This is page numbers 3291 - 3324 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was work.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a child I have vivid memories, as my mother's sidekick, as artists discussed the needs of the NWT arts community. Many of the faces that advocated then are the same in today's fabric of arts activists, but they're tired of asking for the same things: core funding, independence, and infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT released the next ten-year art strategy. Despite several suggestions to improve the strategy from standing committees on both economic development and environment and social development, not one suggestion was considered or incorporated in to the final draft.

I have shared my gratitude for a strategy focused on art many times but I am disappointed that this strategy does not clearly capitalize on the opportunity to grow NWT arts now.

In 2020, the Government of Canada announced $181.5 million in additional funding for Heritage Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts. These dollars cannot fund the GNWT and are exclusive to independent arts organizations.

The Ministers of ITI and ECE recognize this. Yet, we still have no path to transition to an independent NWT arts council and continue to miss out on funding, economic development, and growth for northern artists. The board of the NWT Arts Council has been recently filled yet the GNWT states in the art strategy that the GNWT will "support the arts community to explore the feasibility or interest in creating an arm's length entity that would support and strengthen the NWT creative sector."

But independent arts councils aren't a new idea. Arts councils of most jurisdictions administer the majority of government art funds which, in turn, provide core funding for other regional arts organizations, key festivals, and events. So why is the GNWT dragging its feet and putting this work on to artists in volunteer roles to explore the feasibility of such an organization?

Mr. Speaker, in addition to legislation, an arts council needs core funding. The art strategy does not identify commitment for core funding. Most public funding initiatives are project or program specific and do not keep the lights on or staff working. If we want a robust arts strategy supported by experienced staff, the council needs the capacity to go after significant pots of private and public funding.

A solution to truly propel the NWT arts is before the GNWT, significant federal funding is available, COVID has given a boost to the arts on the global stage, and the time for change is now so that hopefully the Member for Yellowknife North won't be reading my statement three terms from now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Mary Bernadine MacKinnon, formerly known Petrie, known to us as Bernie, peacefully passed away in the arms of her partner, Terry Arnold, on August 23 in Happy Valley Labrador-Newfoundland at the age of 62 from a heroic battle with cancer.

Born on the west side of PEI, she worked hard all her life. She was a cook in many seafood restaurants, she was a co-captain on a lobster boat, and a general manager of Subways. She and her husband ended up coming north to work for the Northwest Company, known as the Northern Store. They moved from Hay River to Fort Smith and on to Fort Simpson.

Bernie excelled in every position she was placed in. I got to meet her when she was the food service manager in Fort Simpson. Because of her hard work, she received the Food Service Manager of the Year.

Bernie made friends with people very quickly as she was very thoughtful, caring, and a sincere person. It was Bernie's friendliness that made her a very special person to her co-workers and customers alike, making lifelong friends from all the stores she worked in. A perfect example was when she convinced a young man with some substance abuse problems to go out for help at a rehab place. He turned his life around, became a councillor, married a beautiful woman. Previously he and Bernie still played Scrabble online until her passing. The amazing thing was that he did not get a chance to beat her.

The family would like to thank the Northern Store for helping them move closer to Bernie's home province as she was recovering with her first battle with cancer. Bernie always spoke about her five children and grandchildren. They, along with Terry, were her life.

Bernie will be sadly missed by her partner of 17 years, her children and grandchildren. God bless her and may she have peace with the Lord. As well, both her parents who are in Heaven.

Terry and the family would like to thank all the medical staff that help Bernie during the battle, especially the medical staff in Fort Simpson and the Stanton Hospital and the hospital in Edmonton. They made sure she and her honey were treated well. She will be sadly missed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and community at this time. Members' statements. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Reports of committees on review of bills. Reports of standing and special committees. Returns to oral questions. Acknowledgements.

Colleagues, before we begin with oral questions, I will just ask everyone to please respect one another. I know sometimes we have a lot of heated discussions on whether you're asking questions or answering and sometimes we don't always like the answers we're given, I've been there, and sometimes I get heated but just, please, respect one another. Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I brought up the health care advocate for the Beaufort Delta in the Inuvik Regional Hospital. Mr. Speaker, I'm asking the Minister of Health, was it put into place, the health care advocate at the Inuvik Regional Hospital? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the regular Members negotiated, in addition to this year's operating budget, of four Indigenous patient advocates that would be located in Inuvik, Hay River, Fort Smith, and Yellowknife. Their specific mandate is to work to improve cultural safety and patient experience by supporting Indigenous patients in particular and resolving their concerns, complaints, and questions, and bridging cultural and language barriers. The job descriptions for these Indigenous patient advocates are now in development, and we expect to have them in place next year. Thank you.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I really thank the Minister for that response. It's a good news story and I think that -- so is the Minister saying January next year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

I think I might feel the flames at my feet, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the information I have is that it will be early next year. So let's say by the time we come back. Thank you.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, no question, I'm just really happy that we're getting a patients' advocate so people have a place to phone and get assistance and get quicker response times. And I thank the Minister for that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

A couple of weeks ago I tabled redacted meeting summaries from the GNWT-Chamber of Mines COVID-19 Working Group meetings. From the April 28th meeting, ITI states "allowing money from philanthropic organizations from the south is something we will be watching so it doesn't influence land use planning with more protected areas."

Can the Minister tell us which philanthropic organizations are being watched and what kind of monitoring or surveillance is being conducted? Merci, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is no surveillance being conducted. Mr. Speaker, I understand that these meeting minutes continue to be a source of great consternation. They are minutes. They are taken by a note taker, they are not transcripts, and they certainly are not something to which I would say speak on my behalf about what the department is or is not doing or the priorities of the department. So just to put that context on the quotes that are coming, again there are notes taken by someone at a meeting.

That said, Mr. Speaker, philanthropic organizations, this quote, this has long been a matter raised by certain members of the industry that we want to ensure that when decisions are being made about land use in the Northwest Territories that those decisions are made by members of the regions in which the matters arise so that they're decisions made by northern residents, by northern communities, by northern governments. And that's really the role of the GNWT here, is not to go spying on anybody but simply to facilitate land use planning by and for the benefit of Northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. In October 2021, Alberta released the report from the $3.5 million Allan inquiry into foreign funded anti-energy campaigns that found no evidence of wrongdoing by environmental groups.

Can the Minister tell us whether this government is going to hold a similar public inquiry in terms of watching philanthropic organizations, or does this government actually recognize the value that these organizations can bring to the NWT? Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we very fortunately in this government have the LNR departments all working well together. That is Lands, Natural Resources, and Environment all working together. In this particular instance, ENR happens to be the lead in terms of trying to work through a process or governance where we might, if there were to be opportunities to work with large organizations, is to bring funding alternatives on conservation initiatives, then we want to ensure, again, as a collective and as the GNWT and as Northerners, that we'd be doing that within a structure that is for the benefit of Northerners.

So we don't share the concern that I believe was the impetus behind that study and behind that inquiry, that there was some sort of nefarious thing happening. We are quite trusting and quite happy to work with anyone who wants to come and be mindful of the benefits of the northern residence and northern communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for those words. As I understand, the Chamber of Mines has filed for a judicial review of decision by the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board not to issue unlimited extensions to land use permits. And, Mr. Speaker, I don't want to speak to the case in any way, but the meeting summary show that the chamber met with Ministers of this government about their application before it was filed. So can the Minister tell us what happened in those meetings? Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, I wasn't at the meetings but I was able to make inquiries, and I appreciate a bit of a heads-up that these topics might be coming.

The importance or the desire of industry to ensure that they have access to leases that are effective has long been a matter of their advocacy. That said, this is an area where, although I understand CIRNAC on behalf of the federal government might have actually taken the position that leases should be extended, the GNWT has not taken a position. We have remained neutral and we continue to remain neutral, and whatever process might be happening before the courts with other parties, as the Member's already said, is not ours to speak to here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for clarifying that. So I've suggested a couple of times now there are a number of options to bring greater transparency and accountability to these secret meetings.

Can the Minister tell us whether these meetings are consistent with our open government policy and describe how she is going to bring greater transparency and accountability to these secret meetings? Merci, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, given the multiple times we've now spoken about these meetings, I'm not sure I agree with the characterization of them as being particularly secret in any fashion. And indeed even after the last round of exchanges that the Member and I had on this, the Chamber of Mines themselves put a number of the meeting minutes onto their own website to demonstrate that they too are more than happy to make known the fact that they are working to advance the interests of the industry with the GNWT.

As for the ongoing work there, Mr. Speaker, I certainly took note of the concerns that were raised in the last time that this matter came before the House. The deputy minister and I are looking to have a new set of terms of reference issued. When I have them, I will certainly make them available to the Members so that we are able to, in fact, be clear and focused on the purpose here. And the clear purpose, clear focus, is that this is an anchor area, an anchor section of the economy. It's one that we want to see supported, and we want to work with those with their knowledge of that sector to see where we have mutual areas of interest. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Housing Minister who is also the Minister responsible for Youth.

My first question is will the Minister commit to touring Home Base and learning about the work and programs that they're providing firsthand? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.