This is page numbers 3883 – 3910 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 report.

Topics

Members Present

Hon. Glen Abernethy, Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Blake, Hon. Caroline Cochrane, Ms. Green, Hon. Jackson Lafferty, Hon. Bob McLeod, Hon. Robert McLeod, Mr. McNeely, Hon. Alfred Moses, Mr. Nadli, Mr. Nakimayak, Mr. O'Reilly, Hon. Wally Schumann, Hon. Louis Sebert, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Testart, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Vanthuyne

The House met at 1:31 p.m.

David Black

[English translation not provided.]

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Good afternoon, Members. Ministers' statements. Minister of Industry, Tourism, Investment.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, the expansion and growth of the Northwest Territories' manufacturing sector offers a means to diversify the economy and encourage greater economic development and investment.

For that reason, our government has committed to developing a northern Manufacturing Strategy in collaboration with industry and the Northwest Territories' Manufacturers' Association.

In this government's mandate, we have committed to developing a Northwest Territories Manufacturing Strategy that will expand our territory's manufacturing sector; identify areas of potential growth; promote and market NWT manufactured products; and aid in the professional and technological advancement of manufacturing in the Northwest Territories.

The development of this strategy is being guided by research and engagement with existing manufacturers, prospective manufacturers, key stakeholders, and the public.

The department investigated the market factors that point to what needs to be done. Dialogues, public engagement sessions, and industry meetings have given us an understanding of what stakeholders want to do, and facility tours and industry meetings have demonstrated what can be done.

Over the past few months, ITI's project team hosted 11 public sessions and an additional 60 stakeholder

engagements, talking face-to-face with as many as 174 individuals about manufacturing in the Northwest Territories.

A web-based engagement portal was also used to gather feedback from those who were unable to attend engagement opportunities in person. The website was accessed 262 times and follow-up communications were conducted by phone or email.

Mr. Speaker, the findings of our meetings and engagements will be formally captured in a "what we heard" report that we will release in April. It will offer an understanding of the challenges, ideas, and opportunities raised by NWT residents, manufacturers, and stakeholders.

Many of the discussions addressed the common challenges of working and operating a business in the North. Freight and utility costs, in particular, are impeaching on our manufacturers. Staff recruitment, training, and retention were also identified as challenges.

As expected, our government's procurement policies and practices were a topic of much discussion. We recognize that more communication and clarity will be needed in this area.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we heard that we need to increase markets, outside government, for products manufactured in the NWT, and develop supports for NWT manufacturing beyond the existing Northern Manufacturers Policy.

Mr. Speaker, our engagement process will generally inform our strategy development. In addition to identifying the challenges, issues, and concerns of the Northwest Territories' manufacturing sector, our conversations and meetings have confirmed the opportunities and strengths on which we will now build and move forward.

I look forward to sharing a draft of the Northwest Territories' new NWT Manufacturing Strategy with Members in time for our May-June session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to support our seniors to live in their own homes for as long as possible while ensuring adequate supports when they can no longer do so. I would like to provide an update on our continued efforts to make this commitment a reality.

As Members know, the government put in place a strategic framework, Our Elders Our Communities, which supports a comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of our seniors.

Current work related to the seven priorities in this framework is ongoing and includes:

• Planning for future long-term care beds in Yellowknife, Hay River, and Inuvik;

• Planning for extended care beds in alignment with the timelines of the Stanton Renewal Project;

• Supporting Health and Social Services Authorities with training on the Supportive Pathways approach;

• Supporting authority staff to attend Elders in Motion training;

• Collaborating with the authorities on policies to support implementation of the new Continuing Care Standards;

• Planning to pilot tools developed with the NWT Seniors' Society to screen for elder abuse; and

• Collaborating with the NWT Seniors' Society to validate tools and the approach to support early integration of palliative care.

We are also making progress on the activities outlined in our Continuing Care Services Action Plan. Research and analysis for a Paid Family/Community Caregiver Option Pilot is currently under way in order to identify the needs of seniors, adults with disabilities, and their caregivers. We want to empower our seniors by allowing them to decide who they want to assist them with their unmet care needs. This type of program will be of particular importance in our smaller Indigenous communities, where resources are limited, connection to family is strong, and aging in place is favoured. The federal investment of $890,000 to the program over the next four years will undoubtedly aid in its overall success.

Mr. Speaker, the department is advancing work on the Yellowknife Adult Day Program. A thorough review of the AVENS Elder's Day program was conducted in 2017, which informed the need for adult day programming in Yellowknife. A request for proposal was issued earlier this winter. The department is working closely with the Yellowknife Region of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority to re-establish adult day services for seniors in the City of Yellowknife.

A few months ago, we released the sixth edition of our Seniors' Information Handbook. This resource provides a comprehensive list of programs and services that seniors and their caregivers can access to make informed decisions about their care. We distributed this handbook in a widespread mail-out across the territory and continue to receive requests for copies to this day. We are proud of this resource and are thankful to all of our partners who contributed to its completion.

I am also pleased that officials from government have begun working with the NWT Seniors' Society to develop a report card on GNWT programs and services for seniors. The report card is an opportunity to inventory and assess the effectiveness of GNWT programs and services either designed for or accessed by seniors, determine how well they are meeting seniors' needs, and identify areas for potential improvement or better coordination. The first steps are to draft terms of reference for the project, to start an inventory of all programs and services for seniors across government, and to begin an assessment of the effectiveness of these programs and services in order to identify areas for improvement.

Mr. Speaker, knowing that the number of adults over the age of 70 will nearly triple by 2034, we are making significant strides to ensure our elders can age safely in their homes with dignity while surrounded by family. This issue will remain at the forefront of GNWT priorities as we strive for our Best Care, Best Health, Better Future.Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with new money rolling in from Canadian Heritage to revitalize, preserve, and enhance official Indigenous languages, this funding is imperative to the survival of our languages and culture that have been undergoing a pattern of decline. It is my hope that the Northwest Territories will have a success story about the language revival and become an example for the rest of the country to follow.

Mr. Speaker, one of the reasons why linguistic heritage is often in danger of extinguishment is because of colonialism and the treatment of non-dominant languages and culture being rendered invisible. The fate of our languages can be drastically changed simply by the fact that children no longer learn them.

One way we can help language revival is to teach children from an early age. Who better to teach them than our elders, who are some of the greatest teachers of our society? An example is possibly having daycares in the same buildings or streets as homes for elders, and include elders and children's engagement in the daily schedules of activities.

Mr. Speaker, elders hold valuable knowledge and wisdom in all topics of life. They have valuable talents, skills, and expertise that are so relevant today. Elders are some of the most concerned when it comes to youth, children, and families. Mr. Speaker, elders are keen observers of their environment, offering us guidance and awareness that help our communities. Throughout various colonialization forces, our elders remained filled with hope, faith, and humour intact, which tell the rest of us something about the power and validity of traditional teachings, healings, and resilience. Mr. Speaker, we must take care of our elders, not only because they need us, but because we also need them.

Mr. Speaker, we must promote our elders, to socially include them with family, friends, and organizations in their communities. If we empower our elders in this way, elders are able to fulfill their intergenerational roles in transferring their knowledge and traditions to the next generation, which would help them be more active and effective in teaching and maintaining preserving our cultures, traditions, and way of life.

Mr. Speaker, it is crucial to involve our elders in all areas where they can meaningfully participate in intergenerational relationships, especially when it comes to children and the revival of their mother tongue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as you have heard, the Nahendeh region has dealt with a number of tragic deaths in the past year. We have had a lot of people working on helping the residents deal with this matter. Last June, the Deh Cho Divisional Education Council trustees directed the staff to plan a conference around the theme of mental health. This is one way to respond to the sixth suicide in the past six months, a young woman from the community of Fort Simpson. There was a concern that our youth needed more information on how to live healthy lives and make positive choices. A conference was determined to be one of the starting points for educating our youth and leading into substantial follow-up in the area of mental well-being.

The council staff worked with representatives from Municipal and Community Affairs, Health and Social Services, and First Nations to work on organizing the conference this past February in Fort Simpson. The theme, Living Well for Oneself, evolved in response to the student survey on what they would like to know and do, as well as incorporating some of the direction from youth we met over this past summer.

The two-day sessions were organized in a conference-like format with a focus on mental wellness. In the evening, there were various recreational activities, from sport and traditional games to yoga and meditation, as well as various arts. Quiet areas were set up in the school, including open studios for those wanting to decompress using an art medium. A MUCH Music dance on Wednesday night was followed by two MUCH Music motivation presentations on Thursday morning for conference participants and for the Bompas students.

The conference was attended by 189 students from grades 7 to 12 from all of the eight Deh Cho communities. They were able to provide strategies to support students to deal with mental health issues and to develop and maintain a healthy balanced life. Conference organizers felt that they had strong partnerships and buy-in from all organization and a stronger action to move forward. I would like to share a couple of comments from the youth who responded to the following question: "What one or two messages were important to you?"

• Mental health is a serious topic.

• Never be ashamed of what and who you are.

• Believe in yourself; you are not alone.

They had 28 students complete this section, asking them to identify themselves if they needed to talk to anyone.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, the one saying, "It takes a community to raise a child," is so true. However, I would like to take it one step further and say it takes the region and territories to help our youth grow.

From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank the organizations, the government, and the youth for an excellent first start. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Arctic Winter Games
Members' Statements

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Mr. Speaker, can you feel it? Can you hear it? Mr. Speaker, the Arctic Winter Games are fast approaching, and the opening ceremony of the 2018 South Slave Games is taking place this Sunday, March 18, in Hay River. Hay River is the traditional territory of the K'atlodeeche First Nations, along with the West Point First Nation and the Metis Nation.

While part of the games will also be held in Fort Smith, the Dene games will take place on the Hay River Reserve. I look forward to the cultural events, such as stick pull, snow snake, hand games, and drum dances.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge some of the athletes and coaches from the Deh Cho riding:

• Beth Hudson from Fort Providence is Team NWT's coach for table tennis;

• Katherine Lenoire from Enterprise is a curler on the junior team; and finally

• Shannon Bonnetrouge from Fort Providence is the territorial champion and will be competing as a junior table tennis athlete.

I would also like to recognize the many people who made this possible in the towns of Hay River and Fort Smith, the parents and the cheerleaders who will be cheering on their favourite team and players. Mr. Speaker, I am proud that the Deh Cho will be represented at the Arctic Winter Games, and we will be rooting for team NWT. Best of luck to our athletes. They are our future Olympians in the making. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Arctic Winter Games
Members' Statements

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Best of luck to all athletes for the Northwest Territories. Members' statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.

Arctic Winter Games
Members' Statements

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can you feel it? Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the athletes who are excited to be travelling this weekend to participate in the Arctic Winter Games in Hay River and Fort Smith.

Mr. Speaker, athletes have worked countless hours preparing, training, and focusing on achieving in their sport to get to this level of competition. I wish to congratulate all athletes. These games are going to be memorable as they go out and compete, making the NWT proud of their accomplishments. They will make new friends, see different territories, provinces, and different countries participating and enjoying the extracurricular activities that Hay River and Fort Smith have to offer.

Mr. Speaker, I commend the community supporters, parents, and coaches who have helped get their athletes to the Arctic Winter Games. I also want to recognize athletes from the Mackenzie Delta riding who will be participating: Kendall Archie, Arctic sports; Keegan Arey, Dene games; Logan Arey, Dene games; Monica Arey, Dene games; Frank Elanik, Dene games; Annie Erigaktoak, Dene games; Maurice Blake, Dene games; Madison McLeod, snowshoeing; Ruth Hanthorn, snowshoeing; Jesse Hanthorn, snowshoeing; Darby Robert, snowshoeing; Joel Arey, snowshoeing; and A.J. Charlie, for hockey.

Good luck. Try your best. Be proud. Play fair. We will be cheering you on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Arctic Winter Games
Members' Statements

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. Our government is sponsoring a disturbing talk at the Association for Mineral Exploration Roundup Conference that took place in Vancouver in January. This talk is still available on the Internet. The event was billed as an "Indigenous partnership breakfast, an event celebrating Indigenous participation in mining and exploration." The speaker from BC said a number of things that I have tried to highlight word-for-word:

• "People want to talk about negotiating treaties. We have been at it for 35 years [and] should be able to settle it now."

• "Non-Canadian money and non-Canadian interests come into our Aboriginal communities and use First Nations to stop economic development without really looking at our issues. Instead, they promise eco-jobs, tourism, green-energy futures. Everyone is going to be working. Everyone is going to get lots of money, but as soon as they stop an economic development project, they leave town, and they are never coming back. These are well-funded organizations that have big offices in Vancouver, big offices in the US and all over the place, but they leave the minute that they stop your project. Your band members receive nothing. Maybe a few people get funded. Maybe a few of them get cash awards. Maybe some of your leaders get rich from some of these environmental organizations."

• "These environmental organizations divide communities. They put Native against Native in terms of violence, in terms of vandalism, and they know this. They don't care about your community. I am seeing this all across BC."

• "Also, what they do is set up your community to go to court either against their own people, against their own system, against the corporations, against the government, and then they will just sit by and intervene on a separate topic. It is all part of their plan to stop the growth of BC and Canada."

Those are the end of some quotes, Mr. Speaker. It was notable that our Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, in thanking the speaker, said that it is "important for us to push back on the naysayers."

While I and others in this House enjoy a healthy debate on the future of the NWT, for our government to sponsor such inaccurate, divisive, and hateful views is very disturbing.

I will have questions for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment on whether our government shares these views and whether there is any evidence of these non-Canadian environmental organizations in the Northwest Territories or the criminal activities that they are alleged to support or instigate. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Cory Vanthuyne

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we wrap up this session and look outside, we see the longer days are returning and the temperatures are slowly warming. Late winter in the NWT is a magical time of year. It is a time of renewal and festivity. Here in Yellowknife, some special community events provide an opportunity for that celebration.

The Snowking's 23rd season is well under way, Mr. Speaker. The festival draws visitors from across Canada and other parts of the world. The amazing castle, under tutelage from Snowking himself, Tony Foliot, is built by hand by a hardy group of souls starting right after New Year's. With a courtyard and slide, a grand ballroom and various nooks and crannies, the Snow Castle has evolved into a masterful thing of beauty. It is a true community treasure.

I want to congratulate another group of dedicated people who are working hard to put another great event on. I am referring to the board and volunteers who are gearing up for the seventh annual Long John Jamboree.

The jamboree celebrates the best parts of being a winter city. Games on the snow stage, live music in the carnival tent, arts exhibitions, the heritage tent, la

CabaneaSucre

, the Burn on the Bay, curling on the lake, and the international ice carving competition have made the Long John Jamboree another winter festival we can all be proud of.

In eight days, the jamboree will kick off. Organizers and volunteers have been working hard for months, dedicating hours of hard work and creativity to create a winter festival that is accessible, fun, and celebrates our northern traditions.

Along with the jamboree and Snowking, Yellowknife Bay has a never-ending stream of activity in the month of March. That includes one of Yellowknife's longest standing traditions, the Canadian Championship Dog Derby. There is hockey, kite skiing, ice fishing, and lots more, activity, fun, and celebration of the returning of light, great activities for Northerners and visitors alike to enjoy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in expressing our congratulations to the many hard-working organizers and volunteers of all our territory's spectacular festivals and jamborees. Celebrations like these make our communities great, and they deserve our support and recognition. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

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

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I am going to give my elder constituents in my community a bit of an update on what I am going to be doing from now until we come back into the House again on May 24th. Today, I am going to attempt again, for the second time, to do the majority of my statement in my language. [English translation not provided.] Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the parts I found most rewarding about my time as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories has been my involvement with public accounts committees.

Public accounts committees have a long tradition stretching back hundreds of years and are a notable feature of the Westminster system, from which our unique form of consensus government borrows some of its practices. Public accounts are where the government's books are looked at after a given fiscal year and where you can drill down into the details to see how taxpayer money was spent, ensure value for money for taxpayer dollars, and also ensure programs and services are being delivered appropriately. Public accounts committees work closely with supreme audit institutions in Canada and the Northwest Territories, that is the Office of the Auditor General.

Mr. Speaker, there are many organizations that work to bring different public accounts committees and members together to have these discussions. In Canada, that is the Canadian Council of Public Accounts Committees, which the Northwest Territories hosted early on in this term. This provides a form for good practice sharing and knowledgeable exchange in effective public financial management. I had the pleasure, along with my colleague the honourable Member from Sahtu, of attending the 2017 Westminster workshop for public accounts, the CAPAC conference, from December 4th to December 7th of last year, where I learned, networked, and brought back a whole new skill set that I will retain and utilize for the rest of my career on the Standing Committee on Government Operations and as a Parliamentarian.

The aim for this workshop was to build skills and capacity of chairs, Members, and clerks in Commonwealth public accounts committees to fulfil their remit to scrutinize the value of money and public spending and to hold governments to account for the delivery of public services. The objectives were to deliver key skills and knowledge and provide peer support, and to grow the expertise of these committees in promoting tax transparency, preventing tax avoidance, and encouraging country-by-country reporting in all legislatures.

Mr. Speaker, this conference provided me with valuable information about how we can make our public accounts systems better in the Northwest Territories and key contacts with Parliamentarians on public accounts committees across the entire Commonwealth. Mr. Speaker, I think this is the exact type of professional development that Parliamentarians need to be able to engage in freely to develop their skills and deliver better value-for-money analysis for the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

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

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Colleagues, please allow me to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery today of Mr. Anthony W. J. Whitford. As many of you know, Mr. Whitford is a man of many roles; former Commissioner, former Speaker, former Minister, former Member, former Sergeant-at-Arms, honorary clerk at the table, and Member of the Order of the NWT. Please share with me in welcoming Mr. Whitford to the House this afternoon. It's always a pleasure to have you in the House.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Cory Vanthuyne

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, want to take this opportunity to recognize Mr. Tony Whitford, resident of the Yellowknife North riding and, of course, a man of many accolades and a good family friend. Welcome and thank you for being here on our final day.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

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

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize my constituency assistant, Mr. Garett Cochrane. This is the last day of session, and he has been invaluable over the last several weeks in helping me prepare for the day's work and helping me keep in touch with my constituents. I want to take the opportunity to recognize his service. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marci cho Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the interpreters from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, Mr. Tom Unka from Fort Resolution, and Rose Sundberg from Detah.

Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery
Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we missed anyone in the gallery, thanks for being here with us. It's always great to have an audience as part of our proceedings. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been some confusion about Commissioner's lands and territorial lands in my riding and across the territory when you talk to people, and my questions will be to Minister of Lands. My first question is: what is the difference between Commissioner's lands and territorial land? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Commissioner's land is primarily land that is located in and around communities. It is managed through policy and regulation under the Commissioner's Land Act. Territorial land is most often the land that is in the more remote regions of the Northwest Territories. In some cases, there are some territorial lands located within communities. However, that is the exception. These lands are regulated by the Northwest Territories Lands Act and regulations.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

I thank the Minister for that clarification. My next question: how does the government come up with an assessment for Commissioner's land and territorial land?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

The assessed values of Commissioner's land parcels is determined by the assessors in MACA's assessment unit, which is a unit independent of the land managers in the Department of Lands. They use an approach that is consistent from community to community across the Northwest Territories to determine the assessed value of each parcel. If the occupant of the parcel disagrees with the assessed value, there are appeal mechanisms through MACA that can implemented to review the assessment.

Territorial land value is determined by an appraised value of land as required by the Northwest Territories land use regulations, which the government commissions from an independent certified appraiser. The appraised value is used because most territorial land is in very remote areas of the territory and does not require services such as water, power, and fuel delivery. It is not possible, of course, to assess each parcel, but an appraisal of raw land is completed by the representative across the NWT and applied consistently. So there are two manners in which the values are determined.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

I thank the Minister for that answer. So my next question is: how are Commissioner's land and territorial land fees determined/calculated?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

The department uses the assessed value which I have described to calculate the annual lease fee for each Commissioner's land parcel. This fee is based on the assessed value of the parcel each year. Some, such as seniors and non-profit organizations, may be eligible for a 50 per cent discount off the annual lease fee paid on Commissioner's land.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for that answer. My last question right now is: what are the fees for both Commissioner's lands and territorial lands used for? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Of course, that depends on the value of the lands as assessed by the MACA assessment unit. That is with respect to Commissioner's land. For an average-sized lot, the cost is often in the area of about $2,000 a year. However, as Members will know, we are proposing a reduction from 10 per cent to 5 per cent, and so that $2,000 lease fee would then be reduced to $1,000 per year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. Earlier today I quoted a speaker sponsored by government at the recent 2018 Roundup conference. One of his messages was to not waste time on negotiations on treaties or land rights. Can our Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment who sponsored this talk tell us whether Cabinet is of the position that negotiations on treaties and land rights are a waste of time? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Member knows that's not our position. The number one priority of this government is land claims and settling outstanding land claims and self-government agreements in the territory. That's a position that the speaker took. That's his position. We have our position and we work closely with all Aboriginal governments to move things along. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I'm really pleased to hear the Minister say that. This speaker who was sponsored by our government described environmental organizations as being non-Canadian, well-funded, with large offices in foreign countries, that tried to divide communities to stop economic development and instigate violence. Can the Minister tell the public whether there is any evidence that any of these organizations operate in the Northwest Territories, and if so, has their criminal activity been reported to the RCMP?

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

No, I do not believe that we have had those types of activities in the Northwest Territories. What I can tell this House is our government works closely with NGOs on a regular basis. My department, in particular, has worked very closely with NGOs. In fact, our department has engaged directly with NGOs on natural resource legislation initiatives that we are bringing forward. We will continue to do so.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I would like to thank the Minister for that, again, that he doesn't share the views of the speaker although he sponsored the talk.

Our civil societies organizations in northern Canada have made tremendous contributions to our society. Some recent examples include the cooperative work and legal action to uphold the Yukon Umbrella Final Agreement and to protect the Peel Land Use Plan and the work here in Yellowknife that has resulted in a legally binding oversight in research development covering Giant Mine or remediation. Can the Minister tell us whether he recognizes the value and work performed by civil society, including environmental organizations in the Northwest Territories?

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

This is Canada. Everyone gets to have their say. We believe everyone should be engaged in our processes, as open and as transparent as we can be. I think we are probably more and open transparent than any government in Canada. We will continue to move on that.

We are always open to all kinds of comments, no matter if it's legislation or public policy or what we are moving forward, but we are always open. We are not saying that criticism is a bad thing. Sometimes we need reflection on some of what we are doing and we take all comments seriously.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My last question for the Minister: I stated earlier today that it's my view that it was very disturbing that our government would sponsor this individual to give such an inaccurate, divisive, and hateful account of civil society. I wonder whether this is something that we can expect from our government in the future. I would like to know from the Minister whether it's the intention of our government to continue to sponsor such misinformation or whether we can expect a more balanced approach in the future. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

This individual who we had speaking at this event is someone that I think has an opinion. He had an opinion. He brought his opinion to us, but let's make something quite clear: this is an Indigenous person. He was an Indigenous leader in BC, of an Indigenous government. He is in the public government. He was a Cabinet Minister and now he is an MLA within the BC legislature. He brought his views to the table around industry and development, and try to get his people out of poverty and in having an economy in his area. His comments were taken. In fact, the Member says, if we would like to open up our views to be wide open, I would like to ask the Member if he would like maybe to speak a round next year at one of our events. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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. There are a few things that I am really passionate about; education is one of them, and that's why I always tell the young people, that makes me sound old, but I always tell the young people that we have great student financial assistance in the territory. It has gotten better recently with their Bring It North initiative, which rewards people for coming back to the North, or even if you weren't from the North, moving here. It helps with student loans.

Recently, a lot of people started receiving their T4A slips for one of the initiatives in Northern Bonus. I have some questions on it. People are worried, well, they are not worried, but I mean they are a little concerned that this is something they're going to be taxed on, this loan remission is something they're going to be taxed on, but I would like some clarification from the Minister: is this T4A that the students are receiving from the Department of Education a taxable item? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I believe our program has a lot of incentives for our students who do have a forgiveness loan. We also have zero per cent interest on loans, and the Northern Bonus, as the Member alluded to. Mr. Speaker, because the Northern Bonus is classified as a grant, therefore it is a taxable benefit and recipients are issued actually a T4A slip.

I want to let the Member know that our department is currently reviewing this program, the Northern Bonus program, to determine if there are any alternative ways to provide this benefit without the tax implication on the students. For Members, the Northern Bonus is to try to bring students to the Northwest Territories and they are allotted up to $2,000 per year to pay off their student loans, to a lifetime maximum of $10,000. As I said, we will be reviewing this specific Northern Bonus program to see if there are any changes that we can do to include it without a tax implication. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

I'm glad the department is taking that step to look at this. I understand maybe why it rolled out like this, because this is even offered to people who aren't from the territory, who didn't get SFA, who may have got other student loans, so I can see maybe why this happened. Does the Minister have an idea if this might be changed for the upcoming year?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

As I mentioned, we are currently reviewing this Northern Bonus program. Once we get the results and that review completed, I will share it with Members, and most likely it will be put up on our website as well.

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe it's crucial to involve elders in all areas where they can meaningfully participate in intergenerational relationships. Research has shown that these interactions can have benefits for each generation. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Speaker, does the GNWT have anything formal in offering interactions between elders and college students, school children, and children of other ages in a variety of settings to provide and consistently expose them to language and culture? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our JK to 12 education system is based on the goal of ensuring that all students are grounded in the rich and diverse history, culture, language, and heritage of our peoples in the Northwest Territories. As you know, we do fund all of our Indigenous governments that play an integral part in working with our schools and in the classrooms. We do have the Elders in the Schools Program, where we are currently revising our Aboriginal languages curriculum, Indigenizing education, and we always promote to our schools to ensure that our elders are in fact participating on On the Land activities as well. We also hire some of our elders as language instructors, cultural resource experts, and at any opportunity, I will have them come into the schools.

In terms of early childhood development, as I mentioned, we do offer to the tune of about $4.8 million to Indigenous governments. One of the great programs that they do have is an Indigenous Language Nest from programming that ensures children in early childhood development settings are surrounded by their Indigenous languages, as well as working with some of the elders in the community.

Herbert Nakimayak

Herbert Nakimayak Nunakput

That is good information for the rest of the territory to hear. Mr. Speaker, elders are not just passive recipients of care. They are resourceful individuals with great achievements and skills in their roster. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister look into any possibility of combining daycare for children and elders to further enhance Indigenous language and culture exposure with early childhood development working with the Minister of Health and Social Services to bring elders and youth together in elders' homes and daycares across the Northwest Territories?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

The department does not operate early childhood programs in the NWT. However, the department does license, and we also fund, not-for-profit organizations who administer early childhood programs and centres as such. Under the child daycare standards, regulations require licensed early childhood programs to engage in community involvement, which would include connecting with community elders.

As I mentioned, elder participation is highly encouraged in all forms of education right from early childhood to post-secondary, and I know that, in some cases, elders work with some of the daycares and schools in terms of teaching traditional skills, sewing, culture camps, language instruction, storytelling, even, and in our unique small communities, it is a lot easier for our elders and our youth to get together on more of a regular basis, and we do promote that and encourage that.

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, I want to ask the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation some questions on the new program, the fuel tank program. I think that is a very good program. It is good for the environment and very good for, even, insurance purposes.

I would like to ask the Minister if, in communities where most of the heavy materials are brought in by barge, if the Minister could, in advance, in communities that are barged in, particularly Lutselk'e, of course, for my riding, if the Housing Corporation would send several tanks into Lutselk'e in preparation to exchange the tanks some time as the current tanks begin to fail? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I will take that into consideration. It is important to learn from programs that we have offered in the past and see how we can make them better. We did learn through Housing that we need to work with the communities that don't have all-season roads and be more proactive. We will look at barging in fuel tanks to those communities that don't have access through the all-season road.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

In many of the communities, we don't have private tradespeople. I would like to ask the Minister, in situations where there may be an inventory of tanks, and we have a tank failure that may be urgent or an emergency situation, if the Minister can work through the system and have the housing authorities' maintenance staff change the tanks at the community level?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I think we would have to do a community view. I think that we are looking at seeing how the local housing authorities can support their communities better, recognizing that they don't have available supplies, contractors, et cetera, for a variety of housing needs. We are looking at that.

I do have to make sure before I make a commitment in the House, though, that, if we are going to be doing that, my thinking is, and I may be wrong, that you need to have some kind of certification to be able to do that. I need to make sure that either the local housing authorities have that certification or we have some means to provide that certification, but I do commit that we are trying to look at how to address the needs of all homeowners within the communities.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

One of the main things that the Housing Corporation is trying to prevent with the new program is, obviously, the potential for a huge environmental disaster, as we have seen situations where we have leaking tanks that have cost $250,000 to remediate, because it takes quite a hole to get the fuel out of the ground.

In my case, there is hardly anyone that can afford to actually pay for the costs of a full remediation if they have a complete failure with their fuel tank. Therefore, it could involve moving a home and so on and so forth. I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister would have discussions with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to see if the government can pay for such a disaster?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

The Member is correct. We are looking at being proactive and to try to alleviate the need for huge environmental costs when fuel tanks leak. It is not only a costs issue; it is an environmental issue that we are trying to address. I can't speak on behalf of either departments, but I can say that I will direct the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to touch base to try to work with ENR to actually see how we can address any fuel tank spills as best as possible.

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. I would like to thank the Minister for that response. Mr. Speaker, we have situations where individuals are beginning to discover the reason why they have the program, and that is because those older tanks do fail after a certain number of years. I would like to ask the Minister if the Minister could look at the possibility of helping individuals out where there is no tank in the community to install and they have a leak. It will take potentially a couple of weeks, because most likely, in situations like Lutselk'e, you would have to fly the tank in. Could the NWT Housing Corporation work with the local housing authority to maybe do something in the interim to stop a leak until a new tank can be delivered to the community? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I am willing to work with the communities on this, but I can't do this alone. If homeowners actually have an issue where they have an environmental concern, they don't have a fuel tank or they may be having to take one out because it is not meeting the need now, and we can't get a tank in there, if they apply to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, we will try to do our best to try to alleviate any potential or spillage that is there currently, recognizing that they have to fit within the needs assessment, the income threshold, to be able to qualify for our programming.

However, tell people: if they have an issue, apply, because if you don't apply, if you don't let us know, then we can't provide any services. Anyone who has an issue, apply, and see if we can support them. 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, I have a couple of questions for the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, during my constituency meeting, an elder brought up the need for sending elders to Inuvik during spring break-up and freeze-up, as we have a couple of elders in the community with serious health issues. I would like to ask the Minister: will the Minister and his department send elders with health issues to Inuvik for spring break-up and freeze-up? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Tsiigehtchic is unique in the fact that it doesn't have an airport. If we did have an issue, medevacs are certainly more complicated. They certainly would be more expensive as a result of having to use a helicopter.

We do try to provide additional support during freeze-up or break-up by having a nurse in the community during those periods of time, but I do hear the Member. I would say that anything that we do would have to be on a case-by-case basis, and it would have to be determined based on risk, the issue that the senior has. I wouldn't say that every senior would have to be removed, but those with complicated conditions who are at risk, we may want to consider that.

Frankly, I don't know enough about the patients that the Member is referring to. I don't know enough about the conditions. I would love to have a sit-down with the Member to discuss this to see whether or not this is something that would be appropriate, and recognizing that we are trying to provide other supports during freeze-up and break-up. I'm certainly interested in learning more and having a discussion with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Frederick Blake Jr.

Frederick Blake Jr. Mackenzie Delta

At the moment, we have about 10 elders in the community. Of that, two or three have a serious health issue. Would the Minister and his department be willing to, well, if two out of those three were identified as having serious issues and wanted to go to Inuvik, would the Minister house elders in Inuvik, whether it's long-term care or other means by that?

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

As I said, I know that there are some unique situations in Tsiigehtchic, given, like I said, that they don't have an airport. During freeze-up and break-up, they are truly isolated. There is no road. There is no airport.

I would be happy to sit down with the Member and talk about options that we might be able to deploy here, but every situation is going to have to be unique. We have to make sure, you know, what level of service we can provide during freeze-up and break-up to the individual, and if that is something that there is a big concern about, an individual, and their particular care. I'm open to having this conversation. I'll try to find some solutions, but until we look at them case-by-case, I'm not sure what we can do other than explore options. It may mean bringing somebody in. It may not. It may depend on what we can provide. I'm happy to have that conversation with the Member in order to support the community.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On March 5 the Macdonald-Laurier Institute released its report on the state of justice in Canada, with the Northwest Territories ranking 12th in the rankings of Canadian jurisdictions. I would like to ask the Minister of Justice what his comments are on the findings of this report, and whether or not he agrees with them. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Justice.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have not yet had an opportunity to review the Macdonald-Laurier report, but I think we have been concerned over the last two years about some of the methodology. We don't think, in many ways, it correctly reflected our situation where we have vast distances and have a very small population. I do note that with respect to some of the more objective findings, such as the time required to get to court, we were near the top. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

It's somewhat unfortunate the Minister hasn't had time to look at this report. It was released earlier this month. I would assume it would be of interest to him and his department, but some of the findings do address what the Minister's just spoke of. The report mentions the challenges the North face, but we also have the second highest rate of violent crime in Canada and the highest rate of property crime. The report also found that the Northwest Territories funds little on legal aid compared to other jurisdictions. We received an F in support for victims, according to this report, with the lowest proportion of restitution orders in Canada. I would like to ask the Minister of the state of programs that support victims in the Northwest Territories, if he could speak to those.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

The Victims Service Program is a fundamental component of how we provide support for victims in the Northwest Territories. There are 11 community-based victim services in eight different communities. They service those communities, and they also travel often with the courts to other communities to assist with victims, not necessarily with the courts, so I think they sometimes travel with the courts, but they do act in all the communities, including not only the larger ones. So there is victim assistance coverage for the whole of the Northwest Territories. Admittedly, there are victim assistance workers only in eight communities, but they do serve the whole of the North.

We are always concerned about these programs. We are always seeking to improve them. I think we have come a long way. Perhaps we have further to go.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

The report also gave the Northwest Territories an F in costs and resources, and found that, even though we are the most policed jurisdiction in Canada, it's an expensive system. The corrections system was also found to be very expensive. It doesn't seem to be lowering our rates of crime or lowering the number of people who are incarcerated. What is the Minister doing to address the high cost for our justice system, that doesn't seem to be getting us the results moving up the list rather than moving down?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Of course, costs are always a concern. As I mentioned earlier, one of our problems is we are serving a vast territory with a very small population, so on a per capita basis, yes, our costs do seem very high. We are always looking at ways to reduce costs and reduce also the amount of criminal activity in the Northwest Territories through such initiatives as DVTO Court and Wellness Court.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think, when reports like this come out, they shake the public's confidence around our justice system. I'm wondering if the Minister can commit to reviewing the report and providing a response or some sort of public statement on what he sees as the strength of our system, if he does in fact disagree with these reports? Can he commit to read the report? Thank you.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Yes, I will undertake to read the report, and certainly I would be prepared to answer questions in the future about the report, or perhaps make a statement with respect to it.

I do want to say something about the legal aid system. I was a long time working in that system and so worked often with lawyers from other jurisdictions. They found it to be the gold standard generally of legal aid systems. We had quite a bit of coverage, so there were not people who were unrepresented in court. I think it's very easy to defend the legal aid system itself. I will look at the report and certainly be happy to answer questions or make statements if required with respect to the findings of the report and our response to those findings. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the 2018-2019 Main Estimates, the Department of Lands plans to roll out several new positions to work on land tender issues, including land leases in my riding of Deh Cho. My questions are to the Minister of Lands. Of course, my intention is to seek some clarity in terms of how the land lease issues would be addressed. My first question is to the Minister: can the Minister explain why two positions are going to Fort Smith when there are only six land leases in Fort Smith? Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

As Members will know, the number of positions for this task of resolving a long-standing issue of equity leases has gone from three to five. The initial training will be in Fort Smith. There is a support staff there. There are trained people, both working currently and those who have retired, therefore I thought that it would be sensible and most efficacious if there was a group of people working together. Since we do have trained staff there, we thought it best that two of the five positions would be and remain in Fort Smith. Thank you.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Could the Minister explain the criteria for selecting these communities? It's clear that the Minister has made a decision for his community of Fort Smith. The other communities, I understand there are other criteria that could be objectively used. One such criterion could be, you know, office space.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

As I mentioned earlier, there are trained people in Fort Smith. Plus, those who are currently working and those who are retired can assist in training the five candidates for these positions. As proposed, we are going to have two positions remaining in Fort Smith. Two of the positions will be in Fort Smith. One will be in Inuvik, one in Yellowknife, and one in either Fort Simpson or Fort Providence. Now, there are many considerations that will have to go into the placement of those positions, whether in Fort Simpson or Fort Providence; the availability of candidates, office space, and support.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Would the Minister agree that one criteria could be the number of fees that are currently being addressed? Fort Providence, for one, has the highest number of land leases. Would the Minister agree to have a position situated in Fort Providence?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

The review of these leases will of course take some time, and I do not think it's necessary that the staff be located in the exact location where the leases exist, so, therefore, we thought it most efficient that there be a team of people put together in Fort Smith so there is experienced staff there. As proposed, two of the candidates will remain in Fort Smith, the others will be one in Yellowknife, one in Inuvik, and one in either Fort Providence or Fort Simpson.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Michael Nadli

Michael Nadli Deh Cho

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the name of efficiency, sometimes small communities are the affected communities because we lose positions to regional centres and headquarters. I am optimistic that the Minister could work with my riding, with the leadership of my riding and community. Would the Minister commit to getting back to me by May 24th with perhaps a formal decision to ensure that the position is in fact placed in Fort Providence? Mahsi.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

I don't know whether we would be able to identify candidates and resources by May 24th. That is the issue, so I cannot make that commitment. Thank you.

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. Mr. Speaker, there are not enough pilots in Canada to meet the demand, and this gap is widening. The effects are being felt across Canada, but, in the NWT, we are disproportionately affected, I would say, because our territory is so large, would have a lack of road infrastructure, and the new rules around pilot fatigue mean more pilots are required to maintain the current flights that we have. Many residents rely heavily on small regional airlines, and those are the type of airlines that have difficulty retaining pilots because they are being poached by the bigger companies who can offer more. The NWT has become sort of a training ground for pilots where young pilots might come in and then leave, so the pilots are also more inexperienced. I have heard that the big companies are hiring entire classes of pilots and instructors. You know, it does not look well for the future.

In Hay River, we would like to see more flights in and out of there so we can get some competition and lower the prices, but this pilot shortage is making that even more difficult. So, because the Minister of Education is responsible for labour and training, I have some questions for him. First, I would like to ask: has the department identified this as an issue? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know, not too long ago in the Yukon government, they looked at creating some type of training school for pilots. The Member is correct. We do have a shortage of pilots throughout all of Canada, and, when our pilots here, in the Northwest Territories, are getting approached by big airlines, it does become a concern for residents. As well, as he mentioned, a lot of us are connected by the airlines. We have had initial discussions with one of our airlines here, in the North, but that is all it is right now, just initial discussions on how we can move forward in creating some type of partnership or training for pilots, a pilot school here, in the Northwest Territories. We will continue to keep Members updated as this moves on because I do know that the Yukon has really jumped into this, and we want to follow suit because we do have a very vast region here, in the Northwest Territories, and we do need to get to our communities.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

That is great to hear. I have gotten a couple of good answers from the Minister today. I was talking to someone yesterday, and one of their relatives wants to go to flight school, but it's, I think it was, $90,000 a year. You know, it's pretty cost-prohibitive, so I am glad to see that the department is taking these steps. I know it's early days, but does the Minister have a timeline when we can expect an update on the progress of this?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

As I mentioned in my earlier response, we just had initial discussions. That is where it is right now. I do believe my colleague the Minister of Infrastructure has sent a letter of concern to his federal counterpart about some of these concerns with pilots and concerns that the Member has brought up here today. We will keep Members apprised of how this progresses as we have these discussions.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

I guess it is very early, but is this something the government would look at partnering with a local airline on? Is the government willing to look at providing funding to get this school started?

Alfred Moses

Alfred Moses Inuvik Boot Lake

We do not really have the full details in line right now. As this progresses, as the work progresses with one of these northern airlines, we will see what kind of response we get back from the federal government. We will have a better idea of what everybody's role is in this and what our role will be as a government. Until then, we really do not know until we get more details.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be to the Minister of Lands, and it's going to be changing a little bit from what I was looking at doing here. I am going to come back to what the Member for Deh Cho was talking, these positions. So we heard the other side say that we should maybe put the positions in Hay River. Hay River has six, just like Fort Smith, so can the Minister please look at doing this, instead of pitting two small communities against each other, take one position and put it in the Deh Cho? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned previously, the plan is to have five people in this section or this department dealing with equity leases; two in Fort Smith, one in Yellowknife, one in Inuvik, and one in either Fort Simpson or Fort Providence.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

I thank the Minister for the non-answer again, but, I mean, I understand. We have five positions. We have two in Fort Smith, six equity leases in Fort Smith, six in Hay River. We have 58 in Fort Providence, 33 in Nahendeh, which is in Fort Simpson, that surrounding area. So will the Minister get his department to look at it and actually, after doing the training -- that is what they are trying to do; that is where they are bringing all those five together -- put one position in Fort Simpson, one position in Fort Smith, one position in Fort Providence, one in Yellowknife, and one in Inuvik?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

This proposal for these five positions was thought out over a period of time, and, as I say, I do not think it's necessary that the employees, these five employees, be in the same communities as the leases are located. It's more important that they have surrounding them the correct support, both from current employees and perhaps retired employees, to finally resolve this matter of these long-standing equity leases.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Support, I agree. I think that's great. We are looking at office space. Deh Cho has an office space with your government services there. They have an Internet service that is there. You know Internet? They're close to Yellowknife. Like, they're really close. Why won't the Minister look at this and be fair to the Deh Cho, the Nahendeh, and put the positions where they need to be?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

The Members may remember that the original proposal was that the three positions be all in Fort Smith, which seems sensible to me, because we have the expertise there. To be reasonable, we have come up with an alternate proposal to hopefully resolve this longstanding issue.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, this is the Minister who thought 10 per cent was reasonable when we were talking about leases. Now, we have it down to 5 per cent, which is a little bit more reasonable.

When we talk about the Deh Cho, Lands Department has Fort Providence and Kakisa being serviced out of, guess what, South Slave -- the Fort Smith office. Will the Minister look at this and quit worrying about the position in Fort Smith, but help the residents of the Northwest Territories, i.e., Fort Providence, and they're really close to Enterprise, and put the position where it needs to be, in Fort Providence? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

What is most important and should be paramount in our minds is resolving this situation of longstanding equity leases, which has been a thorn in the side of the residents and the Minister for some time. We sought to resolve it in the most efficient way possible. We have agreed, however, that to speed things up, there will be more employees. At least, I hope that will be the result of having more employees, but the real point of this is to resolve the matter, and that is what we are proposing to do. I think the proposal as we have changed it, from three to five and the placement of those employees, is a reasonable way of resolving the matter in the most efficient way possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When we began our sitting, I had questions for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs about changes to the Cities, Towns, and Villages Act. It is the last day of the sitting. Perhaps we will have a bill later, but I don't predict that is going to happen. Where is the Minister at with changes to the CTV Act? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I know that we were trying to get it rushed through. There was concerns with the tourism, the income for the City of Yellowknife, et cetera, so we have been trying to work diligently on it. We are still on track.

We have our legislative proposal that I believe is in the process of being submitted. I know I dated it March 6th, and it was sent out of my office on March 8th, so I can find out where exactly in the background it is, but we are diligently trying to get that legislative proposal to standing committee at this time. Thank you.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

At the time of when this issue was first brought to the floor of the House, there was a concern from the City of Yellowknife, the community who has been targeted for these changes, and who desperately needs them after this government has cut their tourism support. Has the Minister reached out to the City of Yellowknife and solicited them for their upcoming budget challenges if this legislation isn't brought forward according to their timelines?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is responsible for the CTV Act. We are not responsible for the funding that is provided to the Visitors' Association. As stated, I can't speak on behalf of another department. I am not sure. I know that Municipal and Community Affairs would not be going into the City of Yellowknife to look at their budget for their visitors' centre. That is not under Municipal and Community Affairs.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

I was trying to frame the issue, but I will be more clear on this. Has the department or the Minister's office spoken with city council or city administration on the proposed changes to the CTV Act, and do they understand that delays in the legislation could result in the City of Yellowknife not being able to meet its budget obligations?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Yes, we have been meeting regularly with the City of Yellowknife, actually, on this act. I will make sure that they are talked to about what our timeline is. We did present it to them when we first provided it. We are on track with them.

I do want to clarify, as well, that I found out that the legislative proposal is before standing committee, and it was dated March 8th, as I suspected.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the updates. Now that the legislative process can continue, I am assuming that the Minister can assure me that this legislation will come forward in the May-June sitting. Can she do that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

As presented in our original presentation on this act to the standing committee, we are still on track with that. Once the standing committee reviews the legislative proposal and permits their feedback, then I will give drafting instructions, and if there are no major glitches, then this will continue as provided, and so it will be brought forward in the May session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not going to go onto that lease issue, because we could be here for another year dealing with it, and we would like to get it moved forward.

My next set of questions are to the Minister of Lands, and it's a follow-up from the first set of questions that I had for him when we talk about territorial and Commissioner's lands. It is my understanding that the calculations are different for territorial and Commissioner's lands. Can the Minister explain why there are two different calculations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Minister of Lands.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Yes, Thank you, Mr. Speaker. They are different, as the Member opposite has mentioned. Part of that is for historical reasons. One of them is based on the pre-devolution federal approached pricing, which we inherited, of course, in 2014, and one is our territorial approach on pricing.

The differences in lot pricing have become evident since 2014 and the creation of the Department of Lands. We are aware of the differences, and hopefully the differences will be less. As Members know, we are implementing an $840 minimum so that there will be a similarity between the minimum rates on the leases. Thank you.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

I thank the Minister for that answer. Mr. Speaker, is the department looking at harmonizing the Commissioner's land and the territorial land together, and if so, when?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

As Members will know, the territorial and commissioner's lands are already managed by one department. I thought initially that we could have one act, but that seemed to be too complicated or too difficult. However, we are hoping to harmonize the two acts, and as I say, we have made the change in the minimum rates, which does harmonize the two acts.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

I thank the Minister for that answer. Mr. Speaker, if a constituent has arrears, does the department have a plan that can help them get in good standings, or is legal action that is threatened in the courts, is that still going to be moving forward?

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

The Department of Lands will and does work with lessees who are less than 90 days in arrears. However, once it reaches that point, they can work with the Department of Finance.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for that brief explanation. My next question, Mr. Speaker, is in regard to the residents who are part of the Dehcho First Nation process of the Acho Dene First Nation process. Does the department recognize this and honour it, and if they do, will they remove the threat of legal action until both are resolved? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

The Government of the Northwest Territories and the Department of Lands recognizes and honours the land claim process as of the First Nations of the Northwest Territories. While these negotiations are taking place, the administration and control of land is in these areas that aren't federal remains a responsibility of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Further, the department consults with the Indigenous governments on any land administration actions in accordance with our procedures with respect to the Interim Measures Agreements. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Oral questions. Item 8, written questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is Societies Eligibility for the Business Incentive Policy. Would the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment please provide the following information?

1. It appears that the Business Incentive Policy (BIP) as is currently applied may compromise an incorporated society's right to "have all the powers, rights and immunities vested by law in a corporation," as provided by section 4(2) of the Societies Act. Please explain this possible infringement of a legal right by the Business Incentive Policy.

2. Some societies carry out small business activities, may hold a legitimate business license and meet the requirement of section 6(e) of the Business Incentive Policy. Please describe the process for such a society to become BIP-registered.

3. If the Minister is of the position that societies are not BIP-eligible, please provide options for a policy amendment to enable preference for incorporated societies to participate in sectors of our economy often neglected by currently registered small businesses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Written questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Cory Vanthuyne

Cory Vanthuyne Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have five written questions today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. They relate specifically to the changes, to the Seniors Home Heating Subsidy program. In the Minister's statement on March 6, 2018, he announced updates and changes to this program, but the guidelines currently published on the department's website are from June of 2016.

1. The Minister announced increases in the income threshold to determine eligibility and the amount of the subsidy. Can the Minister explain the details of the changes in eligibility to the Seniors Home Heating Subsidy, specifically how are the income thresholds and income limits going to change?

2. Changing to a monetary-based subsidy could conceivably make the value of the subsidy subject to market changes in the price of fuel. Can the Minister explain the rationale for changing to a monetary-based subsidy and how it will avoid a scenario where seniors are exposed to cost fluctuations?

3. Under a monetary-based subsidy, the government will provide funding to suppliers of fuels, who will track the deliveries to consumers. How will the change to a monetary-based subsidy affect consumers who want to access two or three types of fuel, such as a homeowner who uses both heating fuel and wood or pellets?

4. The level of subsidy is partly determined by a zone system. Can the Minister explain if the zone system for communities has changed, and what the rationale was for making this change?

5. Last, the Minister announced that the program will now be extended to renters, not just homeowners. Can the Minister explain how the Seniors Home Heating Subsidy will apply to seniors who rent their homes?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Clerk Of The House (Mr. Mercer)

Mr. Speaker, I have a Return to the Written Question 6-18(3) asked by the Member for Kam Lake on February 23, 2018 to the Minister of Justice, regarding land transfers in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, information on the number of land transfers by year and community, including the associated dollar value of those land transfers, has been compiled for the period covering 2010-2011 to 2016-2017. Detailed information prior to 2010-2011 is not electronically available and would require time-consuming and labour-intensive analysis and verification to compile.

Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table the document entitled "Land Transfers in the Northwest Territories: 2010-11 to 2016-17." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to Commissioner's opening address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of standing and special committees. Item 13, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 14, tabling of documents. Minister of Finance.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Inter-Activity Transfers Exceeding $250,000 (April 1 to December 31, 2017)." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Justice.

Louis Sebert

Louis Sebert Thebacha

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following three documents entitled "Northwest Territories Coroner Service 2016 Annual Report"; "NTPC Capital Adjustments 2017-2018 Budget"; and, further to my Return to Written Question 6-18(3), a document entitled "Land Transfers in the Northwest Territories: 2010-2011 to 2016 -2017." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Wally Schumann

Wally Schumann Hay River South

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Communities and Diamonds Socio-Economic Agreements Annual Report 2017." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Glen Abernethy

Glen Abernethy Great Slave

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-Up Letter to Oral Question 133-18(3): Chemotherapy Services at Stanton Hospital." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table the following document, "2017 Westminster Workshop for Public Accounts and CAPAC Conference." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, May 25, 2018, I will move the following motion: I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Committee Report 6-18 (3), Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate in the Northwest Territories, be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration;

AND FURTHER, notwithstanding Rule 49, that Committee Report 6-18 (3): Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories be moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration today.

Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Notices of motion. Item 16, notices of motion for first reading of bills. Item 17, motions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I move, seconded by the honourable Member from Great Slave, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on March 15, 2018, it shall be adjourned until Thursday, May 24, 2018. And further, that if at any time prior to May 24, 2018, the Speaker is satisfied after consultation with the Executive Council Members of the Legislative Assembly that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice, and shall transact its business as it has been dually adjourned to that date. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

The motion is in order. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

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

---Carried

The motion is carried. Masi. Motions. Member for Kam Lake.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to deal with the motion he gave earlier today. Are there any nays? There are no nays. Member, you may continue.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that Committee Report 6-18(3), Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories, be received by the Assembly;

AND FURTHER, notwithstanding Rule 49, that Committee Report 6-18(3): Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories be moved into Committee of the Whole for consideration today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Motion is in order.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

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

---Carried

Masi. The Report 6-18(3) is now move into Committee of the Whole. Motions. Item 18, first reading of bills. Minister of Finance.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that Bill 12, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operation Expenditures), No. 1, 2018-2019, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The motion is in order. The motion is non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 12 has had its first reading. First reading of bills. Item 19, second reading of bills. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Great Slave, that Bill 8, Emergency Management Act, be read for the second time. This bill repeals and replaces a former act and reflects a new emergency management structure consistent with current operational Territorial realities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 8 has had its second reading. It is now referred to a standing committee. Second reading of bills. Minister of Finance.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 12, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operation Expenditures), No. 1, 2018-2019, be read for the second time. Mr. Speaker, this bill makes supplementary appropriations for operation expenditures for the Government of the Northwest Territories for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The motion is in order. To the principle of the bill.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Bill 12 has had its second reading. Second reading of bills. Item 20, consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Minister's Statement 1-18(3), North Slave Correctional Complex Inmate Concerns; Minister's Statement 19-18(3), Aurora College Foundational Review Process, with the Member for Hay River North in the Chair.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

I now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Beaulieu.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, committee would like to consider Committee Report 6-18(3), Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. Does committee agree?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, committee. Let's get down to it. I will turn to the chair of the standing committee who considered the report for any opening comments. Mr. Testart.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, yesterday, I reported the bill, and I won't go in at length. It was fairly lengthy yesterday. The key issue here is climate change's major impacts on the Arctic. Of course, that has huge consequences for our jurisdiction.

Northerners know that the recent years of forest fires and coastal erosion, permafrost erosion, these issues are live issues that affect them, affect their communities, affect their families. The expectation is that we have a robust framework and mechanism to deal with them. Unfortunately, in previous years, that was not the case. That is what the Auditor General of Canada found in her audit.

The standing committee worked very diligently to gather evidence on the Auditor General's reports and looked at those recommendations very closely and spoke with departmental officials and officials from the office of the Auditor General, as well. This is not an issue about the people who are working at that department. This is a management issue. These audits are always management issues.

The committee takes no issue with the hard-working staff at the department or the hard-working staff at the public service in general. This is really about the kind of tools that this government needs to lead on climate change. We want to ensure, as a standing committee, that those tools are, in fact, in place and that all parties involved with this audit and the subsequent standing committee review understand quite clearly their roles and responsibilities under the government's commitments to climate change.

We appreciate that much of this work has been identified as ongoing in the government's Climate Change Strategic Framework. However, when the committee reviewed those drafts, many of the key findings and recommendations the Auditor General made that were accepted by the department were not clearly included in the Climate Change Strategic Framework. The department has acknowledged that. I understand they are working to correct that in the final form of this framework.

We will be making a number of recommendations that we will debate later in these proceedings. Key, I think, is understanding the contents of these recommendations. It is very easy to agree with the findings, but taking meaningful action to ensure that these problems are addressed and do not re-emerge, that is the interest of the standing committee.

It is not about being critical or scoring points. It is about making government better and ensuring that we can tackle the immense challenges that climate change represents to Northerners, to our communities, and to the people we serve.

With that, Mr. Chair, I will conclude my opening comments, but I welcome any other Member of the committee who wants to provide some comments that I may have missed. Thank you.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Earlier the committee agreed to forgo opening comments. Does committee still agree that we shall forgo opening comments?

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, committee. The way we deal with these reports is we move through each recommendation and treat it as a motion. We may begin that process now. I will just give committee a moment to orient itself. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this assembly recommend that Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Infrastructure take the steps necessary to ensure that all eight recommendations made by the Office of the Auditor General in its report are fully implemented in a timely manner. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried.

Thank you, committee. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this assembly recommend that, in future, any Government of the Northwest Territories department being audited provide the Standing Committee on Government Operations with a copy of its action or implementation plan at the earliest possible opportunity and no later than three business days prior to the public review on the Auditor General's report, consistent with the process convention on communications between Cabinet Ministers, standing committees, and Regular Members. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried.

Thank you, committee. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this assembly recommend that, in future, any GNWT department selected for an audit provide the Standing Committee on Government Operations with a copy of its action or implementation plan in draft format and, further, that the document not be finalized until the department has had an opportunity to consider the recommendations made as a result of the standing committee's review. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

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

---Carried

Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources acknowledge and reference the Auditor General's report and recommendations in the Climate Change Strategic Framework. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

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

---Carried

Thank you. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources bring forward a draft Climate Change Strategic Framework action plan for the consideration of the standing committee no later than May 11, 2018, which identifies specific activities to be undertaken by the department in support of the Climate Change Strategic Framework and in response to the recommendations of the Auditor General.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. To the motion. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I referenced in my opening comments, the committee is aware that the Climate Change Strategic Framework is a work in progress and is expected to be completed soon, but one of the concerns of committee is ensuring that the Auditor General's recommendations are properly addressed therein.

In the course of our review, the evidence that was provided to the committee for consideration was that this framework is going to be how the department addresses the Auditor General's findings, and committee wants to ensure that the specifics of those recommendations are met clearly and not just by the framework, but by a concrete action plan.

Just for clarification, the intention of this motion is to see a concrete action plan that is brought forward that addresses those Auditor General concerns. This has been something that we have shared with the department during our review of this report in the first place; so committee does not believe that this deadline of May 11th is onerous and, not only that, but is achievable and gets at the results that we are looking for, that the audit's findings are properly addressed and result in better accountability and public governance over climate change in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

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

---Carried

Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources bring forward a draft knowledge agenda action plan for the consideration of the standing committee no later than May 11, 2018, which identifies specific activities to be undertaken by the department in support of a Climate Change Strategic Framework and in response to the recommendations of the Auditor General. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

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

---Carried

Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommends that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources report annually on progress being made to meet the greenhouse gas emissions targets established in the Climate Change Strategic Framework and remain open to the possibility of making target adjustments as required, to meet the overall emissions reduction target by 2030. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

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

---Carried

Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, with Cabinet endorsement and participation, hold a ministerial roundtable on climate change in the Northwest Territories as a method for seeking industry input into the Climate Change Strategic Framework and to secure commitments at the political level that industry will work to meet the target set in the Climate Change Strategic Framework. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. Mr. O'Reilly, to the motion.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I don't want to belabour this, but I am going to speak to this one and perhaps the next one.

During the public hearing that was held on the audit, we heard from ENR staff that there had been one meeting between departmental staff and representatives of industry. While that is helpful, I think, as we move forward on the issues of energy and climate change, we need to develop more of a partnership approach on this.

What this recommendation is aimed at is providing some constructive ideas for the Ministers and Cabinet moving forward on how to meaningfully engage industry moving forward on reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and so on.

What we are looking for here is some real leadership from the Minister and Cabinet on this. Sending staff is okay, but it would be far more meaningful to engage industry by having Ministers at the table discussing with industry leaders. That is what this motion is about, and I look forward to a positive response from our Cabinet colleagues moving forward on this. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

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

---Carried

Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources give consideration to the development of the following procedural authoritative instruments: a territorial climate change act; a formal GNWT climate change policy; memoranda of understanding, identifying ministerial and departmental responsibilities for climate change initiatives; and an assessment exercise designed to identify and provide the department with sufficient capacity to fulfill its leadership role; and further, that ENR report back to the committee on its consideration of these recommendations, identifying those procedural authoritative instruments that it will adopt, together with reasons for any decision to not proceed with these instruments. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. To the motion. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, over the course of our review of the Auditor General's findings, the Auditor General was quite clear that authorities were not in place to allow ENR to fulfill its leadership role in the previous greenhouse gas strategy, and some of the items that are contained in this motion are the kinds of instruments that were suggested to us as examples by the Auditor General's Office as the kind of authoritative instruments that ENR could employ to strengthen its leadership role.

Over the course of our hearings, this point was somewhat lost. We wanted to ensure that the committee was very clear in what it is recommending. We appreciate that the deputy minister, in this case, is being very proactive in his role of reaching out to communities, to stakeholders, to other GNWT departments in the work on climate change, and we appreciate that the Minister responsible sits on a Cabinet committee and these discussions are ongoing, but the committee wants to ensure that, apart from those working relationships, there are clear authoritative instruments that allow the department to be the lead on a whole-of-government approach to climate change. What we are proposing, I think, will greatly help the government in its decision-making around climate change and ensuring that all departments are working together.

This goes back to a longstanding view of many of the honourable Members of this House that the silos need to come down in the public service and in the government's various departments and public agencies. We need to find formal ways to work together and also informal ways. I think the GNWT has developed great informal ways to work together. Now we need to strengthen the formal ways so that we can give solid leadership roles to ENR, in this case. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. Mr. O'Reilly.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Mr. Chair. In my first set of comments, I neglected to thank the committee members and, obviously, the Auditor General. In fact, the Auditor General himself came to Yellowknife for the hearing. There was a lot of hard work that was put into this report by the committee, and I sincerely thank them and thank them for the opportunity to participate in their review of the report.

I just want to make sure that my Cabinet colleagues focus on the report. This is the most important recommendation that comes out of this whole exercise, and it's about leadership. I am just going to quote one sentence from the audit itself. It says, "Overall, we found that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources did not fulfil its leadership role and meet its commitments on climate change." That is a pretty serious finding. Now, when we heard from the department, the Minister, the deputy minister, on this, they did provide us with a draft action plan in response to the audit findings, and, on this particular item around leadership, the idea would be that there would be an assistant deputy minister's climate change committee set up. Well, actually, it has been in operation since 2016. There were really no other ideas in here, even from the discussion that was held, about how to make sure that the proper authority and structure is in place to make sure that we can do the work that is required on climate change. Committee heard from the department, from the Minister, the deputy minister, and I have looked, we have looked, at the Climate Change Strategic Framework. There were no ideas about how to make sure the proper authority is in place, proper structures are in place, to make sure that we achieve those greenhouse gas reductions that are required as part of the international and national obligations that this government has signed on to. The leadership structure is just not there from what the committee heard.

So committee did some thinking around this. We have made some suggestions about how to make sure that the proper authority and structures are in place to make sure that we can deliver on those commitments. That is what this recommendation is about. A climate change act formalizing the roles and responsibilities is one way to do it. A Cabinet-approved policy is another option. Making sure that climate change is incorporated into the way that Cabinet submissions are prepared, financial management board decisions are made, those are some other ways to ensure that we are able to deliver on the climate change commitments that we have agreed to as a government. So this, as I said, is the most important recommendation coming out of the entire report to make sure that we can succeed at the end of the day, so I really urge our Cabinet colleagues to focus on this one in particular. There are some good ideas here, and I look forward to a positive response from our Cabinet colleagues moving forward so that we can all share in the success of making sure that we achieve our climate change objectives, policies, targets, and move forward together and benefit all of the residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. To the motion. Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommend that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources identify in its own Climate Change Strategic Framework Action Plan specific measures that will be undertaken, with the associated timelines, to fulfil the wildlife management actions recommended by the Office of the Auditor General, including the development of an inventory of commitments already identified as important to addressing climate change impacts on wildlife, with a view to ensuring those commitments are met. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is another area that committee found that the department had agreed with the Auditor General's finding, that there were significant issues with the management of wildlife species identified "at-risk" and that there was a piecemeal approach where certain species were prioritized over others. There are statutory obligations for protection of all species of risk, and, although the department agreed with the Auditor General's finding, their response was largely to maintain the status quo as to how they had been managing these resources. Although committee appreciates that there are limited resources available to any branch of this government, there are statutory obligations in place to protect these species, and, at the end of the day, our role in this audit process is to ensure that the obligations that the government sets for itself are in fact being met. This recommendation is largely designed to address those concerns as our evidence found that the department's response to date has not been satisfactory in directly and effectively responding to the Auditor General's findings. I will conclude there, Mr. Chair, but I hope that we develop a more systematic approach to protecting species at risk in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion. Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this report within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion on the floor. The motion is in order. To the motion. Minister McLeod.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I was actually waiting for the last motion. I had a few comments, but I thought I would wait until the last motion. You know, we appreciate the work that committee does. We do not always necessarily agree with some of the findings of the Auditor General's report. However, we did incorporate a number of their recommendations into the draft framework. Committee is aware of the work that we are doing because one of the things I have tried to do is to keep committee apprised as to all of the work that we are doing.

There was a motion there on the knowledge agenda action plan. There is currently under development. It will be ready for review by the end of summer. The Auditor General themselves did acknowledge to ENR the departmental work being done on the department of the draft Climate Change Strategic Framework, and they would not document the work completed as the framework was a draft document and was not finalized in 2017 and, therefore, it could not be included in the report. I think we all recognize that. They admitted that we were doing some work, and that it was not going to be included in the Auditor General's report.

Our folks have been working hard trying to get this out. We recognize the importance of this, more so than anybody else. They are writing about it. I am actually living it, so we know that it needs to be addressed. There was a comment on silos. This is the one issue where I do not believe we are working in silos. We can't, not on something as important as this. So we are working with the other departments in coming up with a plan that I think is going to be a good one. My understanding is they have done all jurisdictions, the Auditor General has done all jurisdictions, and none of them are shining knights. Every one of them has some issues.

We are taking the Auditor General's recommendations seriously. I do not take it as gospel, but we are taking it seriously.

There was one other comment that I had here, but, again, we appreciate the work that is done. I just do not want people out in the public who are watching to get the impression based on the committee report and the Auditor General's recommendations that we have done absolutely nothing. That is the furthest thing from the truth, and I take exception to that. It's not on my behalf but on behalf of the people who are putting all the good work in. To say that we are not fulfilling our goal, I mean I have heard some other comments about maybe they are not resourced enough. I think we heard that as we went through the business plan. Maybe that is something we have to visit.

I can assure you, though, that our work is being done. It will be done well. I would have been criticized had we gotten it out too early because you would have said, "Well, it's too quick. You've got to have some work being done." Our plan is to have the document out, tabled in May-June session. We have got the whole summer to do the last round of consultations, and then we will table the action plan in the October session. As I always do, I will work with committee and give them a briefing before we actually table it so they are aware of what is coming down the pipe. Now, I will stop there, Mr. Chair, because I can see that we have got a few Members who want to contradict everything I have just said. Thank you, sir.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Minister. I gave you a wide berth because you did hold your comments to the end, but generally we speak to the motion. So, to the motion, the motion that is in front of us. To the motion. Mr. Testart.

Kieron Testart

Kieron Testart Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to reiterate that the committee is not putting forward this report, of which it is asking for a report in 120 days, for the purpose of criticizing the hard work of staff who are working at the Department of ENR or the Department of Infrastructure, who are subject to this audit. The committee's intention is to provide constructive feedback on the response to the Auditor General's report and the findings of the Auditor General's report, and to present the evidence that we heard in our hearings. That is the contents of this document. I know that the committee feels very strongly that this issue is important, and I know the Minister does as well. We look forward to working with the Minister to find a way that we can improve on our responses to climate change. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Testart. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

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

---Carried

The motion is carried. Thank you, committee. Committee, do you agree that we have concluded consideration of Committee Report 6-18(3), Standing Committee on Government Operations, Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General of Canada on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories?

Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, committee. This concludes our consideration of Committee Report 6-18(3). What is the wish of committee? Mr. Beaulieu.

Tom Beaulieu

Tom Beaulieu Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Chairman rise and report progress.

The Chair

The Chair R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. There is a motion to report progress. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

The motion is carried. I will rise and report progress.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

May I have the report, Member for Hay River North?

Report of Committee of the Whole
Report of Committee of the Whole

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Committee Report 6-18 (3), Report on the Review of the 2017 Report of the Auditor General of Canada on Climate Change in the Northwest Territories, with 11 motions being adopted, and would like to report progress, and that consideration of Committee Report 6-18(3) is concluded. Mr. Speaker, I move that the report of the Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

Report of Committee of the Whole
Report of Committee of the Whole

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. Do I have a seconder? Member for Yellowknife North. The motion is in order. All those in favour? All those opposed?

---Carried

The motion is carried. Masi. Item 22, third reading of bills. Minister of Finance.

Robert C. McLeod

Robert C. McLeod Inuvik Twin Lakes

Mr. Speaker, thank you. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that Bill 12, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2018-2019, be read for the third time. Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded vote. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. The Member has requested for a recorded vote. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Some Hon. Members

Question.

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Question has been called. All those in favour, please stand.

Recorded Vote
Third Reading of Bills

Clerk Of The House (Mr. Mercer)

The Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, the Member for Hay River South, the Member for Thebacha, the Member for Hay River North, the Member for Mackenzie Delta, the Member for Yellowknife North, the Member for Kam Lake, the Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, the Member for Nahendeh, the Member for Frame Lake, the Member for Deh Cho, the Member for Nunakput, the Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, the Member for Range Lake, the Member for Great Slave, the Member for Yellowknife South.

Recorded Vote
Third Reading of Bills

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi. All those opposed, please stand. All those abstaining, please stand. The results of the recorded vote: 16 in favour; zero opposed; zero abstentions.

---Carried

Bill 12 has had its third reading. Third reading of bills. Mr. Clerk, will you ascertain that the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, the Honourable Margaret Thom, is going to enter the Chamber and assent to bills.

Assent to Bills
Assent to Bills

Commissioner (Ms. Thom)

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, good afternoon.

I look forward to attending the 2018 Arctic Winter Games in Hay River and Fort Smith next week. I am already so proud of our Team NWT athletes and coaches, in how they have performed during their trials to qualify in their respective events, and in how I know they will conduct themselves with respect and good sportsmanship as representatives and ambassadors for the Northwest Territories.

I would also like to extend a huge mahsi cho and acknowledge the dedicated volunteers, coaches, parents, and families who have all worked so hard to support our NWT athletes and to make these games the huge success that I know I am sure they will be.

I would like to wish good luck and safe travels to all of our athletes as they compete at the Arctic Winter Games. I will be one of their best "cheerleaders." Now, as Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, I am pleased to assent to the following Bills:

• Bill 10, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2017-2018;

• Bill 11, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2017-2018; and

• Bill 12, Supplementary Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditures), No. 1, 2018-2019.

Thank you, quyanainni, merci beaucoup, mahsi cho, koana.

Assent to Bills
Assent to Bills

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Please be seated. Colleagues, before we adjourn today, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those Pages who have been with us during this session. Our youth are our greatest resource. It is always a pleasure to have them in our Chamber.

---Applause

I would also like to take this moment to remind our young people of the Northwest Territories that the Legislative Assembly will be hosting our next Youth Parliament from May 14th to 18th of this year. This is a great opportunity for grade 9 and grade 10 students in the Northwest Territories to assume the role of their MLA at the Legislative Assembly here in Yellowknife. The deadline for application is April 6th, so you still have time to apply. For more information, please visit the Legislative Assembly website or contact our public affairs team.

Colleagues, please join me in thanking the interpreters who have been with us throughout this session. They are Mary Rose Sundberg, Sarah Cleary, Suzie Napayak, Tom Unka, Margaret Mackenzie, Ruth Carroll, David Black, and Lillian Elias. Thank you for your service that you provide for us and for letting us use our language as part of the official language. I would like to say a big masi to them as well.

I would also like to extend a special thank you to Emily Dorian. Ms. Dorian joins us from the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, where she serves as a clerk assistant, and has spent the past three weeks learning about our unique form of consensus-style government and a leading hand in our clerk's office, in committee, and in this Chamber. Masi, Emily. Your assistance has been greatly appreciated by everybody here in this building, and you will always be welcome at this table. Masi.

Colleagues, finally, I would like to thank all of you for your continued hard work and dedication to this House and all of the people of the Northwest Territories. I also wish you safe travels as you return to your constituencies, your communities. This House will not sit again until May. However, I know that you will all be busy with the ongoing business of government, the committees, and the needs of your constituencies.

Although we will all be busy, I remind Members to take time to reach out to your constituencies, your family, your community members, and hear their concerns, their issues, to reconnect with family and friends, and to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us each day, such as today. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful territory.

With that, Madam Clerk, orders of the day.

Orders of the Day
Orders of the Day

Deputy Clerk Of The House (Ms. Kay)

Orders of the day for Thursday, May 24, 2018, at 1:30 p.m.:

1. Prayer

2. Ministers' Statements

3. Members' Statements

4. Returns to Oral Questions

5. Recognition of Visitors in the Gallery

6. Acknowledgements

7. Oral Questions

8. Written Questions

9. Returns to Written Questions

10. Replies to Commissioner's Opening Address

11. Petitions

12. Reports of Standing and Special Committees

13. Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills

14. Tabling of Documents

15. Notices of Motion

16. Notices of Motion for First Reading of Bills

17. Motions

18. First Reading of Bills

19. Second Reading of Bills

20. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters

- Minister's Statement 1-18(3), North Slave Correctional Complex Inmate Concerns

- Minister's Statement 19-18(3), Aurora College Foundational Review Process

1. Report of Committee of the Whole

2. Third Reading of Bills

3. Orders of the Day

Orders of the Day
Orders of the Day

The Speaker

The Speaker Jackson Lafferty

Masi, Madam Clerk. This House stands adjourned until Thursday, May 24, 2018, at 1:30 p.m.

---ADJOURNMENT

The House adjourned at 3:51 p.m.