This is page numbers 6481 – 6516 of the Hansard for the 17th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was going.

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Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Then I would ask the Minister if he would do a survey, conduct a test to see how well our employees respect our culture such as this type of situation, because I beg to differ from the Mini

ster’s experience or opinion as to how our

employees are respecting our culture when something like this has happened in our communities.

I want to ask the Minister if he’s willing to look at that in his department with all government employees, because I do not see that picture as the Minister has painted in the Northwest Territories.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

I can only speak to Education, Culture and Employment programs that we deliver. What the Member is referring to is GNWT professionals in the communities, and that could touch on various departments, more specifically with the Human Resources department.

Within my department, as I stated, there is ongoing dialogue with the school boards to deliver these orientations. So the teachers, the professionals, the support staff are fully engaged, fully aware of programs that are available to them such as the elders contact. This will be brought back to the school boards and also the support staff and the resource people at the community level that we have to seek if they are fully aware of the programs that exist. Those are areas where we heavily depend on community experts. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

I appreciate the Minister’s

willingness to look at school boards and school jurisdictions, but he’s the Minister of Culture and I’m talking about culture in a general sense. Of all the Ministers here and the departments they hold, all government employees need to know. I’m looking at the focal point of the Minister of Culture to look at all this within our region, within our communities and within our culture. All employees should know about the protocol. When something like this, a respected elder has passed or something has happened in our community, all employees should know. This is not about programs and services. This is about building our relationships with the people we work with so they understand our culture and what needs to be looked upon, respected and honoured.

Again, I beg to differ from this government. When something like this happens in our community, there are some people who respect this and there are some people who are very ignorant of this.

I want to ask the Minister, how is this government, through the department of culture, going to respect our cultural ways in our communities?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Part of the cultural development and also supporting those areas obviously falls within the community and working with the community, especially the elders and how they can provide wisdom and knowledge. When it comes to a grieving process, obviously we are going through that process as well. We’ve gone through so many of them already in the communities. We have our staff working with the community leaders and community elders, counsellors.

Obviously, there is a respect for culture. At the end of the day, if there is a lack of awareness of the cultural perspective, a lack of respect, then we need to resolve that issue.

I’m glad the Member is raising the profile and I will be bringing that back to my department and working with the organizations that we work with. Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Norman Yakeleya

Norman Yakeleya Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly would endorse the Minister’s commitment to bring this back to the region.

Would the Minister consider a strong cultural elders advisory group in the region to help our employees, help our people understand the reasons why we have these certain protocols and reasons why we do different

ceremonies

such

as

the

grieving

ceremony? It’s a very powerful one. If we don’t understand it, we become ignorant about it.

Would the Minister consider, through the department of culture, formulating an elders council in our region, like the Sahtu, to guide us in our daily work and situations we are facing from time to time?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

This is an area I need to discuss with my counterpart, Human Resources. We are dealing with personnel at the community level. It’s not just the cultural values, cultural programs as the Member indicated, but we also deal with the personnel. Those are discussions we should be having with the two departments.

I will commit to the Member that I will be speaking to the HR department to see what could be done to improve our relationship we have with the current leadership and also the elders in the communities to make them more accessible and aware as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to keep the Minister of ECE hopping today. On June 4, 2015, a feasibility study of universal affordable daycare was tabled in this House, and early childhood education and care provides multiple benefits to children, families and societies. Its documented outcomes have led rich jurisdictions and poor to enhance programming opportunities for young children. The NWT’s Early Childhood Development Framework and associated action plan reflect global trends aimed at improving access to quality early childhood programs.

I would like to ask the Minister, does he feel now, given this feasibility study and action plan, that an affordable universal daycare system for the NWT is indeed feasible? Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The tabling of the document, Universal Affordable Daycare Feasibility Study, in May and June 2015, is a comprehensive package that has been delivered to us. We had an outside consultant give us some feedback of an affordability nature. Obviously, this area does create some challenges within my department within GNWT. When we talk about existing licenced child care spaces, obviously we would have to double that in the communities. This is information that was shared to us by consultants as

well.

Many

communities

are

lacking

infrastructure, as well, so we have to build on infrastructure and also double the training of early childhood educators in the communities. These are just some areas that are part of the feasibility report.

Also, the cost factor is upwards of an estimated $17.4 million to initiate the feasibility of affordable daycare in the Northwest Territories. That is some information and feedback that we received from the consultants during the engagement. Mahsi.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Indeed, those are important factors that some of us have been speaking about for at least eight years. It’s disappointing that more progress has not been made in this area as the benefits at all levels of family and society of a comprehensive universal affordable daycare system in the NWT would be far reaching. According to the study, the NWT’s child care system is immature, more closely resembling a cottage industry than a universal service.

I am wondering: what are the barriers of moving forward with an affordable comprehensive universal daycare system for people of the NWT, recognizing that it may be costly but beneficial.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

It would all depend on the financial situation we are faced with today and also the 18th Assembly. If the 18th Assembly

government, depending on their financial situation, feel that this is a priority for them, by all means.

We’ve done our homework. As Members passed a moti

on in the House, we’ve done our due diligence.

We have the information. That will be part of a document for the 18th Assembly to consider if they

wish to proceed with that. My department was tasked with doing a feasibility study and we’ve done that. We’ve provided that information. Now in the 18th Assembly the

…(inaudible)…will be laid out for them.

Mahsi.

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

I think Members of the House greatly appreciate the department and Mr. Lafferty taking on this study. It was a comprehensive piece of work. The conclusions note in the report that kindergarten assessments indicate that two out of five children are entering school with delays that will likely compromise their academic chances. No society can prosper when such a huge portion of its youngsters are left behind.

We’ve done the work, as the Minister says. It’s apparent that the benefits of a universal daycare are huge. We have a study and an action plan. All we need now is some commitment on the part of government.

Just what are this government’s plans to move this much needed program forward? How will they do that?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

It is the will of this Assembly to move that forward. The feasibility has been done. All the information has been provided. The 18th Assembly is the new government that is

coming into play within the next couple of months. If it is seen as a priority for the 18th Assembly, then the

groundwork has already been done, all the information. The fiscal situation, depending on the 18th Assembly, how they want to proceed with it.

This information, the feasibility study, all the groundwork that we’ve done will be laid, again, for the new Assembly coming into force within the next couple of months.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Bob Bromley

Bob Bromley Weledeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. So, how is the pursuit of a system of universal affordable daycare being advanced in the transition reports being prepared for the 18th Assembly to assure that this opportunity is realized?

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

As I stated earlier, if it’s the wish of this Assembly to move this as far as the transition document, then it will be laid out for the 18th Assembly.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my Member’s statement earlier today in regard to some of our other industries that do provide revenues to our economy but have never been really given the strong support that they’ve needed up until, I guess, this government has really made some significant impacts into the marketing area.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Tourism, now that we’ve come to the end of the summer and we usually get an influx of tourists in the Northwest Territories, and winter is coming around the corner and we have our northern lights as a big factor, what kind of support is he giving to our regional centres to continue to promote tourism into the regional communities?

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackie Jacobson

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

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have a very strong and capable team at Northwest Territories Tourism. We have dedicated staff at the regional level through ITI who provide support to tourism operators and the licensing aspect. We have seen numbers continue to increase, and the Member is correct; when we came into office almost four years ago, we increased the marketing budget for tourism, and I believe that those efforts back then are now starting to pay dividends with the increased number of visitors from Asia, from the United States and domestically from here in Canada.

I know t

he Member spoke during his Member’s

statement about increased visitation in the Inuvik region. We’re happy to see that. We have to continue to try to get funding out to the regions, and we have earmarked funding for the regions across the territory. We have the Northwest Territories Tourism annual general meeting coming up in November, and I think we’re looking at this very positively, and our efforts also in Asia are paying tremendous dividends. If you look around here in Yellowknife, it’s very evident the amount of tourists that you see on

airplanes, at the airport, on the streets and in hotels. We’re seeing a new hotel being constructed across the street from the Legislature, a couple of new restaurants, and expansion to the Explorer Hotel. All the signs are there that that investment four years ago is paying huge dividends for us here.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

I know here in Yellowknife we always see a really high increase of tourism and a lot of the dollars, as the Minister mentioned, some of the new restaurants and hotels going up here in Yellowknife. However, when you take it to the regions, you see there are a lot of vacancies in some of the hotels, and the hotels not doing as good a business as the capital here.

I know we did give funding and marketing dollars out to all the ITI regional offices. Can I ask the Minister, did all the regional offices use up all those extra funds? I think it was in the amount of maybe about $50,000 extra for each regional office. Did they all use up those marketing funds, and if not, would those funds be possibly used to create some kind of marketing strategy for the winter months?

David Ramsay

David Ramsay Kam Lake

I can get the information for the Member on the $50,000 and how it was spent in each of our regions and where it went. I can provide that to him. We have to look back at the Economic Opportunities Strategy and our focus on diversifying the economy here in the Northwest Territories. Certainly, tourism is one area last year, I believe, it was somewhere near $120 million to our economy here in the Northwest Territories. It has the opportunity, and I’ve said before in the House, to have an impact in every one of our communities across the territory, so it’s important that we have the requisite funding.

We’ve seen some big successes, as well, in Aboriginal tourism, the cultural component. The Destination Deline is a good example of that effort. Our Aboriginal Tourism Champions Advisory Council was formed. These are folks who have experience in the cultural component and are helping us build the Aboriginal tourism product here in the Northwest Territories that we believe is going to bring in even more visitors to the Northwest Territories.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

I understand with the Minister mentioning that in November we’re going to be having our touris

m AGM and we’ll possibly be

bringing in some of our regional community members who work in the tourism industry.

I wonder if the Minister would be looking at the projects that have been going on by the regions and looking at whether or not we will be increasing our marketing or our operation dollars for some of these tourism operators moving into the next fiscal year, if that’s something that he’d be looking into at this AGM.