Thank you, Mr. Speaker. GNWT employees who are charged and suspended without pay is breaching Canadian common law of innocence until proven guilty. The GNWT, as an employer, must adhere to this principle of law.

In Canada, Section 11(d) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom states: “Any person charged with an offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law in a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal.”

The presumption of innocence is the legal right of any accused in a criminal trial. The law in Canada applies to everyone, including police, judges, politicians, employers, and employees of our government. The main purposes of our laws are to provide order in society to provide a peaceful way to settle disputes and to express values and beliefs of a civilized society.

Everyone in Canada, citizen or permanent resident, has equal access to the justice system. I have a fairly low level employee who has been suspended without pay for a few months, potentially losing his

job as a result of us, as his employer, waiting for his court case. This is completely wrong. In fact, I don’t know where they got that policy from.

In 2010 the deputy minister of Human Resources said publicly that there is no government policy on dealing with employees who are charged or convicted of crimes. He said the department handles each case individually, depending on the nature of the charge and nature of the position.

I don’t believe we should be suspending people without pay. Should we not be, if anything, like the RCMP, suspending them with pay until the case is resolved, or even continue employment with other duties? Suspending them for months without pay before they have legal proceedings is completely not the way to go, according to our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

I will be asking the Minister of Human Resources questions on this later today. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister if the current application process is something that we inherited as a result of devolution, because it seems so cumbersome and it’s a whole different process when constituents throughout the North are applying for agricultural lands. Is that something that can be reviewed as well? Thank you.

I’d just like to know, how does

the Department of Lands work with the affected First Nations to process potential leases for agricultural lands? Is there a separate process when somebody applies for agricultural land when working with the First Nations as opposed to say industrial development or different development? Is there a separate process when the application is for agricultural land? Thank you.

What help is available for residents who want to access land for farming and are struggling with the rules and red tape? It seems that the application process is cumbersome with the guidelines and procedures.

What kind of help does the department have with an applicant working through the application process? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up on my Member’s statement. It’s about agricultural lands and the application process. I would like to ask the Minister of Lands again about what role the Lands department is playing in ITI’s Agriculture Strategy.

I would like to know how the two departments are coordinating their efforts so that this strategy actually works and makes agricultural lands easier for our residents to apply for. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I believe we are missing a significant opportunity to live better, eat better, diversify our economy, create local jobs and be more independent in the Northwest Territories. We must grow in quantity more of our own food.

A constituent tells me, “Have you ever thought what happens when the food trucks stop coming north?” We tend to forget that the southern half of our territory is very sunny and has some potentially good agriculture land. Hay River has had some degree of success and so could Fort Simpson and probably other communities as well. It is a vision shared by some of my constituents and others throughout the North. The problem is access to land. We have a huge and great land, but the rules for using them are pretty heavy duty, especially considering that farms are so common all over Canada and they have easier access.

I’m not sure if devolution of land and the taking over of a federal application process has complicated things. In the Deh Cho for a lease or sale of Commissioner’s land, the GNWT must seek the approval of the a

ffected Dehcho First Nation. That’s

fine; it’s only a 30-day process, in theory anyway. It is set out in the Interim Measures Agreement.

Where the Dehcho Land Use Planning Process fits in is not so clear. The planning committ

ee’s website

refers to economic and political barriers to agriculture, and that’s about it. Then we have our departments of Lands, and Industry, Tourism and Investment. ITI is working gung-ho, well, sort of, on the Agriculture Strategy, and Lands department seems to have a bunch of rules they may or may not be sorting out.

But let’s not leave out the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board, the purveyor of permits under federal rules. As I understand it, if land needs to be cleared with heavy machinery, then a would-be farmer has to apply for a land use permit and then wait for it. On the other hand, if land is already cleared, it seems no land use permit is required. To me, it looks like anyone who wants to farm or wants to grow healthy food for us all to eat had better be a darn good lawyer as well. The rules are not clear. It is no wonder applicants are frustrated.

I will have questions later on for the Minister of Lands during question period. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

That was previously approved, I think it was in the fall time, in our capital budget. Is that correct, Mr. Chair?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. If a member of the public was looking at this document

they would see that, despite how many times I’ve been raising Highway No. 7 in this Legislature, over the years there is no contribution here. If the Minister can explain that, and I’ll certainly be looking for a response with regard to that. Why is it not on this document and what’s the attention this government is going to give Highway No. 7?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Wednesday, March 11, 2015, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that the Legislative Assembly strongly recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services work with Aboriginal governments to establish a wellness centre at Stanton Territorial Hospital;

And further, that the Department of Health and Social Services incorporate a wellness centre into its plan for renewal of the Stanton Territorial Hospital;

And furthermore, that the government provide a comprehensive response to this motion within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.