Good morning, colleagues. Orders of the day. Item 2, Ministers’ statements. Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.

Mr. Speaker, last May we presented Our Elders: Our Communities, a strategic framework outlining the government’s commitment to support elders and seniors who wish to live in their own homes and communities for as long as possible, and ensure that services are available when this option is no longer viable.

As the backbone of our communities, elders and seniors should be supported and given the best care possible. Seniors are the fastest growing population in the Northwest Territories. Over the past decade, the seniors demographic has grown at a rate of more than 5 percent per year, and this trend will continue. Meeting the health care and social needs of elders and seniors is a high priority for our government.

Our Elders: Our Communities gives us a framework to identify gaps in our system, and where we need to take action. Priority areas include home and community care services, integrated and coordinated service delivery, caregiver supports, elder-responsive communities, accessible and current information and sustainable best practices.

The guiding principles within Our Elders, Our Communities strengthen the development of programs, services and supports to seniors and elders. There are seven key principles: • Choice means knowing that seniors can make

or be an active participant in making ones’ own choices.

• Respect and dignitymeans that we treat elders

in a manner that imparts value, importance and self-worth.

• Equity acknowledges and celebrates the unique

characteristics of elders.

• Awareness, promotes community, regional and

territorial programs and services aimed at keeping elders in their communities.

• Access ensures elders have access to culturally

appropriate services and support, and access to information that allows individuals to be knowledgeable and to make informed decisions about healthy options available.

• Safety stresses safe, supportive and secure

environments free of fear, exploitation and violence.

• Empowerment, which refers to providing

opportunities for elders to continue to reach their full potential, with access to educational, cultural, spiritual and recreational resources, and to continue to make a positive contribution in their communities.

These principles align with the rights set out in the Northwest Territories Seniors Charter and, together with our priority areas, provide a roadmap for the development of programs and services to support healthy and active aging within elder-responsive communities across the Northwest Territories.

By taking action in areas identified in the framework, we will help elders and seniors remain in their communities as long as possible. The Department of Health and Social Services continues to engage the Health and Social Services Authorities and Avens – A Community for Seniors, to advance shared work in areas such as training in palliative care and approaches to care that focus on the needs of the elder, and developing policies to support the implementation of new continuing care standards. We’re also planning for new long-term care beds across the Northwest Territories, including Avens in Yellowknife.

The department is also working with the health and social services authorities to enhance home care services. Currently, home support is available in most NWT communities and home care is available in communities with nursing staff. Elders day programs are available in several

communities, which provide an opportunity for elders to socialize and have a nutritious meal as well as participate in Elders in Motion, an active living program offered by the NWT Parks and Recreation Association. Keeping healthy, active, and connected to each other is critical to well-being, and programs like these play an important role in elders’ lives.

I am pleased to report that new facilities are being built and resources are being developed to help seniors achieve a high quality of life. The Department of Health and Social Services is working with the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to address independent housing needs in our communities and incorporate space for home care and elders day programs into the designs for new seniors housing units.

Any improvements to our programs are not possible without partnerships. The Department of Health and Social Services has also been working with the NWT Seniors’ Society and the departments of Justice, Municipal and Community Affairs, Education, Culture and Employment, and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to update the Seniors’ Information Handbook. We are also developing a companion booklet for caregivers.

The Seniors’ Information Handbook provides a comprehensive list of government programs and services that seniors and their caregivers can access to help them make informed decisions and remain independent and active in their home communities.

The companion Caregiver Booklet will provide information to assist families caring for their loved ones. The plan is to release these documents this spring.

Another example of collaboration is the Aurora Research Institute’s recently released report, titled “Influences on Quality of Life of the Older Adult” in the Northwest Territories. Working directly with the NWT Seniors’ Society and communities, Aurora College faculty and students gathered valuable, current information on the quality of life of seniors and elders across the Northwest Territories that can help support informed decision-making and direction for leadership, advocacy, education and research. Later today I will table this report.

Taking action in priority areas to improve the programs and services for elders will not be a short-term undertaking, Mr. Speaker. The Department’s work is ongoing and will continue through transition. We have established numerous partnerships to help ensure seniors receive the support they need. As we move forward, we will continue engagement with Aboriginal governments, nongovernmental organizations and community members to ensure our programs and services are delivered in the best way possible.

Together, we are working toward our vision of aging in place, and best health, best care and a better future for residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the recent and ongoing improvements made by NAV Canada at 17 of our airport sites with community aerodrome radio stations and at Wekweeti and Colville Lake airports.

NAV Canada is the private corporation responsible for civil air navigation services and weather within Canadian airspace. It has recently invested in the weather observation systems at 19 of our airports in the NWT. This improved weather information, now available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, will support safer and more effective air transportation services for our communities and residents. The Department of Transportation has assisted NAV Canada in these installations by providing land, material, and construction and coordination assistance.

Mr. Speaker, reliable weather data is critical to airport and air carrier efficiency and safety. Airline operators make decisions on whether to fly or not based on available weather information. In a potentially critical situation, such as a medevac flight, the availability of current and accurate weather information allows operators to make flight decisions quickly.

The changes made by NAV Canada mean pilots can now rely on improved data and tailor their flight schedules to respond to weather conditions with a higher degree of confidence. The new weather observation systems can operate in an unattended mode to deliver sufficient, real time, accurate weather 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This information will be accessible even when community aerodrome radio stations are closed for any reason.

In addition, the new automated weather observation systems in Colville Lake and Wekweeti provide cameras which can be accessed remotely to provide airline operators with views of the airport and runway without ever leaving their offices.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that all 27 airports in the NWT now have access to weather information that is no more than 75 nautical miles from their sites.

The real-time, accurate weather data provided through these investments to the weather observation systems will benefit our residents and communities through improved air services

between communities and allow for improved decision-making and faster response times by the medevac service contractor.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Transportation continues to work with our partners, such as NAV Canada and airline operators, to make improvements to our air transportation system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to recognize the members of Team Northwest Territories who represented our territory at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, British Columbia, from February 13th to

March 1st . The 139 athletes, coaches and mission

staff were from 11 communities in the Northwest Territories including Aklavik, Deline, Fort McPherson, Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Hay River, Inuvik, Ndilo, Sachs Harbour and Yellowknife.

They participated in the sports of badminton, biathlon, cross country skiing, curling, hockey, figure skating, judo, shooting, speed skating and squash. I know that each and every one of them trained hard and did their very best to represent the NWT and their communities at this premier national event. I would like to make special mention of Brent Betsina of Ndilo, who brought home the silver medal in judo, the NWT’s first medal at the Games since Brendan Green’s win in 2007.

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to report that the City of Yellowknife and officials from MACA were in Prince George to gather information related to the consideration of a bid by the city to host the 2023 Canada Games. Earlier this year Mayor Mark Heyck and I launched a public process to inform and advise the citizens of Yellowknife of the benefits that hosting the Games could bring to the city and the NWT. The mayor is also leading a task force to develop a business case for City Council’s review that will examine what resources will be needed to successfully host the Games. I am looking forward to assisting and expressing our government’s full support for hosting the Games in Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories will also be hosting the 2018 Arctic Winter Games. Just last month the Arctic Winter Games International Committee visited Inuvik and Hay River/Fort Smith to review bids from those communities.

These will be the first Arctic Winter Games held outside of Yellowknife since the 1978 Hay River-Pine Point Games.

I am confident that, regardless of the community that wins the bid, the real winner will be the sport community and youth in our communities. Ensuring NWT residents are able to participate in and experience these important multisport games is one way we are supporting healthy, educated people in communities across our territory.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank and recognize the parents, coaches, managers, sport officials and Sport North staff and volunteers for their tireless work in preparing our Canada Games team. I also want to thank and recognize the City of Yellowknife, the towns of Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik and the communities in those regions supporting the 2023 and 2018 Games events. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Honourable Premier, Mr. McLeod.

Mr. Speaker, all around the world International Women's Day represents an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater equality.

Each year International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8th . The first International Women's Day

was held in 1911. Thousands of events occur to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. Organizations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women's groups, corporations and the media celebrate the day.

In the Northwest Territories we have made great strides for women’s equality. We have many powerful women leaders who have not only contributed to their communities but who have shaped the future of the Northwest Territories. More and more women are employed in jobs that historically only men have done. The Government of the Northwest Territories continues to promote capable women to senior management and other positions of influence within our government.

The Status of Women Council continues their good work to support more women to run for election. I was pleased to attend the 2015 Campaign School and speak with many of the women and their supporters who will be running in the next territorial election. Having balanced representation in this House and in other leadership positions allows us to be stronger and wiser together.

This weekend the Status of Women Council will host the annual Wise Women Awards and I will be attending to offer my congratulations to the many wise women from across the Northwest Territories.

Other organizations in the Northwest Territories like the Native Women’s Association contribute to women’s equality through their support programs

and advocacy work. I would also like to recognize the new and dynamic organization Dene Nahjo who recently held a circumpolar women’s leadership here in Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, when we support equality for women, we support equality for all our residents, strong individuals, families and communities sharing the benefits and responsibilities of a unified, environmentally sustainable and prosperous Northwest Territories.

Make It Happen is the 2015 theme for International Women’s Day, encouraging effective action for advancing and recognizing women. I encourage all Members of this House and those listening today to consider how they can make it happen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As our Premier has just so eloquently outlined, International Women’s Day is coming up this Sunday and you will see that many Members in the Chamber today are wearing purple in recognition of International Women’s Day. Today I would like to talk a little bit about elected leadership at the territorial level.

As the Premier said, we have strong women in leadership at all levels in all of our communities. Mr. Speaker, 1975 was the first fully elected Legislative Assembly. It was the 8th Legislative Assembly and

since that time, in that past 40 years, I would like to recognize some of the women who served in this Chamber, starting with Lena Pedersen, who represented the Central Arctic for four years, elected in 1970; Lynda Sorensen, elected in 1979, representing Yellowknife South for five years; Eliza Lawrence, representing Tu Nedhe from 1983 for four years; Nellie Cournoyea, representing the Western Arctic and then renamed Nunakput for 16 years, starting in 1979; Jeannie Marie Jewell, representing Slave River and then later renamed Thebacha, from 1987 and spent eight years in this Legislative Assembly; Rebecca Mike, from Baffin Central, starting in 1991 representing for four years; Sandy Lee for Range Lake, elected in 1999 and served in this Legislature for 12 years; Manitok Thompson, elected in 1995 from Aivilik riding, and she served here for four years prior to division and I believe may have served in the Nunavut government after that; and, of course, in 1995 I was elected and honoured to be elected to this

Chamber, and we won’t talk about how long I’ve been here.

---Laughter

There have only been 10 women ever elected in 40 years of elected government, and number 10 is my colleague Ms. Bisaro, who was elected in 2007 and has served two terms in this Legislative Assembly.

I also had the honour, along with Ms. Bisaro and the Premier, to attend the Campaign School that was put on by the Status of Women Council and had a few words to say there. With an election coming up, Mr. Speaker, if I can seek unanimous consent, I’ll have a few comments on what women might think about the upcoming territorial election. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

I’m pleased to see that there is interest from women. May I say that even if you’ve run before, don’t be shy to try again. You can look through history and see that many, many people did not get elected the first time they ever ran and they should think about doing it again. If you do want to serve in this House, it is good to have the support of families and a close network of support. It is challenging being away, and that is for men or women, but you would think about the support of your family and a close network of people supporting you. It doesn’t hurt to be a little opinionated and it certainly helps if you’ve got a lot of energy.

So with that, to any women considering running for this territorial election this fall, I wish them all the best. Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. International Women’s Day on March 8th presents

an opportunity for all Northerners to draw attention to women’s equality and gender parity. We celebrate this opportunity with many strong political women leaders in this room and from around the territory. We are here today to give meaning to greater transparency of leveraging balance within ourselves and humanity.

As a male politician, I have the opportunity to set an example for men everywhere to support the rights of women and by giving credibility to what this day really means instead of what people think it means. No matter who you are, everyone should be in favour of equality of genders, because it’s about the justice of being treated as equal that’s at stake.

Fighting for gender equality is not about money and power; it’s about basic human rights, nothing more.

When women are empowered, they measurably improve the lives of everyone around them, their workplace, their families and their communities. If we truly care for a better society and believe that everyone has a fair chance to be what they can be and do what they want to do, then we must do away with institutional privilege and support a society that is gender just, equal and democratic.

So, although we have come closer to achieving parity between men and women in areas of health and education, we still have much to do in the transparency of leveraging balance in our economic well-being. With a slumping economy, we are at a significant crossroads. Our population is aging, the fertility rate has fallen and our future workforce will be smaller. Now, more than ever, we need to leverage our gender diversity where the talents of both men and women are in full force. We can no longer afford to leave so much potential behind, as our economic future depends on it.

So on March 8th , I ask all men, if you care about

this future, then give this day its due consideration and contemplate without fear of judgment, a society free of gender bias and inequality. As we heard from our Premier today, let’s make this happen. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s Kamba time! Mr. Speaker, this weekend is Kamba Carnival, one of the first carnivals in the Northwest Territories, and obviously the travel with the carnivals are starting this spring. Obviously, it’s the first sign of spring.

I look forward to going back to Hay River this weekend and partaking in some of the events. Last night they had a youth talent show. Obviously, we have a lot of people coming in from throughout the North; actually, sometimes we get Alaska. A bunch of people come in for the dogsled races. We have pancake breakfasts coming on. This afternoon is an official half day off for the community of Hay River. There’s going to be a bingo, obviously. There’s going to be hand games. I’m looking forward to not participating but actually seeing it. I’ve never really seen it take place, so I’m going to get there. Saturday night there’s a talent show and obviously there are many events going on, so I look forward to it.

Some of the people are travelling – I know Mr. Nadli and Mr. Blake are considering coming for this big event – and we look forward to seeing a lot of people from the Northwest Territories and throughout the northern area.

It’s Kamba time, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The recent rollout of cellular service to communities that didn’t have such services was exciting. I understand that both governments supplemented the overall cost of establishing the network and also cellular power in some communities.

Now people in those communities that have cell service can enjoy keeping connected through their mobile phones and also keeping up with Internet technology. Some people now cannot live without their mobile phones.

Mobile communications enables greater communications and access to the Internet and is very convenient. Having this kind of technology bodes well for attracting tourists and also gives those visiting the NWT an enjoyable experience.

Advances in cellular expansion to small and remote communities are a step forward. Such services mean a more confident travelling public and also, at the same time, it makes communications more possible.

We’re stepping closer to the reality of having 911 services across the NWT. There are limitations, however. Because of limited subscribers in some communities, there is limited coverage. As an example, the radius of coverage in Fort Providence is limited in some areas. That was discovered recently when a few people who were stranded were unable to communicate home. What happened was that the search and rescue was dispatched, and the people made it home safely. But if we had expanded cellular service, then it would have been possible to communicate to the home base and encourage people that, yes, we’re okay.

The corporate view is that because we have limited subscribers, we will have limited coverage in communities. I think those corporations that provide cellular services have to have more than a corporate view; they need to have a community perspective and a sense of community in providing those services. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we’ve heard already, Sunday is the 104th International

Women’s Day. Sunday is also the 24th celebration

of the NWT Wise Women Awards.

International Women’s Day is March 8th and it’s a

global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women, past, present and future. International Women’s Day honours the work of suffragettes who marched and fought for the right for women to vote, and the women who continue to fight for women’s rights today. In many countries across the world, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.

On International Women’s Day we all need to spread the message of women’s empowerment, to the friends, family and men in our lives. It’s a day to celebrate the women in our lives and our communities, to honour the advances women have made but, at the same time, remember the need for continued action to ensure that the equality fought for and gained by women who have passed before us is maintained in all aspects of our society.

Gloria Steinem has said, “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.” How true that is, Mr. Speaker. Until all of society accepts responsibility for and achievement of women’s equality, it will not happen.

Of the world’s 1.3 billion poor people, nearly 70 percent are women. Between 75 and 80 percent of the world’s 27 million refugees are women and children. Of the world’s nearly 130 million children who are not in school, two-thirds are girls. On average, women earn between 30 and 40 percent less pay than men for the same work. Women, more than men, continue to be victims of violence. Rape and domestic violence are significant causes of disability and death among women worldwide.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, as we heard, is Make It Happen. Everyone is encouraged to “paint it purple,” as we all have done, – thank you very much, colleagues – on March 8th to show support for International

Women’s Day.

Sunday we will honour five NWT wise women who each in their own way have contributed to changing our world for the better by making it happen. I’d like to name those ladies, Mr. Speaker. • Annie B. Gordon from Aklavik, for the Beaufort-

Delta region;

• Caroline Bonnetrouge from Fort Providence, for

the Deh Cho region;

• Pertice Moffit of Yellowknife, for the North Slave

region;

• Judy Lafferty, Fort Good Hope, for the Sahtu

region;

• Maggie Sikyea from Fort Smith, for the South

Slave region.

Congratulations to this formidable group of women, and thanks to each one of you for your work to better your community and the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too am honoured to take the opportunity to appreciate and show respect to the women across the Northwest Territories for their dedication, their hard work, their persistence and compassion to the people of the Northwest Territories. We all know women in our communities who take that role on, who are leaders, who are protectors, who are caregivers, who provide for the community. We do have a strong history in the Northwest Territories of female leaders past and present. In fact, we have two of them that sit in this House today. I appreciate working with them and the experience that they bring into the House and to the committee meetings,

As we celebrate the economic, political and social achievements and continue to work to empower women in the Northwest Territories, we’ve also got to understand that there are women out there that support people in the communities. As I said, they’re mothers, they’re caregivers, they’re grandparents who take care of their grandchildren, they’re single mothers who take the role of the father and the mother who provide for their young children, and we have strong elder women in leadership who continue to carry on the cultures, the traditions, the stories and the languages of the past as passed down to our generations and generations that are yet to come.

I just want to take the opportunity to also recognize, as we sit here in session for six weeks, the women who support our staff and support Members who sit in this House for long hours during the day and support them during these, I guess you’d call them hard times because they’re long meetings. We have to recognize those women who support our Members of this House and the staff of this House when we have these long days.

I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize one special lady and that’s my mother who is a very strong lady in her own right. I know she’s watching and I just want to say thank you for all that you’ve done for me. Mahsi cho.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The most vulnerable people in our communities are children. They have little control over their circumstances and often are affected by the poor decisions of others. It often falls to the elders, the grandparents, to assume care of the wee ones in the hopes that the parents will return to good health.

Keeping families together this way is something we can all get behind. When grandparents take over care of their children before the kids are apprehended, they get no financial support because they are family. If children are apprehended and then grandparents are allowed to foster them, they are eligible for remuneration at foster parent rates. Yet formal involvement of child and family services is scary, adversarial, traumatic, expensive to everyone, and leads to a high rate of apprehensions. This forces grandparents to seek support through income assistance, a stigmatized program known for its red tape and poor treatment of clients despite their noble efforts and intent. It penalizes grandparents who are taking proactive steps to prevent apprehension of the children and makes no provision for grandparents whose earnings disqualify them from income support. Nor does it recognize the housing issues when the addition of children increases family size beyond the suitability of the grandparents’ home. Often, being retirees on fixed incomes, these are huge and frequently insurmountable burdens for the grandparents. While they desperately want to keep their families together, they often suffer from shortages or are unable to manage it financially.

A new approach is needed if we want to keep families together. The department needs to engage in non-adversarial outreach so that grandparents feel safe approaching child and family services for help. Such a process may increase the number of grandparents eligible for help and will also improve outcomes. Collaboration between families and the system reduces trauma for all and exemplifies the Child and Family Services Act’s principle of least intrusive measures. Revising the policy on voluntary agreements and assisted fostering so that struggling grandparents can more easily qualify for aid as foster parents would be steps in the right direction.

We know it’s better for all concerned if children whose parents are going through a rough patch could stay within their families, communities and cultures. Grandparents are frequently willing and capable to provide the care needed, but they need support to do it. Let’s meet them halfway with a policy that this situation demands and make it happen. I will have questions. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This being International Day for Women, I thought every day was a day for women.

I want to say a few things about our women. No, I’m not going to sing the Shania Twain song, titled “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.”

---Laughter

Our women have come a long way in today’s society. From the traditional roles of raising and guiding our precious little children to becoming world leaders in our country, there has been a cultural change. As a matter of fact, it was a woman who helped save a nation of Aboriginal people in the Southern Plains tribe legend, according to the elders’ story about the white buffalo woman.

In our small communities, growing up, our aunties, our grandmothers, our mothers, our elderly women, our cousins, we were given instructions by our grandmothers, how women were to play a role in our men’s lives in our communities.

Change has happened and our women have adapted to that change and life changes too. Our women have become community leaders, regional leaders and Canada’s leaders. We have two sitting in this House right now. We have Ms. Ethel Blondin-Andrew, we have Ms. Nellie Cournoyea, as Mrs. Groenewegen eloquently named a lot of good women who are in the political life, and we also have community leaders. All made a choice to better their families and communities, and the families are the seeds of the future.

It’s time to reflect on the role of our women today as they continue to raise their children, work today in government, private business or just volunteering their time. At the same time, they have time to cook, wash clothes, shop and, at the end of the day, to be a good partner. Surely today is their day.

I want to say women have a role in life. As my late grandmother would often say, they have a role in life. Respect them.

I’ll have questions later today about how women have a role our government. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I think today there was an outstanding shout out for women on International Women’s Day

by my colleagues here and I, too, share the recognition, but my shout out today is to express my thanks to social workers for all the hard work they do in our communities.

While I have chosen to say thank you during National Social Work Month, their work is really appreciated in Nahendeh communities all year round. The reality is that our social workers are on the front lines of changing history for the better. Many of the problems they help people with stem from residential school experiences, racism and substance abuse. Being a social worker is one of the hardest jobs out there. I’m sure it is very rewarding each time someone or a family does well with a little bit of caring help and counselling, but it is tough when hard decisions have to be made, sometimes unpopular decisions. The day-to-day workload is unpredictable. You just never know when you’ll be in the middle of a crisis.

Last year’s Auditor General report noted that very thing. In the course of daily duties, social workers are exposed to traumatic and stressful situations and they are tasked with making life-altering decisions about the welfare of children. So it takes real courage, strength and good judgment to be an effective social worker. They are key people in our communities. I am not sure what we’re paying them, but it’s probably not enough.

This leads me to another point: retention. Given the challenges of the job, social workers deserve strong support and training to succeed wherever they work, but especially in the smaller communities. We need to offer cross-cultural training on a regular basis. New social workers, if they are also new to the region they service, should receive a thorough orientation when they arrive, coordinated with the local leadership. This is not asking too much.

We expect a lot from our social workers and they have a lot to offer. We owe them all our thanks and all the tools they need to succeed. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the new year I met with the leadership in Tsiigehtchic and they expressed the need for a women’s shelter in Tsiigehtchic. Like many small communities in the Northwest Territories, this facility is needed. There is no safe place for women to go when they are faced with violence, yet in the regional centres we have these facilities.

It’s time we start working in the small communities to ensure that women in violence have a safe place to go.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions later today.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize the hearts of my life, Ms. Lucyanne Kendo and Miss Brittany Jewel visiting us here in the gallery today. I’m glad to see you here, watching me at work and all my colleagues. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a few different individuals. First, I would like to recognize Dr. Pertice Moffit who is the manager and instructor of health research programs at the Aurora Research Institute as well as at Aurora College and also the recipient of the 2015 Wise Women Award for the North Slave. I would also like to recognize Brianne Timpson who is an instructor in the Bachelor of Science in the Nursing Program here at Aurora College. Just for the record, both Dr. Pertice Moffit and Brianne Timpson are co-authors of the report of Influences on the Quality of Life of the Older Adult in the Northwest Territories that I will be tabling later today.

I would also like to recognize Barb Hood, who is the executive director of the NWT Seniors’ Society; Wanda Roberts, member of the NWT Network to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults; Amy Mercredi, president of the Enterprise Seniors’ Society; and Sandra Taylor, board of directors of the NWT Seniors’ Society and president of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to recognize Amy Mercredi, who is the president of the Enterprise Seniors’ Society. Welcome to the gallery. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased to recognize the NWT Wise Woman Award of the North Slave region, Ms. Pertice Moffit. Along with Pertice is Linda Golding and next to Linda is Barb Hood, as we’ve heard, the director of the NWT Seniors’ Society. To all the other ladies up there, welcome on the two days prior to the International Women’s Day. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also would like to join my colleagues in recognizing Ms. Moffit and her award of the Wise Woman of the Year. Fantastic. Also, I would like to recognize Barb Hood, resident of Weledeh and also NWT Seniors’ Society executive director, and of course Sandra Taylor and all of the ladies in the gallery who are clearly leaders in our communities and in the House today. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Yakeleya.

I would like to recognize Ms. Barbara Hood, also, and the other ladies and the recipient of the Wise Woman Award for the North Slave in the House here.

I would like to recognize again the two young Pages from Deline on this historical week for them, Miss Faith Gaudet, daughter of the chief negotiator, Danny Gaudet; and Miss Hannah Beyonnie, whose mother is Rita Beyonnie who is shadowing the students from ?ehtseo Ayha School in Deline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. I would like to welcome everybody here in the public gallery. Thank you for taking an interest in our proceedings here today. Item 6, acknowledgements. Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to acknowledge the recipient of the Wise Woman Award for the Deh Cho region, Caroline Bonnetrouge.

Caroline Bonnetrouge was born at Tathlina Lake in 1932. As a young child she was taught traditional skills by her parents, Madelaine and Philip Simba. She loved to hunt, fish, trap and sew.

She married her husband, Albert. They had eight children and many grandchildren.

Caroline is a Deh Gah Gotie Dene elder who helps her people who need guidance. She believes in working with the sick and provides traditional beliefs such as spiritual praying and feeding fires.

Caroline passes on her knowledge and skills to the youth at Deh Gah School and, when required, to teach at traditional youth camps. She loves to dance to jigging tunes and enjoys travelling by boat.

Mr. Speaker, if we could all take a moment just to congratulate and acknowledge Caroline. Mahsi.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Mr. Speaker, I talked about women in general, and specifically in our communities, and the changing roles that women have with today’s society. I want to ask the Minister of Human Resources in regards to women in government positions specifically in senior management. I want to ask the Minister, in regards to the number of women in the Aboriginal Development Management Program, what type of percentage do we have in that program?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Human Resources, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The indigenous Aboriginal women in all of management constitutes about 12 percent of all managers in senior management in the GNWT, and for senior managers it’s 8 percent, and for other management, middle management it’s at about 14 percent. Of course, the Aboriginal Development Program also includes women. Thank you.

In the Aboriginal Development Program this is something that programs choose to support women into senior management, and I’m speaking more for the senior Aboriginal women into the programs.

Does the GNWT have a succession program planning to help the Aboriginal employees move into management or senior management positions?

Each department in the GNWT is responsible for developing human resource plans. In each human resource plan there is succession planning. So, each of the plans actually identify positions in which they would complete a succession plan for successful individuals within their departments. It is also possible for using transfer assignments to move individuals from one department to another and put them into a succession plan which is intended to move individuals from lower levels into management positions and from management positions into senior management positions. Thank you.

What’s the strategy for filling vacant positions in small communities in regions outside of Yellowknife?

On a semi-annual basis, the Department of Human Resources prints out the vacancy rates in the GNWT. Inside those vacancy rates we break it down by department. We then work with the departments on vacancy rates, not only in the regional centres and the small

communities but also in Yellowknife. So there’s a plan and a strategy to fill those vacancies.

As I indicated earlier in the House, there’s been a considerable drop of about 180 vacancies between the last two printings, which are about six months apart. We’re trying to maintain that pace. The strategy essentially is once the report is out, then we approach the various departments through HR and they have to determine the positions that are vacant. Regional recruitment is one of the tools we’re asking the departments to use to fill the positions. It’s a very good tool for filling vacant positions. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to ask the Minister, how many Aboriginal women do we currently have in management, and what is our plan to increase the number of Aboriginal in senior management?

Counting both senior and regular management, we have about 80 Aboriginal women in management. The corporate nature of the GNWT, we have lots of women in management. Fifty percent of our deputy ministers are women.

What happens is when we become specific to how we’re going to fill positions, we always have affirmative action. The Affirmative Action Program looks at indigenous Aboriginal and also looks at women, who always have a priority. So, indigenous Aboriginal women would have the highest priority, and women also have a priority 1 or priority 2 category in this government. Using the Affirmative Action Program is how we hope to increase that number of Aboriginal women we have in management and senior management. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my Member’s statement, keeping children with their families is the best way to support and build stronger families, the ultimate goal of child and family services. We need to work with families right when they are struggling, and apprehension needs to be a last resort. Increasing financial support to grandparents to enable care for their grandchild is an appropriate policy goal.

How will the Minister direct the department to reach out to grandparents caring for children not their own, to make it easier for them to accept help? Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member indicated, we’re making fundamental changes to the way we provide child and family services here in the Northwest Territories with a focus on the family. Our goal is to keep children with their parents. Raising children is, first and foremost, a family responsibility. I understand when individuals are having difficulty, they often turn to their parents or their siblings or other family members.

If a child enters the system, whether it’s through a voluntary means or whether it’s through an apprehensive means, we do try to engage families to keep their children in a tight knit, and we do have extended family foster placements. We are changing the way we do business. We are trying to create a more supportive environment, and that includes extended families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister. When young parents have problems and grandparents fill the gap, often informally, sparing their grandchildren the trauma of apprehension and interaction by child and family services, this often brings a financial burden beyond their capacity.

Will the Minister immediately and specifically begin a process of non-adversarial outreach to grandparents who are fostering informally, to begin recognizing and meeting their needs? There are lots out there. Mahsi.

Where there’s no involvement of the child and family services of the requirements under the act for engagements, grandparents are, absolutely, free to welcome their grandchildren into their home, but the GNWT is not responsible for the financial costs of those individuals coming in unless the child and family services has been engaged.

If grandparents choose to take a child into their care and they do run into financial difficulties, as the Member indicated, they are available to go to income support if they are having financial challenges as a result of bringing those children in.

We are modifying the way we provide child and family services here in the Northwest Territories with a focus on the families. Our goal is to keep them with the parents or extended families as much as possible, and that’s the direction we’ll be taking.

Thanks to the Minister. Obviously, we know the policy and it’s not working. I’m asking the Minister to do some outreach and make sure that the grandparents know what options are available to them. Just saying that this is available to them does not do the job. Some grandparents who are fostering grandchildren informally have incomes that disqualify them from

receiving support either financially or for housing issues that arise as a result of the unplanned expansion of their families, consideration needs to be given to revising voluntary agreements so struggling grandparents more easily qualify for support. Will the Minister commit to exploring alternate revenue streams for these grandparents who have fixed incomes above the threshold for help?

Not all grandparents who take children are going to run into financial difficulties, but where they do run into financial difficulties they are able to go to the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and income support. We do recognize that addressing the issue that the Member is talking about, those individuals who have not gone to child and family services but are taking care of their grandchildren and they do need some supports, it’s going to take an interdepartmental approach involving integrated case management. It’s going to take a number of departments, because the issues are crossing a number of departments, Education, Culture and Employment and income support, the NWT Housing Corporation with public housing, as well as the Department of Health and Social Services under child protection.

The department’s position has been that when the director decides to place an at-risk child with their grandparents, the grandparents do receive foster care payments. They do get money. However, the department does not pay for foster care payments when the decision to place a child with their grandparent was actually the family’s decision. They never came to child and family services. The department has always been working collaboratively with other departments to resolve complex matters requiring an integrated approach. A fully integrated approach is somewhat challenged by the NWT Housing Corporation policy that considers foster care payments as income when calculating eligibility for public housing, and Revenue Canada does not consider foster care payments as income for tax purposes. We are discussing these between the three departments, trying to find resolution and trying to break down the silos and the barriers to support our families here in the Northwest Territories. We are doing a number of things to find a way.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s comments on the interdepartmental confusion which clearly is a barrier to grandparents accessing the support they need. Currently, ECE is the route for grandparents who are informally fostering grandchildren to receive financial support through income assistance while apprehended children are the responsibility of

Health and Social Services. I appreciate the Minister’s look here, but I ask the Minister to hark back to when he was part of a group of MLAs that revised child and family services and highlighted the needs to support grandparents who are fostering informally. I’m glad to hear the department’s position of things. We know that, and we know it’s failing our grandparents who are informally fostering. Now I’m asking the Minister to step out of that and hark back to the conservation we’ve had with real people and think about how we can come up with new ways to address this real issue.

I support the extended family fosters. I support grandparents becoming foster parents when there is a risk of abuse or neglect within a family. But there are situations where families are making choices regardless of whether there’s risk of neglect or abuse. I want to find ways to support and we are working, but we do need to be cautious. Paying some grandparents to look after grandchildren when there is no risk of abuse or neglect would open the door for all grandparents to expect payment when they agree to look after their grandchildren. We need to ensure that we’re focusing on grandparents who are in financial need or difficulty, and the integrated approach that I talked to trying to break down the barriers to find support will provide those grandparents who are in financial difficulty, but still taking on children, some opportunities. In the meantime, if there is an issue of finances and they do want some money, they can come to the Department of Health and Social Services and actually fully engage within the child and family services division in a voluntary capacity and receive foster support. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a few questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services following up on my Member’s statement. I’d like to ask the Minister, what is the department doing to meet the needs of women’s shelters in small communities like Tsiigehtchic? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I actually haven’t had any discussions with the Member on this and I was not aware that Tsiigehtchic was looking for a women’s shelter. When it comes to domestic violence and abuse here in the Northwest Territories, we work closely with the Department of Justice and other community organizations to try to find local

solutions. But I would be happy to have discussion with the Member and the community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Is the Minister willing to work with the community of Tsiigehtchic to identify a shelter for women and violence? Thank you.

We have five different regional shelters that are available to women and I know the RCMP are working closely with communities to try to find solutions that work with them. I’m happy to have a discussion with the community to hear their concerns and their desires and bring it back to Cabinet and committees. Thank you.

I mentioned in my Member’s statement that we only have one in each regional centre and that’s the five he referred to, but it’s time that we start working with the communities to ensure that we have this type of facility in our smaller communities. So if there’s no space available, is the Minister willing to work with the Minister of Housing to identify a unit if needed in Tsiigehtchic? Thank you.

There are multiple things going on here and I would encourage the community to continue to work with the RCMP to explore options and solutions for their community.

We, as a Cabinet, know that there are many solutions in communities. A lot of communities are stepping up with creative ideas and options for their people and we want to support that as much as possible. So I look forward to hearing what the community has to say. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It seems like every time we bring up issues related to what’s needed in the communities we get the same answer, “We need to hear what the communities need in the community.” Well, the communities are telling us as their representatives what is needed in the communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Blake. That’s more of a comment; but, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Member’s point of view and his concerns. Absolutely, as a government we’re committed to working with our communities and finding solutions that work for all people, but I do also have to remind the Member, as well as everybody else in the House, that we do have 33 communities, we do have fiscal limitations with what we can do and it might prove to be fiscally impossible to have individual women’s shelters in every community in the Northwest Territories. But working with the communities, finding solutions within the communities, by the communities, for the

communities, I’m sure we can find ways to start meeting the needs of the residents in this particular area. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. The department is involved in working with other departments in trying to amass a ground ambulance and also a highway response system.

What steps has his department taken and other departments to address the areas of limited cellular coverage in some communities? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’d like to see all of our communities have access to cellular service. I think it’s improved quite a bit in the last couple of years. As far as what we’re trying to do, we would obviously work closely with those that are providing the service, have them inform us as to what their future plans are. Thank you.

Thank you. The overall idea in terms of the goal that the departments are undertaking is to establish an overall and a long-term 911 system here in the NWT.

What immediate steps has the department and this government taken to ensure that there is at least a sequence of events that will happen before we get to a 911 system? Mahsi.

Improving our telecommunications was one of our challenges when we first had the discussion on 911. Since then, telecommunication has improved quite a bit. We have had a report commissioned. The report is done and we are looking forward to having some time before committee to give them an update on some of the work that we are doing and some of our plans going forward. Thank you.

I would like to thank the Minister for his reply. The Minister has stated that there have been some improvements and there are other parties that are involved.

To what extent have discussions been undertaken with companies such as NorthwestTel that have a community responsibility to ensure communities have sufficient and at least adequate cell coverage? Mahsi.

We will have discussions with all those that provide the service to see what their plans are and see where we can go from there. Obviously, as I stated before, telecommunication is improving across the Northwest Territories. It is getting to a point where you go out on the land now and you still have cell phone access, so that part of it is improving, and once we do that work we will take the next step in the work that we are doing around the 911, the update that we are giving to committee on our way forward. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could the Minister ensure by this spring hunt that those communities that have limited cell coverage out on the land, that efforts will be made to increase the services? Mahsi.

That is not our call as to improving the cell phone coverage. Obviously, that is the providers’ plans. We can work with them to see what their plans are and we give committee an update on some of the work we are doing. If we have conversations with providers, we can pass some of that information on to committee. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Influences on the Quality of Life of the Older Adult in the Northwest Territories.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Mr. Beaulieu.

Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Monday, March 9, 2015, I will move that Bill 49, An Act to Amend the Deh Cho Bridge Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Item 17, motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bill 12, Employee Benefits Services Pension Plan Act; Bill 36, Health and Social Services Professions Act; Committee Report 10-17(5), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2013-2014 Annual Report of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Northwest Territories; Tabled Document 188-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2015-2016; Tabled Document 205-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 5, 2014-2015; Tabled Document 206-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 3, 2014-2015; and Tabled Document 207-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 1, 2015-2016, with Mr. Dolynny in the chair.

By the authority given to me as Speaker by Motion 10-17(5), I here authorize the House to sit beyond the daily hour of adjournment to consider business before the House.

Good afternoon, committee. I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We wish to continue with Tabled Document 188-17(5), NWT Main Estimates 2015-2016, with the Department of Education and, time permitting, Public Works and Services.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. We’ll commence after a short recess.

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I’ll call Committee of the Whole back to order. I’ll ask Minister Lafferty if

he has witnesses he’d like to bring into the House. Minister Lafferty.

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Does committee agree?

Thank you, committee. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. Thank you.

Minister Lafferty, would you please introduce the witnesses, for the record?

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. To my left is deputy minister of ECE, Gabriela Eggenhofer; to my immediate right is Olin Lovely, assistant deputy minister of corporate services; and to my far right, Dana Heide, associate deputy minister with ECE.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Ms. Eggenhofer, Mr. Lovely, Mr. Heide, welcome back to the House. Committee, we last left this department on page 66 of the main estimates. Education and culture, grants, contributions and transfers, total grants and contributions, $209.153 million. Mr. Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a few comments. Under the healthy food for children and youth, the $650,000, I made a statement in the House and asked questions of the Minister earlier this week about the East Three gardening program and the success that has been had in terms of engaging our youth, increasing attendance, as well as providing an opportunity for students to learn something that they’re not really accustomed to doing in terms of agriculture and the work that they’re doing and how it spills out into the community where they contribute to soup kitchens and other feasts.

I was wondering if the Minister, in future budgets, would be looking at this program as a framework where we could build into other schools, especially maybe some of the remote schools where they don’t get all the fresh fruits and vegetables, and even some of the unique ideas that they’re going to be pursuing here in the future.

I just want to ask the Minister if he’d be looking at contributing to that program and taking it out into the communities as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Moses, Minister Lafferty.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair. I believe this is a great idea and we need to start talking not only with Inuvik but other regions as well. The more healthy food that we can have into our school system, the better for our children to learn. Having dedicated resources towards this type

of initiative, obviously that would be considered as we move forward. Mahsi.

You know, this program, coming from one of the highest communities in the Arctic, was recognized nationally from right across Canada out of seven recognized programs. I read them all. They’re all really great, innovative projects to enhance education in the youth, and I think that not only the growing program but I think that the department might need to look at this Ken Spencer Award through the Canadian Education Association and see what programs we can use to implement and get a better way to educate our youth.

Would the Minister also be willing to look at that as an option? Thank you.

When we talk about bringing the agriculture programming into our school system, I need to work very closely with ITI since they have that portfolio. But by all means, this is an area that we need to explore further, to see what’s out there in the regions, in the communities, and present that idea to the school boards as well. So, most definitely this will be our topic of discussion. Mahsi.

I’ve spoken to the coordinator over the last couple of years on the success of that program, and I was mentioning that it would be great to take it out into the communities. His expertise, working in the North, working in the schools, and the climate and environment that he does work in has been successful. He did mention that he’d be willing to, if the funding was there and the framework was there, that he would work with other schools and help purchase equipment. You know, do the proposals and get the program in the schools. I think it would be great if the Minister could follow up with the staff on that and support him in the successful program.

Just one other quick question here was on the literacy funding. I see there’s $2.3 million contributed to organizations to deliver literacy programs, and we do know that there are high rates of speech pathology within the Department of Health and Social Services of clients and working with children who need to have better development of their speech.

Can I just get an idea of what kind of literacy programs are being delivered in the communities, because that’s quite a bit of money going into these programs. Thank you.

Obviously, literacy is one of our top priorities within our department. We’ve heard over and over from committee members that we need to focus on developing literacy programming and having partners involved. So, this is involving NGOs from across the Northwest Territories, working with Aurora Collage as well, and again NGOs, to deliver various

programs from K to 12 equivalent courses and having the NWT Literacy Council actively engaged in this, as well, because they represent all the communities as well.

I believe that more investment in this area will be seeing positive results. We have seen the results already and we want to continue that trend and work with our true partners such as the NWT Literacy Council and NGOs across the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Continuing on, grants, contributions and transfers, I have Mr. Blake.