Item 2, Ministers’ statements. Minister of Finance.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories mining industry has a rich, storied history. It has provided thousands of jobs to citizens across our 33 communities, billions in revenue for investment in the well-being of our peoples, and innovations that put the territory on the cutting edge of responsible resource development. Success of the mining sector has always been driven by the determination of proud individuals pursuing excellence in their field. I stand today to celebrate some individuals whose contributions and accomplishments have recently been acknowledged with national awards from the mining industry. First, I would like to recognize Eira Thomas, known by many as the Queen of Diamonds, who recently received the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia's Hugo Dummett Diamond Award for excellence in diamond exploration and development. I was fortunate to be at the recent Mineral Exploration Roundup in Vancouver, British Columbia where she received her award. The Dummett Award recognizes her career-long dedication and achievement in diamond exploration, discovery, and mine development in Canada. Ms. Thomas' work in the diamond industry has been nothing short of remarkable. She played an important role in the discovery and development of the Diavik mine through her work as a geologist, then executive with Aber Resources Ltd., the company we now know as Dominion Diamonds. She went on to work with Stornoway Diamonds, whose Renard Project in Quebec will soon become a new Canadian diamond mine. We all know the opportunities her work has brought to our territory, and Eira deserves our thanks for her contributions. Meanwhile, at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada's Convention in Toronto next month, a special achievement award will be given to the Bjorkman family for their multi-generational dedication to geology, prospecting, and diversity. Jessica and Veronique Bjorkman in particular are helping to put a new face on prospecting in the NWT, most recently developing and leading the very successful community-based Prospecting Training Course in Yellowknife, Detah, and the Tlicho region in association with our government and its Aboriginal and industry partners. But, on the subject of excellence, Mr. Speaker, I must also acknowledge a dedicated, highly-respected community leader whose footprints are deep and enduring in our Territory. He was chosen this year to receive the Canadian Mining Industry's prestigious Skookum Jim Award for his innovation, hard work, and dedication to the mineral industry, through which he has improved the lives of many in his community. I am talking, of course, about Mr. Darrell Beaulieu. Mr. Beaulieu's leadership of the Det'on Cho Corporation, Denendeh Investment Corporation, and DEMCO, along with his countless board memberships, has brought Dene participation in our mineral industry to the fore. We pride ourselves in the Northwest Territories on our partnership approach to working with Aboriginal governments and Mr. Beaulieu deserves our gratitude for his role in the historic success of our mining industry. Mr. Speaker, success is always built on the back of the innovators who push the industry forward. I invite all Members of this Assembly to join me in celebrating the well-deserved recognition that these individuals have received from leaders in the mineral sector and the contributions they have each made to the economic and social well-being of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Ministers’ statements. Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Mr. David Jones, the Conflict of Interest Commissioner for Northwest Territories. Later this afternoon, I will table the 2015 Annual Report of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Jones to the House this afternoon. ---Applause.

Item 3, Members’ statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mr. Speaker, Traditional food has an important place in culture. Food is essential to who we are as people, both biologically and spiritually. Food from the land makes your spirit and body stronger, but the impacts of climate change and heavy industry on natural environment are becoming more and more evident in our traditional food supply. People are wondering about health risks associated with consuming country foods. Researchers from the University of Waterloo are conducting a study on the risks posed to residents' health from locally acquired foods. A research team has been working with Detah communities to collect blood, hair, and urine samples from volunteers to test for levels of contaminants like mercury, cadmium, and lead. They will also analyze the nutrients found in common local foods to help determine the best country foods that provide the most nutrients and the least contaminants. Previous studies have shown levels of contaminants in country foods, but this study will look at how much of the contamination has been absorbed by humans. The cost of goods is increasing. Many of our small communities offer very little in terms of the mainstream wage economy. That frees our people from the rat race, but it also makes them more reliant on traditional harvesting activities. In our small communities, people tend to have more active traditional harvesting lifestyles. Moose meat, whitefish, ducks, geese, and berries are common on the tables of many people in the Deh Cho. Harvesting these foods from the land maintains traditional knowledge and important cultural traditions. Before we suggest people limit the amount of country food they eat, we must understand the risks and benefits. Studies like the one underway by the University of Waterloo can link science to traditional knowledge and guide decision-makers and policy-makers as we work to secure the future of food for the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker

Members’ statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about the impacts of residential schools in the NWT. Residential schools have taken language, culture, and lives of many Aboriginal people who have passed on. Many of them are here with us today. Through the work of many initiatives of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the TRC, the reality of those tragedies are brought more and more into focus. As Canadians move forward in a way to leave the past behind and create forgiveness and cultural respect for the future of Aboriginal people in Canada, as leaders we must take the lead to ensure that former students, family members, and educators receive the proper education in helping Aboriginal people move forward and, most of all, heal from the horrible experiences they've lived. Canadians can create a new legacy for children of all nations and cultures by joining hands in an open process of dialogue of reconciliation. Survivors of residential schools live in all regions of Canada today and many other cultures have suffered. Canadians need to hear our stories and find ways to ensure our collective future rests on a solid foundation of respect, openness, and trust. We can build a stronger North by teaching our educators to help our generations heal as youth continue to struggle in schools across the North and Canada. Quyanini. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Members’ statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I'm going to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart. Yes, you guessed it. Youth. For the past 28 years, my career has been focused on doing something for these special folks. I apologize to this individual, I don't have his name right now, but I'd like to share a revised quote that I've tried to live by throughout these years. For the government to realize the huge dividends our youth bring to us, we must take every step possible to invest in them empowerment, education, and employment of our young people. By investing in these three areas for youth, we are investing in our greatest resources in the NWT. It isn't non-renewable or renewable resources that we have. Don't get me wrong. These resources are important, but they are not as important as our youth. To develop this resource we need to encourage youth to be the best they can be, to challenge them and help them challenge themselves to be successful. Whether they become doctors, teachers, tradespeople, hairdressers or stay-at-home parents, all these are important in our society. I have to say, the government does a great job in empowering our youth through our vast array of programs such as Youth Ambassadors an youth tours, an excellent school program both during and after school hours. We provide funding to non-government organizations who offer additional opportunities for our youth to grow and develop their talent and skills, then we look at what the government does to enhance education and funding for post-secondary, and we are two-thirds of the way there. However, when we look at the last piece of the puzzle, employment, we seem to be missing something. I look at how this government could help our young people, especially students in grade 12 and post-secondary programs that need summer employment, and I notice a gap. Then I look at the opportunities for the youth from smaller communities and see they have limited or no access to government positions where they live. They need to move to bigger centres to have a chance to land one of these positions. This does not seem fair.

In the past I've witnessed the government make it a priority to provide summer jobs for students so that they can financially be prepared to continue their education. A number of students and parents have asked me about the status of student summer jobs. I could not answer their questions. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to leave you today with the wise words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “We cannot always build a future for our youth, but we can build our youth for our future.” Later on, I'll have questions for the Minister of Human Resources. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Members’ statement. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest priorities for this government in current times is to support economic growth. We need to do more to support industry exploration and development activities. How do we do that? We foster an environment that makes it easier to conduct business in the North. One of the critical hurdles for resource development in the NWT is a lack of access to remote areas. Lack of access prevents companies from exploring in areas with significant resource potential. This limits the potential for future resource development and the economic growth that it could create. Lack of transportation infrastructure is a challenge for many of our communities. It limits residents' mobility, making it difficult to build and expand ties between communities and families, and when the movement of goods and services relies on that same infrastructure, it makes everything cost more. At the same time, the infrastructure we do have is being seriously affected by climate change. Melting permafrost is damaging existing roadways and warmer winters are resulting in shorter seasons for our winter road system. In summer, low water levels are affecting our capacity to generate power. These impacts of climate change are creating additional costs for residents and businesses in communities and represent additional costs and challenges for the resource sector and the future economic growth and well-being of the territory. In a land as broad as the Northwest Territories, our transportation network is crucial infrastructure for families, communities, businesses, and the industrial growth that our economy needs. At the appropriate time, I will have questions for the Minister of Transportation with regard to highway infrastructure and funding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Members’ statements. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government has tasked itself with fortifying our resource sector and diversifying our economy. These two goals require different approaches. However, to be successful at either it is essential that we have a well-trained workforce. The same way this Assembly is committed to supporting the physical infrastructure needed to grow the economy, we need to equally support the workforce development. If we spend hundreds of millions of dollars on infrastructure to attract new mining operations and don't have the skilled workforce to staff them, hundreds of millions more in wages will flow out of the territory, as has been the case for the past 20 years. In my experience working in industry and as an MLA, I've encountered many issues that hinder our ability to train, certify, and retain Northern residents. A major roadblock to apprenticing in Hay River, and I'm sure every other small community, is the lack of journeymen. I recently dealt with a constituent who wanted to begin offering apprenticeships to his employees. The problem was that in that particular trade there are only four journeymen in the entire territory, and none were available. This is a problem with more common trades as well. I've worked with people who have seven years of carpentry experience, but have never had the opportunity to be apprenticed. We have a small population spread out over a huge area, so these are the kind of problems that we run into. Because of this reality, we need to innovate made-in-the-north solutions to these problems.

A creative suggestion that I've received from some small- and medium-sized employers is to create a program where journeymen apprentice employees at different locations, different companies. Some businesses don't need or can't afford a fulltime carpenter, but they do enough carpentry work that their employees gain significant experience. A journeyman could spend time at different locations verifying the amount and quality of work and signing off on hours. If it was a government-run program, they could utilize current employees, making it very cost effective. I understand there also used to be a program where the government would take on an apprentice with the sole purpose of giving that person the opportunity to become a journeyman. Once he or she received their ticket their tenure ended. The value added to the economy by having a skilled worker who is more employable, higher paid and who can apprentice future workers far outweighs the minimal costs of this program. These are just a couple examples of the kind of programs we need to be looking into to build a workforce for the future. I've worked with Minister Moses on apprenticeship issues and I know he sees the importance of them, so I'm optimistic that this Assembly will see some much-needed and impactful changes to our apprenticeship programs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Members’ statements. Member for the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to make a Member’s statement in regards to the BRB, or the Bear River Bridge, a vital infrastructure link on the proposed Mackenzie Valley right-of-way between Fort Wrigley and Norman Wells, a distance of 330 kilometres. This link has a bit of history on it. It was procured by the previous, previous government back in 2006 and as a result of limited resources, was postponed and deferred to this Assembly. In preparation for that, the Hamlet of Tulita, in my discussions with the mayor, is in a position now to move ahead and explore options available when considering -- and he has considered -- the physical situation of our government. The readiness approach would engage into discussion between this government and his community and his public members, and later I will have questions to the Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Members’ statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Lands announced the establishment of the liabilities and financial assurances division in a news release dated September 12, 2014. This was in response to our newly inherited authority over lands and waters acquired through devolution. These are very significant new responsibilities and require careful management to ensure that we do not repeat the legacies and disasters left behind from the poor policies and legislation of the federal government. It is critically important that we get our financial security management system in order to prevent further public liabilities and contaminated sites. This government agreed in March 2005 to contribute $23 million to the remediation of the Giant Mine because of the liability we incurred for a surface lease where no security was required of the mine owner. More recently, this government had to issue a special warrant for $4.5 million to allow the Cantung mine to be transferred back to the federal government. Through devolution, we have now inherited responsibility for the Prairie Creek site where we hold a surface lease that does not require full reclamation. This needs to be changed before we incur more millions of dollars of environmental liabilities. These liabilities occurred under our watch and we can, and we must, do much better. We cannot afford to mismanage our resources. Future generations will not forgive us. According to the Minister of Land's statement in this House on November 6, 2014, the liabilities and financial assurances division was established to develop “strong and effective collaboration between departments with legislated responsibilities for security deposits, as well as central agencies such as the departments of Finance and Justice.” He said “This division will also lead and coordinate short and longer-term policy development concerning the government's management of securities.” I am very concerned with the slow progress of this work to date, especially in light of the looming liabilities from the Prairie Creek site. I do not believe the division has ever achieved its full complement of staff, senior staff positions are now vacant, and there has been no public policy of guidelines to ensure sound financial security systems. In this time of fiscal challenges, we need to get this critical work back on track. I will have questions later today for the Minister of Lands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Members’ statement. Member for Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie Delta will be the high-tech hub of the Northwest Territories. Due to its northern location and the frequent passes of satellites, lnuvik is an ideal location for technology infrastructure. Since 2010 it has been home to the lnuvik Satellite Station Facility. With the completion of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link, the Delta will be more connected to business than ever. The Government of the Northwest Territories has committed millions of dollars to the fibre optic line and the new Western Arctic Centre for Geomatics in lnuvik. But where are the job opportunities for northerners? How are we making the most of this opportunity to develop the northern workforce? Aurora College in lnuvik opens its doors every day to prepare students for jobs in many different fields. We have a chance to train Northerners to work at the satellite station and the new geomatics centre. Staff at the geomatics centre will work with Aboriginal and federal governments, research teams and the Aurora Research Institute. Their work will include planning, research projects, work on environmental monitoring, mapping, emergency response, shipping and navigation, and northern sovereignty issues. People with knowledge and understanding of the North would be ideal candidates for these positions. What better place to train for this work than in lnuvik?

The federal government has demonstrated commitment to technology in the Mackenzie Delta. The lnuvik Satellite Station Facility has important partners in Germany and Sweden. The youth of today are tech-savvy and understand digital technology. That knowledge should be tapped into. Working with partners at Aurora College and elsewhere, the Government of the Northwest Territories can help the people of the Delta participate in these new developments. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you. ---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you, colleagues. The new fibre optic line belongs to the people of the North. We need to do all we can as a government to help them be a part of the future.

Mahsi. Members’ statement. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the government has sounded the alarm about the impact of weakened markets for non-renewable resource products and the need to broaden the base of our economy. The Commissioner's Opening Address referred to the need for strategic investment, diversification, and modernization of the economy in its growth sectors. I agree. The growth of sectors outside of non-renewable resources is impressive. Tourism contributes over $100 million and has good potential in every region. The contributions of the forestry, fishing, and agriculture sectors, while small, have posted the largest growth rates of any sector in the past five years. The manufacturing sector has increased by 26 per cent over five years and at $10 million, shows great prospects for growth in the renewable energy sector. Forestry, fishing, hunting, and agriculture have also posted significant gains at almost 14 per cent in five years and are now worth a combined total of $29 million. The Yellowknife Farmers Market is a million dollar enterprise that didn't exist five years ago. Bear in mind that these are the jobs that provide the greatest return on investment. One million dollars invested in the oil and gas industry results in just 0.5 jobs, while the diamond industries creates 1.1 jobs for $1 million dollars spent. Compare that to the forest sector where $1 million dollars returns a whopping 23.4 jobs. Locally-owned enterprises offer the greatest multipliers and provide more stable, accessible and longer term jobs. They have a smaller environmental footprint by replacing imports, thus reducing the cost of living. Communities with locally-owned small enterprises have lower crime rates, use fewer social services, have better public health, maintain cultural continuity, and have lower rates of poverty, according to recent research commissioned by Alternatives North, and perhaps above all, any success in diversifying our economy gives our territory greater stability. It fights the non-renewable resource sector boom and bust.

Where this government can make a difference is in promotion of those renewable resource sectors. Small investments can provide major returns in reducing food insecurity, addressing energy costs through the introduction of renewables, and generally lowering the cost of living and the need for big paycheques. I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you. ---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. As we turn to considering our economic supports and infrastructure spending, let's target our money where it will do the most good, producing the most durable jobs for dollars spent, and producing the most social good with the least environmental harm. I will have questions for the Minister of Lands. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Members’ statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Mr. Speaker,

I started my career in the public service as an excluded employee, working as an administrative assistant. I can confirm to this House that I was not in a position that earned a high salary, and given the high cost of living and working in the NWT, my family often struggled to save for our future. In challenging times it is important that our government show decisive leadership. I fully support a pay freeze for myself as an MLA and for public servants in management positions. However, I find it difficult to support a pay freeze that may unduly burden public servants at lesser positions who have less in their pockets as costs for everyday expenses continue to increase. I have often before cautioned this government on rushing ahead with cost-saving measures without considering the full range of consequences of those actions, and again, I share my concerns that this decision has unintended consequences for many hardworking Northerners. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance on the impacts of this decision later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Members’ statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our country has invited 25,000 refugees to live in this wonderful country of ours, but our federal minister indicated that should not be at the expense of the poorest people in Canada and also that would include the Northwest Territories. We need to take care of our people first. Refugees will need a place to live and they will need a place to work and they will need a place for their kids to go to school. What I think is an important thing for the people of the Northwest Territories, especially people in the small communities, is that they need a place to work. We need jobs for the people in the small communities. Over the next four years, I would like to see this government work with the small communities to increase employments rates in the small communities to 55 per cent, Mr. Speaker.

Fifty-five per cent, to put it in some context, is a number that is manageable by small communities. Right now, most of the small communities' employment rates are in the 40 per cent category, some just slightly over 40 per cent. Overall in the Northwest Territories we're at about 66 per cent. It's not an insurmountable task to get to 55 per cent, as an example, in Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. In the four communities that I represent, that means about 80 jobs. I'm not asking about 80 jobs from the Government of Northwest Territories, I'm asking the government to spend strategically and use its infrastructure money and help other local governments and so on to put people to work. Right now, as opposed to putting people to work, what's happening is that our social spending continues to increase. It's a known and acceptable fact that employment rates and health outcomes are directly correlated. The lower the employment, the higher the health indicators we have in communities. That's also true for graduation rates, the rates of addictions, and the need for social housing. Employments rates in NWT are pretty good, as I indicated, but in the communities that I represent it's about 46 per cent, and I have done some work and I can see that it is very easy to achieve higher employment rates which will give us the numbers that we need to move forward.

Mahsi. Members’ statements. Item 4, reports of Standing and Special Committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very pleased to recognize in the gallery Mr. Darrell Beaulieu, the recipient of the Skookum Jim Award this year, and also a constituent of Yellowknife South, Mr. Peter Vician. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize Darrell Beaulieu, a constituent from Wiilideh. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nunakput.

Quyanini, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to recognize Mr. Darrell Beaulieu. I remember when they started Det'on Cho Diamonds; I was a diamond polisher there. Welcome, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mahsi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Nancy Vail. She’s a constituent in Frame Lake. Thank you.

Mahsi. Recognition of visitors in gallery. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also wanted to acknowledge Nancy Vail, a tireless volunteer in our community working on a number of different files to improve our lives. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize Darrell Beaulieu and Peter Vician, members of our strong support Northern community leadership. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize my constituency assistant, Garett Cochrane. He’s one of the hardest working individuals I know. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. For those individuals in the gallery that we may have missed, mahsi for being here with us. It's always great to have an audience in the gallery. Item 7, acknowledgements. The honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to acknowledge a man who embodies leadership, innovation, and dedication. Loyal and committed to the public service for 35 years, Peter Vician will retire as deputy minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Since its inception in 2005, Mr. Vician has guided the department through its evolution and has been a leader in the development and diversification of our economy. Mr. Vician was a key player in the Government of Northwest Territories achieving devolution, helped build our diamond industry, led the development of the Economic Opportunities Strategy and played a key role in numerous socio-economic agreements. I could go on about the accomplishments he has had in his career, but in the interest of time I would like to say this: Mr. Vician truly believes in service above self. He has dedicated to making the Northwest Territories a great place to live and do business, and for that, Peter, we thank you.

I too would like to thank Mr. Vician for all the years of service with the Government of Northwest Territories and I wish you best of luck in your retirement. Mahsi cho.

Acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On October 9, 2015, right after the federal election, Prime Minister Trudeau wrote a letter to our Premier. I would like to ask some questions of the Premier on that letter. In the letter, it indicated that the northern residents tax deduction that was announced and was part of the campaign was going to be something coming into effect and increase in the northern residents tax deduction. I would like to ask the Premier if he knows when that comes into effect. Thank you.

Mahsi. Honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did meet with Prime Minister Trudeau about a week ago, and I raised the matter of the cost of living and he reconfirmed that he had committed to doing something about it, specifically, the northern residents tax deduction. He did not specify a timeframe or timeline, but we all know that Minister -- the federal Minister of Finance has committed to filing his first budget in March, and we will wait and see if it makes that first budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Also, in that letter, the Prime Minister wrote about Nutrition North Canada and about increasing that program by $40 million. I would like to ask the Premier if we have any indication of which communities in the NWT would be positively impacted by that program. Thank you.

Minister Carolyn Bennett, the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, did come to the Northwest Territories in January. I forget the exact date, but she did travel to Norman Wells to talk specifically about Nutrition North, since Norman Wells is one of the communities that is covered under Indigenous North, and she did consult with the affected people. There is no indication of when this will come into effect, but she has certainly indicated the government is prepared to move on it fairly quickly, and again, the way governments work, I don't expect there will be any indication one way or the other until the first budget of the Government of Canada is delivered towards the ends of March.

The Prime Minister wrote about doubling infrastructure investment in the country from $65 billion to $125 billion. That’s over ten years. Do we have any indication at all about how the money is going to be divided, or if we know what our share of the $125 billion infrastructure spending would be?

In his letter, he indicated for the first two years, they would double the infrastructure funding budget that was billed in Canada. That is a question of interest to all the provinces and territories. We have met with Minister Morneau, the federal Finance Minister, where we raised and discussed infrastructure funding. I did talk to the Prime Minister about social infrastructure, green infrastructure, and also the Building Canada Fund. He has indicated that he recognizes the importance of those infrastructure funds. I indicated to him that as a small territory, obviously, our preference is base plus funding as opposed to per capita funding as has been reported in some of the media reports. He indicated that he understood the situation. The Minister of Finance, when pressed, indicated that they wouldn't be finalizing or rolling out their infrastructure program until June or July. Certainly, as a government, we are working very hard to reconfirm our Building Canada projects that we submitted before the election.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Prime Minister indicated that they would be moving to a faster approval process for Building Canada Fund, as the Premier just mentioned. When will this faster process occur? Because what I am seeing is even from what has been approved by the last government, the bundles that I questioned the transportation minister on before, seems to be slowed down from what the original intent of those bundles were. Does the Premier have any indication of when the faster approval process will occur? Thank you.

We have reached out to the federal government, both through our Minister with lead responsibility for Infrastructure and also Minister of Transportation. We have had some mixed signals, but we are taking steps to reconfirm our bundles. Bundle number two, as the Member knows, was submitted before the federal election. We are reconfirming very soon bundle number two, which is in the neighbourhood of $100 million, but the Prime Minister himself has indicated that there is still $185 million allocated for the Northwest Territories that he has said would be going out. We have had the Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories also following up on infrastructure to clear up some of these mixed messages. We have been talking to the federal Minister responsible for infrastructure, so we are taking steps to make sure the money starts flowing as soon as possible, and also to reconfirm what our assets are.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Quyanini, Mr. Speaker. Earlier, I spoke about residential schools and reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. My question is: Have you implemented mandatory training for teachers and Education, Culture, and Employment staff on residential schools?

Mahsi. Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Member's statement that the Member brought forward on residential school training. As residential schools have impacted people in every community in the Northwest Territories, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission brought these issues forward to all Canadians, as well as to people of the Northwest Territories. Mandatory training has been brought forward in a variety of ways. We have developed, in partnership with Nunavut, a residential school curriculum through our Northern Studies program. We have also introduced mandatory training to all teachers in the Northwest Territories, kindergarten to grade 12, and our goal is to have every teacher who teaches in the Northwest Territories take that awareness training. We have made this residential school training available to all Education, Culture and Employment, and we have made it mandatory for all Education, Culture and Employment employees to take it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My question is: Is there a plan to expand the training to other interested groups?

As I mentioned, with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission bringing forth the recommendations, when we looked at them, we found out we were already doing a lot of this work throughout the Northwest Territories. With that said, we are offering some of this training to other jurisdictions throughout the North and throughout Canada. I myself participated in the training. We had participants from Nunavut, Yukon, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and we are also looking at getting federal ministers who are also interested in taking some of this residential school training. Our goal is to ensure that anybody that does work here in the North is aware of the impact that residential schools had on our people, our families, and our communities.

As leaders for the Northwest Territories, leaders in our communities, and Members who make decisions for people throughout the Northwest Territories, you heard earlier of some of the social implications that we see in our small communities. I would be more than happy to work with Members to have all Members participate in this residential school training.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be for the Minister of Finance. My first question is: Can the Minister provide a brief update on the status of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is work is progressing along very well and my understanding is that it’s supposed to be lights-on during 2016. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Minister identify the jobs that may be available at the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility and the Western Arctic Geomatics Centre as a result of the completion of the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Link?

Mr. Speaker, because of Inuvik's geographically-gifted location there's a great deal of interest in satellite stations in Inuvik. I had the opportunity to speak to a number of those folks that want to put satellite receiving stations there. It's obviously very high-tech field. I have spoken to the gentleman that was doing the consulting for the GNWT and I had asked him to give us some of the skill sets that may be required for working on the facilities once they're completed, and he was going to get that information back to me, but I see a great opportunity to work with Aurora College to possibly have some of the training available for some of the higher-tech positions. Once I get that list and some of the skill sets that might be needed, I will share it with the Member and with committee.

That answered a part of my next question, but I'll ask this anyway. Has the Minister worked with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to identify training opportunities in connection with the new Geomatics Centre and the Inuvik Satellite Station Facility?

No, I haven't had a conversation with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment yet. But, as I said before, once I get a better understanding of some of the skill sets that might be needed and some of the training courses that we may be able to offer, I will have a conversation with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to see if there's an opportunity for us to consider running some courses that might be beneficial to a number of our students. In my conversations with the folks from DLR in Germany, I had talked to them about the fact that if they can send folks over to Inuvik and train some of our people there, I said, or we can send some of our young people over to Germany to get the proper training there. His comment was, well, if we send people to Inuvik they may not want to come back, and I said, that's precisely the point. ---Laughter

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Minister commit to discussing training opportunities with for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and other relevant departments, to increase the number of Northerners involved in the research and development that is taking place in our back yard? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Absolutely. I see this as a great opportunity for a knowledge-based economy in Inuvik and I think there's plenty of opportunities there. I will work with all the appropriate departments to see if we can come up with plans and options for our young people, because as we all know, our young people nowadays are very tech savvy and they will be able to contribute a lot, and this might be something that would interest a lot of them. I will commit to working with my colleagues to see what we can advance.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I spoke to earlier today, one of the critical challenges for resource development in the NWT is lack of transportation infrastructure. In recent years climate change impacts are affecting that infrastructure through melting permafrost and shortened winter road seasons. Infrastructure challenges increase cost to families and business, as we know. They also add costs and challenges for the resource sector which compromises economic growth in the territory. I'd like to ask the Minister of Transportation what his department's plan is for addressing the challenges to transportation infrastructure in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Minister of Transportation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Transportation is committed to addressing NWT's infrastructure deficit and improving the level of services provided by the NWT transportation system. The department has recently released a 25-year transportation strategy entitled “Connecting Us,” which will guide the actions, and maintain and improve existing infrastructure, expand the highway system to better connect communities and support economic development, and modernize transportation programs and policies to improve service delivery. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I know that most of us in here are aware, but in the interest of informing NWT residents, has the Department of Transportation identified which new road projects will be priorities for this government?

NWT's transportation strategy identifies three priority transportation corridors which the department is making an effort to advance. The first one is the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the second is the Tlicho all-weather road, and improved access to the Slave Geological Province.

Can the Minister of Transportation tell us why these three corridors were chosen to be priorities?

“Connecting Us,” the department's transportation strategy, identifies the long-term plans for the transportation system, so that the system can support and enable economic development. The strategy identifies three strategic transportation corridors because of the benefits that construction of all-weather roads in these regions will have on NWT residents and long-term economic stability. The Mackenzie Valley Highway will connect several communities to the public highway system, providing transportation efficiencies that will result in a reduced cost of living for residents. The highway will also provide access to a vast wealth of petroleum reserves in the region which could be tapped into to boost and diversify the NWT economy. Replacing the existing winter road would help us adapt to the pressures of climate change, which are reducing the window of access into the Mackenzie Valley. The Tlicho all-season road would also improve access to communities in the region, resulting in lower cost of living. The road will support future development of the NICO-based mineral project and encourage further investment in the region. Lastly, the Slave Geological Province continues to be a major contributor to the NWT economy. Providing all-weather access into this region would help the NWT reach its full potential by supporting further mine development projects.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Lastly, I would like to know how the Department of Transportation is working to identify funding for these important construction projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The department is working closely with the federal government on funding of submissions for the NWT under the New Building Canada Plan to fund new road projects. A detailed business case was submitted to Canada in August 2015, requesting funding to begin construction of the Mackenzie Valley Highway from Wrigley to Norman Wells. We are still awaiting a response from the federal government regarding this request. In addition, the GNWT submitted a proposal for the Tlicho all-weather road to the P3 Canada Fund for round 7 of funding consideration. We were informed that the project was screened in. At this time, we are working to provide any additional details that our federal counterparts may require as we await final decision on this project. The departments of Transportation and Finance continue to work on P3 business case's assessment to determine optimal routing for increasing access to the Slave Geological Province. Planning work underway includes detailed road analysis and cost estimates, and will provide information so that we can maximize long-term opportunities for Northerners.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. When I checked the GNWT phone directory listing on our website, there's no longer a director for the liabilities and financial assurances division, and only two staff: a project assistant and a specialist. It's not clear what is going on with the staffing of the division. Can the Minister of Lands tell us whether people are leaving this division and why, and what are the plans to fill those positions? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Minister of Lands.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Lands is less than two years old and the financial liabilities and financial assurance division was added after the creation of the Department of Lands. Turnover and staff departures and difficulty recruiting these highly-specialized positions are just some of the challenges that the organization has faced since start-up. Despite that, we have moved quickly and the Director's position now has been filled on an acting basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One of the purposes of the liabilities and financial assurance division within the Department of Lands was “lead and coordinate short and longer term policy development concerning the government's management of securities.” Can the Minister of Lands indicate whether any policies and/or guidelines have been completed since the division was created last year, and table such documents in this House?

A significant body of work was completed by Queen's University which provided the building blocks for the development of guidelines. There are draft guidelines currently under internal review and discussion, and we need to take into account the distribution of decision-making authorities in the NWT between resource management boards and various GNWT and federal departments. It will be incumbent on us to get these guidelines right so that they are accepted, endorsed, and found to be practical and useful by all parties. They must be grounded in operational realities and reflective of the GNWT's risk to all tolerance towards securities. We cannot afford to get these wrong and therefore, we’re taking measured incremental steps to get them right.

I just want to better understand the slow progress on the establishment of this division and the critical work that it's starting to get place. I believe the Minister may have partially answered the question here, but can the Minister of Lands describe what the barriers are for this work and what the Department of Lands is doing to get this important work back on track.

I take a different view of the progress of the liabilities and financial assurance division. In less than two years, within the department, we have successfully established a new unit that was not contemplated at the time of devolution. This unit has so far managed a significant body of work from Queen's University and commenced work on the policy foundation that will guide them through future operations; supported the GNWT in decision-making on an innovation form of $253-million security for Ekati; completed an initial scoping study of Cantung issues that prepared the GNWT on managing issues going on in North American Tungsten insolvency proceedings; and developed an internal tracking approach to ensure whole-project tracking of securities. These are just some of the accomplishments of this unit in a very short time period.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to again thank the Minister for his response. If he took the impression that I don’t believe the division's actually doing anything, I do understand that there is a lot of work that's underway, but we just had a $4.5 million special warrant that was necessary to deal with the closure and reclamation of the Cantung Mine, There's some unreconciled liabilities associated with the Prairie Creek property and other sites, so I just want to get some further assurances from the Minister of Lands that our financial security systems are working. I wonder whether there's a work plan that he could table in this House for the division.

The $4.5 million special warrant allowed the GNWT to take the necessary action to transfer responsibility for the closure and the reclamation of the Cantung Mine to the Government of Canada. Both Cantung and Prairie Creek are legacy sites that were not regulated under the modern regulatory and approval systems that we have in place today, and furthermore, they were managed by another level of government with a different level of risk tolerance than the GNWT. In the case of both Cantung and Prairie Creek, the GNWT has protection from liability through the Devolution Agreement. We can't change the past, but we can and have learned from it, which is why the GNWT is carrying out work on securities and the development of systems and guidelines.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To follow up on my Member’s statement here today, I have some questions for the Minster of Human Resources. In the past, government departments have identified potential summer student positions and the process has been started. Right now, there seems to be a delay, so I would like to ask, can the Minister tell us what the department's plans are in rolling out summer jobs this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Minister of Human Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ultimately the hiring of summer students is a responsibility of the individual departments. The Department of Human Resources helps facilitate the summer student process by actually getting students registered. The Department of Human Resources has been undertaking marketing and the intake of summer students since December 2015. We've been out advertising on the GNWT career website. Posters and advertising have been placed around Yellowknife and other locations, regional human resource offices. We've done a Student Financial Assistant blast to individual students saying, “Come on, let's get registered as a summer student,” and we've also been posting on Facebook. We're encouraging students to get registered so that when the departments do decide to actually hire some summer students, they can go to the registered students and select appropriate students based on our hiring practices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm a little bit confused. I guess. Do departments come to Human Resources and tell you exactly how many positions they're looking for? If they are, how many positions are looked for outside of Yellowknife?

The Department of Human Resources, as I've indicated, will actually go out and get students who are interested in getting summer student work with the government registered. At that point, if a department chooses to hire summer students, and ultimately the departments get to choose when, how long, and where, or those types of things, with respect to whether or not they hire summer students. They can come to the Department of Human Resources and review our database to make sure that they're selecting individuals that are suitable for the types of employment that they're looking for, apply an affirmative action and those types of things. There is no set number of students. Last year, we were able to hire 341 students in the Government of the Northwest Territories, but there is no set number. Obviously, we as a government want to employ as many students as we can and we want to employ as many students throughout the Territories, not just in Yellowknife, but in regional centres, communities, but ultimately where, how long, and where they actually do the hiring is the decision of individual departments. Human Resources will help facilitate the process.

Is the Department of Human Resources willing to work with the departments to see if we can get some summer employment positions out to the smaller communities -- not the regional centres, but the smaller communities to help get employment for these students?

Absolutely. I mean if the departments indicate that they have some positions they'd like to fill in the communities, we're absolutely there to help support them to select the appropriate individuals to fill those positions. And we do have a couple of different programs that are available through the Department of Human Resources to help the departments actually do some hiring. We have the Progressive Experience Program that actually provides a subsidy to the individual departments to help them offset the cost of hiring summer students. They could certainly use that type of funding in communities, regions, as well as centres throughout the Northwest Territories, but we're there to help the departments facilitate the process and hire the most appropriate students for the jobs that they wish to put in place.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

I thank the Minister again for the great information that we can share with the small communities. Can the Minister use summer employment strategies to help get these small communities employed with working with the departments for next year?

Through Building our Future 2020, we're actually always looking for ways to enhance the employment opportunities for students, as well as just residents of the Northwest Territories. I'd be interested in sitting down with the Member and getting a little bit more insight into what the Member means by a youth employment strategy and how he would see something like that rolling out, but I'd certainly be interested in having that conversation and getting more input and feedback from the Member and committee.

Mahsi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when many people think of excluded or non-unionized employees they think of senior managers and higher ups in government, when in fact there are many who serve in regular positions such as secretaries, administrative assistants, and analysts. My question for the Minister of Finance is: How will this pay freeze affect non-management employees in the public service? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if the Member is referring to those that are in the public service with Union of Northern Workers, there’s a process that we're going through right through negotiations, and whatever agreement they come up with we will adhere to that.

I actually was referring to members outside of collective bargaining who are excluded from the union and who have had their salaries frozen by the announcement we heard a couple of days ago, so if the Minister could clarify those employees.

The announcement that was made a few days ago freezing the salaries for all managers, excluded employees, and deputy ministers, I think the total was about 844 people. What we are doing is freezing the grids, so there is still an opportunity for them to progress through the grids that they're in right now, up to about, my understanding is, 2.5 per cent a year. If they haven't reached the top of their grid, there's still opportunity there for them. The grids are frozen, though.

Can the Minister of Finance provide the cost saving numbers that will result from this measure for both management level and non-management level excluded employees?