This is page numbers 11 - 42 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 1st 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 assembly.

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Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize two visitors who are visiting from the Association des colleges et universites de la francophonie canadienne, an organization that works with francophone colleges and universities across Canada. I would also like to recognize my constituent, Ms. Josee Clermont, from the College nordique francophone.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Welcome if we missed anyone in the gallery today. Welcome to the Chamber, and I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It's always nice to have an audience with us today. Thank you. Oh, sorry, Member for Monfwi.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not available.] Masi.

Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery
Recognition Of Visitors In The Gallery

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The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Mahsi, Member for Monfwi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 7, reports of standing and special committees. Item 8, returns to oral questions. Item 9, acknowledgements. Item 10, oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I am really concerned with our airline services that we're having back home in the Delta. Since this merger came online with Canadian North and First Air, our cancer patients and medical travel patients have been having a really tough time getting out of Inuvik. Today, seeing as a community I represent, Paulatuk, is having five people on standby, I am calling out the airline, Mr. Speaker, in regard to getting aircraft and adequate services provided to these people who are travelling for cancer, cancer patients for either surgery or treatment, and any others, because everything is done in the south and we have two days' travel just to get to where we're trying to go.

Mr. Speaker, I am asking the Minister of Health, Ms. Minister Thom, to see if she could work with me to get these airlines sorted out for medical travel for the Beaufort-Delta and Nunakput riding that I serve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Question 1-19(1): Medical Travel in Nunakput
Oral Questions

December 10th, 2019

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Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The last of the one flights a day to Inuvik has made it more difficult to book travel. Medical travel is a live issue and we are working to mitigate the impact on medical travelers. We are working with Stanton Clinic to ensure that there is sufficient time to process travel requests to make the specialist appointments in time, checking with airlines to see if travel is available for the required day, and booking a day earlier, if needed.

People are not getting bumped. There are unrealistic expectations that people travelling on medical travel can somehow bump other paying passengers on an over-subscribed flight. I have instructed the Department of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services to make the best efforts to ensure our residents are accommodated and have enough notice to make flights and necessary household arrangements to attend medical appointments outside their home communities.

To our residents, please bear with us as we work to improve medical travel and make it easier on you to meet your medical needs. There will be hiccups along the way, and we ask for your understanding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

It's pretty dire, I guess, in regards to when you're travelling. When we travel down here, since the last two months we've been here, I've been travelling on that 14 times. Every time, you're seeing somebody in the airport actually being physically taken off the flight, being removed. I'm asking the Minister: would she call a meeting, I guess, with all the transportation providers that provide service to this government, to call them in and try to work with them to try to get adequate aircraft and try to get our patients out of our ridings to where they are travelling for their appointments?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Like I mentioned, medical travel is a live issue, and, again, our department is working to mitigate the impact of medical travellers.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

I'm going to call out the airlines. I want adequate service provided to our residents of the Beaufort Delta. I guess from outside Yellowknife, the Sahtu, Beaufort Delta, my riding of Nunakput and Aklak Air, also. Today, I had five passengers on standby out of Paulatuk. That's not right, Mr. Speaker. They have to have adequate aircraft to provide the service that they're providing, and people are missing appointments, now. What are we going to do?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Our department is working hard with the airline companies to ensure, on our side of the department, that we give sufficient notice so that the airline tickets can be booked in time. We don't want to see our medical patients being bumped off the airline, so we are doing the best that we can.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. The last Assembly passed legislation for a Northwest Territories Carbon Tax. Despite detailed questions, the regulations to implement the Carbon Tax were not shared with Regular Members, but came into force on August 29, 2019. I have a number of questions for the new Minister of Finance on the implementation of the NWT Carbon Tax. Can the Minister explain how, if, and when guidelines will be established for the approval and payment of emission reductions grants to large emitters, and will these be shared with standing committee in draft form? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The regulations are being currently drafted by the Department of Finance, but also in collaboration with other departments. As they are going through that process, I can assure the Member that, indeed, draft guidelines will be shared with the committees for review. While I don't have a deadline for that, I am expecting that that should be in early 2020 and, at that time, I would be happy to join in terms of making myself available, as well, to the Member in order to participate in the review of those draft guidelines. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I am glad to see that the spirit of collaboration is alive and well in this House. For the record, the large emitters in the Northwest Territories, as set out in the regulations, are Diavik Diamond Mines (2012) Incorporated; De Beers Canada, Incorporated; Dominion Diamond Ekati Corporation; and Imperial Oil Resources NWT Limited. Could the Minister tell us whether there have been any discussions between large emitters and Finance officials on the Carbon Tax and its implementation, and would the Minister provide this Assembly with some details?

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

I can say that there have been some discussions on some level, certainly before the Carbon Tax became law and mostly with regard to the structure of the Carbon Tax regime itself, not necessarily with the implementation of the program or of the draft guidelines, so I'm not sure that the discussions that were had are necessarily going to the substance of the matter that is at issue presently. If there have been any further discussions more recently, I would certainly endeavour to inquire about that, but to date my information is that the discussions were prior to the implementation.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I want to thank the Minister for that information. It's great that some of these consultations took place before, but I think we need to start that ball rolling again. Will this Minister begin consultation with the public, other sectors, and Regular Members throughout the implementation of the NWT's Carbon Tax?

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

I'm sure, as the Member is aware, there certainly were other consultations that were conducted during the development generally of the Carbon Tax program. These included, of course, both in-person and online consultations. The Annual Report on the Northwest Territories Carbon Tax will be tabled annually in the Legislative Assembly. That certainly does provide the Members of this Assembly with the opportunity to review the implementation and to inquire as to that implementation. In addition, the Northwest Territories Climate Change Strategic Framework itself also commits to an annual emissions tracking system and reporting, which is to be done in collaboration with Environment and Climate Change Canada. I would expect that that item will also be coming before the Assembly in due course, Mr. Speaker, and provide the Assembly with the opportunity to ask questions of it.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister of Finance. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi. Oh, sorry, supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. I guess we're all a little bit rusty here today. I want to thank the Minister for that response. She talked about annual reporting, which is great, and that's what I want to get to next. One of the reasons I voted against the Carbon Tax last Assembly was the total absence of accountability and transparency in implementing the legislation and the inability of Regular MLAs to propose any meaningful changes. The regulations that were quietly introduced on August 29, 2019, do not set out or require any form of public reporting on significant matters such as how much carbon tax is collected, what it's used for, and whether it's actually effective or not. Can the Minister explain to this House what public reporting will be undertaken on the collection, use, and effectiveness of the Carbon Tax and, if not, why not? Thanks, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

My understanding at this stage is that the type of public reporting that the Member may be inquiring about is still part of the system that is being developed with respect to implementation, and, as I mentioned earlier, the draft of that will be shared with the committee in due course, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister of Finance. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.

Jackson Lafferty

Jackson Lafferty Monfwi

Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] When students go for training, how can we work with them? I'd like to ask the Minister of Education regarding this question about training. [Translation ends] How do we celebrate those who are successful in their programs? Masi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.