This is page numbers 6023 - 6088 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, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, Mr. Speaker, the Premier brought up COVID-19 lessons learned. Mr. Speaker, with the CERB payments that were all given out, all the -- with the CERB, the Canada -- Canada Recovery Caregiver monies that were given to the communities and to the people across the territory given by the federal government at that time, would the Minister -- would the Premier be -- will be able to talk, I guess, to the prime minister in regards to waiving those fees for the people in the Northwest Territories to see if we could give them a little -- give them a chance. People are suffering right now under our government. People are being penalized with no food.

Would the Premier commit to me on trying to work with the Government of Canada to see what she could do for the betterment of our people, all our people in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Madam Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to the CERB payments, I do know that the Member had asked the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about what we could do here. I don't know if it's just looking at the CERB payments when I lobby the federal government. What I've been lobbying the federal government is, even before COVID, is that our costs are high. The Speaker really outlined that yesterday in the House. I've asked to get a copy of his notes, actually, so I could use some of the statistics when I go to Ottawa. It's important that the federal government realize that the Northwest Territories is not like the south. We have huge problems in the North. We don't have the transportation, access that people have, our cost of living, our food is expensive. I hear that. So I'm trying to lobby the federal government for more than just to alleviate the CERB payments. I'm trying to lobby the federal government so all residents of the Northwest Territories will benefit and that we will have a sustainable cost of living. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, Mr. Speaker, we're in a tough situation right now across our territory. We got people going without. Our government could make a difference today. Our Premier could make a difference today and stand up for our people and stop penalizing them with a stroke of a pen.

Would the Minister or the Premier of the Northwest Territories stop recovering for CERB, recovery from Canada Recovery Caregiving monies that was given. And the people that took it just called in. They weren't given a T4 -- or given a receipt upon, and they did not -- some of them people that did not know that they had to claim it in. They should have known, but they didn't.

Would the Minister -- or would the Premier do what's right for the people in the small communities that are being penalized, that are going without and going without food and having to make those tough choices, would the Premier stand up and make that change? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do know that the -- I was just talking to the Minister of housing, that the CERB payments aren't being deducted from the housing payments. We're trying to do what we can. I'll have a discussion with ECE to see what the issues are. However, I do want to say that the federal budget just came out yesterday and I spent my lunch hour this afternoon talking to Minister Vandal who is coming here tomorrow, and we'll have more conversations with Minister Vandal. We talked about what's in the budget. There's supposed to be increases for the Northwest Territories around health funding, around housing funding, and around food security. So, you know, these are the issues that I hear the Member speak of often from his communities and other Members as well. So I'm pressuring the federal government to find out what exactly the new budget allocations are for, how much we can get for the Northwest Territories. And things that around in the budget I will be pressing for, lobbying for, because like I said many times, it's important that the federal government realize that we struggle in the Northwest Territories. We're not the same as the south. And so it's important that they realize; it's important that they recognize the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework and that they support us as appropriate. We're Canadian citizens. I'm glad we have some leaders here today, not only as -- do we lobby from the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Council of Leaders has met with Minister Vandal as well and told him the priorities of the North. So all of us, as leaders across the territories, are lobbying to try to get the supports from the federal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd love to meet Minister Vandal.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Yeah, -- the Regular MLAs.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

In regards to what's happening up here, in regards to letting him know how our liberal government's shortchanging our -- their own people. We're being penalized because where we live. High cost of living, all the stresses put on the family on trying to make ends meet, and it's not working anymore. Before they did. Income support gives enough for the first two weeks. It used to be three weeks now it's down to two, Mr. Speaker. You know it as well as I do. We all do in our small communities. People need help. I need my Premier to tell Minister Vandal, you know, to stop this recovery in regards to that. Stop it right across. It was two years ago. But yet that liberal government gives money to everywhere else but here. Minister's got to stand up and make a stand for the people of the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Any time I meet with any federal minister, including the prime minister, I stand up for the people of the Northwest Territories otherwise I have no reason to be there, Mr. Speaker. In honesty, though, I will bring it up to Minister Vandal again. I had spoken to him this afternoon at lunch time, spoke to him about our needs, and I will continue to speak to him about your needs. I'll talk to him about some of the problems that we have with CERB as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Jackie Jacobson

Jackie Jacobson Nunakput

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would the Premier consider in regards to stepping in on stop penalizing for those two -- for the CERB and the Canada recovery benefits, would the Premier step in and stop all penalizations in regards to people that are on income support and unable to help themselves because there's no employment in the Northwest Territories, and especially my riding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stated earlier I will follow up with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and actually all of Cabinet will have the discussions and see what we can do. We're not trying to penalize people. We're trying to support people. And that's why the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment said, yes, there's issues but we've increased -- this Cabinet, the first time in many, many years that we've actually increased the payments for income support people because we recognize the high cost. So I will follow up and see what we can do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I've been an MLA in this Assembly for seven years. I've never had an opportunity to meet with a federal minister. I'm glad that the Premier's doing that tomorrow. Why doesn't the Premier invite the Minister to meet with any of the Regular MLAs? It's never happened. So will the Minister commit to see if she can get a meeting for us as Regular MLAs with one -- at least one federal minister before I finish. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you. Order. Oral questions. Honourable Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In honesty it's hard to get a meeting with any Minister, especially the prime minister. Often, we get half an hour. We're very focused. We got to get -- we tell them what our agenda is, etcetera. It's not -- my understanding when I talked to my staff before about having Regular Members there, it's never been done in other jurisdictions. It's not something that's normal, that happens. However, I will like to say that Minister Vandal is coming here tomorrow, and I am assuming, if things go right, that he'll be a visitor in our gallery. So I can't guarantee that I'll get a personal meeting for the Regular Member, but the stairs -- there's one set of stairs, unless they go through the back so I'd recommend that run out and shake hands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I remember going to Ottawa one time with Bill Erasmus as the national chief of the Dene Nation at the time. We actually went into the House of Commons. We actually stood by stairs, you know, as they're coming down, and we actually did meet with a federal minister in the lobby. But we shouldn't have to do that in this building. Yeah, we do things differently. That's because we're a consensus government, Mr. Speaker. So I want this Premier to actually commit to raise this issue with the Minister while he's here that he should actually start to meet with some of us as Regular MLAs because that's how we do business as consensus government. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely we are a consensus government, and everyone has role and responsibilities within this government. Like I say, I struggle to get meetings with federal ministers. My time is short. If anything, I'm trying to get meetings with the Indigenous governments with federal ministers. However, I would like to put it back, Mr. Speaker, and say that the chair of AOC should send a letter to the Minister and invite him to meet with the committee in the spirit of consensus government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. No, that's a great idea. And I'll be happy to discuss that with my colleagues on this side of the House. But, you know, yesterday in the context of the government response on Bill 60, you know, we asked -- the House asked the Premier to actually write a letter to the Prime Minister of Canada on the lack of energy options here in the Northwest Territories. And their side would refuse to do that, to actually send a letter to the prime minister on our behalf after a motion in the House. So I don't think I have a lot of confidence -- anyways, what I want to do is get the Minister -- the Premier to commit that she will actually raise this with the Minister tomorrow that on this visit, maybe the next time he's here, that he should actually take the time to meet with this side of the House. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think what I'll do is, again, I'm going to put it back, I'm going to say that the chair of AOC should write a letter to the -- any Minister that they want to invite in the spirit of consensus government. But I will make a commitment because I do want to give him a yes. And I will commit to bringing up the carbon tax concerns that we have to the Minister -- to the appropriate Minister. Although like I've said many times, my knowledge is that when we speak about the federal government, they are listening. So they're already hearing that. But I will raise the concerns of the carbon tax and the impacts to the people of the Northwest Territories because it's a federal tax. We have the choice to do it within the territories, but it's going to happen anyway. So I will bring it up because it's part of what I always say about the high cost of living, no jobs, no transportation, the reliance that we have. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Final short supplementary.

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

I'm just going to ask the Premier to add one more thing to that list when she's meeting with the Minister tomorrow, that this trip, next trip, would the Minister please meet with some of the Regular MLAs. Thank you.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know that the Speaker this morning started with that get in order but I'm feeling generous today, so I'm kind of feeling a little bit generous today. I already committed that I'd bring up the carbon tax as an issue. I will tell the Minister that the Regular Members would love to meet him. But I'd like to get confirmation, perhaps in another time because we're at the end of oral questions, that the chair of AOC would also write to the Minister because I think it would help if there was both of us doing that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Colleagues, order.

Colleagues, our time for oral questions has expired. Written questions. Madam Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to return to item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.