Masi. Acknowledgments. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to move to Item 12, reports of standing and special committees, on the orders of the day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Masi. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees is now moved as item 7. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning is pleased to provide its report on the progress review of the mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019, and commends it to the House.

Purpose of the Mandate

The 18th Legislative Assembly's decision to set out a four-year mandate for its term represents an important evolution of consensus government. For the first time, all 19 Members agreed on defined actions to advance the priorities they set. These were set out in the Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019 and approved unanimously in the Assembly. More importantly, the mandate is the 18th Assembly's promise of action and performance to residents of the Northwest Territories.

It is appropriate at the halfway mark of our term that this Assembly takes stock of progress on the work we set out to do. Members of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, that is all Regular Members, offer this report as our contribution to the process of taking stock. We want to make sure that we are doing our best and correct our course if we are not. We have made every effort to be fair in our evaluation of the work done to date. We are fully prepared to be accountable to the public in doing so.

No government's performance is perfect, and we are no exception. Our review of progress in delivering on our mandate is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes as well as our successes. This review is also the first evidence-based step in the

mid-term review process our Assembly adopted in its initial year of work. It is significant that the 18th Assembly is the first in the NWT's history to provide such a detailed public accounting of its goals and progress. The Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning acknowledges the hard work done by Cabinet, Regular Members, and the public service to realize our aspirations for the NWT. We stress that effective consensus government is the art of finding common ground, listening carefully to each other, and compromising when it is in the best interest of our territory.

Evaluating Our Progress

The 18th Assembly set many diverse goals to achieve by 2019. It is the job of four standing committees to closely monitor the government's progress, providing input to Ministers and holding them accountable to the Assembly. The four committees are the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning; the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment; the Standing Committee on Government Operations; and the Standing Committee on Social Development. Each has either five or six members.

To begin this progress review, each committee reviewed each mandate item for which it is responsible in its oversight of the work of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Each committee revisited its correspondence with Ministers and briefing materials, referred to the government's Status of Mandate Commitments website, and reviewed the government's Annual Report on Implementation of the Mandate, 2016-2017, tabled on March 6, 2017. In addition, Members provided observations on the effectiveness of work done from their own experience and the perspective of their communities and regions. On the basis of this information, each committee rated progress to date and commented on each mandate item for which it has oversight. These assessments were further reviewed by the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning. The final results can be found in appendix A of this report.

Each standing committee also considered general progress on the key themes of our mandate: economy, environment and climate change; education, training and youth development; cost of living; community wellness and safety; and governance. The views of all standing committees are taken into account in this report, which represents the consensus of all Regular Members.

Overview of Our Progress

Fiscal strategy

In 2017-2018, the government plans to spend $1.7 billion to deliver programs and services, plus $266 million for infrastructure and capital projects. Skilled financial management is essential and must be rooted in a fiscal policy that ensures the government can meet its ongoing obligations. Reliable projections of revenue and expenditures over extended periods are crucial elements of effective fiscal policy.

Cabinet properly takes these duties very seriously, and this is reflected in the high-quality updates and forecasts provided by Finance to the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning. Management of public finances is good, and an excellent job has been done to minimize the cost of the government's borrowing. Members recognize that diligence in this area brings stability and, ultimately, the ability to reach the goals we have set in our mandate. For this, the government is to be commended. While we agree on the need for fiscal responsibility, there are deep differences of opinion in what this entails.

Ensuring the ability to address mandate priorities does not mean this ability was exercised. Many priorities are not being met. In drafting the mandate, Cabinet proposed a reduction target of $150 million for operating expenses. This provision was deleted by majority vote in the Legislative Assembly. Regular Members do not support such deep cuts given prevailing economic and social conditions. Despite the Assembly's rejection of the $150-million reduction target, it persisted as government policy through the 2016-2017 fiscal year and into 2017-2018, driving a major reorganization of government, large program and service cuts, and diverting government's energy and resources from the mandate. This caused a four-month wrangle before the committee and Cabinet reached a compromise on the 2017-2018 budget to fulfill some of the most important measures to improve the lives of residents and nudge the economy in the right direction. It is the committee's view that a consensus of the Assembly was dismissed by Cabinet for far too long, deflecting time and effort from advancing our collective priorities. This must not be repeated. The committee strongly recommends a more collaborative process in the future if we are to live up to the promise of our mandate while also reducing our debt. The committee has suggested moving quickly on the mandate items to boost employment and health outcomes, for example, and lower demand for costly government services. We repeat that advice today while the next budget is in its drafting stages.

Regular Members remain concerned that action on the compromises reached for the 2017-2018 fiscal year will be slow to roll out and that lingering support for a more extreme reduction target will influence Cabinet's willingness to deliver on these aspects of the mandate. The committee is confident that the government will invest strategically in people and infrastructure as it has promised. Doubt is sown among Regular Members when funding is regularly found for initiatives supported by Cabinet but not mandate items strongly supported by Regular Members. Consensus government cannot prosper without good faith between Regular Members and Cabinet.

The committee shares the government's concern over the slow growth of federal transfers expected in the next few years. These funds account for approximately 70 per cent of the government's revenue. Members advise that Cabinet focus even more energy on the federal engagement strategy to secure funding to safeguard the environment and adapt to climate change, build key infrastructure, diversify the economy, and to support and invest in our people. The recent addition to federal support for Aboriginal languages is a good example of what is required. Social development and immigration are important to our future, as well as physical infrastructure.

Common Issues

Action plans, strategies, and frameworks now cover many priority areas and describe many positive measures to be taken to benefit the NWT for decades to come; however, action plans are not outcomes. Only two years remain in our term to advance badly-needed actions and produce meaningful results for the people, communities, and economy. Some action plans lack evaluation tools. These should be developed up front as part of every action plan so that results can be measured. Care should also be taken to ensure that activities identified to support mandate commitments are directly related to the spirit and intent of that commitment. Activities not directly related to a particular mandate objective should not be considered as progress in that area.

The committee also notes an imbalance in the planning taking place for some projects as compared with others. While action plans were written to guide critical spending on mandate priorities, monster projects such as mergers of departments and staff layoffs were quickly given the green light. Junior kindergarten's implementation, started in the 17th Assembly, grew into a monster project in our term and was seriously mishandled. Several such problems could have been avoided had committee input been heeded by Cabinet. It is also common for an action plan, framework, strategy, or terms of reference for a project to be provided to a standing committee for comment with a deadline of two weeks or less, sometimes with the warning that any delay will interfere with timely implementation. Such short deadlines for input are sometimes impossible to meet, prevent meaningful consultation, and show a lack of desire to receive considered advice from Regular Members, eroding the relationship between committees and Cabinet.

These instances undermine Regular Members' confidence in crucial communications from their executive branch. In some unfortunate cases, Regular Members have learned of large investments and controversial policies in the media or from reporters seeking comment. These cases inevitably distract from the issues at hand, and undermine the government's reputation inside and outside the Assembly. Poor communication has also affected the legislative agenda, a key area of work for both the government and standing committees. Amendments to the Education Act and the creation of the revolving fund for the Yellowknife Airport are cases in point, yet neither were mandate priorities. The committee is concerned about the slow pace of legislative change generally, and particularly with respect to responsibilities for lands and resources gained through devolution from Canada. In addition, the legislative agenda is not well connected to the mandate.

Results of Our Evaluation of Progress on Mandate Priorities

With a few exceptions that demanded it, the committee has rated progress on individual mandate items as good, acceptable, or poor. In several instances, a fail rating was issued. The full results are set out in appendix A, with our comments on each item. The breadth of the Assembly's collective goals is impressive; our mandate is very ambitious. The bar by which we now measure ourselves is high. In that light, the list of good and acceptable results is heartening. The committee congratulates our Cabinet colleagues, their departments, and the public service in every area where progress has been considerable. This progress is built on a tremendous amount of work.

Unfortunately, there is also a long list of priorities on which progress is poor or nonexistent. The committee stresses that we did not expect completion of all these goals, some of which will continue for decades; we are only evaluating progress. Areas showing poor progress should serve as a strong message to Cabinet that improvement is required. It is also significant when the committee deems progress acceptable but makes qualifying remarks. The committee hopes the public will find this report useful in holding Cabinet and Regular Members accountable for the mandate we have set out. We look forward to your constructive input and advice. Now, I will turn over this report to the honourable Member for Yellowknife North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Many issues related to the economy, environment, and climate change are longstanding, namely the need for sustainable energy sources, diversifying our economy, and strengthening transportation corridors. Mandate commitments in these areas should be given high priority and specific outcomes targeted for completion within the next two years. Improvements are being made in the development of northern arts and tourism, but the closure of the Northern Frontier Visitors' Centre, with its decades of experience and 4.5-star rating on Trip Advisor, is a grievous loss.

The NWT must move quickly to seize opportunities in fishery, forestry, and agriculture, improve the labour market, and enhance its readiness at all levels for mining, oil and gas, and major transportation projects. The long-awaited Agriculture Strategy has been released and the government is clear in its support for community gardens. Funding needs to be specifically allocated for the implementation of this and other strategies. Actions to promote harvesting and distribution of country foods have yet to be implemented, and the development of strategies on the use of oil and gas resources and northern manufactured products is lagging. Support for entrepreneurs and small business is essential to promoting economic growth and diversification. Frontline services must be streamlined and red tape reduced.

The bold decision to purchase and operate the marine assets of the former Northern Transportation Company preserves a vital service for many communities from Hay River to the Beaufort Delta. Freight service on the Mackenzie River is important to many sectors of our economy and community well-being. Committees are closely scrutinizing the rebirth and ongoing development of this business, under the GNWT flag as Marine Transportation Services. The impacts of climate change have significant and noticeable effects in the NWT. Communities, wildlife co-management boards, industry, and government are all grappling with changes, and the NWT needs to respond proactively. Progress on both a new energy strategy and climate change strategic framework has been very slow, and the government has been reluctant to adopt a carbon-pricing model. These are examples of overarching strategies targeted for completion within the mandate of the 18th Legislative Assembly that must speak to as many aspects of northern life as possible. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to turn it over to my honourable colleague from Nahendeh.

Masi. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Lifelong learning, skills development, training, and employability are major priorities of the 18th Assembly, but progress in these areas has been difficult and slow. Government initiatives on junior kindergarten and school instructional hours have demanded a significant proportion of the department's and committees' limited time. The department's progress was continually challenged by funding shortfalls and poor, inconsistent communication.

The cost and availability of childcare is a growing concern, but the department is not on track to fulfill its commitment to a universal daycare action plan within two years, nor does its planning distinguish between childcare programming and the education system. Progress is being made to revitalize Aboriginal languages, yet funding for inclusive schooling and Aboriginal language and culture-based education has not been allocated for new junior kindergarten students. The committee has also repeatedly seen the divergence of the government's and Regular Members' vision of post-secondary education in the territory. Members have called for legislation to enable the establishment of a northern university, for which we continue to await a legislative proposal, and for a broad range of local academic and technical programs responsive to educational and labour market needs. In seeking to eliminate the Teacher Education and Social Work Diploma Programs at Aurora College, departmental initiatives have instead disregarded authoritative labour market forecasts and sought to narrow local course options and to close some community learning centres. This programming was preserved only through advocacy by Regular Members and public pressure.

However, some successes have resulted from collaboration and compromise. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment has lately been responsive to some, though not all, committee recommendations on junior kindergarten and school instructional hours. Government advocacy secured much-needed federal funds for the support and reservation of the territory's Aboriginal languages. Advocacy from Regular Members enhanced the existing Small Community Employment Support Program and reversed reductions to school staffing and Aurora College programming. Members also productively engaged the department on actions plans on Skills 4 Success, apprenticeships, and culture and heritage, and on the renewed Aboriginal languages framework, helping the government to move these projects forward. At this time, I would like to turn the report to the honourable Member from Yellowknife Centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Cost of Living

Housing is at the root of difficulties we face in addressing the cost of living. Without housing security, many Northerners face severe challenges in seeking and securing education or employment, in maintaining and fostering their health, and in raising happy, healthy families. We cannot expect prospective new residents to make their homes in communities where homes are not both available or affordable. Together we have made significant strides, and the NWT Housing Corporation has fulfilled its mandate commitments to date. Nevertheless, our territory's housing crisis has only deepened and we must revise our approach. The Housing Corporation's budget has been reduced over the last two years, while our constituents, our neighbours, are sometimes living in terrible conditions, overcrowded and lacking continuous heat and/or running water. This Legislative Assembly must take action, and our mandate must reflect the urgent need to find a solution. We must add to public housing stock, complete aging in place renovations in seniors' and elders' homes, and ensure that local housing organizations are supported by functioning boards. With renewed federal interest in housing, this should be a priority of our engagement with Canada. Increased support for the Nutrition North program and indexing of northern resident deductions to inflation are also mandate items in need of attention.

Efforts to reduce the cost of living are closely tied to commitments related to the economy, environment, and climate change, and to education, training, and youth development. The current and previous Assemblies have identified areas where the cost of living could be reduced, with lower rates for electricity, improved community infrastructure and connectivity, increased food security, improved childcare cost and availability, access to sustainable, adequate, and affordable housing, and reduced dependence on imported fossil fuels. Overall, progress on mandate commitments has been limited. Although a difficult task, the NWT has the collective capacity to work toward solutions. Indeed, there is no other option but to do so. We risk further population decline and the subsequent dwindling of the territory's revenue base and already limited economies of scale, driven by the high cost of living and compounded by changes in the climate and the economy. If meaningful progress is made in these areas, the 18th Assembly will have achieved critical objectives and set the stage to reduce the cost of living for the long term.

Community Wellness and Safety

Housing, family violence, and services for seniors are among the most serious matters facing the NWT within the social envelope. Work on these matters must focus on systemic improvement and grassroots action. The committee has seen significant work on mental health, particularly youth mental health, but Members remain concerned that the tendency toward frameworks and action plans will continue to unnecessarily delay critical action. All Members are committed to supporting Northerners to age in place in the comfort and security of their homes and communities. Similarly, we know that all Members understand the urgency of looming long-term care capital needs. The committee commends the Department of Health and Social Services for its detailed analysis of these needs and its plan to prepare, including tackling chronic conditions to reduce future demand for long-term care. However, the plan for continuing care is now long overdue and holding up urgent action and spending. In the here and now, the government must ensure that all 18th Assembly funding allocated to aging in place is spent for that purpose, including both home renovation programs and homecare supports.

As we are all too aware, the territory has the second-highest rate of police-reported family violence in the country. Such violence bars women and children from their human right to safety, security, and free participation in public life. The evaluation and renewal of the A New Day healing program for men who use violence in intimate partner relationships has been a failure. Service continuity has been disrupted, stakeholders and clients alienated, and a largely successful program fundamentally altered. Regular Members have advocated strongly for this program and will continue to do so, and we must also concentrate on the roots of family violence, misogyny, colonization, and the residential school experience, as well as economic inequality. Northern youth are intelligent, resourceful, courageous, and resilient. Once again, the committee cannot overstate our collective need to tackle systemic problems such as food security, the housing crisis, low employment, and poverty, not simply symptoms such as poor health or low educational achievement. Poverty cannot be escaped simply through changes in attitude; there must be investment to bring about change, especially for young people who are disproportionately affected. Northern youth and young families do not deserve the burden of making the best of a bad situation. Instead, we must together improve their situation; greater collaboration between departments is required.

Although the mandate did not include implementation of 911 emergency telephone service in the NWT, Members requested funding for it during the review of the 2017-2018 business plans. Members acknowledge the positive response by Cabinet, resulting in $616,000 for 911 implementation this year and ongoing operational funding. At this point, I would like to turn the report to the Member for Hay River North. Mahsi.

Masi. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Governance

As noted earlier, the government relies on the Government of Canada for about 70 per cent of its annual revenue. This amounted to $1.447 billion in 2015-16. The relationship between the GNWT and Canada is vitally important to the growth and prosperity of the NWT. The GNWT's intergovernmental relations office in the Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs is headed by the Premier. This office coordinates the GNWT's participation in a number of federal, provincial, and territorial intergovernmental meetings and forums, such as those of the First Ministers, Canada's Premiers Council of the Federation, the Western Premiers' Conference, Northern Premiers' Forum, and Arctic Council, along with a great number of bilateral meetings with provincial and territorial Premiers. This work is guided by the GNWT's federal engagement strategy.

A number of mandate commitments are rooted in the federal engagement strategy; for example, the commitment to work with the Government of Canada to increase the federal northern residents deduction and index it to inflation, item 3.5.1, increase investment in Nutrition North, item 3.5.6, and pursue more federal funding for the enhancement of community government infrastructure, item 5.4.4. The full extent of the GNWT's engagement with the federal government would be more evident if progress was better reported publicly, as this work is often done behind the scenes with little engagement of Regular Members.

With respect to the GNWT's relationship with Aboriginal governments in the NWT, the committee is concerned that work is not proceeding quickly enough to conclude a memorandum of understanding with each Aboriginal government that wishes to be a party to one. The committee also questions what real impact these intergovernmental agreements have at the ground level. We encourage Cabinet to seek input from Regular Members and consider ways to report on progress arising from these agreements and incorporate that into its open government initiative. The committee also looks forward to progress arising from the reports of the Ministerial Special Representatives to Premier McLeod and federal Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett. The committee notes that government negotiators made revised offers to the Northwest Territory Metis Nation on May 24, 2017 and the Akaitcho Dene First Nations on May 25, 2017. The committee respects the confidentiality of this process and, if and when the offers are made public, looks forward to assessing if Premier McLeod has met his commitment to "innovative, flexible approaches that will result in fair and equitable agreements" with Aboriginal governments. However, while a working group of Cabinet and Regular Members was established, it has accomplished little. Members' input was not sought prior to the recent offers to Aboriginal governments.

The relationship between Cabinet and standing committees could be improved with greater partnership and emphasis on implementing our goals. For example, the committee is pleased with the recent legislative proposal for an NWT ombudsman, an initiative which Regular Members particularly wanted included in the mandate and which builds on years of work. Finally, the relationship between the GNWT and the municipal and designated-authority communities across the NWT should not be overlooked. The committee echoes the Auditor General of Canada's advice to improve the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs' support for communities. The department is also responsible for administering important statutes that impact municipal governance, such as the Civil Emergency Measures Act; the Cities, Towns and Villages Act; and the Fire Prevention Act. The committee urges attention to the department's legislative agenda to make much-needed improvements to this legislation within the 18th Assembly.

The government is to be congratulated for achieving gender parity in its appointments to boards and agencies and for supporting workshops to help women get into politics. The same cannot be said for the promised communications campaign to increase women's participation in politics. The committee has seen no evidence of progress in this area. Mr. Speaker, I will now turn this over to the Member for Kam Lake.

Masi. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Conclusion

Considerable progress has been made toward realizing our mandate priorities, but there is much room for improvement. We have set out broad directions for more focused attention. Specific comments and targeted areas for improvement are outlined in appendix A, which for convenience follows the format of our mandate. Performance on the individual items listed below is a detailed accounting of progress on our mandate and the state of our promises to the people. It bears repeating that we are fully accountable for this record as Regular Members and Cabinet. We must deliver on our promises or be accountable for not doing so.

The committee looks forward to our next steps and to updating the mandate to guide our work over the next two years. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife North that Committee Report 12-18(2): Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning Report on the Progress Review on the Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories, 2016-2019, be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Motion is in order. To the motion. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

The report is now received by the Assembly. Let us move into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Masi. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Mr. Speaker, earlier, as I said in my Member's statement, waste from municipalities and industrial activities is often discharged into our water system and eventually into the ocean. My question to the Minister is: what is the status of the Northwest Territories Waste Resource Management Strategy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, marine pollution and litter become a significant concern to coastal countries around the world and here in the Northwest Territories. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, we have recently developed a draft waste management discussion paper to facilitate feedback from stakeholders and community and Aboriginal governments on the development of the study. We anticipate that the waste management discussion paper will be ready for review and comment by Members, stakeholders, and community governments in September. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the information. Mr. Speaker, used vehicle parts and automotive fluids as well as many recyclable items get stuck in remote northern communities and landfill sites. What solutions are we exploring to this issue?

Mr. Speaker, ENR is currently working with its partners at the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs as well as Northwest Territories Association of Communities to support municipal waste management in various capacities. They range from training courses, household hazardous waste collection, and public education material. In addition, the department continues to expand the product stewardship programs that see recyclables removed from the NWT communities for proper disposal. Working with our partners, we are exploring the possibility of establishing a system of coordinated transportation and disposal to help overcome some of the financial, logistical, and technical barriers associated with removing recycled materials and contaminants that are generated from various sectors in the NWT.

Just an example, experience has shown that recycling programs can work successfully in the North as demonstrated by the Beverage Container program and the Electronic Recycle program. The Beverage Container program, or BCP, for example, has reused or recycled over 289 million beverage containers since 2005. Last year alone, BCP kept nearly 1,600 tonnes of material off the land and out of the landfills including 132 tonnes of plastic.

I appreciate the response. Mr. Speaker, what water quality monitoring activities are underway in the Beaufort Delta region?

Mr. Speaker, as part of the NWT wide-community based Water Quality Monitoring program, ENR works with community partners in Aklavik and Inuvik to monitor water quality near these communities. The CBM program uses different types of water-quality monitoring equipment to collect water quality samples during the ice-free season. These samples are analyzed and address water-related community concerns and questions. Results from the CBM program are available on the Mackenzie DataStream system and have been shared through regional meetings, brochures, and posters.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.