Good morning, colleagues. Item 2, Ministers' statements.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories made a commitment in its mandate to work to resolve outstanding land, resources and self-government agreements during the term of our government. I would like to update Members today on the work our government is doing to fulfill that commitment.

Concluding these agreements and bringing increased certainty to land and resource management in the Northwest Territories is one of the most important challenges facing the 18th Legislative Assembly. Over the last year, all parties have made renewed efforts to tackle the remaining challenges and finalize agreements. As a result, I am confident that the 18th Legislative Assembly will see success in this area.

Last fall, negotiators completed a full draft of a self-government agreement-in-principle for the Sahtu Dene and Metis of Tulita. On May 16, 2017, negotiators for the parties initialed the Tulita self-government agreement-in-principle in Tulita. Work is now underway to arrange for the formal approval and signing of this self-government agreement-in-principle. Once signed and approved, negotiations toward concluding a Tulita final self-government agreement will begin.

Negotiators for the parties have also completed an initial full draft of a Gwich'in self-government agreement-in-principle. Mr. Speaker, negotiators will be meeting next week to address issues that arose in consultations and in internal reviews of the draft agreement-in-principle.

Mr. Speaker, negotiators for the parties have also completed a full draft of a self-government agreement-in-principle for the Sahtu Dene and Metis of Norman Wells. Each party is currently reviewing the draft agreement, and consultations with other potentially affected Aboriginal parties have begun.

I am also pleased to report that negotiators for the parties are working on the last few remaining issues to complete a full draft of an Inuvialuit self-government final agreement.

Mr. Speaker, self-government negotiations with the Sahtu Dene and Metis of Colville Lake are working on text of a self-government agreement, and the parties have struck a working group to deal with important land related matters in the community of Colville Lake. Similarly, self-government negotiations are underway and a community information session is scheduled in June to hear from the community and keep them informed on these self-government negotiations.

Final agreement negotiations with the Acho Dene Koe First Nation of Fort Liard and the Northwest Territory Metis Nation have reached the point where key decisions on the central aspects involving settlement lands and land quantum and the approach to governance are before them. The GNWT looks forward to hearing from the Acho Dene Koe First Nation on how they wish to proceed following their recent Band Council elections.

Mr. Speaker, working with Canada, Minister Bennett and I appointed two Ministerial Special Representatives to provide us with independent advice on whether agreements with the Dehcho First Nations, the Akaitcho Dene First Nations and the Northwest Territory Metis Nation are possible and how to approach concluding such agreements.

Mr. Speaker, on April 5th Minister Bennett and I met in Ottawa with leaders from the Akaitcho Dene First Nations and the Northwest Territory Metis Nation to discuss the report of the MSR. These meetings went well, with all parties acknowledging the helpful advice contained in the report. With the parties having common ground on the approach to negotiations and generally supporting the Ministerial Special Representatives' recommendations, Minister Bennett and I committed to providing revised offers to the Akaitcho Dene First Nations and the Northwest Territory Metis Nation.

I am pleased to advise Members that government negotiators tabled a revised offer to the Northwest Territory Metis Nation on May 24th and a revised offer to the Akaitcho Dene First Nations yesterday. These revised offers were informed by the ministerial special representative's recommendations and is flexible so that it can be aligned to meet the priorities of the parties.

Mr. Speaker, enhanced workplans are also being developed with the Akaitcho Dene First Nations and the Northwest Territory Metis Nation to conclude a negotiator's draft of an Akaitcho agreement-in-principle and a Metis final agreement in the next 18 - 24 months.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to these enhanced work plans, government will also propose new approaches to negotiations, approaches that make use of facilitators to assist all parties in finding solutions to issues involving overlapping interests between the Akaitcho Dene First Nations and the Northwest Territory Metis Nation.

Mr. Speaker, while I cannot go into specific details regarding the contents of the offers or what was discussed during negotiations because all parties have agreed to keep negotiating positions confidential, I can report that additional meetings and negotiations are being planned over the next few months to build a consensus among the parties on key elements each party needs to conclude agreements.

Mr. Speaker, Minister Bennett and I also met with leaders from the Dehcho First Nations on April 5th to discuss the report of the Ministerial Special Representative appointed to review those negotiations. Following that meeting, Minister Bennett and I wrote to Dehcho leadership asking them to confirm basic principles that are already accepted at other tables: that negotiations are trilateral and that a Dehcho Final Agreement will include the Dehcho portion of the single integrated system of resource management in the Mackenzie Valley.

The GNWT respects that the Dehcho First Nations must come to their own conclusions on these important matters, which are fundamental aspects on how to approach negotiations. We continue to await the Dehcho's response and look forward to being able to get back to the table with them if we agree there is a path forward.

Once the Dehcho First Nations provides confirmation that there is common ground between the parties on these matters, Canada and the GNWT will provide the Dehcho First Nations with a revised offer shortly thereafter.

The certainty provided by final land claim and self-government agreements is central to the health of our communities, our economy, and our environment. Concluding these agreements is an essential step towards providing certainty on how land in the NWT can be used for economic development, for conservation, for recreation and for traditional activities. The GNWT remains committed to doing its part to finalize land, resources and self-government agreements as quickly as possible in a manner that is fair, balanced and continues to promote workable and affordable agreements that respect Aboriginal rights. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Member for Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories made a commitment in its mandate to strengthen culture and heritage in the NWT by working with partners and stakeholders to update the 2010 NWT Aboriginal Languages Plan.

I am pleased to share with Members that later today I will be tabling the 2017 Northwest Territories Aboriginal Languages Framework: A Shared Responsibility. This is the product of extensive engagement across the territory with Indigenous governments, language communities, cultural organizations, elders and regional language coordinators. The Official Languages Board and Aboriginal Languages Revitalization Board members worked very hard in reviewing past recommendations the standing committees had put forward during their reviews of the Official Languages Act. They discussed and debated which recommendations would best serve to help shape the future of language preservation and revitalization, and they are the primary architects of the framework. I thank them for their clarity, commitments, and valuable advice as we move toward a future where all official languages are supported, respected, and thriving.

This framework and the soon to be released action plan reflect the government's new partnership approach to language revitalization and promotion, where regional Indigenous governments are funded and responsible for managing their own language revitalization efforts. It also includes measures to ensure all partners in language revitalization remain accountable.

Mr. Speaker, we have a monumental task ahead of us. Many of our languages are in a critical state, in danger of disappearing as we lose language speakers across the North. Languages are the foundation of culture.

If we are to preserve and invest in our many cultures across the North, we must be focusing on preserving and teaching, which will aid in rebuilding the foundations. Earlier today, our MP, Mr. Michael McLeod, representing Canadian Heritage and I announced much needed investments in Indigenous languages over four years, totalling $19,600,000.

This will allow us to increase funding for Indigenous governments' regional language plans and provide more support for the regional language coordinators. We will also be appointing a new territorial linguist to assist Indigenous governments in their work, investing further in the interpreter/translator program, offering professional development, increasing funding to community radio stations, and providing support to communities to deliver Indigenous language and culture programming.

Mr. Speaker, we are proud of the territory we live in, and welcome people from all cultures to visit, and hopefully stay. Multiculturalism in the North is constantly expanding and becoming more vibrant. Language is the key to thriving cultures, and supporting and revitalization efforts in partnership with language communities and key partners are critical. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Member responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Mr. Speaker, affordable, quality housing is one of the foundations from which we build on to meet our other life goals. As children, healthy and safe places to live allow us to learn better, to do well in school, and help us to become successful as we grow into adulthood. Establishing stable, secure housing is a goal for most people from the time they begin to contemplate leaving their own parent's home. Over the course of our lives, from young adulthood through to becoming elderly, housing can be a concern. Many families, young and old, worry about the affordability, suitability, and adequacy of their homes. The importance of having a safe home to go to is never truly understood until someone doesn't have one. There is no denying that homeless people face many challenges, but the most urgent is where will they sleep and whether it will be safe.

It is through the lens of this continuum that we must look at housing. This multifaceted perspective also informed our approach when we reached out to users of housing programs, community and political leaders, Aboriginal governments, and residents of the Northwest Territories to gather their recommendations through the recently completed housing engagement survey.

I am happy to report that all communities contributed to the over 1,400 responses to the survey that were received. That's approximately one out of every 10 households in the Northwest Territories. Respondents were very knowledgeable and did not shy away from providing feedback on open-ended questions. There were approximately 6,000 write-in answers.

In many ways, the feedback reinforced situations that we are well aware of, for instance, that public housing is one of the most important programs offered but that improvements need to be made. Communications with tenants was noted as key to improving the program, specifically in the areas of customer service and rental counselling, which includes budgeting and maintenance courses. Homelessness was identified as a main priority, with many respondents citing the need for integrated supports offered in combination with housing. Housing for specific groups such as seniors, families, and persons with disabilities were targeted as priorities for many communities. Respondents also noted that homeownership is a critical component and lease-to-own programs by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation need to be considered. Similarly, in market communities, many people felt that the Transitional Rent Supplement Program needs to be redesigned to be more effective to meeting the needs of the working poor. With respect to repair programs, people indicated that access to these programs needs to be improved and that there needs to be maintenance services for private homeowners in rural and remote communities.

Mr. Speaker, survey results have been compiled in a summary document. We have been using the survey to focus our efforts in the strategic renewal of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. Specific priority actions will be developed over the next year, with the express goals of addressing issues raised by residents and lowering core need.

At this time, we have been analyzing the survey results for nearly three months, and I am pleased to report that we are in position to announce immediate quick wins in terms of new programming and initiatives. In the near-term, some of the specific actions that we will be bringing forward include:

● An Aboriginal and local government housing innovation initiative which will enable these organizations to access support to develop and implement housing solutions of their own design.

● A targeted lease-to-own program designed to transition higher income and/or financially stable public housing tenants into homeownership, realizing homeownership goals of those tenants as well as freeing up much needed public housing for those that need it most.

● We will also be looking at repurposing vacant housing for other identified needs as identified within the community survey results.

● A new repair and renovation program is ready for implementation for seniors to support them to age in place. Repairs and renovations under this program will focus on energy-efficiency...

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Colleagues and also members from the public in the gallery, we apologize for our sound system, but apparently it is fixed now. There was a little bit of a glitch. We do have special guests in our gallery. Time is of essence as well for them, so they will be leaving us shortly. So, before we proceed with the Ministers' statements, I would like to recognize the Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to welcome the grade 6 class and the chaperones from Princess Alexandra School. We have with us today, Ashlyn Angiers, Addison Ehkohina-Anavilok, Joseph Mouse-Arcand, Byrin Buckley, Destiny Villeneuve-Brown, Hailey Ekotla, Alyssa Flamand, Grayson Goenewegen, Kandace Groenewegen, Kellan Mandeville, Annika Pellisey, Kynidi Robillard, Jayda Robillard, Batiste Sabourin, Michelle Sabourin, Madyson Schwartz, Simara Tambour-Wilson, my cousin Dallas Gray-Casaway, and we also have with us my constituency assistant and birthday girl, Myrtle Graham. Thank you.

Welcome to our proceedings. Happy birthday, Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, too, I want to recognize a grade 6 class and all the chaperones, J'Lynn Boyce, Belinda Chen, Jonathan Demarcke, Reese Leonard, Logan MacIntyre, Mason McPherson, Austin McArthur, Miranda Orr, Lynn-Don Proud, Seth Patterson, Stephanie Patterson, Erik Scheper, Harry Scheper, Chase Templeton, Colbey Walters, Roy Walters, and Brady Wickert. I would also like to recognize my wife in the House today and also my son, CJ. It is his birthday on Sunday.

Masi. Member for Yellowknife South.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Bob from Hay River, who is in grade 6, and he says he is enjoying his trip to the Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is not often that we get folks coming on consecutive days, so I would like to give credit to Yellowknife North resident and NWT Teachers Association Executive Director Mr. Adrien Amirault, and I also want to acknowledge and welcome, from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment and Yellowknife North resident, Jessica Smith. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Members, colleagues, I was just giving the opportunity for Hay River constituencies to be recognized, so we still have the opportunity during the recognition of visitors in the gallery, item 5. I would like to proceed with Ministers' statements at this time. So I am going to ask the Minister of NWT Housing Corporation to continue with her statement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

● A new repair and renovation program is ready for implementation for seniors to support them to age in place. Repairs and renovation under this program will focus on energy efficiency to improve the cost of living for senior homeowners.

● We will be amending policy to support students who live in public housing so that their education is not impacted by housing concerns. We will also be implementing a fuel-tank replacement initiative to assist homeowners to deal with a growing risk area that represents significant environmental implications. These are some of the areas that we will be implementing in the short term.

● We are also developing new programming, new initiatives, policy changes, and research in the mid-term and long-term, as well.

Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity now to transform the approach to housing programs and policy for possibly the next decade, making proactive changes and transforming the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation into a true social program that will have real, tangible, and positive results for our residents. I look forward to rigorous debate and examination of the proposed directions that we are contemplating.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all our Members who promoted the survey to their constituents. I want to thank the local housing organizations and government service officers who facilitated the filling out of the surveys in small communities, providing helpful assistance, and even translation when needed. Most importantly, I want to thank the over 1,400 respondents that took the time to seriously contemplate what is working, what is not, and what is missing, and for transferring their recommendations into the housing engagement survey. The participation in the survey clearly sent a message that affordable, quality housing is a main priority for residents in the Northwest Territories. I look forward over the next year to working with everyone in this House to design a housing system that will be enduring, responsive, effective, and appropriate for the residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, as Members know, the Government of Canada has made a public commitment to legalize cannabis. On April 13, 2017, the federal government introduced its proposed Cannabis Act in Parliament. The proposed Cannabis Act would set a national framework for legalizing, strictly regulating, and restricting access to cannabis. Provinces and territories will have the authority to regulate the retail distribution and sale of recreational cannabis to adults but cannot undermine the federal legislation. If passed in Parliament, the federal government intends to bring the act into effect by July 2018.

The Government of the Northwest Territories, or GNWT, wants to make sure that it is ready for cannabis legalization by having the right rules and guidelines in place to govern those aspects that will be within our power. That includes matters like determining and regulating how cannabis is distributed and sold in the Northwest Territories, or NWT, rules around age and public use, ongoing education and awareness campaigns outside those done by the federal government, drug impaired driving, and workplace impairment policies.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Minister's statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Although we have had to wait until the federal government released its legislation to fully understand the proposed framework for legalizing cannabis and what things the GNWT would be responsible for, our government was already researching this issue and monitoring developments nationally. Now that we have a more complete picture of the federal framework, we need to move forward on our own policy, program, and legislative regime.

To help guide our work, the GNWT is proposing a set of draft principles that would establish our approach to cannabis in the NWT. These draft principles include:

● Restricting youth access to cannabis, and protecting young people from the promotion or enticements to use cannabis;

● Allowing for adults to possess and access regulated, quality-controlled legal cannabis;

● Discouraging drug-impaired driving;

● Protecting workers and the public from drug-impairment in the workplace;

● Protecting public health by controlling the public smoking of cannabis;

● Enhancing public awareness of the health risks associated with cannabis;

● Providing a safe and secure retail regime for the adult purchase of cannabis; and

● Providing for local options to establish cannabis distribution and consumption restrictions and prohibitions.

We know that this is an issue that matters to many Northerners, Mr. Speaker, and about which they have concerns. Our government wants to make sure that our plans respect those concerns and take the views and opinions of NWT residents into account, while still complying with federal requirements.

To make sure we understand Northerners' views, we will be engaging with the public and stakeholders over the coming months. Our engagement will include public meetings in regional centres and select small communities. The public engagement documents will also be posted online to allow residents to make their views known through written submissions. The GNWT will also be writing directly to key stakeholders, such as NWT community governments, Aboriginal governments, the NWT Chamber of Commerce, and the NWT Medical Association, to seek their views on the proposed principles.

With a federal deadline of July 2018, we will need time to develop, draft, and pass legislation, and make other preparations, Mr. Speaker. We expect to complete this public engagement process by mid-September and to share a "what we heard" report with Members of the Legislative Assembly and the public after that. This will ensure that we have time to incorporate public feedback into our plans and proposals before bringing them forward. It should be noted that, in addition to the public engagement on proposed principles, there will be further opportunities to provide feedback as legislation is advanced.

We know this is an important issue to residents, and the GNWT is committed to having effective measures in place to protect the health and safety of NWT people and communities. We encourage everybody to take the time to let us know their views on this issue and the principles the GNWT is proposing to guide its work over the coming year.

I look forward to hearing from Northerners on this subject, Mr. Speaker, and from Members. I am sure that we will have many more discussions about how to regulate cannabis as specific plans and legislation are developed and brought forward for consideration over the fall and winter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I hear tell that, down at the Department of Infrastructure, there is something like a "swear jar." Every time anyone says "NTCL," you have to put a buck in. Although various names have been suggested for the new government entity, like "The Schumann Shipping Company" or "Bob's Baby," the official name is Marine Transportation Services, or MTS for short.

For those who don't know, the core staff at MTS is made up primarily of employees who were laid off last year when NTCL shut down, so they were able to hit the ground running. However, operating a marine shipping company is a monumental task, and there are many challenges. It is a smaller staff than NTCL employed. They had a late start because of the circumstances and those complications because of how NTCL left the operation. However, it appears that things are on schedule, and that is because of the effort and dedication of this group of employees. I want to commend them and thank them for their hard work. Mr. Speaker, take note because this doesn't happen very often, but I also have to commend the senior management responsible for this endeavour, because I know they are working just as hard to make sure that this shipping season is a success.

That being said, it is not all sunshine and roses. Residents were perturbed when they saw an ad in the paper, directing them to send their resumes to Newfoundland for a position at MTS. I have been asked repeatedly why we had to go outside of the Northwest Territories for this service. There is also the $1.3 million of NTCL's outstanding property taxes. The GNWT says it bought the assets, not the debt, and we are going to have to just suck it up, even though MACA admits they have been underfunding the town by millions. Without that money, those of us at Old Town will continue to have to drive on dirt roads for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, though, the GNWT can begin cleaning up the dozens of lots scattered throughout Old Town that are a part of the purchase.

So far, there have been over a dozen companies that have expressed interest in taking away the abandoned barges and tugs, and other piles of scrap litter in Old Town. That would beautify our community, free up land, improve prospects for tourism, and create employment and training opportunities. Despite these immediate benefits, I am told we have to wait until inventory is done, which could be years away. Mr. Speaker, these are just a few of the issues. I could go on for hours, but I will have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about the successful men's counseling program called A New Day. It is aimed at providing healing and offering a way forward for men who use violence in their intimate relationships.

By all accounts, from people involved with delivering the program and those receiving counselling themselves, A New Day is a success. Even with disagreement about the program's completion rate, men who participated partially reported great benefits.

A New Day has now been extended twice but will shut down in about five weeks. Although the Department of Justice issued an RFP for bids to continue operations, so far there have been zero bidders. That is because the department, in its wisdom, decided that it needed to change the terms of the counselling. In this RFP, the department changed the type of counselling offered and the way it was scheduled.

Critics of the RFP, including a former director of the Centre for Northern Families and of the Coalition Against Family Violence, said the change was "incompatible" with the program's success and that all the good work will go down the drain. But the department didn't listen to these experts, so now the program will end in a few weeks, and no one wants to sign up to continue it.

When we debated A New Day in this Assembly last fall, the question seemed to be: is it worth the cost? Only 12 men completed the whole program. Can this be worth what we spent? These questions miss the point. Family violence is an epidemic in Northern Canada. How do we measure that cost? How do we measure the cost of women being barred from safety and from free participation in public life, or the cost of children witnessing or experiencing violence at home? What does abuse and violence against women and children cost our healthcare system, and in missed work, missed school, crisis response and treatment for trauma, and, of course, men's wellness?

Mr. Speaker, A New Day took some time to find its legs, but it had become successful, making progress on one of the most difficult social problems our residents face. But the department thought it knew better than our frontline agencies. Now none of those agencies is willing to step forward to carry this important mission forward. Mr. Speaker, we need to get back to basics and work closely with those who know how to successfully deliver this program - and it needs to be sooner not later! Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

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.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Both the development of the agriculture strategy and the fishing strategy that we've tabled this year precedes a very big important agenda for the government for our economic development of the Northwest Territories, but, getting strictly to the question about buying local foods in local stores, the challenge with that moving forward is that we have an agricultural strategy, but we have a need to develop a process moving forward, as it is the first agricultural strategy in the Northwest Territories, and the regulatory framework around that, and what needs to be put in place to protect and guide that for consumers and for retailers in the Northwest Territories. We need to develop food safety and inspection guidelines and regulations, as well.

Around the fishing strategy, we are still committed to the Great Slave Lake revitalization commercial fishery strategy. We still have the $1.4 million at work, that has been set in place to help develop the commercial fishing strategy. We have a number of support programs that were put in place around the fishing strategy, as well, which last year helped see the increase in the quota for the Northwest Territories. We will continue to work on those issues moving forward to try to bring greater economic opportunities for residents in Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the response. Mr. Speaker, my second question is: The commercial fishery revitalization strategies focus on Great Slave Lake. I support that, Mr. Speaker, but has ITI considered the potential of an Arctic fishery centred in the Nunakput riding?

The fishing strategy moving forward, it says for Great Slave Lake, but, if you look at what we have in the document, fish harvester expansion programs to help fishers cover part of their capital investment is one of the ones in the strategy; support for new entrants into the fishing industry in the Northwest Territories; the Northern Food Development Program, ITI supports fishers for the domestic commercial market in the NWT. So there are a number of things in there.

We have also allocated another $225,000 in this year's budget towards helping revitalize this stuff, and I believe that all of these programs are available to help enhance the Arctic fishery. I would be glad to sit down with the Member and see how we can work that out.

I appreciate the response. Mr. Speaker, my third question is: What is ITI doing to allow for the sale of locally produced meat and dairy products in the Northwest Territories communities this year, beyond funded sales?

I think the Minister of health actually touched on some of this yesterday. We are working closely with the Department of health and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on this moving forward, to allow for future sales of these products, so, hopefully, within the next two years in the NWT. But before these sales can occur, public health regulations need to be developed, so that is why I am doing work within the departments.

From my understanding, though, through the Food Establishment Safety Regulations, this allows food to be sold that has been harvested legally by NWT harvesters and legally obtained by the operator, so there is an avenue there that something could be worked on in the short-term. Health and Social Services' environment unit is working on what we need to do moving forward. For regulations and stuff, I think we need to defer those questions to the Minister of health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is very helpful information. Mr. Speaker, my final question for the Minister: Is ITI considering small-scale abattoir legislation that could help communities in Nunakput and elsewhere market local meat products? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I will have to defer that question to the Minister of Health and Social Services with respect to abattoir legislation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke about some of the issues surrounding the GNWT's Marine Transportation Services Division, and I have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. I am not going to ask the Minister about the $1.3 million in outstanding property taxes because I have already asked him about that in this House. I have asked the Minister of MACA, I have asked the Minister of Finance, and I have got a resounding "tough luck" from all of them.

So we will start off with some easy questions, and this is just for the information of residents who have been asking. How many people can we expect hired in Hay River by the Marine Transportation Services this year? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our projections for the work force coming this year are roughly around 145 employees, and I can actually update the House a little bit. So far, to date, our work force is probably about halfway to where it needs to be to get up to full operation, but, up to date, 34 millers have been hired, as well.

As I also mentioned, when people are looking for employment, they have to send their resumes to Newfoundland because there is a crew company that we have contracted there, apparently. What are we paying this crew company to do that we cannot do locally?

As all Members know in this House, we bought the assets of NTCL in late December to bring the shipping season. The most important critical thing for us this year was to concentrate and get supplies to all of the communities that rely on the marine transportation industry. We have had to outsource the work force hiring, and that was to the company in Newfoundland the Member is referring to, ORSI. They subsequently had people sending resumes to Newfoundland, but, since then, I can update this House that they have a staff member sitting in Hay River that will receive resumes, and you can just go down to the shipyard and drop off your resume.

That is good to hear. I will move on to another topic related to the division. There are companies that are chomping at the bit to come up here and clean up Old Town, take the scrap metal, take the barges that have been sitting there for seven years. These are metal recycling companies. When are we going to get Old Town cleaned up? When can this process start because people are ready to go right now?

I know there are a lot of exciting things coming forward with the marine transportation thing now in the hands of the Government of Northwest Territories, and we are proceeding on a number of these fronts. Like I said, we are concentrating on getting the shipping season out in front of us and getting stuff to the communities, which is the most important thing.

We are working alongside with my colleague beside me, the Minister of ENR, on a phase 2 environmental assessment of all of the properties that are in Hay River and identifying any hazardous material that is on these potential properties. We will do an assessment, and we are hoping to have this assessment done by later this fall. In the short term, part of the cleanup, there are a number of barrels on site there, and we are working on cleaning those up right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have another question. This is actually a pretty serious topic in Hay River. I have heard from various businesses that there are concerns about MTS' rates for deck cargo. For the last four or five years, I believe, NTCL was raising their rates, and last year alone, they increased it by 10 per cent. People are concerned that, if MTS is aligning their prices with NTCL's, they are not only pricing themselves out of the market but people are going to go through other places in Hay River to get their goods. This is a serious concern, so what is the department doing to ensure that MTS' shipping rates for deck cargo are competitive? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have set the rates this year based on the 2015 NTCL rates, along with CPI. That is what has given us this rate. We have to do this first year of operations to determine what it will cost us to run this operation and what is going to be the ongoing funding to make this thing sustainable. At the end of this coming season, we will be able to have a look at what the rates are, and, if there is an opportunity to pass on the cost-of-living relief to residents of the NWT, we will do so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in previous sessions, I have asked the Minister of Lands some questions about equity leases, and I guess it is time to do it again. It is that time of year. Can the Minister please advise us of what you are doing to address the concerns of the residents regarding their equity leases? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Mr. Speaker, when I initially took over this portfolio, I was almost immediately advised of this issue, initially by Members opposite, but also by members of the legal profession and individuals as I travelled around the community. I had thought that this was not a particularly large issue, thinking that there might not be very many of these equity leases; however, after some investigation, we found that there were, in fact, a great number. So we have heard the concerns from Members opposite and members of the legal profession, and I have directed the Department of Lands to take a comprehensive review of all equity leases and report back to me by the end of August with the findings. As I mentioned initially, I had thought that there were perhaps very few. It turns out that there are hundreds.

I thank the Minister for that answer. It is good to hear that we are actually starting to work towards resolving this issue. Can the Minister please provide us, about the leases that are expiring or will expire during this review, what will be happening to those leases?

Mr. Speaker, I have directed Lands to place any lease that expires during this review in over-hold status for one year at the last-paid lease amount. This ensures residents will not be compelled to sign a new long-term lease before the review is complete. Hopefully, within the next year, we can resolve this issue.

I thank the Minister for that answer. It actually makes some of these equity leaseholders happier to see we are working towards it and we are doing this agreement. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please provide if this is part of the view, looking at leaseholders to purchase this title land?

Mr. Speaker, once the review is complete, I would want to assure all Members of this House that they will be briefed on all the options to meet the needs and desires of constituents before we move forward with any changes. I think we can all agree that, ultimately, the best solution may be actual ownership, but there are many issues surrounding these leases. The leases are not all the same. Some of them are very different. Some have an indication that might be that the leaseholder would get ownership at the end of the lease. Some are less clear on that issue. There are also issues of Aboriginal claims because many of the leases are in areas of unsettled land claims. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for that answer. I totally agree that equity leases are all over the board, and I am glad the Minister is looking at that and trying to resolve that. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise us, if somebody has an equity lease, do they have to purchase their land if private ownership is allowed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Lands.

The information is that people could renew their lease when the current lease expires, although I am expecting, if they had the options, that many would seek actual ownership. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Justice regarding the renewal of the men's healing program, A New Day. I wonder, can the Minister explain to us what factors or, more importantly, evaluation findings led the department to change the counseling process in the RFP? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I am sure Members will recall, there was an extensive report on A New Day, which we tabled in November of last year. As a result of that, we have made some minor changes, I regard them as minor, to the program. The group therapy model and the curriculum are not changing. That will stay the same. What is changing is some of the administration around the program. That was seen to be an issue. The program will become more flexible, and efforts will be made to have more facilitators available to run the program more often. This would also assist us, should we decide to take the program outside of Yellowknife.

"Minor changes" is putting it lightly. Obviously, the changes don't reflect it being more successful because there was no uptake on the RFP. Can the Minister explain why the RFP does not reflect the input that the department received from the Coalition Against Family Violence?

Mr. Speaker, in designing the RFP, of course we did listen to concerns of all stakeholders, but we mainly relied on the report, the very expensive report, which was tabled in November. As I say, I don't think there are significant changes in the program. What is changing is the administration. There was an indication in the report and from what we have heard that this was a problem. We are going to make that portion of the program easier. I am hoping to make, therefore, the overall program more effective.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister shared with us concerns during budget deliberations, and when this matter came to the House some time ago, about budget concerns with regard to running this program and what the actual numbers were of people using the program. Since there were concerns about that, can the Minister describe how the department calculated the competitive costs of ongoing family violence to the healthcare system, as an example, the education system, the justice system, even public housing, and the continuing cycle of violence to future generations? Can he tell us those kinds of numbers?

Mr. Speaker, I don't think I could tell the House those numbers because I think they are essentially unknowable. How can you quantify those things? It is almost impossible, but you know that there were relatively few graduates of the program. I think we are up to 31, and our costs have exceeded $1 million. Thank you.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Mr. Speaker, those are the challenges that we face all the time when we don't recognize good service and programs. When they are successful, when we don't get behind them and support them, we never take the time to actually go and calculate the costs that they are costing our society. It is a failure.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise the Assembly, since no bids were received to manage the program, going forward, what the department plans to do to make sure the men's healing program continues? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, this government is very interested in continuing this program. I can advise that we are dealing with some NGOs, and hopefully I will have good news in the next few weeks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As mentioned in my Member's statement here earlier on advertising and welcoming the students to encourage them to seek employment within our summer student program for 2017, I want to ask the Minister of Finance what initiatives are under way for this summer's recruitment program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Member for that very positive question. I can inform this House that we are projected to be ahead of last year's numbers. I think, last year, we had 306 summer students who were hired. My understanding is we have 272 who have been hired so far this year, and I think we have another 50 job offers that are awaiting signatures. We are well ahead of last year's numbers, and I think we have heard the concerns from Members of the House.

As far as the advertising goes, a lot of the kids who go to school or come on as summer students are well aware of the program, and they are well aware of where they want to work and how they need to get their applications in. If there are any ways we can improve that, we will continue to work on that, but so far, Mr. Speaker, the numbers early in the summer are quite encouraging.

Thank you to the Minister for the response. It is encouraging that we are going to see the numbers increasing. I was very encouraged by the latest report on the recruitment numbers. Looking back at the Sahtu historically for the last two summers, in 2015, we had five; 2016, we had five. Recently, 2017 started off with two, so I am of the impression we can see that number increase, more specifically for the riding that I represent. So my question is: What targets or what methods of advertising are in use to recruit and exceed what we have done so far for the Sahtu region?

Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct. We currently have two, but, as I said, we have 50 more that are outstanding, awaiting signatures. I am not quite sure where those are. I can find out and see how many we put into the Member's riding. As I said before, I will have to get the exact details on the actual advertising for summer students, but this is a program that has been going on for a while, as the Member has said. The numbers are improving this year. Two years ago, the numbers were 341. We are hoping to exceed those numbers.

If you count the other agencies that are funded by the Government of the Northwest Territories, and I have asked officials to try and find some numbers for me, like municipal governments, what do they have for summer students, because those are funded by the territorial government, as well as local housing organizations, just to give us an idea of exactly how many summer students we have working across Northwest Territories with funds that this government is providing to all agencies.

Would the Minister commit to working with the Minister of ECE and the regional representatives or the superintendent to issue a letter of encouragement for applications submitted by the graduates to the program of their choice or their endeavours of seeking summer student monies?

Mr. Speaker, all winter, we have been encouraging our departments to try to hire as many summer students as possible. I think it is a priority of this government to try to get as many of our young people out in the work force as we can, to help them get through school, and I can say that the departments have responded very well.

Right now, I think the Department of Infrastructure has the most summer students, followed closely by ENR, but I am told we just hired two, so I think we just passed them. I would be glad to share these numbers so that we know exactly which departments are hiring summer students. The other departments might see that as a bit of a challenge and take that up and try to bring more on. It is very important that we get our young people out there working and get them ready for the next stage of their lives. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If we include the new Department of Infrastructure, I guess we can expect two job-shadowing positions there that will help implement the 14 kilometres that are on their way for the all-season road. Would the Minister commit to exceeding or doubling last year's statistics? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no, I am not going to commit to doing that, but I am going to commit to encouraging our departments to try to bring on as many summer students as possible. I think, in the Member's riding alone, with the amalgamation of the new departments, there were an additional 24 positions being brought on into the Sahtu, so the Member has done quite well representing his riding.

We will continue to encourage our departments to try to bring on as many summer students as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Justice. The department has advertised for a service provider for the revamped A New Day program, and, despite holding a bidders' conference and then revising the RFP, none of the non-profits have submitted a proposal. At least one that was approached directly declined to take the program on. What is the Minister's understanding of what the problem is here? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, when we went out for proposals, we were hoping that there would be more of a response. There was a pre-bid meeting with various possible bidders, and unfortunately none of them, including the bidder currently holding the contract, decided to put in a bid. At that point, we started looking further afield and went out to NGOs. As I say, that is an ongoing process, and I am hoping that I will be able to give some good news about that in the next several weeks.

I did not hear an answer to my question in that response, so I am going to ask it again. I would like the Minister to tell us why he thinks nobody wants to run this program.

Mr. Speaker, I have no idea why the expected bidders did not bid. Perhaps the Member opposite should speak to them.

I think that was an invitation to join Cabinet. I will take it.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Social Development was briefed on this RFP in January, and we flagged some problems at that time, which the department then ignored. So they put out a completely unpalatable RFP, patently unpalatable. Nobody has bid on it. Is the Minister prepared to work with the Coalition Against Family Violence to revamp the revamp so that this program has someone who wants to offer it?

As mentioned previously, Mr. Speaker, we are dealing with an NGO that has expressed an interest. We are hoping that things will work out well. As I mentioned earlier, the program has not been significantly altered, in our view. Some improvements were made as a result of the evidence that we received in the report which I have referred to earlier. So, I want to see how the negotiations with that NGO or another NGO work out over the next few weeks. If that does not work out, we will have to reconsider.