Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on May 11th to the 15th, I had an opportunity to travel with over 60 youth on their annual soccer trip to Grande Prairie. Talk about an adventure! What is really unique about this adventure is we have youth from Fort Liard, Nahanni Butte, Fort Simpson, Wrigley, and Trout Lake playing on this team -- which is Sambaa K'e now, sorry Trout Lake.

So, when we took this adventure, how do we start? Well, it starts at 7:30 in the morning. We get the stuff to the school. Then we have to use Rose Construction's cube van to get our luggage transported to the ferry landing. There, Rose Construction takes the luggage, packs it for us, and then Great Slave Helicopters flies our luggage over the Mackenzie River. Then Great Slave transports all our athletes and chaperones to the bus. Then it's a 14-and-a-half-hour drive, or adventure, to Grande Prairie with a bus and a convoy of vehicles.

Mr. Speaker, this is the uniqueness about this soccer tournament and the commitment of our community for our youth. I would like to thank a number of organizations and businesses here: the Mackenzie Recreation Association, who commit $4,000 to each community for the opportunity for them to travel. This funding is thanks to the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Then we have the local businesses such as the Nahanni Inn, who sells our bingo cards for us throughout the whole year. Thanks to them. Then, the Sambaa K'e First Nations, they do our bingos for us. These people make a commitment to our youth. Sambaa K'e is a small community who does recycling and utilizes their core funding to get our youth to this event.

The youth look forward to this event and are great ambassadors for the Northwest Territories and their communities. Each year they get this great opportunity. I'd like to thank all the coaches and chaperones, businesses and bingo players, because, if I miss the bingo players, we're not going to be able to do these trips, so I thank them again. I would like to get the House to give them a big round of applause. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the mandate for this Assembly calls for action on the crisis of family violence and creating opportunities for healthy lifestyles. The program that provides healing for men who use violence in intimate relationships ticks both of these boxes. A comprehensive evaluation of the program revealed it is working, yet the Department of Justice has decided to dismantle A New Day. The current contractor didn't bid on the RFP for the program and nor did any non- profit service provider that might have both the skills and interest. That's not a surprise.

During a briefing in January, the Minister of Justice and his staff assured the Standing Committee on Social Development that the non-profit community had been consulted about the changes and they were receptive to them, setting the scene for continuity. I was skeptical they would support the transformation of a program they helped design that had been turned into a course. That turns out to be true. In an open letter, the coalition says the revamped offering is both incompatible with its previous success and may not generate the same level of community support.

Mr. Speaker, the evaluation of A New Day program revealed it was operating as intended and using the prescribed curriculum. That is despite significant challenges, such as the collapse of the agency that was initially contracted to provide the pilot project. The program is not broken. The staff who nurtured the program are qualified and experienced. They have partnerships that enable them to make referrals throughout the NWT. Being part of the Coalition Against Family Violence has been useful, but most important, and this is most important, the dozen men formally enrolled in the program completed it, and others who completed more than half of the program reported that they had better skills and tools to control their anger.

But apparently all of this counts for nothing. The department is looking for an organization to provide this pared-down version. The flexibility of the previous program, the ability to provide both individual and group therapy, the skill of the current service providers is set to be lost for good on June 30th when the current contract ends. Mr. Speaker, it's time for the department to make good on its promise to work with the coalition to design a program that incorporates the best features of A New Day. I will have questions for the Minister. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has a special relationship with Canada's Indigenous peoples, which carries with it certain responsibilities and obligations. This fiduciary relationship is complex and evolving in law, even as we speak.

Simply put, a fiduciary is a person or agency required by law to place another person's interest ahead of their own. So a "fiduciary relationship" is one in which someone in a position of trust has rights and powers they are obligated to exercise for the benefit of another.

Canada's Indigenous peoples have always held a unique legal and constitutional position. It arises from the fact that our ancestors were here living on and using the land for centuries prior to the arrival of Europeans.

Mr. Speaker, in 1763 the Royal Proclamation gave the Crown the exclusive right to negotiate the extinguishment of Aboriginal title in an effort to protect Aboriginal lands from abuses by unscrupulous settlers. In 1982, the special legal status of Canada's Indigenous peoples was constitutionally recognized and affirmed by Section 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982.

Since then, a number of significant court decisions relating to Aboriginal rights have defined in greater detail what the fiduciary relationship means and what the government should be doing to fulfill its fiduciary responsibilities.

Mr. Speaker, in any relationship, good communication is key. In respect of Indigenous peoples in the NWT, the silence of the federal government is deafening. Most elders today believe that the federal government is not living up to the spirit and intent of promises made through the signing of treaties. The elders feel that the relationship between their nation and the federal government has changed without them knowing and how it came to be.

Most First Nations communities want to meet the needs of their residents in the areas of basic housing, access to culturally appropriate healthcare, or quality education for their children, based on what they believe are treaty rights, enshrined in the Constitution of Canada. However, through the evolution and devolution of governments, somehow the fiduciary obligations and responsibilities are not being met.

Today, I call upon the Premier and his Cabinet to show the way forward in reconciling the wrongs of the past. I urge them to exert as much pressure as possible on the federal government to push Canada to live up to its fiduciary responsibility. The First Nations of the Northwest Territories deserve no less. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, building on my Member's statement yesterday on traditional foods and subsistence harvesting, I want to highlight how food from the land should be sold in local stores in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, selling local food in local stores is among the goals of both the Agriculture and the Commercial Fishery Strategies. Key partnerships need to be put in place and all stakeholders need to be involved to make this happen. There is a high demand for local food across the Northwest Territories as people become more aware of the benefits of local food production. It is generally less expensive and healthier than imported food from the south, or at least it should be.

Mr. Speaker, as far north as the Sahtu Region, people are realizing how much they can grow during the short summer season. Surplus could be sent to regions where it is much less possible to grow our own food. In the meantime, these areas, like Nunakput, have an abundance of fish, meat from caribou, reindeer, and muskox. Mr. Speaker, Nunavut has shown through its small but active char fishery and muskox hunts how selling local food is possible and benefits northern communities.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories needs legislation for small abattoirs that would allow people to process meat on a realistic and sustainable scale. A small scale abattoir could work in my riding and meet the needs of producers elsewhere. Mr. Speaker, large federally licensed facilities are well beyond the reach of northern producers and even small farms and ranches in southern Canada.

We also need to work with companies like the Northern Store and co-ops and even the retail giants like Independent here, in Yellowknife, to sell local foods. Polar Egg is an example of a business that has led the way in that area. We need to work in cooperation with the federal Nutrition North subsidy program so that it doesn't undercut local producers who sell foods that are normally subsidized at higher rates.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we must emphasize the goals of the Agriculture and Commercial Fishery Strategies to educate and encourage new producers. The people of the Northwest Territories are ready to learn and teach others how to grow, harvest, process, and market local produce, meat, and fish so that the benefits of local food can be shared by all. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Mr. Speaker, the role of a Member of the Legislative Assembly is not confined to sittings of this House and work on committees. An equally important aspect of this job is helping address our constituents' concerns by helping them access government services and programs.

Mr. Speaker, it should come as no surprise that my constituents are my first priority, something I share with the honourable Members of this House. Since the election, I have constantly worked to assist Kam Lakers with the challenges they face in their everyday lives, and, when it comes to these issues, Mr. Speaker, there is no issue more prevalent than the issue of housing.

Many Northerners require assistance from their local housing authority, and many are often some of the most vulnerable members of our society. Single parents, young families, new Canadians, and the working poor are just a few examples of people who need assistance from housing programs. Unfortunately, getting access to these programs is mired in layers of bureaucratic red tape.

Mr. Speaker, only recently a young family approached my office for assistance in dealing with the Yellowknife Housing Authority after being unable to find the necessary forums to apply for public housing. To my dismay, a simple Google search revealed that these forms do not exist. In fact, all applications have to be made by appointment and in-person before any assessment of eligibility for public housing is determined.

This means, of course, that applicants have to find the time to meet with a Housing officer and then they may learn that they are not eligible for housing in the first place. Mr. Speaker, this is a backwards process that only creates barriers to accessing an essential human need, that of housing. Mr. Speaker, there is good news, however. I have brought this issue to the attention of the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, and I am happy to report that she has directed that an online application to determine initial eligibility requirements will be in place by the end of the year. I would like to commend the Minister for not letting this problem fall through the cracks and her quick resolution to take necessary steps to lift these barriers and bring the application process online and into the 21st Century.

I will have further questions on what exactly will be done to remove these and other barriers to housing accessibility and improve access to housing services, not just for Yellowknife but for all of the NWT's communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we enter into the closure of our spring session and entering into the summer student employment program season, our students across the NWT, especially in the Sahtu region, look forward to summer employment opportunities created by this government's program.

The program is commendable and enhances value against supports for knowledge, financial independence for the upcoming year. Students receive work experience and have the chance to apply at a theoretical, academic knowledge and a practical real-world context setting, and gain exposure to the GNWT as a potential employer upon graduation of their studies.

Currently, we have 22 high school students, eight graduates from art college, and more coming to the closure of their last month in studies. I would like to extend a warm welcome on behalf of this government to those incoming potential students by having our government reach out to these individuals and extend an opportunity and further engage on their collaboration of endeavours. Later, I will have questions for the appropriate Minister. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Last week, the Giant Mine Oversight Board held its first public meeting in Yellowknife. There were over 80 people in attendance, including Chief Edward Sangris of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and all of the board members. A presentation was followed by questions and answers, real answers, Mr. Speaker.

The recommendations in the board's May 2017 report include:

● Performance measures and timelines should be set for the Giant Mine Remediation Project;

● Improved communications are necessary;

● A federal response to calls for an apology and compensation;

● Need for a comprehensive traditional knowledge plan;

● A full environmental management system should be developed;

● Full explanation of why the project has not obtained a water licence for the current use of water at the site;

● The need to build capacity through intervener funding for water licencing;

● Examination of other delivery models such as a community based trust should be carried out; and

● A framework for socio-economic impact assessment and management should be developed.

This is a comprehensive and thorough report from the board. Some of the issues raised by the public at the meeting included:

● off-site contamination, including near the school in Ndilo;

● the need to survey former and current workers for health impacts;

● progress on the research program for permanent arsenic disposal; and

● the failure of Canada to allow the board to carry-over unspent funds into the research program.

I understand a federal Treasury Board submission may finally happen in the fall of this year, over two years after the agreement was signed. There is still the issue of whether the federal government will replace the funds that should have been carried over from the first two years operations by the board. I'll have questions for our Minister of the Environment about the GNWT position on a number of these matters later today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker

Masi. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a great honour to recognize our Aboriginal Languages Secretariat, Ms. Jessica Schmidt, Ms. Gayle StrikesWithAGun, Ms. Nora Russell, Ms. Jaycee Hegin, and Dr. Angela James for all the hard work that they've been doing on the tabled documents – on the document I'll be tabling later. Also joining us today are the members from the NWT Teacher Association, President Fraser Oliver, as well as Adrien Amirault walking in as well, and a good friend of mine, Andres Hamel who is visiting us from Ottawa. Welcome to the House. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and the Minister beat me to it, but I'd also like to recognize Fraser Oliver, Kam Lake constituent and president of the NWTTA. It's day two. Hope to see him for every day of this session because he looks very keen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Welcome. Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Gayle StrikesWithAGun. She's a former principal from the school in Fort Good Hope here. Thank you. Welcome to the House.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd also like to welcome Ms. Jessica Schmidt. Jessica taught in Paulatuk for six years as a principal, and she has contributed a lot to the community here in her time. Welcome, Jessica. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Item 6, acknowledgments. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment. Earlier on, my statement was about selling local foods and wildlife in local stores. Mr. Speaker, my first question is: How is ITI working through the implementation of both the NWT Agriculture Strategy and the Commercial Fishery Revitalization Strategy to bring local foods to local stores? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.