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

Mr. Speaker, the late Nelson Mandela said that overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right; the right to dignity and a decent life. As a government, we are committed to helping residents be self-reliant and to live with dignity. We have made investments in a wide range of programs, including education, housing, early childhood development, health promotion and addiction prevention and treatment, to help reduce and prevent poverty in our territory. However, government alone cannot eliminate poverty. It takes a coordinated response from communities, Aboriginal governments, non-government organizations and businesses.

Annual anti-poverty round tables that engage representatives from all sectors in every region provide an important way to share success stories and identify common issues and priorities. These collective discussions help align the poverty reduction efforts of all partners for maximum impact.

On December 2 and 3, 2014, the second annual NWT Anti-Poverty Round Table was held in Yellowknife. Over 100 delegates from community organizations, Aboriginal and community governments, non-governmental organizations and businesses from every region of the NWT came together to identify and address key priorities to reduce and prevent poverty. The common themes that emerged from the round table were food security, homelessness, on-the-land programs, early childhood and wellness.

Mr. Speaker, the atmosphere at the round table was positive and encouraging. We are using input gathered at this event to finalize a territorial Anti-Poverty Action Plan.

This territorial action plan, developed under the leadership of the Anti-Poverty Advisory Committee I established last year, is a multi-stakeholder plan that will address priorities identified by stakeholders and provide a roadmap to help guide our collective efforts for reducing and preventing poverty.

Another important component of the fight against poverty is the GNWT Anti-Poverty Fund. This $500,000 fund was created to support community-based anti-poverty efforts and allow territorial stakeholders to submit funding proposals for initiatives to tackle poverty or symptoms of poverty in their communities, regions or at a territorial level. Fourteen projects, covering a range of innovative activities from communities across the NWT, are currently being funded and we anticipate receiving even more applications for the 2015 fund.

Mr. Speaker, healthy, educated people free from poverty is one of the goals of the Assembly and the Government of the Northwest Territories. It is only by forming a strong circle of partnerships that we can be successful in reducing and preventing poverty. Working together we will help residents live with dignity and self-reliance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, the NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy, or EOS, is the most informed approach ever taken to advancing economic development in the NWT. Since the implementation plan for the EOS was tabled last October, we have been working hard to put the recommendations and initiatives outlined in the strategy in place.

Today I would like to update Members on the progress we are making on a few of these initiatives.

Responsibility for the implementation of the EOS is shared by a number of GNWT departments along with our strategy partners, the NWT Chamber of Commerce, the NWT Association of Communities, the Northern Aboriginal Business Association and the Government of Canada’s Northern Economic Development Agency, CanNor.

Recognizing the opportunities that tourism offers for economic development throughout the NWT, several EOS recommendations reflect how to capitalize on these opportunities.

This year ITI and NWT Tourism formalized a two-year contribution agreement in which NWT Tourism would develop a convention bureau to attract and facilitate business tourism, conferences and industry events to the NWT. The convention bureau is already working to attract meetings and conventions to the NWT, and I am confident that all regions will benefit from visitors who travel to other parts of the territory before and after their meetings.

We have also reached an agreement with the Canadian Executive Service Organization to strengthen our Tourism Business Mentorship Program, and we continue to work with the Aboriginal Tourism Advisory Council to establish cultural tourism products for the NWT. Destination Deline is a partnered initiative between the community and ITI and a great example of a proven viable model for attracting tour groups to the NWT’s smaller communities.

Mr. Speaker, we have also been responding to recommendations to grow a stable and attractive entrepreneurial environment in our territory. This includes exploring opportunities to diversify our economy and strengthen the fishery, film and agriculture sectors.

Last month we launched the Great Slave Lake Fresh Fish brand and accompanying marketing campaign. This is the first element of a multi-pronged initiative to revitalize our territory’s fishing industry.

To support the film sector, we have put a pilot rebate program in place. For the first time in the NWT, this program will provide financial incentives to productions filming on location in our territory.

We are also developing an agriculture strategy to grow our territory’s rapidly evolving agriculture sector with our partners, the NWT Association of Communities, the Territorial Farmers Association and the Northern Farm Training Institute. Also, using a partnered approach, the NWT Chamber of Commerce is leading an initiative with ITI, the Northern Aboriginal Business Association and CanNor to develop an information and media campaign promoting and encouraging small business growth in the NWT, and we are also developing a marketing plan that will increase

awareness and purchase of made-in-the-NWT products.

In response to services that entrepreneurs have said they need, we are connecting businesses and entrepreneurs in the NWT’s small communities with professional bookkeeping and accounting services, through the Professional and Financial Support Program.

We are streamlining information about funding programs and services through a new online database.

Mr. Speaker, our partnered approach to advance the recommendations set out in the EOS is key to this strategy’s success.

Our partnership with CanNor has offered us the opportunity to leverage significant joint funding efforts in support of advancing everything from geoscience, to agriculture to tourism. This includes CanNor funding of $5.3 million to build the geoscience knowledge base of the Lac de Gras region, joint funding of $4.2 million to establish a permanent campus for the Northern Farm Training Institute in Hay River and the launch of the Northern Greenhouse Initiative to advance the commercialization and productivity of greenhouse projects across the North; and the most recent announcement of joint CanNor funding of over $10 million in our tourism industry, which will be focused on smaller communities with emerging tourism opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, the responsibility of developing a strong economy belongs to us all as we work to achieve our goal of a diversified economy that provides all communities with opportunities and choices. I look forward to sharing a complete report of all the work, initiatives and investments that we have taken to advance the EOS recommendations with Members later this spring. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s interesting that I’m going on the heels of such a happy report from the Minister of ITI, because today it’s Monday. I don’t know if I’m in a Monday mood or what, but I want to talk about Hay River. Hay River, Hay River, the Hub of the North.

My question to this government is: Who cares about Hay River, the second largest community in the Northwest Territories? People say things like, I like Hay River, I like coming to Hay River, but that’s

not going to cut it. That’s not going to be good enough. They say Hay River is resilient, they’ll figure it out. I’m tired of being the happy, optimistic champions of all things economic and all things entrepreneurial.

Hay River needs some help. The absolute success of Hay River over the years has been its diversified economy and was made up of things like tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, the commercial fishery, the transportation hub, the railhead of the North. But, Mr. Speaker, lots of these things are being left to languish right now.

You know, it seems that we can spend – I don’t know; I don’t want to say the number, I don’t know how big it is – you know, to go off, well, let’s just say hundreds of thousands of dollars to go to China and Japan to get more tourists for the Northwest Territories. But those tens of thousands of tourists are coming to Yellowknife. I mean, let’s call a spade a spade. They’re not coming anywhere else.

Where was this government when the Greyhound bus service, which is a national bus service, cut off its bus service to Hay River? Oh, that was only 25 little tourists getting off the bus every week in Hay River. Oh, but we don’t care about them. But we sure care about those tens of thousands that are coming to Yellowknife. But anyway, where was our government? The Yukon government effectively lobbied Greyhound, and guess what? The Greyhound bus still goes to Whitehorse today.

In the manufacturing sector, Hay River is innovative. They put their money where their mouth is. They put their money on the table when it comes to manufacturing. But we shouldn’t, as MLAs, have to intercept contracts going out to southern companies for something that can be manufactured in Hay River. We shouldn’t have to have a political intervention every time somebody in the manufacturing sector draws that to our attention. There should be a mindset in the government, like, hey, this can be done in the North, let’s figure it out.

Agriculture, the Minister spoke to that here today, and we are seeing some. But I give a lot of the credit to the federal government and to people like Jackie Milne. Sorry, our government has been saying they’re going to have an Agriculture Policy. They’ve been saying that for the last 20 years. It’s coming. So is Christmas. We haven’t got it yet.

Mr. Speaker, I guess I made a too long list of things to complain about today because I haven’t even made it through half of them, but that’s the end of my time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not too long ago I spoke about what I consider to be punitive income support policies. I was, and still am, particularly concerned with the Minister of Education’s view that an RRSP, a retirement savings plan, is considered a rainy day fund by the department and that an RRSP must be cashed in for a client to access income support.

With the help of our very capable Legislative Assembly staff, I did a little investigating of income support policies across Canada, and surprise, surprise, most provinces and territories exempt RRSPs from consideration as income for income support purposes. With slight variations, almost everywhere in Canada, except in the NWT, income support clients can keep their RRSP funds. As long as the funds in the RRSP are locked in, meaning they cannot be cashed in before retirement, then they are not considered when calculating income support payments.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Nunavut, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario the client’s locked-in RRSP is exempt. In Quebec and Alberta, RRSPs are exempt up to a certain value, $60,000 and $100,000.

Mr. Speaker, 10 of the 12 jurisdictions I could check recognize RRSPs as a savings tool and allow income support clients to keep that safety net for retirement.

When I questioned the Minister previously, he made sure to tell me that registered savings disabilities plans and registered education savings plans are safe from liquidation for income support purposes. The income support manual states, “A Registered Disabilities Savings Plan, RDSP, is a savings plan to help parents and others save for the long-term financial security of a person who is eligible for the disability tax credit.” So, it’s okay in the NWT for a client to save for a child’s future, but it’s not okay for the same client to save for their own financial future.

Do we value our elders? I keep hearing that we do, but this policy flies in the face of that. It ensures that our seniors, our elders, will have no savings to top up their Canada Pension Plan payments when they retire. It’s well known that seniors are often our poorest residents, usually because they have no pension other than Canada Pension Plan. Our policy is contradictory to most other Canadian jurisdictions where locked-in RRSPs are excluded. If that is so, why do we have so many seniors and elders who can barely make ends meet?

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

---Unanimous consent granted

The NWT income support policy in regards to RRSPs puts people into poverty and ensures that they stay there right through retirement and into old age.

Mr. Speaker, I will have some questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment at the appropriate time. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week I stood up in the House and I congratulated our young boys who were at the basketball championship. I’m happy and proud to say that our 19-and-under boys won the championship again this weekend. It’s the first time in about 30 years that Inuvik has won that championship.

They had a real great game. They won 61 to 56 over a very hard, very sportsmanlike St. Pat’s team, and I want to thank the coach and the St. Pat’s boys for making the game very exciting for everybody who was in attendance.

I would say there are a few boys on that team that are going to be leaving high school this year, and it was really great to see them leave with such a great memory that they’re going to cherish for the rest of their lives.

This weekend was a great weekend of basketball. We had teams from Lutselk’e for the first time ever. We had a team from Deline win a school banner, and we had some from Cambridge Bay attend as well. But this couldn’t all be possible without sponsorship. The NWT Power Corporation has been sponsoring that tournament for years, so I want to give them the recognition that they deserve.

Just like last week, I want to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers, the chaperones and both schools for hosting a very successful Cager Tournament this weekend. I would also like to make a special thank you and acknowledgement to all the coaches for their dedication, their time, their guidance and their support for our youth in the small communities and throughout the Northwest Territories. Two in particular that I’d like to recognize are the coaches for the East Three Eagles Basketball Team, Mr. Will Logan and Mr. Al Gillis, who have worked with these boys for years. For them to finally win a championship, especially some of those boys leaving school this year, they deserve that championship. They worked hard, they gave sound advice to the athletes and they showed a lot of sportsmanship to the referees, to the other teams, to the coaches and they did a great job.

Just before I finish off my Member’s statement here, I’d like to recognize a young gentleman, Mr. Liam Larocque. He’s only 15 years old. He moved

up into the senior division and played for Inuvik and he was recognized as the tournament MVP. So, great job, boys, and I look forward to seeing more basketball championships in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to talk about this weekend. I happened to drive to Gameti for the first annual John D. Quitte Men's Hand Game Tournament. I truly appreciated the invitation of the Tlicho chiefs that encouraged me to go there, and more particularly, I want to thank Chief Wedawin for his personal welcome to his community.

I drove that winter road and I have to say it was a wonderful experience, unlike some of my experiences on Highway No. 7, of course, but that’s a story for another day. Several community members said that they look forward to the year that their winter road becomes a real highway, and they look forward to seeing that in the capital plan with some real money behind it.

Even though I drove the winter road and it took about four and a half hours to get there, the drive was certainly well worth every moment of it. The community of Gameti was very welcoming from the moment I got there. When I got there I ran into Minister Jackson Lafferty, who was enjoying the games himself.

From the moment I stepped into the community hall, the hand games were being played and it was full of excitement from everyone. It was tremendously exciting to see the energy of our youth, and it was obvious to me the joy of those young at heart who were having a fantastic time. Mr. Speaker, that’s a nice way of describing the elders.

The Tlicho region, like all our northern regions, does such a wonderful job of putting on their community events and their cultural games. This was no exception. While I was there, they gave me an opportunity to speak and address the crowd, and I made sure I underscored how important these community events are to instilling culture and language in our people.

I even got to do a little drumming, although I don’t know if I’ll be welcomed back to drum again. But I certainly had a great time doing the drumming.

In closing, I want to say that I would describe that, with my modest experience around hand games, I didn’t get to play this time, but I would certainly say it is the excuse for the future for me to attend my next event. I want to finish by saying this is a breathtaking opportunity that I would encourage all

Northerners to get involved and enjoy the culture that’s around us. It’s an experience you’ll remember for a lifetime. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A Medical Travel Policy gap causing grief for northern families needs resolution. Specifically, problems are arising for those who have children going to school in southern Canada under the Student Financial Assistance program and who fall ill and require hospitalization or treatment. At a time when these kids desperately need them, their parents are unable to access travel support to attend them because the medical travel is not initiated in the Northwest Territories. Yet if these students had fallen ill at home, their own plus an escort’s travel costs would be covered to travel south for treatment.

As an example, take a family whose child is going to school in Alberta and who is suddenly diagnosed with cancer. Alone and away from home, she desperately needs the support of her parents who live in the North. While funding for her mother’s travel is initially approved, the second application for a parent to be with her during the actual surgery is denied with an attempt at clawing back the original support. Far from theoretical, this has actually happened. This family was denied any further medical travel assistance. The reason for denial by Health and Social Services was that only medical travel originating in the NWT is covered. Yet these students are NWT residents fully covered by NWT health care and parental travel originates at home in the NWT.

The issue of needing third-party health insurance when travelling outside of the NWT is a real issue, and I appreciate the profile my colleague Mr. Bouchard has brought to it. But this is not relevant to this policy gap. School students outside the NWT and supported by our SFA are fully covered under our Health Care Plan. If it is relevant at all, SFA should ensure that a group insurance plan is in place for the northern students it funds. Northern students attending school in southern Canada should be treated as if they are residents in the Northwest Territories, and if they are unfortunate enough to require hospitalization or treatment for serious illness, they should be able to expect that a parent can be there to support them in their time of need.

I understand that the seemingly continual review of our Medical Travel Policy is still underway, this time a medical escort policy is underway again. I urge the Minister to close this medical assistance travel

policy gap and assure our residents the support they need and deserve, both to ensure proper care and to ensure the interest in remaining as residents.

I will have questions.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] About 400 years ago there was now here in the Northwest Territories our communities, we liked to name our communities using our Dene language. I feel that would strongly support the culture and also the people that have access to schools and, therefore, the history. If they have to change the names to a Dene name they would have to go through MACA.

In the past there were other communities like Tuktoyaktuk in the 1950s. When they changed their name in 1993, Fort Franklin, they reverted back to their Dene name of Deline. Tsiigehtchic also changed their name in 2006. Ulukhaktok also changed their name back to their Inuit name.

I would like to know if Education, Culture and Employment and Municipal and Community Affairs, if we work together we would likely be able to change our present English names to our Dene names for the communities.

The Hay River Reserve is presently K’atlodeeche and Fort Providence is called Zhahti Koe and Kakisa is called Ka’a’gee tu. If we could name our communities in our Dene language, we would feel proud and our culture would be strong and also make the people feel good about their language and their culture. Perhaps if we talked about it those Dene names would be accomplished.

[Microphone turned off]…Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This past weekend, specifically yesterday, the grounds in Yellowknife were hopping. About close to 500 people from the Sahtu region live in Yellowknife. So, yesterday they had their first ever Sahtu Dene-Metis beneficiary gathering for all beneficiaries that live here in Yellowknife. People come here for school, to raise their families, for work, whatever.

It was the unofficial Sahtu day here in Yellowknife. It was a gathering of the large families that came together yesterday. The board of directors said, you know, we have close to 40 percent of listed

beneficiaries living here in Yellowknife, let’s get together.

There was a feast, there were giveaways, there was a dance. They had a lot of caribou meat to give to the families and they loved it. When they started playing the drums, the people said that just lifted them right up, and they came into the hall to hear the drums and they started to dance. The young kids were running around more so because of the activities for them, also, but for the fun they had in saying this is a family that’s coming together. They’ve been apart in the large city. We don’t get together much and the land claims, through their initiatives, brought everyone together. People had fun yesterday.

That’s the thing about our land claim. People were there to encourage people to go back to school, get a job, work hard, work the land claim. It’s been over 20 years. They’re saying that this land claim was put in for a reason. You are to go out and get your education but also remember the culture.

Yesterday when they were playing the drums and playing the fiddle, people had fun, they got together. There were a few visitors from the Akaitcho, the Deh Cho, even an old lady from Kugluktuk came over and as soon as the drums started playing, she walked right over into the hall and started dancing.

So, I wanted to say thank you to the people in Yellowknife for hosting a good event for the Sahtu people.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to talk about decentralization. I’ve spoken of this many times in the House. I know Hay River has had some opportunities to get some of this decentralization, but I’m still a little bit disturbed in the fact that we don’t have a general plan for decentralization. We don’t have a plan of how many jobs are going to get out to the smaller communities, how we’re going to do that.

When we started in this Assembly, it was a priority. We were looking at all the issues that are there, whether it’s housing or office space, or how do we do that staffing. We’ve heard that from HR about staffing in those communities.

We need to continue to work on that. We need to continue to figure out a plan going forward. We’ve had Members concerned about how it’s being implemented. How are those people that are being moved, how are they being told? Are they being told three months away, two months away, or a year ahead? Maybe we should have a better plan to go forward on decentralization. It’s important.

We know the populations are moving to Yellowknife. We just heard a bunch of people from different regions are in Yellowknife. We need to move those people back out to their regions, out to their communities when we get jobs out that way. We need to work on decentralization more. We have to have a bigger plan and figure out how all these departments can work together to figure out a plan to get jobs in all of the small communities and out in the public. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to speak about a sporting event as well. I was home for the weekend. It was a pleasure to attend the second annual Paul Stipdonk under-12 soccer tournament. I spoke in the House before about him. Paul was an avid soccer coach and teacher in Fort Simpson, and a big thanks goes out to the Stipdonks who allowed the organizers to pay tribute to a great man for a second year.

All ages were involved in the sport of soccer this weekend. There were travellers from Fort Liard, Behchoko, under-12-teams, as well. We spoke in this House last week about mental health. Like the arts, children who are involved in sports have improved self-esteem and improved mental health and awareness and improved schooling.

I think the best part of the whole tournament was they actually had an under-three category there. We were watching little tykes chase soccer balls. It was outstanding and awesome for all the parents involved to watch their youngest getting involved in soccer. I’m sure that one day those three-year-olds and under will be on a soccer team representing Fort Simpson at the Arctic Winter Games.

I just want to extend a big thanks to the Bompas Elementary School, the teachers, coaches and volunteers, as well as to Thomas Simpson School, Village of Fort Simpson recreational staff and to the communities that travelled to Fort Simpson. Mahsi cho. It was great to see that event continue and I look forward to the one next year. Mahsi.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.