This is page numbers 2083 - 2120 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 health.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to salute my constituent Germaine Arnaktauyok on the occasion of her national recognition with the highly prestigious Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts. Germaine Arnaktauyok is one of only eight recipients of the 2021 award organized by the Canada Council for the Arts to celebrate the exceptional careers of Canadian artists. As the Governor General's award citation says, "Germaine Arnaktauyok's contribution to Canadian art is significant. She has been a serious artist for over 60 years and has continued to explore and develop artistically and professionally. She has charted her own course and created her own unique visual language, and her lifelong interest in her own unique Inuit culture has been an inspiration to many younger artists."

Born in the Igloolik area in the 1940s, Ms. Arnaktauyok began life drawing from her visionary world whenever materials became available. She studied fine arts at the University of Manitoba, commercial art and fine craft at Algonquin College, as well as print-making at Arctic College in Nunavut.

In her work, Ms. Arnaktauyok focuses primarily on Inuit myths, stories, and feminist narratives centred on birth and motherhood. She has illustrated and written several books, including illustrating the recently published "Takannaaluk" released in spring 2018. Her silk screen design, "The Drummer," was chosen by the Royal Canadian Mint for the two-dollar coin to mark the birth of Nunavut in 1999. Her professional career has included the production of lithographs, etchings, and serigraphs that illustrate Inuit myths and traditional ways of life. Her artwork is held in a variety of museums, including the National Gallery of Canada and the British Museum.

Please join me in saluting the life and work of Germaine Arnaktauyok and her recent distinction through this prestigious national award. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Eulogy for Claude Fontaine
Members' Statements

Page 2086

Shane Thompson

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Claude Fontaine was born on October 13, 1963. His parents, Gerard and Therese Fontaine, and their six children welcomed Claude into a loving and caring home. Claude and his seven siblings were raised on their family farm in Prud'homme, Saskatchewan. It was there they all learned the value of hard work and the importance of family.

One of Claude's many special gifts was his ability to make deep and lasting connections with people from all walks of life. It would not be uncommon for Claude to meet somebody for the first time and, in a conversation, quickly discover an extended family connection, a friend of a friend, or a common event or place where paths may have crossed at one point. Conversation with Claude was not short, but when having a conversation with Claude, you would not be looking at your watch or your phone to check the time. You would not even be thinking about the time. What would feel like 15 minutes would end up being an hour or sometimes longer.

Claude was trained as a machinist, mechanic, truck driver, and later a welder. He worked on the railroad line, fixing equipment and keeping supplies moving. He drove transport trucks across Canada and the US, moving goods to people. He liked to talk about his travels in his 18-wheeler with friends and family.

Claude decided to settle in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories. He said he knew he was home when he had first laid his eyes on the Mackenzie River. Claude found an instant and profound connection to his new home. At the same time Claude chose to live in Fort Simpson, Fort Simpson also chose Claude as one of their own. He quickly became a beloved local who everybody knew as "Froggy" or "Frenchy." Through his many skills, Claude became a valuable additional to the community, and he developed his family-like relationship with so many people.

Around 2006, Claude met Lisa, a single working mom. Claude became a regular presence in Lisa's life and her son, Tristen's, who was about nine years old at the time. Claude would describe Lisa as his soulmate, the one true love of his life. Claude and Lisa were blessed with their boys, Kaleb and Kole. It was a great game-changer for Claude. At 65, he was not expecting to fall in love, let alone start a family.

Claude found peace and serenity in nature, and he felt his strongest connection to nature when he was in the Nahendeh. Known by the Dene as the land and water of the people, Claude explained to his family in the South that the forest, lakes, rivers, mountains, and animals of the North were much like his church. This is where he felt most connected to God or, as he would say, "the Big Guy."

Mr. Speaker, the family would like to thank the community of Fort Simpson for all their supports during this difficult time. He will be sadly missed but never forgotten. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Eulogy for Claude Fontaine
Members' Statements

Page 2086

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and the community. Members' statements. Item 4, returns to oral questions. Item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Just to refer back to my Member's statement on hiring practices in the GNWT, I had a question for the Minister of Finance. First question: can the Minister provide us with any statistics on the number of individuals in the NWT who are screened out because of a criminal record? Marsi cho.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister of Finance.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank, Mr. Speaker. The GNWT does not prohibit the hiring of any individual with an unrelated criminal conviction, and as such, there are no people who are screened out simply on that basis. Thank you.

Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you for that. My next question is: has the Minister's department ever looked into an assessment process for applicants with criminal records?

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Yes, there is an assessment process that does exist. There is, in the event that a criminal record has what we call a bona fide connection to the position of employment. In other words, if there is a legitimate connected reason why having a criminal record would prevent someone, for safety reasons, to perform the conduct of their duties, there is a process by which, once they are being offered the position, they could be asked to go and get their criminal record checked and bring that back. There is a process for how that would be evaluated, including potentially by a deputy minister who would be able to evaluate whether or not it is, in fact, connected to their employment.

Steve Norn

Steve Norn Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Can the Minister advise what barriers people with criminal records face when seeking government employment and how can they overcome these barriers?

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Again, there isn't intentionally a barrier. There shouldn't be a barrier, again, acknowledging that there may be positions where not having a criminal record is directly connected to the performance of that duty. That said, someone who may see that advertised certainly wouldn't necessarily want to apply if they have a criminal record, and they may not be in a position themselves to make the evaluation of whether that connection is there or not. People may well feel shame around having a criminal record. I very much want to emphasize that people can get criminal record suspensions, and that often is a tool that is not adequately used by many who have past criminal records for something. For what that's worth, I would certainly encourage people firstly to be familiar with the policy that we do have so that they don't see it as a barrier, but also to avail themselves of the process with the federal government around seeking what was formerly known as a pardon and now known as a criminal record suspension.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to addictions and mental health, the victims are often forgotten. My questions today will be for the Minister of Justice. I would ask the Minister of Justice what role the Department of Justice plays in ensuring those with addictions and mental health issues are supported by the justice system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister of Justice.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Most of those supports are offered in the corrections system, seeing as how that is how Justice usually interacts with people who need those supports. There are psychologists in the North Slave and the South Slave, and there are counsellors in all of the facilities. There are traditional healing programs at the South Slave; it especially has a lot of programs like that. There is an Indigenous pre-treatment healing program, which is made in the North. We hope to roll that out to other areas, as well. There is a Northern Sessions program, which offers treatment; I wouldn't say treatment, but mental health and behavioural supports in a northern context. There are a number of these different programs. There are substance abuse management programs offered in all of the facilities. There are programs to help inmates cope with violence and domestic violence. There is a wide variety of supports. One of the big issues is that some people are in for 20 days and out, some people are in for a few months and out, and it's hard to really provide the support that is needed in that context. Thank you.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

I would ask the Minister: what legislative supports are in place to assist those who are in abusive relationships and in immediate personal harm or harm to their children?

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Emergency protection orders are temporary court orders up to 90 days, and they are available under the Protection Against Family Violence Act. Of course, there has been a report highlighting some of the deficiencies, and so Justice is working with its partners to identify ways to fix those. It's not a perfect solution, obviously. There are communities with no RCMP, and so a piece of paper doesn't feel like it makes you very safe. It's not a perfect fix, but that is what is in place.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

I've had constituents who have family members with addictions and mental health issues and who are concerned with the wellness of their children. When I say "children," I'm talking about adult children, as well. They are concerned that the system is not offering the timely personal protection needed, and often, it is unclear as to how or who to contact. Can the Minister tell me, with the Department of Justice, what information and contacts are available and where can that information be found?

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

Of course, the department of health offers a lot of support through counselling services, and you can always contact those providers in communities. As far as Justice, there is the NWT Victims Services program. What Justice does is provide funding to 11 community-based groups who are situated across the territory, and they provide services to victims. It could just be emotional support, direction on how to navigate the system, what to do, where to go, where they might find a safe place, things like that, and that contact information can be found on the Justice website.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South.

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When the RCMP are called in to address a matter related to mental health or addictions, what supports are the RCMP provided, and does it include training in dealing with addictions and mental health as well as a mental health support worker on-site? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

R.J. Simpson

R.J. Simpson Hay River North

In the territory, I know that RCMP officers undergo trauma-informed training and cultural awareness training. Right now, if they respond to an issue where there is a mental health issue, which is quite frequent, there is not a mental health specialist who accompanies them. Frankly, there are just not the resources for that, at this point, but those are the kinds of things that we need to look at. I'm happy to have those conversations with the department of health and see what options are available. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister share with the House the expectations of the addictions recovery survey being done? What outcomes are expected from this survey? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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