Good afternoon, colleagues. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister Abernethy.

Mr. Speaker, November 6-12, 2014, is National Seniors’ Safety Week and it is a good opportunity to remember the important role that seniors and elders play in our communities.

Elders are the heart of our communities, providing guidance, care for children and serving as volunteers. But as they age, seniors often require a greater level of support than others.

The government has taken several steps to restructure our system so that it is responsive, comfortable and efficient when it comes to meeting the needs of seniors.

Mr. Speaker we are not alone in trying to find innovative ways to offer programs and services for seniors. Every province and territory is facing a growing seniors population and working to find ways to support seniors so they can remain in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. At a recent Health Ministers meeting, I heard firsthand the challenges my provincial colleagues face in providing care to an aging population. We share those challenges and also face our own unique issues.

Elders who live in small, remote communities do not have access to the same range of services, medical care and social supports that are available in larger centres. Seniors may also experience a variety of limitations that hinder their ability to connect with family and friends and participate within their communities, resulting in social isolation. These limitations may be due to personal circumstances as well as barriers at a systemic level.

We have considerable work to do; however, we have made some great strides for seniors. In November 2013 we completed a continuing care review providing us with key information on our current continuing care services and direction to take in moving forward in a focused and supportive way to reduce barriers and address gaps in care and service delivery. We also released a strategic framework, Our Elders: Our Communities, in May 2014.

Mr. Speaker, Our Elders, Our Communities will help guide our actions as we work together with external partners and other departments to ensure seniors can live safely and independently as active members of our communities. Rather than developing one single action plan, we will develop multiple action plans focusing on different priority areas that support aging in place and long-term care.

The GNWT already has a number of programs that help seniors continue to live independently and participate in their communities while staying in their own homes or rental units, including providing public housing to eligible seniors through the NWT Housing Corporation. Rents for seniors who receive the Canada Pension Plan income in public housing are capped at a maximum of $80 to help to ensure that affordability issues do not limit their ability to continue to live independently. For seniors with additional income, the first $1,000 per month is exempt in calculating rent. There are presently about 650 seniors living in public housing.

Seniors who own their home may take advantage of the Housing Corporation’s CARE program, which provides financial assistance for making necessary repairs and enhancements to homes. The corporation also provides assistance to homeowners to undertake preventative maintenance or emergency repairs. Seniors with disabilities may also receive assistance to make accessibility modifications, like installing grab bars or wheelchair ramps, to support independent living. Through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, low- to modest-income seniors may apply for a home heating subsidy that helps them with the cost of heating their homes. Education, Culture and Employment also offers the NWT Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit to low- income seniors to help pay for living costs. The

program provides a monthly payment to seniors and is automatically available to eligible seniors who are receiving Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement or the spouse’s allowance from the federal government.

Seniors who own their homes are also eligible to apply for property tax relief under the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Property Tax Relief Act. This program is administered by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and aims to support seniors who want to remain in their homes as they age. Applications for property tax relief are accepted on an annual basis and can be picked up at community government offices and regional Municipal and Community Affairs offices.

Ensuring that elders in small communities receive all of the support and services to which they are entitled is an important role performed by government services officers. Government services officers in 18 small communities conduct weekly visits to elders and provide support, often in the elder’s Aboriginal language. This can range from opening and reading mail, assisting elders in making applications or renewing eligibility for both territorial and federal programs, to connecting elders with other service providers in their community.

The Department of Health and Social Services is working in partnership with community organizations like the NWT Seniors’ Society to identify other ways to help, like programs to help people shovel walkways or get groceries to help them live in their homes for as long as they can.

In addition to the efforts to strengthen home and community care services, we must review and prepare for the increasing demand for facility-based long-term care, including dementia and extended care, and to improve and enhance supports for respite care, palliative care, geriatric assessment and restorative care.

We’re expanding our complement of long-term care facilities so that this service is available in every region, allowing our seniors and elders to be closer to their families and their homes, which we have heard is what they want.

We are in the process of adding new long-term care beds in the NWT. New facilities in the communities of Behchoko and Norman Wells will provide 27 additional beds within our territorial system to support our aging population.

We established a dedicated Territorial Dementia Facility four years ago to support seniors who have developed dementia and to support their families in dealing with this devastating disease.

We have made other improvements to care delivery and supports for seniors.

We have updated our continuing care standards, to ensure consistent service delivery across supportive living, home care and long-term care programs no matter where you receive services. We are continuing focused work related to our falls prevention program, which includes the development of effective tools to prevent falls in the homes of older adults. We have established focused activities related to home care safety through an integrated approach to case management and coordination of services. We are piloting a Flexible Respite Model which will allow us to gradually expand caregiver support services to communities across the NWT.

I am especially proud of our partnerships with the NWT Parks and Recreation Association and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to deliver the Elders in Motion program. This program is a series of fitness training programs to enhance their ability to lead active lifestyles.

We are also partnering with the NWT Housing Corporation to introduce supportive living housing for seniors in small NWT communities. The design of these facilities will allow barrier-free, independent living accommodations with a common space for delivering social programs, meals, Elders in Motion and home care supports. Construction of these new seniors independent living facilities are starting this year in Aklavik, Fort McPherson and Fort Liard. These facilities will contain nine units including the caretaker. Similar facilities will be built in Whati and Fort Good Hope in 2015-16.

We are partnering with Avens through a joint steering committee on their Avens Pavilion expansion plans. This steering committee is working on the documentation required for the government for consideration in the capital planning process.

We will be looking to other jurisdictions for their best practices, in particular how to support and promote aging in place. We continue to participate in federal/provincial/territorial working groups and look forward to the Council of the Federation Chair’s Initiative on Aging to look at the impacts of an aging population on Canada’s social and economic future. We will also look to the dementia research being carried out by the Canadian Institute of Health Research on behalf of federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Health to help guide our own efforts.

We will continue to strengthen our home and community care services and respond to the increasing demand for facility-based long-term care, including dementia and extended care. We need to improve supports for respite, palliative and restorative care as well as geriatric assessment.

Working together with our many partners, we can support our seniors and elders so that they can

continue to make valuable contributions to our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Mr. Ramsay.

Mr. Speaker, with viable markets, a healthy stock of freshwater fish, and growing interest, we are working with our partners and the fishers on Great Slave Lake to breathe new life into the Northwest Territories fishing industry. Today I am pleased to share with Members some of the steps we are taking to encourage the resurgence of the NWT fishing industry.

The NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy recommended expanding three essential elements of the NWT fishing industry: the markets,

the

infrastructure and the workforce. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment is now taking steps to implement those recommendations.

First off, we are working to establish a stronger commercial market for our fish here in the NWT.

Growing the demand within our territory will provide new

income streams for the industry, support

import substitution and lessen our dependence on export markets.

We will be launching a campaign within the NWT to build the profile for fish harvested in the territory. This will include the design of a new brand, promotional items, recipe cards, sales information and posters.

ITI is also using its Northern Food Development Program to move fish into communities around Great Slave Lake and into the Beaufort-Delta.

Revitalizing infrastructure is another area for improvement.

We have committed $200,000 this year to develop a building and financing plan in support of a fishery for Great Slave Lake and Kakisa. The intent is to leverage partnerships to design and construct a new export-grade plant for the fishery. We have identified $1.5 million in our 2015-16 Business Plan to help stimulate this development and look forward to working with our partners to move this important project forward.

Mr. Speaker, the third element to strengthening the NWT fishing industry is increasing the workforce.

It takes a great deal of skill to operate successfully within the fishing industry and I commend the Northerners who persevere season after season. In the summer of 2013, there were a total of 34 fishers from the NWT fishing on Great Slave Lake.

We are developing a strategy to attract new fishers from both inside and outside of the NWT. During the summer of 2013, seven individuals from Manitoba and Alberta launched vessels in Great Slave Lake as part of our fishery. Their harvest represented over 30 percent of the entire fishery’s income, totalling $1 million for the summer of 2013.

Through the revitalization of markets and infrastructure, we will grow our local workforce, and by recruiting beyond our borders we will help this industry reach its full potential.

Recent changes in provincial legislation and regulation in Alberta and Saskatchewan may create an added incentive for fishers from these provinces to consider moving their commercial fishing operations to the NWT, where we continue to work hard to grow the fishing industry. As interest and participation in our Great Slave Lake fishery grows, so will the availability of product, employment and local economies.

This government has worked alongside the NWT Fishermen’s Federation and the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation to harvest and market fish from Great Slave Lake and Kakisa. We continue to serve local industry through these partnerships and the experience, knowledge and input they bring to the table.

The objective of the NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy is not simply to support small businesses in our territory but also to establish competitive business environments in our regions and communities in which viable economic prospects can be identified, developed and realized.

Mr. Speaker, new markets are emerging for Great Slave Lake fish and, with them, new opportunities for those working in this sector. We are acting to stimulate a new era of self-sufficiency for the NWT’s fishery and return it to the leading economic contributor it once was.

These developments are helping to create a diversified economy that provides all communities in the NWT with opportunities and choices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.

Mr. Speaker, a skilled workforce is a prerequisite for growing a strong, diversified economy in this territory and our government is doing its part by supporting training and certification programs. This year marks the 50th anniversary of apprenticeship training and certification in the Northwest Territories. Since 1964

more than 2,600 apprentices have been trained and certified as journeypersons in the NWT.

This marks 50 years of success in the NWT and we will be celebrating in every region as part of Skilled Trades and Technology Week from November 3rd to 7th . We will be hosting awards presentations to

recognize excellence achieved by apprentices and recognize employers and journeypersons for their contributions to the success of the Apprenticeship Program.

There is a bright future for skilled tradespeople in the NWT and partners like employers and journeypersons are helping us prepare NWT residents to take advantage of that. In fact, Mr. Speaker, partnerships are key in all the work we do in labour force development. Partnerships with Aboriginal governments, industry, Skills Canada NWT, Aurora College and the Mine Training Society contribute to that strength.

Partnerships with the Government of Canada are also critical and have led to labour market agreements aimed at developing a skilled workforce and providing all Northerners with training and employment opportunities.

This year I have signed three labour market agreements with the federal government: the new Canada-Northwest Territories Job Fund Agreement, renewal of the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers Agreement, and the new Labour Market Agreement for Persons with Disabilities.

These three agreements will provide comprehensive training, education and opportunities for our employers, our older workers, our adult workers and critical under-represented groups in our labour market such as Aboriginal people, youth, women, income assistance recipients, entrants/re-entrants into the labour force, and immigrants.

The economy of the Northwest Territories is growing, and our programs must support that growth. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment is taking a systematic look at adult and post-secondary education and skills training in the NWT. We want to improve employment success for NWT residents, close the skill gaps for in-demand jobs and more effectively respond to the requirements of NWT employers and industry.

As well, Mr. Speaker, as we improve the collection and sharing of information from students, we are able to review the skill sets of northern students studying at post-secondary institutions and match them with meaningful and rewarding jobs with our government.

Mr. Speaker, these investments and initiatives will complement our work with our partners to build on existing programs and services to ensure that NWT residents have the skills, knowledge and opportunities to participate fully in the vibrant,

sustainable northern economy the Government of the Northwest Territories is working to create. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister for Public Works and Services, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mr. Speaker, improving procurement services is helping the Government of the Northwest Territories achieve this Assembly’s goal of more effective and efficient government. By strengthening our procurement practices, we are making sure that local businesses can benefit from government contracting opportunities and that our high standards of fiscal responsibility are maintained.

On April 1st the Procurement Shared Services

Centre in the Department of Public Works and Services began operating government-wide in order to better support these goals.

Government-wide operations followed the successful launch of the centre in Yellowknife in June 2013. The centre brought together a team of professionals who were previously located in individual departments. This has made it possible for the GNWT to maximize and build upon the skills of its employees while also providing a more efficient, consistent and transparent procurement experience for the business community. The centre is positioned to focus on procuring goods and services at reasonable prices while considering key environmental and social benefits such as worker health and safety, energy efficiency, minimal packaging, or other sustainability aspects over the entire lifecycle of the product or service.

An important part of this initiative is bringing procurement support to the regions in order to better meet the needs of our departments and the local business community throughout the territory. As of April 1st , the Procurement Shared Services

Centre has consolidated tender desks operating in Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Hay River and Inuvik that are responsible for the distribution and receipt of all government tenders, including construction.

In addition to consolidated tender desks, new fully dedicated procurement positions have been established in these communities as well. These regional positions have created employment and training opportunities for new and current regional employees. With the support of the entire Procurement Shared Services Centre team, these employees are handling all procurements of goods and services estimated to exceed $5,000 in value on behalf of our GNWT departments and the NWT Housing Corporation, excluding contracts for construction.

To give Members an idea of the volume of work being undertaken by the Procurement Shared Services Centre, over 900 procurement service requests have been received with 710 contracts awarded for a total value of $79.2 million along with 289 tender and RFP documents being handled by the consolidated tender desks on behalf of our clients.

Mr. Speaker, GNWT staff in other departments also benefit by being freed up to focus on program delivery, while our dedicated procurement offices offer a consistent single-window location for the business community to access tender and contracting opportunities with our government.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 34(6) so that all Ministers’ statements filed with the Clerk can be delivered today.

---Unanimous consent granted

An important focus of this initiative is to improve our procurement management by providing professional support to our departments and professional services to the public. Training, development and the implementation of best practices will continue to be important as we realize the full benefits of this initiative.

The centre has already provided training to more than 630 government employees, has established a quality assurance function and has gone through Fairness Commissioner training. The centre also focuses on providing training and workshop opportunities to the business community.

Workshops have been delivered in the communities of Inuvik, Hay River and Yellowknife on “How to do Business with the GNWT” with 46 representatives from local businesses having attended. The centre also sponsored a very successful proposal writing workshop in collaboration with the Supply Chain Management Association of the Northwest Territories and continues to work with the association as well as local chambers of commerce, to explore ways to further improve how the business community can access government contracting opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, procurement shared services is another step in making our government more effective and efficient while decentralizing government positions and ensuring socially responsible economic development, all priorities of the 17th Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr.

Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I noticed an interesting little thing on Facebook last night and it’s called Top 10 Doctors in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It’s based on a website called ratemd.ca. I’m glad they don’t have a website called ratemlas.ca. Nevertheless, I don’t really like to compare people and say this person is number one, but it was an interesting read to see that people took the time to post comments about these Northwest Territories doctors on a website, and to read the comments, it’s just glowing about the experience people have had when they have had to be attended to by these physicians.

In looking at the list, it says the number one top doctor in the Northwest Territories is Dr. Bing Guthrie. I take some pride in that.

---Applause

Dr. Guthrie’s first place where he practiced medicine in the Northwest Territories was in Hay River. He was our chief of medical staff there, and during that time he decided to become a specialist. Under a GNWT program, he was sponsored to go to Edmonton, go into residency and become an obstetrician and gynecologist, and then as part of that return of service, ended up back in Yellowknife but continued to come to Hay River and still does come to Hay River. An interesting thing that you may not know about Dr. Guthrie is that not only does he receive this high honour here in the Northwest Territories but he also finds time to serve in his medical field in Third World countries and has made trips abroad to help people in other countries, which I think is remarkable.

Another thing people may not know is that Dr. Guthrie’s wife, Margaret, is a registered nurse and staying home to raise their children. When they were in Edmonton and here in the Northwest Territories, they took in medical foster children. So babies that were born in the hospital that could not go home because they were so ill and were probably not even going to survive, the Guthrie’s took them into their home. So not only would he work all day in the medical field, then he would go home and he would have little ones in his house that had severe challenges and medical conditions.

One other doctor on this list is Dr. Hassan Adam.

I’d like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

An interesting thing is when a dentist makes it onto the top 10 doctors list. As I was sitting in the dental chair this morning at

7:00 a.m. in Dr. Adam’s office with Dr. Adam, everything that they say about Dr. Adam on here is true. I mean, top 10 in the Northwest Territories. I think if anybody with knowledge were to examine his credentials, he’s probably in the top 10 in Canada if not North America.

These are amazing medical professionals that we have here in the Northwest Territories. So for no other reason than just to say thank you, not just to the people on this list but to all of the medical professionals who serve the Northwest Territories, I would just like to say thank you very much.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s happening again, Mr. Speaker. The death of an elder in Wrigley has family members and friends asking valid questions. Why doesn’t Wrigley have a full-time nurse? Would this elder still be alive today if a nurse had been there to step in?

As if I need an excuse, I feel compelled, once again, to ask when the Department of Health and Social Services will remedy this situation. Wrigley and eight other small communities do not have full- time nursing staff.

Earlier this year the Minister of Health and Social Services stated in the House that his priority was to provide the best possible service to clients, including residents of all communities throughout the Northwest Territories. He said that he understands more needs to be done and he’s committed to finding solutions that work. So the government says it’s committed to providing high- quality health care to all residents regardless of where they live, and yet a handful of communities rely on occasional fly-in visits from nurses and doctors. It’s a scary situation when a serious medical emergency arises.

For years I’ve been pressing the government to staff the empty nursing station in Wrigley. We’ve been repeatedly told that Wrigley doesn’t meet the minimum threshold under the department’s service delivery model. A community has to have 250 people to warrant full-time nursing.

It’s time to rethink this service delivery model. Health care shouldn’t be reduced to a numbers game. As my people of Wrigley found out recently, when reliable access to health care isn’t a sure thing, lives hang in the balance.

The Department of Health and Social Services is in the process of streamlining the health system. They’re looking for efficiencies and cost-savings. This is exactly the right time for the department to review and renew its service delivery model.

At the appropriate time I will have questions for Minister Abernethy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The people of the NWT are survivors. With the worst forest fire season in the history of the NWT behind us, it’s time to take stock and give thanks.

Thanks goes out to all our own very hardworking firefighters, suppression crews, air fleet and those outside our territory for protecting our property and saving lives.

That said, this season did consume our grossly underestimated budget of $8 million and we now have over $50 million worth of questions, or at least we should be asking some sort of transparency and accounting to this spending.

It’s important for us to ask such questions as we need to learn how to fight fires more efficiently and be better prepared in the event of another disaster as the 2014 fire season. Questions like, did we have enough air attack officers on duty, especially early in the season, because without such officers coordinating from the air, the entire fire suppression air fleet cannot fly, putting at risk our ground support network. What was the rationale for us not using our entire air attack fleet during the whole season? Why did some of our planes on contract log very few hours at some of our at-risk peak moments? How is our ability to administer the sophisticated science of dealing with fire? Do we have the right caliber of academic people, science officers and tools at our disposal to manage the science of fire? How was our communication with the public? Did they feel informed? Clearly, communication did improve greatly throughout the course of the season, but was this in place at the start? How can we improve our communication even further? Is simply putting a fire icon on a web map enough? Do we need to provide more specific coordinates of fire patterns so property owners and hamlets can FireSmart accordingly? Did we have enough equipment for our front line and property owners to use? Finally, were our communities reasonably prepared with up-to-date fire emergency evacuation plans or overall emergency plans? If not, how do we mitigate this in time for the 2015 fire season?

I believe Members and the public look forward to an informative and frank report from the Minister with the ability to ask these questions in a transparent fashion, and I encourage him to do so sooner than later. Until such time, I wish to again congratulate and thank everyone who coordinated with our fire suppression season of 2014. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later on today we’ll be debating a motion that’s near and dear to my heart: missing and murdered Aboriginal women.

Well, today I want to draw attention to another issue: not visibly having equal access to government services from the communities. Once again the base of a two-tier system is rearing its head to the realities of our communities outside of Yellowknife when it comes to access to legal services, particularly family law.

I appreciate the answers we usually obtain from question period in this House and the respect we have amongst ourselves as Members of the 17th Legislative Assembly, but I continue to see a huge gap between services in Yellowknife and the rest of the outlying communities and regions, like the Sahtu.

We want, as Minister Beaulieu said, a more effective and efficient government. That’s great, but when it comes to justice, health and education it’s a totally different story. With justice I’m talking about family law and civil law where access to proper legal counsel is so desperately needed in our communities, but we fall short of the demand.

Some say it’s the messiest out there with some of the most expensive legal retainer fees that exist in the Northwest Territories.

Today I’ll have questions for the Minister of Justice about why my constituents and others from across the Northwest Territories are getting half of the legal services compared to those who live in Yellowknife. Why the difference? Why do our communities continue to tolerate this type of justice in the Northwest Territories? Would anyone in this House accept these types of services from our government?

As my colleague said, maybe it’s time to rethink our model of community justice in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last night and this morning I had the opportunity to attend the Energy Charrette. It looked like there were over 200 people there. The Premier and Minister Miltenberger made presentations there last night, and last night and today we listened to Marlo

Raynolds from BluEarth, an expert on renewable resources. He described the Northwest Territories as one of the most complicated 64 megawatt systems he has ever seen.

We have brought in a whole bunch of different experts. We have brought in engaged people from the Northwest Territories. We have brought in power providers, regulators, private businesses, NGOs, experts from around Canada as well as even European experts. This is all an answer to the cost of living in the Northwest Territories, the cost of power, the cost of heat, and we need to look at opportunities. We need to look at changing our way of thinking.

Currently, in Detah right now, they are continuing to discuss… Just when I left they were just getting the review of the current projects that the GNWT is going through. They were going through the current budgets of what the Energy Plan has going forward. This group will give us direction and give us some idea of where they see us putting our dollars to, to alleviate the cost of power, to alleviate the cost of energy in the Northwest Territories.

It’s not just about dollars, but it’s a way of changing our way of thinking, not only the GNWT but individuals. We need to look at different opportunities that individual people can do throughout the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A year ago we adopted a motion calling for the GNWT to investigate the practicality of introducing a universal, affordable child daycare system run by people trained in early childhood development, building on successes in Quebec and Scandinavia. This Thursday, parents in Yellowknife will have an opportunity to participate in the government’s feasibility study on universal affordable child care. This is an important opportunity. I hope it is one available throughout the NWT, and I hope it has been well publicized.

Universal child care has provided incredible benefits in jurisdictions where it’s been adopted, including improved early childhood development, decreased child poverty, increased numbers of women in the workforce and a better quality labour force with the added and unexpected result that it paid for itself through revenue and savings.

As a jurisdiction, we have dabbled in child care support, though some might say we have dithered. While ECE provides a daycare subsidy, a recent year estimate was that only about 40 parents met the qualifications to receive it and only a few were added after purported improvements.

There is also the question of facilities outside of the major centres. They are virtually non-existent and often woefully inadequate in the places where they do exist. To my mind, we need a comprehensive, focused and accessible program if we are to meet the needs of parents and children in the NWT. Such a program must reflect best practices recommended by early childhood development research to date.

It appears that ECE has been trying to meet both daycare and JK Program needs through universal JK. An unintended consequence is that Junior Kindergarten is rendering other early childhood programs, including child care services which are becoming less feasible with declining enrolments. We need to recognize that child care services, especially for the early years, have a priority role in providing critical support to parents in ways that will give big returns on early childhood development and the ability of parents, especially women, to take part in the workforce. It can mesh well with quality JK.

Localized child care services should be regulated and supported to ensure qualified early care personnel and developmentally appropriate play- based approaches that support early childhood development. JK would then become part of the continuum to complement community child care services.

I appreciate the department’s move to consult with parents.

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

As I said, I appreciate the department’s move to consult with parents. Let’s learn from the success of other jurisdictions and the citizens of the NWT. Universal daycare delivered as part of a holistic, ground-up approach to early childhood development can play an important role towards achieving happy families and healthy communities, something I know we all would like to see.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Today I would like to provide a few statistics and describe the daily regimen for diabetes patients.

Nationwide, diabetes is a serious public health issue for Aboriginal people. The prevalence rate is on the rise at about three times higher than the general population. About 2,000 NWT residents have this disease.

For diabetes patients to stay relatively healthy, they must maintain a painstaking daily regimen, eating well, getting exercise, testing blood sugar, taking all required medications and undertaking foot care. Diabetes patients are also directed not to smoke or walk barefoot, even around the house.

Nerve damage and poor circulation to the legs and feet are common problems. Certain injuries, even minor ones like blisters or cuts, can take a long time to heal. Unnoticed or untreated, injuries can quickly become infected.

For people with diabetes, preventative maintenance is exacting, time consuming and relentless. Foot care involves a long list of daily activities: washing feet in warm soapy water; drying the feet carefully, especially between the toes; checking for cuts and cracks, ingrown toenails and blisters; using a hand mirror to check the bottom of the feet or getting someone else to do this; cleaning cuts or scratches, then covering them with a dry dressing; trimming toenails; applying lotion to the heels and soles, avoiding the toes because excessive moisture can promote infection; and wearing fresh clean socks and well-fitting shoes.

This type of daily care can be especially difficult for elders, some of whom are living alone or lacking the mobility to perform their own care.

At the appropriate time I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services about how this government cares for the growing number of diabetes patients. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have stood up in this House on many occasions to speak about education and some of our social issues that we see in the Northwest Territories, specifically in the education services within the Beaufort-Delta region and the community of Inuvik, Northwest Territories, whether it’s speaking up on behalf of the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority, the Aurora College, Aurora Research Institute, East Three elementary or secondary schools or the Children First Centre.

One thing that occurred to me and one thing that I brought up in previous statements is that the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority is a unique area in the Northwest Territories and a unique situation when we have to fly in board members or go to schools. The cost of doing business and travelling in the Beaufort-Delta is a concern that was brought forward to me, whether it’s education councils or else the education authority itself.

Last week I fought to try to get them more funding and look at how we do the formula funding with the education authorities throughout the Northwest Territories and, like I said, especially in the Beaufort-Delta region where the high cost of doing business with travelling and flights and those kinds of things.

Last week on October 30th , the Premier made a

Minister’s statement about Junior Kindergarten and that we’re going to go ahead with this Junior Kindergarten in 23 communities without changing the current funding approach to Junior Kindergarten and will not offer the Junior Kindergarten Program in any of the regional centres or in Yellowknife. That brings up a concern, because I fought to try to see if we could get more funding for the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority to continue to do its business, and what we are seeing now, is under this funding approach to Junior Kindergarten, I know the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority is going to have to find money within to fund these programs. It’s not only programs within the region, it’s programs throughout the Northwest Territories in 23 communities for this year and possibly for next year if they decide to continue on.

Mr. Speaker, we only have eight communities in the Northwest Territories, some of them we can’t get some of our senior management, some of our teachers in and out whether it’s training or not, and this money really has an impact on them. The money that is going to be coming out for this Junior Kindergarten Program is also going to have an impact on the way the education authority does business.

The education authority is very innovative; they find ways to spend money. The e-learning program is a big one. They used money from within to try to get the best education for our students in the coastal communities. How will this Junior Kindergarten impact those types of programs? I don’t know, but I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Many people know too well that the poverty trail has many paths and once a person does start to travel down those paths, whether they’ve been born into it or they quickly found themselves in this torrent, it’s quite a difficult challenge if not almost impossible to get out. It’s like swimming through quicksand. The more they struggle, the more they find how difficult the challenges can be. Often these challenges can be lonesome. But when you are the person trying to

take care of your family, the struggle becomes more than just the road less travelled.

Poverty is not an adventure people look fondly back to and recall and think of themselves as the journey of, boy, I can’t recall a better time. These are journeys where the heavy struggle is carried by the children as well as the parent, often in some cases single of parents such as mothers.

The government has done many good things to help, but I think they can do much, much more. It has many tools within what I would call its grasp, or certainly what we would define as their toolbox of options. As we look around and we look at some of the options that we use to help alleviate the throes and punishment of poverty, because no one wants that type of thing, poverty is something that we must help others get out of.

But we must enact better resources, such as our maintenance enforcement orders. I’ve often called these folks deadbeat dads, and that’s who they are sometimes, and the system will define them as debtors. Often deadbeat dads avoid making payments and they think they’re punishing their former spouse. That may be true in some form, but truly the bottom line is they’re punishing the children that belong to them. This is a terrible step where they think that there is a means to the end. They’re punishing their children and keeping them in poverty situations.

We must be doing everything within our grasp, within our toolbox, to ensure that we track these folks down and get them to pay. We keep these families struggling and, if anything, we’re supporting the poverty cycle that they live in by not fighting as hard as we can for these families.

Sometimes we find these deadbeat dads working and then we run into the struggle as wondering why they’re not tracked down and maintenance enforcement orders implemented as quickly as possible. I’ve seen people avoid $100 payment orders and I’ve often wondered why. Again, they think they’re punishing their ex-spouse, but really they’re punishing the children that they should be loving them and doing everything they can for them.

In closing, I will certainly have questions for the Minister later today, but I’ll be talking about the Ontario government’s website. It says www.goodparentspay. They also have wanted parents' posters that point this out, but all of that will be revealed in my questions later today. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s really interesting that we had a Minister’s statement on

procured services today because that’s the focus of my Member’s statement today.

An issue recently came to my office from a constituent and it’s one which I believe highlights inefficiencies and problems in the GNWT procurement process.

This summer a tender was let by Public Works and Services for goods. Two businesses responded to that tender, one northern, one southern. The tender was awarded to the southern firm, but for a premium of almost $60,000. Yes, the northern firm bid $57.7 thousand less than the winning bidder.

Now, I believe that all MLAs and the Minister, as well, want to maximize business to the NWT rather than to southern suppliers, and I believe we all want to ensure that northern businesses survive and keep Northerners in the North. I also believe that we all support a fair process, but this and other examples Members have heard about show that our procurement process is flawed and perhaps unfair.

So what happened here? Well, apparently based on failure to meet specifications, this requisition for goods went to a southern supplier, even though the southern bid was 67 percent higher than the northern bid.

The tender allowed for equivalencies but failed to clearly identify what that meant. The failure to meet the specifications deemed the northern bid unresponsive or non-compliant, even though the variations from the specs were seemingly minor. Under our rules, an unresponsive bid is automatically eliminated.

Because of our policy and our rigid tender process, the government turned down an $85,000 northern bid for a $143,000 southern bid without any opportunity for minor negotiations to address variances in the northern bid.

Tender processes should be rigid and should be fair, but in this case, the way the tender was written forced the northern bidder to be unresponsive. If any tender requires a very specific product, then say so. Don’t make the bidder painstakingly produce a bid for a tender which the government knows full well he cannot meet.

Procurement services must use language and processes which ensure that we provide the opportunity for northern firms to bid on any tender. Not an advantage, Mr. Speaker, but the opportunity for an equal bid.

Taxpayers are going to have to eat the extra $58,000 in this case, and the northern supplier has lost $85,000 worth of business. It begs the question: could the southern bid have been 200 percent higher and still be accepted? Maybe 300 percent higher?

I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

What limit do we put on accepting a bid that is much higher than another one?

There is an opportunity here to review and amend our procurement process. We should be aiming for better support for both northern suppliers and northern taxpayers. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not required.]

Today I rise to pay tribute to the late elder Pierre Marlowe of Lutselk’e. The late Pierre Marlowe was born April 1, 1932, and peacefully passed away surrounded by family and friends on October 30, 2014. He was 82 years old.

The late elder Pierre was born in the Fort Reliance area. When he was five years old his mother died and at 21 years old his father passed away.

In December 1962, Pierre married Helen Enzoe- Benaya. Through this marriage, Pierre and Helen had three children: Mary, Ernie and Charlie. Pierre and Helen also adopted three children: Sonny, Evelyn and Tobie. In 1984, after 22 years of marriage, Helen passed away, and Pierre continued to raise his children.

The late Pierre was a hunter and trapper and enjoyed being on and living off the land. He worked various jobs throughout the years, such as guiding and a guide to the RCMP for many years, and for the NWT Power Corporation.

Also, it was clear to all those who knew him, his love for the land always brought him back there whenever possible.

The late elder Pierre Marlowe enjoyed being actively involved in local politics throughout the region and was well known for being very outspoken and direct and was considered to be politically astute. Pierre was usually happy and was known for his sense of humour.

The late elder Pierre Marlowe is survived by his sons Sonny and Tobie, daughters Mary and Evelyn, 12 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and his sister Celine. He was predeceased by his parents, Antoine and Elizabeth Marlowe; his wife, Helen; sons Ernie and Charlie; five sisters and four brothers.

The late Pierre Marlowe’s children and grandchildren will always remember him for his unwavering love, dedication, kindness,

compassion, along with traditional culture knowledge and language he passed on to them. Entering his home, anyone could see the results of a very religious man.

The late Pierre Marlowe was a well-known, respected elder. He will be sadly missed. My sincerest condolences go out to his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sister, and many nieces, nephews and friends. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize some visitors from the Status of Women of the Northwest Territories: Lorraine Phaneuf, the executive director; and Samantha Thomas, community development coordinator. As well, from the Native Women’s Association of the Northwest Territories I’m very pleased to recognize Nola Nallugiak. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, like the Premier, would like to recognize the same three people. I’ll start with the executive director of the NWT Native Women’s Association, Nola Nallugiak; Lorraine Phaneuf, executive director of NWT Status of Women Council; and Samantha Thomas, community development coordinator. I believe Mr. Sonny Lenoir is in the gallery, as well, from the Dene Nation. That said, thank you everyone for coming today. Thank you.

Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too want to recognize some visitors in the gallery today. Lorraine Phaneuf, I recognize Lorraine; also a constituent, Samantha Thomas. Welcome. I believe you’re still a constituent. I hope so. Also, Nola Nallugiak, welcome to the House today. Also, to Sonny Lenoir, good to see you here.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to welcome Sonny Lenoir to the gallery, a former resident of Simpson. As well, I want to congratulate Nola, who returned from a four-year degree in Native Studies back to the Northwest Territories. She’s a former resident of Fort Simpson, and I won’t try to pronounce her last name. Thank you.

---Laughter

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members in this House like to recognize former residents of their communities. So in case anyone didn’t know, Samantha Thomas is actually from Hay River. I’ll say hi to your mom and dad for you, Samantha. Thank you.

I’d like to welcome everybody here. Thank you for taking in our proceedings today. Thank you.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement today, I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services what kind of programs the GNWT Department of Health and Social Services still has in existence for general practitioners who may wish to become specialists, for students studying medicine who may want to return to the Northwest Territories under some kind of a bursary or sponsorship program. We have found these sometimes to be successful, but at the same time we’ve also heard of stories of NWT residents that did want to return to the Northwest Territories and there were obstacles and barriers, and we do not want to see that.

Although Hay River has two permanent physicians now out of the complement of seven for which we’re funded, we still do need more doctors in the Northwest Territories. I’d like the Minister to update us on the programs and his policies of his department to encourage that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re currently reviewing or actually re- creating our Human Resources Strategy for health and social services professionals. I’ll be ready to bring it to committee in December to have a more fulsome conversation.

Right now the physicians in the Northwest Territories have a very generous contract that allows for some opportunities for professional development to enhance skills and increase their skills, and we’re always looking for ways to encourage Northerners to pursue medicine and come back when they’re done.

I’d be happy to share that report. We’ll have that ready in early December. So, we can have a more fulsome discussion. Thank you.

We will look forward to that. Are the programs that were previously in place that people subscribed to, are there policies or scholarships or programs in place at this time? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, there are a number of Northerners who actually pursued medicine and received some of the bursaries that we have available, but most of them are still in school. We’ve actually discontinued the bursaries because we’ve done a bit of an analysis and there wasn’t a lot of value for money. A lot of the people that we were supporting weren’t coming back to the Northwest Territories. So we’re exploring new ways to work with these students to find ways to make sure that they do come back to the Northwest Territories, and that is part of the review that we’re doing and the information that will be coming forward to the Member and committee in December. Thank you.

Under the direction of our previous Minister of Health and Social Services, the government and the department took action to establish a pool of physicians that they had spoken about locating in Yellowknife either as locums or as regular resident physicians that they would then deploy to the communities and to the health authorities who needed that support.

Could the Minister please tell us what’s the status of that program? Thank you.

That work has been done. All the physicians in the Northwest Territories are under one employer, and we’re able to send physicians from different locations to different locations as needed.

We actually had a happy surprise out of that program. When we created that program it was because we were having difficulty actually recruiting any doctors to the communities. Since we’ve put in that program – and the doctors, regardless of where they are located, have privileges to Stanton and have a larger body of professionals that they get to collaborate with on a regular basis – we’ve actually been lucky enough to actually fill some positions in Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik and part of it’s about this bigger relationship that the doctors are a part of a larger team, as opposed to being a member of a team of one in Hay River. Now they’re part of a territorial team. It’s actually worked out in ways we didn’t anticipate, for the positive.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister, is the recruitment of

physicians and locums currently something that is done at the local health authority level or is it something that’s done by the department?

It is not done by the department. It is done by the authorities, but the authorities are working together as appropriate.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you know, this is the second year in the Mackenzie Delta that ferry services are operating during the winter months. I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation for an update on the ferry services at this time.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department is continuing to work on both the ice bridge and getting the ferry across. We were able to get the ferry across once either today or late yesterday.

That’s great compared to the progress we did last year. I’d like to ask the Minister, when does he see us actually transporting vehicles across on the ferry?

I would hate to venture a guess. I’m hoping that as soon as possible, when the department is comfortable to have made their way across once. I think it is just a matter of the ice conditions, some parts of the ice that was still fairly soft, to be able to make it into a fairly solid area for the ferry to pass through, so we’re hoping that that part of the ice strengthens up a bit and at that point the cut area should remain open.

It’s been brought to my attention that the reason there’s no service right now is because of overflow or high water levels. I’d like to ask the Minister, is the department looking at making a landing structure for vehicles to drive on?

The department will be doing everything to facilitate vehicles getting onto the ferry. I don’t know the exact specifics of whether or not they are going to have to create a separate area for landing or boarding the vehicles onto the ferry, but I can get that information for the Member if he wishes.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A lot of this is to have more LNG to the community of Inuvik. I’d like to ask the Minister, when does he expect the first truck of LNG to arrive in Inuvik?

I believe that we will be able to move vehicles quickly and within probably the next day or two. I don’t think there are any weight issues with the ferry, so when the LNG vehicles arrive that need to get across, we should be able to transport them across the ferry at that point.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In March of 2011, in a report from the office of the Auditor General for Canada to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, the OAG staff noted the following, “little information is recorded on the performance of the health care system”. Sadly, Mr. Speaker, this has not improved since. We have seen a steady stream of failed commitment upon failed commitment in our inability to monitor and report what I like to call basic health outcomes. As a consequence, our ability to monitor performance on a national basis is extremely hampered and limits our opportunity to be tested on national trends or concerns.

My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

Can the Minister inform the House, when can we expect to see these system-wide performance indicators as was promised in this House almost four years ago? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The recommendation from the Auditor General was to develop a set of system-wide performance indicators for the purposes of regularly informing the public about the performance of the NWT health and social services system. We have established and put into place 32 indicators, which I would be happy to share with the Member and then committee. These indicators have been selected through an extensive system-wide consultation with decision-makers and experts and they reflect national best practices.

The information collection has already begun. Initial information collection for the…(inaudible)…report is estimated to be complete during November, so we are in the middle of putting that information together. I believe we will be tabling that report in the May-June session of this Assembly. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, let me remind the Members that this department has promised this and failed more times than we can count, although I do welcome what we have just heard here of potentially 32 indicators that we might see in the

May-June sitting. Accountability performance measures are really the backbone for an effective delivery of health care, especially in best practice.

Again, I ask the Minister, why are we seeing such a delay for so many years? Thank you.

Doom and Gloom is a great Rolling Stones song but it’s not really appropriate here. The indicators are in place. We are collecting the data. The data will be compiled and will be provided to the Members. I can’t say why it wasn’t done before. I have been the Minister for just over a year now and this information will be out in May-June, just like I said. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Minister knows very well this is not doom and gloom. The Minister realizes that our front-line workers and our decision-makers continually work in a vacuum, not knowing where they stand on policy or what is considered national best practice.

So again to the question, how does the department measure our performance nationally when we only produce today about five or so of the best indicators over a list of, nationally, up to 40 recognized benchmarks? Thank you.

This was a recommendation from the Auditor General. We have worked with our professionals here in the Northwest Territories. We have also worked with professionals across the country to identify the 32 indicators that are consistent and will provide us with the information we need to make evidence- based decisions in the Northwest Territories, which I think is what everybody wants, including the Member. That information will start to roll out in June of next year and it will become more valuable over time as we have years of data that can compare to the previous year’s data. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, if I go back to the Auditor General report of 2011, it indicated a recommendation of regularly informing the Legislative Assembly about the performance of the Northwest Territories health care systems and the department replied, “Agreed. Developing an ongoing system of reporting and evaluation is a priority.” It if is a priority, we have not seen this.

So again to the question, when will the department provide to the Members and to the public an ongoing system of reporting and evaluation as they promised four years ago? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, for the third time, May 2015. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask questions to the Minister of Health and Social Services.

The Minister has stated in the House that his department is reviewing options and looking for creative alternatives for providing quality health care.

Will the Minister please provide an update on the plans to enhance nursing services in Wrigley and other communities that don’t have full-time nurses? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member is right; we are always looking for creative new ways to provide valuable services in our communities and we want to make sure that our residents, regardless of the community they live, have access to these services that we provide. So, we are looking at different ways to provide those services.

Right now we do provide nursing services in Wrigley. We have a CHN in there for three to four days a month. We also have a CHN who spends four weeks twice a year in there during freeze-up. I do hear the Member that the Member and the community want to have more people in there. We’re always interested in ideas Members have.

But one area that I can talk about is we are exploring the opportunity of finding a way to train local people to do local work and to provide some degree of health services, similar to models we might see in Alaska or BC. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That’s a nice, unique idea. I think the department may be on to something if they consider making communities like Wrigley a training ground for nursing students. A nursing student could get valuable hands-on experience and Wrigley residents could relax in the knowledge that someone is always on hand.

Will the Minister consider that idea seriously? Thank you.

It’s an intriguing idea and it’s certainly something that I’ll bring up with the department. My only concern with that particular approach is a nursing student isn’t a nurse, and I’d be nervous about having them in the community alone without the supervision of another community health nurse or a nurse in charge. But it’s certainly something that we will look at. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I mentioned in my statement earlier, the Department of Health and

Social Services is in the process of streamlining the health system.

What cost saving does the Minister anticipate, and will these savings permit the department to revise the service delivery model? Especially, can the Minister ensure that even the smallest community will have year-round nursing services? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we are looking forward to improving the provision of health and social services in the Northwest Territories and one of the areas that has been identified as an opportunity to reduce some of the duplication of services and find some economies of scale, which should allow us some more freedom to provide a greater degree of front-line services throughout the Northwest Territories including in the smaller communities throughout the Northwest Territories. Will that be nurses or will that be some other creative solution that we’ve worked on with the communities so that those needs are met, I can’t say, but we are doing that work and I look forward to working with committee and residents of the Northwest Territories as we explore those solutions and those opportunities. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Back in the ‘70s when there was an established nursing station and RCMP in Wrigley, one of the reasons was because the industry was moving north. They were going to build a pipeline, they were going to develop the Mackenzie Highway, and in fact, some of those things are happening today as we talk about the developing Sahtu oilfields.

Will the Minister consider in their planning, about returning nursing to the community of Wrigley? Thank you.

The changing landscape and the changing of communities is something that we do factor in as we’re planning and trying to make sure that we’re providing services. Things like the Mackenzie Highway, if it goes up through Wrigley into the Sahtu, that’s certainly going to change the realities for Wrigley as well as all the work that may come with that.

So those are certainly things that we’re factoring, certainly things we’re considering and things that we will address to make sure that the needs of our residents are met. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my Member’s statement about the

Energy Charrette, I’ll have questions for the Minister of ENR and the Minister of Finance I guess. But I guess the first question I have: Do they have the estimated costs of this Energy Charrette?

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. Minister of Finance, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s in the neighbourhood of about $120,000 I believe. Thank you.

As we left this afternoon, the charrette was looking over the review of the budget.

Is this government committed to shifting gears if the charrette group indicates that we need to shift some of our funding arrangements right now? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I indicated, we continue to spend millions of dollars a year, but a lot of the items that we’re talking about are going to be dependent on the resolution of our borrowing limit discussions with the federal government. Pending that successful conclusion, we are absolutely committed to investing significant amounts of money to engage in this transformational change. Thank you.

Thank you. Can the Minister indicate are we done doing the studying, are we done doing planning, are we looking to put money on the ground in the communities in renewable resources to reduce the cost of living in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you. Yesterday I posed a number of questions. We are committed to looking at the whole range of things that need to be looked at as we do this type of change. It’s the putting projects on the ground, the mix of biomass and solar, potentially wind, batteries, diesel, liquid natural gas if it makes sense. We need to look at the rate structures, we need to look at the governance models, and as we look at those issues we have to look at the regulatory function. As well, we need to identify, I would suggest on a go forward basis as we move more fully into these alternative energy technologies, the legislation that will govern the application of biomass, the wind and the solar so that they have the same kind of framework and comfort that oil and gas folks currently have as they do the work they do. Thank you.

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

The Minister is an experienced politician and I ask that question again. Is this government committed to reducing the cost of living to Northerners?

Thank you. In response to my cherubic friend with his Movember face slowly getting grizzled, I would restate that

yes, all the things that we’re doing are focused on energy efficiency, cost of living, reducing our footprint, cutting our carbon emissions and sustainability. So, absolutely.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bouchard. Okay. The Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the honourable Minister of Justice, Mr. Ramsay.

Can the Minister update this House as to why, in this day and age, in the year 2014, legal aid clients or clients of any lawyers outside of Yellowknife get minimal time with their legal counsel? Actually, some don’t even see their legal counsel until they come to the community on the court circuit and it’s usually one or two hours before the court. Sometimes it’s a totally different lawyer.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The Minister of Justice, Mr. Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a Legal Aid Outreach Program to communities that I’ve highlighted in the House in the past. Just this summer, clinics were conducted in Kakisa, Fort Providence, Behchoko, Fort Good Hope, Tulita, Deline, Colville Lake, Norman Wells and Hay River. With the resources that we have, we do attempt to provide the best service as we can to the smaller communities. Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Ramsay hit it on key: they are making an attempt to provide the services with the resources that they have. We have the resources, we just need to direct some of these resources in the areas that they’re mostly needed in the communities. So, I understand that Rome wasn’t built in a day and we know there’s a serious backlog when it comes to family law, criminal law or any type of law that requires legal aid in our communities. We know that lawyers are in demand.

How can we stand here and say that a lawyer truly represents a client from outside of Yellowknife if they’re only to meet their clients on the date of that hearing, the same day the lawyers come in? So, can these lawyers arrive one day ahead of the court party to have sufficient time with their clients? Can that happen?

Of course, access to justice is a very important issue across the Northwest Territories and across this country. If the Member has some ideas about how we can improve the level of service for his constituents and people in smaller communities outside of Yellowknife in the regional centres, that’s

something that we’d like to discuss with the Member and other Members if they have ideas. I mean, that’s what we’re here to do, is how we can make things better and better service for the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

I certainly would be willing to sit down with the Minister because I have a lot of ideas, the Sahtu people have a lot of ideas. We heard from Mr. Andy Langford last month, telling the media that kids should be with their families in their home communities.

Can the Minister look at hosting a family law clinic or a forum to discuss the serious issues facing the NWT with the access to family law legal aid lawyers that families need? Can the Minister commit to that?

Thank you. If there is a case before the courts or in the process of being before the courts, of course that would preclude me getting involved as the Minister of Justice. If there is an issue of access to justice and getting legal aid, somebody trying to attempt to get legal aid and having questions surrounding the process and how it is that they’d qualify for legal aid, that is something that my office and the department can certainly provide answers to. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do have one idea. I want to ask the Minister if he would look at if it’s possible to set up a Sahtu mobile legal aid office in the Sahtu region. Could this work? What do you think?

Thank you. The Member is asking my opinion, and again, I take the Member’s comments, I take his concerns very seriously. I know him, and we have worked together for the past 11 years and I know he’s a man of the people. Certainly if he has an idea like the one that he’s talked about here today in the House, we have a process in place here with business plans with going through that type of process, and if we can take a look at something like that, I’d be happy to sit down with the Member and have a look at that idea and see how it would look in reality and what it would cost. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. In this country, diabetes patients typically have access to a range of health care providers, including foot specialists, certified diabetes

educators, doctors, nurses, and professionals who specialize in orthotic and prosthetic devices.

Can the Minister tell me if diabetes patients in the Northwest Territories have access to the full range of knowledgeable health care providers? Mahsi.