Good afternoon, colleagues. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inform the House that the Territorial Nominee Program has been greatly enhanced to better meet the needs of employers and to advance the population and economic growth objectives set by this government.

Economic growth in the territory is creating opportunities for employment and investment in many sectors, particularly in the non-renewable resource sector. To continue to build a strong and competitive economy, this government has committed to increasing immigration as a component of the broader economic and population growth work while maintaining our priority to continue to prepare Northerners for future economic and employment opportunities.

This is why we are taking a coordinated and unified approach to enhancing immigration programs and services to attract and retain more skilled newcomers to the territory. Enhancing immigration will help grow and diversify the labour force and support economic growth and prosperity over the long term.

The Nominee Program is a government-wide initiative delivered by two departments. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment delivers two employer-driven streams and the new Express Entry stream. The Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment delivers two business streams.

The Nominee Program has been identified as one of the pillars of the GNWT’s efforts to support the territory’s population growth objectives. ITI has set

a target of eight nominees formally enrolled in the business related stream. ECE committed to increasing the number of employer-driven applications under the Nominee Program by 25 percent each year over five years beginning in 2014.

To this point, I am very pleased to announce that ECE has already surpassed this target. In 2014 the number of approved nominee applications increased by more than 50 percent. This translates into 48 approved applicants including their 62 dependents, a total of 110 people approved under the employer-driven Nominee Program in 2014. We are also on track to surpass our target this year. This is great news for the territory, and over five years we project more than 800 new residents living in and contributing to the NWT economy. This initiative is a key component of our growth strategy, aimed at attracting 2000 new residents to the NWT over the next five years.

We have made several key enhancements to the Nominee Program. First we have provided a one-stop and seamless program administered by knowledgeable and dedicated staff. We have also engaged with employers and other stakeholders to hear from them firsthand how best to improve the program. With their input, we have revised program procedures and materials to ensure information is accurate, clear and understandable. We have introduced program service standards and launched a toll-free information line for employers across the NWT. All of these enhancements will better facilitate the application and nomination process.

We moved our northern employment services website from Jobs North to Canada’s Job Bank in January to provide employers and job seekers with enhanced online employment services.

The department has expanded the Nominee Program with the introduction of the new Express Entry system. Citizenship and Immigration Canada launched the new Express Entry system for skilled immigrants in January 2015. This new system allows the Government of Canada to select and manage applications for permanent residence more efficiently and faster. Through the Nominee Program, ECE has implemented a new Northwest Territories Express Entry system for skilled workers. The addition of the NWT Express Entry

system provides another 100 available positions for potential candidates in addition to the 150 currently available through the Nominee Program, bringing the total to 250 spots for candidates.

Mr. Speaker, we are also leading the development of an immigration framework. This framework will focus the GNWT’s efforts and strategies to help employers get the talent they need, increase growth and diversification of the economy, and promote the NWT as a destination of choice for talented newcomers.

In the months ahead, the department will be engaging employers and stakeholders to inform the immigration framework and will continue this important work to enhance our immigration programs and services to help keep our economy strong and ensure our residents prosper.

At the same time, ECE is leading a Skills for Success Initiative, to take a hard look at our skills training and post-secondary education programs and supports. We want to improve employment success for northern residents, close skill gaps for in-demand jobs and more effectively respond to employer and community needs. We all recognize that the number one resource in the NWT is its own people.

Mr. Speaker, I want to emphasize the importance of these initiatives to the territory. A growing, vibrant economy needs workers and, with our abundant natural resources, there are jobs emerging all the time without people to fill them. A coordinated approach to immigration, our workforce and labour market will help improve economic and population growth, and increase opportunities for our residents. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] We’re going to talk… [Translation ends]

Mr. Speaker, the second winter of construction on the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway Project is in full swing with our contractor working 24 hours a day, seven days a week from both Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk. Our contract partner, EGT Northwind, is focused on constructing new embankment and installing needed structures during the 20-week construction season, while continuing to train and employ Inuvik and northern residents on the largest new highway construction project underway in northern Canada.

Engineers with the Department of Transportation estimate that since the project started last February, crews have moved over 1.5 million cubic

metres of embankment material. To put that figure into perspective, it is approximately 62,500 loads of material moved by the 34 rock trucks currently hauling 24 hours a day.

Moving a massive quantity of material requires a small army of well-coordinated, trained and enthusiastic employees. EGT Northwind has almost 600 people currently employed to operate and maintain the heavy equipment and support vehicles, supply and operate the work camps, and manage all aspects of the project from engineering and design to monitoring the construction area for signs of wildlife. I invite Members to join me in thanking the many individuals who are working to build the 120-kilometre segment of highway during the harshest season of the year.

Approximately 70 percent of the workforce is comprised of residents of the Beaufort-Delta region and other NWT communities who have had more than 29,000 person days of employment. That is a substantial contribution to meeting this Assembly’s priority of creating employment opportunities where they are most needed.

Mr. Speaker, delivering meaningful training opportunities contributes to a sustainable future for northern residents who wish to enter the construction industry. The contractor has successfully trained more than 70 individuals as heavy equipment operators and 30 individuals as Class 1 and 3 drivers with airbrakes. These valuable and transferable skills will outlast the highway’s construction and allow residents to take advantage of job opportunities associated with other developments ongoing across the NWT.

The department also collaborated with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to produce a workshop for front-line project personnel on protecting water resources and fish habitat.

Mr. Speaker, environmental stewardship remains a priority for the department in the delivery of its programs and services, including the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway Project. The department employs construction and operational procedures that use the best environmental practices to ensure wildlife, land, fishery and water resources are protected. It also continues to track progress on 286 commitments made to regulatory agencies to ensure the project is delivered in a manner that addresses the concerns, expectations and requirements of all parties involved.

Mr. Speaker, constructing the northern-most segment of Mackenzie Valley Highway to the Arctic Coast was made possible in part by Canada’s strategic investment of $200 million. The Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway Project continues to be managed within the $299 million budget and remains on schedule, with an estimated 40 kilometres left to be completed at the end of this winter construction season.

An Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway Project display is set up in the Great Hall of our Legislative Assembly Building and I invite residents to come learn more about the project.

The construction on the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway is moving Northerners that much closer to completing a vision of a Canada that’s connected by road from coast to coast to coast. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories has the potential to be an energy giant. We are home to world-class oil and gas reserves in the Deh Cho, central Mackenzie, Mackenzie Delta and Beaufort Sea. This territory sits atop an estimated 80 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and seven billion barrels of oil. Estimates indicate the Arctic contains one-fifth of the world’s untapped oil and gas reserves.

In order to develop the Northwest Territories’ tremendous petroleum resources in an environmentally responsible and economically efficient manner, we need to develop a comprehensive plan. Today I would like to talk to you about this government’s work to create an Oil and Gas Strategy.

Similar to the approach taken to develop the Economic Opportunities Strategy and the Mineral Development Strategy, which were released by this government in 2013, we are drawing upon the expertise and knowledge of regional and territorial stakeholders, Aboriginal governments and industry to develop a strategy that truly reflects northern values and priorities.

Historically, the NWT economy has been reliant on mining. While there has been oil and gas activity in the territory for decades and this sector has made significant contributions to the economy over the years, particularly in the central Mackenzie Valley around Norman Wells, the sector is far from reaching its full potential.

Mr. Speaker, the oil and gas sector currently faces the challenge of low global oil prices. As such, it is an opportune time for the NWT to focus on actions that will make us a more competitive and attractive destination for oil and gas investment and responsible development in the days to come.

The NWT Oil and Gas Strategy will outline how we intend to control the pace of the NWT’s oil and gas development. It will focus on building upon the existing foundation of oil and gas exploration in the NWT and establish a clear path to responsible production of oil and gas across the territory’s

petroleum-rich regions. The strategy will outline opportunities to help people gain appropriate trades and skills for future employment in the oil and gas industry.

Mr. Speaker, the next step towards realizing this strategy is to gather additional public input through an online survey that will soon be released. We have already completed interviews with subject matter experts and held focus groups with key stakeholder organizations and businesses, and Aboriginal and community government representatives in regional centres across the territory.

We will also seek input from the Members of the Legislative Assembly. The consultation process will provide us with an opportunity to increase awareness about the importance of responsible oil and gas development in the NWT, the associated benefits for all NWT residents and the support and infrastructure required to develop this industry. The NWT Oil and Gas Strategy is expected to be released in June 2015.

Mr. Speaker, managing the NWT’s natural resources responsibly will help provide a solid basis to our economy and support the creation of jobs and economic opportunities for NWT residents and businesses. This strategy, informed by the input of the public, Aboriginal governments, MLAs and stakeholders, will help guide our decisions over the next 20 years and ensure that our residents enjoy sustainable benefits from the development of NWT petroleum resources.

I look forward to providing Members with further updates on the Oil and Gas Strategy as it develops. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Honourable Premier…Sorry. Minister R.C. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Lands’ inspection services are essential for responsible and sustainable development in the NWT. Their success hinges on building the capacity of the inspections program through training and professional development planning. Inspections services help companies comply with relevant legislation and meet the specific terms and conditions set out in authorizations issued by the department and NWT land and water boards.

In establishing the Department of Lands, a key consideration was a made-in-the-NWT approach to the inspections process, one that would respond to the 17th Legislative Assembly’s decentralization

priorities: building capacity in regional centres and communities.

With resources approved by this government, a training and development program for entry-level resource management officers, or inspectors, is now complete and ready for implementation. I expect that the recruitment process will be concluded this spring.

This program will establish five new resource management officer positions, one to serve each region. These entry-level positions are targeted to provide opportunities at the community level.

This means that individuals with land-based skills can continue to use those skills in the resource management field as inspectors. The length of training may vary with each candidate, depending on the education and experience of the candidate.

A fully trained candidate will have the minimum qualifications for an RMO II position and will have future opportunities for career advancement within the GNWT. These resource management officer positions, along with other resource management and superintendent positions, open career paths and succession planning opportunities for this department.

This is a new structure, one that builds capacity, and one that enables Lands to further support the Aboriginal employment and regional recruitment strategies and priorities of this government. Thank You, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 3, Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to acknowledge a long-time Northerner who recently retired from flying 747s and 737s. Mr. Speaker, Cecil Hansen hails from Aklavik, and this Saturday a huge retirement celebration will be held in his honour in Aklavik.

The celebration will be in recognition of his service to his home community and for his service to Reindeer Air Services of Aklavik and also to recognize him for his years of service with Canadian North providing air transportation to the whole Northwest Territories.

Cecil Hansen was born and raised in Aklavik. He was one of 12 children born to the late Hans and Kathleen Hansen. Cecil attended local day school in Aklavik and then went off to high school in Inuvik and further south for more education in the field of flying.

Cecil studied and became the first Inuvialuit to gain his commercial pilot’s licence. Reindeer Services was one of his first jobs as pilot. He worked alongside Fred Carmichael, his long-time friend and mentor.

Not surprisingly, Cecil would become captain of the 747s flying in Australia. Upon his return to Canada, he started flying Canadian North’s 737s. I can only imagine how proud Cecil was upon his retirement. He retired his captain’s seat to his daughter Dawn, who continues to fly today for Canadian North, honouring her father’s air miles. Cecil has become a role model to his home community as well as the entire Beaufort-Delta region. Well done, Cecil. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, good afternoon. The Kole Crook Fiddle Association turns 12 years old this year. It was registered as a society in 2003 and has chapters in six communities and provides a wonderful music program to 12 communities in the Northwest Territories. This fills a void in our education system that doesn’t offer music in all our schools.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge the late fiddler, Kole Crook, whom the association is named for. He shared his gift throughout the North and was known for his gentle ways and selfless generosity. He passed away far too young at 27 years.

He provided inspiration by exposure. The Kole Crook Fiddle Association believes, as I do, that students who study music and arts are more successful and achieve higher grades in school. Children who study musical instruments are more likely to excel in all of their studies, work better in teams, have enhanced critical thinking skills, stay in school and pursue further education. Schools with music programs have an estimated 90 percent graduation rate and 93 percent attendance rate compared to schools without music education.

In the NWT we have many remote communities and the Fiddle Association’s philosophy is to get out there and teach this music skill to our youth, a skill that they simply cannot get in their home community. These repeated visits and continuous teaching is beneficial to the students as they grow and learn. They have a four point strategy: an annual fiddle camp, an annual teachers workshop, travelling Fiddle Teacher Program as well as to the students most interested, they are sponsored to attend fiddle camps throughout Canada.

Music provides children with a means of self-expression. Self-esteem is a by-product of self-expression. We spoke yesterday about mental

health and wellness. This effort and dedication by the Kole Crook Fiddle Association has and will continue to foster positive attitudes in our children. Success like this comes when people work together, teachers in our schools, volunteers helping with the events, parents encouraging their children, the fiddle teachers themselves and the hardworking board of the Kole Crook Fiddle Association.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

Gratitude for financial supports also has to be extended to the departments of Municipal and Community Affairs and Education, Culture and Employment, the NWT Arts Society and the Dehcho Divisional Board of Education and the many other boards whom I did not mention. I am proud that the government is funding this worthwhile program and should certainly continue at the same level or even increase the contributions. The benefits to our youth, our education and our future far outweigh passive restraint. Mahsi cho.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Someone once said to me, “Hey, Norm, how come you keep bringing up the need for residential school survivors to get treatment and the need for the Sahtu to become an independent region?” Well, Mr. Speaker, I was thinking, what’s the connection?

Well, in both incidents we want freedom, or to be free from the shackles of being dependent on others. For the residential school survivors, it is the freedom of not being hurt, feeling the pain and knowing there is a better life, knowing that God didn’t create a person to live this kind of life and how can I break free and be a positive contributor in my family and in my community.

Now, for a region, we want to be a contributor to the North. Learn to make decisions for ourselves, learn to stand on our own, learn to walk and, even more importantly, learn to make mistakes and to learn to accept these temporary failures and move on in life.

That’s the connection between the two. At the same level, we want freedom, nothing more, nothing less, to lay the foundation for our families and our region. We want to know that our children will have a region of wealth, success and tradition, no less than a residential school survivor who comes from a rich culture, a rich family, a rich tradition of their way of life, and to break free and to go back to that way of life. Only then they will truly know who they are and

why God chose them to live here in this land. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Developing a fair recreational land leasing policy is challenging and of considerable interest to our public. The Minister of Lands is holding public meetings to gather public input, and I have heard that from constituents who attended the meetings in Yellowknife last week. They report their experience was positive, with 35 to 50 people attending each. The World Café format seemed constructive, with facilitators at five different tables guiding participants through five different questions. Thanks to the Minister for holding these meetings. I look forward to hearing the results from these and the gatherings held in other communities.

Topics of apparent concern overlapped with ones I have raised in the House before. Constituents felt the rules and regulations focus needs to be on enforcement, that rules mean nothing unless they are rigorously enforced. This concern is reflected in the proliferation of illegal squatters on public lands. No surprise given the department’s ongoing refusal to fully enforce the law.

Another concern was the selective focus for the current moratorium on recreational leasing restricted as it is to the highways leading into Yellowknife. This left Yellowknife Bay, which is being colonized at yet further loss to the Commons. With no restriction in this area, no recreational land use plan and no opportunity for public input on applications, leases are still being granted and the Commons eroded.

Many constituents felt that it was important to extend the moratorium on recreational leases to this area and to even consider a blanket moratorium on all NWT lands with respect to recreational leases until a proper publicly vetted recreational leasing management plan is in place.

Constituents felt there was consensus at the meetings that any recreational land management plan needs to be transparent and fair. Squatters everywhere must be dealt with justly, with zero tolerance moving forward. A ballot draw system was the preferred method for lease allocation, with special rules for First Nations and a need to protect ecologically sensitive areas. The Commons must be protected for use by many. People do not want popular sites developed into recreational leases at the expense of public access. They want a real opportunity for public input into what areas should be left undeveloped.

Many of these points have been raised in the past with no acceptance from the Minister, but I’m pleased that the Minister is doing his consultation. Will he hear the voices raised and ensure the policy reflects their concerns? The answer to this question will indicate whether we have a sustainable, fair and transparent recreational lands policy or not. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On January 9th to 11th , the community of Inuvik

welcomed about 25 out-of-town visitors for the annual Sunrise Festival. I don’t know of any other place in the world that puts that type of events and activities into an event like this where the community is welcoming back the sun after about a month of darkness.

There was about three days of activities and events that were planned in Inuvik. The Town of Inuvik and its partners, organizations and businesses in the community came together and developed a really great three days of events and showcases. I just wanted to highlight a couple of them.

One was A Taste of Inuvik and an old-time dance that showcased local and traditional northern foods. About 450 people attended, and performances were also put on by the Inuvik Drummers and Dancers and the Inuvik youth jigging group, who always do an excellent job and are actually great ambassadors for the Inuvik and Beaufort-Delta region and even for the Northwest Territories.

There was also a community pancake breakfast with about 400 people who got served. All donations were given to the Inuvik Food Bank, which was great.

They also had a snow park, an Arctic market and, this was a big one, the Inuvik ice road village, which was something new. I would like to take the time and recognize all the people who put that together, but there are so many names, so many volunteers and people who did such a great job that gave the real, true northern experience to people who came up from down south.

The Town of Inuvik and their tourism department did a great job in developing packages that could be delivered from Yellowknife, Edmonton, Vancouver, Kelowna, Whitehorse and Dawson. What I also wanted to talk about was the funding that they got from NWT Tourism where they were able to get some marketing and promotion on things like Destination Think!, which put on a contest and had over 1,900 contest entries and two winners from Vancouver and Whistler attended. Rogers Media radio and television also held

contests and there was a family and others that were able to go into this contest with, again, about 3,000 entries in there as well. So it really got Inuvik on the map and the Northwest Territories as well.

I will ask the Minister of ITI some questions later about how we can support this event. Thank you, M. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As far back as 1969, through a federal Order-in-Council, land has been withdrawn and plans in the works for a national park at the eastern end of Great Slave Lake. After that initial land withdrawal, there were long periods of inactivity until 2001, and then from 2004 to 2013 talks were held in earnest to try to develop the park concept.

In reviewing the budget last week, Premier McLeod advised the House that we “expect to have some results by the end of March or early April” so that we would know “whether we were moving forward or not.” He also stated that the feds have paused and there are active discussions as we speak.

I support the establishment of a park. I support Thaidene Nene and there is considerable support in my riding and throughout my community. To quote one of my constituents, “Polling data from 2013 shows that 80 percent of Yellowknife and Hay River residents support establishing Thaidene Nene.”

There is support to preserve the area and support for the economic development and stability it will bring to the Lutselk’e Dene First Nation.

Another of my constituents has said, “There are strong ecological, cultural and economic reasons for protecting the entire area, which have been documented by Parks Canada and the Lutselk’e Dene First Nation.”

Mr. Speaker, residents in and around Yellowknife and Hay River have been using the East Arm area of Great Slave Lake for recreational purposes since the communities were established. It is also home to the Denesoline people of Lutselk’e and has provided for them and the surrounding communities for thousands of years. It is a great idea to mandate the Lutselk’e Dene First Nation be the keepers of Thaidene Nene. It is their traditional land, after all, and a park can provide much needed employment in the areas of conservation and tourism.

There is good reason to preserve the land, but any agreement for a park must ensure that it will still be accessible to all of the current users of the area. This project has been proceeding at a snail’s pace for far too long and this is where I see the GNWT

can affect progress in working out an agreement for a park.

With devolution, the NWT presumably gained power over our own lands and resources, so we should take on this task.

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

---Unanimous consent granted

We should take on this task, and one of my constituents said it best, “The time has come for the GNWT to exercise its new authority under devolution in favour of this park and the people of Lutselk’e and the entire NWT, establishing this park and making the appropriate arrangements with the community.”

I will have questions for the Minister at a later time. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Hawkins.