Welcome back, everyone. Item 2, Ministers' statements. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Mr. Speaker, our world-class tourism industry offers the greatest opportunity we have to grow and diversify our economy.

As we approach April 1^st, the budget proposed for the next year fiscal year reflects this. It contains nearly $6.3 million in contributions and program funding to support our tourism industry, an increase of $800,000 from 2018-2019. It's a sign that this government recognizes the integral role tourism is playing in diversifying and modernizing our economy, and that we recognize our responsibility to move this sector to the next level.

Today I would like to share with Members some of the investments the Government of the Northwest Territories, led by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, has planned for the tourism sector. We will invest in training products which will build the skills of our tourism operators to better deliver the unforgettable visitor experiences that they offer. We will continue to invest in the development of new tourism products; community-level tourism infrastructure; and NWT Tourism, our destination marketer, whose mandate is to promote our spectacular territory across the country and around the globe.

These investments will build on the $1.55 million that was invested in tourism-related businesses and initiatives this year. They will build on the investments we have made in Indigenous tourism alongside CanNor and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. They will complement the ongoing work of regional tourism development officers who deliver our programs and provide support to operators, communities, and Indigenous governments.

Last month I was pleased to announce the fifth consecutive year of increases in overnight visitors at our territorial parks. In spite of a wet and cloudy summer, our world-class parks and campgrounds continue to shine as attractions for visitors and residents.

Mr. Speaker, I have recognized in this Legislative Assembly that the tourism growth that we are nurturing is going to come with growing pains. We are taking steps through this transition to ensure that, above everything else, our tourism sector is operating with a focus on safety.

Up-to-date safety plans are a prerequisite for tourism operator licenses. In the North Slave, we are piloting initiatives aimed at getting aurora tours off the main highway, and are working with our industry partners to increase visitor awareness to the potential risks of cold weather, un-frozen lakes, and interacting with wildlife.

We have also introduced a vehicle identification program in the North Slave for all tourism operators delivering vehicle tours. It is a pilot project that we hope will help us identify which operators are working within our licensing process and those who are not.

It should be noted that the Tourism 2020 Strategy is expiring, and we must build on its success with a new strategy. Our new Tourism 2025 Strategy will guide tourism investment by the Government of the Northwest Territories from fiscal years 2021-2022 to 2025-2026. Its creation will begin this fall, with a multi-platform consultation process that includes industry and a wide range of tourism stakeholders.

Mr. Speaker, we know that our economy will gain strength as it grows more diverse. As we continue to move forward, we can see that our strategies and approaches are working, and that our investments are paying off. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Members, I would like to draw your attention to the gallery. I would like to welcome Mr. Jim Antoine, former Premier, former Minister, and the current chair of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Leadership Council.

---Applause

Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to addressing health inequities experienced by our residents. In October of last year I provided information on the Department of Health and Social Services' plans to move forward with our cultural safety and relationship-based care approach, and today I am pleased to advise that the 2018-2020 Caring for Our People: Cultural Safety Action Plan will be tabled later today.

Research shows that Indigenous peoples experience a disproportionate amount of negative health and social outcomes in comparison to non-Indigenous people. It is our responsibility as a government to address this inequity head-on, especially given the fact that over 50 percent of the NWT's population is Indigenous. This is why it is critical that we develop a two-year action plan that will see immediate steps taken to address the health outcome gaps to promote healthy living and communities in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, this action plan advances foundational work that began with the release of "Building a Culturally Respectful Health and Social Services System" in 2016.

Since the fall of 2017, the Department of Health and Social Services has held over 30 knowledge-sharing meetings with Indigenous and northern people to hear directly from them about their experiences, concerns, and aspirations for the NWT health and social services system. What we heard was that we need to transform our system so that it is rooted in relationships that are trusting, caring, and ongoing. The underlying theme in these meetings was the importance of cultural safety: an outcome where Indigenous peoples feel safe and respected, and free of racism and discrimination, when accessing health and social services.

Our action plan incorporates what we heard and provides direction on transforming the health and social services system through four objectives: creating an organizational culture of cultural safety; strengthening staff capacity for cultural safety; honouring traditional knowledge and healing approaches in care; and improving client and community experience.

Mr. Speaker, creating a health and social services system where cultural safety and relationship-based care is at the heart of everything we do requires a profound shift in how we operate and think about healthcare. It means that our health system will make it a priority to put the needs of our clients and their families first so that they feel safe and respected when accessing health and social programs and services. By making this shift, we hope to see improved access, patient experience, and health outcomes for all residents.

To ensure that we successfully implement our cultural safety action plan, we will be engaging with clients to identify whether their care has been culturally respectful; we will provide training to our staff so that they have the skills, knowledge, and behaviours to provide culturally safe care; and we will make sure that cultural safety is embedded throughout the NWT health and social services system, from policies to practice, and is supported by leadership throughout our organization.

Work is already under way for staff training, with three pilot training sessions held recently. The first and second pilot focused on bias and building relationships in the workforce, and the third focused on cultural competence. Feedback from participants will help us develop a cultural competency training package tailored to the cultural safety needs of NWT residents. The goal of the training package is to equip staff with the tools needed to identify and resolve hidden biases that they may have when interacting with their clients who are accessing services, programs, and support. We hope that this training, along with other actions we will take, will see attitudinal behaviours changes that can lead towards improved relationship-based care.

Throughout this process of firmly entrenching cultural safety in our health and social services system, we are committed to ensuring that the voices of Indigenous peoples are acknowledged, heard, and respected. To do this, we will increase awareness of client rights and responsibilities and develop mechanisms for feedback and complaints to support them on their care journey. We are already mapping out a system-wide client feedback process and quality assurance processes.

Mr. Speaker, another key component to embracing cultural safety is having a workforce that reflects the population that it serves. To further encourage our Indigenous residents to be practising members of our health and social services team, and to promote wellness throughout the territory, the department will be working with the Department of Finance, human resources section, as well as with Indigenous governments to encourage youth and individuals considering a different profession to get into the health and social services field.

To ensure that we are moving in the right direction, we will be monitoring progress. We are integrating data collection on cultural safety into existing monitoring plans, such as the patient experience questionnaire and community counselling program, to see how we are doing. This approach further reflects our approach to make cultural safety part of how we deliver programs and services throughout our system.

Mr. Speaker, taking action to improve the way that Indigenous residents access health and social services and creating a relationship-based care approach for all Northerners responds to multiple mandate commitments. More importantly, it is the right thing to do and helps us address our past, promotes reconciliation, and helps to build healthy, strong communities. By implementing what we heard, we can achieve our vision for a territory where Indigenous peoples, families, and communities enjoy physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and wellness. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories is committed to taking action so that seniors can age in place. We want to ensure that all seniors living within the Northwest Territories have the support and programs that they need to continue living in their own homes, if possible, and participate as full members in their community.

The number of seniors in our territory is growing at an extraordinary pace. While the population of the Northwest Territories has grown by one percent since 2004, the population of persons 60 years of age and older has grown by 53 percent. This trend is expected to continue well into the foreseeable future, compelling us to plan for how these changes will impact all of our systems.

Some housing efforts taken by this government to support seniors with their desire to age in place include the construction of seniors' independent eight-plex housing units in five communities: Aklavik, Fort Liard, Whati, Fort McPherson, and Fort Good Hope. A Seniors Aging-in-Place Retrofit Program was introduced, which helps make seniors' homes more durable and energy-efficient. The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation will soon introduce new multi-generational homeownership units in communities that will have a main-floor-accessible bedroom designed specifically for families that will be supporting an elder in their home.

These innovative initiatives are already making a difference. The Seniors Aging-in-Place Retrofit Program is now one of the most accessed programs that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation offers. The magnitude of the issue, however, means that we need to continually explore and examine other solutions.

Mr. Speaker, to further inform our government, as well as other governments, private industry, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders and decision-makers, I requested that the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation commission the Seniors' Planning Study to examine options related to independent housing for seniors.

This Seniors' Planning Study is an assessment of seniors' housing in all of the communities in the Northwest Territories, including current and future needs. The report provides a detailed review of the current context of the senior population, households, and the housing market.

Mr. Speaker, this study is divided into two distinct phases. Phase One of the study focused on reviewing and identifying existing conditions and trends for seniors' housing in the two locations that show the greatest demand: the city of Yellowknife and the town of Hay River. Part of the methodology for these two communities was to conduct focus group discussions with key stakeholders. We have included the interim report for those two communities in the final Seniors' Planning Study document.

Phase Two of the study was conducted as a tabletop exercise focused on analyzing available statistics for seniors' population growth and household formation for all communities in the Northwest Territories. The analysis is at a regional and community scale and reviews opportunities and challenges around seniors' housing in our more remote and isolated areas.

The Seniors' Planning Study is broken down into five chapters. The first chapter on Regional Community Overview provides a breakdown of the seniors' profile in each region. Housing preferences, indicators, and affordability targets were developed based on existing statistical data. The second chapter on Future Projections looks at future population growth for seniors in the Northwest Territories. The third chapter on Community Engagement examines the engagement that was conducted with the City of Yellowknife and the Town of Hay River. The fourth chapter provides a cross-jurisdictional analysis on best practices and case studies around the growth of the senior population in regard to housing design, configuration, and senior support programs. The last elements of the Seniors' Planning Study are conclusions from the study, along with a list of options around the increasing demand for seniors' housing.

Key findings from this report indicate that the majority of the seniors aged 55 years or older own their home. However, there are communities across the Northwest Territories where a higher proportion of seniors are in rented homes. One of the key findings of the study was that we can now plan around an increase of approximately 165 senior households annually. The needs of this population are varied and will have to be addressed. Thankfully, we now have this study to help us plan for seniors' needs in each community.

This information will be factored into the work around the development of 33 community housing plans. Decision-makers at all levels will be able to use this information, as well as the broader context of a community housing plan, to inform their infrastructure and planning decisions, especially those communities that are taking a more active role in housing.

Mr. Speaker, seniors are one of our greatest cultural resources. They hold our histories, sustain our traditional languages and customs, and they have given so much to so many. We are committed to ensuring the health and well-being of our elders, and a crucial part of that is housing. With this study, we can improve on the good work already being done to ensure that seniors can remain well-housed in their communities and with their families and friends. Later today, at the appropriate time, I will table the Seniors' Planning Study. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Members, I would like to welcome a visitor in the gallery. A member of the NWT Honours Advisory Council and a fellow Hay Riverite, Ms. Sabrina Broadhead. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. The Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

[Translation] Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This month is Deline language month. That is why I am going to make my statement in the Aboriginal language. Back in the old days, I am from Fort Resolution, people who lived around Fort Resolution, Little Buffalo River, Rocher River, the Slave River, Stony Point, people were living all over the place, and, when you are going from one camp to the other, everybody spoke Chippewan. Only Fort Resolution spoke English. Back in the days, when people were picked to go to school, we were living in Fort Resolution. I didn't speak English when I started school. I only spoke Chippewan. A lot of people were like that. Yes, we only spoke Chippewan language, and that is the way it was.

After we all went to school, we were taught the English language. We only spoke the Deline language, though. What I think now, the way we spoke our language, that is where we learned our language, at our home. Nowadays, they are teaching the kids in the school system, They are not really teaching the kids quite properly. What I think, if you want a really strong language, you've got to learn it at home. The ones who spoke the language, the Slavey, the Dogrib people, they learned at home. They taught the kids at home. That is the way the kids learned, and that is the proper way to do it.

I spoke Chipewyan. When I was going to speak English when I was in school, they had to give me somebody who spoke English so they could, kind of an interpreter. It was pretty hard for me when I first started school. That is the way it was in the old days.

So, when the kids are learning their language at home, everybody who is learning, they're writing to each other in their language now. Thank you. [Translation ends.]

Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [No translation provided.] Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our territory is unique in the world in many ways. I am proud that we work in such a unique system of government. I am proud that we have developed the consensus system that reflects our originality. I am proud to sit in this Chamber with colleagues from a wide variety of heritages. I am proud that we live and work in a jurisdiction that recognizes 11 official languages. We are fortunate to have a number of healthy languages in our territory and to be able to hear them on the radio every day.

On many days, you can hear, like today, those languages in this very Chamber, Mr. Speaker. I really appreciate that this Assembly has emphasized the importance of using Indigenous languages in our proceedings, especially in the past few sessions.

However, I wonder how much longer this can continue, Mr. Speaker. Years ago, I remember that there was a strong effort to recruit and train Indigenous-language interpreters to provide translation of public discussion and debates. In this Chamber and at conferences and assemblies across the NWT, language systems and simultaneous translation were staples of public discourse.

Today, that level of commitment to language services seems to have diminished. Interpreters are fewer and fewer and harder to find. The strong emphasis on training for language expertise and simultaneous translation seems to be missing. It makes me wonder what is the future of our languages? More importantly, what will be the outcome for the children who are coming up now?

Strong work on language preservation is going on in some places. In particular, the Tlicho language is actively used among all ages. There is even a Tlicho dictionary online. This is the kind of commitment that's needed to maintain our languages for the next generations. Historically, there were hundreds of Indigenous languages spoken across what is now Canada, Mr. Speaker. Sadly, many of them have disappeared entirely and/or are now nearly extinct. It is sad that, if a language dies, a whole way of life may go with it.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that in the Northwest Territories so many different languages remain active and healthy. I think it's important that we continue to emphasize the learning, use, and health of all of the languages of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is Indigenous Languages Month. It is now the time to celebrate the NWT's Indigenous languages and encourage people to learn about and use them. Here in the NWT, we are very fortunate that we live on lands rich with languages and cultures. We have 11 official languages, nine of those are Indigenous. For Indigenous languages to thrive and survive, it is important to promote their everyday use at home, in the community, and at work. The importance of Indigenous languages has been elevated by the United Nations, who have declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages.

Here in the NWT, we are the trailblazers, and our efforts to share and pass on Indigenous languages are clear for all, especially those who listen to our proceedings every day. You just have to open up the app store on your phone, and see that we have eight official Government of the Northwest Territories language apps. This is a great step to help in preserving linguistic heritage, stories, and culture, all while ensuring that this information is available to young and future generations. I hope that the NWT will continue with this story of success, revitalizing language and continuing to set an example for the rest of the country to follow.

I believe I can speak for many of my colleagues when I say that we shall continue to take measures to ensure that these languages and the rights of the people who speak them will continue to be protected. It is of the utmost importance if we are to ever achieve meaningful reconciliation, that future generations know their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems, and literature, while communities, places, and persons can live and thrive in a system which does not inhibit their right to be named and recognized in their mother tongue. I am proud to play my small part in recognizing Indigenous Languages Month.

We are one land with many voices, and this is among our many strengths. Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to commend the first two speakers who have spoken in their language, and I am going to speak about an elder in Tuktoyaktuk who is very fluent in Inuvialuqtun.

Mr. Speaker, Ella Jean Arnakina was born in the community of Tuktoyaktuk to Sara and Phillip Nogosak on December 12, 1944, the oldest sister to Peter and Charlie.

At a very young age, she was taken to residential school in Aklavik, where she stayed until the age of 12. She remembered having to speak to her father through a glass window as he was in the hospital. After leaving the residential school, she lived at her Ataatang's with her mother as her father did not return home from the hospital after passing from TB.

At the age of 15, Ella Jean had given birth to her only child, Jacqueline. Ella did her best to raise her Bunnik with the help of her mother and her stepfather. Ella also became Akka to Clarence, Sandra, Freda, Robert, and Matilda.

Mr. Speaker, Ella Jean became Nanuk to Denise in 1982, and later to Jared. Denise loved spending time with her Nan, and her Nan loved her adventures with Denise. Akka had also taken her grandson Jared into her home when he was five years old. Raising him on her own was a blessing for them both. He was lucky to have such a caring person to take such good care of him, giving him all of the love he needed, more when his mother was away.

In 2005, she became Great Nan to Jobey Dragon, whom she called "the Great." Then, Mac Mangilaluk was her ataatalung, as she was very proud to have her mother name him, after Mangilaluk. Easton was "Mr. Easton" to her. The love she had for her greats was amazing, from sharing her home-cooked meals to gifting them the little things she'd see and know they would like. All three were her loveable, huggable, squeezable greats.

All through her life, she would volunteer her time during community events, such as the Beluga Jamboree and music festivals. You would see her by the cooking pit, helping in any way she could, and she enjoyed being at any feast as she liked to have others' cooking, too.

Ella Jean was always thinking of others, sharing what she had by giving clothing or baked goods or a memento that reminded her of them. When she was needed by anyone during hard times and good times, no matter the time of day or night, she was there for support in any way.

Mr. Speaker, Ella Jean was diagnosed with cancer on February 4, 2019, and passed on February 20, 2019, so condolences to the Nogosak family in Tuktoyaktuk. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Our condolences to the family. Members' statements. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report, there were 94 calls to action. Federal, provincial, and territorial governments responded to these and pledged to implement them.

This work is ongoing, and during this historic process, we must not forget the experiences of Canada's First Peoples. It touches on every part of our lives.

Mr. Speaker, today, I want to talk about healthcare, specifically options for nursing education and training in the Northwest Territories, a respected and demanding profession. Nursing is an important area for reconciliation and one where Canadian nurses have shown leadership. For example, two years ago, the Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women's Health Nurses publicly acknowledged the role that nurses had historically played in colonial practices; then they committed to doing better.

When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its report, Justice Murray Sinclair talked about the importance of having schools and colleges that include Indigenous history, rights, treaties, and other subjects.

Mr. Speaker, as the GNWT works to make Aurora College better, we must keep that at the top of our mind, especially for the college's flagship program, the nursing program. When I looked at the nursing curriculum, I could see just one course on First Nations Peoples of the Northwest Territories.

There's definitely room to grow. I believe that we can design nursing training and curriculum that will help to address our staffing shortages, increase options for our youth, improve employment outcomes, and recognize the Canadian history.

As Justice Murray Sinclair also said, "We owe it to each other to build a Canada based on our shared future, a future of healing and trust." Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to mark Indigenous Languages Month by speaking about the importance and benefits of learning an Indigenous language during childhood.

We all know that the first language we learn has an enormous influence on establishing our bedrock cultural identity. Socially, emotionally, and intellectually, we embark on the world through the perspective of the language we first speak with our families. Children starting out in the world of formal schooling who have a strong grounding in an Indigenous language will also have a leg up to academic achievement. Once they have a strong first language, children can learn to speak another language easily. In fact, they can learn several languages at once.

Mr. Speaker, let's consider how to help children get this extra boost of language and identity. The NWT Literacy Council provides some tips. First, children need to hear the language. Each language has different sounds, and children need to hear those sounds in order to learn them. Children copy what they hear and see. If they see and hear people talking the language, they'll do the same. They'll do this by playing, and they play and learn at the same time.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that children often have a silent period. That is the time they are listening to the sounds and getting ready to speak. They will speak the language when they feel comfortable, not to worry about the time it takes to get started.

Just like adults, children make mistakes. This is a natural part of learning a language. Sometimes, it is difficult for children to make certain sounds because their mouth, tongue, throat, and lungs are still developing.

Anyone who has read to children knows they often want to hear the same story over and over again. That is because they learn by repeating things. They also love rhymes and songs, which use a different part of the brain than talking. Children often learn the words to songs faster than everyday speech.

Most of all and best of it, it just takes time to learn a language, and those are some of the most precious times, when parents and children grow together. Indigenous Languages Month is really a family month with happy times of singing, playing, reading, and loving together with a focus on language. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Each year, through the Fire Service Merit Awards, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs recognizes individual firefighters and fire departments for the important work they do in our communities.

Previously, the community of Fort Simpson has seen this award go to Roger Pilling and Scott Withmore. In true Fort Simpson fashion, it is no surprise that this award is presented to another Simpsonite.

The 2018 NWT Fire Service Merit Award was awarded to Steve Nichol for his contribution as volunteer firefighter on the Fort Simpson fire department. He continues to express dedication and commitment to the ongoing protection of the residents in Fort Simpson.

Upon his retirement as a teacher at the Thomas Simpson school, Steve joined the fire department. In the past two and a half years, Steve has answered 241 ambulance calls.

In the past two years, Steven has been voted by his peers and colleagues as the Fort Simpson Volunteer Firefighter of the Year.

Many of Steven's accomplishments with the Fort Simpson fire department include countless hours dedicated to organizing, revising, updating, and cleaning the fire hall. Steve also was actively involved in the organization of the entire inventory, creating, and updating check lists for all of the department's equipment.

Steve's work ethic, dedication, and pride in the cleanliness of the fire hall has been appreciated by the department. There is an ongoing joke that Steven can spot a cracker crumb on the floor of the fire hall.

Steve has been instrumental in assisting with the training of new and older colleagues for the safety and security of the residents of Fort Simpson. Steve was able to use his past experience as a teacher to ensure people received professional training effectively and efficiently. Steve's colleagues looked forward to the training sessions.

In August 2018, Steve was promoted to the position of lieutenant of the Fort Simpson fire department. Steve is very proud of his accomplishments and appreciates the recognition he receives with a grateful and humble attitude of servitude.

I would like to take this opportunity to offer my congratulations to Steve Nicol and to the Fort Simpson fire department for doing a job well done. Thank you for your continued selflessness in offering the residents of Fort Simpson safety, security, and well-being. Your efforts are duly noted and appreciated. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. When GNWT negotiated devolution in 2014, there was an interesting arrangement whereby the federal government's National Energy Board remained as the oil and gas regulator in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region onshore areas. In other onshore areas of the NWT, the GNWT had the ability to create its own regulator and has done so through the Office of the Regulator of Oil and Gas Operations.

It is not clear why the federal government of the day and our government, led by the current Premier, would agree to such an arrangement. Why should a regulator established under federal legislation with no northern representation and no significant presence in the NWT be permitted to manage oil and gas exploration and development in the region with the highest potential? What an odd arrangement.

Some might speculate that this arrangement may have been put in place to protect the corporate interests of the Mackenzie Gas Project, which has since folded.

The arrangement with the National Energy Board is to prevail for at least 20 years after devolution unless Canada and GNWT agree otherwise, according to section 12.1(2) of the federal National Energy Board Act and the devolution agreement.

Rather than focus on trying to assume legislative responsibility for the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, why not go after this residual outpost of federal colonialism and allow for OROGO to manage oil and gas exploration in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region? Our government will have a very difficult time trying to convince the federal government, let alone the residents of the NWT, that it has demonstrated responsible resource development. We couldn't even get around to something as basic as reviewing the revenues we get from the extractive sector during the five years following devolution.

I will have questions later today for the Minister of Justice, who also serves as the regulator for oil and gas in parts of the NWT not under the jurisdiction of the National Energy Board. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Members' statements. Item 4, reports of standing and special committees. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its report on the review of the 2018 report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly (Child and Family Services) and commends it to the House.

Before we begin, we would like to recognize the contributions of the Auditor General of Canada, Mr. Michael Ferguson, to the completion of this report. Mr. Ferguson, who passed away on February 2, 2019, was a dedicated public servant who will be greatly missed. We offer our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.

On October 23, 2018, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories tabled the 2018 Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly - Child and Family Services. The Standing Committee on Government Operations ("the committee") then convened a public hearing with staff from the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) and with representatives of the Northwest Territories Department of Health and Social Services ("the department") on December 12, 2018.

Like many Northwest Territories residents, Members know and care for those whose lives have been intimately affected by the child and family services (CFS) system. Some have been affected themselves. The CFS system shapes the lives of all children and families involved in it. In doing so, it shapes our territory's future. The importance of this work cannot be overstated.

To address the issues identified by the OAG, the Department of Health and Social Services has committed to achieving major, much-needed change within the next two years. This work is both urgent and challenging, and the stakes are high. Two years is not a long time, unless you are a child in care that is not working.

Roles of the Auditor General of Canada and the Standing Committee on Government Operations

The Auditor General of Canada is an officer of Parliament, with additional auditing responsibility for the territorial governments, including the Government of the Northwest Territories. When delivering financial or performance audits of the GNWT, the Auditor General reports directly to the Legislative Assembly as one of its statutory officers.

The committee, which has oversight responsibility for each of the Assembly's statutory officers, then reviews that report and makes recommendations to the government. This work is part of the committee's core mandate.

Child and Family Services in the Northwest Territories

Under the umbrella of the Department of Health and Social Services, the director of Child and Family Services, assigned by statutory appointment, and the health and social services authorities, including the Northwest Territories and Hay River authorities (NTHSSA and HRSSA) and the Tlicho Community Services Agency (TCSA), work together to deliver services as set out in the Child and Family Services Act and the Child and Family Services Standards and Procedures Manual. Through CFS, the GNWT must fulfill a parent's duties and responsibilities for each child in its care, in addition to providing various other services to children and their families.

As OAG staff told the committee, "The department has a fundamental responsibility for children in care. The department has to figure out how to make that work."

What Did the OAG Look At?

The OAG's report is the latest contribution to a large body of work on CFS, including past OAG audits, standing committee reports, third-party analyses, and internal government documents, such as action plans and annual reports. Much of this prior work is described in detail in Committee Report 16-17(5), issued by our predecessor committee on May 29, 2014. Interested readers may find all committee reports online at the Legislative Assembly's website or through the Legislative Library.

For its 2018 report, the OAG audited the department's and authorities' performance against current laws, policies, and procedures, focusing on whether the department and authorities "met key responsibilities for the protection and well-being of children, youth, and their families, [including] whether [they] had implemented selected recommendations from [the] 2014 audit." Auditors examined 37 child files and 37 foster care files in the Yellowknife, Beaufort-Delta, and Tlicho regions, which together serve as home to 67 percent of children in care in the Northwest Territories, and extended their file review of guardianship agreements and out-of-territory placements across all authorities. The audit also included engagement with child protection workers (CPWs) in all regions.

Overall, the findings are troubling. Service delivery continues to be plagued by "serious deficiencies" and, rather than see improvement, many services have worsened since 2014.

What Did We Look At?

This report is about the OAG's 2018 audit of child and family services. It does not provide a comprehensive review of the CFS system, nor does it examine the Child and Family Services Act or internal CFS policies.

As the standing committee with the responsibility to oversee statutory officers, this committee is concerned with the official findings of the OAG regarding performance and compliance. Our objective is to make recommendations to the GNWT that will result in improved services to children and families and also, as elected officials responsible for the approval of the GNWT's annual budget, to ensure optimal allocation of public resources. Our colleagues on the Standing Committee on Social Development continue to monitor the ongoing delivery of CFS.

It is also important to note that the committee is concerned with overarching management and the direction of departmental business at the senior level, not with the day-to-day performance of front-line and other staff.

The department is developing a quality improvement plan for CFS. This plan should incorporate the recommendations made in this report.

Recommendation 1

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services incorporate into its quality improvement plan for child and family services the recommendations made in this report.

General Considerations

Accepting the findings of the Auditor General

The department has previously questioned the OAG's findings regarding CFS. For example, the 2015-2016 annual report of the CFS director states:

"Finally, there is a major limitation in both the Auditor General's findings and the current department audit findings, one that calls into question any conclusions drawn from the findings. Neither the Auditor General nor the Director of Child and Family Services were able to distinguish between 'work not done' and 'work not recorded' using the current methodology."

Similarly, during the public hearing, although departmental staff stated that they respect the OAG's findings, they also spoke of "debate over methodology" and their preference for internal audit results over the OAG's findings.

The committee requested the OAG's perspective on these matters. We determined that the OAG's findings are fully vetted with each audited department. OAG staff said, "We go through a very active process to vet with departments and give them every opportunity to provide any evidence. We vetted all of our findings, and the department and authorities signed off [on all of them]." The OAG dedicated a combined 7,000 hours to their audit.

The committee urges all audited departments to refrain from questioning the OAG's findings once they are accepted.

Timely Receipt of Materials

In 2016 and 2017, the committee recommended that any GNWT department being audited provide the committee with its action or implementation plan no later than three business days before the public hearing. A process convention is presently in development to clarify procedures for the distribution of such documents.

Recommendation 2

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that any government department, board, or agency being audited produce a draft action or implementation plan in response to the audit, provide the committee with a copy of that plan that is consistent with the appropriate process conventions, and present the plan at the committee's public hearing.

Quality Assurance

Some performance parameters for CFS are immediately clear because they are set out in the Child and Family Services Act. Regarding these, the committee concurs with the OAG that 100 percent compliance is the department's legal obligation and that anything less is insufficient.

After the OAG's 2014 report, our predecessor committee recommended that the department and authorities conduct annual compliance audits, and that these audits, along with any subsequent action plans, be shared with the Standing Committee on Social Programs (now called the Standing Committee on Social Development) and tabled in the Legislative Assembly. At that time, the GNWT agreed to these recommendations and cited Building Stronger Families: An Action Plan to Transform Child and Family Services, which included commitments to a common audit tool and reporting template.

Since that time, however, the internal auditing process has been hindered by several issues. The department has dedicated significant resources to attempting to replicate the OAG's process in in its own internal quality assurance work. These attempts have left the department with unusable data, a "broken" audit tool, and inconsistency in reporting across regions.

Considering this, the committee is reminded of advice from the OAG's staff: "If you're going to do the quality assurance work, you have to make sure you have the resources." This will be discussed further under the heading "Assessment of required financial and human resources."

The committee also wishes to raise two additional points.

First, it is important to understand that the department's internal audit process and the work of the OAG are entirely distinct. These differences mean that findings cannot be compared in an "apples-to-apples" way.

The OAG's performance audit covered the period between April 1, 2014, and September 12, 2018. The department's most recent internal audit covered only the period between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017.

The OAG examined 37 child files and 37 foster care files and engaged with CFS staff in all regions. The department examined "a sample of 711 child protection and prevention events," including all foster care files within the audit period, and offered an online anonymous survey to staff employed in the authorities.

Second, since becoming aware of the OAG's findings, the department appears to have initiated comprehensive system-wide quality assurance, but failed to address immediate service gaps identified by the OAG. For example, at the public hearing, three months after the OAG's audit was concluded, departmental staff were unable to identify whether unscreened guardians and foster homes had since been screened, and referred instead to plans for system-wide quality assurance.

Departmental staff framed this as a "dilemma," or a choice between "perfect" performance and a "quality improvement approach." But the OAG's report has shown that the department's present "quality improvement approach" resulted in worsened services over time. "Perfection" may be difficult to achieve, but regardless, 100 percent compliance is required by law. The committee echoes its predecessors and urges the department to "begin immediately and in earnest to correct deficiencies in child and family services," even while it continues to develop its medium- and long-term plans.

Recommendation 3

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services act immediately to ensure that all gaps in screenings and reviews identified by the Office of the Auditor General, including screening for guardianship agreements and foster homes, are addressed, and that it advise the committee when this is completed.

Recommendation 4

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services appear before the appropriate standing committee twice yearly to report on its compliance with the Child and Family Services Act and its progress on its quality improvement plan.

Performance Evaluation Through Measurable Outcomes

However, compliance alone does not ensure that children and families are adequately supported, nor do individual measures, lacking context, provide a complete portrait of performance.

For example, the department has identified increasing rates of children receiving services in the home and increasing rates of voluntary services agreements (VSAs) as demonstrating improved services. Yet the OAG found that monitoring of children at risk under parental care at home had worsened since 2014, and that VSAs require no interaction with child protection workers (CPWs) and may be ended by the parent at any time. To quote directly from the OAG's report:

"In most cases, we found that plan-of-care agreements were not monitored as required, and that the monitoring that did take place focused mostly on parents instead of on the children these plans were intended to protect. For example, we found that, in most cases, HSSAs had some contact with parents, but did not interview children as often as the plans required to make sure they were safe and to assess their health and well-being. We found that this occurred even in some high-risk cases.

We also found that authorities allowed some children to remain under a plan-of-care agreement even when it was clear the conditions were not being met, and sometimes extended these same agreements. Further, in a few cases we examined, authorities allowed a parent to terminate the plan-of-care agreement early without being assured that the child was no longer at risk. These findings are significant because these agreements are often an alternative to removing a child from the home, and the termination of the agreement by the parents may not be in the best interests of a child."

Simply put, more children may have been assigned to receive services at home, but the services received, if any, were subpar and staff often failed to follow up.

To deliver effective services, the department must assess performance over time through both compliance rates and contextualized, client-centred performance measures. These should include desirable long-term outcomes intended to assess whether children engaged with the Child and Family Services system are flourishing over time. These might include social inclusion, for example extracurricular activities or the desire and ability to set and pursue educational or career goals, and other health indicators, for example, educational performance or mental health, as well as quality assurance practices focused on assessing children's satisfaction as "clients" of the system.

The department has accepted the OAG's recommendation that it "identify specific indicators to measure whether the system is achieving the desired results and is better supporting children." This work will be a critical component of the department's work over the next two years.

Recommendation 5

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services publicly identify performance indicators, including client-centered outcomes, that it will use to assess improvements in child and family services over time;

And that reporting on these measures be incorporated into the department's annual business plan and the annual report of the director of child and family services.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I'd like to turn the reading of the report over to the honourable Member for Deh Cho. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Members. I am pleased to draw your attention to the presence of Mr. Shigenobu Kobayashi, Consul General of Japan, on the occasion of his first official visit to the Northwest Territories. Accompanying the Consul General are his wife, Ms. Keiko Kobayashi; Ms. Noriko Ikeyama, consul; and Mr. Paul Pryce, political and economic advisor; and, of course, Ms. Carmen Moore, GNWT Chief of Protocol. Members, please join me in welcoming them to the House this afternoon. Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Cultural Safety

It is well known that Indigenous children and families are over-represented within CFS. Further, while the number of non-Indigenous children in care has declined over the past 10 years, the proportion of Indigenous children has remained roughly the same, approximately 95 percent. The committee is also aware that many residents have observed or experienced parallels between involvement with CFS and the residential school system, particularly the very real fear of having one's children removed from their home and community by government officials.

During the public hearing, when Members questioned the department about engagement with Indigenous communities, staff advised that they had been "focused internally" and that they "haven't done that fulsome kind of outreach," but were "confident that grassroots staff were working with communities." The department must show leadership and ensure that senior staff connects with front-line staff, and that both regularly engage with Indigenous and community governments. Notably, this was also recommended by our predecessor committee.

If the department wishes to make meaningful, permanent change in CFS, Indigenous people must be engaged as part of the solution. The department and authorities must maintain children's access to their culture and traditions, and ensure staff is regularly engaged in community immersion and cultural safety training.

Recommendation 6

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services incorporate into its quality improvement plan on child and family services a commitment to strengthen working relationships with Indigenous and community governments; and

That the department regularly report on its progress as set out in Recommendation 5.

Community Engagement

The department must also regularly collaborate with other community partners, including the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories and the extended families of children in care. Foster parents are eager and willing partners, waiting to be engaged, and families of children in care want to know that they are being heard and that the children they love are being given the opportunity to thrive. As our predecessor committee noted, improvements are still needed in supports for kinship care, that is, children being cared for by grandparents and other relatives in lieu of being cared for by their parents.

When the OAG examined supports for foster parents, it found that one audited authority offered "specialized training to some foster parents," while the other two offered "very little or no such training." The committee would like to see these supports distributed equitably across the entire territory and designed to recognize foster parents' prior experience, abilities, and unique needs, for example, particularly in kinship care, and to help foster parents navigate the CFS system and the challenges it poses to those involved.

Recommendation 7

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services incorporate into its quality improvement plan on child and family services a commitment to strengthen working relationships with community stakeholders in child and family services, including the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories and the extended families of children in care; and

That the department regularly report on its progress as set out in Recommendation 5.

Recommendation 8

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services develop and implement training for foster parents.

Recommendation 9

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services establish an information-sharing agreement with the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories to ensure that all foster parents may be connected with that organization's resources.

Mr. Speaker, I now pass the reading of this section to my colleague, the honourable Member for Sahtu, Daniel McNeely.

Member for Sahtu.

Engagement with Front-line Staff

The OAG's engagement with CPWs also showed that front-line staff continue to face significant pressures, particularly in their workloads, which in turn negatively impacts children in care, whether through high staff turnover, duties "falling through the cracks," or in administrative burdens demanding CPWs' limited time. The committee heard of one employee assigned to complete, by themselves, quality assurance reviews of roughly 3,000 child protection decisions. This is not sustainable.

The department has used various methods to reach out to staff, including teleconferences, meetings, and surveys. Over the next two years and into the future, all staff must have the opportunity to provide free and honest feedback, whether positive or negative. An open, ongoing process with guaranteed anonymity is one way to achieve this.

Recommendation 10

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services develop and implement mechanisms to enable staff to provide free and honest feedback anonymously.

Specific Observations

Services for Children in Parental Care

Structured Decision Making

Structured Decision Making (SDM) is a proprietary tool intended to aid CPWs in making decisions about child safety and to ensure consistency in decision-making. It is relatively new to the Northwest Territories. Although it is in use, it is not yet fully implemented.

The OAG found that in about eight of every 10 case reviews, CPWs did not use the SDM tool to assess longer-term risk for children in parental care, even though this was mandatory and risk assessment was an outstanding performance issue. The OAG also found insufficient staff training and significant lag in internal quality assurance. As discussed earlier, in one case a single employee was tasked with reviewing 3,000 decisions in addition to their regular job duties.

Further, a review commissioned by the department and undertaken by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency Children's Research Center, who created SDM, found a 50 percent error rate. This means that the tool's creators, experts in their field, disagreed with one in every two decisions made by a territorial CPW on a child's safety using SDM. This is not an acceptable standard of reliability.

Plan-of-Care Agreements

Plan-of-care agreements (POCAs) are used where CPWs have established that a child is in an unsafe situation, but may remain in parental care under conditions tailored to address that situation. POCAs set out these conditions and "the support needed to help parents meet [them]."

As discussed, the OAG found that compliance rates for the management and monitoring of POCAs had declined since 2014. Children rarely received the services due to them, and some POCAs were continued even where parents failed to meet conditions. In some instances, CPWs "allowed a parent to terminate the [POCA] early without being assured that the child was no longer at risk."

The committee is concerned that, whether intentionally or not, as our predecessor committee warned, reductions in the number of child apprehensions may have been "achieved by cutting back on child protection services." The committee supports the general objective of limiting the number of apprehensions, but this cannot be achieved at the expense of children's right to a safe living environment or the department's compliance with its legal responsibilities.

Now I pass on the reading to the Member for Nunakput.

Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Services for Children in Temporary and Permanent Care

Transferring Guardianship of Children in the Care of the Director

The OAG found that in 22 cases CPWs, without the knowledge of senior staff in the authorities or the department, "worked with [children's] biological parents to transfer guardianship... to a family member or other person, who then were given full parental rights and responsibility." Significantly, when a guardianship agreement is completed, CFS cedes its right to act on behalf of (or for) the child in question.

At the time of the OAG's review, there was no related legislation or formal policies, standards, rules, or advice to guide CPWs in the matter of guardianship. Further, in the 22 cases reviewed by the OAG, only eight guardians had been screened, and one of the unscreened guardians later assaulted the child in their care. During the public hearing, the department also advised that half of these agreements have since broken down, meaning that CFS failed to achieve permanency for those children. Staff were also unable to identify how many of these guardians had been screened or otherwise followed up with since the audit was concluded.

Responding to these findings, the department stated that staff had "acted with good intentions." Similarly, during the public hearing, staff emphasized to Members that the agreements had been reviewed by legal counsel. Such responses appear to focus on legal liability rather than practical responsibility. That front-line staff considered such use of guardianship agreements to be part of their regular suite of tools, with senior staff unaware, suggests a considerable breakdown in communications.

Foster Care

Screening and Annual Reviews of Foster Homes

During the public hearing, the committee also considered authorities' failure to properly screen and review foster homes. Since 2014, "serious deficiencies in the screening and ongoing monitoring of foster homes [have] persisted": two-thirds of reviewed foster care files revealed that the home had not received an initial screening, including criminal record and reference checks, and that most files contained only incomplete annual reviews, largely because children were not interviewed.

Again, departmental staff were unable to identify how many of these foster homes had been appropriately screened and/or reviewed since the audit was concluded.

Persistent Deficiencies in Foster Care Monitoring and Support

The department must act to address severe gaps in permanency planning for children in care. Quoting from the OAG's report:

"In particular, HSSAs did not maintain the required regular contact with many of the children they had removed from homes and placed in foster care or other out-of-home placements. As a result, they had no way of knowing whether these children were receiving the care they needed. They also did not develop permanency plans for most of these children. In some cases, this contributed to children moving between foster care homes multiple times. Such frequent moves make it difficult to provide children with stability and support."

An "Early Warning System" for Children in Care

During the public hearing, the department told the committee that its new information system, MATRIX NT (which is new and was not part of the OAG's audit), would enable staff to quickly and effectively "track children who make multiple [moves], which will trigger a quality review."

This type of "early warning" mechanism for children in care is necessary not only to track the movement of children in care, but system-wide. The department must be able to identify common "pinch points" in the CFS system, then intervene before children themselves are harmed. The committee hopes that new tools, including MATRIX NT and SDM, will prove useful. We also counsel the department to provide regular adequate training, including refresher training, to staff and to ensure that "boots on the ground" action accompanies all "tabletop" data analysis.

The System for Delivering Child and Family Services

Assessment of Required Financial and Human Resources

The OAG "found that the department had still not determined the financial and human resources required to deliver child and family services and had only started to assess what was needed toward the end of the audit period." The OAG also found that authorities' CFS funding was "based on historical amounts dating back to 1998" and that the daily rate paid to foster parents has only recently been increased for the first time in 10 years. The OAG also noted that, outside Yellowknife, authorities still did not employ family preservation workers.

None of these issues are new. The recommendation that the department do this work has been made and reiterated for the past 18 years. That it remains unaddressed has significant continuing implications. Without a clear understanding of what is needed, the department cannot assess the value or impact of staff vacancies, make appropriate budget proposals, identify the positions and skillsets needed, or implement initiatives to resolve longstanding issues. Such a needs assessment would also need to account for the unique challenges presently facing the system, for example, the demographics of system users, or the OAG's finding that 80 percent of children's files identified alcohol or drug misuse as a factor, while 50 percent identified domestic violence, which itself is more likely to negatively affect women. Appropriately resourcing the department's ambitious two-year quality improvement plan will be key to its success.

At the public hearing, departmental staff told the committee that an assessment of resource needs would be presented as part of the 2019-2020 budget. This assessment has yet to be considered and assessed. However, the committee is troubled that it appears that increases to CFS will be partially funded through reductions to other health and social services functions, including a reduction of homecare. Without a detailed resource needs assessment, money alone will not solve the problems facing CFS, and certainly not money reallocated from other departmental priority areas.

Recommendation 11

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services incorporate into its quality improvement plan for child and family services a clear commitment to complete the assessment of financial and human resources required to deliver child and family services, as recommended by the Auditor General of Canada;

That this assessment incorporate gender-based analysis, e.g., via the Gender-based Analysis Plus tool;

That the department share with the committee its project plan for this work, developing subsequent timelines in discussion with the committee; and

That the quality improvement plan for child and family services be revised and re-released to reflect this assessment upon its completion.

Mr. Speaker, I pass this back on to the Member for Kam Lake. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caseload Management

Nearly two decades ago, the Child Welfare League of Canada (CWLC) recommended that the department develop caseload standards for CPWs. Following the OAG's 2014 report, the department commissioned the Child Welfare League of Canada to complete a workload management study, wherein the CWLC repeated its recommendation. Our predecessor committee made a similar recommendation in 2014.

Despite this, the OAG found that the department has still not completed this work.

Recommendation 12

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services develop and implement caseload standards for child protection workers by June 30, 2019.

The Role of an Advocate for Children and Youth

Our territory is one of just two jurisdictions in Canada without a child and youth advocate, that is, an independent officer of the legislature dedicated specifically to the rights, interests, and voices of children and youth, particularly those who are especially vulnerable, such as children in care. The committee observes that a similar role may be performed by the future ombud.

Recommendations

The committee's recommendations have been listed above. We also note that we have considered the recommendations of our predecessor committee. Although some progress has been made, for example, in the areas of extended services for youth aged 19 to 24, many of that committee's 30 recommendations remain incompletely addressed. Looking to the future, we hope for change.

In keeping with regular practice, the committee recommends that the GNWT formally respond to this report.

Recommendation 13

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this report within 120 days.

Conclusion

This concludes the committee's Report on the Review of the 2018 Report of the Auditor General of Canada to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly (Child and Family Services).

All committee reports are available online at the Legislative Assembly website: www.assembly.gov.nt.ca.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that Committee Report 12-18(3) be received by the Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There is a motion on the floor. The motion is non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

The report will be available for consideration in Committee of the Whole on Thursday, February 28. Reports of standing and special committees. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its Report on the Review of Bill 31: Northwest Territories 911 Act, and commends it to the House.

INTRODUCTION

The Standing Committee on Government Operations ("the committee") is pleased to report on its review of Bill 31: Northwest Territories 911 Act.

Bill 31, Northwest Territories 911 Act, sponsored by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, has been referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for review. The bill proposes to:

• Direct the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs to establish a territorial 911 service;
• Bind the Government of the Northwest Territories;
• Establish a 911 cost-recovery fee to be paid by local landline and wireless/mobile subscribers and collected by telecommunications carriers;
• Mandate the participation of local authorities and emergency service providers; and
• Mandate the participation of telecommunications carriers, who will be required to comply with any prescribed registration and reporting requirements, and who will also be required to bill subscribers, collect the fee, and remit it to the GNWT.

Background

In 2015, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs commissioned a report by Pomax Consulting, a firm headquartered in Ontario that provides independent emergency service consulting expertise to public governments at all levels and to public safety organizations. That report, which presented recommendations and an implementation plan for a territory-wide 911 service, was completed in January 2015. The report found that the Northwest Territories was well positioned to move forward with the implementation of basic 911 service.

Basic 911 service requires the caller to verbally identify the location from which they are calling, unlike enhanced 911, which uses automated number identification technology. With this in mind, basic 911 service was confirmed by the consultant to be the most cost-effective and timely option available for implementation in the Northwest Territories, provided it was done in partnership with an existing NWT emergency dispatch service provider. The consultant also noted that implementation of a basic 911 service would avoid the considerable technology, cost, and timing challenges associated with enhanced 911, which was rapidly becoming outdated and would not preclude the Northwest Territories from moving directly to next-generation fibre-optic 911 technology in the future.

In May 2015, MACA presented the Pomax report to the 17^th Assembly Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure which, at that time, had responsibility for the oversight of MACA. The Department also committed to working with the City of Yellowknife to validate cost and planning assumptions associated with a proposal to house 911 with the Yellowknife Fire Department. In September of the same year, Pomax Consulting delivered an addendum to their original report, which updated the cost estimates for the proposed service. For those who are interested, both reports are available online.

Subsequent to the commencement of the 18^th Legislative Assembly in November 2015, responsibility for the oversight of MACA was transferred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations. Since the outset, this standing committee has taken a keen interest in 911 and has advocated for its implementation. Members were briefed on the department's work, including the planning work related to the establishment of a 911 emergency service in the Northwest Territories.

Members were, therefore, disappointed to note that funding for the implementation of 911 emergency service was not included in the GNWT's 2016-2017 Business Plan, which stated only that "research has been completed on 911, and the initiative is under consideration as a future strategic priority of the GNWT."

At the conclusion of the 2016-2017 Business Plan review, the committee expressed the view that the value and life-saving potential of a 911 system in the NWT far outweighs the relatively small investment of costs set out in the Pomax report, which identified one-time start-up costs of $616,100 and ongoing annual operational costs of $869,300. Committee urged the department to move forward with the implementation of 911 without delay.

On the basis of the costs identified in the Pomax report, committee also supported implementation of basic 911 service on a full cost-recovery basis, which would require a monthly user fee estimated at approximately $1.15 per subscriber. Committee took note that this fee, according to Pomax, "is noticeably higher than the rest of Canada" and "likely attributable to the low volume of phone subscribers in the North." For comparison purposes, the monthly user fee in Newfoundland and Labrador was, at the time, $0.75, the fee in Prince Edward Island was $0.70, and in Saskatchewan, $0.62.

It is important to note that the fee estimate is exclusive of any tariff authorized by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). This additional tariff, if approved by the CRTC, may be collected by an incumbent service provider, in this case NorthwesTel, for costs associated with implementing and maintaining a 911 network, including trunk lines, selective routing software, and lines terminating at the dispatch centre. As yet, these costs are unknown, but were estimated in 2015 to potentially add an additional $0.27 to $0.47 to each subscriber's monthly user fee for 911. The potential impact of these additional costs has been factored into committee's assessment of the bill.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has continued to be responsive to the standing committee's requests for information related to this initiative. In March 2018, the Honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and the Honourable Minister of Health and Social Services met with committee to update Members on the decision to co-locate the 911 dispatch centre with Med-Response, the service currently being used by the GNWT for the dispatch of medevac flights for residents in need of urgent medical care, rather than with the Yellowknife Fire Department.

Additionally, committee was most pleased to note the inclusion of funding in the department's 2017-2018 budget, and in each subsequent budget, for costs associated with the planning and implementation of 911. The committee wishes to take this opportunity to thank the previous Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and the current Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs for their willingness to work with committee on this initiative. Committee also thanks all Members of Cabinet for their responsiveness to the committee's requests for funding of this initiative, despite it not having been identified in the government's mandate.

Bill 31 received Second Reading in the Legislative Assembly on November 1, 2018, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for review. It was with great anticipation that the committee started its review of Bill 31, the results of which are reported below.

Mr. Speaker, I would now ask to turn the reading of this report over to the honourable Member for Nunakput. Thank you.

Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a proper copy here now.

The Public Review of Bill 31

To commence its review of Bill 31, the Standing Committee on Government Operations sent letters inviting input from an extensive list of stakeholders, including all municipal and Indigenous governments in the Northwest Territories, and a number of non-governmental organizations.

During the week of January 21, 2019, the committee travelled to and held public meetings in Fort Smith, Inuvik, and Fort McPherson, returning to Yellowknife for a final public meeting on January 24, 2019. Committee thanks every individual and organization who attended these meetings in order to share their views on 911 with the Members.

What We Heard

Qualified Support Depending on the Cost

The support that committee heard for 911 could best be characterized as "mixed." The City of Yellowknife commended the GNWT for contemplating Bill 31, noting that the "implementation of a 911 system quite simply saves lives," and that it "achieves this by eliminating any doubt or delay regarding the correct number to call in an emergency." The City of Yellowknife also noted that "as tourism increase[s] the numbers of visitors to our city, it is becoming increasingly important to have a 911 system that is recognized by travellers worldwide, to ensure that emergencies are reported in a timely manner to avoid adverse consequences."

Not all comments were as supportive, however. Mr. Bill Buckle, senior administrative officer for Fort McPherson, said, "I hate to say it, but it's really more of a Yellowknife problem with a Yellowknife solution."

Mr. Clarence Wood, current president of the NWT Association of Communities, with 20 years of experience on Inuvik Town Council, told the committee that he is concerned about the cost of the service and its efficiency. He posed the question, "Why pay for something when we don't have cell service across the territory?"

In general, committee heard qualified support for bringing 911 emergency service to the Northwest Territories. Most people who supported it saw the value in having a universal emergency number across the Northwest Territories, but were not prepared to subsidize the service at any cost.

Mr. Dez Loreen of Inuvik said he thought it was "cool" that 911 is coming to the Northwest Territories. He noted that he would be comfortable paying a surcharge, but wondered if the service could be introduced in a staged fashion, so that only those who have access would have to pay.

A comment made by Ms. Anna Kikoak of Fort Smith resonated with committee members. She said, "One of the things that ties us together in the North is that we take responsibility for one another; I would be willing to pay a little more [for 911] to help others."

From the input received, committee took away the message that people were prepared to pay a user fee for 911 service, but that costs should be kept as affordable as possible for the end user in these difficult economic times.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pass it over to the Member for Sahtu.

Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Desire for Better Cellular Coverage

Committee heard comments about the limitations of the current cellular service in the Northwest Territories. In Fort McPherson, Mr. Richard Nerysoo pointed out that cell service is sporadic around town and that smaller communities won't benefit from 911 if they don't have the infrastructure. Mr. Buckle suggested that maybe it would be better to spend the money on expanding cell service on the highway. The Hamlet of Tulita wondered if the GNWT was preparing to lobby Bell Canada to encourage them to install more cellphone towers along existing highways. In developing its recommendations to government, committee considered this input in the context of the future growth of the Northwest Territories.

Need for Training and Support to Communities

Mr. Buckle, drawing on his experience as the senior administrative officer for Fort McPherson, noted that it will be important for MACA to have an assessment of what infrastructure is needed in each community before implementing 911.

Mr. John Itsi, an elder in Fort McPherson, emphasized how important training is, not only for implementing the 911 system, but for everyone who is involved in emergency response.

Mr. Grant Hood, senior administrative officer with the Town of Inuvik, noted that Inuvik currently uses a 24-hour-per-day external call centre, and wondered if this system would become redundant with 911.

In a submission received from Tulita, the Hamlet Council noted that its understanding that small, remote communities, such as Tulita, may never be fully 911 compliant, because there is not a full need for the service. "After all," the submissions observed, "a resident shouldn't call 911 and request an ambulance if there isn't an ambulance in the community." With that said, the community noted its willingness to take steps to become 911 compliant by implementing a civic addressing system with standardized street signage and house number, but noted the need to make "special one-time funding and resources available to the communities in aid of this transition."

The City of Yellowknife pointed out that it currently operates a dispatch service receiving calls for fire, ambulance, and other emergency situations and that the proposed Northwest Territories 911 Act will bind the participation of the city as a local authority, which will be the case for all local authorities in the Northwest Territories. The city also expressed its concern about any increased cost of living for residents. On this basis, the city made clear its position "that the GNWT must undertake detailed consultation with the City of Yellowknife to ensure successful implementation of 911 services," and that "the GNWT must fund any costs incurred by the City of Yellowknife as a result of the transition to a 911 system, such as incremental costs incurred as a result of any necessary improvements to the Yellowknife fire dispatch and telephone network costs that are not covered by the 911 fees charged on monthly phone bills."

When questioned by committee, representatives from the City of Yellowknife indicated that they would be interested in participating in an implementation working group. They also noted that their discussion with MACA on the subject was in the spring of 2018 when the city was advised of government's decision to co-locate 911 services with Med-Response.

The concerns raised by those representing municipal authorities and those who have experience working for them demonstrates that there is a great need for information about the implementation and the operation of the proposed 911 system on the part of local governments.

At this point, I would like to pass the reading on to the Member of Kam Lake. Thank you.

Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Need for Further Public Information

Committee heard a number of questions from the public. People were interested in knowing how the system will work. They asked whether the government intends to get rid of the existing emergency numbers. They asked whether there are any communities in the Northwest Territories using 911 right now.

There was also a recognition of the benefit that 911 would bring for tourists visiting the NWT and for travelers to other communities. However, committee was cautioned that information for the public should ensure that people are made aware that 911 will not work on those parts of the highways where there is no cellular service. One of the elders in Fort McPherson stressed the importance of uncovering and upgrading the kilometre marker signs on the highways.

Committee is aware that MACA has been developing public information, the release of which will be timed to coincide with the launch of 911.

What We Did

911 System Costs and Affordability

Committee initially supported a full cost recovery approach to funding 911 based on the basis of the estimates set out in the September 2015 Addendum to the Pomax report. Since that time, a number of events have occurred. Significant assumptions in the report have changed, including the decision to co-locate the service with Med-Response. Committee has consulted with the public on the Bill. As well, the department has confirmed that key information related to the budget estimates for the 911 service are based on proprietary information that has not yet been confirmed. This includes the estimated number of devices the fee estimate is based on and the amount of the additional CRTC-approved charge that may be levied on users by the incumbent telephone company to cover its costs for systems operation and fee collection.

Committee developed a proposal to amend Bill 31 that would see user fees capped at no higher than $1.70 per subscriber per month for the first three years of the operation of the 911 service. This is figure is significantly higher than the original $1.15 quote and it is at the higher end of the range of $1.35 to $1.77 per subscriber per month quoted on the department's web site.

The cap will allow for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to compile at least two years of actual operational data. This data can then support an informed discussion about whether NWT residents should pay the full cost of 911 through user fees, or whether the GNWT should consider subsidizing the service on an ongoing basis to keep user fees in line with the fees in other Canadian jurisdictions.

The cap is designed to sunset after three years, making it a temporary measure. Should the 19^th Legislative Assembly wish to continue to cap the user fee, the legislation would need to be amended. This proposal gives committee some comfort that they haven't supported full cost recovery being passed to an end user in the absence of full and substantiated operational program costs.

Cellular Coverage

Committee notes that, with the emphasis placed by the GNWT on the development of the Northwest Territories highway infrastructure, through projects such as the Tlicho all-season road, the Mackenzie Valley Highway, and the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway, the demand for cellular service in the Northwest Territories is only going to grow over time. Committee also notes that increased cellular coverage will be vital to ensuring motorist safety on NWT highways in the future. Accordingly, the committee makes the following recommendation.

Recommendation 1

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs work with the Department of Finance to develop a strategic approach designed to secure support and funding to expand cellular coverage in the Northwest Territories, as part of a national cellular network.

Committee recommends that this strategic approach identify current cellular coverage, along with funding needs and goals for future cellular coverage, and timelines associated with system improvements. Committee further recommends that this strategic approach consider appropriate ways to involve the Government of Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, and large cellular service providers such as Telus and Bell Canada in any system-improvement efforts.

Mr. Speaker, at this point, I would like to request the reading of this report be continued by the honourable Member for Deh Cho. Thank you.

Member for Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Training and Support to Communities

Committee clearly heard that community governments are concerned about the financial and operational impacts of implementing territory-wide 911. The City of Yellowknife correctly points out the Bill 31 mandates the participation of local authorities in the operation of the 911 service, yet this appears to be inconsistent with the information provided on MACA's website and reported in the media that participation is optional. It is important that MACA update all of its public information on 911 to be consistent with the provisions contained in the version of the Act that receives assent.

Committee notes the information contained in the Pomax report indicating that civic addressing is not a requirement for basic 911. Committee understands that this is one of the reasons the GNWT chose to move forward with basic, rather than enhanced, 911. Nonetheless, the Hamlet of Tulita is of the understanding that civic addressing is a necessary step to becoming 911 compliant, and it is likely that other small communities share this understanding. MACA confirmed for committee that the department has planners available to assist communities with street names and addressing, as noted by Tulita in its submission. It is important that MACA ensure that communities are clear in understanding the relationship between the basic 911 system being implemented and the role of civic addressing.

Committee heard that communities are concerned about their implementation costs, yet the department has been quoted as saying that there will be no costs to communities. It is important for MACA to have a dialogue with communities about the implementation of 911 to ensure a shared understanding of the costs that will be incurred as a result of implementation, and how those costs will be handled.

The questions that committee heard, and the apparent inconsistencies in understanding about what 911 will require, raise concern as to whether the department has done the necessary planning and communication to ensure that their local government partners will have the knowledge required to confidently meet a June 2019 go-live date. When asked by committee if the City of Yellowknife was prepared for a June go-live date, Mayor Rebecca Alty replied that it remained to be seen. She also indicated that the City would be interested in participating on a working group.

To ensure successful implementation, direct and extensive involvement by MACA of all local governments in the implementation of 911 will be vital. As anxious as committee members may be to see 911 implemented, they caution the department to take the time needed to launch the service correctly.

Recommendation 2

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs develop a detailed municipal implementation plan that sets out the information and supports needed by each local authority to ensure successful implementation of NWT-wide 911 service.

The standing committee further recommends that this implementation plan identify a realistic timeframe for discussion with local authorities and that the department be prepared to adjust the go-live date to a later date, if necessary, to accommodate the consultation needs of local authorities.

Public Information

It is important that all residents of the Northwest Territories and all visitors to the Northwest Territories understand how the 911 system is intended to work, the relevant operational dates, and the responsibilities of individual system users.

The committee recognizes that the department is in the process of developing a communications campaign aimed at developing public awareness. Committee strongly encourages the department to review its currently available public information to ensure that it is consistent with the provisions of the Northwest Territories 911 Act as assented to by this House.

With respect to the provisions in the bill, clause 7 of Bill 31 makes it an offence for anyone to use an automatic dialer to place a 911 call. This offence is subject to a fine of up to $500. Committee was concerned that members of the public might not be familiar with the term "automatic dialer" and could misunderstand clause 7 as a prohibition against using the speed dial function on one's phone. An automatic dialer is an electronic device or software that automatically dials telephone numbers for the purpose of playing a pre-recorded message. Placing these types of calls, a practice referred to as "robo-calling," is often associated with political and telemarketing phone campaigns, but can also be used for public service or emergency announcements. Committee proposed an amendment to clause 7 of Bill 31 providing that, for greater certainty, an automatic dialer is not to be confused with the speed dial function on a personal phone or alarm.

Committee also considered the importance of public information being made available by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, to allow for a better public understanding of how the 911 system is working and being used in the Northwest Territories. As a result, committee proposed an amendment to Bill 31 to require mandatory annual reporting on the 911 service. The motion sets out the information that committee members would like to see included in the annual report, including: the total number of 911 calls received in each official language and from each community or region of the Northwest Territories; the total funds collected through imposition of the cost recovery fee; a breakdown of the operational costs of the service; and information regarding the performance of the service.

Mr. Speaker, I now pass the floor back to the honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Kieron Testart.

Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Clause-by-Clause Review of the Bill

The clause-by-clause review of the bill was held on February 21, 2018. At this review, the committee moved the following motions:

Motion 1: That Bill 31 be amended by adding the following after subclause 4(4):

Subclause 4(5) - [Limit on cost recovery fee amount]:

For a period of three years following the coming into force of this section, the cost recovery fee established under subsection (1) shall be no more than $1.70 per month. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs concurred with this motion, and the motion was carried.

Motion 2: That Bill 31 be amended by adding the following after subclause 7(2):

Subclause 7(3) For greater certainty, subsection (1) does not prohibit a person from programming the number 911 on any speed dial feature of any communications device.

The honourable Minister concurred with this motion, and the motion was carried.

Motion 3: That Bill 31 be amended by adding the following after clause 11:

REPORTING

11.1.(1) For the purposes of this section, "Official Language" means a language referred to in section 4 of the Official Languages Act.

(2) The Minister shall, within 90 days following the end of each fiscal year, table a report of the NWT 911 service in the Legislative Assembly,

which includes, for the preceding fiscal year,

(a) the total number of 911 calls received, including the number of calls received

(i) in each Official Language of the Northwest Territories,

(ii) from each community or region of the Northwest Territories, and

(iii) in each month of the preceding fiscal year;

(b) the total funds collected through imposition of the cost recovery fee;

(c) a breakdown of the operational costs of the service; and

(d) information regarding the performance of the service.

The honourable Minister concurred with this motion, and the motion was carried.

Conclusion

This concludes the Standing Committee on Government Operations' Review of Bill 31. Committee wishes to thank the honourable Minister for his concurrence with the motions to amend the bill that were moved during the clause-by-clause review. Committee also thanks Cabinet for its support of and funding for this important initiative.

Recommendation 3

The Standing Committee on Government Operations recommends that the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs provide a response to the recommendations contained in this report within 120 days.

Following the clause-by-clause review, a motion was carried to report Bill 31, Northwest Territories 911 Act, as amended and reprinted, as ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole.

The committee thanks the public for their participation in the review process and everyone involved in the review of this bill for their assistance and input.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that Committee Report 13-18(3) be received by Assembly and moved into Committee of the Whole for further consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Testart. There is a motion. The motion is in order and is non-debatable. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

The report will be ready for consideration on Thursday, February 28^th. Reports of standing and special committees. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to recognize one of the Pages, young Ms. Brooke Vallis, who is a member of Range Lake, and we are really honoured to have her here as a Page. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize two Pages from Sambaa K'e, Adam Lamalice and Aiden Kotchea. As well, I'd like to thank the principal, Donna Fradley, for recruiting our great Pages here. Thank you very much.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize Pages. I'd like to recognize Taylor Schear and Victoria Beaulieu from K'alemi Dene School. Thank you.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we missed anyone, thank you for joining us. Thank you for sticking it out with us today. I want to welcome everyone in the gallery and everyone listening and watching in the Northwest Territories and around the world. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 7, acknowledgments. Members, at this time, I will call a brief recess.

---SHORT RECESS

Welcome back, Members. We had left off on item 7, acknowledgments. Item 8, oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. During the last session, the honourable Member from Frame Lake addressed an issue that I would like to follow up on today regarding the wait time for people who see hearing specialists or audiologists in the NWT. One of the Minister's responses last session was that Health and Social Services was going to release a review on addressing wait times for audiologists. When can we expect this report to be released to the public? Thank you.

Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am going to have to go back and review the previous audit because I don't recall saying we are doing a review that we are going to release on audiology.

We are currently reviewing a number of our services in a number of the areas that we are providing. We certainly were working to address some of the challenges and wait times that we were feeling in our experience in audiology. As a result, last sitting, last budget session, we actually increased the number of audiologists in the Northwest Territories by creating a position in the Beaufort-Delta. Currently, all three of those positions, all three of the audiology positions we have in the Northwest Territories, are filled, and we are hoping to see some improvements in our wait times as a result of those investments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It looks like the Minister has answered some of my other questions, but maybe I could ask a question a little bit differently. The department has some plans, long-term plans, to reduce the wait list in the future for audiologists. Can the Minister explain what some of those long-term plans are?

As I indicated, one of the primary things that we did to help with our wait times is we actually created a position in the Beaufort-Delta that will be providing audiology services to both the Beaufort-Delta and the Sahtu. Initially, those services were provided out of Yellowknife by the two different audiologist positions that we had, and they are done by way of travel clinics, five-day travel clinics per year.

Those travel clinics are no longer required, because they will be handled by the audiologist up in the Beaufort-Delta, and those five day clinics that the Yellowknife office was providing will now be provided in the South Slave, so we will be enhancing the number of audiology visits that we have in different jurisdictions within this territory.

We believe that that will help us bring down the wait list times. I do want to be clear, though. As with the mental health wait lists that we were discussing earlier or later last week, where there is urgency or risk, we do get our patients in immediately. Where they are considered non-urgent, that is where the wait lists exist.

Back in October of last year, during session, a story came out on the way that Health and Social Services was looking at the priority list. It said priority 1 was 72 hours, working its way down to four months on priority 5. The reason that I am asking questions today is because there is an elder from Detah that is telling me that he was told that he had to wait maybe two years before he would see somebody that could work with him.

I am wondering if there is any plan for addressing people that may not have the greatest need, but do need to see someone sooner than two years, or maybe even sooner than four months. I am wondering if there is any sort of reprioritizing of the list.

My list shows that our wait times in 2017-2018 for adults was about 47 weeks, and that is non-urgent cases. It is about 40 weeks for [2:09]. If the Member is aware of an individual who has been told that it is going to be over two years, I would suggest that the best way to deal with that is to meet with me and discuss that particular file. I am not prepared to discuss the file of an individual here in this Assembly.

Having said that, Mr. Speaker, we have filled that position in the Beaufort-Delta. That was filled in December. We are only just now fully staffed with the three positions. We are only now able to provide those services in the Beaufort-Delta and the Sahtu without having to do the travel clinics. We are only now in a position to roll those travel days that were allocated to the Beaufort-Delta into the southern part of this territory.

We now are in a position to start seeing some improvements in this area, and we will continue to monitor to make sure that we are improving those wait times and providing the services that the residents expect and hope for.

Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister is telling me now that all of the positions are filled. Does that mean, essentially, the priority lists would come down? I think at one point you said just now 47 weeks, but would that list now go down to a reasonable amount so that all people that are waiting for this service can be seen within a month? Thank you.

We do have a long way to go, as the Member knows. We have a bit of a backlog that we need to work our way through to the point where we can actually have quicker turnaround times on all of our files, to have a standard or a more reasonable wait time for initial assessments, but we need to get rid of some of the backlog. We need to work through some of the backlog.

It is going to be a lot of work. I can't say that we are going to see immediate improvement and a more reasonable wait time immediately. It is going to take us a bit of time, but we are now in a position to start knocking off some of those wait times and bring down some of those wait times. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement today, I spoke about the need for us to continue to preserve our Indigenous languages. My questions are to the Minister responsible for Official Languages.

Mr. Speaker, the Tlicho people are doing many great things to preserve and promote their language. They have guides for teaching how to read and write. They have some online resources, such as apps, and they even have a Tlicho dictionary, as I mentioned in my statement.

I would like to ask the Minister: what are some of the initiatives that our government is undertaking to protect and promote the NWT's Indigenous languages? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Member, there is no Minister of Official Languages. Would you like to clarify who you are directing this to?

Thank you. That would be the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Sorry.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do want to put a shout out to the Tlicho government for the work that they have done. They actually gave me a copy of their language resource that they are using in the school and the teaching guide, and I was quite impressed with what they do, but the question was: what are we doing? That is important.

We did table our Indigenous language action plan; I believe it was last year. It is called Shared Responsibility, recognizing that preserving and revitalizing language is a shared responsibility. We all have a role to do in that. The action plan really focused on two big priorities: one was revitalization of languages and the other was access to languages.

The revitalization actions include working with the federal government to try to get funding for Indigenous languages and then providing that money to the Indigenous governments so that they can do their own language revitalization actions. We also provide funding to the schools to implement language revitalization in the schools, language knowledge for the younger children, and as well, we train government employees on how people can get access to the 11 official languages. We actually also supplement GNWT employees who use a second language in their work, if it is required for their work.

We are doing quite a bit. We have more to do. Languages are at risk, but it is something that we are actively pursuing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the Minister's reply, and I appreciate that she has indicated that the Indigenous Languages and Education Secretariat has an action plan under way. She had mentioned a couple of things with regard to it.

Could she maybe just outline for us whether the action plan actually not forthcoming but is under way? It is something that we are engaged in as a government right now, and if she can, could she possibly share a little bit more with us as to what exactly the action plan consists of?

Yes, we are actively working on our action plan, implementing the strategies that are in it, again, reminding that the two main priorities within the action plan are revitalization, and the other one is access.

We have been working with access, training GNWT employees. With revitalization, we have done quite a bit. We have got the scholarships in schools. We are working in partnership with Aurora College to implement a program for language revitalization for people.

The other thing that we have done already is we have updated our Aboriginal language directive and replaced it with a new policy for languages in schools. We are in the process of renewing how we fund and support language across the education system.

Thank you to the Minister for expanding on that. Mr. Speaker, there used to be a time when you could just look at a picture from way back in the day, and there were always a number of interpreters or elders or some other folks who were at whatever this public engagement was, making sure that the Indigenous languages were alive and well by doing interpretation and other things like that.

Today, as a government, we engage in a number of forms of public interaction. I would just like to ask the Minister: how can the government promote and protect Indigenous languages by including them when we go out and conduct community consultations, public hearings, conferences, trade shows, workshops? How can we keep the languages alive during those public interactions?

I would like to be able to stand here and say that at every workshop, forum, et cetera, we do use an Indigenous language, but that is not true. That is a fallacy. I do want to give credit to the Members of the Legislative Assembly who do use their language. I think it is very important.

We are losing our languages quickly, and that is why we are really focusing on this revitalization within the schools. Until we can actually get our youth and people speaking more, we are at risk of losing it. Our elders right now are our knowledge keepers. They are our language keepers, but our elders are getting older, so we need to make sure that we are actually providing that support to younger people in the schools. We have a long way to go. We are losing our languages, and it is not okay. We need to start with our youth and give them the tools so that they can bring it forward.

Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I would agree with the Minister that, where there is assistance needed from ourselves as a government to make sure that the languages do not die and fade away, that it is incumbent upon us to do so.

Mr. Speaker, the department's Indigenous Languages Revitalization Scholarship Program had an application deadline here not long ago, just before Christmas. I would like to ask the Minister: can the Minister update the House a little bit on how the uptake of the scholarship program was and maybe even describe for us a little bit more about the scholarship? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We do have funding, actually, to provide for people, for Indigenous people, who want to or people who speak Indigenous languages, I shouldn't be exclusive, that want to actually pursue a diploma schooling in Indigenous language revitalization. As of today, we have had 14 recipients of our scholarship program. That shows that we are working on it, the action. I mean 14 sounds good, but it isn't good, Mr. Speaker. Fourteen is only a start. We need to again promote more revitalization. We need to make sure that we have speakers so that they can bring forward this and so our 11 languages do not disappear. It is something we need to continue on a daily basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up to my statement on nursing education and the TRC calls for action on how this preservation of Canada's history could be incorporated into the curriculum of the nursing program.

My first question is directed to the Minister of Education: how does Arctic College address the calls to action of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Aurora College right now is Aurora College, not Arctic College. We kind of consider ourselves a five-partner arrangement in that we work with the University of British Columbia on three components and we also work with the University of Victoria. The University of Victoria has a pretty comprehensive policy around it, but, in saying that, we need to do more.

Once we are done the visioning exercise across the Northwest Territories to look at what our polytechnic university will look like and then that work is brought into the polytechnic university, we need to make sure that we have a strong policy around Indigenous languages and our Truth and Reconciliation.

Thanks to the Minister for that reply. It is good to know that there is progress made in preserving the knowledge of Canada's First Nations and Peoples. My next question: how does the Aurora College Bachelor of Science in Nursing program ensure TRC recommendations are integrated into the curriculum of the program?

I am not sure what the terminology was, but earlier today I had heard somebody say, sorry if I get it wrong, but, basically, that our nursing program is a cornerstone of Aurora College. I agree that the nursing program is an example of what we should be doing and what we can be doing. The nursing program actually is one of the leaders on bringing in our Truth and Reconciliation. Things that they do: right now, it is reviewed regularly, on an annual basis, to make sure that we are taking in the Truth and Reconciliation recommendations. In year one, students take part in either an experiential based blanket exercise or a circle in the box workshop that is similar to the blanket exercise, so that is year one. In year two, our students learn on the land with elders to gain traditional knowledge skills that support cultural competency and cultural safety practices. In year three, the Bachelor of Nurses program offers the elective course; it is an elective though: Indigenous People of the Northwest Territories, and the course is 45 hours. In year four, the program works with an array of Indigenous knowledge keepers and elders who share traditional knowledge in various classes, and then right throughout the years, the students engage in their practicums, working with elders in the hospitals and care facilities. Right throughout, from the first until the fourth year, our nursing students are actually engaged in it. They are a model that we need to look at.

Having attended residential school myself here, I am glad to hear those replies from the Minister. My third question: what are the some of the learning activities that demonstrate Aurora College's Bachelor of Science in Nursing integration of TRC recommendations?

Like I had said earlier, our nursing program is actually a fine example of what we should be doing and how we can actually improve our college. Although I have to say that Aurora College is viewed by its partners as a leader in integrating our cultural competency and safety through the recommendations of the program, that may speak to the amount of speakers that we still have in the Northwest Territories and our vibrant culture that we still have, recognizing that we are losing it quickly. It is something that we need to expand on and that we need to work on, but at least we have something to build from. There are a lot of jurisdictions that are not where we are, and so I think we are a model across the country, and I hope that we can make that best practices across the country. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, I was asking questions for the Minister responsible for WSCC, and I would like to follow up on some questions with him here today. Can the Minister responsible for WSCC explain why occupational health and safety is under the board's responsibility and not another department? What is the rationale for this alignment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Minister responsible for Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All of our departments, as a government, as I mentioned in my response to the Member's questions yesterday, we do have a focus on promoting health and safety as well as providing care and treatment for anybody who is injured that we do work for. We also have a governance council that is made up of members from both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

I just want to inform the Member of a little bit of history. Back in 1993, the safety unit was transferred from GNWT to the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission. They have been doing some great work. The staff has been working very well with our counterparts in Nunavut to make sure, as I mentioned, our mandate is to promote health and safety and provide the care and treatment for our employees and the people that we do work with. I think the rationale is that we are sticking with our mandate. All departments do have that best interest of the employee in mind, and we will continue to have WSCC and the governance council work in this area. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I agree, and I think that the government does a great job with the occupational health and safety, and so does WSCC. Can the Minister explain if this is the common practice, to have the occupational health and safety division located within this type of organization in other jurisdictions?

I want to thank the Member for his comments and comments towards the government and WSCC and the work and services that they do provide. In reality, Mr. Speaker, there is a mixture right across Canada. Some governments, departments, agencies, some of them are stand-alone with funding through their workers' compensation boards, and then there are some that are similar to structures as we provide here in the Northwest Territories. There is a mixture right across Canada, and I believe what we are doing here in the Northwest Territories, working with Nunavut, is a good model.

Yesterday, I talked about the rates and that that the organizations and the companies have to pay and the government does. Can the Minister advise: are these rates to help pay for occupational health training courses, or is it just to deal with the administration of injured workers?

Currently, WSCC is funded through payroll assessments and investment revenues. Program development, codes of practice, educational resources, and tools are funded from the fund. The only two things that are fully funded from WSCC are first aid and WHMIS I don't want to speak on behalf of all employees, but I think, as an employer, we do provide the adequate care, treatment, services, and programs for all our employees and partners that we work with.

Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I'd like to thank the Minister for his answers for the first few questions. My last question: can the Minister advise us, have they done an evaluation of WSCC recently, or when is the last time it has been done?

In terms of evaluation, I'm not sure where the Member is specifically wanting to ask about what type of evaluations that we have done. In terms of the Auditor General of Canada, the last time that they did audit the WSCC was back in 2006 at the request of our Legislature, the NWT Legislative Assembly. However it was with the concurrence of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly. That was back in 2006. I can let the Member know that, since then, we have been going through annual audits. This is something that we need to be on top of and evaluate and make sure that the program services and the dollars that we are spending and the dollars and the revenue that we are getting is actually going to the appropriate care and treatment of GNWT employees. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of the Justice, who is the regulator for oil and gas legislation in the Northwest Territories, at least in those areas where we have jurisdiction. Can the Minister tell us why the federal National Energy Board is the regulator of onshore and offshore oil and gas development in the Inuvialuit region? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The National Energy Board was preserved as the regulator of oil and gas operations in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region through the devolution negotiations at the request of Canada and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. I understand also that Canada and the Inuvialuit had an interest in maintaining the existing relationship and that Canada in particular felt it was important to maintain as much consistency in the regulation of offshore resources with adjacent onshore resources as possible. That arrangement may have made some sense as an interim measure. OROGO, in my view, as since proven itself as an excellent regulator.

I want to thank the Minister for promoting OROGO, and, at his suggestion, I have gone over and met with his staff, and I do agree that they're doing a good job. In the event, though, that there are interests in or development of petroleum resources that straddle areas where the National Energy Board and OROGO have jurisdiction, can the Minister explain how this would be managed?

I may have to look further into that issue, of these straddle types of arrangements, so perhaps I can handle the question best by saying that I will get back to the Member opposite.

I want to thank the Minister for that commitment. I recognize that Cabinet views OROGO as a bit of a hot potato. It appears to me that OROGO's doing a good job. I mentioned that earlier, even though there are limited oil and gas activities, they're doing some work on old wells, which is good. I'd like to ask the Minister whether our government has given any thought to asking the federal government to end the reign of the National Energy Board over the onshore areas of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and, if not, why not?