Michael Nadli

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Roles

In the Legislative Assembly

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Crucial Fact

Historical Information Michael Nadli is no longer a member of the Legislative Assembly.

Last in the Legislative Assembly September 2019, as MLA for Deh Cho

Lost his last election, in 2019, with 47% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Committee Report 24-18(3): Report on the Review of Bill 40: Smoking Control and Reduction Act and Bill 41: Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act August 12th, 2019

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

WHAT WE HEARD AND WHAT WE DID

Public Reviews of Bill 40 and Bill 41

To commence its reviews of Bill 40 and Bill 41, committee sent letters inviting input from various stakeholders and non-governmental organizations.

The committee held a public hearing on Bill 40 and Bill 41 in Yellowknife on May 28, 2019.

In addition to these meetings, committee received four written submissions from three separate parties. Copies of the written submissions are attached in Appendix C.

Bill 40: Smoking Control and Reduction Act

Prohibitions on Tobacco Use

Section 3 of Bill 40 prohibits smoking in a public place.

The Canadian Cancer Society flagged for committee that Bill 40 prohibits the use of smoking tobacco in public places only and does not prohibit the use of smokeless tobacco such as chewing tobacco and snuff. Action on Smoking and Health advised committee that smoking bans are a cornerstone for reducing the acceptability of smoking. Logically, the same argument could be made about the use of other forms of tobacco.

Committee agrees with the recommendation made by the Canadian Cancer Society that, in addition to banning the use of smoking tobacco in public places, Bill 40 should contain regulatory authority to ban any and all tobacco use in public areas.

For this reason, committee proposed the following motions, set out in Appendix A:

  • Motion 4, to allow the Minister, by regulation, to prohibit or restrict the use of any tobacco products in a public place; and
  • Motion 6 to provide the Minister with regulatory authority around the use of tobacco that mirrors similar provisions related to smoking, such as allowing the Minister to prescribe places where tobacco products may be restricted or prohibited.

The Northwest Territories and Nunavut Public Health Association indicated their support for the restrictions proposed in Bill 40 on the locations where people may smoke. The Canadian Cancer Society, however, encouraged committee to make the bill as restrictive as possible in terms of where tobacco products may be used.

Because children tend to model adult behaviours, the Canadian Cancer Society argued that the definition for "public place" under section 1 of Bill 40 should be amended so that tobacco use is prohibited in all public areas where children may converge, such as playgrounds, the grounds of athletic facilities like hockey rinks and baseball diamonds, and anywhere public events may be held. They also encouraged the Northwest Territories to follow the example set by the Yukon Territory, which has prohibited tobacco use on the grounds of post-secondary institutions. As an alternative to an outright statutory prohibition on the use of tobacco in public places, the Canadian Cancer Society suggested these locations be prescribed under regulations.

Although smoke may be invisible and odourless, it poses a real threat to public health. Smoke can linger in the air for up to five hours, putting those exposed to it at risk of lung cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and reduced lung function. Committee shares presenters' concerns that the meaning of "public place" under Bill 40 is not expansive enough to protect the public from the harmful effects of tobacco and vaping. We agree that Bill 40 should be as restrictive as reasonable about where tobacco and vaping products can be used. Likewise, committee agrees that the inclination of children to model adult behaviours warrants additional safeguards.

For these reasons, committee proposed Motion 1, set out in Appendix A, to restrict the use of tobacco and vaping products in all public areas where children may ordinarily be present.

The Canadian Cancer Society further indicated it would like to see an expansion to the current "no smoking" buffer zones around entrances, windows, and air intakes to public buildings once drafting of the regulations are under way.

Recommendation 1

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services explore whether the "no smoking" areas around buildings to be prescribed in new regulations should be expanded.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I now pass the reading of the following sections to my honourable colleague from the Mackenzie Delta. Mahsi.

Question 790-18(3): Affirmative Action Policy August 12th, 2019

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we are on to something good here, so I will ask the Minister: will the Minister commit to bringing on board an Indigenous employee advocate who is tasked to work with the management to assist interested Indigenous employees seeking work with the GNWT? Mahsi.

Question 790-18(3): Affirmative Action Policy August 12th, 2019

Is there a model in other jurisdictions that has been successful in hiring more Aboriginal people into the government that the GNWT could perhaps use as a model?

Question 790-18(3): Affirmative Action Policy August 12th, 2019

One of the suggestions is to identify an individual who, perhaps, could herald some changes in terms of instituting opportunities for career paths for Indigenous people. Will the Minister consider developing a standalone Affirmative Action Policy for Indigenous people? Will he instruct his department to begin this work before the end of this Assembly?

Question 790-18(3): Affirmative Action Policy August 12th, 2019

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to follow up on my statement on the Affirmative Action Policy. About 30 years ago, as a result of the Oka Crisis, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples did a report and released their findings on November 1, 1996. That was 30 years ago. In 2019, it is a long shot, but marijuana was legalized. Much has changed. My question is to the Minister of Finance. I asked the Minister this question before and did not get a direct answer, so I will ask again: why has the Affirmative Action Policy not been updated in the last 30 years? Does concern about the legitimacy of affirmative action for other disadvantaged groups have anything to do with the GNWT's reluctance to update its policy? Mahsi.

Affirmative Action Policy August 12th, 2019

This person could work with Indigenous people seeking GNWT jobs, to help them prepare for their hiring process, to help them get their applications in, and to help connect departments with the right candidate.

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms provides for the creation of policies designed to provide an even playing field for disadvantaged groups. I understand that the concerns about the legitimacy of the GNWT's Affirmative Action Policy for certain groups may be at the root of why this policy has remained untouched for 30-plus years. If this is the case, I would like the Minister to explain precisely what the concern is. I would like also for him to consider creating a stand-alone Affirmative Action Policy for Indigenous people so that they do not get left behind by a policy that is outdated for unrelated reasons. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Affirmative Action Policy August 12th, 2019

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. During the spring sitting, I asked the Finance Minister, who is responsible for human resources, to make a commitment to update the GNWT's Affirmative Action Policy. As you may recall, the policy is so outdated that it still contains a commitment to do a policy review in 1994.

As I said in the House back in May, according to the GNWT's 2018 Public Service Annual Report, only 30.5 percent of the territorial government's workforce is made up of Indigenous Aboriginal people. The Minister pointed out that this number is higher in the regions, where 46 percent of the GNWT workforce is Indigenous Aboriginals, and I am glad to hear that.

Unfortunately, I also hear too many stories from people in my riding who are unsuccessful at getting GNWT jobs. If these people are willing and interested in working for the GNWT, we need to do everything we can to get them into jobs. If we are not doing that, then the Affirmative Action Policy is just lip service to helping Aboriginal people to get government jobs, if any.

I want to repeat some of the suggestions I made. First, we need to resurrect this government's commitment to decentralize more jobs out to the regions. It may be more expedient and cost-effective to put jobs in headquarters, but cost and convenience to government should not always outweigh the economic and social benefits of putting jobs in the communities. I also suggested that a department's affirmative action statistics should be an important criterion for assessing a deputy minister's performance.

In his response to my earlier questions, the Minister talked a lot about merit. I want to be clear that I support this principle, too. Believe me, if I need open heart surgery, I want to know that the most qualified surgeon is the one holding the scalpel, but, as we know, institutions like the GNWT also have a responsibility to be committed to reconciliation and should be willing to go the extra mile to overcome the past abuses of the residential school system, which deprived native children of educational opportunities and left a bitter legacy of substance abuse and family and social problems.

People need to be able to get a foot in the door so that they can build the experience to qualify them to compete for better paying jobs based on merit. One way to do this would be to put in place an advocate for Indigenous employment candidates. Mr. Speaker, I speak unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted

Question 781-18(3): Health Services Issues in the Deh Cho June 6th, 2019

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Everyone is pretty well aware that there's a new health hospital here in Yellowknife, and it's been an interest of elders to continue the diets, and one of them is country foods. My question is: what arrangements are being made to ensure that patients have a choice of country food, especially elderly patients? Mahsi.

Question 781-18(3): Health Services Issues in the Deh Cho June 6th, 2019

My other question is: what progress has been made towards the living healthcare services in Indigenous languages?

Question 781-18(3): Health Services Issues in the Deh Cho June 6th, 2019

There are some instances where patients or constituents of mine had to have family members drive them out of the community and visit other hospitals or health centres just to get a proper diagnosis. My question to the Minister is: what support is available to residents of the NWT if they must seek a second opinion outside of their community?