Masi. Ministers Statements. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that this year’s wildland fire season is off to a slow start compared to the previous two years. As of May 30th, there have only been two wildland fires reported in the Northwest Territories. All indications are the eight-hectare fire near Madeline Lake, along the Ingraham Trail, was a holdover from last fire season, which smouldered underground all winter. It is a strong indication of just how dry forests are in North Slave Region. The second fire, 16 kilometres from Kakisa, was person-caused. It was started by an abandoned campfire. We are still in a drought situation in many parts of the Northwest Territories and the long term seasonal forecast for the next three months calls for above normal temperatures and near normal precipitation.

Mr. Speaker, the 20-year average for fires and area burned for this time of year is three fires and 46 hectares burned. At this time last year, 31 wildland fires had been reported with just over 7,100 hectares burned. Even with only two wildland fires to date, there is potential for another bad fire season this year. While lightning accounts for 90 per cent of fire start in the Northwest Territories, the 10 per cent caused by people can be prevented. Everyone has a responsibility to prevent and protect their homes, cabins and communities from wildland fires. People must be careful when using fire in these dry conditions. Only use campfires if they are necessary for cooking and warmth. Bonfires are not required for these purposes. Get the appropriate burn permit for any other fires such as burning grass and/or brush. Do not leave any fire unattended and make sure the fire is completely out before leaving it. Property owners and communities should use FireSmart tools to reduce their risk of loss from wildland fires. Our 35 four-person fire-fighting crews are on strength as are our air tanker groups and rotary-wing aircraft. The department will assess any new wildland fire starts for potential risk to values and take measures, as appropriate, with resource capacity and expected fire risk in high value areas.

Mr. Speaker, the cooler weather conditions early in the season have allowed our government to provide much needed fire personnel to help with the Fort McMurray fire and other fires in the northern part of Alberta. To date, we have exported two 21-person wildland fire crews and agencies representatives, two radio operators, three supply unit leaders, one situation unit leader, one section chief trainee and one logistics chief trainee to Alberta. Our Electra air tanker, a bird dog aircraft, air attack officer and crews saw duty in Alberta. The Northwest Territories also provided 55 water pumps and 700 lengths of fire hose to Fort McMurray. We are honoured to be able to provide assistance to other Canadian jurisdictions as many of them have helped us in our time of need during the 2013, 2014 and 2015 wildland fire seasons.

Mr. Speaker, this year, Environment and Natural Resources has begun the process to update community wildland fire protection plans, and is drafting proposed amendments to modernize forest protection legislation, one of the commitments made in the Government of the Northwest Territories mandate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to build partnerships to support, among other things, culturally-based tourism. The tourism sector offers the potential for direct and indirect economic growth in many of our communities and the possibility for diversification and growth of regional economies. As we look to the future, we can be assured that our government’s strategic approach to tourism development is already working.

In 2010, we introduced the Tourism 2015 Plan with an ambitious goal of building the NWT tourism sector to a $30 million-dollar industry by 2015. Today, Mr. Speaker, I can report that we achieved our goal and more, when visitor spending reached an all-time-high of $146.6 million for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.

This is particularly heartening as we prepare to introduce Tourism 2020, our next strategic plan for tourism development in the Northwest Territories. Under Tourism 2020 we will continue to invest in our tourism sector in response to our mandate commitments by building on key areas of program and financial investment including visitor attraction and experience, community tourism development, skills development, and tourism research.

Our Tourism 2020 plan also includes a new area of investment and growth: Aboriginal Culture Tourism; developed in partnership with the Aboriginal Tourism Champions Advisory Council, and now a foundational part of our plan to increase the value of our tourism industry to $207 million annually by 2021. Partnerships have been central to our success in tourism over the last five years, and I am happy to announce that the department has reached agreement with the Canadian Executive Service Organization to expand its role in our Tourism Business Mentorship Program. The organization brings the pedigree of facilitating more than 47,000 successful mentorship initiatives in 122 countries around the world, including work in over 80 per cent of all Aboriginal communities in Canada. We welcome this expertise and look forward to the new perspectives it will bring to our budding tourism sector and the talented, energetic operators across the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, there are few better ways to celebrate the ingenuity in our tourism industry than our annual Tourism Week. This year’s celebration will be concluding this weekend with a number of events across our five regions designed to build awareness and interest in local tourism. As we mark Tourism Week in this Assembly today, I would like to recognize the continued partnership of Northwest Territories Tourism and the dedication and hard work of our vibrant family of industry operators and service providers. Few areas of our economy have been as bright as tourism over the last five years. We will continue to find ways to promote the Northwest Territories’ natural beauty and unique northern spirit in a way that will allow our tourism sector to thrive and grow. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Transportation.

Mr. Speaker, it’s an honour to report on the third successful winter of construction on the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway project. I will start by referring back to Thursday, April 7, 2016, an historic afternoon when rock trucks driven by Beaufort Delta residents met at kilometre 45.3 and linked the north and south construction spreads. An exciting and proud achievement was reached in northern history that afternoon when crews placed approximately 48 cubic metres of gravel toward the final four kilometres of embankment on Canada’s first public highway to the Arctic coast.

Mr. Speaker, the contractor focused on hauling approximately 26,000 cubic metres of material per day to place approximately 97 per cent of the granular material required for the highway’s embankment. When construction wrapped up at the end of April 2016, approximately 116 kilometres of new embankment were fully constructed and the first lift was placed on the remaining 3.5 kilometres. Crews were also able to finish six of the eight required bridges and install pilings for the final two bridges. The Department of Transportation and the contractor are enthusiastic and prepared to make a final push to complete the project.

I’m pleased to report that the project employed over 500 people at the peak of this winter’s construction season. Approximately 74 per cent of the workforce came from the Beaufort-Delta region and other NWT communities, once again fulfilling the goal of substantially contributing to northern employment opportunities and delivering jobs where they’re needed most.

At the same time, the project continues to contribute to developing a skilled northern workforce by delivering meaningful training opportunities and employability. These valuable opportunities enable apprentices in a wide variety of trades to earn work experience hours toward certification and improving their economic mobility. Mr. Speaker, the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway construction project is also contributing to circumpolar research aimed at improving construction techniques in permafrost conditions. In April, the Department of Transportation held a Permafrost Summit where world experts in cold region civil engineering and Northern construction had the opportunity to observe the unique construction methods used to build the highway and visit two research and development test sites sponsored by Transport Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to once again confirm that the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway construction project remains on schedule and within the approved budget of $299 million dollars. As we approach the end of the construction phase of the project, the Department of Transportation is beginning to plan an appropriate celebration to mark the opening of the highway in the fall of 2017 as anticipated. I look forward to celebrating this achievement in northern construction history with the opening of the northern-most segment of the Mackenzie Valley Highway, bringing us closer to achieving our goal of finally linking Canada from coast to coast to coast. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' Statements. Item 3, Members' Statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, surveying has been part of the development of the human environment since the beginning of history. Land surveyors have a key role in most construction projects as well as transportation, communications, mapping, and defining legal boundaries for land ownership. It is an important tool for research in many other areas. Mr. Speaker, a little recognized fact is how much the Northwest Territories owes to the First Nations land surveyors who took on this role in the early days of our communities. I want to take this opportunity to recognize my constituent, Louie Constant of Fort Providence, who worked throughout the Northwest Territories surveying communities and highways. Louie, like a number of young high school graduates, began working as surveyor, learning on the job and working on various projects. Unlike qualified and professional surveyors, guys like Louie demonstrated their knowledge and skills of surveying by working alongside their formally-trained colleagues and proved their worth by playing a significant role in laying the foundation for roads and residential areas in most of our current communities. They built their skills on keen eyes for the land and deep familiarity with its features.

Mr. Speaker, today land surveyors use a variety of high-tech instruments and any jobs require professional training and certification. But we can build on the legacy of Louie Constant and other First Nation surveyors by incorporating traditional knowledge into the development of new infrastructure and promoting this profession among First Nations youth. I want to challenge the Departments of Lands and Municipal and Community Affairs to look at ways to promote land surveying as a career among youth in the NWT and highlight the role of traditional knowledge in planning our communities and the infrastructure that connects them.

Mr. Speaker, working with professional organizations and private partners, the government can look for opportunities to encourage young people to choose a career in the field of survey work and land management through a scholarship or bursary program. Few people are as familiar with the land today as Louie Constant and his colleagues. Lifelong Northerners have a wisdom of place and we have an opportunity to honour the role of First Nation surveyors in the continuing evolution of the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, small business is a key component of a strong diversified economy. Any entrepreneur can tell you that operating an independent business requires more hard work and determination than most people ever imagine. It also comes with immense rewards, not only to the business owners themselves, but to the communities they serve. The small business environment is becoming increasingly challenging across Canada, but especially in the Northwest Territories. Like everywhere, northern businesses are forced to compete with big box stores, multinational conglomerates, the explosion of online services, as well as high costs, economies of scale and numerous procedures and policies at various levels of government.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business Red Tape Report consistently gives the Northwest Territories a failing grade for inaction and lack of leadership. New and young entrepreneurs experience overlapping requirements and lengthy application and permitting processes on top of start-up costs and the steep learning curve that comes naturally with any new start-up business.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT's message of support for small business conflicts with the hoops and ladders entrepreneurs encounter just to get their enterprise off the ground. We only have to look at the NWT Brewing Company and Woodyard Pub as an example. While the GNWT has made some improvements with the Bizpal online service to help entrepreneurs navigate start-up and operation, the SEED program is frequently oversubscribed and sometimes seems like the government refers to it as the never-ending pot of gold for everyone's great ideas.

Mr. Speaker, small business should be one of our key economic diversification components. Dedicated and informed staff at the front line play a key role in supporting entrepreneurs who are trying to put together the crucial pieces of their operation. For example, the Hay River egg producers searched worldwide for months, Mr. Speaker, to find recyclable cardboard cartons for their eggs. The government's approach to small business must reflect their values to our communities. These operations are often generational, cherished by the community for their character, dedicated to the people they serve and knowledge of their local market. These businesses have no comparison to big box franchises of the world. We need to work with small business sector toward a shared vision for what we want small business to look like in the North, and take strategic steps to get there. At the appropriate time I'll have questions for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to follow-up on my Member's statement of Wednesday, February 24thabout the International Pink Shirt Day. As we heard that day from a number of Members and the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, bullying is a daily experience for many young people across the Northwest Territories and Canada. On February 26thI received a letter from It Gets Better Yellowknife, an outreach program to support queer and trans youth in Yellowknife, informing me about the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity's Day of Pink, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia and other types of bullying.

The Day of Pink, April 13th, 2016, continues the work of Pink Shirt Day by promoting active dialogue in communities across Canada between LGBTQ young people and leaders in their communities. Last November the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity approached the mayor of Yellowknife to organize the event, and the mayor reached out to It Gets Better Yellowknife to take on this event. Like the Pink Shirt Day, the Day of Pink has grown into a Canada-wide event in April. Like most things northern, people take on the task and make it better. It Gets Better Yellowknife organization was no different. They developed a plan for a few extra ideas that worked well in Yellowknife and expanded a Day of Pink into Days of Pink, week-long educational and artistic events that promoted conversations throughout Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, the Days of Pink are about talking honestly and openly with peers about the bullying and violence that people deal with when expressing their love and their gender. They believe that when talking honestly and openly about these things they're able to educate themselves and fight ignorance in our communities. They address this by asking questions about how they express their gender, what their gender means to different people, how they love, who they love, and how they can stop bullying and violence that people deal with when expressing their love in their gender. I believe that a safe NWT for everybody includes a safe place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirits, asexual, pansexual, and queer people. Day of Pink is about more than just bullying, it is about examining and discussing the way the NWT can better support the LGBTQ community in our schools, workplaces and communities. It is my understanding that this group is developing a report of recommendations to provide to the political leaders in the NWT to make a better place to live. I look forward to seeing this report and looking forward to seeing how we can implement these recommendations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the Aboriginal content in the GNWT public service. Mr. Speaker, the Minister responded to one of my questions this week on the percentage of priority one employees we have in the public service. His response was 32 to 33 per cent. I think the GNWT lead by the Department of Human Resources must develop a strategy that will see the public service get closer to the GNWT's goal of having a public service that is representative of the people we serve. In other words, try to get the public service to as close to 51 per cent priority one as possible. Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that the current suite of programs, policies and initiatives the GNWT is working with can achieve that goal.

Mr. Speaker, currently we have 51 per cent of our public service in Yellowknife. Of the public service that work in Yellowknife, only 16.5 per cent are priority one employees. Mr. Speaker, if the goal is to have 51 per cent of GNWT as priority one, I would say that goal would be close to impossible to achieve. Currently only 18.5 per cent of the people in Yellowknife that are in the participation rate would be considered priority one under the Affirmative Action Policy. I don't wish to go into the weeds too far with this. Having said that, we have communities where the participation rate of Priority One candidates is 60 per cent, however only 35 per cent of the public service is priority one. Mr. Speaker, if the government continues on as they are currently for the next four years, the numbers will not change.

Our government needs to develop a strategy that looks at this objective community by community and department by department, because the holistic approach of trying to get to that number across the territories is not working. Mr. Speaker, it is my feeling that we can get as close as possible to achieving this goal by developing a good plan and having buy-in at the highest level of this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of Human Resources today in question period. Thank you.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to speak briefly about the resignation of our fellow Northerner, Hunter Tootoo, from his position as the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and his decision to seek help for substance abuse issues. I do not know all the circumstances surrounding his resignation, and likely, only the people closest to him do. I do know that this decision must have been one of the most difficult of his life. He knew there would be extensive media coverage, that it would be discussed on every channel, in every newspaper, and in thousands and thousands of private conversations among his co-workers, in his community, and around the country. He also knew that he was giving up a prestigious, high-profile Cabinet position, one of the highest government positions in Canada. Despite all this, Mr. Tootoo made the decision to prioritize his health and well-being and the well-being of those close to him, and I have to applaud him for his decision. It can be difficult to talk about addiction.

There is a stigma surrounding addiction that can leave people and their families to try and hide their problems and feel ashamed. However, we all know that addiction doesn't discriminate and anyone is susceptible. Admitting there is a problem and seeking help does not make a person appear weak. It takes courage to make that decision, and it's a choice that should be respected. I hope that those who need help and want help will be inspired by Mr. Tootoo's decision, and I thank him for leading by example. Information on how to access treatment options can be found on the Health and Social Services website. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Members’ statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today is Inuvialuit Day, so I am going to speak on that. Mr. Speaker, June 5this set aside in the northern most part of our territory to celebrate Inuvialuit Day. June 5thmarks the anniversary of the signing of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement in 1984. The day is celebrated throughout the Inuvialuit settlement region with drum dancing, Inuit games, music, and local country food such as muktuk, dry fish, moose, caribou, and so on. The Inuvialuit Final Agreement came into effect July 25, 1984. It was the first comprehensive land claim agreement signed in the NWT and only the second ever in Canada at the time.

Mr. Speaker, the final agreement is a result of the determination and dedication of a group of Northerners initially called the Committee for Original Peoples' Entitlement formed in 1970. This group included leaders, movers, and shakers such as Agnes Semmler, Nellie Cournoyea, Victor Allen, Brian Purdy, Jim Koe, Bertha Allen, Jessie Amos, Peter Green, Sam Raddi, Billy Day, Andy Carpenter, Wallace Goose, Mark Noksana and Kenneth Peeloolook.

This committee involved into a strong negotiating body that worked hard to secure the Inuvialuit's rights to wildlife harvest and socioeconomic initiatives and full participation in wildlife and environment managing regimes. These rights extend over the territory of almost half a million hectares in the Mackenzie Delta, Beaufort Sea, and Amundsen Gulf area, approximately 90,600 square kilometres of land and 12,980 square kilometres of subsurface rights. Mineral rights are owned by the Inuvialuit. The Inuvialuit settlement region communities include Aklavik, lnuvik, Paulatuk, Ulukhaktok, Sachs Harbour, and Tuktoyaktuk. The Inuvialuit Final Agreement lays the foundation for future powers and authority. The Inuvialuit, Canada and the GNWT are currently negotiating an Inuvialuit self-government agreement. Twelve different areas of government, from heritage resources to income support and training capacity building are included in the scope of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement.

Mr. Speaker, the Inuvialuit Final Agreement is something Canada and all Northerners can celebrate. Other countries are torn apart by civil wars over the very rights the Inuvialuit tenaciously and we have peacefully negotiated. Ecological provisions are upheld as a world-class example of integrated resource management system. Mr. Speaker, I encourage the parties to continue negotiating, leading the way for the Northwest Territories and Canada and self-governed agreements for Canada's Indigenous peoples. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.

Members’ statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the seizure of huge volumes of fentanyl in recent Yellowknife drug busts is an indication that at least some NWT residents are turning to the black market to satisfy drug addictions. In some cases, these addictions are the result of legitimate medical prescriptions. An NWT coroner's report last year raised alarms over overuse and misuse of prescriptions and how people are being prescribed potentially dangerous amounts of legal drugs by seeking multiple prescriptions. One means of reducing that supply for new and existing addicts is the creation of a prescription drug monitoring program. The Department of Health and Social Services has made some progress on developing this idea, but it now appears to be stalled. Obviously, any prescription monitoring program needs to be consistent with the new Electronic Medical Record, or EMR system.

At this time, the EMR system can't produce a valid prescription for a pharmacist. Apparently, work is underway to make this possible within patient confidentiality requirements. The main problem at the moment, though, appears to be money. The Minister of Health and Social Services points out that a monitoring program would require some dedicated staff time and an information system linked to all NWT pharmacies that can offer real-time access to patients' prescription histories. In the meantime, the department is educating clinicians about appropriate prescribing practices and teaching them to identify patients who may be addicted or at risk of becoming addicted to opioids and other drugs. I'm putting this issue back on the table, Mr. Speaker. I realize this budget doesn't include funds for a prescription monitoring program. The Health department rightly takes the overall approach that prevention is the surest path to patient health and that prevention is less costly than treatment. In the case of addiction in particular, any steps to reduce the number of persons who will ultimately need difficult and costly behavioural therapy will be a good investment. I'll have questions for the Minister on the current status of this program and plans for kick starting it in the next budget session. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I will speak today about some of the least advantaged, and unfortunately, least politically influential people in our society, those on Income Assistance. First, I want to congratulate the Cabinet on its decision announced in the budget address that income from the Canada Child Benefit, and the Northwest Territories Child Benefit, and spousal support will be excluded in the calculation of Income Assistance payments. I also applaud the announcement of amendments to the NWT Income Tax Act to enhance the NWT Child Benefit, including different benefit amounts for children under and over the age of six. Now, I'd like to see a similar approach to adopt an annual increase to income assistance payments. Benefits were increased in 2015. But before that, I believe benefits were last increased in 2009. There does not appear to be any mechanism for providing an annual increase in benefits to offset increases in the cost of living, or even a mechanism to regularly assess whether benefits are adequate.

This is counter to most other programs of financial assistance providing benefits that are adjusted to reflect the costs of living. At the federal level, payments of public service pensions, Old Age Security, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, Canada Pension Plan, and Canada Pension Plan disability benefits are all indexed to inflation. Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement benefit rates are adjusted four times annually for inflation. Here in the Northwest Territories, Members have recently been informed that the monthly payment rate for Long Term Care Room and Board has been adjusted to offset the increased costs as calculated by the Consumer Price Index, or CPI. Not only that, if the CPI were to fall, I am told that rates would not be decreased. The NWT Senior Citizen Supplementary Income Benefit is likewise indexed to CPI, and there are annual indexing provisions in a number of other GNWT cost of living support programs. In Yukon, income assistance benefit rates are annually adjusted to offset the cost of living. Certainly, there has been no decrease in the costs of living, according to CPI figures, which are only available for Yellowknife. Costs have increased on average by 1.6 per cent in the past year, and as much as four per cent in the area of food costs. Mr. Speaker, I seek and ask consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. All of the above makes me wonder why income assistance recipients are left out of annual increases to meet the valid need of paying higher costs to stay fed, clothed, and sheltered. In the absence of a guaranteed annual income, levels of support provided by Income Assistance cannot lift people out of poverty. I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.