard is double the territorial rate. The hamlet’s employment rate is 10 percent lower than the territorial rate. Average family income in Fort Liard is approximately 65 percent of the territorial average. Forty-seven percent of Liard’s households are core need, a figure well above the NWT rate. This means that nearly half of the hamlet’s households meet a low-income threshold and occupy a dwelling that fails in the areas of sustainability, adequacy and affordability, and there is indeed a lot of overcrowding there.

Last, but not least, territory-wide graduation rates hover about 50 percent, far below the national rate, but graduation rates in small communities are closer to 40 percent. Now we add to this GNWT Early Development Instrument report in 2014 that shows 50 percent of our children in the small communities are significantly behind in their development and this probably has been this way for many years.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Kevin A. Menicoche

Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh

To be sure, Fort Liard youth are up against an awful lot. How can we expect them to thrive without consistent, dedicated support from a school counsellor? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Tomorrow is the deadline to apply for the $3,000 IRS personal credit, as mentioned by my colleague Mr. Nadli. For background, IRS refers to the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement.

Under the agreement, the common experience payment was the primary form of compensation. The common experience payment process ended two years ago. Now $40 million remains in the pot of money. So in January 2014, the federal government announced an extension, offering the one-time personal credit for anyone who already qualified for a common experience payment. Throughout Canada there are 80,000 eligible individuals and as of today only 10,000 have applied.

According to Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus, there is also a lot of confusion and mistrust because the application process is so stringent. There’s also confusion about how these personal credits can be used. The credits can be used for a range of educational activities; for example, programs at university, college or trade schools. The money can also be approved and put toward any activity that promotes knowledge of our history, languages, artistic activities, or that build skills in the areas of hunting, trapping and fishing. Credits can also be transferred to family members.

The process hasn’t been clearly explained. It has too many hoops and hurdles. Unless the deadline is extended, many eligible former students in the Northwest Territories will not receive their $3,000 credit to which they are entitled.

Along with Chief Erasmus, I am calling on this government to request that the federal government extend the October 31st deadline.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Yakeleya.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

October 29th, 2014

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have the surprise and pleasure of recognizing the chief from Deline, Leonard Kenny, and also the chief self-government builder, Danny Gaudet, to the Assembly. I also recognize, I think I see Chief Eddie Sangris from Detah. He’s not my constituent, but it’s also my recognition to him. I’m not too sure of the third fellow in between Leonard and Danny, so I’d like to also recognize an unknown name at this time.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Mr. Lafferty.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] We have Bobby Weyallon in the gallery. I would like to recognize him in the House.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Miltenberger.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Michael Miltenberger

Michael Miltenberger Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to quickly recognize the two Pages from Fort Smith, Mackenzie Villeneuve and Pyper Rehm, and Ms. Rehm’s mother, Gladys Rehm, who are here for the week, and I thank the Legislature for the opportunity to have them here.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Mr. Bouchard.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Robert Bouchard

Robert Bouchard Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Danny Gaudet and Leonard Kenny, as well, from Deline.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Mr. Bromley.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a constituent here today who we rarely get to see in this House because of his busy schedule, but he is here today. Mr. Edward Sangris, chief of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Ms. Bisaro.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Wendy Bisaro

Wendy Bisaro Frame Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize two members of Yellowknife Education District No. 1, if they are still up there behind me, Mr. Al Cook and Ms. Heather Clarke. There were here earlier. Welcome to the Assembly. I’d also like to recognize two Pages who are here today from

Range Lake North School, but they live in the riding of Frame Lake, Brian Johnston and Elijah Lange.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Ramsay.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too want to recognize some visitors in the gallery today. From YK1, I know we have Al Shortt. I think Ms. Bisaro referred to him as Al Cook, but it’s Al Shortt. Heather Clarke, as well, welcome. I also want to recognize Chief Leonard Kenny from Deline, Danny Gaudet from Deline, also Ed Sangris, chief of the Yellowknives Dene, and also David Wasylciw who is with us today as well. Welcome to all the visitors in the gallery today.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. I’d like to welcome everybody here in the public gallery. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings here today. Item 7, acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.