Good morning, Members. I would just like to say thank you for taking it easy on my deputy Speaker yesterday. Item 2, Ministers' Statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to focus on mental health and addictions, to ensure access to culturally-appropriate programs and services, address gaps in services, and enhance treatment options.

We have made progress. Last November, we tabled the strategic framework, Mind and Spirit: Promoting Mental Health and Addictions Recovery. This framework sets the foundation for improvements to mental health and addictions programs and services.

Three separate action plans will be put in place to support that framework. Each action plan will focus on areas requiring specific approaches: children and youth mental wellness, addictions recovery, and mental health services.

These action plans will help address gaps in the system while improving service and program delivery by building on strengths. We are not waiting for these actions plans to be completed before we move ahead with needed improvements.

For example, enhancements have already been put in place to the NWT Help Line, which offers confidential emotional support to NWT residents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The NWT Help Line has now expanded its service to include telephone group sessions as well as a Facebook

page. The telephone group sessions offer residents group counseling supports on a variety of topics ranging from depression and anxiety to addictions and recovery support. Residents can call in to these sessions using their own phones, and the sessions are free, anonymous, as well as confidential. The Facebook page will also provide information on mental health and addiction supports, tips, community events, and information on upcoming telephone group sessions.

The Department of Health and Social Services is also working on implementing the new Mental Health Act. This is a complex legislation which requires the establishment of a Mental Health Act Review Board to provide protection for rights of patients. We are in the early stages of establishing that board.

The review board will hear concerns from individuals who are being held involuntarily under the new act or examine the status of patients with long-term involuntary admissions to ensure that they are not being held for unreasonable amounts of time. Culture and tradition are also taken into consideration with the new act. The chair of the review board has the ability to engage an elder or other person as a cultural advisor to a review panel hearing.

Regulations are also being prepared, as well as training materials. The training materials will help front-line staff understand the multiple processes and procedures required in the direct delivery of legislated mental health services. The new Mental Health Act represents a substantive shift in practice, and our goal remains to have the act in force this year.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I will bring your attention to the opioid crisis that is happening in Canada. As most of you are aware, there was also a surge of opioid overdoses here in the NWT last November. In light of this, I directed the department to establish an NWT Opioid Misuse and Overdose Task Group. This group was established in December, and it includes members from GNWT departments and representation from the RCMP as well as the public. The task group will respond to the ongoing issues related to opioid drug misuse and overdose and will provide strategic oversight, leadership, and coordination. Work is well under way on a public awareness campaign to highlight the dangers of illicit drug overdose and misuse.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to addressing mental health and addictions issues, Mr. Speaker. We are committed to strengthening the supports for mental health and addictions by looking at the whole person, mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual, and ensuring that we continue to increase our focus on culturally appropriate healing, which can include on-the-land based programming. Realizing our vision of community wellness and safety can only be accomplished by taking a coordinated approach with our partners, family, community governments, and agencies. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for the Status of Women.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker; I'll take the lead. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to address the statement made yesterday in this House by the Minister of Transportation about airport infrastructure funding.

I was pleased to hear the Minister reference the great contributions made to the NWT's transportation system by the federal government. Certainly, maintaining up-to-date transportation infrastructure across Northern Canada is in the national interest, as well as the interest of NWT residents and communities.

I'm also glad to know how many improvements have been and continue to be made to northern airports under Transport Canada's Airport Capital Assistance Program. It's also good to know that our infrastructure of air terminals right across the NWT has been supported by other federal support programs like the Building Canada Plan and Canada's Infrastructure Stimulus Fund.

Having heard that good news, I was a bit perplexed when the Minister then started to outline the ways in which Yellowknife's airport, the biggest and busiest airport in the NWT, is unable to raise money, and I quote:

In other parts of Canada, airports of this size are usually able to pay for themselves without requiring substantial subsidies from the government. Those airports do this by charging tenants and users a fair price for services they receive from the airport. This is not currently the case in Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, I think most people are aware of significant fees that are charged by DOT to various businesses and vendors at the Yellowknife Airport in the form of rent and leases; and, of course, there are already existing aeronautical fees applied to airlines. Everyone in this House is aware that this government subsidizes the operation of the Yellowknife Airport. Because of our location and remoteness and Yellowknife's position as the air transportation hub of the NWT, this airport plays a central role in the economic life of all communities in the NWT. Investing public money in crucial public air transportation systems is not uncommon; it is expected.

So, Mr. Speaker, I was confused as to where the Minister was going with that part of his statement; it didn't appear to be accurate. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. So, Mr. Speaker, I understand that perhaps the intent of the Minister's statement was to soften us up; to get us ready for the discussion of his department's intended airport user fee. One thing is accurate: this is a fee that is going to increase the cost of living for everybody in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Since the early 2000s it is my understanding, thanks to the mines and government projects, we have maintained a significant higher per capita income than the rest of Canada. This would be great if it was across all 33 communities. Unfortunately, the latest statistics show that we have a huge number of residents struggling with low income. There is a vast income gap between the major centres and the smaller communities. Do not get me wrong; the big centres do have low-income residents, but they are not the majority, whereas the residents from the smaller communities are.

Mr. Speaker, I've heard it is what happens when there are limited employment opportunities for small communities, whether it is for private industry or government projects.

Mr. Speaker, of the six communities I represent, four of these communities are considered some of the smallest in the NWT, and the other one is small compared to other communities. Each community is unique and fascinating in its own way. As I continue to better understand their needs and wishes for a better way of life, I am impressed with how successfully they get along with their day-to-day lives.

Unfortunately, with limited employment opportunities they must revert to accessing income security to survive. When you take the time to speak to these individuals and families, they tell you they want employment or the tools to help them start a business.

Why are jobs important? People who have a job to go to, they would get up in the morning with a purpose. They would make breakfast, wake up their children and feed them and send them off to school; then they would get themselves ready to head off to work. Unfortunately, in my riding the opportunity is not always available.

Without jobs, they need to access income security. I am informed that the program provides financial assistance to Northern residents when they cannot pay for basic needs such as food, shelter, and utilities. The amount of assistance that is provided is based on the community the applicant resides and the size of their family and their household income.

The problem is that I have two communities that do not have their own stores, so they need to travel to either Fort Simpson or Hay River, depending on the season. Mr. Speaker, at this time I seek unanimous consent to finish my Member's statement. Thank you

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. When digging further, I am informed the program has fixed food rates for each community and there is a cost-of-living factor in the IA food rates. Unfortunately, it does not factor in the cost of the person's time, travel or freight to get the food. I will hope that the government will look into this matter to help out these two small communities.

Mr. Speaker, I'll have questions for the Minister of ECE in regard to the matter later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to speak on the matter of the Yellowknife Improvement Plan that the Minister of Transportation brought forward to this House in his statement yesterday.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to lay out some of my own facts. Canada places 124th out of 141 countries ranked by the World Economic Forum for cost competitiveness of its travel and tourism industry, and a recent analysis says that much of this has to do with both ticket taxes and airport fees.

Mr. Speaker, airport charges alone account for 25 per cent of the price difference between airfares in Canada and the United States according to the Conference Board of Canada. In fact, a Senate report conducted in 2012 compared the cost of flying in Canada and the United States, and it found that a ticket from Toronto to Orlando, Florida, on a Canadian airline had a base fare of $118 and a final cost of $207; 43 per cent was taxes and fees.

A study by the Montreal Economic Institute concluded that airports should be privatized to end the rent payments that are driving up many of these fees. This would free airports to make investments, lower the cost of flights to consumers, and increase demand and services for air travellers, this report concluded.

Mr. Speaker, these facts and these well-known concerns about cost competitiveness in Canada over its air system are well known, and I find it highly ironic that a government that has committed to fighting cost-of-living is opposed to any tax increases and initially opposed to a carbon tax in case it had undue economic impacts on our cost-of-living is inclined to increase the cost to fly to and from the Northwest Territories through our central air hub by an incredible amount.

We still have no clear plan for when the many improvements they are touting that will come out of these fees will actually roll out into the airport, and it does appear again that we are taking an expensive piece of public infrastructure and putting it the costs on to consumers. I think, again, this should be retained as a cost-of-living initiative to keep that subsidy going and shield consumers from the high cost of travel that is already too high in this country and already too high in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, 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, earlier this week, Maclean's magazine reported that the federal government is setting up an advisory committee on poverty. This team will take the lead role in creating a poverty reduction strategy.

It is made up of top researchers as well as experts in the fields of business and social services, and significantly, people who have actually lived with poverty in this country, and it will evaluate ideas that come out of public consultation.

The committee's work will also be tied to the federal government's national housing strategy. The Minister of Families, Children and Social Development has said the federal government must have a vision on poverty reduction, and ways to meet both poverty and progress in fighting it. Meeting this need has been made a top priority.

Mr. Speaker, this is what we need to see in our anti-poverty work: dedicated initiatives supported by significant funding to make meaningful change. Maclean's magazine estimates that as many as 3 million Canadians live in poverty, and here in the Northwest Territories, our poverty rates are some of the worst.

From 2002 to 2014, the number of people living in poverty in the Northwest Territories actually outstripped the population growth by 11.4 per cent. That's not growth, Mr. Speaker. That's going backwards.

I want to again point out that the government initiatives reported in the new anti-poverty investments aren't necessarily new or significantly targeted towards anti-poverty work.

Mr. Speaker, to actually reduce poverty, we need projects that target those living in poverty. Regular Members have asked for these types of focused investments, including $500,000 to increase anti-poverty funding, enhancements to small community employment programs, and increased funding for Arctic Energy Alliance to make their programs accessible to small community residents and low-income families.

As it stands, Mr. Speaker, the government's response to poverty in the Northwest Territories is not sufficient to meet the challenges our residents are facing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a bit of a good news story for today.

Mr. Speaker, the presence of the RCMP has improved in Tsiigehtchic. In January alone, we have had three separate times the RCMP have come to Tsiigehtchic to overnight. On one occasion, Mr. Speaker, two officers travelled from Fort McPherson to Tsiigehtchic by snowmobile down the Peel River and upstream on the Mackenzie to Tsiigehtchic, checking cabins along the way.

Mr. Speaker, this was great to see as it hasn't been done for many years. Also, while in Tsiigehtchic, the RCMP do traffic stops on the ice road.

Mr. Speaker, the community of Tsiigehtchic is very pleased with the improved services since a housing unit has been put in place in the community for the RCMP to stay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.

Effective April 1, 2007, Mr. Speaker, all community governments in the Northwest Territories are responsible for planning, designing, financing construction and implementation of community public infrastructure in their respective community. Using a variety of sources, including annual capital formula allocation from MACA, gas tax, and others, community governments can then plan, construct, design infrastructure that meets the needs and priorities of the respective community. MACA provides assistance and support to community governments, such as they develop, monitor, and regularly update their five-year capital investment plan to reflect progress and address key emerging needs.

The Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories are investing $25.8 million over the next 10 years under the New Building Canada Fund – Provincial/Territorial Infrastructure Component – Small Communities Fund to support infrastructure projects in northern Northwest Territories communities. The fund, which is delivered nationally, targets communities with a population of less than 100,000 people. The funding will be available from 2014 to 2024.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has produced a funding program, guide, and application form to assist the community governments in accessing funding. Later, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions on these two projects, or these two programs, and how they are being assisted to deliver maximum dollars to the smaller communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President.

[Translation] Mr. Speaker, I have raised fairly often the idea of increasing the size of a francophone school here in Yellowknife in the riding of Frame Lake. With the cooperation of the francophone school board in the Northwest Territories regarding this important project, as ordered by the court, it seems to be complicated. I asked the Minister of Education to guarantee a cooperative approach at the time of the presentation of the design for the increase in size by Heritage Canada. It seems that we should agree on the elements that will be presented, and that the supporting letters from the commission and the Association of Rights Holders would accompany the submission made to Heritage Canada.

I spoke with those who are responsible for the proclamation on January 24th, and I learned that they had not received the submission file. They only received it on December 16th, and that they had sent their own letter to Heritage Canada. To weigh certain concerns about the application presented by the Government of the NWT, this situation does not make things easier. On working together, we could reduce the cost related to the increase in the size of the school so that Heritage Canada would take the responsibility of a larger share of the cost, and would improve the public establishment. This would affect all the parties. The allocations of additional funding to 2016-17 were approved during the fall session in order to start the work to increase the size of the school, the expansion cost.

We understand the expansion of the Ecole Allain St-Cyr school has been delayed far too long. It would be a good idea if work could start as soon as possible; however, the cooperation is indispensable. I will have questions later for the expansion and lack of a collaborative process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. [End of translation]

Masi. Members' statements. Member Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. On Tuesday, I related the experience of a Yellowknife woman who came to me with her story of physical and sexual assault, followed by intimidation from her accused attacker, and all met with a lackluster response from the police.

The Globe and Mail newspaper recently published a report that reveals just how often women are mistreated by the justice system. Over 20 months, investigative journalists analyzed policing data from every province and territory. They discovered that across Canada police dismiss roughly one in five reported sexual assault complaints as unfounded, meaning police officers believe no assault took place.

In certain cities and regions, like ours, rates are even higher. When we look at cases from 2010 to 2014 in the NWT, even accounting for potential false reports, police closed the door on 30 per cent of cases. That means the police don't believe the complaints of one in three women who come forward. Add to that the fact that only one in 10 women report a sexual assault in the first place, and we can estimate that less than 5 per cent of possible sexual assaults are investigated.

A few other findings, Mr. Speaker, to share with you: according to The Globe and Mail, small and rural populations show higher unfounded rates than large cities, due in part to limited resources and greater demands on fewer officers, although Yellowknife rates buck that trend. The numbers of unfounded cases are smaller in the regions than they are in Yellowknife. Not surprisingly, police forces with more women officers than average documented fewer unfounded cases. Finally and significantly, "unfounded" statistics are no longer being tracked by Statistics Canada. Yet again, sexual violence is being kept hush-hush. These findings are shocking, but next? It is not enough to be appalled. We must respond.

The RCMP have committed to reviewing all recent unfounded cases across the country, including here in the NWT. I also urge the Minister of Justice to follow his Yukon counterpart's lead and commit to prompt practical changes to close the service gaps. Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, colleagues. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. To realize the spirit of Hush-Hush No More, we must change hearts and minds. This will be hard work, Mr. Speaker. Change involves opening policing practice to thorough review and regular public oversight. It also means facing and changing biases ingrained in our cultures and in ourselves. To truly bring an end to sexual violence, we must walk the talk; we must believe all women, promote reporting, investigate complaints sensitively and thoroughly, and bring justice to all women who have been victimized. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.