Good afternoon, colleagues. Ministers' statements. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government is committed to finding new ways to make it easier for NWT residents to acquire the skills and training they need to get jobs and to connect employers to trained and qualified employees.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment plays a key role in this by focusing on fostering lifelong learning, skill development, training, and employability. That includes expanding opportunities for trades-oriented learning, while also enhancing our communications, service delivery, and way of doing business.

Today, I would like to tell Members about a new online service that the Apprenticeship, Trades, and Occupation Certification Program launched over the summer that demonstrates our continued efforts to meet these commitments. This new online system called "MyECE - Apprenticeship, Trades, and Occupation Certification" was created to increase access to apprenticeship, trades and occupation certification services and program updates. With this new service, registered apprentices, trade qualifiers and occupational certificate trainees have access to program information, can monitor progress in their chosen trade, view results from the technical training and exams, and can download official copies of marks and school notice letters.

The system also offers apprentices and trainees a search and request function for technical training courses, providing access for further training and skill development. Mr. Speaker, these changes are the result of stakeholder input received over this last year. Apprenticeship, Trades, and Occupation Certification staff have also been engaging stakeholders and collecting information to assist us in developing an NWT apprenticeship, trades and occupation certification strategy.

This strategy will outline how the Government of the Northwest Territories will strengthen and improve the apprenticeship and occupational certification program for employers and apprentices alike. It will address one of the priorities of the 18^th Legislative Assembly, expanding opportunities for post-secondary education, trades-oriented learning, and northern educational institutions. The strategy will be aligned with the goals of the department's Skills 4 Success initiative, which aims to improve employment success for NWT residents, close skills gaps for in-demand jobs, and more effectively respond to employers' skill needs.

Mr. Speaker, this government knows that improving access to program information through the expansion of its online services is essential and defined in the Service Innovation Strategy. In this age of consumer driven information, service, and expectation, introducing MyECE - Apprenticeship, Trades, and Occupation Certification not only provides that important information to apprentices and trainees, it helps provide an avenue for residents to make informed decisions on their careers and futures. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Film, video, and digital media are at the centre of a growing and dynamic industry in the NWT, driving both cultural and economic opportunities and contributing almost $9.7 million to the NWT's GDP.

This sector also provides opportunities for employment and self-employment with an estimated 24 film companies and 106 full-time equivalent jobs existing in the NWT today. Most NWT film producers operate as sole proprietorships and face the same challenges as small or micro-businesses, writing their own proposals, self-marketing, and handling administrative tasks in addition to their creative and technical activities.

In line with the 18^th Legislative Assembly's economic priorities of regional development and diversification, our government is advancing initiatives and investments through the Northwest Territories Film Commission to support the NWT film sector and the benefits it generates for many of our other sectors of our economy.

Our actions and investments are guided by Take One: Northwest Territories Film Strategy and Action Plan, which guides the planning and implementation of policies, investments, and actions designed to position the NWT's film sector for growth and prosperity.

Key to this is developing the skills and competencies of NWT film producers and providing training opportunities and experiences for members of this industry. Mr. Speaker, investments in the skills, capacity, and competitiveness of our film industry are resulting in growth and success.

In June this year, films were being produced in each one of the five regions. This shows that our investments are having the desired economic result throughout the territory. This week, members of the NWT Professional Media Association and our film commissioner are in Toronto attending ImagineNATIVE, a conference designed to showcase films made by Indigenous content creators.

As they promote the NWT and build beneficial bonds in the wider Canadian industry, our delegation is also learning and growing and will return with new connections and knowledge that will serve to add capacity to our industry.

Mr. Speaker, the Yellowknife International Film Festival celebrated its 10^th anniversary this year. Its program featured talented filmmakers from across the world and numerous workshops on marketing, distribution, and production. I am pleased to report the festival was a success, building the international profile of our industry, providing opportunities for skills development within our local industry, and offering an outlet for NWT artists to share their work. Among the films that were screened were six made-in-the-NWT productions.

Our government takes pride in supporting this festival each year, and we will continue to invest in the opportunities it provides to advance growth in our film industry. I congratulate the Western Arctic Moving Pictures team for their leadership, both in the presentation of the festival and in our industry.

Another recent success in NWT film was the premiere of the Fort McPherson and Yellowknife "The Sun at Midnight," a feature-length film from Jill and Jackfish Productions and NWT film veterans Kirsten Carthew and Amos Scott.

This film was conceived and created exclusively in the NWT, with much of its cast and all of its crew hailing from within our film industry. It has also marked a banner moment for one of our government's newest programs. "The Sun at Midnight" was the first made-in-the-NWT film to receive funding through the NWT Film Commission's Film Rebate Program.

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to continuing to streamline and enhance our offerings to the film sector. It is why we have chosen to increase access to the Film Rebate Program by decreasing the required minimum expenditures and enhancing the rebate percentages. It is why we have earmarked more support for film, and it is why we continue to talk with our industry stakeholders on how to improve the production environment even further. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this year, the Government of the Northwest Territories took part in a national business satisfaction survey known as "Taking Care of Business." The survey is administered independently by the Institute for Citizen-Centered Service.

Between January and June 2016, more than 200 NWT businesses were surveyed to get feedback on government service delivery. The results will help government identify priorities for improving service to businesses.

The Department of Finance has received the most recent results for the NWT. Our service reputation score, which is businesses' general perception of government services, has improved from 60 to 66 per cent. Our overall client satisfaction score was good, holding steady at 59 per cent, slightly above the national average of 58 per cent. While we remain on par with other jurisdictions, there is still room for improvement.

The survey indicates that businesses want to see the government go the extra mile to resolve issues in a timelier manner. They want easier online access to service, improvements to the quality of online information, and improved responsiveness to e-mail communication.

As discussed in the House before, the Service Innovation Strategy is the GNWT's plan to use technology to improve service delivery, including enabling more services online. The Office of the Chief Information Officer helps departments put these services online and monitors both business and citizen satisfaction through the national Taking Care of Business and Citizens First surveys.

The department coordinates cross-government initiatives, including planning for an online portal, a one-stop shop to access online services, which is a commitment made in this Legislative Assembly. Finance also coordinates service delivery training for managers and front-line staff across government to improve internal and external service. More than 350 front-line employees and 60 managers have taken part in this training to date. Courses have been offered in Yellowknife, Hay River, Norman Wells and Inuvik.

I want northern businesses to know the GNWT values their input. We want to see businesses succeed and continue to make the NWT their preferred place for doing business. We will continue to participate in these surveys to check in with businesses and residents on how to better serve them and thank all respondents who took part in this survey. Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table the results of the survey Taking Care of Business 5. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the GNWT Human Resources. For many years, this government has tried to employ a public service that's representative of the population it serves. However, Mr. Speaker, I think the approach is wrong. I think the reason we have no reasonable success is that we cannot achieve our objectives by looking at the entire NWT as a whole. We must start looking at representation by population on a community-by-community basis.

Firstly, the goal of the Affirmative Action Policy is 51 per cent priority one employees in the GNWT. Yet, in 2014 the number of people who would qualify for priority one status is 46 per cent. Therefore it becomes a little more difficult than at the onset of the Affirmative Action Policy in the 1980s. Mr. Speaker, I am speaking of people over the age of 15. That is a much better statistic to work with. It's referred to as the "participation rate."

The second point is that it makes application of this policy difficult in Yellowknife. Fifty-two per cent of our public service resides in Yellowknife, yet only 17 per cent of the GNWT public service is priority one status. Mr. Speaker, this seems to be a low number. However, only 19 per cent of the population of Yellowknife would qualify for a priority one status under the GNWT's Affirmative Action Policy. That is about 50 employees, and that would be easily achievable if we were to use that target.

Mr. Speaker, the government must take a proactive approach to affirmative action and start developing plans within communities where there are larger concentrations of employees, and work with the regional management committees to address this issue. It is easier than you think, when you consider that 21 communities have a rate of 45 per cent priority one status or higher. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. The current situation is filled with uncertainty and confusion. The hiring department, the Department of Human Resources and, of course, most importantly, applicants trying to get into the GNWT, whether they have priority status or not, are all unhappy.

So, Mr. Speaker, as you can see, in order to achieve a public service that represents a population it serves, all it would take is some effort. Today, I will have questions for the Minister of Human Resources on his thoughts on how the government plans to move forward with this policy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This week, in recognition of Small Business Week, I've been speaking about the importance of small business. Small businesses are important everywhere, in any economy, but even more so in the NWT. Businesses in our communities face unique challenges related to high costs, large distances, and small markets. Yet, our communities are full of business success stories, and we all know a healthy small business environment is good for our communities and regions. It provides opportunities and diversification and makes our economies more robust and stable.

So what can the rest of us do to support small business? Consumers have a lot of choices these days as to where they can spend their dollars. Online shopping is pervasive and more internet sellers are established every day. That puts local small businesses at a huge disadvantage. So how can we help them compete? Each individual can do their bit, but as a government, we have the opportunity to make larger changes to the playing field. One thing we all should do as individuals and as government can be summed up very simply: buy local.

Mr. Speaker, the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce knows how important this is, so every year it promotes the local economy with the Shop YK Passport Program. We need to find ways to do the same thing at the territorial level. We must establish policy that ensures that government and industry operating in the NWT are doing the bulk of their spending and employing here, too. We can help local businesses get started, but government and industry need to be their customers as well.

Mr. Speaker, every dollar spent here is an investment in our families, businesses and communities. I encourage my colleagues, my constituents, and all the residents of the NWT to spend your money at home, shop local, and government policies much encourage the same approach across the board. For our economy, our community, and our neighbours, it's the right thing to do. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On Monday, October 3^rd, I had the pleasure of being part of the grand opening of a supported independent living complex for seniors in Fort Liard with Minister Cochrane, Minister Abernethy, and Minister Moses, Chief Harry Deneron, Metis President Ernie McLeod, and the Mayor, Steven Steeves. Mr. Speaker, the Housing Corporation worked collaboratively with the Department of Health and Social Services and consulted with the elders in the community to develop a building that supports seniors to age in place and in their communities.

Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to say that we had more than 40 people attend the official grand opening of the building. The previous weeks saw the building have a soft opening, with over 75 residents attend this event. The residents of Fort Liard are very proud of this new facility in their community. Mr. Speaker, this building is very warm and welcoming. It has a gathering area with nine units. One is for a caretaker and his wife; six units for seniors without challenges; and two units that are built and accessible for people who have wheelchairs.

Mr. Speaker, the biggest thing for me is making sure we're not moving seniors away from their families, friends, and also they are our past, which is our foundation, our tradition, and they need to stay in our communities. Mr. Speaker, it is about giving the elders and seniors the dignity to live in an environment they are familiar with. They have earned it. Another great thing about this project is its built-in caretaker unit, which will ensure that the building is safe and secure. This has given an employment opportunity to someone in the community, which is very important.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased with this investment and this priority of the government. This centre supports our elders in remaining here in Fort Liard and near their friends and families. I can only hope that the Minister and the Housing Corporation have plans to build smaller, five-bedroom units, a variation of this unit, in smaller communities in the NWT to continue to support one of the mandates of the 18^th Legislative Assembly, supporting elders to age in place. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The former Member for Weledeh asked about emissions, fluids and inspections at the hydraulic fracturing operations carried out by ConocoPhillips in 2014. There was a secrecy ban on the release of some information at that time. I asked again about it on the understanding that the secrecy period had now ended.

I will leave alone the issue of which Minister is actually responsible for the Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas, as that one looks like a hot potato. Let's focus on what was said in the Premier's September 28^th response: "Only 28 per cent of the load fracking fluid was recovered from the Dodo Canyon well and 24.5 per cent from the Mirror Lake well." I guess the rest is still down there somewhere. Is this the best we can do at recovering this stuff that is injected into our groundwater?

Next, the Premier says that the volumes in composition of the fracking fluids are found on a website called fracfocus.ca. When I looked at the website and the reports for these wells, I found that some of that data may be confidential "business information," and that the totals "may not equal 100 per cent due to the redaction of proprietary components." This doesn't leave me very comfortable that we actually know what is going into the ground or its possible effects.

Next, the Premier discusses that the wells were monitored by the company while in operation and inspected by OROGO. Unlike our land and water co-management system I can't find these inspection reports in the OROGO public registry on its website. After the company closed the wells, there is no monitoring done, and apparently OROGO has recently launched a voluntary monitoring program relying on local land users. This doesn't sound like a well thought out strategy where these wells become public liabilities. This is not consistent with a principle of polluter pays. In Alberta, there's an abandoned wells fund paid for by industry.

The company's surface and groundwater monitoring reports for hydraulic fracturing are apparently filed with the Sahtu Land and Water Board. Finally, monitoring and inspections of these activities is carried out by Environment and Natural Resources, but I can't find any evidence from the Sahtu Land and Water Board that anyone from GNWT actually reviews and comments on these reports for any potential problems. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to my colleagues. In conclusion, what this response to my written questions shows is a convoluted regulatory system for oil and gas, a lack of transparency, and the failure to ensure that we are not creating liabilities for future generations. This is not why we got devolution. I will ask questions later today for the Premier or whoever's in charge of oil and gas these days. Merci, Monsieur le President.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker the Rainbow Centre in Yellowknife offers important support to young people, especially those who identify themselves as queer, meaning gay, lesbian or bisexual, or who are questioning their gender or sexual identity. The centre offers programs by youth and for youth. The centre officially opened at the end of August with several of my colleagues in attendance along with our Member of Parliament and the Mayor of Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, the Rainbow Youth Centre is open thanks to a small group of hard-working volunteers. Jacq Brasseur, Nicole Garbutt and Nancy MacNeill recognized that queer youth needed peer support. Together they founded It Gets Better Yellowknife five years ago. Earlier this year, they had a successful week of community-wide discussions around gender and sexual identity under the Days of Pink banner.

Mr. Speaker, these passionate volunteers recognize that queer and trans youth needed a dedicated safe space of their own. They obtained funding from the GNWT Departments of Health and Social Services, MACA and the Health Authority to rent a space the size of a living room to make this dream a reality. Kudos to the government for making this funding available to the Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife.

Most nights of the week volunteers offer programs that address a broad variety of issues from support groups to confidence-building activities, and from discussion about addictions to providing a place for the parents of queer youth to meet for support. This is important: it's also a place to have fun. On average, ten youth visit the centre each day. That's not all; these tireless volunteers provide outreach to the broader community in the form of workshops and training opportunities for government, business, non-profit, school and anyone else who wants them. They also provide consultations and support to other non-profits looking to make sure their programming is inclusive. Simply by being, the Rainbow Youth Centre is a beacon of tolerance, acceptance and credibility within our community.

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to congratulate the Rainbow Youth Centre for receiving the Territorial Youth Centre's Award of Excellence last month. Mr. Speaker, when I was young and trying to understand my sexuality there was no Rainbow Centre to help. Having a Rainbow Centre in Yellowknife is a great accomplishment, not only for the youth who visit but for all of us. I offer the young people who established the centre and volunteer at it my warmest congratulations. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the rate of reported spousal assaults in the Northwest Territories is one of the highest in the country, second only to Nunavut, measuring in at nine to 12 times the provincial average. Members of this Assembly recognize that fact as a crisis. In our priorities document before we created the mandate we committed to taking action on the crisis of family and community violence. When the mandate was developed we made a commitment to continue to support healing programs for men who use violence in intimate relationships, such as a New Day Healing Program. Today I'd like to talk a bit about the New Day Healing Program. Through 2015 this program for men who use violence saw 138 clients made up of 65 new male clients on a one-on-one basis, 28 female clients and 48 clients in group therapy at the North Slave Correctional Centre.

From January to September of this year they saw a total of 195 clients that have already been seen to date; 71 male clients, 28 female partners who sought help and safety planning and 89 clients at the correctional centre. This, combined with 31 repeat clients from the original program, makes for a total of 348 clients served by only two staff over a period of two and a half years. This program is the only program in the Northwest Territories that allows for self-referrals. People do not have to get arrested, be incarcerated, or be in a medical crisis to get service. They're the only program that employs Indigenous counsellors, northern Indigenous students, elders and traditional healers and uses traditional healing programs. They deliver group and individual therapy, as well as do presentations to community meetings with other service providers and do group therapy in communities with men and boys at risk of perpetrating abuse. They've been recognized by the Public Health Agency of Canada Aboriginal Best Practices Program, and, as this government has stated previously, this program is in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action to address residential school trauma. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. This New Day Program has presented both nationally and internationally and soon there will be a national CBC documentary just about this program and how effective it has been. The last thing in speaking to New Day, they say we know this program works because people come back, and that speaks highly to its success rates.

If we're going to continue to tackle this problem, this crisis of family violence, and change our dubious distinction as the second worst in Canada we need to continue to support healing programs like this, and A New Day is a great place to start; a great program to continue working with, to continue to expand. I'd today like to commend them for their efforts to help Northerners help themselves and focus on preventative care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the month of October is the month to promote awareness of breast cancer and liver cancer. Today I'll use my Member's statement to talk about the presence of cancer in the lives of Northerners. We know that the Northwest Territories performs poorly on many health measurements when they're compared to the rest of Canada. This includes physical activity, daily smoking, heavy drinking and healthy eating. These factors contribute to other health issues, including cancer. In fact, cancer is one of the NWT's top three leading causes of avoidable death. Knowledge is power, Mr. Speaker. We need to talk about these things, we need to learn. For example, thanks to strong public awareness campaigns we know that smoke can seriously increase as a cancer risk. But did you know that alcohol, even drinking in moderation, also increases your cancer risk? Many people do not.

Mr. Speaker, we often speak of battling or fighting cancer. The problem with talking like this though is that it sets up winners and losers, when we know that all patients supported by our medical professionals are doing their best and fighting in difficult circumstances. Mr. Speaker, cancer can be beaten, but right now not all cancers can be beaten. But working together on research, prevention, screening and treatment, I hope to see us get there.

Mr. Speaker, finally I'd like to recognize all Northerners who are dealing with the effects of cancer on their lives and the lives of their friends and families. I hope they know that they are not alone and that as their representatives we will continue to support them. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.