Good afternoon, Members. Item 1, Ministers' statements. Minister of Human Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to announce that the Government of the Northwest Territories has, for the third time, been selected as one of Canada’s Top Employers of Young People.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to creating a public service that is inclusive of young people and values the meaningful contribution that young Northerners make in the public service. This prestigious designation recognizes employers that offer the nation’s best workplaces and programs for young people who are starting their careers. It is proof positive that the Government of the Northwest Territories is one of Canada’s leaders in attracting and retaining younger employees to their organizations.

Mr. Speaker, being named one of Canada’s Top Employers of Young People also reflects this government’s commitment to education, training and youth development. The Department of Human Resources manages numerous programs and initiatives aimed at creating employment opportunities for Northern students and helping to provide diverse work experiences for young people. This includes:

● The Summer Student Employment Program, which provided valuable work experience to over 300 students last summer;

● The Graduate Internship Program, which provided relevant work experience to 24 recent

● northern graduates last year and, in some cases, provided the work experience for interns to move into permanent placements with the public service;

● Paid and unpaid educational leave benefits to pursue post-secondary studies; and

● Providing meaningful work and an opportunity to shape the NWT’s future to young people in all our communities.

Mr. Speaker, young people are the future of our public service and the Northwest Territories. The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to ensuring that young people are valued members of the public service by providing opportunities for growth and development throughout their careers. Our government will continue to build on these programs and opportunities for young people for which we were recognized.

Being chosen as one of Canada’s Top Employers of Young People for the third year is a testament to the importance the government places on making a place for young people in our public service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 2, Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Small Community Employment Support Program provides wage subsidies to employers in our small communities. Those employers can offer work and on-the-job training to unemployed youth and adults.

That means places like small businesses, schools, local governments, NGOs, and local housing authorities can apply through their local ECE service centre for financial support to train local people in the jobs small communities need.

Last year this program was funded just $339,000; this year, we're seeing a proposed increase of $3 million in the main estimates, plus a further commitment of $1 million.

Mr. Speaker, with this we can hope to see more people training and working, more small businesses thriving, and more families' incomes invested in their communities. We need to put this program to good use.

Mr. Speaker, we heard in the Budget Address that the government intends to develop a Small Community Employment Strategy to improve the way it spends program money.

I'd like to see that strategy lay out a clear, concise plan for improved community engagement and outreach, dedicated job creation, and enhance supports targeted at our young people.

With the new fiscal year rapidly approaching, time is short for preparation and for implementation, but I believe this program will be one to watch. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to address the issue of elections. As elected representatives of the Assembly, we are all directly affected by how well our electoral system works. Certainly how Canadians vote and the mechanism for determining how that vote produces a representative Assembly is a pertinent topic right now on the national level.

For all of us as representatives, it's important that we have confidence in the electoral process. We need to know that the process is fair in order for us to represent those who voted for us. I want to know the level of support I have, and I need to know what work I need to do in order to represent those who didn't vote for me.

In the last territorial election the numbers of voters declined from the previous election in 2011. We are currently looking at modernizing the Elections Act, making changes to the process to get people more involved. Mr. Speaker, I think we must commit to making this happen well before the next election period. Having this discussion in the last year of our term leading up to the election will be far too late.

We need to consider new ways to inform voters and find ways of making voting easier and more efficient and fair. How can we make sure every qualified voter is registered? How can we make the process transparent and open to anyone who wants to volunteer? How can we streamline the rules and accountability around campaign contributions? We can make sure NWT electors and candidates have these answers before the next election if we get to work on this as a government and put some resources towards this now.

Engaged voters don't just vote; they talk over coffee, around the dinner table. They speak at government meetings and come out to constituency meetings. They write officials and the media and their MLAs to express their opinions. They start and sign petitions, and sometimes they gather in public and have marches.

Mr. Speaker, this Assembly is committed to openness and transparency as a government; this must extend to our electoral process, to make sure that democracy actually works for the will of the people. It's a vitally important conversation, and it's all about having your voice heard.

Mr. Speaker, I want to say thank you to my constituents and all citizens of the NWT who are out there voicing an opinion, stepping up, and getting involved. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Naats'ihch'oh National Park is named after Naats'ihch'oh Mountain east-west of Tulita, an influential place for the people of Sahtu. It is near the NWT-Yukon border. The park is in the traditional lands of the Mountain Dene and home to many animals such grizzly bears, Dall sheep, mountain goats, and woodland caribou.

The Sahtu vision identified in the Sahtu Land Use Plan supports the concept of balance between management and development, and one of the Land Use Plan's goals is to increase the economic self-sufficiency of the region through sustainable development by addressing barriers to industry involvement and increasing non-renewable resource development in the region.

The Sahtu Land Use Plan's Zone 41 Proposed Conservation Initiatives designation notes the economic importance of the area for its mineral exploration development potential. An important consideration for the board is that access to high mineral potential areas, such as Zone 41, is essential to the future economic development and supports the mineral strategy under way.

Tourism development potential remains a strong possibility in the Zone 41 region and the area, and it is important that transportation corridors remain successful to encourage possible future tourism development initiatives and balance on realizing the Sahtu potential and being mindful of conservation and preservation. To me, Mr. Speaker, this is truly responsible development, consultation for a meaningful conclusion. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the cuts to Aurora College. I am simply confounded by how stubborn the Minister and the government is being with the cuts to the social work program and the Teacher Education Program. How much public backlash and criticism must they face before it becomes evident that this is not what the people of the Northwest Territories want? It is not about us, Mr. Speaker, about the Regular Members, but the people we serve. Their voice has been loud and clear on this issue. They have protested outside this legislature. They have written scores of letters. They have filed petitions. Mr. Speaker, what will it take to put the brakes on this cut and get these programs reinstated?

Mr. Speaker, the government's own Skills 4 Success plan presents the facts quite clearly. From 2015 to 2030, the NWT will need to recruit 777 elementary and kindergarten school teachers, 577 secondary school teachers, 448 early child educators and assistants, and 382 college and vocational instructors to meet replacement and expansion of existing programs.

Also from ECE, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment labour market information resources, we know that social and community service workers are forecasted to increase in demand throughout the next 15 years. The medium-term forecast increase is from 340 positions in 2014 to 410 positions by 2030. That is a 21 per cent increase in positions, and our students will not have an option of obtaining those opportunities here in the North.

What bold initiative is this government taking to ensure we can meet the demand? It seems, Mr. Speaker, that we are cutting the programs that allow these students to seek these opportunities and learn a trade that is in demand here in the Northwest Territories. I stand against that. I am asking this government to reinstate those programs, to reinstate the funding, at least until we get a strategic plan on the table that we can review, assess, and support. Without that support, I think we should stop this plan and get those students back in class where they belong. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, in 2012, the GNWT laid the groundwork for its anti-poverty plan. One press release described it as our "tattered social safety net." It was three more years before we got an action plan called, Working Together.

Now five years have passed. Forget the tattered social safety net -- we are in fiscal restraint these days. Yet Northerners living in poverty still have not seen enduring improvements.

It is not for a lack of trying, but for the lack of coordination and new investment. NGOs, community groups, and public servants work hard, but often, it seems, at cross-purposes.

They are under-funded and limping along with annual roundtables and status quo anti-poverty funding of just $500,000 per year spread over 33 communities.

The problem is that there is no functional overarching government plan, no 14-department strategic attack on poverty. Prenatal work happens over here, with Right From the Start, but work with youth mental health happens over there, with an action plan under Mind and Spirit.

Who makes sure that these initiatives tie back to the anti-poverty goals?

Working Together was supposed to coordinate efforts and evolve over time, but it is full of references to work that was already done and under way, not new work or new money.

For example, the first plan prioritized better funding for grade school, but the government resists fully funding junior kindergarten.

The second plan said the rent supplement program should address unaffordable housing. Housing is still too expensive, while the budget in 2017 shrinks the program by $300,000.

Third, it recommended that the GNWT address barriers to jobs in small communities. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Regular MLAs are the ones who want to do just that, through increases in the Small Community Employment Support Program.

However, the government wants to try to deliver that program with no changes in the policy, which means they will continue to have problems getting the money out the door. The program is just not deliverable in its current form, Mr. Speaker.

At the end of the day, to truly tackle poverty, we need a well-funded, well-coordinated government-wide approach to guide investments and programs showing the best returns.

We must empower Northerners to take jobs we need in childcare, education, social work, land-based work, not take away from local opportunities. Take Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. If you were to employ two people in Fort Resolution, two in Lutselk'e, and two in Ndilo, that would be six more families bringing in income and getting off income support.

A rising tide can lift all boats, but only if our approach truly brings our people and our anti-poverty efforts together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to people in the gallery. I would like to recognize former NWT Commissioner, former Speaker, former Minister, former Member, honorary Table Clerk, Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford. Welcome.

In addition, I am pleased to recognize and welcome a special guest to the Northwest Territories, Consul General of Switzerland, Mr. Pascal Bornoz. Masi for joining us here today.

With them, of course, Cameron Moore; thanks for being with us and doing a fantastic job. Masi.

---Applause

Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to introduce all of you to an amazing young lady, Jessie Loutit. I had the pleasure of watching her succeed in sports such as hockey and soccer throughout her years in Fort Simpson.

After graduating from high school in Fort Simpson, she went on to university and decided after two years that she wanted to start rowing with the University of Calgary team. Instantly, she fell in love with the sport and two years later she decided to move to Auckland, New Zealand, to row during the winter months. The time on the water was extremely beneficial for her. Upon returning home, she won a silver medal in the Women's Pair in the 2010 Canada University Rowing Championship. This was the first and only medal won at these championships in the history of the University of Calgary's rowing club.

Mr. Speaker, after this competition she decided she was completely motivated to pursue her dreams of making the national team. Unfortunately, in the summer of 2011 at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta she had a major road biking accident, which set her back on her rowing goals. Following the accident, she went through two surgeries on her knees and months of rehabilitation and was able to slowly start training again.

In 2013, she moved to London, Ontario, and attended the University of Western Ontario rowing team as well as working on her second degree. She made the varsity team during the 2013-14 season, winning a bronze medal in the 8+ and a national championship banner. To add to her success, she was named to Team Canada to attend the World University Rowing Championships in Korea, and they placed fourth overall.

To fast forward, she moved back to Calgary where she competed for the Calgary Rowing Club and won their Female Athlete of the Year award.

In 2016, she had more success with her teammates at various regattas and attended the National Rowing Championships, where they won a bronze medal only to be beat by two crews who just returned from the Rio Olympics and the world championships. Later that fall, her and her pair partner were named the Calgary Rowing Club Members of the Year. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to finish my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you, colleagues. This past year, she won an award from the Provincial Rowing Association for her commitment to this sport.

This year, she will be moving to Victoria, BC, to try out for the national team. I would like all my colleagues to give her a big round of applause and wish her all the best of luck. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the majority of the NWT is made up of small communities -- 26 small communities and seven regional centres and two of them in the capital of Yellowknife. Earlier this month, a report on CBC North stated that 2016 population statistics show a decline in small communities compared to the 2011 census. Overall growth of the NWT population remains flat. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, economic activities of small communities include traditional activities such as fishing, hunting and trapping, tourism, and seasonal jobs. Governments and First Nations are the main employers in small communities. People leave for jobs and educational opportunities elsewhere.

The current GNWT budget of position reductions and amalgamations favours larger centres. For example, an economic developer officer position that was cut from my community is now serviced and will be delivered out of Hay River.

Decentralization efforts stop at regional centres. Jobs do not reach small communities. Young people do not have opportunities to come back to. The cost of living remains high and does not appeal to people who have gotten hooked on the material benefits and lifestyle that comes from a larger-wage economy. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, the people who have chosen to make our small communities a home want to see their community thrive. Mr. Speaker, I encourage the GNWT to strengthen our small communities in order to give them a vibrant future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mr. Speaker, the experiences of many single parents -- predominantly women -- who rely upon maintenance enforcement payments are generally not good. Our measures for collecting these vital family supports have improved over time, as have penalties such as lifting the driver's licences of deadbeat debtors, but, as a constituent of mine who is very familiar with these processes has pointed out to me, provisions for collecting and paying garnishees still leave a lot to be desired.

A major failing is that the thinly staffed maintenance enforcement office must track down people owing maintenance payments. Frequently, this means spouses who have fled abusive relationships must monitor the very people they are trying to stay away from. I asked the Minister's office if it would not be possible to require employers to report new hires to maintenance enforcement. I was told this can't be done, owing to privacy laws. Mr. Speaker, I don't accept this. Employers immediately file a TD1 tax form when they hire a new employee so taxes can be collected. If the tax collectors can get their money, so should the spouses owed money for children's food, clothing, and shelter.

Difficulty collecting payments from self-employed persons is another shortcoming. When payments are made under service and supply contracts, there is often no trail for the money to the name of the person. The legislation needs to be reviewed to create increased enforcement powers.

I will give one other example. The Maintenance Orders and Enforcement Act and regulations say an employer must immediately begin collecting garnishees and remit them within 14 days, but they don't cover how employers process their payroll or how to remit payments. Cheques sent by mail can take a long time to arrive. People owing maintenance may change work frequently, so they are always catching up on long time frames. This needs to be improved.

Mr. Speaker, women are the majority of those relying on maintenance enforcement payments. Women are most frequently the partner fleeing domestic violence. In all fairness, we should build a maintenance enforcement system to serve the people who are owed the money. I will have questions for the Minister. Mahsi.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. In our mandate, there is a commitment to amend the Environment Protection Act, including the development of air quality regulations. Our government started the long-overdue process of developing air regulations in June of last year. The deadline for public submissions was September 16th. Five months have passed, and the only thing I can see is a statement on the ENR website that says, "An update on the anticipated timelines will be posted in early 2017."

Those of us who lived in Yellowknife before 1999 will remember that sour taste in the back of our throats from the air emissions from Giant Mine. That went on for decades without any regulation whatsoever, contaminating most of the soils around this community. At least one Dene child died from those emissions, and many more people were made sick.

Indigenous elders have raised concerns about fugitive dust from roads of the diamond mines for over 20 years. While the companies have made some effort to reduce dusts from the road, a lot more could and should be done. The correlation of dust from the diamond mines with the avoidance of the mine sites by female and young caribou remains untested. Successive environmental assessments have recommended that air quality regulations be developed by GNWT, and ENR Ministers have accepted that challenge.

Air quality regulations can also be the essential tool to allow us to set a price on carbon emissions to meet our national and international obligations to fight climate change.

The complete absence of enforceable air quality legislation and regulations in the NWT has been highlighted as a problem for many years. It was noted in all the NWT environmental audits from 2005, 2010, and 2015. With devolution now almost three years behind us, there is no longer any excuse for the lack of regulations.

There are serious issues at stake with the proposed air quality regulations proposed by the Minister. Very significant and broad discretion would be housed in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and its Minister. There are very few commitments or requirements to ensure that there is public access to documents, and no opportunities for public involvement. This is not consistent with the co-management approach currently in place for land and water, not consistent with the expectation of communities and the public, and not consistent with the mandate of the 18th Assembly towards open government.

I will have questions later today for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a great need for jobs in the Mackenzie Delta. I am really disappointed that very few jobs have been created in my region in recent years. Our government could make a huge difference.

The employment rate in Fort McPherson and Aklavik is barely over 40 per cent. Only one community in the Northwest Territories has an employment rate lower.

The lack of jobs is a big reason that incomes are so low, Mr. Speaker. In one of my communities, 42 per cent of the people who have filed tax returns make less than $15,000 a year. It is very, very hard to live on such a low income considering the high cost of living in our small communities.

When our high school students graduate, this is what they see. For some, it could take years to find a job in the region. Our young people are fighting against the odds, Mr. Speaker, but they are fighting just the same, and I am proud of them.

Even a few jobs can make a big difference, Mr. Speaker. In my riding, a total of 538 people had jobs in 2014. Our government could do incredible good if it found a way to add 10 jobs a year per community for the next three years of our Assembly. That is 90 jobs over three years, Mr. Speaker.

Ninety jobs would take 90 families out of poverty and benefit the government, as well as the people.

Mr. Speaker, one concern I have about the budget is its focus on combining departments and cutting positions to save money, taking work from our people and hurting local economies, for example cutting back the ferry services on the Peel and Mackenzie Rivers. The focus on the budget cuts has taken us away from improving local economies, creating jobs, and other goals of our Assembly.

We seem to forget about the savings and revenue to be gained and people who need work to support their families. I look forward to seeing some job creation by this government in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment has received virtually all the blame for Members of this House and from the public for the cutting of Aurora College's Teacher Education Program.

I, too, blame the department, but not for cutting the program -- that was Aurora College’s decision. I blame ECE for allowing the college to operate in a manner that resulted in a teacher program that the college saw fit to cut. The Teacher Education Program costs two to three times more to deliver than similar programs in the South, has a 75 per cent dropout rate, and costs anywhere from $250,000,000 to $750,000,000 per graduate. The worst part, Mr. Speaker, is that the graduates of the program, solely because of where their degrees are from, have a hard time finding teaching positions not only in the South but also in the territory. These are failures of the college, not the students. However, again, I put the blame on ECE for handing tens of millions of dollars over to the college without the oversight to ensure that the people of the NWT get what we pay for and that the graduates of the college get a world-class education and a degree that is respected throughout Canada.

Many of my colleagues have stressed that the decision to cut the Teacher Education Program should be informed by the college’s upcoming strategic plan. There have been strategic plans in the past; the last one was for 2006 to 2015, and arguably it left the program in worse shape. Besides, Aurora College has had 47 years to develop the Teacher Education Program. It should be the college’s crown jewel. Instead, it is the first program that Aurora College has ever cut.

If ECE did not reduce its contribution to the college, there is no doubt that the program would continue on. However, ECE did not tell the college to cut the Teacher Education Program -- the college made that call on its own. Much like what government does, the college found it impossible to find any savings in what many have commented is a bloated administration, and instead chose to cut a program that they knew they were failing to deliver appropriately.

Mr. Speaker, just so there is no confusion, I believe that we should be educating teachers in the Northwest Territories, but I believe that they should be receiving an education on par with anywhere else in Canada. So do we continue to fund the Teacher Education Program regardless of the program’s quality or success, essentially throwing good money after bad? Demanding that the Minister reinstate funding for the program and maintain the status quo might win me political points, but it will not do justice for the people of the Northwest Territories, and that is my concern. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. The first thing we have to do, obviously, is honour the commitment that was made to any of the students in the college’s access program who were assured that they would be able to enter the Teacher Education Program this fall, because I am sure the college knew this cut was coming.

Second, and most importantly, we need to change the way that Aurora College does business. For too long it has operated in a bubble, with this government demanding little from it in the way of financial accountability or educational outcomes. There is no need to wait for the next strategic plan to begin making changes. Strategies, action plans, strategic frameworks: these are too often excuses for inaction. I would say that the cut of the Teacher Education Program is the canary in the coal mine, but for many years many people have been aware that changes need to be made of the state of the college. Hopefully, this cut is a wake-up call that will spur the government to begin making the foundational changes needed to give us the educational institution that the people of the Northwest Territories need and deserve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Item 4, reports of standing and special Committee. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Honourable Premier. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and as you acknowledged earlier, one of the Yellowknife North residents joining us today is the former everything, but is a current resident of Yellowknife North, and that is Mr. Tony Whitford. Welcome.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to acknowledge my resident and constituency assistant, Ann Peters, for joining me here this week and appearing in the gallery. She is helping me with all the stuff that falls behind when we are in session. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize a couple of former constituents of Inuvik, Mr. Alex White, as well as Ms. Danielle Deslauriers. Welcome, and I hope you enjoy the proceedings. As well, it is always great to see Mr. Tony Whitford in the gallery, and welcome. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I am sure he is used to it every time he appears, but I would also like to recognize Mr. Tony Whitford, former Member for Kam Lake. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 7, Acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the tragedies that have occurred recently in my riding, and this is questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services, can he please advise this House if there are any policies or procedures in place to address tragedies that occur in small communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is no formal written policy; however, it is a common long-standing practice within the health and social services system that responding to a tragedy is a priority for the government of the Northwest Territories. Recognizing that every situation is different, that every community has a different response, what we tend to do is work with the community leadership to find out what it is they expect or what they are hoping to get from the Department of Health and Social Services when a crisis arises, and providing that service as best we can and working with the community to make sure that we are meeting their needs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I think the Minister kind of answered my second question, but I am going to ask it anyway so we can get a little bit further information. Mr. Speaker, when dealing with these tragedies, will the Minister explain what the department does to ensure that there are necessary supports that are available to the communities besides just talking to them?

There have been a number of tragedies in the Member's riding, and the Department of Health and Social Services has responded to each one of them, but in each case the response was different based on what the community told us they were looking for as far as supports. We recognize that smaller communities do not necessarily have access to all the supports that exist in some of the larger communities, and where appropriate and where desired by the communities, we have sent professionals from other communities in when those crisis occur.

So we tailor based on need, we tailor based on expectations, and in some situations communities have indicated to us that, you know, they want to handle it on their own; others, they are like, we need some psychologists, psychiatrists, we need some support staff in there. In some situations we found that there is a particular professional out there in the Northwest Territories that the community really feels comfortable with, that they want to bring in. We supported those individuals coming in, but there is no one model, Mr. Speaker.

We work with the communities, we listen to the communities, and we tailor our response based on what we are hearing from them on what they would like to see and how they would like to see that delivered.

I thank the Minister for that answer. Then to the credit of the department in the regional health and social services, we have had a unique situation in the last couple of weeks here and they have done an amazing job with our tragedies, but in regard to dealing with these type of tragedies, can the Minister tell us if the department tries to utilize traditional acknowledge or healing in addressing these issues?

Absolutely. I will give an example. In Sahtu we had a situation where there was a tragedy in one of their communities and what was requested of us was to support a bunch of the youth to go out on the land in order to experience healing and get out of the community, which we supported fully because it was the right thing to do. It is what the community wanted. It is what the youth needed. Listening to the community is critical. We do those types of things.

Sometimes, we hear, we want something done on the land immediately. Sometimes we say, give us a couple of weeks to stabilize here. Then we want to do something on the land. We are open to whatever the communities are suggesting is necessary in these times of crisis. Like I said, it is about working with communities and listening to them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I would like to thank the Minister for the answer. It is great to hear that the department is working with the communities when these tragedies happen.

Mr. Speaker, when a tragedy occurs in the small communities, will the Minister advise us who the department contacts? Is it the leadership, the family, or is there just whomever they decide who needs to be contacted? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In times of crisis, it can be difficult sometimes to determine who the most appropriate person to communicate with, whether it is the family, or maybe the family may not be the appropriate person depending on the incident that has occurred.

As a general rule, we do try to communicate with leadership in the community to help us coordinate our activities in the community, but I say that with a caution that you have to be flexible. You have to recognize that there are times when family might be the most appropriate individuals to be in touch with for a multitude of reasons. As a general rule, we try to do our communications through the community leadership.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Justice regarding maintenance enforcement. As I pointed out in my statement, the thinly resourced maintenance enforcement office must now go sleuthing around to find deadbeat and sometimes abusive spouses, often relying on tips from the very women who need to stay away for their own safety. Yet, as soon as a new hire is made, a flare goes up for the tax office.

I refuse to believe that this information can't be passed on to the maintenance enforcement office. Will the Minister commit to assign staff from his department to work with Finance and plug this loophole? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Justice.

The maintenance enforcement office, of course, was set up many years ago so that parents did not have to deal directly with those who owed money under orders that were filed with the office. Of course, there are many things the office can do: they can garnishe wages; they can seize property; and they can attach and sell assets. The Member opposite has raised an interesting issue which I am prepared to look into as to whether there are constitutional or Charter bars to obtaining the information she spoke of upon the person, or a possible creditor becoming employed. Thank you.

I thank the Minister for his commitment to look into this area and figure out how we can plug this loophole. It is one that benefits some of the most disadvantaged people in our territory, who are single mothers.

Another shortcoming I pointed out was the difficulty in collecting payments from the self-employed. I will remind the Minister that maintenance payments we collect very often lift the cost of social assistance off the public purse. It is worth making an effort here, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister commit to having his maintenance enforcement people sit down with the tax department experts and make a report to standing committee on possible improvements?

Naturally, Mr. Speaker, we are always interested in improving the system; however, sometimes there are loopholes that cannot be plugged as the result of Charter or other privacy concerns.

We are talking about people who are self-employed, so I do not see how the Charter concerns relate there. I would ask the Minister, when he is looking at how to plug the loophole of finding out who is employed, that he include the people who are self-employed.

Another sort of antiquated portion of this problem is that remittances are forwarded by cheque in the mail; two things which will disappear in our lifetime, Mr. Speaker. We need to tighten up the time frames and methods on these payments. I am told that a change in regulations would make that happen. Will the Minister commit to looking at how to speed up payment?

Yes, without a doubt, it is difficult often to make collections of any kind from the self-employed because they are obviously working for themselves. For that reason, it is difficult often to obtain the kind of information the enforcement office needs to make collection of arrears. With respect to the other matter, clearly we should look into a faster method of getting payment to the creditors.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I hope that I can take that as a commitment that the Minister will look into making the payments faster.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we recently heard a report of a local woman being shortchanged on an NWT court-ordered support payment because a BC court lowered the amount of money payable under the order. Now, NWT payment levels are set with an eye, of course, to the cost of living here, so a payee's income goes down in BC. It seems to me that it is wrong that a court there should lower the amount owed under an NWT judgment. My question is: will the Minister commit to consulting with his BC Justice Minister colleague to eliminate this provision in their law? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, payments under court orders are always subject to recalculation. In fact, we are attempting to develop a child support recalculation service that will avoid the necessity of going back to court in every case. Courts, however, always have the right to make changes to payments, and really, that is within their jurisdiction and responsibility. I do not think I could have any influence over that, particularly the courts of British Columbia.

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

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement, I talked about funding towards the anti-poverty initiatives for the GNWT. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for the anti-poverty, the Minister of Health and Social Services, a couple of questions.

The GNWT is committed to compiling a broad set of social indicators to measure its progress on the Working Together action plan. Separate from individual departments' monitoring and accountability plans, how will the GNWT measure and report on its overall success in combatting poverty? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have already talked about this a couple of times during this particular sitting. One of the challenges we have is that we do not have a truly defined definition of what "poverty" is in the Northwest Territories, which does make it hard to evaluate any of the work that we are doing against it. We have made a commitment to work with our stakeholders to find a definition.

At the same time, during our last anti-poverty roundtable, the department did present a number of criteria that we are going to consider monitoring and evaluating to help us determine success. We have got a lot of feedback from the participants on things we should be looking at, and that work is being evaluated now so that it could be brought to the advisory group to see if we could bring those criteria down so we could actually have some solid things to evaluate. That work will help us evaluate success going forward, but there are a couple of things that need to be done. The description or the definition is certainly one of them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In the GNWT, which Minister in what department is responsible for tackling and coordinating the various government initiatives that fall under Working Together?

There are a number of Ministers who have responsibility for the individual action items that are included within our anti-poverty documents, the GNWT's Anti-Poverty Action Plan. My role is to continue to work with stakeholders to get this information out, and to remind Ministers of their obligations under this strategic framework, which includes five areas in supporting children and families; promoting healthy living; ensuring safe and affordable housing; making our communities sustainable; and providing an integrated continuum of services. Mr. Speaker, we work together to make that a reality.

What new, not continuing, actions or initiatives have come out of the most recent Anti-Poverty Round Table?

The priority of the most recent roundtable was to actually develop the evaluation criteria that we will use going forward, and the conversation around a definition came up again. That is our goal in that group, is to share information on different projects that are happening, to share good ideas so that people can take those good ideas back to the regions. The main activity coming out of that is let's get this evaluation criteria in place; let's start evaluating the great success that is out there today from the NGOs, from the Aboriginal governments, from the community governments, as well as from the GNWT.

Masi. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement I talked about all 14 departments working together. How does the GNWT's vision for reducing and eliminating poverty in the NWT include a plan for eliminating silos between the departments? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've been hearing about silos for a number of years, and it's certainly a pet peeve of mine; I've raised it as a Regular Member on multiple occasions.

One of the things that's being done to help us break down some of the silos is we actually have some interdepartmental deputy minister committees that are actually tasked with making sure that they're working together on shared files, that they're not duplicating efforts, that they're working for a common goal. They have opportunities to discuss the different pillars that were identified in the framework, as well as the initiatives and work being undertaken on a number of the different priority areas across the Government of the Northwest Territories; for example, mental health and addictions, Justice and Education are clearly partners with Health and Social Services all in an attempt to break down the silos and work together.

Do I believe that all the silos are gone? No, absolutely not, but we are working in the right direction to start breaking these down. I'd say over the last eight years we've seen a number of these silos start to fracture and come apart and work starting to happen together, which I think is a good thing for the residents of the Northwest Territories.

Masi. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Earlier today I spoke about the importance of moving forward with our mandate commitment of developing air quality regulations. Can the Minister tell us how many submissions were received on the engagement materials for air quality regulations that were put out last year? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ENR, we've received 29 formal responses; 10 from the Aboriginal governments and 19 were from stakeholders. We are currently processing the feedback that we heard and, based on feedback received from the parties, we're conducting some additional legislative and legal analysis and technical research on select items in the framework. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Minister for that response. Does the department intend to respond to all the concerns and issues that were raised and to do so in a transparent fashion, maybe through a table of responses or some other mechanism, as I recommended in my submission?

Yes, we are planning on responding. We are actually distributing a "what we heard" document on the draft Environmental Protection Act to the parties with the possibility of bringing a draft bill to this House in the near future, and a second round of consultations will be conducted with all the interested stakeholders on the draft bill during that time.

Thanks again to the Minister for his response. Does the Minister, though, actually have a timetable for these steps that he's outlined? Can we expect to see a legislative proposal for the bill, this "what we heard" document, in the current session?

Yes, there is a new timetable. In order for us to appropriately address the feedback received from the engagement consultation, we have had a bit of a process change and therefore a change in the timeline has been required. We are pursuing components of the regulation framework through the Land and Water Board process. As far as the timeline goes, we have an LP that we're working on and we're looking to have an EPA bill, an Environmental Protection Act bill, passed in the fall 2017 Legislative Assembly.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I do appreciate the complete responses from the Minister. I sincerely thank him for that.

I've talked about the importance of sound air quality regulations for the protection of human health and the environment. Given that this is a new regulatory field for our government and one obviously of great public interest, can the Minister commit to bringing forward a draft of the air quality regulations to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we'll make an opportunity to have a discussion with committee on the draft regulations. Our intent is to have the regulations come into effect in the spring of 2018, so we'll have some opportunity before then to have some discussions with committee and all interested stakeholders.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my Member's statement here. Despite the challenges resource developers face today, it is important to understand that the non-renewable resources are the NWT's natural long-term strengths. My question today is for the Minister of Lands: how is this government, through the land-use planning process, working to conclude withdrawal of lands referred to as 41 in the Naats'ihch'oh Park area east-west of Tulita? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Lands.

The Sahtu Land Use Planning Board is the authority for amendments of Zone 41, and I can advise that there is an application to make an amendment now that the final boundary for the Naats'ihch'oh National Park Reserve is established. So Lands is coordinating a cohesive NWT position to take to the board. Thank you.

I'm glad the department is on that, but looking back, the recommendations by the draft was dated June 2016. The correspondence I received was this past Friday recommending the conclusion of this Lands 41 within the park area. My second question is: will the Minister give us a time frame when this issue can be concluded?

I know the amendment application was filed on January 9, 2017; of course, the Sahtu Land Use Planning Board is independent of the Department of Lands so I can't really give a date as to when they will conclude their examination of this matter.

Will the Minister look into it and get back to me, please? If so, when?

Yes, I will look into it, and I think I can provide the Member opposite with some additional information. Of course, I can't directly affect the timing or the decision of the board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Also, would the Minister, in his review, check into the amendment being referred to with the new amendment as a special management zone? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am uncertain as to the exact details of the amendment or the type of amendment that was filed on January 9, 2017. I, however, will look into it and attempt to provide such information to the Member opposite that I am able to.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have some questions for the Minister of Education on the funding to Aurora College. When the Minister and his department were involved in discussions with Aurora College about identifying reductions, was a discussion held about how the college could leverage additional funds from other sources, from third-party sources, to make up the reductions that our government was asking of them? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To my knowledge, we didn't ask them to look for third-party funding to offset the reductions. When we looked at these two programs, as I have said many times in this House, the department in collaboration with Aurora College did look at efficiencies. We do give a big investment into these programs. The graduates that we weren't getting out of the program was an indicator. These two programs were both selected and brought forth to this government to have this debate on the program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Perhaps, maybe, that is the point. Are we too involved with the day-to-day operations of this college and providing strategic direction to them? As my honourable friend, the Member from Hay River North, pointed out in his statement earlier, issues with the success of the college are not new, and instead of helping them, we seem to have been turning away from that and are now offering them guidance on how to cut programs, not how to improve programs.

My question, Mr. Speaker, is: given that 66 per cent of the revenues of Aurora College are provided for by government and, in our neighbouring territory, the Yukon government only provides 49 per cent of revenues to their equivalent Yukon College, would the Minister be open to giving direction to Aurora College to establish its own fundraising foundation so it can bring in third-party resources to fund its programs and operations?

Yes, we do fund the majority of dollars to Aurora College to run their programs and services. This year alone, we have developed a schedule to have more meetings with the board as well as the president of Aurora College to have that open communication. We have given them mandate letters in terms of the work that we expect to see them do. We are currently working on an accountability framework with Aurora College. Obviously, we want to see how that money is being spent in the contributions that we do give to them.

In terms of third-party funding, we do have the Aurora Research Institute, where we do get funding from outside sources to come and do research in the North, but that can be a discussion that we have with the board of governors and the president moving forward. We are looking at new direction that the college is taking, and I think that is something we will have a talk with them about.

I am sure the Minister is well aware that we are all eagerly awaiting the strategic plan and the process that will come forward from this. Can the Minister advise how the college will be used to support the Skills 4 Success strategic plan?

It looks like we are cutting off two programs that have direct relation with that strategy, so are we going to fill our labour gap solely on the backs of southern institutions, or are we going to build some programs here in the north that work to support that plan?

A lot of these things were indicators in terms of reductions within the program. As mentioned in the honourable Member's statement, he was talking about the in-demand jobs that we are going to see in the future. For K-12 teachers by 2030, it is going to be 1,354 teachers in the K-12 system. Currently, Aurora College graduates an average of seven. We continue to support our out-of-territory students. We have 33 right now down south. For degreed social workers, it is 158. Aurora College does not offer a degree program, but we do work with students who want to go and continue their education down south through our Student Financial Assistance Program. For current demand for social community service workers, that is 479. Aurora College currently graduates anywhere from four to five.

The Skills 4 Success document is a driving factor when we are looking at this new direction that Aurora College is doing. They understand that. It is something that we mandated them to look at, and we will continue to work with them on getting that direction so we have programs and services that will meet the needs of our in-demand jobs in the north.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased that the Minister has made it clear that our government is driving the strategic plan for Aurora College. I do think that is problematic. I think that we need to decide if it is going to be a third-party organization that can decide its own priorities or if we are going to decide its priorities for them. So, I am going to ask the Minister, just clearly: is he willing to put a hold on cutting funding to Aurora College so they can preserve these two existing programs until such time as the strategic plan has been completed and has been considered by this House? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Historically, we have had low graduation rates out of these two programs in particular. The social work program, for the investment that we do put in, we are getting about four graduates that do come out. Then, with the TEP program, for the amount of money that we are putting into that program, we are averaging about seven graduates a year who come out of that program. We feel that investments should be looked at for other programs that will meet other in-demand jobs, so we are going to continue with having these two programs in terms of reductions moving forward and working with Aurora College on that strategic plan that can redirect the work that they are doing so we do meet the in-demand jobs for northern employers and within the public service, as well.

Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the story of the out-migration of people from the small communities into large centres, it kind of reminded me of an old western movie that I used to watch, where there are abandoned buildings and there are tumbleweeds and there are dust bowls. My questions today is for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. With that image in mind, what is the GNWT doing to help small communities survive as small towns and grow? Mahsi.

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I will take my colleague's comment and say there are no tumbleweeds in the territory. What is the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs doing to help small community governments? The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs really works with community governments to basically deal with their infrastructure. We provide funding so that they can have clean water, so that they can have waste facilities, so that they can have emergency planning, fire services. We also provide a component so that they can build capital planning and programs that actually support people to deal with sports, because we recognize that sports are key to keeping people engaged and to keeping children healthy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recently in the work of the Auditor General's report it highlighted this department does indeed work with small communities. My question is: how will MACA's response to the Auditor General's recent recommendations improve the outlook for small communities?

The Auditor General's report actually gave us 13 recommendation. A lot of them were talking about things like waste management, fire safety, and emergency planning. Some of it that pertains, maybe, to the honourable Members' question are around our accountability framework so that we can actually provide questions so that we make sure that community governments are providing the services they need within their communities, and we have some way of verifying them as well.

The other thing that might be applicable is for the designated authorities, of which there are nine within the territories. The recommendations were around working with the federal government, Indigenous and Northern Affairs I believe they are called, to actually work in partnership so we can better support the communities. We take their suggestions very seriously, and we actually have met with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada in December. We are looking at strengthening that partnership so that the provision of services to designated authorities will be stronger.

The Minister is in very good spirits today in terms of working together. We ask, on this side of the House, if the Minister could help us to work with the Department of ECE in terms of job creation. How is MACA working with other departments on initiatives to improve the opportunities for people living in our small communities such as education, job creation, and programs for youth? Would the Minister work with her colleague from ECE and ensure there is a clear focus in terms of a job creation initiative to save our small communities?

The Government of the Northwest Territories recognizes that we can't work in silos. We have two forms of committees. We have the deputy ministers who meet regularly for various committees, economic development, social causes, etc. We also have Ministers' committees, that we meet for the same economic development, social programs. I see jobs as economic development, but also taking care of people, which is a social program. We are trying to work really closely together across departments to provide the best services for people within the Northwest Territories. and specifically to help not only the bigger centres but the small communities.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I applaud the Minister for taking their leadership initiative and trying to engage other departments and trying to step away from working in silos. Has MACA considered ways it can help make life easier for people living in small communities so that they don't have to move away for jobs and also for educational reasons? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Municipal and Community Affairs does try to work with smaller communities as much as possible so that we can keep people in their communities. That is why we have a focus on sports and recreation. We also provide a lot of training so that people can operate their own, for example, water treatment centres. We offer training so that people can actually maintain them in their communities. We do a circuit rider program that will go into the communities and actually provide one-on-one support to those people as well. We are looking at our training mechanism so that we can provide, not only face-to-face, but online training so that people can access more support. We are always open to any suggestions from the Members on how we can better provide support services.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.