Good afternoon, colleagues. Colleagues, today marks the 52nd Anniversary of the National Flag of Canada. It was on February 15, 1965, that our Canadian flag first flew above our nation's capital. Our national flag has been flown with pride since that day.

In 1996, February 15th was declared National Flag of Canada Day to commemorate and celebrate what has become one of the most iconic and recognizable flags across the world.

Not only is our flag recognized the world over as a symbol of this great country, but it is associated with the rights, freedoms, and ideals that we embrace as Canadians.

While maple trees are not common in our territory, the Canadian flag is. We fly the flag proudly as a sign of our place within this country, and to show our solidarity with and respect for all Canadians, including those representing us around the world.

Members, please join me in celebration of National Flag of Canada Day. Thank you, colleagues.

---Applause

Item 2, Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, this government made a commitment in its mandate to enhance access to culturally-appropriate programs and services.

The last government convened a Minister’s Forum on Addictions and Community Wellness to travel across the Northwest Territories and come back with recommendations that would have a real impact in dealing with addictions. The top priority identified by the forum was more on-the-land healing programs. This is the wisdom of our communities.

This wisdom is supported by research that confirms that a relationship with nature has positive benefits for physical and mental health, as well as social well-being, and that this impact is stronger for those whose lives and traditions are fundamentally linked to the land. Research also indicates that health and Indigenous connection to the land are positively linked. This belief informs the GNWT’s commitment to supporting and investing in land-based healing programs for Indigenous communities.

In keeping with this commitment, we will host a Pan-Territorial On-the-Land Summit in Detah next month. Over three days the summit will explore the themes of healing, culture, guardianship, collaboration, and evaluation. The federal government through Health Canada shares our commitment to land-based programming and is a major funder of this initiative.

On-the-land wellness programming partners and experts from the North, other parts of Canada, and the circumpolar world will come together to exchange knowledge, share best practices, and discuss opportunities and challenges. Leaders in land-based programming from across Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories have been invited to attend, including elders, youth, Aboriginal governments, non-government organizations, and staff from Health Canada and the three territorial governments.

The summit will also recognize the knowledge in the room by prioritizing opportunities for open discussion between participants to build networks and dialogues. It will be informative, motivational, and will foster new relationships for those delivering programs to continue their work in improving community wellness.

The Department of Health and Social Services is working with Health Canada, the NWT Association of Communities, and an expert advisory committee to bring together the summit. The event is by invitation only due to space and budget limitations. However, we are committed to sharing the benefits and outcomes of the summit as broadly as possible. Webinar registration is available for some sessions, along with live broadcasts on CKLB radio, so that all residents have an opportunity to hear the plenary presentations.

Mr. Speaker, we know that there is a large disparity between health and social outcomes of indigenous people and other Canadians. The legacy of colonialism and residential schools, and the resulting disconnection from land and culture, has played a part in this. This summit is an important venue that provides an opportunity for all of us to learn from one another, showcase and celebrate the innovation and successes demonstrated by land-based programs across the North, and continue our collective efforts to support connection to land and culture as an investment in the well-being of our residents and communities across the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, this government has heard that the people of the Northwest Territories want 911, and we have listened to them. In his budget address, the Minister of Finance announced that this government plans to implement a territorial 911 program. Today, I wish to take this opportunity to expand on this important announcement.

In 2015, the Government of the Northwest Territories departments, key partners, and community governments worked together to identify viable options for a territorial-wide 911 system. Experts were hired to examine the current environment and provide recommendations. Those recommendations are now being used as a roadmap for 911 in the Northwest Territories.

Recommendations contained in the implementation study confirm that the Northwest Territories is positioned to move forward with basic 911, and an arrangement with an existing emergency dispatch centre located within the Northwest Territories is the most viable option.

Mr. Speaker, consistent with the recommendations, the Government of the Northwest Territories will proceed with basic 911, which is much more viable for territorial-wide implementation than the enhanced version. While enhanced 911 would offer improved location identification for callers, next generation 911 will soon bypass it, which is what the territory will prepare for in the coming years.

During our work in 2015, the Yellowknife Fire Division was identified as the only option for a 911 call centre. Although this likely remains the case today, the Government of the Northwest Territories will reach out once again to other communities to validate this key planning assumption.

Mr. Speaker, another key element of the new Northwest Territories 911 Program involves establishing new territorial legislation to help manage and govern the system. Most jurisdictions in Canada that operate 911 do so on a cost-recovery basis. This means monthly fees to fund the ongoing operations of 911 after implementation will appear on the phone bills of our residents.

Similar to other jurisdictions, legislation will be used to establish the fee, which will be confirmed as further consultation progresses. Much like other jurisdictions, the program will be operated on a cost recovery basis, and also provide for further enhancements as required.

We estimate it will take approximately one-and-a-half years to implement basic 911, and our goal is to implement the system in all communities as quickly as possible. While our roadmap does not recommend a phased-in approach, careful consideration will be given to that possibility if it makes sense.

In the coming weeks, the Government of the Northwest Territories will also endeavour to increase awareness of the current emergency contact numbers, which will remain important until 911 is fully implemented.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to making a presentation to the Standing Committee on Government Operations to discuss the draft implementation plan in the coming weeks. I also wish to commend community governments and the first responders for working hard to keep our residents safe. Theirs is an important job that needs to be encouraged and supported, and 911 will provide a crucial tool to support those efforts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Colleagues, I'd like to draw your attention to people in the gallery today with us. I am pleased to recognize a group from Ontario, Ontario Legislative Interns. They are here this week to learn more about the consensus-style government, our Government of the Northwest Territories. I'd like to say masi for coming to the Northwest Territories, and thanks for being here. Masi cho.

Item 2, Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest difficulties we have in the Northwest Territories is the social challenges faced by our residents.

Sadly, some of the most present and visible manifestations of that take place every day, just a few blocks from this building. These problems are so prevalent that a major downtown landlord has recently issued a public appeal for action, citing daily incidents of many kinds.

Mr. Speaker, these are not new challenges and they are certainly not exclusive to Yellowknife. These are problems faced by every community, every family, and every individual. They are hard and difficult problems to resolve.

Another contributing factor to these problems is our relatively low levels of educational achievement and graduation rates. These in turn lead to under-employment, poor lifestyle choices, health problems, and general low standards of living. Add in a high cost of living and a narrow field of employment and vocational choices, and we wind up with these very difficult challenges.

Ultimately, the costs of these problems are borne by our social support systems, more stress on our legal system, and pressure on our correctional system. It's a steady drain on government resources, not to mention the economy. It limits our true capacity to serve ourselves as Northerners.

Mr. Speaker, in Yellowknife, I'm pleased to see that steps are being taken to combat some of these problems. The Homelessness Roadmap adopted by the city, along with the Housing First initiative, is an important first step. The extension of hours at the day shelter and the new street outreach program will be another step to reducing homelessness on our streets. The recently budgeted wet and dry centres are a step towards reducing public intoxication, and minimizing the impacts of addictions.

The challenge to us as leaders is to find solutions that will support long-term health and growth. We are taking positive steps on immediate issues, but how do we make sure our next generation finds itself in a healthier, safer space?

We must seek vision and innovation to inspire educational achievement, provide safe and secure housing, improve mental health, confront trauma, and support opportunities for growth and employment.

A healthier society will be a safer and more prosperous home for future generations; that must be our goal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we are all aware, mental and substance use disorders are among the most serious and key health issues facing our young people in the North. If these disorders persist, the constraints, distress, and disability they cause can last for decades.

Mr. Speaker, it is not surprising that mental disorders, even relatively brief and milder ones, can derail and disable, seriously limiting or blocking potential. In my research, I have been able to find further information that with mental disorders among youth are high rates of enduring disability, including school failure, impaired or unstable employment, and poor family and social functioning, leading to spirals of dysfunction and disadvantage that are difficult to reverse.

Mr. Speaker, with this in mind, I would like to inform this House that there were three days of workshops in Fort Simpson and Fort Liard aimed to educate young people on relationships, sexual health, and making healthy life choices, all part of mental health and awareness.

As I was doing my constituency tour, I had the opportunity to witness facilitators from FOXY (Fostering Open Expression Among Youth) and SMASH (Strength, Masculinities and Sexual Health) present school-based workshops at Echo Dene School in Fort Liard and at Thomas Simpson Secondary School in Fort Simpson. These workshops were held from January 24 to 26. What I witnessed was young men and women being totally engaged.

Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding this was the first time SMASH has come to the Deh Cho region since SMASH was launched in the summer of 2016. Mr. Speaker, SMASH was developed as the male counterpart to FOXY.

According to the Dehcho Drum Article:

The SMASH sessions are kind of based off the FOXY sessions. They do include conversations around sexual health, healthy relationships, that kind of thing, but they also have conversations and activities surrounding breaking down masculinity and maybe unfair expectations of men.

Mr. Speaker, the nice thing about this program, it gives young men and women the opportunity to have a frank discussion on topics they may not otherwise be comfortable having in class or among their peers. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to seek unanimous consent to finish my statement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you colleagues. Mr. Speaker, the FOXY workshop focused mostly on sexual health, including issues such as sexually transmitted infections, birth control, and establishing boundaries and communicating needs to a partner.

The great thing about these sessions is that the youth are the ones that identify priorities and lead the discussions.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank FOXY and SMASH for taking the lead on these types of workshops in the Deh Cho and the Department of Health and Social Services for funding this type of work. I personally believe this is a good investment in our youth. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Tourism is hosting guests and showing them another way of life that is daily living, in most cases, based on thousands of years of culture.

Mr. Speaker, in the absence of natural resource development projects, tourism is the only industry communities have for employment and business opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, tourism activities complement the skills of local people. They have shared their vision with me of more tourism in Deh Cho: First Nations people working in the parks, highlighting historical sites, visitor information centres, interactive cultural camps, world class facilities with Wi-Fi and other amenities, a fishing lodge, and a naturalist lodge.

Mr. Speaker, some Deh Cho communities are interested in getting more involved in the management and operations of territorial parks. They have ideas for expanding the operations of some territorial parks in our region, including operating beyond existing seasons to provide more opportunities for tourism.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT environment is pristine and some of the best in the world. Opportunities for outdoor activities abound. Artisans in all our communities create intricate, uniquely northern traditional handicrafts that make distinctive gifts and souvenirs.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT needs to take the next steps to make this vision a reality. Small operators face many challenges: attracting visitors in a competitive market, insurance rates, ever-climbing costs of doing business, the need for training, product packaging and marketing, retaining qualified staff, cultural differences, and language barriers. Tourism operators require commitment, professionalism, and a range of skills to maintain a successful business. Resources in our small communities are limited, especially for people just getting started.

Mr. Speaker, in 2013 the Government of the Northwest Territories released Recommendations for a Strategic Action Plan for Aboriginal Tourism. We need to implement that strategic action plan to grow our tourism industry and tap into the potential of Aboriginal tourism in the NWT. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, monsieur le President. In his reply to the Budget Address, the Health Minister referred to the growing numbers facing us in meeting the demand for seniors' long-term care. We know that by 2026, he said, we have to put in 258 long-term care beds. That's $139,000 in operational costs per bed, for a total of more than $35 million annually by 2026 to meet the projected demand.

The numbers are taken from the 2015 Northwest Territories Long-Term Care Program Review report. The report provided a detailed analysis of the anticipated demand for long-term care, options for programs, and approaches to meet that demand, and an analysis of the financial resources that would be required. The report contains 11 recommendations for meeting long-term care challenges, including the possibility of private rather than public care facilities. That's an option I don't ever want to see take place, other than through non-profit organizations. We have the recent announcement of 72 long-term care beds to be located in renovated space in the old Stanton Territorial Hospital. Last week, the Health Minister said there were also some plans being developed to add another 48 long-term care beds at Avens.

Helpful progress if there are the funds to do it, but there will still be a very significant shortfall as our population continues to age and despite best efforts to keep people in their homes as long as possible. Where will the money come from?

Apparently not from the federal government. The recently signed Health Care Agreement has reduced funding to our government and an additional $9.7 million over 10 years dedicated to long-term care, which is barely a drop in the ocean and it would about 2.7 per cent of the annual $35 million operating cost for the long-term care beds that we need.

Perhaps more crucial than where the money will come from is whether it will come at all. The Health Minister's reference to the long-term care funding crunch was contained in his monologue on the need for budgetary restraint, implying that today's austerity is in preparation for tomorrow's spending. For some years, the most often-heard refrain from this government has been the gloom of a coming financial crisis, all the while accompanied by huge plans for multi-million dollar infrastructure projects, roads to resources, and special warrants for mining property and a shipping company. Cabinet seems to be able to find money for its priorities. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to my colleagues. Cabinet seems to be able to find money for its priorities, but when we will get serious about our social infrastructure deficit? Later today I'll have questions for the Minister of Health. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

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

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we debate the cutbacks proposed for Aurora College, we must ask ourselves as an Assembly: what kind of territory do we want to be?

When the devolution agreement came into force in 2014 we promised our people we would build a territory and shape our future ourselves. Today, three years later, we are talking about shutting down two flagship programs at Aurora College: the teacher education and the social work programs.

If we cut the Teacher Education Program we turn back time nearly 50 years in history, hard work and success in training northern teachers here so our teachers can be taught by our own teachers.

Mr. Speaker, we are forgetting about the cost of cannibalizing our public education infrastructure. If the Teacher Education Program is cut, we will lose its staff, curriculum, supporting materials, agreements with other universities. It is very expensive and time-consuming to rebuild. The Teacher Education Program needs to be improved. We should fix it, not kill it.

Mr. Speaker, we say our people are our greatest resource. We say that we will invest in them and in our territory. We say that lifelong learning is a goal that we want our people to be our teachers, taught in an environment that respects and understands our rich history and the ongoing struggles of Aboriginal peoples in the territory.

All will be lost if we shut down TEP. If we are going to build our territory we must invest in the North and keep our education programs and infrastructure strong. Sending our students and education resources south to the provinces is a step backwards into the darker days of the last century. We will pay dearly for that in the long run. Mr. Speaker, I wish to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. We will be the only jurisdiction in Canada that cannot train our own teachers. If we do this, we will lose connection to the land, the culture, the history and the Indigenous people, all the northern learning so special to our Teacher Education Program.

Mr. Speaker, we must be forward-thinking. Our predecessors built this program investing in the North and our people. The 17 Assemblies before us stayed true to that fundamental principle. There have been many temporary difficult financial times, but Members of those Assemblies were strongly committed to training Northern teachers in the North. Are Members of the 18th Assembly wiser than all the other Assemblies combined? I think not, Mr. Speaker. If we change the course now, it will be a great mistake. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I had the invited opportunity yesterday to participate in the 2017 Suicide Prevention Through Positive Life Skills and Inspiration Sahtu Youth Conference held in Norman Wells. It was a very good turnout, leadership support, parental support. I was very inspired on the initiation of this conference there yesterday upon my presentation, and I'm looking forward to more of these gatherings to our youth community.

Mr. Speaker, the Sahtu Renewable Resource Council are hosting the Dene Ts'ili On-the-Land School to earn your PAL, which is a firearms possession and acquisition licence. The program details, Mr. Speaker, it's going to be held out on the land mid-way between Great Bear Lake and the Mackenzie River at a place called Bennett Field and hosted by Benny and his wife Tisha Doctor. The program details are going to be directed towards the youth of 18-30 on a regional basis and it will include storytelling, setting traps, setting nets, arts and crafts, and hunter education.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, but not least, we have approximately 10 trainees from Tulita attending the Pre-Trades Training project, a joint collaboration between the Tulita Land Corporation, NAIT, and the Sahtu ECE Service Centre in Norman Wells. The purpose of this project is to provide pre-trades training to the community members to make them more employable, enhance their skills; and, as we know, there is a shortage of qualified tradespeople in Tulita and the Sahtu Region as identified and initiated in the Skills 4 Success Strategy Plan by this government.

In cooperation with these three identified courses, I would like to -- and I'll have appropriate questions for the Minister later on a collaboration work plan developed by an action plan between this government and the BGG or the Deline Got'ine government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since the closure of the Nats'ejee K'eh facility on the Hay River Reserve in 2013, many Northerners have been distressed with the lack of available treatment options here in the Northwest Territories. It is no secret that we have an unacceptably high rate of addictions in the Northwest Territories.

In fact, the GNWT's 2012 addictions survey found that 75 per cent of the population drank at least one alcoholic drink in the 12 months prior to the survey; 21 per cent have used cannabis those 12 months; and 22 per cent of NWT residents had tried an illicit drug in their lifetime, and hallucinogens and cocaine and crack being the most commonly used illicit drug. To give even more perspective to these numbers, Mr. Speaker, this only applies to a population at the time of 41,462.

Mr. Speaker, we have an undeniably concerning addictions problem in the Northwest Territories. It was a feature of the election; it's a feature of every election and every priority for every government in recent years and we need to ensure that we have real options here in the North. It's a shame that the closest place Northerners can receive treatment is 14,000 kilometres away in St. Albert, Alberta, at the Poundmaker’s Lodge.

Although I am certainly in favour of many of the supports that we see coming out of the Homelessness Action Plan for Yellowknife that does resolve to treat local addictions in local facilities, we need to do a better job at providing quality treatment that takes these rates down and supports Northerners getting well so they can go back, be productive in their communities, and be productive members of society and achieve the aspirations that they want for themselves and that we want for all the people that we serve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the NWT does not have a prescription drug monitoring program. It is time for the government to make that investment in order to prevent the injury and, worse, the death of NWT residents.

Mr. Speaker, last month media reported on a prescription overdose case of a man from Lutselk'e. The drugstore allegedly dispensed a dose 10 times greater than the medication he was prescribed by his doctor. After taking the pills for a while, he said he felt dizzy and tired. A nurse in his community caught the mistake before the excess medication damaged his health permanently.

Once this event was reported, a constituent came to me and reported the same kind of problem -- a mistaken dosage at the pharmacy that caused her significant health issues.

Mr. Speaker, these problems are likely to tip of the iceberg. The NWT coroner has raised the alarm about another dimension of prescription drugs, their overuse and misuse. The coroner estimated 17 overdose deaths between 2009 and 2012 of people who were described as potentially dangerous amounts of legal drugs by seeking multiple prescriptions.

One means of providing oversight for both of these problems is the creation of a prescription drug monitoring program. Obviously, any prescription monitoring program needs to be consistent with the electronic medical records system, or EMR. Last I heard, the EMR system cannot produce a valid prescription for a pharmacist. Apparently, work is under way to make this possible within patient confidentiality requirements. The main problem at the moment, though, appears to be money.

What is required is dedicated staff time and an information system linked to all NWT pharmacies that can offer real-time access to patients' prescription histories. In the meantime, the department is educating clinicians about appropriate prescribing, which, of course, is a good idea.

I am putting this issue back on the table, Mr. Speaker. I realize this budget does not include funds for a prescription monitoring program, but it may be possible that eliminating multiple prescriptions could pay for the implementation of the program itself. While we wait for this program to roll out, prescription mistakes are jeopardizing the health of NWT residents. I will have questions for the Minister. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.