Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Item 2, Ministers' statements. The Honourable Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the honourable Wally Schumann will be absent from the House today and tomorrow to attend the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers of Tourism meeting in Calgary, Alberta. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, next month, after we have all gone home to our communities, we will see communities, provinces, and territories across the country recognizing National Housing Day. Since 1998, this has been considered a day of action on the urgent housing needs of many Canadians.

On November 22^nd, Mr. Speaker, I hope you will remember this statement because, like so many northern communities, housing needs in the Mackenzie Delta are urgent, also.

I am talking about families on the waiting list for three years or more, with no end in sight, even with letters of support from doctors expressing the urgency of their housing needs.

I am talking about young people putting off starting families of their own because there is nowhere to live. Mr. Speaker, bucking national trends, communities in my riding are actually growing. People who left to seek work or go to school in Inuvik, Yellowknife, or Whitehorse want to come home.

The Mackenzie Delta wants to welcome them, Mr. Speaker, but the fact remains: there just are not enough houses. Thanks to an injection of federal money and a partnership with the NWT Housing Corporation, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation is introducing new units across the settlement region, but, Mr. Speaker, here's the thing: I understand these will not be additional units, instead slowly replacing stock that is aging out of the Housing Corporation's inventory. This means we will still be in a shortage, especially in Aklavik and Fort McPherson.

The NWT Housing Corporation has some existing projects under way, Mr. Speaker, but there is still a long way to go to put a roof over the heads of some of our most vulnerable residents. I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to speak on a topic which I know is on the minds of many Northerners. Aurora College.

When most of us were elected in 2015, we made post-secondary education and the future of the college a key campaign issue, so it was not a surprise that made its way into our mandate. Yet, after three years, we are no further ahead on post-secondary education and a renewed mandate for Aurora College than when we started. I, like many others, am concerned by the tone and shape this conversation has taken. We have seen a report published advising the GNWT of how best to move forward on this investment in the next generation of Northerners, and it seems to many that this investment has become a political football thrown back and forth for the benefit of politicians rather than for the benefit of students and residents of the Northwest Territories.

The decision-making process has been delayed again and again, and I assume that the Minister's much-anticipated response to this report will again hold off any decision by this legislative body until after the next election. This means that, with this existing process, the college and students cannot begin a plan for the prospect of expanding northern education until 2019 or 2020, at best, based on the rate the government has put into this project to date.

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear: the current focus of this government is not student-centred. Again, this has become a political hockey puck being passed around with seemingly no end. How can students and their parents in the NWT have confidence that this government has their best interests in mind?

At present, our talks seem to pit community against community, as opposed to trying to find a consensus of what is ultimately best for northern students. Students, regardless of the final location of the college, will need amenities, housing, social, educational; access to transport; technological solutions; and a well-rounded quality of campus life. These must be at the centre of our decision-making process, as opposed to what is most politically expedient for particular MLAs who put the interests of one community above others.

Young Northerners need to know that this government has their best interests in mind and that we are committed to putting their needs before the political calculations of individual Members. I hope we can, as a Legislative Assembly, find a meaningful consensus and allow shovels to get into the ground as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in small northern communities, having each other is all we have, and helping each other in a time of need is essential. Mr. Speaker, [English translation not provided.] Case in point: at the beginning of the month, there was a family in Fort Providence who were at their fall fish camp, and they attempted to walk back to the community. After two days of walking and three quarters of the way into town, an elderly couple had to be rescued as nighttime temperatures dipped to minus seven.

Mr. Speaker, elders Antoine Canadien and Celine Lesage are both active traditional harvesters who fish in the falltime. They experienced mechanical issues with their outboard motor and decided to walk back to town.

After the second night of their walk back to town, the elders sent their two grandchildren for help. A search team was mobilized, with people on quads, boats, and a helicopter.

Mr. Speaker, fortunately, the elders were located and brought into town and to the health centre. Both are doing well and are grateful for their bush survival skills, which enabled them to survive without food or water during their walk back to town.

A special thanks to the following people; James Nadli, Eric Nadli, Ernest Nadli, and George Nadli, Sheldon Farcy, Cameron Sapp, Michael Vandell, Rick Lesage, Colin Malewski, Danny Beaulieu, and Edward Landry.

Mr. Speaker, elders Antoine Canadien and Celine Lesage are very thankful to the people who went out searching for them. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before I get into my Member's statement, I would like to inform the House that I am going to be out of the House on Tuesday to Thursday for personal issues. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, during my visit to the communities of Fort Liard and Wrigley, the chiefs were questioning why the GNWT is charging members or looking at charging band members who have traditional cabins $840 per year. This goes against Treaty 11. The chiefs were able to share with me the Report of The Commissioner for Treaty No. 11, dated October 12, 1921. The author of the report was D.C. Scott, Esquire, Deputy Superintendent General, Department of Indian Affairs. This report was done by the deputy superintendent who helped bring forward Treaty No. 11.

In the report, there are a number of quotes I would like to share: "I had several meetings with them (Providence Indians), and explained the terms of the treaty. They were very apt in asking questions, and here, as in all the other posts where the treaty was signed, the questions asked and the difficulties encountered were much the same. The Indians seemed afraid, for one thing, that their liberty to hunt, trap and fish would be taken away or curtailed, but were assured by me that this would not be the case, and the government will expect them to support themselves in their own way, and, in fact, that more twine for nets and more ammunition were given under the terms of this treaty than under any of the preceding ones; this went a long way to calm their fears."

A second one: "Also, the said Indian rights, titles and privileges whatsoever to all other lands wherever situated in the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories or in any other portion of the Dominion of Canada. To have and to hold the same to His Majesty the King and His Predecessors forever.

His Majesty the King hereby agrees with the said Indians that they shall have the right to pursue their right vocations of hunting, trapping, and fishing throughout the tract surrendered as therefore to subscribe, subject to such regulations as may from time to time be made by the Government of the Canada acting under the authority of His Majesty, and saving and excepting such tracts as may be required or taken up from the time of settlement, mining and trading or other purposes."

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask unanimous consent to finish my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank my colleagues. Now, with this in mind, they are wondering why the GNWT Department of Lands is able to supersede Treaty 11 and impose the lease fee on their traditional cabins, which will cause them hardship and their ability to hunt, trap, and fish. They had the right to use this land and build their traditional cabins as they saw fit in their traditional territories. Now, the GNWT is saying no. That is not right, and if they want the certain locations, they must pay $840. Later today, I will have questions for the Minister of Lands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Waste recycling is a continuous and community effort. These efforts can be measured by the tidiness and organized appearance of community landfills.

Mr. Speaker, ENR delivered in 2009 a waste landfill audit per community. This audit included a recycling cost. The inventory included such items as household appliances, barrels of waste fluids, batteries, tires, et cetera.

Mr. Speaker, ongoing arrangements were made since the study was delivered, but as we know, waste is an ever-generating one and the opportunity of disposal.

Mr. Speaker, solutions for improving the management of waste resources need to consider the diverse interest of all our groups producing and managing waste. The NWT's unique challenges include our northern climate, small and isolated population, with a lack of all-season roads to licenced facilities.

Mr. Speaker, in preparation for the upcoming winter road season, discussions with our northern communities must take place now for a disposal plan to the appropriate licensed waste facilities in the south.

Later, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. Mahsi.

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

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I will talk about the possibilities of direct funding by the NWT Housing Corporation to some of Indigenous communities that may be in a position to receive direct funding for the various home ownership programs delivered by the Housing Corporation.

Mr. Speaker, over the past few years there have been various strategies, initiatives, plans, and so on, all aimed at reducing core need for housing across the NWT. One of these strategies was announced last year by the federal government. They are calling it a Northern Housing Strategy, which provides $300 million to three territories over 10 years. Of this pot, the NWT got $36 million, which is only $3.6 million per year, which is hardly anything to get excited about. It hardly puts a dent on the core need.

This was also followed, Mr. Speaker, by another federal strategy that put $600 million towards housing for Indigenous reserves across southern Canada, which unfortunately left the NWT out of the equation.

Mr. Speaker, I have asked the NWT Housing Corporation on many occasions to develop community housing plans within each community across the North. Although nothing is likely to occur anytime soon, a community housing plan can tell us what needs to be done community by community to reduce core need.

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure the NWT Housing Corporation knows what it will take to develop these housing plans, and if they were to develop the plans, it would be beyond the life of this government.

However, Mr. Speaker, I have a solution. Right now, the Housing Corporation has the ability to sign partnership agreements with communities that can get projects completed. I suggest the Housing Corporation begin working with communities to determine which of them can take responsibility for home-ownership programs delivered to its residents.

Over the next few months, Mr. Speaker, the Housing Corporation can deliver programs that will keep seniors in their own home as long as possible, and the plan can involve the Home Care Program from Health and Social Services. I'm not talking about the aging in place program that is currently rolled out by the Housing Corporation for $10,000. It's a good program, but it's not enough money to modify the homes and make homes senior friendly. We need houses that our seniors can move around barrier-free and are efficient to operate.

Mr. Speaker, I can go on and on about the benefits of just one initiative I have in mind. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to continue my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. It's time for the NWT Housing Corporation to start funding community governments directly in order to put people to work and help seniors stay in their own homes in their own communities as long as possible. Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the external review of the Aurora College Social Work Diploma Program. I obtained the review last month, not through the Minister but through an access to information request. I believe that one of the reasons this review has not been made public is because it contradicts the government's line. The review shows the program is worthwhile. It should never have been cut. Instead, it must be redeveloped to improve student success.

Mr. Speaker, the decision to end the social work program came in response to the government's decision to cut spending in all departments, including Aurora College. After the uproar over ending the program, the Minister of the day reinstated it, but then put the enrolment on hold. Only after all of that happened did the college contract a review of the social work program.

Mr. Speaker, after a second year without enrolment, the program is dying a slow death, and the decision to let it die is fundamentally wrong. The program has many strengths, including meeting the requirements for licensed social workers, its excellent instructors, its students who are from the population they will be working with as social workers. What would make it a better program, as the review recommends, is redeveloping it as a Bachelor of Social Work degree. Degrees are now the norm for social workers. A degree program would address the problem of students having to take third- and fourth-year courses in their first year because university-level elective courses aren't available in Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, the review makes some other important recommendations. First, to gather program partners together to create an advisory committee that will assist with development of the program and future evaluation. Second, improve program reporting so that both the college and the program itself are using the same measurements. Third, screen students more rigorously to ensure they can meet the challenges of the program and provide them with more support to graduate on time.

Mr. Speaker, the Aurora College Foundational Review recommends the college become a degree-granting institution. Let's start with the social work program. The government must immediately work with the college to implement the report recommendations before the last staff and students leave and there's nothing left to work with. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. On October 4^th, the federal Ministers announced that they would begin negotiation of an offshore petroleum resource co-management and resource-sharing agreement with Yukon, the lnuvialuit, and the Northwest Territories. The federal Ministers also announced their intention to "co-develop the scope and governance framework for a science-based, life-cycle impact assessment review every five years that takes into account marine and climate change science" with regard to the moratorium on rights issuances. The Ministers also said that the terms of the existing licences in the Arctic offshore will be preserved by remitting the balance of any financial deposit to affected licence holders and that required licence activities will be suspended for the duration of the moratorium. Even Russia has an indefinite state-imposed offshore petroleum rights issuance moratorium in place that will remain in force until at least 2020 to ensure orderly development. There has been no work in the Canadian Arctic offshore since at least 2014, and no drilling since 2006 because there is simply no interest. Most serious is that there is no proven method of stopping a blow-out, and no company has a proven same-season well relief capacity.

Oil spill contingency in the Arctic offshore is also inadequate. The likelihood of any future offshore petroleum development in the next 10 years is very dim at best and very risky. It's not the kind of future I would bet on, and there is certainly a need to look at more sustainable and reliable economic activities for the region.

While I welcome news of the negotiations, what is not clear is how much the negotiations will cost our government and how Regular MLAs will be involved in the development of the negotiation mandate, and then regularly updated. It is rather ironic that our government will participate in a science-based lifecycle impact assessment of offshore petroleum resource, petroleum exploration, and development, when Cabinet has refused to do the same for onshore hydraulic fracturing despite this being part of our mandate.

I will have questions for the Premier later today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during the 18^th Assembly, we've been talking a lot about the knowledge economy and the potential for developing centres of excellence and knowledge clusters. These are important aspects of our mandate commitment to diversify the economy. To that end, I'm excited to tell Members of the Assembly about a new initiative called the Incubator for Northern Design and Innovation, or INDI.

The concept of INDI was developed by my friend Dr. Gavin Renwick. He has taught and worked in architecture and design in the North for over two decades. His ground-breaking doctorate thesis connected traditional knowledge with contemporary design. Gavin is also the Canada Research Chair in Design Studies. He has built an excellent northern support team to help make INDI a reality, and the good news is the INDI team has put in a lot of hard work and will be applying to the Arctic Inspiration Prize for additional funding support as of today. I am super proud to be the nominator for this submission.

INDI will support design innovation and sustainable economies in the NWT; it will promote creative exchange between various ways of knowing; it will help create networks and collaborations between northern communities, creative industries, academia, and entrepreneurs.

Mr. Speaker, INDI will support the North to become a centre of new ideas by attracting innovators and creative artists, sustaining Indigenous knowledge and skill. INDI wants to bring together land-based knowledge with contemporary design thinking and technologies. It will seek pioneering ways to build community-led solutions. It will build on Northerners' unique land-based knowledge to promote an economically sustainable future. INDI will inspire northern youth and communities to link areas of social innovation, design thinking, social learning, and creative economies. It will encourage innovation to connect local knowledge and skills with a global creative economy.

Think of the examples I gave a while back about the young Indigenous woman who developed an app to teach others the history of her people and sells it online, or the young Indigenous man who learned from his elders how to build teepees and goes on to design homes that are better suited for his people's way of life.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, colleagues, and thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm excited to be working with its strong founding team, and I am proud to be the nominator of INDI for the Arctic Inspiration Prize. Colleagues, please join me in congratulating Dr. Renwick, Dr. Chetwynd, and the rest of the INDI team on their efforts to date in developing the Incubator for Northern Design and Innovation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 2015 this House passed a motion introduced by the former MLA for Hay River South to formally observe today, October 15^th, as an annual special day of awareness and remembrance for pregnancy and infant loss in the Northwest Territories. In doing so, the NWT joined a number of other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world which use today to recognize and raise awareness of the prominence of pregnancy loss and infant death, with an aim to support women and families who experience such losses and to remember the children who have passed.

Sometimes, Mr. Speaker, the world isn't fair and a child is lost and no one is at fault, and all we can do is be mindful, offer support, and attempt to console. However, today reminds us that we must also work to provide the education and pre-natal care required to reduce preventable losses and ensure that every child is given the greatest opportunity possible to grow up.

The loss of a pregnancy or infant can take a heavy emotional toll, and parents can often feel isolated in their grief. One of the goals of today is to help break that isolation by starting a conversation that will allow parents to open up and work toward healing. To that end, there is a candlelight vigil today known as the International Wave of Light. Candles will be lit at 7:00 p.m. local time in countries all around the world and remain lit for one hour. That means that for 24 continuous hours, when candles are put out in one time zone, they are lit in another.

Hay River's event will begin at 7:00 p.m. tonight at the recreation centre. Everyone is welcome to attend and light a candle in remembrance of a baby who was taken too soon, or to show support for the women and families in Hay River and around the world who have experienced this type of loss. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, housing continues to be one of the biggest contributing factors to social ills within the Nunakput region. Although $15 million was delivered directly to the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation from the federal government, the need for more homes to be constructed is bleakly felt by those who continue to remain on the waiting list. With the cancellation of MTS barges, this means four homes aren't being built to completion this winter.

Mr. Speaker, housing can be more than just a building; housing can be an opportunity for social progress. The communities have strengths and skills that could be of use, that need to be used. Building on these local capacities can give our people a sense of empowerment and resilience.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories needs to take a look at the contractors who build these homes in the territory. Recently in Nunakput, there have been unfinished homes due to contractors not fulfilling commitments to the Housing Corporation. Ultimately, this has a ripple effect on the residents who are homeless, residents who are on the waiting list, and Northerners who are scheduled to move into a new home.

Mr. Speaker, we hope that this will encourage the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to monitor progress, inspect projects, and do a better job than average, as this business costs money at the end of the day.

Mr. Speaker, I'm looking forward to seeing how partnership between Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation rolls out, as it could have positive impacts for all Northerners. Mr. Speaker, we must think progressively when it comes to housing to improve the quality of life for all Northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll have questions for the Minister of Housing later.

Masi. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Members, I'd like to draw your attention to visitors in the gallery. I'm pleased to recognize Ms. Patricia Chaychuk here with us as Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. Ms. Chaychuk has come north with a group of visiting interns from the Manitoba Legislature who will be our guests during this week. Please join me in welcoming Ms. Chaychuk to our proceedings today. Welcome. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to welcome my wife, Judy, to the gallery and to the Assembly, and she's also a constituent of Inuvik Boot Lake. Speaking of constituents, I would like to recognize Donna Rogers who is a constituent of Inuvik Twin Lakes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife north.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today it is my pleasure to recognize two key members of the Incubator for Northern Design and Innovation. I'd like to recognize Dr. Courtney Chetwynd, artist and researcher. She is also the chief development officer of INDI and happens to be a Yellowknife North resident. I'd also like to recognize my good friend, Dr. Gavin Renwick. He is the Canada Research Chair in Design Studies and is the creative director of INDI. Welcome, and thank you for being here.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to come and sit in the House and see the proceedings, and over the years, I haven't seen Ms. Donna Rogers here, so I would like to welcome her, from Inuvik, even though she is a constituent of Twin Lakes, and to welcome my constituent from Boot Lake, Ms. Judy McLeod.

We also have some special guests in the audience here, Mr. Howie Miller, well-renowned Canadian comedian, so welcome. I know he is passing through from Iqaluit with his wife, Jen Houseman, and I would also just like to recognize Mr. Deneze Nakehk'o, a long-time friend and good basketball buddy of mine. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize two of my constituents from the fine riding of Kam Lake, Ms. Heather Nakehk'o and Deneze Nakehk'o. Thank you for being here today.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are several directors of family violence shelters in the Northwest Territories today in the Assembly, and I would like to recognize April Davies from Fort Smith, Sutherland House.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too, have a constituent from Tuktoyaktuk, Ms. Sandra Elias, who is one of the directors for the family violence shelters in the Northwest Territories. Welcome, Sandra. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In addition to Ms. Rogers being a constituent of Inuvik Boot Lake, she is also the director of the Inuvik shelter, and she is here for the Family Violence Shelter Network meeting. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we missed anyone in the gallery, welcome to our proceedings. It is always nice to have an audience as part of our proceedings. Masi.

Item 6, acknowledgements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge a former constituent, Jack Sigvaldason, who died this summer.

Beginning in 1971 with the feisty Yellowknifer newspaper, "Sig," as he was known, built Northern News Service into a consortium of seven newspapers across two territories, running the NWT's largest printing service with a payroll approaching 100 people.

In June 2012, Jack Sigvaldason was awarded the Canadian Journalism Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to journalism and democracy across the North.

Please join me in applauding the life and work of Jack Sigvaldason. Mahsi.

Masi. Acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke about housing issues in Nunakput, and my questions are for the Minister of the Housing Corporation.

Mr. Speaker, with the agreement between the GNWT and IRC being a step in the right direction, my question is: will this agreement bring up the number of housing units needed in Nunakput in 2018? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, under the 2016 federal budget, the Member is right, $15 million was allocated directly to the IRC for 24 public housing replacement projects in the six Inuvialuit Settlement Region communities. These will not be additional units, unfortunately, for the Housing Corporation's portfolio, but will be replacing aging buildings with more energy-efficient and modernized units.

The IRC did secure the additional funding in 2018-2019 to also deliver an additional 10 public housing unit replacements for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. We continue to look forward to working with them and working with the plan to develop more housing units in the ISR region. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the response, although, with the population rising in all of our regions in the territory, I think housing needs to grow as well with the population.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister give detail to the agreement and the importance of hiring local subcontractors in the four Nunakput communities and the need to grow local capacity?

Most recently I had the opportunity to open the six-plex in Inuvik and also look at the work that was being done with a local contractor working under IRC. We are working towards a common goal, Mr. Speaker, and that goal is affordable, adequate, and suitable housing for the Inuvialuit people and the residents of the region.

That memorandum of agreement details the IRC and our role as the NWT Housing Corporation with respect to planning, construction, inspection, and other aspects of project implementation, and also confirms the arrangements to transfer the constructed asset to the NWT Housing Corporation for a nominal price, which the Housing Corporation will be responsible for the program afterwards. We continue to look forward to having those kinds of arrangements with the IRC.

Partnerships are essential, especially when it comes to housing. Partnerships can possibly eliminate some of the errors that have happened in the past, where homes have remained unfinished.

Mr. Speaker, with the cancellation of the MTS shipments to the region, MTS has declared that only essential equipment, gear, and dry goods will be delivered. Mr. Speaker, there are building materials that are stuck in Inuvik.

Homes are essential to the region. Mr. Speaker, will the building materials that were scheduled on MTS barges be delivered to the communities in Nunakput region on the upcoming airlift?

I have been assured that the cancellation of the MTS shipments will not impact any new construction within the Nunakput communities, with the exception of Paulatuk, which had some mechanical materials, including water and sewer tanks, scheduled for the barging. We are assessing the situation to make sure that we address it, and I will confirm and commit to keeping the Member and his constituents updated on that.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that. Mr. Speaker, they mentioned that they are replacing homes, and hopefully the four homes that are being replaced are not taken offline before completion of this, which may be next year if we don't get the materials.

Mr. Speaker, my final question: with the population growing in the Northwest Territories and in Nunakput, how many more homes will this open up, specifically in Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok, and Tuktoyaktuk, with the agreement between the IRC and the GNWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In the 2018-2019 capital plan, we have major retrofits planned for 11 units in the Nunakput communities: 10 public housing units and one health unit. We are also, in 2019-2020, planning for five major retrofits and also looking at bringing in materials and labour to construct other market rental units for nurses and for teachers.

As I mentioned, I will continue to keep the Members apprised of the work that we are doing in all of the communities across the Northwest Territories. We also do have a new home program, where we are looking at creating 11 units across the Northwest Territories to get people who are in public housing units right now into new home ownership programs, and we will keep Members apprised of that as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I talked today in my Member's statement about maybe direct funding, direct funding from the Housing Corporation. I have some questions for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation. On Friday, the Minister responsible made a Minister's statement on housing in the Tlicho region. Part of that was striking a working group to begin working on some of the critical housing issues, as he referred to it. I would like to ask the Minister if he is prepared to work with other working groups, like perhaps a working group that covers the communities in my riding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think, over the last few years, we have been seeing some very strong partnerships, strong, positive partnerships. As you heard, I just talked about our partnership with the IRC, the Tlicho Minister's statement that I gave on Friday. Working with the Tlicho leadership there was a very positive relationship. Yes, I am willing to work with the Member, work with their leadership, to address the housing issues in their communities.

I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister would be willing to move the community housing plans up, to maybe address the community housing plans for the communities in Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh as soon as possible?

As you heard last week, I did mention that a community housing planner has been hired. We are in the preliminary planning work. It is under way, and we want to make sure that we address the communities that do have some of the higher housing needs. The housing plans will identify areas of need, as well as direct resources to increase opportunities for strategic planning, and we will be working with the leaders and the stakeholders in the communities to develop a very detailed plan to address the needs, and I mentioned them last week. I will work with the Member, and I will work with the NWT Housing Corporation to make sure that the communities that are in the biggest need in the Member's riding are addressed.

One of the items I spoke on during my Member's statement was a program rolled out by the Housing Corporation called aging in place, which is a good program. There are a lot of seniors taking advantage of it. It addresses a lot of the annual maintenance items, and some emergency items. There is enough money to do that, but there is not enough money in that specific program to really allow seniors to age in place. By that, I mean it's not really enough money to make a unit barrier-free or make a unit senior-friendly, and so on. I would like to ask the Minister if they would take a second look at either expanding that program to a major program which can allow housing to be set to a barrier-free state or a senior-friendly state?

Currently, we are going through a strategic renewal process. That program in particular, we will be taking a look at. We also do have other work that we are doing that I will be more than happy to share with the Member, such as the community housing support initiatives, that we work with Indigenous governments as well as NGOs to provide funding. As we go through our strategic renewal, we will be updating Members, we will be updating committee, as well as all of our stakeholders across the territory.

Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that I have often advocated for is to have staff from the NWT Housing Corporation, program staff and technical staff, go into the homes of the various individuals who need housing, and especially seniors. I would like to ask the Minister if there is a new way of approaching at least the homeownership seniors, seniors who own their own homes, and go into the houses with the program officers and technical officers at the application review time so that the seniors do not have to then go to a central location where the officers are waiting to receive the applicants. I would like to ask the Minister if he would give direction to his staff to make sure that, if there is a senior household homeownership person, that officers are entering into their homes to take the application.

That is a concern that I have heard from various Members during my tenure as Minister of Housing. We will take a look at it and ensure that we work with our seniors. They are one of our most vulnerable peoples, and we want to make sure that they can have adequate and safe living place, and we want to make sure that we support that. We will take a look into that. We will work with our district officers and our local housing authorities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I have called the Minister's attention to the Aurora College foundational review recommendation for the creation of a degree-granting polytechnic, and I am aware that she is now working on that. With the social work program report, the Minister has a thorough road map in hand for creating a degree-granting program at the new polytechnic. Will the Minister use this report to make a start on our course offerings in the new institution? Mahsi.

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, yes, once the associate deputy minister for post-secondary renewal is in place, he, she, that person will be responsible for utilizing both the Aurora College foundational review and the internal review on the social work program that was done by the college.

Thank you to the Minister for that response. Mr. Speaker, it's my understanding that there is already a loss of one of the three instructors and that the college is now down to just a handful of students who are finishing up their program. What is the Minister's intention for this program in the meantime, before the review is implemented?

For this school year, the program is providing support for students who are trying to finish up. Next year, it won't be happening. It's really important to note that the internal review did not just give an outline that says, "Here's to go." It gave options, similar to the Aurora College foundational review. Some of those options were either stay with the program using the University of Regina, looking at other universities so that the credits are more transferable, or doing a standalone university, and each one of those takes time to be able to research them and get them correct.

What I am trying to have the Minister answer is: who will be left in the social work program at this time next year? What resources will be allocated to it?

I cannot really identify who will be left in that social work program this time next year. That is an operational decision that will be made by the associate deputy minister for post-secondary renewal when they, that person, assumes their position.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I regret that the Minister has had a full glass of mumbo-jumbo for lunch and we are not getting anywhere with trying to understand how to preserve the strengths of this program within the time that is still allotted to it. It's not too late to have the remaining staff start working on how the implementation of the reports' recommendations could happen, and so what is standing in the way of this? It cannot be the hiring of this associate deputy minister. He is working at too high a level to start worrying about which elective social work students are going to be taking. So, once again, I would like to know from the Minister what she is going to do to preserve the strengths of the program in the short term. Thank you.

It is well-known that my degree is also in social work, and I have a personal commitment. The Social Work Program is also identified in our Skills 4 Success in the top 10 positions in the Northwest Territories coming up, but I need to put aside my personal biases. This needs to be a review that is done by the person who is the expert, and that will be the associate deputy minister of post-secondary renewal.

There are things, yes. The current staff that are in the Social Work Program can help with program curriculum, but can they build the relationships with universities across Canada? Is that the role of a professor, to go about and look at the different universities, the different options, and then decide the best path forward? I beg to differ, Mr. Speaker. I believe that is a higher-level position, to be able to build those relationships.

Both reviews, both the Aurora College Foundational Review and the social work review said, "Build relationships with post-secondary educations." That is the first step. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Premier in his role as Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs.

During my statement earlier today, I questioned the likelihood and safety of offshore petroleum development and production. Does the Premier have any confirmation that such offshore development is going to take place in the next few years, and if so, can he table it in the house? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. The Honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is industry interest in the oil and gas resources in the Beaufort Sea. There was evidence of that when industry successfully bid $2.3 billion worth of work, and also, we know that there are recoverable estimates of seven billion barrels of oil and 82 billion cubic feet of natural gas in the offshore.

However, at the present time, with the current moratorium, all activity and interest is on hold until there is certainty. If and when the moratorium is lifted, companies will make decisions on whether or not and when to conduct future exploration and development. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thanks to the Premier for that. Of course, there hasn't been any drilling since 2006, but a lot of resources will need to go into negotiation of this multi-party offshore petroleum resource co-management and revenue sharing agreement. Can the Premier describe how our government is preparing for such negotiations and what the costs will be?

In 2014 the Government of the Northwest Territories met with Canada, IRC, and the Yukon to look at initial discussions around interests to inform Canada's mandate development process. We also had some preliminary discussions with Newfoundland and Labrador to start a process of information-sharing around their experience in the offshore. However, with the announcement of the moratorium, we haven't done any further work. We will be seeking a contract negotiator with expertise in oil and gas. Committee has requested a briefing to provide input before the Government of the Northwest Territories finalizes its negotiating approach, and I would be pleased to provide a briefing to committee.

I would like to thank the Premier for that. It sounds like we really haven't done much work on this over the last while. I certainly don't have any objection in principle to the negotiation of such an agreement and revenue sharing, but of course, it doesn't seem like there is going to be much development in the foreseeable future.

Can the Premier tell us what the role is going to be for Regular MLAs in developing the negotiation mandate and how he intends to keep us informed?

As I indicated, we will be asking for a time slot to brief committee, and committee will be involved, like they are in all of the other process of this government.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I look forward to that briefing, of course.

I was very pleased to see that the Premier has agreed to a science-based life cycle impact assessment review of the Arctic offshore rights issuance moratorium every five years that will take into account marine and climate change science. This raises the question around why Cabinet has refused to carry out a similar review of onshore hydraulic fracturing. Can the Premier explain this inconsistency and when the public can expect a public review of onshore hydraulic fracturing? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

There is no onshore hydraulic fracturing going on, so there is nothing to review.

The science-based review of offshore development was a federal decision that accompanied their decision to put a moratorium on all gas licensing in the Arctic. We made it very clear that we didn't support a moratorium, and we agreed to participate in the review because we felt that would be one of the ways to work to get rid of the moratorium. We are very pleased to see that the federal government has agreed to start negotiations on devolution on the offshore.

Also, on the offshore, we have a strong legislative and regulatory framework to oversee oil and gas development, and they are subject to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act and the Mackenzie Valley EIRB. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in follow up to my Member's statement, I have two questions for the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister: how is the Housing Corporation planning to increase housing stock in the Mackenzie Delta communities over the rest of the 18^th Assembly? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As all Members know, we do have a capital plan that we do follow. One new initiative that we are doing is the community housing plans, as I have mentioned numerous times during this session, that are going to help identify where our needs are.

Last week I talked about some of our core need progress that has been going on. Our work with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation is helping address those needs, as well. We have been meeting with the Gwich'in Tribal Council to see how we can work together to address these issues, and we will continue to have those in place as we move forward, but the community housing plans are going to help us address some of those and how we, as a government and as a corporation, spend our capital dollars. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My next question asks maybe a little too much detail, but I will ask it anyway. I am a Member of the Standing Committee on Social Development, and that committee has often spoken with the Minister of the territory's long waiting list for housing. I want to ask the Minister: how many people have been on the waiting list for more than two years?

The Member is right; it is pretty detailed. I will have to get back to him on that question on how many people have been on the waiting list over the last two years. It could make a lot of work for some of our employees, but we will get that information for him.

We do know that it is a long waiting list right across the Northwest Territories. We are trying to make an indent into that and working our partners, such as ECE, working with Infrastructure, going through our capital plannings, but most importantly we are still continuing to work with our federal counterparts to nail down a bilateral agreement and looking at funding.

As the Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh mentioned earlier, there were some northern housing funds that I believe we got shortchanged on, and we want to address that so that our residents of the Northwest Territories, and us as a government, and our Indigenous governments get the funding that they do deserve to address our housing needs right across the NWT and in our communities.

I know we will see a number of changes over the next year, as I know there are a number of units that have not been completed yet but that are being built at the moment, but I would like to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, we need to represent these residents stuck in the housing limbo with some viable options. How will the Housing Corporation take action to rescue these residents from the waiting list?

I agree. As Members of the Legislative Assembly, we all have these issues of people who are on the waiting list. We also, like I mentioned, have a good working relationship with the Department of ECE. We have a lot of programs in place, such as major retrofits. We have had good partnerships with the Salt River First Nations, the IRC, the Fort Good Hope band, and we want to make sure that we address that waiting list. Our Northern Pathways to Housing is another good initiative in transitioning some of our homeless people into more public housing units. We have got a long list of work that we are doing to address core needs, but there is that waiting list that we do need to address, as well as, and we want to make sure that we are trying the best that we can.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My honourable friend the Member for Yellowknife Centre was asking the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about the social work program. This program has long been a subject of interest of this Assembly. Without any student intake, it's currently withering on the vine, and now we hear we have even more delays, which is conveniently linked to my statement earlier today. So I will ask the Minister from the Member for Kam Lake: is this program going to be allowed to wither on the vine, or are we going to set new direction to allow intake until the full transformation of Aurora College can take place? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have made a commitment and I will stand by my commitment that I am not willing to let Aurora College stay status quo. There are issues that need to be addressed within our post-secondary education, and my commitment is to making sure that we have the best quality post-secondary and secondary and elementary education for our students as possible.

So the social work program as it is, could the Minister make the improvements or some of the improvements that are indicated in that review, which is now public information? Could the Minister implement some of those recommendations now, improve the program and get it working the way it should to fill the much-needed gap in social workers, that are indicated in the government's own Skills 4 Success strategy?

No, the Minister cannot make those changes immediately. There are significant changes to be made. One is deciding where we want the transfer of credits to go or if it wants to be stand-alone. That is one issue. The other issue is it talks about having third- and fourth-year courses in the first year of a student attending university. That is not okay. That sets up our students to fail. That needs to be changed, and it talks about how to change that, combining it with other general arts throughout the other programs, but that has to be negotiated. This is not something that you just automatically do. So all of the changes need time. The internal review done on the social work program says develop a plan. I picked that up, and I am committed to making sure that we do a planned process that ensures that we have quality programming for our students. As said over and over, I am all about quality programming.

I appreciate that there are areas that can improve and, if the Minister is certain that these opportunities cannot be made, then I will ask this. Everything hinges on the ADM, this new ADM position that is out for hire. When is the Minister going to have that position in place so we can start making progress on Aurora College?

The competition is now open. It's going across Canada. It closes, I believe, at the end of this month. At that point, we will be conducting the interview process, and we are presuming that person will be hired by the end of this calendar year.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the department cannot succeed in hiring this position, what is the Minister's backup plan? Are we still going to move ahead with changes, or does everything stall until we can fill that position? Thank you.

I would be shocked if we did not fill the position. We have had applicants from across Canada apply, and I have even gotten three that came across my desk as a Minister, so I am not even sure why that would not happen, that it would not be done.

As the Member had spoken before, I do not know if it was a hockey puck or a football, but this is not a game, Mr. Speaker. This is about building a strong foundation. We need to do things in proper time. We need strong leadership to guide this forward. It is not appropriate that a Minister who does not have the expertise in bringing forward post-secondary education would be designing what that post-secondary would look like. My degree is in social work. It is not on running post-secondary education. I need the expertise. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is a follow-up on my Member's statement today here. My questions will be for the Minister of Lands. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister explain why residents are feeling that their treaty rights are being taken away by having their cabins be considered unauthorized occupancy on their own traditional land? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Lands.