This is page numbers 4771 - 4832 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 know.

Topics

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for the question.

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, we created bed projections based on historic occupancy of the long-term care and projections of the population going forward. We had reason to revisit that in 2020, and we learned that in fact there weren't as many beds required all across the NWT as we previously thought. And so at that time the bed projections were revised, and 20 is the number, as my colleague said, for Inuvik. Thank you

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I know there's -- we have had a pilot program that the government has had since -- I think it was announced February 2020 on the Paid Caregiver Pilot Program, and I know that it was only in so many communities. So I'm just wondering now that this two year has passed, is this program continuing, or is it still going? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Paid Family Caregiver Program was indeed a pilot project. It has been evaluated and found to be worthwhile in the communities where it's operating, which is -- I don't remember off the top of my head exactly but it was about half a dozen communities and 30 clients. There is money for this fiscal year. There is money for next fiscal year. And we're looking to continue the program indefinitely. Thank you

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

All right, thank you. The reason I'm asking is, you know, I've had other people have contacted me in regards to this program, because it was a pilot, and they contacted it that it was not -- it was being reviewed. So I'm just clarifying that if it is continuing, that's great. Can the Minister advise if this program will be in all the communities now? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have enough money to continue running the program at the scale it's at now. In order to have a larger program, we would need a greater investment from the federal government who pays for a portion of home and community care and has been paying for this program. Thank you

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my past career, I know that this was something that the Indigenous governments did talk about and so I'm just wondering, Mr. Speaker, if the Minister has been discussing this possibly with Indigenous governments and then they can access more federal dollars together, and maybe the Indigenous governments could run this program for their seniors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these programs are community run at this point so it is possible to have Indigenous governments or Indigenous government organizations provide these programs in the communities as well as municipal entities and non-profits. So we would certainly welcome that. At this point, there hasn't been a wholesale transfer only to one kind of entity such as an Indigenous government. Thank you

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Premier. The mandate commits us to an UNDRIP action plan for summer 2022. Obviously, summer has passed, and we have not seen that action plan. So when can we expect to see that, Mr. Speaker?

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Honourable Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was looking back on the mandate actually, and we're not that behind actually. It said September -- or summer 2020; it's in the mandate, however we had two years of COVID so I'm actually feeling pretty good about this one.

I'm hoping that the Member did get an update from the -- because the MLA is a Member of the special committee on reconciliation, and so I'm hoping that he got an update from the September meeting that just happened. At that meeting, we were really close to signing an MOU on the action plan for the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous People. There was a bit of a pull back at the end, but we're still in the process. Right up until last night we were in meetings. So I'm thinking that within the next few days that we'll actually have an MOU, memorandum of understanding. But it was really clear from the Indigenous governments as we started this work that they said you can't do an action plan, it has to be done in collaboration and cooperation directly with the Indigenous governments. I've said that all along, Mr. Speaker. This is about the Indigenous governments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to try this again. I heard the Premier hoping that soon we will have an MOU. But my understanding was that that was an MOU of how to go about and create an action plan which seems quite a ways off from the actual plan. So when can we expect to see an actual UNDRIP action plan, and will it be in the life of this Assembly more importantly, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the clarification from the Member.

The memorandum of understanding with the Indigenous governments is around development of a plan to get us to the legislation of whatever that will look like. My commitment is as soon as that is signed, and I'm hoping that'll be actually within this session; I've been pushing as much as I can, still being respectful. As soon as that is provided or signed by all the Indigenous governments, I will provide an update to the appropriate standing committee at that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And in a similar vein, the mandate committed to signing two agreements in the realm of treaty land or self-government implementation. I'm just wondering if the Premier can update this House whether she still believes we can sign two agreements in the life of this Assembly. Thank you

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I am sure hopeful to be able to get two signed by the end of this government. The MLA did refer to the last one was signed in 2015. I do need to remind MLAs that although they're signed that day, it doesn't usually take -- some of these are 20, 30 years of process to actually get these defined. There's three parties to the table, and I'm doing our part. Some of the things that the Indigenous governments said was we don't like the core principles and objectives. We took it out, this government. Some of them said we don't know what your negotiated mandates is. We published them, this government. So, Mr. Speaker, we're doing the best we can to get these settled but it is three parties at the table. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recognize that there's three parties but, you know, there's 17 tables and I think getting two agreements out of 17 seems -- well, I'm hopeful we can at least get there.

I guess the Premier is still hopeful too that we're going to get two. I'm wondering if she would inform this House, or if she's willing to hint at what two she thinks that would be. And I'm also curious whether in that counting that the Premier is including agreements-in-principle because I know we've signed a number of agreements-in-principle that are -- well, they're over 20 years old now at this point so they don't necessarily lead to an actual final agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, I won't in the public House name the ones that I think we're close on. We are close on some. I would give a briefing to standing committee if that is decided by the appropriate standing committee. The problem is is that I think we're one step forward and then something happens, and we're two steps back. So because of that I can't say it publicly. But I'd be more than willing to give a briefing in confidence to the appropriate standing committee. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of ITI, or as my colleague likes to call her, the Minister of mining. Can the Minister -- which I think is a good thing, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Minister speak to how the GNWT is facilitating the purchase of the excess hydro power from the Taltson hydro dam for mines or other development projects in the South Slave Region? It seems like a real untapped potential there. Thank you

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to speak to this. I mean, obviously just, you know, noting firstly that the NTPC obviously is responsible for managing its own affairs. That said, I do have the opportunity to meet with their officers and staff and the Minister responsible, and it just so turns out that the Minister responsible and myself are on the steering committee for the Taltson hydro project. So lots of opportunity in that respect to ensure that all the right parties are alive and aware of what projects are in the region, the timeline of the various projects in the region, what their potential needs for power and power generation might be, and it certainly has been my experience in this role, Mr. Speaker, that NTPC's very interested in signing MOUs with projects that they, I believe, have advanced doing exactly that, signing MOUs both for excess power as it is already, but also with an eye on the Taltson refurbishment and the Taltson expansion. So all of which is to say, Mr. Speaker, it has been my experience that these things are happening in conjunction, one with the other, and that all the right players are speaking to each other to be ready to take advantage of this opportunity. Thank you

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm super glad to hear the Minister speak about a coordinated approach and sort of being proactive with the players in the region given that I can't think of how many times I've heard oh, if we just knew that was going on, we would have jumped on board. So great to hear that the Minister's coordinating that.

Given that our dependence in the next while is going to be on metal mining as the diamond mines sunset, can the Minister speak to what is being done and how the GNWT is supporting the expansion or exploration for new metal mines? I can't stress enough how important it is given that they are seven to ten times smaller than a diamond mine's revenue output. Thank you