Roles

In the Legislative Assembly

Elsewhere

Historical Information Steven Nitah is no longer a member of the Legislative Assembly.

Last in the Legislative Assembly November 2003, as MLA for Tu Nedhe

Lost his last election, in 2003, with 18% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Question 320-13(5): Housing Meeting In Fort Resolution June 11th, 2003

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by thanking the Minister for attending the meeting in Fort Resolution of the community leadership, Members and the housing authority. At that meeting, Mr. Speaker, a lot of discussions we had were on issues of housing and housing needs, lack of leadership in the housing authority because of the board of directors. The Minister and his staff made some commitments and my constituents are wondering when they can see the fruition of those commitments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Role Of Special Committees June 11th, 2003

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome to the House the students from Hay River. It's good to see the younger people taking an interest in politics.

My understanding of politics in this House, Mr. Speaker, is that we represent the people, the people vote for us to speak on their behalf and bring their will to this House. One of the ways we do that is through committees. We create special committees, and the special committees go to people with issues to be discussed and decisions to be made on certain issues. We take what the people say back to the House in the form of a report and recommendations resulting from that report. The House accepts those reports and the recommendations, and it becomes the will of the House. The will of the House is the will of the people. The bureaucracy that works for this government, its job is to implement the will of the House, the will of the people.

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to explain to the students and maybe some of our colleagues how things are supposed to work. Welcome to Yellowknife, students from Hay River, and thank you for showing an interest in your northern politics.

Bill 14: An Act To Amend The Public Service Act June 10th, 2003

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I didn't realize that we had that guarantee. When we were discussing this through the committee, there were no guarantees a week ago today.

Mr. Chairman, the Minister pointed out that the frontline workers in Fort Resolution and Lutselk'e working for Health and Social Services are working now. Yes, they are. The point I was trying to make and the point I would like to make now is when they were working for the health board, they were not covered. The government did not support the health board in making sure the people working there were paid equivalent to that of government employees. In fact, the resources provided to these boards were insufficient to pay them at the same level as public service employees. In fact, that's what we see more and more in the communities. An example is when you transfer the money to communities for economic development officers, we pay them $40,000 from this government. Yet, we have a support staff at the regional level that doesn't understand the economic opportunities and challenges in our communities and we pay them $80,000. We will protect the employee in the regional centre, but not the employee who is working directly for the community and making a difference in that community.

So are there any guarantees from this government that when you transfer a position or fund a position in a community that is going to deliver programs and services on behalf of this government, that we will get sufficient funding so their wages are in line with those working under the public service? Are there any guarantees? If there are no guarantees, do you think that individual is going to blink an eye if there is a job opening within the public service? He will drop that job in the community and work for the public service. Why? You get better protection. You get better pay. Leaving that community with one less human resource that somebody could train over again and bring up to speed to understand all the different programs and services this government provides. As far as I am concerned, Mr. Chairman, this is a hindrance. If you don't recognize the people who deliver frontline services who are not working for the government, but are working for community governments, band councils... All the band councils. There are six or seven communities in the NWT where band council-run agencies deliver programs and services on behalf of this government on contract. These people have no protection. They get paid less to deliver and manage policies and procedures developed by the public service. That's what I am talking about, Mr. Chairman, when I talk about the frontline people. Our bureaucracy, as far as I am concerned, are their support staff. You don't usually see support staff getting paid more or having more protection than the frontline guys. It just doesn't work that way.

So what does this do to create the human resource base in the communities that we are so lacking? It doesn't do anything like that. It doesn't create employment parity throughout the Territories. Mr. Lafferty is right, we need a territory-wide act to make sure that everybody gets paid for equal value of work. Right now, you have three people working on any site, whether it's oil and gas, diamonds or tourism, doing the same kind of work. There will be three different job skills based on the employer they are working for. Mr. Chairman, I get a lot of my constituents and Northerners, especially aboriginal Northerners, saying they are getting paid a lot less than others. They are doing the same kind of work and in a lot of cases, they have a lot more experience. One area that I am quite disappointed in, that was in the initial act, was the term "aboriginality." I get a lot of complaints about systemic racism in the job place. Aboriginal people feel they are getting paid less because of their ethnicity. That was thrown right out of this act. We haven't addressed that at all.

As far as I am concerned, Mr. Chairman, this act doesn't go far enough in the Territories and I think we should treat everybody the same under the NWT Human Rights Act and not have a separate act just for the public service. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Bill 14: An Act To Amend The Public Service Act June 10th, 2003

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I too have some issues with this particular act. Mr. Chairman, this government was created to represent all the people of the Northwest Territories. I have said it before and I will say it again; what I find is, this government controls a welfare state. The majority of government employees are in this capital and the regional centres. Through contract work or devolution of responsibility we deliver programs and services of this government in our communities, by band, municipal staff or institutions we create, such as the health boards that were created in Lutselk'e and then pulled away.

The biggest issue I have with this is that we create and protect the bureaucracy, but we don't recognize the value of service provided by frontline employees. As far as I am concerned, Mr. Chairman, the bureaucracy is the support staff and we are supporting and protecting that support staff more than we value and protect the service delivery at the community level. When we transferred authority -- for example, Fort Resolution and Lutselk'e had a health and social services board -- this government transferred about a quarter less resources and expected them to succeed in a very complicated area. Very little financial and human resource support for these two boards was provided. When they pulled it back, salaries and support of staff increased and they pulled it back saying you guys can't handle it, so we are going to take it back. That is not how you develop capacity in the communities. That is not how you develop self-government in the communities that we, as a government, are negotiating currently with the federal and aboriginal governments of the Territories. We don't address that. We protect ourselves.

I will ask one question of the Minister, Mr. Chairman. The exemption that we are looking for under the Human Rights Act, is there any guarantee that we will get that exemption if we pass this act? If not, what are the consequences? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Bill 30: An Act To Amend The Official Languages Act, No. 2 June 10th, 2003

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, June 13, 2003, I will move that Bill 30, An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act, No. 2, be read for the first time. Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Tabled Document 65-14(6): Letter To Mlas From The Speaker Regarding Commentary By The Languages Commissioner June 10th, 2003

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table a letter addressed to Members from you regarding the commentary by the Languages Commissioner on the Official Languages Act review and its recommendations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 304-14(6): Acceptable Dust Levels In NWT Communities June 10th, 2003

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, why is it every time we bring up an issue from the communities there is always the lifestyle factor that this government uses to push aside the urgency of the concern of the residents of the communities? That is a matter that I think we have to deal with.

However, I will repeat my question, Mr. Speaker, in a slightly different way. Why is it that dust is a health issue in Yellowknife during the short period of time that it is monitored in the spring and it is not a health issue in the communities in the eyes of government? Why, Mr. Speaker?

Question 304-14(6): Acceptable Dust Levels In NWT Communities June 10th, 2003

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. In Yellowknife, there were some dust monitoring stations placed in various points in the community. They determined that in the spring when the snow melts and the streets have not been cleaned, there are higher levels of dust in the community and that's a health issue. It was identified by the government as a health issue. In our communities, Mr. Speaker, once the snow is gone, the dust level goes up and doesn't come down until the fall. Why is it a health issue in Yellowknife and not in the communities? How can the Minister say that second-hand smoking is the cause here? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 304-14(6): Acceptable Dust Levels In NWT Communities June 10th, 2003

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for those people who don't smoke and live a clean, healthy lifestyle in our communities, the Minister just blamed the smokers so the dust problems will not be addressed. I would like to ask the Minister will his department undertake an assignment that will determine once and for all what is the level of dust that's acceptable for human beings to be in on a daily basis or by hour. I am not sure, Mr. Speaker, but just so that we have an understanding in the Northwest Territories government, what is the safety standard when it comes to dust control in the communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Question 304-14(6): Acceptable Dust Levels In NWT Communities June 10th, 2003

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak about dust control and how this government has failed to serve people in the Northwest Territories on major health concerns as well as they did with the Official Languages Act, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to ask the Minister, what is the measurement, the bar, that determines if our health is compromised by the number of particles in the air, from the Health and Social Services standard? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.