Roles

In the Legislative Assembly

Elsewhere

Historical Information Dennis Patterson is no longer a member of the Legislative Assembly.

Last in the Legislative Assembly September 1995, as MLA for Iqaluit

Won his last election, in 1991, with 60% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Bill 1: Supplementary Appropriation Act, No. 2, 1991-92 December 16th, 1991

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, unfortunately, this area is driven by demand. The more cases and the more charges, the more people ask for services. At the moment, we are trapped in an agreement with the federal government that caps the federal contribution. This is a cost-shared program. The agreement has been capped at 1989-90 fiscal year levels. This basically reflects the territorial share of the cost of legal aid beyond the cap, Mr. Chairman. It is directly a result of volume. Thank you.

Question O147-12(1): Hiring Of Deputy Minister Of Economic Development And Tourism December 16th, 1991

Mr. Speaker, I believe there are rules that cover questions that apply to a previous administration and I would just ask for guidance from the Chair on that issue, Mr. Speaker.

Speaker's Ruling

Question O144-12(1): Removal Of Hunters And Trappers From Workers' Compensation Coverage December 16th, 1991

Mr. Speaker, I already took a question on this as notice and I will therefore ask the Member's indulgence if I could also take this related question on notice and get back as quickly as possible.

Question O141-12(1): Defining "principally Engaged" Re Hunters' And Trappers' Claims For Workers' Compensation December 16th, 1991

I will have to take that question on notice, Mr. Speaker, and get back to the Member as soon as I can. Thank you.

Question O141-12(1): Defining "principally Engaged" Re Hunters' And Trappers' Claims For Workers' Compensation December 16th, 1991

Mr. Speaker, I think probably my first obligation as far as consulting representatives of aboriginal people, and indeed everyone, would be to consult with honourable Members who, I am sure, are very good representatives of the concerns of aboriginal people and aboriginal hunters and trappers. I intend to consult with Members and especially the honourable Member who is obviously very interested in and informed on this issue. I am not adverse to also consulting other organizations, but I would say that I believe that the Members of this Assembly are probably quite capable spokesmen for the interests of aboriginal people and hunters with respect to the WCB. Thank you.

Question O141-12(1): Defining "principally Engaged" Re Hunters' And Trappers' Claims For Workers' Compensation December 16th, 1991

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the honourable Member is referring to some comments made to him in recent correspondence with me on the subject of hunters and trappers and claims before the Workers' Compensation Board. Mr. Speaker, I certainly would not want to get technical with the honourable Member in this House, but the correspondence does refer to decisions that were made by the previous government in 1990. I am not sure if the rules permit me to provide information about an issue that was dealt with by a previous government.

However, Mr. Speaker, I will undertake to provide the Member personally with as much background as I can on that particular issue and how it was handled by the previous government. Having said that, I would also want to assure this House that the issue needs attention and I plan to review it as a priority from here on in, and I do not think we need to confine ourselves to previous solutions when we are looking at this problem. Thank you.

Question O139-12(1): People Who Die Without Wills December 16th, 1991

Mr. Speaker, it falls under my responsibility. The Member, I believe, is referring to the situation of people who die without having written a will specifying what happens with their property following their death. In that event the matter is handled by the office of the public trustee which reports to me as Minister of Justice. Thank you.

Ministers' Statement 24-12(1): Fire Prevention Videos December 16th, 1991

Mr. Speaker, if I may, the Department of Safety and Public Services has taken another step in support of our government's efforts to reduce incidents of propane sniffing in the Northwest Territories. It is now releasing the recently completed anti-abuse video "Straight Shooting" to NWT schools. The 28-minute video was filmed in Cape Dorset by the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation for the office of the Fire Marshal. It will be used in "Learn Not To Burn" presentations in NWT schools.

The actors in this video are not professional. They are young adults from the hamlet of Cape Dorset who, as first time actors, have done a remarkable job in delivering a very serious message in a way that touches all age groups.

Mr. Speaker, we must learn from our fire loss records; we must change our lifestyles so that our children are not left unsupervised when they are too young to reason or react; we must get the matches and lighters out of reach of children and teach them the dangers of playing with fires, and we must start controlling our use of alcohol so that alcohol is not a contributing factor to fires.

I would urge each Member of this Assembly to take every opportunity to speak to their constituents about fire prevention. Qujannamiik.

---Applause

Ministers' Statement 23-12(1): Report Of The Task Force On Legal Aid December 16th, 1991

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two. At the appropriate time today I will be tabling the report of the task force on legal aid. This report is the work of a task force which was appointed by the Legal Services Board in 1990 to review the delivery of legal aid in the NWT and make recommendations for future directions. The report was received by the legal services board in November, and the board has provided it to me with the request that it be made public. The report of the task force covers some of the same matters as are dealt with in the "Strength At Two Levels" report, but the task force on legal aid recommendations cover

a broad range of service delivery and organizational issues as well as financial concerns. The report contains 65 recommendations.

The members of the task force were all persons who had experience with different aspects of the legal aid system. In the course of their work, they visited several communities and spoke to interested persons across the Territories.

I wish to thank chairperson Adrian Wright and the members of the task force on legal aid for their thoughtful report and recommendations. It is obviously premature to say which of those recommendations should be accepted, but in the coming weeks and months this government will be reviewing the report of the task force on legal aid and conferring with the Legal Services Board on its recommendations. I invite all honourable Members to let me know their views about the contents of the report.