Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge and welcome Margaret Thom in the gallery. We need more strong leaders like Margaret in this house. Thank you.

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. I would also like to recognize Sam Gargan, former Member, former Speaker. Welcome to our Assembly. The Honourable Margaret Thom, who is here with us as Commissioner, masi for joining us. If we have missed anyone in the gallery, it is always nice to have an audience as part of our proceedings. Welcome. Masi. Item 3, Ministers' statements. Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, our mandate has outlined direct actions to improve the lives of Northerners. For the Department of Justice, this includes a commitment to offer programming that meets the rehabilitative needs of inmates. An integral part of the work that the Department of Justice does requires that dedicated individuals in our corrections service constantly learn and adapt to the needs and best practices for helping inmates in our system. These professionals are tasked with providing the safe and secure custody of inmates and supporting their successful reintegration upon release.

This is not easy work, Mr. Speaker, and our corrections professionals work hard to provide culturally appropriate programming and to foster an environment that responds to the various and changing needs for rehabilitation. While this field of work is challenging, we know that it is extremely important. Tonight, joined by many of my colleagues in this Chamber and the Honourable Commissioner Margaret Thom, 23 correction, probation, and peace officers from the Northwest Territories will be honoured for their exceptional service. Corrections professionals from Yellowknife, Fort Smith, and Hay River will be awarded the Governor General of Canada’s Corrections Exemplary Service Medal.

These medals recognize distinguished service and are a tangible expression of national gratitude. The fact that we will recognize a total of 23 individuals tonight speaks to the strong calibre of the corrections service in the NWT. To be considered for this honour, you must have worked for more than 20 years in the corrections field, including as peace officer or probation officer in an institution or in a capacity which has brought you into contact with offenders as part of your regular work duties. All of the medal recipients for the Northwest Territories, many of whom are with us today, have demonstrated good conduct, industry, efficiency, and most importantly have served our residents in an exemplary manner.

Today’s corrections professionals are involved with inmates from the moment they enter a facility or receive their probation orders. They work alongside inmates and model behaviours, demonstrate leadership, and encourage programming options so that people can begin to make positive changes in their lives. Mr. Speaker, our government is proud of our corrections service. As the outstanding individuals who will be receiving the Corrections Exemplary Service Medals demonstrate, we have caring, compassionate, and dedicated employees who are committed to making a difference in the lives of others. On behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories, please join me in expressing our congratulations to this dedicated group of professionals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 4, Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On December 3rd to 8th, the Standing Committee on Social Development and the Minister of Health and Social Services had the opportunity to visit the four treatment centres that the Government of the Northwest Territories has contracts with, that provide treatment programs for the residents of the NWT. As well, we had the opportunity to visit Guthrie House, part of the BC Corrections, that provide residents and inmates with the unique program that helps them deal with trauma and addictions. Mr. Speaker, the trip was about clearer links between addictions and mental health in the NWT and mental health hospitalizations. Harm caused by alcohol consumption and growing community concerns regarding fentanyl use also weighs on Northerners' minds. This tour will give us a better understanding of the experience of NWT residents in treatment and recovery and of how we can improve our programs and services.

As we all have witnessed loved ones and friends struggle with addictions, trauma and/or mental illness over the years, this trip was an eye-opener for me. We witnessed first-hand the programs and had the opportunity to speak to some of the residents. They spoke about the treatment programs and why they were working for themselves. I realize that these facilities are down south and that this is a struggle for some. I wish we could have the capacity in the North to deal with these issues, but, until we get there, southern facilities may be our best option. In my discussions with some of the residents, they like the privacy to work on bettering themselves away from their home community. They like the fact these four facilities and their programs offer the tools that a person needs to get well, an opportunity to seek further healing, individual and group counseling, and to be able to adapt and recognize the importance of the personal, cultural, spirituality, and after-care support.

One of the key points of this trip for me was treatment only works if the person makes the commitment themselves to get better. They need to do it for themselves. All we can do is love and care for them as they go on this journey. It sounds simple, but it is not. Please show your support and encouragement to them. It is always the darkest before we see the light. I believe we will succeed together. There is hope. We need to talk about how we can help each other. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services later on. Thank you.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in December, I joined my colleagues, including the Member for Nahendeh, on the Standing Committee on Social Development and the Minister of Health and Social Services for a tour of the four facilities which the government has contracts with as described by my colleague. I came away with a greater understanding of what is offered at these treatment centres and what we can do to strengthen after-care.

The four centres have a common approach shaped by the AA 12-step program with its focus on abstinence and peer support. Clients are offered group and individual therapy that acknowledges that almost everyone with an addiction has also experienced significant trauma in their lives. Between half and three-quarters of the clients complete the initial four- to six-week program, and some of the centres offer a second, transitional phase, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk to you about a man I met from the NWT at the Fresh Start program in Calgary who had been sober for about nine months at that point. He says he has been an addict for 40 years and that no one who knew him believed he could change. After finishing the program, he stayed in Calgary because he does not want to go home. After two previous visits to treatment centers, he relapsed because there was not enough support for him in his community, such as daily AA meetings. He also does not have anywhere to live. He had been living under houses and in an abandoned car prior to going to Calgary.

We met other people in recovery in other treatment facilities who highlighted these same challenges: finding support for their sobriety in their communities and finding housing. The question is how to build on their success so that their investment in their sobriety and the government's investment in their treatment continues. There are some basic ingredients for success. First, people who are leaving treatment need to be discharged into housing. Discharging people to a couch perpetuates the chaos they have worked so hard to put behind them. Second, we have to figure out how to strengthen after-care in the communities that do not have AA groups by increasing access to the after-care provided by the treatment facilities themselves. Mr. Speaker, this tour was both helpful and hopeful. Addictions do not have to be a life sentence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.

Mr. Speaker, in the whole area of rehabilitation and reintegration, there are casualties of our society due to hardships and bad choices. Mr. Speaker, this group needs the message that their government is there in providing the necessary supports and proactive environments through economic diversification. It has been said several times that the "best social program is a job" and, Mr. Speaker, I totally agree.

I compliment the Department of Health and Social Services in delivering an addiction treatment centre tour this past December to include the Standing Committee on Social Development. Viewing the facilities, designed programming and interacting with the clients is, in my view, none other than proactive and positive. More importantly, it advances the message on available rehabilitation and reintegration to our community leaders. Mr. Speaker, on the principles of progress reporting on October 17, 2017, the Minister of Justice statement related to North Slave Correctional Complex inmate concerns. Later, in that regard, I will have questions for the appropriate Minister. Mahsi.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway has now been open for just over two months, opening up a whole new world of choices for employment, education, trading, shopping, commerce, and travel. The residents of Tuktoyaktuk have looked forward to this day for a long time, and they're ready to take advantage of the opportunities the new highway opens to them. But, Mr. Speaker, Northerners are practical people. Even when change brings exciting benefits, we would like to know the risks and we would like to tackle them head-on. In this case, increased mobility and activity thanks to the new highway has also enabled easier access to drugs and alcohol and increased risks of community disruption.

During my recent constituency visit to Tuktoyaktuk, residents made it clear that action is needed. Residents spoke of increased reports of hard drugs entering the community and raised their concerns that the community will join the ranks of Canadian towns suffering due to fentanyl addiction. Although the local RCMP are doing their best, the detachment is understaffed for these new demands, Mr. Speaker, and addictions in the community may very well worsen with the legalization of cannabis later this year.

Mr. Speaker, Inuvialuit have been resilient and have been coping with the impacts of the highway and other factors. They need immediate and ongoing support for first responders such as RCMP and health workers as well as mental health workers, Mr. Speaker. This will provide a service very much needed in the region to support our residents.

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Department of Health and Social Services is working on an addiction recovery action plan. That plan must include careful consideration of how the government, Indigenous governments, communities, and Northerners can work together to combat addictions in our small communities, especially those that are like Tuktoyaktuk, facing sudden and dramatic changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as noted by the honourable Member from Kam Lake yesterday, our Government Operations Committee public hearing drew a large crowd. The committee is reviewing the Western Canada Lottery Act, seeking ways to avoid losing money to federal taxation. I think we can all agree that we need to keep northern dollars here, in the North.

However, the purpose of the review needed to be communicated better. Some misunderstood and thought the whole lottery act was up for review. Many of them wanted to propose that lottery funding should be directed to the arts, but it turned out that was not on the agenda. What was clear is that the public debate about arts versus sports continues, and I wonder if it has to.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot walk into a store these days without a sports team wanting to sell me a raffle ticket or pack my groceries. They come to my house and pick up the cans and bottles. Heck, they even help distribute my Yellowknife North newsletter. It is great to see teams so proactive, working and raising money to travel and compete. I remember well my days of doing the same.

No doubt sports and recreation have a tremendous impact on society. The upcoming Arctic Winter Games and Olympics show the results of our investments in youth and sport. I am also a beneficiary. My own introduction to sports was through school and local recreation programs. I was fortunate that it allowed me to compete at fairly high levels in curling and golf. Mr. Speaker, everyone appreciates that we have built up a significant force in sports and recreation. We certainly do not want to compromise that in any way. It would be a shame if we did.

However, Mr. Speaker, art is all around us. In my riding alone, one can see the impact of artistic creativity, whether it is in the architecture of Latham Island homes, the art galleries strewn about Old Town, the murals that adorn every garbage can, power box, and building. Then, of course, there are the world class events like Long John Jamboree, the Snow King Festival, and Ramble and Ride. Each puts on its own display of creativity. The arts clearly have an impact on our day-to-day lives. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that the arts has not grown at the same rate as sports, but arts and creative industries are now gathering momentum, with growing demands for resources. They need a dedicated period of public investment to catch up. It is time for a full discussion about the arts and the resources we need to build and promote this critical piece of our society. As a government, let's reach out to the creative industries and seek their input on how to shape the future.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for critical investment in the arts. It is time for a review of the NWT Arts Strategy. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of ECE at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Masi. Members' statement. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. The Stanton Renewal Project was raised from the south several times yesterday. Regular Members have had to make numerous inquiries of the Minister of Finance to try to find out what is going on and the implications for us here, in the Northwest Territories. Even though I have suggested a more proactive public communications effort, Stanton Renewal Project website has not had much added to it for some time and there is almost nothing about the recent events with regard to one of the major partners Carillion Canada, which is in creditor protection.

To try to get myself more familiar with the Stanton Renewal Project, I reviewed the December 2015 project report on the website. While it is an interesting summary of what transpired, it leaves many questions, including how the $174.5-million cost savings were calculated between the so-called P3 option and the normal government procurement approach and why insolvency was not identified as a major risk. The project agreement itself is a massive 2,113 pages, with 45 pages of definitions alone for the main agreement. Needless to say, I did not read the whole document but skimmed enough to get some questions ready for the Minister later today.

The Stanton Renewal Project is the largest capital project our government has ever undertaken. This MLA and the public have demanded better public reporting and accountability. Its standing committees still do not get any regular reports on the status of this work. For our part, Regular MLAs should have set up our own oversight system, and we should still do that. The 2014 Ontario auditor general review of public-private partnerships found that, of the 74 projects reviewed, the Ontario taxpayers ended up paying about $8 billion more than if the projects had been done by the provincial government, itself. I think there is the lesson there for our government.

It is incomprehensible how the private sector, which has higher financing costs and a requirement for a profit to shareholders, can actually compete with public governments without paying workers substantially less at the end of the day. I recognize that our government has limited fiscal capacity, but you cannot have huge infrastructure projects without the capacity and proper oversight, lessons that are learned the hard way. I'll have questions later today for the Minister of Finance. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am the second-youngest member of this 18th Legislative Assembly, but that is not saying much. In fact, my days of being considered a youth are long gone. However, Mr. Speaker, I was elected to represent all of the constituents of Hay River North, not just those who can vote, so, while I may be old, I cannot afford to be out of touch.

That is why this past Monday, over the lunch hour, I held a constituency meeting at Diamond Jenness Secondary School that was exclusively for students. Fourteen students attended, mostly from grades 8 to 10. I was a little worried that maybe they were only there for the free pizza, but, Mr. Speaker, my fears were unfounded. They were definitely there to talk about the issues. I spoke for a couple minutes about how our system of government works and then opened up the floor, and, for the rest of the hour, I listened to their concerns and answered questions. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the issues revolved around education.

I heard first-hand about how they were directly affected in terms of workload and their ability to succeed by changes to the curriculum. They were concerned about the lack of course selection, especially compared to other jurisdictions. Some felt that they could have trouble following the career path that they had chosen because they did not have access to the right courses. They wanted more practical education, as well. They wanted courses that teach them about the real world, things like taxes and budgets. There were concerns about the lack of special-needs helpers in the school and the need to rely on third-party funders and other students to provide special-needs support.

Then, Mr. Speaker, there is busing, or, more precisely, the lack of busing. Bus routes have been cut back so much that there are only a handful of students at Diamond Jenness who are even eligible to take the bus. Lately, they have been hearing rumours that busing in Hay River may be eliminated completely, and they are rightfully concerned.

The discussion also extended beyond education and went to places I did not expect. There were concerns about how we are providing for our elders and what the government is doing to ensure that age-appropriate housing is available. They were also concerned about the lack of skilled workers available to construct that housing and to complete other projects in the community.

These are just a few of the topics that we touched on. It was very enlightening, and we all agreed that we should do it again, and I plan on it. I have also reached out to Ecole Boreale and hope to meet with students there in the near future. I promised the students that I would get back to them with answers to their questions, and today I will start with questions for the Minister of Education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to speak about the Child and Family Services of the NWT as it relates to child apprehensions and foster care. Mr. Speaker, statistics today indicate that across Canada there are more Indigenous children in foster care than there were in residential school at the height of residential school admissions.

Mr. Speaker, half of the NWT's population is Aboriginal; however, over 90 per cent of the children in care are Indigenous. It is my belief that families where children were apprehended are families who are usually living in poverty. Mr. Speaker, I also believe that families who are living in poverty are the same families that are over-represented in our health care system, our justice system, as well as those that need income support to provide for their families. We all love our children, and, if we could provide for them, we would, and, for the most part, we do. Unfortunately, some people are unable to do so and require income support. I believe that low income is the main catalyst for child apprehension, which leads to a host of other social issues for people.

Mr. Speaker, in 2001, there was a joint study done between Corrections Canada, the Assembly of First Nations, the Department of Justice of Canada, the Department of Indigenous and Aboriginal Affairs, the Native Counselling Service of Alberta, and the Aboriginal Healing Foundation which examined the effects of family disruption on Indigenous and non-Indigenous inmates:

The study found that a large proportion of Aboriginal inmates were involved in the child welfare system when they were children. Approximately two-thirds of Aboriginal inmates said they have been adopted or placed in foster or group homes. Mr. Speaker, I am convinced that the men and women that have served time in corrections facilities or prisons down south are having difficulties obtaining employment. This is a vicious, interconnected circle, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I know that the Department of Health and Social Services does provide financial support to foster home providers. I strongly suggest that the same support be given to families in order to mitigate the likelihood of child apprehensions and to assist parents in maintaining family units. This being said, I also recognize the value of what foster homes provide and the outstanding -

Member for Tu Nedhe Wiilideh, your time for Members' statements expired.

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

---Unanimous consent granted