Good afternoon, Members. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to close the skills gap by strengthening the apprenticeship program. Later today, I will be tabling the Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupational Certification Strategy 2017-2022. Mr. Speaker, this five-year strategy outlines how the Government of the Northwest Territories will strengthen our apprenticeship and occupational certification program. Since the program began, there have been approximately 4,700 apprentices certified, and today there are more than 400 men and women employed in 27 occupations and 53 trades working in the Northwest Territories.

Building on the Skills 4 Success Strategy, we will increase skill levels through relevant education and training. There will be a stronger connection to the secondary education system through the Schools North Apprenticeship Program and Career and Technology Studies and to post-secondary education through programs offered by Aurora College. We will bridge education and employment gaps through targeted supports. We will be more closely connecting industry and employers with students and apprentices through the partnerships we have in education, training, and the Skills 4 Success Strategy. We will also be implementing incentives for employers to hire apprentices, and we will be encouraging target groups, like Indigenous residents and women, to consider a career in the trades.

Our partnerships are the key to everything we are able to accomplish, so we will grow the northern workforce through partnerships and collaboration. This involves working with the Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupation Certification Board, industry, education, and business partnerships, and streamlining sponsorship programs. Additionally, we will improve decision-making with relevant labour market information. We have the best information we have ever had, through the reports developed by the Conference Board of Canada, the Northwest Territories Labour Market Forecast and Needs Assessment, the Labour Market Information Resource and companion document, the Northwest Territories Jobs in Demand: 15-Year Forecast. This gives us comprehensive information on the jobs that will be needed in the coming years and allows us to target the education, training, and skills development programs to meet the labour market needs.

Mr. Speaker, over the next 15 years, it is forecasted that there will be more than 36,000 job openings in the Northwest Territories, and approximately 2,500 of those will be trades-related. Apprentices gain valuable training they can carry with them through their entire life, and do it through a unique form of education where they not only learn skills in an academic setting but also learn in a practical, work-based environment. The NWT Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupational Certification Strategy, aligned with the Skills 4 Success Strategy, provides a roadmap to plan our future. The many stakeholders and partners who provided valuable input and guidance into this strategy will be key to its success. This strategy would not have been possible without their in-depth knowledge, and it will allow us to build a future for the North together, to ensure our continued prosperity and competitiveness. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to taking action on the crisis of family violence. Over the past year, I have heard several Members of this House stress the importance of the A New Day Program for men who use violence in intimate relationships. I am pleased to report to this Legislative Assembly that the Government of the Northwest Territories has reached an agreement with the John Howard Society to continue to provide this program in Yellowknife. There will be no service interruptions, and men will have walk-in registration at the office next door to the current program space.

Qualified counsellors will meet with men individually to prepare them to join weekly groups. These groups will run continuously, so men can start as soon as they are ready. If they need to take a break for any reason, they can quickly get back into the group. These minor changes to the scheduling do not affect the curriculum. They are based on the demonstrated need for drop-in groups and on the attendance trends that we saw in the pilot. Mr. Speaker, our commitment to do no harm requires us to make sure men are in programs that meet their needs. This is a specialized program for men with a particular risk profile. We know that men who progress farther in the A New Day Program do better. We also know from our experience during the pilot that only a small number of men were able to do this. We have an obligation to improve our programs with evidence-based decisions. We will focus our efforts on supporting the men who are ready, when they are ready, in the hopes that we can help improve the chances that they are successful. The assessment process will be improved to include treatment plans with a counsellor who can help them access the services that are right for them. By improving the modular design of the program by adding flexibility to its delivery, we can help more men heal. This is an objective we all support.

The transition to a new provider will be smooth. The mission of the John Howard Society includes the prevention of crime and is well aligned with taking over the A New Day program. Already, they are making arrangements for counsellors to begin meeting with clients and start weekly groups. Again, all counsellors will be properly trained, possess appropriate cultural competencies, and be supported to ensure the program is delivered successfully. The Tree of Peace is still under contract until the end of June, to finish the last group and prepare men to enter the groups that will start in July. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge and thank the community partners who helped with the initial design of the pilot project. This pilot has given us a solid foundation and valuable experience we can employ in future program delivery. I would like to thank, in particular, the current contractor for the program, the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre, for their efforts and the dedication of their staff.

The men who have found success through A New Day have learned new skills to address the root causes of their behaviour and done the hard work to heal themselves. They are better able to hold themselves and other men accountable for their violence. It is a challenging commitment, and we should commend and support anyone willing to do this work. We now face the challenge of implementing a program that improves outcomes and provides greater opportunities to offer this program throughout the Northwest Territories. I want to thank the John Howard Society for its commitment to work with our government in the continued delivery of the program. I am encouraged by the interest of potential partners here in Yellowknife and throughout the territories to find ways to deliver programs like A New Day.

Mr. Speaker, I am also encouraged by the commitment of this Legislative Assembly to address the crisis of family violence in our territory. I look forward to working with the cooperation and support of all Members of this Legislative Assembly as we take meaningful actions to end family violence in our territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in accordance with rule 36(3), I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Minister's statement 186-18(2) be moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. The motion is noted. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carried.

---Carried

Minister's statement 186-18(2) has moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Ministers' statements. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, our government made a commitment in its mandate to work in partnership with Aboriginal governments on a training program for First Nations governments with municipal-like responsibilities. I am very proud of the work that the department of Municipal and Community Affairs has done to design and launch a training program to help improve the governance and management capacity of these governments. Mr. Speaker, in order to move this initiative forward, Municipal and Community Affairs, through the School of Community Government, has partnered with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Through this partnership, the department secured a $180,000 federal contribution in 2016-2017 to fund the development of this training program.

The training program is made up of six governance workshops and the necessary support materials and documents. The workshops are designed to be delivered to First Nations governments with municipal-like responsibilities, including the nine designated authorities in our territory. The department is currently in discussions with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada in an effort to secure additional funding to support the delivery of this newly developed training to First Nations governments across the Northwest Territories. The training workshops that have been developed cover topics including roles and responsibilities, planning, financial responsibilities, programs and services, conflict and legal responsibilities, and working with councils. Municipal and Community Affairs identified topics for these workshops based on feedback from community governments through regular surveys conducted by the School of Community Government as well as the assessment of annual responses collected through the department's accountability framework.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report that a successful pilot of the workshop and materials was hosted in Aklavik in March 2017. Municipal and Community Affairs has made the First Nations governance training available in a self-directed, self-paced online format, so councils and individual community government councillors can take the training as required. Mr. Speaker, in addition to this progressive work around the development of training modules, the department continues to collaborate with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada on the development of job descriptions for positions within the First Nations governments, performance appraisal resources, and council self-assessment tools. This work is part of the ongoing efforts Municipal and Community Affairs is undertaking to build capacity in all community governments across the Northwest Territories and to implement the recommendation of the Auditor General's 2016 Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to challenge the statement that has been made by the Minister of Justice that the cannabis legislation as proposed by Ottawa has caught this government by surprise and has not allowed them to do the important work of consulting with our people and developing a legislative framework. I am going to share a timeline with this House. On September 30, 2015, while campaigning during the 2015 federal election before the Liberal party came to power, Justin Trudeau said that his party was committed to legalizing and regulating marijuana. He said controlling it would protect our kids and remove criminal elements from it, and he added at the time the Liberal party would "get started on that right away."

On April 20, 2016, Health Minister Jane Philpott announced the Liberal government will introduce legislation to legalize marijuana in the spring of 2017. Meanwhile, in Toronto, thousands attended the city's 4/20 pot rally at Yonge and Dundas Square. As marijuana dispensaries started popping up in anticipation of the legislation, a public opinion poll at this time showed 68 per cent of Canadians felt pot should be legal in Canada. On April 24, 2016, a spike in marijuana dispensaries in parts of Canada promoted calls for government to regulate the businesses. On May 26, 2016, Toronto Police conducted "Project Claudia," a large coordinated series of raids on 39 marijuana dispensaries. Officers had 90 people arrested and 257 charges were laid. On June 13, 2016, Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould announced the federal government would not decriminalize marijuana before legalizing it. She also said the Liberals would not support an opposition motion urging the government to immediately decriminalize simple pot possession. On June 23, 2016, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders announced his officers raided several marijuana dispensaries in the city, almost a month after Project Claudia. He said the businesses were operating illegally.

Clearly, Mr. Speaker, there is a complete timeline at this point where we have a commitment from the federal government to issue legislation. I challenge the Minister that we haven't had time to properly consider this, nor that there has been discussion on the options available. Northerners need to know what the future is for legal cannabis in the Northwest Territories, so they are not unfairly taken advantage of by criminal penalties and so they can maintain their own autonomy around decisions that relate to their communities. Further, they can access new opportunities and not let them get gobbled up by southern markets. Mr. Speaker, this needs to happen now, and I hope the Minister takes it seriously. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I spoke about Nutrition North. This will be my second part of speaking on this today. There is a continuous issue of limited access to proper nutrition in my riding. In my riding, there are two other communities, Jean Marie and Wrigley, that do not have stores. Mr. Speaker, as stated previously in this House, community members must rely on retailers from surrounding areas to get their supplies.

Mr. Speaker, the commute to the nearest retailers causes an additional cost for members of those communities, and it is not always possible due to transportation limitations such as river crossings. There are also members that do not have access to personal transportation. Mr. Speaker, the only way some individuals get their food and supplies is by relying on somebody who is going to Fort Simpson or Hay River. If that fails, there are no alternative means of getting the supplies and food they require. This not does not only put them at the disadvantage of obtaining their needs, but it also inhibits their independence. It should not be this difficult for any individual, let alone entire communities, to obtain their basic needs. A program for delivering food sources to these communities is urgently needed. Mr. Speaker, there is also a number of community members in my riding that obtain nutritional source traditionally. These members of the community tend to share their acquired nutritional resources with members in need. Some hunters are able to secure enough meat for their families for an entire year.

Mr. Speaker, there are also a number of small farms in my riding. One successful vegetable farm is in Fort Simpson. This farm was highly successful in root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes, over 4,000 pounds. Unfortunately, they cannot access funds through the Nutrition North Program, which places a barrier to them and residents in my riding to get some subsidy for this food. Mr. Speaker, it would be great if this government could work with the federal government or just take over this program to build an NWT nutrition program that will help smaller and isolated communities. Later, I'll have questions for the Premier on this topic. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to share some good news today about an important accessibility initiative being undertaken by school administrators in my constituency. The Yellowknife Education District No. 1 has recently secured funding through the Access 4 All Canada 150 Signature Initiative. The program provides funding to raise awareness and break down barriers for people living with disabilities. It does that by providing accessibility in our built environment, it corrects or improves accessibility of infrastructure for persons with disabilities. It aims particularly at improving the accessibility of public places and spaces, such as schools, libraries, and playgrounds.

Applying under the fund, YK1 has been approved to receive $26,800 for the installation of two barrier-free doors at the main entrance and into the lunch area at Ecole William McDonald School. Access 4 All Canada projects also help to highlight accessibility issues, thank local community leaders for their continued support, and celebrate communities' achievements in making Canada a more accessible and inclusive nation. For projects taking place in schools, there are lesson plans, activities, projects, handouts, and tools for teachers to help students understand disability, access, and inclusion.

The program was launched in the fall of 2016 by the Rick Hansen Foundation. Of course, Mr. Hansen is well known as a good friend of the Northwest Territories through his previous trips here. The Canada 150 element of the program is supported by the Government of Canada. Construction will take place over the summer, and I look forward to attending the ribbon-cutting on these improvements this fall. I congratulate YK1 not only for securing these improvements but for taking this opportunity to expand student and public understanding through this model project. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, my Member's statement is on the projects of Stanton Hospital and Norman Wells Health Centre. The Government of the Northwest Territories has a procurement process for capital projects, and these two particular projects are well under way, with a union participating on one job site. Training, employment, business opportunities, and supply are fundamental principles and elements of the procurement process. Maximizing and capitalization can be measured in a number of ways. As mentioned by the honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment earlier, there have been approximately 4,700 apprentices certified, and today there are more than 400 men and women employed in 27 occupations. Later, I will have questions on that workforce and how many are going to be produced with the journeyman certification in my question and answer period. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Mr. Speaker, we have all heard about the Northern Frontier Visitors' Centre and its unfortunate necessary closure for reasons of building safety. The assignment of space at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre will be an effective fix, albeit temporary, for providing crucial information to visitors to Yellowknife. The attention drawn by the closure of the visitors' centre shows how important tourism has become in the capital and across the territory. Between the territorial government and the city, the visitors' centre received almost $350,000 in funding each year from various pots. With tourism bringing in $90 million in direct spending to Yellowknife alone, we realize that is money well invested. With support from CanNor, the City of Yellowknife has recently implemented its Destination Marketing Strategy that will focus resources and attention on aggressively marketing the capital city as a tourist destination.

Destination marketing will be able to coordinate all aspects of marketing the city and its facilities and services, drawing on all the city's resources and assets to attract visitors. Estimates are that increasing tourist traffic by just 10 per cent could mean as much as $10 million to the city. The extra funding the city received for destination marketing won't last forever, Mr. Speaker. The City of Yellowknife has taken the tourism ball and is running with it, and this government should be working in support of our communities. How can we do that? Yellowknife and all NWT municipalities legislated under the CTV Act have asked the government to bring forward enabling legislation to allow them to institute a hotel levy. This will provide eligible municipalities with resources to grow and develop their local tourism economies as they see fit.

Here in the capital, it could help create infrastructure, potentially a project like a conference centre, which could help build momentum towards a more robust, active, healthy downtown core. This legislation is supported by the city, the NWT Association of Communities, the local hotel association, and NWT Tourism. Mr. Speaker, our communities want to develop their own tourism potential. Tourism has become an important new part of a broader, diversified NWT economy. Yellowknife's window for destination marketing is now open, but it won't last forever. We should be working in support of our communities, making it possible for them to leverage resources to invest in their own economic futures. Mr. Speaker, let's enable our capital city to do just that. Later, I will have questions for the appropriate Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to commend the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and her staff for their recent survey of residents on housing issues. The response rate of 10 per cent of households across the NWT is remarkable. It also speaks to the importance of finding solutions to chronic housing problems. I look forward to hearing the plan for addressing the housing needs respondents identified in the coming sitting.

Mr. Speaker, I'm going to reflect on the need for social housing in Yellowknife. Here is a startling fact highlighted in the Voices on Housing report. While the population of the NWT has increased by just 1 per cent since 2004, there has been a 53 per cent increase in the population of people aged 60 years or older in the same period of time. It is a fact that government is unable to meet their housing needs. There are 344 public housing units in Yellowknife, and seniors occupy about a quarter of them. As well, the Housing Corporation supports non-profits that provide an additional 94 units. All told, there is currently not enough housing for about 10 per cent of Yellowknife's population age 60-plus. We know that because there are dozens of seniors on the public housing wait list. The wait to get into an independent living unit at Avens is six years. The public housing needs of single-parent families and single people who aren't seniors are even greater.

Mr. Speaker, the people who responded to the survey had some good ideas for creating more affordable housing in Yellowknife. There is significant interest in tiny houses and creating additional housing co-operatives like Borealis and Inukshuk, but people recognize that the availability of affordable land is an issue within the city. The Housing Corporation is interested in moving its public housing clients through the housing continuum, from rental to home ownership, to free up units, but the fact is only 20 families have opted for the corporation's home ownership plan in Yellowknife in the last 10 years. Many people live paycheque to paycheque, putting in doubt affordability and all the additional costs that come with home ownership.

The bottom line here is that both levels of government need to invest in building additional energy-efficient housing to meet the needs of all residents of all ages. The GNWT has not made that commitment. The federal government has promised a paltry $3.6 million a year over the next 10 years. The reality is that we have a long, long way to go. I will have questions for the Minister.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.