This is page numbers 4571 - 4620 of the Hansard for the 18th Assembly, 3rd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was yellowknife.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Members, we left off on acknowledgements. Item 8, oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know it seems like an eternity ago, but it was just earlier today that I had a Member's statement about increasing high-speed Internet accessibility in the Northwest Territories. I have some questions to that for the Minister of Infrastructure.

Recently there was a federal, provincial, and territorial gathering of Ministers for Innovation and Economic Development, and out of this came an agreement to make broadband a priority and to develop a long-term strategy to improve access to high-speed Internet services for all Canadians.

Now, I understand the Minister was in Calgary last week, but this conference took place in Vancouver. Was the Minister there, and are we a party to this announcement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, this was an FPT in Vancouver. That is where I was last week with Minister Bains and all of my colleagues from across the country, and yes, we discussed the exact topic that the Member brought up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

That is good to hear. I spoke earlier, we need to start investing in this infrastructure for a variety of reasons; economic, social, and so on. I would like to know: will the Minister fully commit to engaging in this strategy so that the North's voice is heard, and so that when this national strategy comes out, the territory is well-represented, and we can begin moving ahead with connecting all of our residents?

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

I can tell this House that we are fully committed to all of our FPT tables, and we are fully engaged with all the topics that are brought up at these tables. I can provide the Member with updates as we move along on this important file.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

I look forward to him providing updates, and if he needs, I can also provide advice. I also spoke about the CRTC Broadband Fund, $750 million to narrow the gap between Internet access in rural and urban communities. What are we doing, what is this government doing, to prepare our submissions? They will start looking at submissions in 2019. What are we doing do get ready for that?

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

This is a new broadband fund that will provide $750 million across Canada for the first five years to support projects to build or upgrade infrastructure to provide fixed or mobile wireless broadband Internet service to unserviced Canadians. This new program is still in development, and the CRTC has noted that resources for applicants will be made available in the coming months, including application guide, application forms, and maps, and it is expected to have this funding start to roll out in 2019.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It sounds like pretty soon they are going to start getting the criteria and start developing their applications, and I encourage the Minister to come to committee for some ideas on how we would like to see that application roll out.

I would also like to ask: all across North America now, communities are installing their own fibre optic infrastructure so that they can own the infrastructure and sell access to the Internet. It is being done where it doesn't make sense for a company, economically, to invest that type of money, yet it turns out that it is often a money-generating proposal for communities.

Will the Minister commit to working with MACA, working with the municipalities, when he is making the submission so that we can get all of our communities connected? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

I can fully commit to doing that, plus I also fully commit to working with any individual entrepreneur that wants to look at doing this.

At the same time, I want to talk about what Northwestel has already done lately. They have recently gone to the same department I said, got an application together, and did the Connect to Innovate fund. They got some money out of that. They are working on that right now, and that funding is going to be actually to help build a fibre optic backbone to the community of Jean Marie, which is what they are working on. They are also working to extend satellite connections in the following nine remote communities, beginning in April 2019; Colville, Gameti, Lutselk'e, Paulatuk, Sachs, Trout, Ulukhaktok, Wekweeti, and Old Crow.

We will work with everybody who wants to take this opportunity to build connected communities. I think this is very important for us, as we all know that the previous government invested in the fibre optic line, which we had the opportunity to open. We spent $90 million on that. This is going to help bring communities together and bring them access out to the world and businesses and, also, broaden our knowledge economy in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in follow-up to my Member's statement, I have a few questions for the Premier.

Can the Premier start by giving us a brief update on his government's work to fulfill its commitment to advance, finalize, and implement land resources and self-government agreements, particularly with the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement and the Inuvialuit Final Agreement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The Honourable Premier.

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is engaged in self-government negotiations with the Gwich'in and the Inuvialuit.

Inuvialuit self-government negotiations concluded an agreement in principle in 2015. Negotiations to conclude an Inuvialuit final self-government agreement are under way. Gwich'in self-government negotiations are presently set to restart following recent decisions by the Gwich'in on how they wish to move forward.

The Government of the Northwest Territories conditions to fulfill its obligations under both the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement and the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. Obligations to both are either complete, ongoing in nature, or being addressed by the parties through tripartite implementation committees.

The Gwich'in Implementation Committee meets three times per year to discuss, plan, and initiate activities that support the implementation of the land claim. The GNWT meets two times per year with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Inuvialuit Game Council, Canada, and the Yukon Government to discuss activities related to the implementation of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

What direction has the Premier given his Cabinet to foster government-to-government relationships in the department's regular business?

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

Through respect, responsibility, and recognition of the Government of the Northwest Territories' commitment to collaborative and cooperative relationships with Indigenous governments, this government has worked to advance positive working relationships at all levels. Ministers are active partners in the bilateral meetings between the Government of the Northwest Territories and Indigenous governments. They are fundamental to our government-to-government relationships.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Can the Premier commit to providing me with a written briefing on the status of the implementation of both the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement and the Inuvialuit Final Agreement?

Bob McLeod

Bob McLeod Yellowknife South

I would be pleased to provide the Member with a written briefing on the implementation of both the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement and the Inuvialuit Final Agreement.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

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

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, part of my Member's statement was talking about daycares. I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

In April 2018, the federal government announced $7 million dedicated to childcare in the NWT. I'm wondering if there are any plans yet for where some of that money will go and if any of that money would be allocated to communities in Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the Canada and Northwest Territories Early Learning and Childcare Bilateral Agreement was signed. Within that agreement, it's not really designated for communities as much, but within the terms of early childhood development where they have extra money to top up our money, we will be using that for providing things like we are doing ECD, or early childhood development. There used to be a certificate program. We are now doing a diploma program with Aurora College. We have increased our scholarships for people trying to get into early childhood development. It used to be 10 with the territorial funding. Now it is 30 with the federal funding. We have improved our training, as well. We have allocated the monies to areas in early childhood development, but we haven't actually allocated per community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

I would like to ask the Minister if there are any plans toward creating a universal daycare program in the NWT?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

At this time, no, we are not looking at a universal daycare program. I want to say that we actually have really subsidized, and I need to actually do some more work on the breakdown of how that looks like. We give money to the daycares directly to subsidize for it, so that they can have lower costs for children. That's based on if they are infants, or the age of the children. The younger the child, the more money daycare providers actually get. We give money to parents. If parents can't afford the daycare or subsidies or the daycare costs, they can come in if they are lower-income and actually get subsidies on top of that from the Education, Culture and Employment. We give money to the workers on a quarterly basis. They provide their attendance sheets. They provide their work, and actually we provide the daycare workers with a subsidy as well to top up their wages.

We are subsidizing both the daycares, the parents, and the workers. I'm not sure, Mr. Speaker, but I think we are doing a lot.