MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_01CAE218.532D9870" This document is a Web archive file. If you are seeing this message, this means your browser or editor doesn't support Web archive files. For more information on the Web archive format, go to http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/office/webarchive.htm ------=_NextPart_01CAE218.532D9870 Content-Location: file:///C:/B1334E38/208.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
Speaker:=
195; I will now call the House to order. We w=
ill
proceed at this time with prayers.
Prayers
DAILY ROUTINE
Speaker:=
195; We will proceed at this time with the Or=
der Paper.
Are there any
tributes?
Introduction
of visitors.
Returns
or documents for tabling.
Reports
of committees.
Are there any
petitions?
Are there any =
bills to
be introduced?
Are there any =
notices
of motion?
NOTICES OF MOTION
Mr. Mitchell:
THAT this Hous=
e urges
the Yukon government to examine and project the increased operation and
maintenance costs that will be incurred by municipalities before implementi=
ng
new regulations, such as health, safety and environmental regulations, that=
require
new spending by municipalities in order to:
(1) provide
accurate projections of the additional costs to municipalities of implement=
ing
new regulations; and
(2) provide
additional funding support above the comprehensive municipal grant to cover=
the
increased costs of implementing new regulations.
I also give no=
tice of
the following motion:
THAT this Hous=
e urges
the Government of Yukon to consult and work with the Association of Yukon
Communities and all municipalities to ensure that municipalities are provid=
ed
the necessary funding support to address the increased operation and mainte=
nance
requirements to run the new infrastructure that is being built through fede=
ral
infrastructure funding programs.
Mr. Inverarity: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I rise to give notice of the following m=
otion:
THAT this Hous=
e urges
the Government of Yukon to work with parents and Autism
Mr. Cardiff: I give notice of the following motion:
THAT this Hous=
e urges
the Yukon government, in forming the advisory committee tasked with the rev=
iew
of Yukon’s police force, to appoint representatives with direct
experience of the police force, such as, but not limited to, youth, the wor=
king
poor and non-governmental organizations that deal with mental illness and f=
etal
alcohol spectrum disorder.
I also give no=
tice of
the following motion:
THAT this Hous=
e urges
the Government of Canada to enforce the Canada Health Act in light of the scores of possible violations in as =
many
as five provinces, such as the recent decision by the Government of Quebec =
to
implement user fees for medical visits.
Speaker: Are there any further notices of motion?=
Is there a sta=
tement
by a minister?
This then brin=
gs us to
Question Period.
QUESTION PERIOD
Question re: Civil
Forfeiture Act
<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Inverarity: ̳= 4; Mr. Speaker, I have repeatedly asked the Minister of Justice to withdraw the Civil Forfeiture Act until adequate consultation has been done. The minister = has refused this request and Yukoners deserve to know why. In response to my question yesterday, the Minister of Justice put on the record that the government went out for targeted consultation. In response to my second question yesterday, the minister said, and I quote: “We did go out for consultation. We did do targeted consultation. We heard from Yukoners.”
Did the Minister of Justice consult=
with
the Human Rights Commission?
Hon.
Ms. Horne: I will elaborate on what I said yes=
terday.
This legislation is going to be very similar, no matter in which jurisdiction it is enacted. The various
differences occur mainly in how the money is collected and how it is alloca=
ted.
In the case of , no public consultat=
ion. In
Mr. Inverarity: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> So, Mr. Speaker, I take it the answer is=
no to
the question. The Minister of Justice is claiming to have consulted with
Yukoners on the Civil Forfeiture Ac=
t.
The Human Rights Commission was not consulted, and we think they could have
provided an opportunity to comment on the legislation before it was tabled.=
The minister c=
laims
that she wants to do the right thing for Yukoners and we know that some of =
her
Cabinet colleagues have their own concerns about this bill. For the record,=
we
support the idea of civil forfeiture legislation. A lot of good can come fr=
om
this legislation. We just don’t support the government’s move to
pass this legislation without proper consultation.
I’ll ask=
the
minister another question: did the minister consult with the Privacy
Commissioner before tabling this legislation?
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> <=
/span>I
believe the Privacy Commissioner has been consulted on this act. There are =
no
variances from the human rights in
The Civil Forfeiture Act was developed=
this
winter based on unanimous approval of the House in December to move forward=
on
developing civil forfeiture legislation, and I repeat that — it was a
unanimous approval of this House. This government is tough on crime. We do =
not
want criminals to gain money from their criminal activity. Is the opposition
opposed to being tough on crime and having safer communities?
Mr. Inverarity: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I think we’re opposed to being tou=
gh on
innocent people, not necessarily criminals. I think the minister should
understand this is an issue. Yes, we support this legislation; however, we
think that Yukoners should be consulted so that people would be able to voi=
ce
their opinions about it.
The minister c=
onsulted
with a grand total of two organizations before tabling this bill, but claims
that Yukoners have been consulted. It looks like she’s taking lessons
from the Premier on how to answer questions.
The minister h=
as not
even consulted with the Human Rights Commission and she’s unsure about
whether the Privacy Commissioner has even been consulted on this matter. Th=
ere
are many Yukoners who want to have a say in this. What about self-governing
First Nations? Were they not consulted either? Are they not Yukoners also? =
Did
the minister ask them about this legislation? Have they had a chance to giv=
e input
into the legislation?
Hon. Ms. Horne: I would remind the member opposite of Bill No. 110, which was the Yukon Energy Corporation Protection Ac=
t,
put forward by Mr. McRobb.
What public
consultation was there done there? I’m sorry. I’m terribly sorr=
y. I
withdraw the name — the Member for Kluane who insisted the government=
put
this bill forward and put it through without
Question re: =
Civil Forfeiture Act
Mr.
Elias: There are legitimate concerns with regard to the Y=
ukon
Party government’s Civil Forfeiture Act. Yesterday the minister
told this House that the legislation went out for targeted consultation =
212;
just like SCAN. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a government news release from
January 2006 announcing that public consultations will begin as the first s=
tep
in developing SCAN legislation.
We are concern=
ed about
the minister’s understanding of this bill and the need for public
consultation. The general public was consulted before tabling the SCAN
legislation. The general public was not consulted before tabling this civil
forfeiture legislation. Will the Minister of Justice accept that this
legislation is simply not ready yet for implementation in our territory?
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> <=
/span>I
reiterate — SCAN went out on targeted consultation.
We have discus=
sed the
act with First Nations. We have to sign a separate agreement with First Nat=
ions
to enter on to their territory. Perhaps the members opposite are not aware =
of
this, or maybe forgot. But, again, this is a good act. I have asked for ame=
ndments
to the bill. Have any come forward? We have lots of complaints, but we
haven’t had any specific —
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> — they haven’t come for=
ward
and voiced their concern with any parts of it. Let’s be specific and
let’s work together here.
Speaker’s statement
Speaker: Just before the honourable member asks t=
he
next question, members please, when one member is speaking, please respect =
the
rules of the House and don’t call across the floor. You have the floo=
r,
Member for Vuntut Gwitchin.
Mr. Elias: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to remind the Minister=
of
Justice that the issues that we are bringing forward to this House are comi=
ng
from Yukoners concerned about this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, t=
his
proposed law states that Yukoners could be forced to defend their property =
at
their own expense, even though no criminal charges were ever laid. As one
lawyer put it in
Innocent peopl=
e could
lose their property because they may not have the resources to fight the
forfeiture in court, and this has happened in our country, Mr. Speaker.
That’s where these concerns are arising from — from Yukoners. <=
/span>
I want to be c=
lear
here: we want this legislation to work and we know the Minister of Justice
wants this legislation to work. Will the minister do the right thing and
withdraw this legislation until proper public consultation can be met?
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> <=
/span>As
I said previously, we have drawn information from the eight other jurisdict=
ions
that have this enacted in legislation. It is not copied from
Mr. Elias: I want to make something clear on the floor of the Ho=
use
today. This type of legislation is in the best interest of the public when =
it
is developed and used properly, but it is dangerous unless adequate safegua=
rds
are in place. Mr. Speaker, there are plenty of examples of punitive prosecu=
tion
through property forfeiture in other jurisdictions that have enacted this t=
ype
of legislation. Many jurisdictions in
We don’t=
want
that to happen here in our territory. We don’t feel the legislation
adequately addresses Yukoners’ concerns. That’s why on the floo=
r of
the House for the last week we’ve been putting forward Yukoners’
concerns about this civil forfeiture law.
There are conc=
erns
from our citizens out there; that’s what we’re trying to addres=
s on
the floor today. Will the minister do the right thing and seek comprehensive
public input before this legislation comes into effect?
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> <=
/span>We
are indeed taking care of our citizens. We are taking care of our Yukoners =
who
want safer communities — safer communities to raise our children, a s=
afer
Question re:
Health care costs
Mr. Cardiff: The Minister of Health and Social Services has been
unable to show us studies supporting decisions made by the Yukon Hospital
Corporation to spend millions on expanding acute care hospitals in the Yuko=
n.
One area of health care that has had many studies and projects across
Last December =
we
passed legislation regulating nurse practitioners. Will the Minister of Hea=
lth
and Social Services give us an update on the progress of the committee writ=
ing
regulations for this act and tell us when it can be implemented?
Hon. Mr. Hart: Regulations with regard to the Registered Nurses Profession Act a=
re
underway and consultation is taking place with the Yukon Registered Nurses
Association. In fact, I was at their recent
Mr. Cardiff: He can tell us in his next answer when it can be
implemented. This is an area of health care that has had supportive studies=
and
consultations done in the
What measures =
is the
minister taking to respond to the recommendations and ideas about the
integrated provision of health care brought forward in consultations with
Yukoners?
Hon. Mr. Hart: <=
/span>I
thank the member opposite for the question. We’ve had a substantial a=
mount
of work with regard to assisting all Yukoners with their addictions, regard=
less
of where they are within the
Mr. Cardiff: For at least 15 years, concepts of a primary health c=
are
centre that has multidisciplinary health care have been brought forward to =
the
Why has the mi=
nister
endorsed and committed funding to more acute care facilities and not procee=
ded
with a collaborative practice initiative, at least in a pilot project?
Hon. Mr. Hart: <=
/span>We
have been working on collaborative care. We have been working with the
professionals with regard to providing the alternative services that will be
required for all Yukoners throughout the
We=
have a
substantial amount of money in the Health and Social Services budget to cov=
er
all aspects of health care, from mental health to all kinds of disabilities, and all services that are
required, from autism to multiple sclerosis. You name it — we are pro=
viding
services with regard to all Yukoners and we’re looking at maximizing =
the
use of RNPs in our rural areas. We’re loo=
king
at maximizing our facilities in
Question re: Takhini elk herd
Mr.
Cathers: A 1990 report by government biologists recommend=
ed
that the Takhini elk herd be allowed to increase to 100 animals and be kept=
at
that size. That did not happen and the herd size ballooned. Yesterday the
Minister of Environment responded to my questions by seeming to blame people
for living in rural areas. He appears to have forgotten that the herd was
imported by government and allowed to grow well beyond the size biologists =
said
it should be kept at to prevent the herd causing damage to property and to =
the habitat
of other animals.
If a carnivore
attacks, you can defend yourself, but sections 86 and 87 of the Wildlife Act prevent you from defe=
nding
your property or even your life if an elk is threatening it.
My question fo=
r the
Minister of Environment is this: what does he recommend
Hon. Mr. Edzerza: Well, Mr. Speaker, this issue has b=
een
gone over probably 20 times if it has been gone over once. The member oppos=
ite
knows very well that the elk harvest management plan was developed
collaboratively by Environment Yukon, Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Bo=
ard,
affected renewable resources councils, First Nation governments and
stakeholders.
So far, the pl=
an is
helping us achieve our goals, as there have been considerably fewer
elk/agricultural conflicts and we continue to see fewer and fewer winter ti=
cks
on the elk.
Mr. Cathers: <=
/span>I
would remind the minister that a non-answer is a non-answer, and certainly =
the
minister is correct that his predecessor, the Member for Whitehorse West, a=
nd
department staff did some good work in improving the situation. However, th=
ere
is still a problem. Two of my constituents have reported incidents with wild
elk that imperiled physical safety. Many more have had damage to their
property.
When a carnivo=
re
attacks you can defend yourself, but sections 86 and 87 of the Wildlife Act prevent you from defe=
nding
your property or even life if a wild elk threatens it. A very high standard
must be met under the act before it allows someone to kill a bear or other
carnivore without a permit. Threat to life or property must be imminent, and
they must have exhausted all other practical means of averting the threat. =
An
imminent threat to life posed by a wild animal is no less serious if the an=
imal
happens to be an elk.
Will the minis=
ter
agree to begin the process to amend sections 86 and 87 of the Wildlife Act?
Hon. Mr. Edzerza: The simple answer to that question =
is no.
But as part of implementing the approved plan, Environment Yukon introduced=
an
elk hunt in 2009-10. Environment
Mr. Cathers: I am pleased to see the minister has at =
least
read his briefing note today. He didn’t have any answers yesterday. I
would like to remind the minister that two of my constituents have already
reported incidents where wild elk threatened their physical safety. It is n=
ot a
remote possibility that someone may be faced with this choice: protect their
life or comply with the Wildlife Ac=
t.
If a
&nb=
sp; Hon.
Mr. Edzerza: Any government would have a very ha=
rd time
to try to react to some hypothetical scenarios that a member on the floor m=
ay
bring to the Legislative Assembly. I would recommend the member opposite br=
ing
the suggestions to the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, at its ann=
ual
regulatory cycle system.
This a complic=
ated
hunt, initiated for the first time. Environment
Question re:
Health care facility costs
Mr. Mitchell:
The minister h=
as also
committed $1.5 million from the
Hon. Mr. Hart: Mr. Speaker, we are working, as I
mentioned, with the Yukon Hospital Corporation, and once the arrangements w=
ith
the banking facility are in place, we will finalize our lease for our porti=
on
of that facility. We will make arrangements to cover off our expenditures,
depending upon what those final arrangements are with the financial
institution.
Mr. Mitchell:
Considering the
Finance minister’s statement that the government is flush, why is the
Hospital Corporation being forced to borrow this money?
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Leader of the
Official Opposition for actually recognizing on the floor of the House that=
the
In this case, =
the
Yukon Hospital Corporation is serving the
Now, if the me=
mber
finds fault with that, then the member should stand up and explain to Yukon=
ers
how the Liberals would address the acute care needs of this territory and h=
ow
the Liberals would address the need for residents to bring in specialists a=
nd
physicians who do such things as knee surgery. The member can tell Yukoners=
how
they intend to invest in facilities that are required for this collaborative
integrated care model that all Yukoners believe is something that we contin=
ue
to evolve in. What the member is not doing is explaining to Yukoners how th=
ey
would address the challenges.
Mr. Mitchell:
Because this
government is going for broke, Yukoners will pay a lot of interest on this
loan, about $8.5 million. That’s too much and that’s more than =
the
Health minister expected to pay. When he first authorized the borrowing, he=
was
told by the Hospital Corporation chair that interest would be between 3.03
percent and 3.55 percent. That chair has since told us that the corporation=
is
forced to borrow the $17 million at 5.23 percent — much more than was
expected.
How can the mi=
nister
justify letting these interest expenses get out of control?
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
I think here’s the crux of the pro=
blem:
the opposition makes wild statements such as this. It’s the first tim=
e in
memory that a Premier has allowed our territory to go into debt that makes =
up
over 16 percent of a $1-billion budget. Surely the members must recognize t=
hat,
as far back as 1992, debt as high as $88 million in 1992 dollars was being =
paid
for by Yukoners of the future, and we still pay for that today. That made u=
p 26
percent of the total budget.
Furthermore, i=
f you
extrapolate that into today’s dollars, it’s actually a range of
money owed of between $160 million and $230 million. So the problem here is
these statements the members continue to make, void of the facts.
Question re:
Mayo B project
Mr.
McRobb: Mr. Speaker, it has become evident this is a
government locked in hard denial. It denies it is wrong even when proven wr=
ong
by hard evidence. It denies it is wrong even when proven wrong by credible
testimony. This chronic habit of denying everything speaks volumes about the
very character of this tired and evasive government and its members who
campaigned on being open, accountable and transparent.
On Monday this=
Premier
took this trademark to a new low by treating issues where his government has
been proven wrong and in denial as justification for further denials. Go fi=
gure.
One of them was the displaced diesel costs for Mayo B. When announced by the
Prime Minister, he said it would displace only 40 percent of the diesel
forecast, but this Premier insists it is 100 percent. Whom should Yukoners
believe — the Prime Minister or this Premier?
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
Mr. Speaker, I will not even go to that =
level.
I think what we have to understand is that there is a hard denial happening
here and that is how hard it is for the Member for Kluane to actually inter=
pret
facts so that the member understands them. Now the member has brought up th=
is
diesel issue again and the member, in doing so, has mentioned evidence.
Not only has e=
vidence
been provided to the member through documentation, but he knows it’s =
all
there in the public domain that these values were in fact presented by the
Yukon Energy Corporation. The member heard it from witnesses a few short da=
ys
ago, so the hard denial is the fact that the Member for Kluane has a hard t=
ime
interpreting facts and continues to deny that the facts actually mean what =
they
say.
Mr. McRobb: This government is locked in hard denial
despite the evidence and despite the testimony. It’s the same old sto=
ry
as revealed by the Premier’s former right-hand man who now sits in
opposition, who said, “The Premier will again, as always, use his
standard approach of repeating the message of how everyone else is
wrong.”
What’s m=
ore
telling is everyone over there condones this behaviour. They’re all i=
n it
together. Now, let’s walk the Premier through this. I’ll send h=
im
over a clipping that quoted the Prime Minister, saying the true number is o=
nly
40 percent. But this Premier insists it’s 100 percent. He has used the
inflated figure on repeated occasions in this House, and he’s not alo=
ne
over there; they’re all in it together.
Does he see th=
e quote
attributed to the Prime Minister? Does he see the difference? Again, whom
should Yukoners believe — him or the Prime Minister?
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
Well, actually, Mr. Speaker, this is ano=
ther
example of the Member for Kluane’s challe=
nge in
actually presenting the facts as they are to this House. In fact, the
government side presented to the member opposite documents and statements f=
rom
those documents that actually confirm exactly what the Prime Minister said,=
the
federal government said, the Energy Corporation said when it comes to the
project.
You know, the =
member
obviously has an issue with building hydro facilities and infrastructure for
the Yukon
Mr. McRobb: Mr. Speaker, when it comes to rhetoric, =
this
government can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Deny, deny, deny
until the day you die. That will be the legacy of this Yukon Party regime. =
For
everybody’s information, the Prime Minister said, “Mayo B will
reduce the territory’s dependence on diesel by 40 percent.”
This number is
consistent with the testimony from the YEC president,=
span>
it’s consistent with the numbers currently before the Yukon Utilities
Board and it’s consistent with reason. The only consistency is this
government’s habit of denying everything and blaming others for its o=
wn
mistakes.
This matter is=
about
more than numbers; it’s about integrity.
So, what should
Yukoners believe — the hard evidence and credible testimony or this
government’s denials?
Speaker’s statement
Speaker: Before the Premier answers the question,=
if
the honourable member starts throwing out words like “integrity”=
;,
there are going to be harsh words coming in, and I just wanted to warn
everybody. Hon. Premier, you have the floor.
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
Far be it for the government side to del=
ve
into that kind of debate. We actually think the Member for Kluane is starti=
ng
to understand the evidence and the facts that were presented to him.
That’s exactly what the government has done, the Energy Corporation h=
as
done, the federal government has done.
But let us loo=
k at
this analogy of trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. I thi=
nk
that speaks volumes about the member’s position on producing electric=
ity.
It’s the difference between producing electricity with the cost of
millions and millions of dollars for diesel — who is going to pay for
that? The
Speaker: The time for Question Period has now elapsed. We will now pro= ceed to Orders of the Day.
ORDERS OF THE
GOV=
ERNMENT
MOTIONS
Clerk: Motion No. 1033, standing in the name of=
the
Hon. Ms. Horne.
Speaker: It is moved by the Minister of Justice
THAT this Hous=
e urges
the Government of Yukon, in conjunction with M Division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, to conduct a re=
view
of policing in Yukon that:
(1) reflects
the RCMP’s commitment to become more cons=
tructively
self-critical, more transparent and accountable to its own employees, to the
government and to the Canadian public;
(2) seeks
to assist M Division in implementing in
(3) is
co-chaired by the RCMP Commanding Officer of M Division and the deputy mini=
ster
of
&nb=
sp; (a)
&nb=
sp; (b)
&nb=
sp; (c)
&nb=
sp; (d)
the RCMP,
&nb=
sp; (e)
the Women’s Directorate,
&nb=
sp; (f)
the Department of Community Services,
&nb=
sp; (g)
the Department of Health and Social Services, an=
d
&nb=
sp; (h)
the Department of Justice;
(4) will=
have
the following priorities:
&nb=
sp; (a)
considering measures and making recommendations =
to
better ensure that
&nb=
sp; (b)
reviewing how public complaints relating to the =
RCMP
in
&nb=
sp; (c)
determining the skills that Yukon officers require in order to provide poli=
cing
services in Yukon communities and making recommendations to enhance trainin=
g including
the potential for Yukon-based training;
&nb=
sp; (d)
reviewing the services provided by the RCMP to citizens who are in vulnerab=
le
positions, including victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, as we=
ll
as individuals who have been arrested and detained in custody;
&nb=
sp; (e)
identifying and building upon successes and best=
practices
in the delivery of policing services to
&nb=
sp; (f)
reviewing and making recommendations on how best=
to
implement in
(5) has
the co-chairs, through community and targeted consultations, produce a writ=
ten
report to be submitted to
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> <=
/span>I
would like to speak for a few minutes to this motion. To summarize the moti=
on,
it calls for this House to urge the Government of Yukon, in conjunction wit=
h M
Division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to conduct a review of polici=
ng
in
Let me explain=
why
this motion makes sense now. This is a season for change. As a government we
have been systemically changing the way we do business in the Department of
Justice. We have undertaken a major consultation on corrections that result=
ed
in a new client-focused, program-oriented philosophy of corrections.
I am very plea=
sed to
report that the new women’s annex is now operational and a new
correctional and treatment facility that is currently under construction is=
on
budget and on schedule to open in late 2011.
A key part of correctional redevelopment is the new Corrections Act that reflects our client-focused approach, as well as ensures inmates’ rights are protected and corrections officials are held accountable for their actions.
Last summer we
launched a new victims of crime strategy that wi=
ll
refocus our services to victims to ensure that victims are provided the
services they need to deal with the aftermath of crime. We have committed $=
1.3
million over the next three years to improve services to victims and a new =
Victims of Crime Act that is befor=
e this
Assembly this sitting.
Alongside corr=
ectional
redevelopment, we have worked hard to ensure that
The success of=
the
SCAN unit is in large part due to the close working relationship that has
developed between officials in the Department of Justice and the RCMP. When=
the
RCMP have approached us with concerns or initiat=
ives,
our government has worked together with them to address these items.
Significantly, in partnership with our government, we have been able to inc=
rease
the complement of officers in
As I said prev=
iously,
we have built a good, cooperative, solid working relationship with the RCMP.
The current contract with the RCMP will be expiring in 2012 and it makes se=
nse
to reflect now on the partnership between the RCMP and Yukon
It is indeed a=
season
for change on the national stage as well. On
Flowing from t=
hat work
has been a series of reports and initiatives that have affirmed the RCMP’s commitment and implementation of change.=
On a
national level, the RCMP is in the process of fundamentally transforming it=
self
through building management capacity and instilling a new culture of leader=
ship
and accountability to provide Canadians with world-class policing services.=
I have met with
Commissioner Elliott and I shared
As I said, now=
is the
time for change, both nationally and locally. This review of which I speak
today is welcomed and seeks to both inform and reflect the national agenda =
by
providing a jurisdictional perspective.
The review bui=
lds on
the RCMP’s vision for change, to continue=
to
become an adaptive, accountable, and trusted organization of fully engaged
employees demonstrating outstanding leadership and providing world-class po=
lice
services.
The review ref=
lects
the RCMP’s commitment to become more
constructively self-critical, more transparent and accountable to its own
employees, to the government and to the public. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank
the RCMP for their willingness to partner with
The RCMP have
demonstrated their commitment to constructive criticism, transparency and
accountability, both by jointly chairing this review and by jointly signing=
the
letter to the RCMP complaints commission, asking them to discuss with us how
their office can support this review. I tabled this letter earlier this wee=
k.
Mr. Speaker, o=
ne of my
privileges as Minister of Justice is that I get to attend the ceremonies
honouring the RCMP. These ceremonies celebrate years of service to the comm=
unity
and particularly meritorious actions. These ceremonies celebrate the many f=
ine
men and women whom the RCMP is comprised of. There is much that is right and
good with the RCMP. The review recognizes that, while overall public opinion
remains strongly favourable toward the members =
of the
force and the services they provide, and that while the vast majority of RC=
MP
officers provide a valuable service and carry out their duties to the highe=
st
ethical standard, a few high profile incidents in the territory have tested=
the
confidence that some members of the public have in the RCMP.
In an effort to
maintain the trust and confidence of
The review see=
ks to
assist M Division in implementing in
The review of =
It will review=
the
services provided by the RCMP to citizens who are in vulnerable positions,
including victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as
individuals who are arrested and detained in custody. It will identify and
build upon successes and best practices in the delivery of policing service=
s to
This process w=
ill
review and make recommendations on how best to implement in In conclusion,=
this is
the season for change at both the national and jurisdictional level. Mr. Inverarity: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I’d like to open this debate this =
afternoon
by first of all thanking the minister for bringing forward the motion today=
. I
realize they’re using up their private member’s day to debate t=
his
in the House today and so I recognize the importance of bringing this
particular motion forward. I would have p=
referred
to have a little bit more than two hours’ notice to prepare for this
today and it would have been nice to have even a courtesy mention in the Ho=
use
yesterday that it would be coming forward so I had a little bit more time to
prepare an in-depth reply. So I will keep my comments relatively brief. I k=
now
in the spirit of cooperation in the House that if this happens again, the
government side will certainly give us a fair notice of bringing forward
motions of this nature that are quite serious. Having said th=
at, Mr.
Speaker, I’d just like to make a comment here, or quote what Commissi=
oner
Elliott said. “There’s truth in the adage that justice delayed =
is
justice denied.” I think that it’s important that when we look
through this motion that we keep that comment paramount in our thoughts.
Certainly, as the committee goes forward, we have to recognize that we do n=
eed
to have justice in a timely manner. Timeliness in terms of justice must alw=
ays
be in the forefront of what we do. I’d like=
to say
that I have nothing but the greatest respect for the RCMP. I have worked wi=
th
them over a number of years on a number of instances and have found them to=
be
highly professional in how they conduct business. My first — I
wouldn’t say “encounter” with them — goes back to w=
hen
I was actually a civilian guard here in M Division, back in the mid-1970s w=
hen
I first moved to Yukon, and I was doing a little bit of extra work after my=
day
job. I came to learn a lot from the RCMP and how they conduct business in t=
he
community. You could actu=
ally
drink and drive in the territory in those days. We’ve come a long way=
and
I know the police even then had difficulty trying to administer the laws of=
the
day and they had my greatest respect then, as they do now. I also remember =
an
instance in the mid-1990s where they assisted me with some issues around my
business where my computers were being hacked, and they came and they had a
special squad that was able to look into it and to help analyze the data. It
was one of the first times in I was met with
significant professionalism on the part of the RCMP. I say this with all
honesty and integrity that I believe they are the finest police force in the
world — and I have come in contact with a number from different police
forces around the world. In speaking to=
the
motion itself — it is a lengthy one, I have to agree, and I think for=
the
most part — as we were through the infomercial at the beginning ̵=
2;
that the content that the minister explained has been fairly clear and conc=
ise.
I’m not going to go into a line-by-line overview of the particular mo=
tion.
I don’t think it is that important. I think in general we’re in
agreement with this particular motion today. I have a coupl=
e of
concerns I will bring up. One of them is the list of individuals, or commun=
ity
groups, I guess, that we have. There are eight or nine here that are listed.
I’m not sure but, in just looking through it, I could think of at lea=
st
one other society in town that might be added to the list and, perhaps when
they get down to actually constituting it, perhaps the John Howard Society =
and
the sister society to that could be included. I think they have a role to p=
lay
in how people in prison deal with the police forces, be they the RCMP or ev=
en
the justice system here. It would be
interesting that they be included in this particular motion. I’m sure
there may be others — okay — that I’ve missed and, had I =
had
an opportunity to research just a little bit more, probably could have come=
up
with a couple of others that may be of some use. I think the RC=
MP
currently provides police services throughout the country. The RCMP provides
services to provinces, territories, municipalities and First Nation communi=
ties,
and they do this largely on a contract basis. I can’t remember the bu=
dget
number this year, but it’s in the neighbourhood of $15 million or $16
million, so it’s a significant part of the budget. The Commission=
for
Public Complaints Against the RCMP, which was
established in 1988, is an independent civil body that investigates public
complaints regarding the conduct of the RCMP members. While the commission =
has
the authority to hold public hearings and undertake its own investigations =
of
complaints, the commission does not have the authority to review the RCMP’s duties and functions. Furthermore, the R=
CMP is
not obliged to follow the recommendations made by the commission’s ch=
air
or the recommendations made by public-interest hearing panels. I’m not
sure what role they will have in regard to this particular motion, or the
outcomes from that. Controversies =
in many
Canadian jurisdictions over the past years involved members of the RCMP, su=
ch
as the death of Robert Dziekanski at the During the fed=
eral
budget speech on More recently,=
too,
Yukon RCMP officers were in court defending themselves<=
/span>
and, while both officers were ultimately cleared of charges, Yukoners were
exposed to a detailed public drama around a three-way encounter involving t=
wo
RCMP officers and a married woman. In the afterma=
th of
that trial, the So it is important that we restore =
public
trust. William Elliot again, the commissioner of the RCMP, said in an inter=
view
on April 2, “He regrets that it took him almost three years on the jo=
b to
enact his belief that law enforcement agencies like his must be more open a=
nd
accessible.” I believe, Mr. Speaker, this motion=
is a
first step in that direction to make them more accountable and more accessi=
ble
and I can see only good things coming out of this particular motion. If I h=
ave one regret with regard to the motion, Mr. Chair, it=
217;s
that I think the timeline is too short. We=
’ve
seen this before in the House where the government picks dates and they try=
to
achieve that. It is good, on the one hand, that it looks like it is a fairly
short one, but the reality is that with eight or 10 different agencies, the RCMP and the Government of Yukon, that to=
be
able to come back with a fully completed report with recommendations by
September 15 of this year might be an unrealistic goal. Would it not be
better, rather than try to rush to a deadline, to have a goal that is more
reasonable or more able to be met? Those are the two things that jumped out=
in
my mind as I read through this motion, and I think they could use some impr=
ovement.
Again, I think we need to make sure that if we are going to include all of
these groups that we look also to some of the others that may be involved in
the justice system and may want to have some public input. I noticed that=
in item
(5) here, where they refer to “the co-chairs, through community and
targeted consultations…”. We had this
debate a little earlier today and over the last week: “community̶=
1;
versus “targeted”. Clearly these individuals are “targete=
d”
groups that they are looking at. I think it’s important that it does =
go
out to the communities so that individuals who need to vent their frustrati=
ons
or their anxieties over what they fear might be just causes against the RCMP
have an opportunity to come forward and make suggestions on this part. So that brings=
up the
question again of whether there is a timely manner to herd all of these gro=
ups
together and still get out so that they can all participate in public
consultations. I know the committees that I sat on, specifically the Select
Committee on Human Rights and, in part, the anti-smoking legislation, were =
two
committees that certainly I felt rushed on. The human rights one — we=
did
a good job, I think. But could we have used more time? We were under a dead=
line
to have something tabled by the 10th day of the following sittin=
g,
and I think we all experienced some frustration toward the end in order to
achieve that particular goal. In closing, I =
would
like to say again that I think that, overall, I am proud that the RCMP do as good a job as they can. Can they have improvemen=
t? I
think we all acknowledge that we can all use improvement. They have my supp=
ort
now, and they’ll have my support in the future. I think that this mot=
ion
should be carried forward. Mr. Cardiff: I view this motion that the minister has brought forw=
ard
as a positive step at a time when it is most needed. This is a big issue. T=
he
minister was talking earlier during Question Period today about creating a
safer I’d like=
to
speak a little bit about the motion and how important are some aspects of i=
t. I
believe that it is important that the police force is responsible, that it =
is
responsive, and that it is accountable to the needs of Determining th=
e skills
that The motion tal=
ks about
including victims of domestic violence. We have the Victims of Crime Act before us in the Legislature. Victims of
sexual assault — I said the other day in my opening remarks about the
victims of crime bill that they’re not only victims; they’re
survivors and it’s something that they have to live with. We’ve
learned this through some of the stories we’ve heard about the
residential schools and about women who have been sexually assaulted.
You’re a survivor. It’s something that stays with you for the r=
est
of your life. It says one of=
the
priorities is identifying and building upon the successes and best practice=
s in
the delivery of policing services to Yukoners. I’d like to suggest th=
at
the minister — and I don’t have an amendment prepared — t=
hat
they also learn from the mistakes that have been made. My colleague from Po=
rter
Creek South talked about some of those incidents that have happened across =
I would like t=
o thank
the minister. As I said earlier, I view this as a positive step. Although I
haven’t received a letter or a response to the letter that I wrote he=
r on
March 30, I view this as part of a positive step to address some of the iss=
ues
that I raised. Some of the challenges — I believe there was a policing
report done in 2006 of all policing in northern territories and it identifi=
ed
maintaining public safety and security and engaging in the healthy life of =
the
community as key responsibilities. The report also stated that these were o=
ften
seen by communities and individuals as needing attention. So
that is a signal right there — maintaining that public safety and
security and engaging in the healthy life of the community. It also =
said
that the RCMP faces a legacy of distrust and misunderstanding and that is f=
or a
number of reasons. That’s over years and years. We’ve se=
en in
the newspaper recently once again what’s happened to individuals in o=
ur
community who have been in custody, how they’ve been treated, and qui=
te
frankly, it’s shocking. We need to do better; we can do better. I know
that the Member for McIntyre-Takhini, when he was sitting here just to my l=
eft,
this was a big issue for him. It’s a big issue for me, it’s a b=
ig issue
for Yukoners and it’s a big issue for First Nation people. Individual pol=
ice
officers — police officers in our community are respected — they
should be respected. But at the same time, just like politicians here in th=
is
Legislative Assembly, they need to be held to a higher standard.
“Effective policing in small northern communities …” R=
12;
I’m quoting from my letter to the minister now: “Effective poli=
cing
in our small northern communities means ethical behaviour, both on and off =
duty.” How we behave =
here in
the Legislature — when we go home, we need to behave ethically and re=
sponsibly
as well. When we go to the grocery store we need to behave ethically and
responsibly as well, and so do police officers. They need to set a good exa=
mple,
just as we as leaders and politicians need to set a good example. In the letter =
I wrote
to the minister, I suggested to the minister that it’s time to
communicate with the RCMP and the public where the government stands on the
moral and ethical expectations it has for our police force. I hope that is
something the minister takes to heart when conducting this police review. I
also said in the closing paragraph — and these are the questions that=
I
want this review to answer, and I look forward to the minister forwarding m=
e a
response to this letter in the near future. I view this as a positive step,=
but
I’m still looking forward to a response. The closing paragraph of my
letter stated, “Women need to feel safe when reporting sexual assault=
to
the RCMP. When will you as Minister of Justice be coming forward with solut=
ions
for repairing and restoring the trust that has been broken between <=
st1:State> Like I say, I =
view the
motion and the creation of a review as a positive step in addressing this i=
ssue
and hopefully in addressing other important issues such as in-custody death=
s. I
would like the minister to know — and I was told that I was able to
convey this information — that since March, there has been an ad hoc
coalition of women and women’s groups meeting. They have been discuss=
ing
the behaviour of the two RCMP officers in This is import=
ant that
women’s voices are heard on this matter. I hope the minister will be
receptive to these groups and their participation in this review and recept=
ive
to their requests on how the advisory committee and the commission, or comm=
ittee,
that’s doing the review conduct themselves and conduct their business=
. I tabled earli=
er in
the Legislature a motion which, unfortunately, I don’t have a copy of,
but it encouraged the minister to expand the group, the advisory committee.=
I
view the advisory committee — it’s comprised of one representat=
ive
from each of the following: Yukon First Nations, So we have the=
Deputy
Minister of Justice plus one representative from the Department of Justice.=
We
have the commanding officer of the RCMP plus one representative from the RC=
MP.
We have three more government departments. I suspect that The problem wi=
th this
is that a lot of the people who are going to be sitting around in that room
reviewing how policing in our communities is done are going to be lawyers.
I’ve nothing against lawyers, but we’re talking about our
communities and how policing is delivered in our communities. Amendment proposed Mr. Cardiff: Therefore, I would like to propose the following, wha=
t I
consider to be a friendly amendment, and I would encourage the minister to
expand on this. I struggled with this, because I would have liked to have
— I’ll read the amendment and then I’ll go into that. I k=
now
I’m going on when I should just be reading the amendment. I move THAT Motion No=
. 1033 be amended by adding under item number (3) the followi=
ng: “(i) (j) =
(k) Non-government organizations
representing clientele with direct experience of the police force;” Speaker: The proposed amendment by the Member for=
THAT Motion No=
. 1033 be amended by adding under item number 3 the following=
: “(i)
(j) (k) Non-government organizations
representing clientele with direct experience of the police force;” Member for Mr. Cardiff: I believe that this is important and even my colleagu=
es
in the Official Opposition mentioned earlier today some groups that should =
be
included in this advisory committee. I can tell you from my discussions with
the women who have been meeting with some of their representatives that
they’re encouraged by this policing review as well. However, as I sta=
ted
earlier, it’s very government-heavy. The bureaucracy is engaged. The
thing about that is that government has the funds and they have the resourc=
es
to participate in something like this, to get really engaged in it. We can
dedicate a person from government — we can second them into a positio=
n;
they get a salary; they’ve got the resources; they can go back to the
office; they’ve got the research staff. Women’s groups don̵=
7;t
necessarily have that. They are trying to do something wit=
h the
funding they have already without trying to do this off the side of their d=
esk.
In order to do it justice, to do the job justice basically, to do a good jo=
b,
not only do they need to be included. What I have understood, from what
I’ve heard, is that they would like to have a representative from gro=
ups
like the women’s shelter or the Yukon Status of Women Council —
that they get together and find a person who would sit on that advisory This
is where I struggled. “Non-government organizations representing
clientele with direct experience of the police force.” That is one representative of
non-government organizations. There are many non-government organizations o=
ut
there that have clientele, and I could have said, “each non-government
organization representing clientele …” ,
but the list would be long. I can think of lots. I can think of Blood Ties; I can th=
ink of
FASSY; I can think of the
Anti-Poverty Coalition, the John Howard Society, the Elizabeth Fry Society
— many non-government organizations — Second Opinion Society. A=
lot
of their clientele have interactions with the police force. They have views=
on
how to improve policing in our community. So that said, I didn’t go t=
hat
route, because I didn’t want the minister to feel that the advisory
committee was going to become too large, but I would like her to consider d=
iscussions
with those groups to ensure that the opinions and the views of those groups=
are
heard and they are able to participate with this review. The final thin=
g that
I’d like to say — and I realize that unfortunately my time is
coming to an end here — is that the government — and I didnR=
17;t
put this in the amendment either because I know how controversial this can =
be and
I don’t want this to be a hurdle that the government can’t
overcome. But, as I said earlier, the government has the resources; the gov=
ernment
has the ability to participate. Some of these =
other
groups that are very important to this process don’t have those funds.
What I would do is I would encourage the government to provide adequate fun=
ding
— and I don’t want to see a little bit of an honorarium. These
groups need money so that they can talk to lawyers, so that they can hire
researchers, so that they can adequately participate over the short time fr=
ame
of this review. What I am aski=
ng the
government to do, when the minister gets on her feet to respond to this, is=
to
commit to funding these groups — to provide adequate funding — =
so
that they can participate equally and fully as they should in this process.
Women have a right to be treated equally. All of these people have a right =
to
be treated equally in this process. The government has the resources and th=
ose
groups don’t. So in order to be treated equally, I would like the
minister to respond by saying that she will provide funding for their
participation in this process. Thank you, Mr.
Speaker, for the time today. Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> <=
/span>As
the original motion conveys, there will be community consultations plus
targeted consultation. All Yukoners who want to be heard will be heard. Ind=
ividuals
who want to be heard will be heard in an environment based on confidentiali=
ty.
This is one of the reasons we want to ensure that that confidentiality is k=
ept
by having control of the advisory committee. The confidenti=
ality
— as the member opposite who last spoke has stated, we want to ensure
that as well. The advisory c=
ommittee
is structured to maintain that confidentiality so when they do speak their
mind, their input is relevant and will be heard. All the groups mentioned w=
ill
be contacted. Otherwise the list would get too large; we would have seniors=
, immigrants,
Chamber of Commerce, people with disabilities, victims of crime, the French
— all sitting on the committee. They will all be included. All Yukone=
rs will
be heard. This is a matt=
er that
is very, very important to Yukoners and I also take it very seriously. I tr=
ust
this review will help to rebuild the trust of our As the minister
responsible for the Women’s Directorate and the women in the <=
st1:State> I do believe t=
he concerns
raised by both parties are already encompassed in this motion, so I do not
support this amendment. We will be listening to every =
Yukoner. Mr. Inverarity: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I’m a little disappointed, I have =
to
say, in the position that the government is taking on this amendment. I bro=
ught
it up in my opening remarks here this afternoon when I thought that other
groups should be considered. We mentioned the John Howard Society —
certainly the Elizabeth Fry Society, youth groups. I think that this amendm=
ent
stands by itself as a friendly amendment. It should be accepted by the
government. I think the member, my colleague from I do have one =
other
additional comment and perhaps in the closing remark it might be addressed =
by the
minister, and that was the issue of confidentiality. I briefly read through
— and again I haven’t had an opportunity with the short notice =
to
go into it in depth, but the minister brought forward the issue of having
confidential meetings or hearings and it isn’t specifically mentioned=
. It
said that there would be community and targeted consultations. I can see a ne=
ed for
confidentiality in certain circumstances; it was sort of out of the blue and
I’m not sure if I’m going to get another opportunity to speak t=
his
afternoon after this amendment, so I’d like to bring it up just now
because it is somewhat related to these groups that are in the amendment to=
the
motion. What is the pu=
rpose
behind the confidentiality? How does the minister expect that to work? Why
wasn’t it mentioned in the motion that there would also be confidenti=
al
hearings or meetings? Certainly, I think that is important to try to identi=
fy.
I can see the purpose and the need for it; I’m just not sure how it is
going to work with community hearings and whether there will be —
I’m thinking of confessional-type things where people are going to go
into a closed room with at least 10 or 12 people in them to bare their soul=
to
some degree. I think we deserve some clarification here, Mr. Speaker. On that note, =
I am
just going to say that I feel that we on this side of the House will support
this amendment. I will look forward to seeing these additional groups. I th=
ink
it’s important to include them, the ones that have been mentioned. Mr. McRobb: I’ll be brief. In looking over the=
proposed
amendment, I had just assumed it would be something the government could li=
ve
with and approve of. I am rather shocked to discover the government will be
voting against this amendment although, given the Yukon Party’s past
practice in treating amendments from the opposition benches, it is entirely
consistent. I should have known better than to assume this government would=
try
to improve a motion on the floor, based on input from members on this side =
of
the House. &nb=
sp;
These committees are comprised of community individuals of various
backgrounds that include involvement in some of the other groups identified=
. These
CJCs — as they’re known — inc=
lude
youth; include nurses; include members of the RCMP; include elected councillors from municipal governments; include First
Nation representatives; include other members who are deemed worthy of
participating and serving these important committees within their communiti=
es.
Perhaps not every member has sat in on CJC meetings and they’re unawa=
re
of the important work done by the members on these committees. So I believe t=
he
motion needs improving, and I will be bringing forward another motion ̵=
2;
not an amendment to an amendment because it’s clear the government si=
de
will defeat this particular amendment we’re on now. But I’ll be
standing up a little later and introducing another amendment to include
community justice committees into the groups consulted with in preparing th=
e substance
of this motion. Thank you. Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
I’ll be very oh so brief beca=
use I
believe we want to take this to a vote. I appreciate what the Member for Kl=
uane
is saying, but I think there is a big disconnect happening here across the
floor and I think — correct me if I’m wrong, but the Member for
Kluane has made reference to a lack of consultation by respective groups
— that by not mentioning community justice groups, by not mentioning =
municipal
leaders, and the list goes on — that they will not, in fact, be
consulted. I just wanted =
to put
on the record that that is in fact not the case. I think, as the Minister of
Justice has already alluded to, that any and all groups in the territory and
likewise, any and all I also respect=
the
wishes of the Member for Again, I think=
it is
very important to put that on the public record, because there are other
members who, I believe, would like to speak to the main motion. We, too, wo=
uld
like to see that happen, but I think at the end of the day we would also li=
ke
to see conclusion to the main motion at hand. This is a very timely, very
important issue, and we want to see a timely conclusion. Thank you. Speaker: Are you prepared for the question on the
amendment? Some Hon. Members: =
b> Division. Division Speaker: Division has been called. Bells Speaker: Order please. Mr. Clerk, please poll the
House. Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
Disagree. Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
Disagree. Hon. Mr. Hart: Hon. Mr. Rouble: =
Disagree. Hon. Mr. Lang: Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Disagree. Hon. Mr. Edzerza: Disagree. Mr. Nordick: Disagree. Mr. Mitchell: Mr. McRobb: Agree. Mr. Elias: Agree. Mr. Inverarity: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Agree. Mr. Cardiff: Clerk: Mr. Speaker, the results are five yea, eight nay. Speaker: The nays have it. I declare the amendment
defeated. Amendment to Motion No. 1033 negatived Speaker: Is there any debate on the main motion?<=
o:p> Hon. Mr. Edzerza: <=
/span>I
am going to make my comments brief today; however, I would like to start by
thanking the Minister of Justice for bringing this motion forward. I would =
also
like to commend the M Division of the RCMP in the One can get ca=
ught up
in a system where services provided to citizens on a daily routine can be t=
aken
for granted. Our traditional belief is one only realizes or appreciates what
they have when it is gone. Try to imagine what it would be like to live in =
the I can say quite
honestly that I believe the RCMP is probably one of the most valuable
organizations that we have in Again, I thank=
the M
Division sincerely for being a willing partner and being involved in this
review. Thank you. Mr. McRobb: Mr. Speaker, you know, it was mentioned
earlier today, near the outset of the comments provided by the Member for
Porter Creek South, that there was very much a lack of notice provided in
informing all members of this House that this motion would be called today.=
I
just want to say a few words about that and then I’m going to do as
I’ve already pointed out — I’m going to introduce an
amendment. On the procedu=
ral
matter, there is nothing in the Standing Orders preventing the Government H=
ouse
Leader from identifying a government motion to be called on private
members’ day. It is required in this House for the Government House
Leader to identify one full day in advance a private member’s motion =
to
be called forward on the next day, a Wednesday. So today we have a unique
situation where the government yesterday announced it would not be calling a
private member’s motion forward for debate.=
There was noth=
ing else
said — period. What I’m getting at is there is nothing in the r=
ules
prohibiting the Government House Leader from, at that point, changing the
period into a comma and saying something to the effect “and instead, =
we
will be calling government Motion No. 1033, standing in the name of the
Minister of Justice.” That’s what proper notice is all about, M=
r.
Speaker. This should not be about one-upmanship — trying to catch the
others by surprise. If the government truly wanted an informed debate this
afternoon, it would have identified this motion yesterday, but instead, we =
were
caught by surprise. In our busy schedules, I’m sure our Justice critic
probably had less than an hour to read this motion, do research and formula=
te
some comments. Is that sufficient? Is that how the government side treats t=
he
importance of this whole matter — allowing the opposition only one ho=
ur
to prepare for debate? Mr. Speaker, that is shameful. I will be
participating in the committee on legislative reform and I think this would=
be
a no-brainer for a rule change to improve decorum in this House and make us=
be
more productive in terms of the public interest. Now on to the =
second
matter — the amendment — and I will introduce this now and read=
it
into the record first. Amendment proposed Mr. McRobb: I move THAT Motion No=
. 1033 be amended by adding the following paragraph to sectio=
n 3: “(i) Community Justice Commi=
ttees”. Speaker: The amendment to Motion No. 1033 is in o=
rder,
and it reads as follows: THAT Motion No=
. 1033 be amended by adding the following paragraph to sectio=
n 3: “(i) Community Justice
Committees”. Member for Klu=
ane, you
have Mr. McRobb: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I’ve=
already
alluded to the good work done by these justice committees, basically who the
members of these committees are and the important work done by these commit=
tees
that really is considered into our justice system. Mr. Speaker, as mentione=
d before,
I have sat in previous meetings and have been very impressed by the level of
commitment from members who sit on these CJCs. =
If
anyone in here underestimates the level of commitment from these members on=
the
community justice committees, then I strongly suggest it’s high time
those members attend some of these meetings so they can see for themselves =
what
occurs there. These committe=
es, Mr.
Speaker, should be near the top of the list when it comes to considering
changes to anything related to justice, including policing in the territory.
People sitting on these committees have the experience, knowledge and are q=
uite
often at the front line in terms of justice and policing in the territory. =
There was some=
off-mic commentary during the last waiting period for the
bells, and I heard members across the way say that the identified groups are
only part of the oversight committee. So I then reviewed the language of the
motion, the preamble, and the text of the first three parts and have determ=
ined
there is no reference whatsoever to this oversight committee. All there is,=
Mr.
Speaker, is reference to an advisory committee. That is a completely differ=
ent
vehicle. So there is no
oversight committee. If that’s what the government thinks it is, then=
it
didn’t get translated from thought to paper in the wording of this
motion. So that is news to us over here — if there is an oversight
committee even involved in the subject of this whole motion.Yukon In making my incorrect
assessment that the amendment would be approved, I went to the level of even
preparing an amendment to an
amendment, which is no longer appropriate, but what struck me in reviewing =
the
list of identified groups who would be consulted was the omission of commun=
ity
justice committees. I think that is a glaring omission that cannot be
tolerated. For any members who are familiar with the critical work of commu=
nity
justice committees, their work is obviously connected in a strong way to th=
is
whole matter. Disagree. Disagree.
Now, in terms =
of how
the motion is worded, it spells out that there will be a representative from
each of those groups, and that is fine. I strongly believe that a
representative from community justice committees should be part of that
advisory committee. In fact, Mr. Speaker, to get down to a fine point of
detail, there is even a member I have in mind, as I speak, who is very
dedicated and experienced and knowledgeable about justice circles and
communities and the integration of the public with the policing authority a=
nd
government, who would be an excellent selection to serve on this advisory
committee. I am certainly prepared to forward that name, should the governm=
ent
be interested, after this motion debate.
Just to wrap t=
hings
up, it’s very disappointing the government side voted down the previo=
us
amendment. I certainly hope members across the way have seen the light and =
will
vote according to their consciences and support this amendment to the motio=
n.
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> <=
/span>It
is truly unfortunate that the member opposite is publicizing this significa=
nt
motion that we put forward on the floor. We seem to have lost the relevance=
of
this motion. We have the cooperation of the commanding officer of M Divisio=
n,
RCMP Yukon, the top officials of the RCMP in Ottawa
This has not b=
een done
before — to have the cooperation of the local RCMP, plus
I would like t=
o thank
them for their comments but, as I said earlier, this is already included in=
the
motion. All these groups are in the motion. We are trying to politicize this
motion. The motion calls for the review to be set up. More details will be =
developed
in the coming days as the review takes shape.
The review wil=
l help
us to achieve our goal of improving the police services Yukoners now receiv=
e.
Mr. Cardiff: On the amendment to the motion, as with the previous
amendment, I can see merit here as well and, as to the minister’s
comments about publicizing it — if that’s what I heard her say
— she shouldn’t have put out a press release on it.
I think that t=
he
public needs to be aware of this. I think it’s very important. This, =
as I
said earlier, is a very serious issue.
Now, the inclu=
sion of
community justice committees in the guidance of the advisory committee R=
12;
I don’t believe the minister understands the purpose of this amendmen=
t or
the purpose of the previous amendment. It is to guide. She should read her =
own
motion. It says that the review “is co-chaired by the RCMP’s
Commanding Officer of ‘M’ Division and the Deputy Minister of t=
he
Department of Justice, who will undertake the review in consultation with an
advisory committee.” So the purpose of the advisory committee, Mr.
Speaker, is to guide the review and talk about how to conduct the review.
What we see he=
re is a
predetermined list that is very focused. It has =
two
representatives from the Department of Justice; it has two representatives =
from
the RCMP. It has one representative from the Women’s Directorate, a
government department. It has one representative from the Department of Com=
munity
Services, another government department. It has one representative from the
Department of Health and Social Services, another government department. In=
my
mind, it is very over-representative of government.
What we are saying is that the gove=
rnment
and the RCMP are going to guide the review of policing in the community of =
The minister s=
eems to
think this is humorous or something. I don’t find it humorous at all.=
I
think it’s very serious. It’s what I said right at the beginning
— at the outset — of my comments. We need to hear from these
groups, and we need these groups to help guide the process — not to j=
ust
come and give their opinion in the review. I think that that’s very i=
mportant,
too, but it’s how you design the review.
I’m goin=
g to
support this amendment, because I believe there’s some merit to it, j=
ust
as I believed there was merit to the previous amendment. It’s about
including; it’s about being inclusive — it’s about includ=
ing
people who have a stake in the issue.
I will make on=
e more
plea one more time that groups not be forced to participate, to give their
input, without having the adequate resources provided to them. These are ve=
ry
serious issues.
I sat in on so=
me of
the meetings, on a couple of the meetings, that were done in 2006 in the
policing review that was basically undertaken in northern Canada, and people
bared their souls about their experiences of dealing with police forces.
So I respect w=
hat the
minister said about the need for confidentiality, and that if there are peo=
ple
who want to come forward in confidence and speak about their experiences
— because it’s about — it’s not just about the best
practices — as it says, “building on successes and best
practices” — it’s about learning from our mistakes.
It’s about learning from the mistakes that have been made with regard=
to
in-custody deaths; it’s about mistakes that have been made with regar=
d to
the conduct of police officers, both in the commission of their duty and wh=
en
they’re off duty as well, as we found out recently.
We’ve had
in-custody deaths in the facility just a few blocks from here. We’ve =
had
in-custody deaths in police vehicles and this is why the public loses trust,
because of the process by which we deal with that and that we don’t g=
et
to the bottom of these things and that, in a lot of cases, it appears that =
the
public’s concerns are brushed off and that justice is not only delaye=
d,
but it’s denied in some instances. That’s why we need a more pu=
blic
face to guide the review — not a government face<=
/span>.
Nothing agains=
t the
hard-working civil servants of the
I will support=
this
amendment and I would encourage the minister — because it doesn’=
;t
say that it’s a steering committee, but it’s an advisory commit=
tee.
It’s to advise — that’s my understanding — how to
undertake the review, and I think that the public deserves an opportunity to
guide how the review is undertaken. Thank you.
Mr. Inverarity: =
I’m going to be brief here this aft=
ernoon
on this amendment. I spoke to the previous one, which is largely the same
thing. I have to say that I’m extremely disappointed in the minister
saying that we’re attempting to politicize this process. I have not h=
eard
one person on this side of the House say that they were opposed to this
amendment. All we have brought forward here today are good, solid amendments
that improve this particular motio, and I think=
that
it’s clearly reasonable for the government to look at this and accept=
it.
Earlier today =
the
Minister of Justice stood up in Question Period and said that she would
entertain amendments to motions, to acts, and to basically this. So here we=
are
— we bring in some reasonable amendments to this, and what happens? T=
he
government goes through their old standard, “No motion put forward by=
the
opposition will ever be approved in this House, because it’s a sign of
weakness.” Well, it’s about time the government starts listenin=
g to
the people out there, because we’re going to continue to do our job o=
ver
here and certainly hold the government accountable and make sure the acts a=
nd
regulations —
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Point of order
Speaker: Minister of Justice, on a point of order=
.
Hon. Ms. Horne:
&nb=
sp; Some
Hon. Member:
(Inaudible)
Speaker’s ruling
Speaker: Actually, I
don’t need any further advice. This is simply a dispute among members.
There is no point of order. The Member for Porter Creek South has the floor=
.
&nb=
sp; Mr.
Inverarity:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I have pretty much said what I want to say =
on
this particular amendment. I think it’s important for the government =
to
look at these amendments and take them seriously. We’re serious about
this. This is a serious motion, and I believe that everybody on this side of
the House would support the motion as amended. We have all said that we will
support it, even unamended, but here’s an
opportunity for the government to stand up and say, “Look, I think
it’s a good amendment to the motion. Yes, we’ll support it.R=
21;
And yet, what do we get? No.
Speaker: Are you prepared for the question?
Some Hon. Members: =
b> Division.
Division
Speaker: Division has been called.
Bells
Speaker: Mr. Clerk, please poll the House.
Hon. Mr. Fentie: Disagree.
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
Disagree.
Hon. Mr. Hart: Disagree.
Hon. Mr. Rouble: =
Disagree.
Hon. Mr. Lang: Disagree.
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Disagree.
Hon. Mr. Edzerza: Disagree.
Mr. Nordick: Disagree.
Mr. Mitchell:
Mr. McRobb: Agree.
Mr. Elias: Agree.
Mr. Inverarity: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Agree.
Mr. Cardiff: Agree.
Clerk: Mr. Speaker, the results are five yea, eight nay.
Speaker: I think the nays have it. I declare the
amendment defeated.
Amendment to Motion No. 1033 negatived
Speaker: Is there any further debate on the main =
motion?
Mr. Elias: I would like to thank the Minister of Justice for
bringing forward this motion on the floor of the House today and I apprecia=
te
the opportunity to make some initial comments. I view this as a motion
that’s a positive step forward. This is a huge issue within our terri=
tory
and across our country with regard to the RCMP’s=
accountability to the general public. I do have a concern that we werenR=
17;t
given fair notice to be prepared for this motion debate today however. Many=
of
our colleagues on this side of the House have mentioned that.
I guess I woul=
d like
to begin by saying that, for any man or woman who goes through the training=
to
be an RCMP member and who chooses to don the RCMP uniform, to make a commit=
ment
to serve and protect our country’s citizens and who are willing to
sacrifice and put themselves in harm’s way, they have my admiration a=
nd I
salute them all for making the decision to wear that yellow stripe on the s=
ide
of their uniform pants with pride.
I have had the
experience of watching my father, a 32-year veteran of the RCMP who is now
retired, and two of my uncles who have served as officers of the Royal Cana=
dian
Mounted Police for more than 30 years. Many of my friends and community mem=
bers
have chosen to work with the RCMP, including the late Andrew Tizya, who used to guide the RCMP members to <=
st1:place>
You know, stre=
ngth,
accountability, governance and public oversight are important. I don’t
know if it’s just a weird coincidence, but the motion number is 1033,=
and
during my ride-alongs in my early career as a s=
tudent
RCMP officer, I learned that in the RCMP’s
10-Codes of communication, from what I remember, 10-33 means, “Help,
I’m in trouble.” I don’t know whether that is a strange
coincidence, but I just found that really strange — “Ironic,=
221;
says the Member for Kluane.
This motion ha=
s very
strong language in it. It addresses the public perception of distrust in the
force. Some members of the RCMP, and incidents i=
n our
territory have tested the confidence that Yukoners have in our primary poli=
ce
service in enforcing the Criminal C=
ode. I understand there is a national co=
mmitment,
and it’s good to see that motions like these are moving forward; howe=
ver,
you know that we have brought up issues in amendments to encourage civilian
oversight or representation, which is lacking. We did try to put forward
amendments to address those concerns. I think that civilians need to be tre=
ated
equally when it comes to advisory committees such as this — as the
Justice minister has put forward on the floor of=
the House
today.
I also want to=
thank
the M Division leadership for helping this process along, and it’s go=
od
to see the RCMP be open to a periodical review of their role in our society=
and
the services they provide in accomplishing their mission, goals and objecti=
ves.
I’d like=
to
speak a bit about my community of Old Crow. The RCMP detachment in Old Crow=
was
established in 1929, the same year the community itself was established. So=
we
have a long history of the RCMP taking a leadership role in my community. If
you look at the resources that a community has in terms of justice, First
Nation government, the community members, the nursing station, Parks Canada
— a whole vast array of people and organizations — the North Yu=
kon
Renewable Resource Council — they all contribute to a healthy communi=
ty.
If you break it down into a pie, the RCMP and the justice system always hav=
e had
a big piece of that pie. In the 1930s, Old Crow became the departure point =
for
all northern patrols. These patrols included dog-team journeys to
The RCMP was c=
onverting
to snowmobiles for its patrols and the other detachments were ordered to get
rid of their dogs. In March 1969, the last patrol by dog team was made by C=
onstable
Warren Townsend and Special Constable Peter Benjamin. The last patrol took =
them
from Old Crow to
The detachment=
at Old
Crow also played a vital role during the infamous Mad Trapper manhunt. This
case was the first in which the RCMP used radio technology and airplanes in
their search for a fugitive. Orders and reports from numerous locations,
including Old Crow, helped coordinate the massive manhunt that led to the
capture and death of Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper of Rat River.
Today there st=
ill
remains a detachment at Old Crow, and in 2005, the RCMP in Old Crow recreat=
ed a
patrol to
You know, that=
is just
a bit of history about my community of Old Crow. I guess I’ll close by
saying that, in my mind, those people who have in the past and who are now
donning the RCMP uniform and making the commitment to serve and protect our
country’s citizens are to be admired. However, there has been a conce=
rn expressed
by the general public in terms of the trust and confidence the citizens hav=
e in
the RCMP. That is being called into question. I look forward to this adviso=
ry
committee’s recommendations. I’ll leave it at that, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak on the motion.
Mr. Mitchell:
I do believe
it’s a constructive step to conduct a review of policing in
Having said th=
at, I
would also like to note for the record, as my colleagues have noted, that we
are disappointed that the government chose to call this motion on such short
notice for the very fact that it is such a very serious issue and it deserv=
es
serious consideration, which means time to do research, time to do an analy=
sis
to look for ways that it might be improved, such as the amendments that came
forward from this side of the House today.
Mr. Speaker, I=
just
want to speak a little bit on a personal level to the issue of the RCMP
because, in this letter — and it is quite an extraordinary letter =
212;
the commanding officer notes that a few high-profile incidents in the terri=
tory
have tested the confidence that some members of the public have in the RCMP.
That is certainly a sad occurrence.
In the 1970s a=
nd the
1980s when I was living in the small community of Atli=
n,
the RCMP officers of the day were usually among my closest friends, and
that’s often the way it is in a small community when you’re on a
first-name basis with people. We worked together on lots of volunteer
activities. Several of them participated in the volunteer fire department,
along with many other people. They assisted in fundraising. They were much =
more
than simply police officers; they were integral members of the community. I
think that the RCMP were widely and universally
respected. I think that they still are, as my colleague from Porter Creek S=
outh
said. They are generally held in high regard but, as the letter, cosigned by
the superintendent of M Division noted, a few high-profile cases in Canada =
and
in Yukon have had a negative impact on the force and on how people perceive=
the
force, whereas the vast majority — 99 percent, whatever the percentag=
e is
— of the members are still conducting themselves to the high standards
that we’ve always known and respected.
The Robert Dziekanski incident in Vancouver International Airpo=
rt,
where the video of Mr. Dziekanski being tasered and then dying in the struggle, was certainly=
one
that caused consternation across Canada and within Yukon as well. Here in <=
/span>
These and other
incidents have certainly shaken that faith among many people, including
Yukoners. That is a sad fact, but it is a reality. I think it is a very
positive thing that this motion has the cooperation of the RCMP within this
process which will examine where things have gone wrong and get it back on
track.
I would just l=
ike to
note that, in the 1970s and 1980s when I did live in A=
tlin,
I served for the RCMP as a guard for prisoners in cells. The majority of the
times, those prisoners were intoxicated. They were either in the cells beca=
use
they had become publicly intoxicated, or they created some other disturbanc=
e or
committed an act for which they were arrested, perhaps because of their ine=
briated
state.
I used to work=
the
night shift from
I just want to=
say
that we should never lose sight of that fact. We should never lose sight of=
the
fact of the humanity of people who may have been arrested but they remain
people and our neighbours.
I do support t=
he goals
of this motion, but I am disappointed with the government side. I’m
disappointed by their complete refusal to entertain friendly amendments from
the opposition benches and to try to incorporate amendments that are clearly
intentioned to improve this motion. I haven’t heard a single member f=
rom
this side of the House stand up and criticize the Minister of Justice or the
government for bringing this forward.
In fact, IR=
17;ve
heard every member from both opposition parties say they support this motion
and they support its intent.
I’m very
concerned by some of the comments that were made by the Justice minister and the way they were made. The Justice minister seemed to be quite annoyed by the fact that m=
embers
from this side of the House would actually suggest an amendment to a motion=
on
the floor, and yet that’s our duty; that’s our job.
I want to poin=
t out
for the benefit of this House that when we run for office none of us are
elected to be members of government or members of the opposition or members=
of
the Third Party. Every one of us who is in this Chamber today stood for off=
ice,
asked their friends, neighbours and the people =
within
their riding to show support and confidence in them to represent their issu=
es
in this Assembly, and we’re each elected to do just that.
We each repres=
ent
people in a community or in a portion of a community who, when they voted,
voted for a person. They may have hoped that person would be in government,=
but,
first and foremost, they voted for someone to represent them, their issues =
and
their concerns in this House.
There is no do=
ubt that
it may be frustrating to members on the government side when members in the=
opposition
oppose a motion or vote against a bill, yet we’re still doing what we=
believe
our constituents have asked of us. Certainly, when members from this side of
the House indicate up front their support for a motion that is in front of =
this
House, the motion is called for debate, not for announcement. The motion is
called so that we can have an exchange of ideas. At least let’s enter=
tain
that exchange of ideas with respect, because the ideas have been presented =
in a
respectful manner in the interest of improving the motion. That is the way =
that
the debate should be conducted. Otherwise, what is the point of bringing it
forward at all? Why not just simply announce it in a news release and move =
on?
As I have said=
, I am
disappointed that the two amendments that came forward, both of which, I
believe, came forward in the interests of making sure that it was an inclus=
ive
motion, were defeated. Nevertheless, I will vote for this motion because I
believe that it has been brought forward in the hopes of improving the
situation in Yukon, improving how policing is done in Yukon, and improving =
how
Yukoners, who find themselves caught up in the system, are treated.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I will also be brief in my remarks to th=
is
motion. I’d like to thank the Minister of Justice for bringing forward
this motion. Right now I guess it’s a bit difficult to even talk about
some of the issues that have taken place with the RCMP. I sat in on
Thursday’s inquest into one of my constituents who died in police
custody, and I also did so today, and listened to exactly what happened with
this individual. We’re talking about a motion to put together an advi=
sory
committee to address things like making recommendations to better ensure =
span>
Why can’=
t the
RCMP, in dealing with matters such as the inquest that’s taking place,
have full knowledge of human rights in this matter? Not just that, but human
dignity? I hope that this advisory committee makes some pretty strong recom=
mendations
to improvements to that.
This has come =
about
because of some issues that have taken place over the past little while =
212;
some high-profile cases. The one that is taking place right now as we speak=
in
the courthouse just down the road concerns a constituent of mine who died in
police custody. The family, the friends, the First Nations and relatives are
all calling for improvements.
I think itR=
17;s
fitting that we have a motion like this come forward to form this advisory
committee to report back to us. I’m anxious to look at their findings=
.
I just wanted =
to say a
couple of things on this. While listening to this court case, I was quite
shocked to hear how things are conducted in police cells and police stations
where intoxicated people are held. I was amazed to see how the memories even
the RCMP members have of events as major as this can be different, or they
can’t recollect things that are written down and are audiotaped
and videotaped. Their recollection is not quite the same. This is really
frustrating, I guess, for the general public in trying to get answers to th=
ings
surrounding deaths while in police custody. I bring it forward because the =
RCMP
are trained to take in details. They can walk in=
to a
room, drive down a road, and they are trained to remember details.
In the case of=
a death
like this while in their custody, the details just aren’t there. They
just aren’t there. They can remember the expiry date of their first-a=
id
ticket, but they can’t remember some of the details. It is frustrating
and people want accountability back to the citizens. For those who are
interested in this, they should sit in and listen to some of the witnesses =
who
are coming forward in this court case, because that court building is full.
There are a lot of First Nation people there from Carmacks and around the
territory. We have dealt with issues on the floor of this Legislature befor=
e in
regard to the use of tasers, Mr. Speaker. I brought forward an incident whe=
re a
person was tasered some 21 times. That is what =
I have
been told. Is that the proper way in which to deal with an intoxicated pers=
on
or people who are out of control? Is there anoth=
er
method that is being used? I know people have read some of the stories about
this inquest, which are in the newspapers.
It’s pre=
tty hard
for anybody to take that a jail guard and police officers would laugh at
somebody who is lying in their own puke — and more than just puke =
212;
and leave that person in that type of situation for 10 hours plus — o=
r 10
hours is the number that has been used the most so far.
We don’t= treat one another that way. We don’t treat our kids that way. We don’t treat our friends that way — or even strangers — when we see th= at happen. I just find it a bit difficult to know that police officers would l= augh at this type of situation. This is what we want to make improvements to, Mr. Speaker. We want to make improvements to how the RCMP and the citizens inte= ract with one another. I urge people to go over and listen to this court case. <= o:p>
There is so mu=
ch that
could be said about it. People have talked about how bad it is, and how bad=
it
has been for years. Even for this particular person who was a friend of min=
e,
and I knew all my life, and grew up with him — he was a decent person.
Whatever situation he found himself in — and ended up in police custo=
dy
that night — he was never to walk out alive. There is so much frustra=
tion
there among the family, the First Nations and others. Improvement needs to =
take
place.
I talk about &=
#8212; I
don’t really want to go into details on this, because anybody can rea=
d it
and be extremely frustrated with what happened. It’s not to say that =
we don’t
have good people in place right now, because I know there are. I have frien=
ds who
are members of the RCMP and have been for 25 years plus. I know a lot of po=
lice
officers too who are good people.
At times, thin=
gs do
not go well, and this is what we remember the most. I’m glad that this
motion came forward and we’re able to make improvements. Hopefully
we’ll make some dramatic improvements for First Nation people. They w=
ould
like involvement in how to make this a lot better than it is, if they can. =
The
First Nations are one of the advisory committee members pointed out here in=
the
motion. From the testimony today, about 70 to 80 percent of those that are
brought in for intoxication are First Nation people. No doubt everyone in t=
his
House has heard stories about something similar, I guess, to what is taking
place with this particular incident that we’re having an inquiry into
here in the
I thank the Ju=
stice minister for bringing this motion forward. Of course w=
e will
be supporting it, but we just tried to find ways to make it stronger than w=
hat
it is and perhaps try to have a good variety of others developing these
recommendations to this House. If the minister has time, I urge her to go a=
nd
sit in and at least listen to part of the inquest that’s happening in=
the
courthouse, just meet and talk with people, because that says a lot.
I
don’t want to go on about it. We’re obviously going to be
supporting this motion and I look forward to seeing the committee’s r=
ecommendations.
I hope it’s given all the support that is needed to bring positive
improvements in relations between the RCMP, the general public and all of <=
/span>
Speaker: If the Minister of Justice speaks, she w=
ill
close debate. Does any other member wish to be heard?
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the
concerns that were brought forward by the members opposite have already been
encompassed in this motion. We must not lose the relevance of this motion a=
nd
the results we expect from it.
We have had th=
e full
cooperation of the RCMP, from the acting commanding officer in
We encourage a=
ll
Yukoners to come forward to have their voices heard; that will help us to
achieve our goal, which is improving the police service that Yukoners deser=
ve.
We take this issue very seriously and again we encourage all members of this
House to let their constituents know to come forward and have their voices
heard in a confidential setting.
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker. I commend this motion.
Speaker: Are you prepared for the question?
Some Hon. Members: =
b> Division.
Division
Speaker: Division has been called.
Bells
Speaker: Mr. Clerk, please poll the House.
Hon. Mr. Fentie: =
Agree.
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
Agree.
Hon. Mr. Hart: Agree.
Hon. Mr. Rouble: =
Agree.
Hon. Mr. Lang: Agree.
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Agree.
Hon. Mr. Edzerza: Agree.
Mr. Nordick: Agree.
Mr. Mitchell:
Mr. McRobb: Agree.
Mr. Elias: Agree.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Agree.
Mr. Inverarity: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Agree.
Mr. Cardiff: Agree.
Mr. Cathers: <=
/span>Agree.
Clerk: Mr. Speaker, the results are 15 yea, nil nay.
Speaker: The yeas have it. I declare the motion c=
arried.
Motion No. 1033 agreed to
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
Mr. Speaker, I move that the Speake=
r do
now leave the Chair and that the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.=
Speaker: It has been moved by the Government House
Leader that the Speaker do now leave the Chair and that the House resolve i=
nto
Committee of the Whole.
Motion agreed to
Speaker leaves the Chair
COM=
MITTEE OF
THE WHOLE
<=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Chair (Mr. Nordick): =
Committee of the Whole will now come to =
order.
The matter before the Committee is Bill No. 18, Third Appropriation Act, 2009-10. We were in Vote 8, Department=
of
Justice. Do members wish a brief recess?
All Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 15
minutes.
Recess
Chair: Order please. Committee of the Whole wil=
l now
come to order.
Bill No. 18 — Third Appropriation Act, 2009-10 — continued
Chair: The matter before the Committee is Bill =
No.
18, Third Appropriation Act, 2009-1=
0,
Vote 8, Department of Justice.
Department of Justice — continued
Hon. Ms. Horne: I will do a brief outline of my speaking notes. On the last day, I s=
poke
on the supplementary budget, which will help to orientate our discussion he=
re
today. As the House will recall, we had been working on human rights legisl=
ation
to ensure that Yukoners have adequate protection of human rights within the=
There is $58,0=
00
required to cover operating costs for the Yukon Human Rights Commission due=
to
staff turnover, uncompetitive salary rates and an increased caseload. Our
courts and their support are a very important function of the Department of=
Justice.
From time to time, we have to adjust budgets to support the pressures within
the court structure.
In this supple=
mentary
budget, there is a one-time increase of $57,000 due to the judges’
supplementary pension plan to cover the 2009-10 benefit cost adjustment. Th=
ere
is an increase of $118,000 required to assist in court operations and fund a
30-day court-ordered psychiatric assessment which began early in the 2010
calendar year. There was $330,000 that was required to fund the operational
costs of the Court Services branch. This funding has been allocated to areas
that have experienced historical funding pressures.
Under the head=
ing of
Legal Services, there are a number of items for this budget. We have the
aboriginal courtworker, Mr. Chair, which is a v=
ery
important program designed to help persons of aboriginal descent to navigate
the court process.
The aboriginal=
courtworker program will be receiving an additional $=
20,000
this fiscal year for the cost of a project entitled, “Training for Yu=
kon
Aboriginal Courtworkers:
In addition to=
the
aboriginal courtworker program, they will be re=
ceiving
$15,000 this fiscal year as a contribution for the costs of another project
entitled, “Yukon Aboriginal Courtworker
Handbook,” which they will use in their job as a Yukon
The access to =
justice
agreement, the legal aid and aboriginal courtworker
programming will be receiving $100,000 in additional funding for program
delivery. Again, this is 100-percent recoverable from
Finally, there=
is a
one-time transfer of $25,000 that is requested to transfer funds from the L=
egal
Services personnel budget to the Human Resources contract services budget to
fund moving expenses for the director of Legal Services.
As members of =
this
House know, we’re embarking on a historic expansion of our electrical
grid. The expansion, coupled with the normal work of our Yukon Utilities Bo=
ard,
has caused that board to experience a higher volume of work than normal. In
order to facilitate this extra work, we have allocated an additional $45,00=
0 as
a one-time increase to fund additional costs of the Yukon Utilities Board in
this supplementary budget.
In Community C=
orrections,
parole supervision duties, previously provided in-house by Community Correc=
tions,
is currently being provided by Corrections Canada. As a result, the recovery
from Corrections Canada will be reduced, along with the Community Correctio=
ns
personnel budget, by $40,000. This is a one-time reduction for 2009-10.
A one-time inc=
rease of
$30,000 is required for the Whitehorse Correctional Centre to fund and
administer medical treatment for hepatitis C at the facility.
A total of $50=
,000 is
allocated to the Correctional Services program director transfer payment
allotment to fund the northern strategy project needs and service gap study=
. This
is a one-time increase for 2009-10.
Under the head=
ing of
Policing and Investigation Services, there is a reduction of $165,000 that =
is
requested for the RCMP territorial policing agreement to reduce one-time
funding due to the adjustment to projected clerk reclassification payouts. =
In
addition, monies approved for the avionics upgrades of $263,000 and a death
investigation of $34,000 are no longer required by the RCMP this fiscal yea=
r.
Justice is req=
uesting
these funds be reallocated to the 2010-11 fiscal year. The total reduction =
for
the current fiscal year is $297,000. That represents the highlights of the =
Supplementary Estimates No. 2 budg=
et for
2009-10. I will be pleased to provide more detailed comments, as required,
during Committee.
Mr. Elias: I thank the minister for her thorough opening comment=
s. I
would also like to once again thank each and every official in the Departme=
nt
of Justice for their hard work in fulfilling the departmental objectives and
helping out with this supplementary budget. I would also like to once again
thank the officials who are present on the floor of the House today. Mr. Ch=
air,
we are almost halfway through the sitting and we haven’t begun to deal
with the record billion-dollar budget in the main estimates.
Again, I thank=
the
Minister of Justice for her thorough comments and look forward to the break=
down
of these line-by-line items. Those are the only comments I have on the supp=
lementary
budget right now.
Chair: Is there any further general debate?
Seeing none, w=
e will
proceed line by line in Vote 8, Department of Justice.
On Operation and Maintenance
Expenditures
On Management Services
Management Services in the =
amount
of $91,000 agreed to
On Court Services
Mr. Elias: Could I get a breakdown from the minister, please?
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Court Services: a one-time increase=
of
$57,000 is required to fund the judges’ supplementary pension plan to
cover the 2009-10 benefit cost adjustment — $57,000; a one-time incre=
ase
of $118,000 is required to assist the court operations and funding a 30-day
court-ordered psychiatric assessment that began early in the 2010 calendar =
year
— $118,000; a one-time increase of $330,000 is required to fund daily
operational costs incurred by the Court Services branch. This funding has b=
een
allocated to areas that have experienced historical funding pressures. That=
is
a total of $505,000.
Court Services in the amoun=
t of
$505,000 agreed to
On Legal Services
Mr. Elias: Can I have a breakdown, please?
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> For the breakdown of Legal Services
— the aboriginal courtworker program will=
be
receiving an additional $20,000 this fiscal year as a contribution for the
costs of a project entitled, “Training for Yukon Aboriginal Courtworkers: Skill Building, Self-Care and Relations=
hip Mentoring”.
These one-time=
costs
are 100-percent recoverable from
As part of the=
access
to justice agreement, the legal aid and aboriginal cou=
rtworker
programs will be receiving $100,000 in additional funding for program deliv=
ery.
This one-time increase is 100-percent recoverable from
Legal Services in the amoun=
t of
$110,000 agreed to
On Regulatory Services
Regulatory Services in the =
amount
of $45,000 agreed to
On Correctional Services
Mr. Elias: Could I get a breakdown, please?
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Correctional Services — parol=
e supervision
duties previously provided in-house by Community Corrections is currently b=
eing
provided by Corrections Canada. As a result, the recovery from Corrections
Canada will be reduced, along with the Community Corrections personnel budg=
et,
by $40,000. This is a one-time reduction for 2009-10, minus $40,000; a one-=
time
increase of $30,000 is required for the Whitehorse Correctional Centre to f=
und
and administer medical treatment for hepatitis C at the facility —
$30,000; a total of $50,000 is allocated to the correctional services progr=
am
director transfer payment allotment to fund the northern strategy project n=
eeds
and service gap study. This is a one-time increase for 2009-10 — agai=
n,
the amount of $50,000 — and the total for Correctional Services is
$40,000.
Correctional Services in the
amount of $40,000 agreed to
On Human Rights
&nb=
sp; Mr.
Elias: Can=
I get
a breakdown from the minister, please?
&nb=
sp; Hon.
Ms. Horne: =
The human rights amount — a
one-time supplementary increase of $45,000 is requested for the Human Rights
Board of Adjudication for 2009-10 to fund an increased workload or complain=
ts filed,
complex and costly hearings scheduled and the development of policies and p=
rocedures
for hearing preparation — the amount, $45,000. A one-time increase of
$58,000 for 2009-10, which is required to cover the annual operating costs =
for
the Yukon Human Rights Commission. This increase is required to address fun=
ding
challenges due to staff turnover, uncompetitive salary rates, and increased
caseload —the amount $58,000, for a total in human rights of $103,000=
.
Mr. Inverarity: Jus=
t a
question on that line item — the $58,000 increase=
.
Could the minister explain why she feels it’s just a one-time fee
regarding staffing?
I mean, it sou=
nds to
me like competitive rates — if you are going to raise the rates, it w=
ould
be an ongoing issue and should not necessarily be competitive but should be
fixed.
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> <=
/span>As
it is stated, this is a one-time increase for last year. It will be adjuste=
d in
the mains.
Human Rights in the amount =
of
$103,000 agreed to
On Policing and Investigati=
on
Services
Policing and Investigation
Services underexpenditure in the amount of $462=
,000
cleared
On Total of Other O&M Programs
Total of Other O&M Programs in the am=
ount
of nil cleared
On Total O&M Expenditur=
es
Total O&M Expenditures =
in the
amount of $432,000 agreed to
On Capital Expenditures
On Correctional Services
On Corrections Infrastructure
Mr. Elias: I would like a breakdown from the minister, please.
Hon. Ms. Horne: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> The corrections infrastructure proj=
ect
for $2,850,000 is construction of a new correctional facility that is
proceeding ahead of schedule. As a result, funding allocated to future year=
s is
being reprofiled to the current fiscal year.
Corrections Infrastructure in the amount =
of
$2,850,000 agreed to
On Total of Other Capital Expenditures
Total of Other Capital Expenditures in the
amount of nil cleared
Total Capital Expenditures =
in the
amount of $2,850,000 agreed to
On Revenues
Revenues cleared
Department of Justice agree=
d to
Chair: Committee of the Whole will now proceed =
to
Vote 23, Office of the Ombudsman. Do members wish a brief recess?
All
Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 5=
minutes.
Recess
Chair: Order please. Committee of the Whole wil=
l now
come to order. The matter before the Committee is Bill No. 18, Third Appropriation Act, 2009-10. =
We
will now proceed with Vote 23, Office of the Ombudsman.
Office of the Ombudsman
Hon. Mr. Staffen: The Members’ Services Board is
responsible for the budgets of the Office of the Ombudsman. It is therefore
appropriate that I, the chair of the Members’ Services Board, should
provide information to the House on those appropriations.
This
2009-10 year-end supplementary estimate for Vote 23, Office of the Ombudsma=
n, shows an increase of $19,000 in operatio=
ns and
maintenance. This is a one-time increase pursuant to the Ombudsman’s
personnel policy, due to severance paid to an employee who resigned pursuan=
t to
the Ombudsman’s personnel policy. Thank you.
Mr. Elias: I just have one question under this department. It has
been on the floor of the House recently about whether or not the
Ombudsman’s office was actually consulted by the Department of Justic=
e on
Bill No. 82, Civil Forfeiture Act=
i>,
that’s on the floor of this House.
Hon. Mr. Staffen: That’s not under the purview of the
Members’ Services Board. That’s a political issue, so I have no=
response
to the honourable member’s question.
Mr. Mitchell:
Hon. Mr. Staffen: As the honourable member knows, the requ=
est
came before the Members’ Services Board. The collective wish, I think=
, of
the Members’ Services Board was to reject additional funding. I think
that’s where we stand as of today.
Mr. Mitchell:
Hon. Mr. Staffen: Yes, we did do the study. It was present=
ed to
the Members’ Services Board. The conclusion was that all of the other
jurisdictions surveyed were also part time. So the conclusion was drawn by =
the
members of the Members’ Services Board that there would be no increas=
e in
time of term for the Ombudsman.
Chair: Any further general debate? Seeing none,
we’ll proceed line by line in the Office of the Ombudsman.
On Opera=
tion and
Maintenance Expenditures
On Offic=
e of the
Ombudsman
Office o=
f the
Ombudsman in the amount of $19,000 agreed to
Total Operation and Mainten=
ance
Expenditures in the amount of $19,000 agreed to
Office of the Ombudsman agr=
eed to
Chair: Committee of the Whole will now proceed =
with
Public Service Commission, which is Vote 10. Do members wish a brief recess=
?
Some Hon. Members: =
b> Agreed.
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for f=
ive
minutes.
Recess
Chair: Order please. Committee of the Whole wil=
l now
come to order. The matter before the Committee is Bill No. 18, Third Appropriation Act, 2009-10, =
Vote
10, Public Service Commission.
Public Service Commission
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
Thank you for this opportunity to p=
rovide
a brief update on the Public Service Commission budget for the 2009-10 year.
The Public Service Commission’s objectives are to make appropriate
investments in the public service, to sustain the organization as a desirab=
le
place to work, to deliver the best possible programs and services to
These suppleme=
ntary
estimates ask for one transfer between operation and maintenance and capita=
l,
and that is $26,000 for the Staff Development branch to purchase training
equipment, teaching software and renovations. Specifically, these funds will
make it possible to replace a dishwasher with a commercial-grade product, as
well as to purchase software for teaching students and reviewing work and c=
ompleting
renovations to the computer lab. That concludes my remarks and I look forwa=
rd
to debate.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I’ll be brief, too, and congratula=
tions
on a new dishwasher, Mr. Chair.
I have just a =
couple
of questions for the minister. There is not much here in the supplementary
budget. The minister explained it and also read out the departmental object=
ives
that are in the supplementary budget that has been provided to us. I asked =
this
question during the briefing and I would just like the minister to answer f=
or
the record. What is the increase in the number of FTEs for this particular =
year
of the supplementary budget for 2009-10, what could we expect for the prese=
nt
year that we’re in, regarding an increase in the number of FTEs, and =
what
is the average increase in numbers?
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
Mr. Chair, when it comes to full-ti=
me
equivalents — and I believe that that’s what the member opposit=
e is
referring to — the last actual report that I have on hand, as provide=
d by
the Public Service Commission, is dated for the end of September — Se=
ptember
20, 2009. It shows for that period 3,983 FTEs. That was approximately a
4.7-percent increase over the previous year of 2008. That’s the most =
accurate
information we have when it comes to FTEs. There should be another report c=
oming
out soon. Perhaps by the time we get into the mains, I’ll be able to
provide a more accurate reflection of the end of the year.
Mr. Fairclough: =
=
span>I
asked what the average was for an increase. Would that be close to the same
percentage of 4.7?
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
<=
/span>It
has been somewhat the same, although it has varied a bit too. For example,
2005, there was just over a 3-percent increase; 2006, there’s a
2.3-percent increase; 2007, there was a 2.4-percent increase; 2008, there w=
as a
3.3-percent increase. So it has been somewhat in that ballpark — less
than five percent — anywhere from two percent to four percent.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Can the minister tell us what the status=
of
the teacher arbitration is?
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
The only information that I have
available is that an arbitration has been set for
— I believe it’s May 17 to 19.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I would like the minister to crunch some
numbers here and tell me what it would mean to have a one-percent increase =
in
wages for the government employees.
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
I’m sorry=
,
I forgot to bring in my calculator. But I don’t have that information
readily available at my fingertips.
If the member =
opposite
is making reference to collective agreements, as we have done in the past, that is part of the process and making adjustmen=
ts
accordingly.
Mr. Fairclough: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I’m not referring to that. I just =
would
like to know what it means as far as dollars go, and if the minister can se=
nd
that information over, we would appreciate it.
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
That’s really difficult to re=
port because
when you talk about full-time equivalent, I’m not sure if it’s
making reference to on-call, casual, to auxiliary, to teachers, teaching
positions and so forth — permanent positions. That can really vary fr=
om
category to category, so it’s a very difficult calculation to make on=
the
fly, so to speak.
Mr. Fairclough: <= span style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> Okay, I just ask that maybe that informa= tion be sent to us.
At one percent=
across
the board — I think that number could be crunched and sent over to us
— maybe not today, but another time. I don’t have any further
questions for the minister.
Chair: Any further general debate?
Seeing none,
we’ll proceed line by line in Vote 10.
On Operation and Maintenance
Expenditures
On Staff Development
Staff Development underexpenditure in the amount of $26,000 cleared
On Total of Other O&M Programs
Total of Other O&M Programs in the am=
ount
of nil cleared
Total Operation and Mainten=
ance
Expenditures underexpenditure in the amount of
$26,000 cleared
On Capital Expenditures
On Staff Development
On Training Facilities
Training Facilities in the amount of $26,=
000
agreed to
On Total of Other Capital Expenditures
Total of Other Capital Expenditures in the
amount of nil cleared
Total Capital Expenditures =
in the
amount of $26,000 agreed to
Public Service Commission a=
greed
to
Chair: Committee of the Whole will now proceed =
with
Vote 54, Department of Tourism and Culture. Do members wish a brief recess?=
All
Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for f=
ive
minutes.
Recess
Chair: Order please. Committee of the Whole wil=
l now
come to order. The matter before the Committee is Bill No. 18, Third Appropriation Act, 2009-10=
, Vote
54, Department of Tourism and Culture. We’ll now proceed with general
debate.
Department of Tourism and Culture=
&nb=
sp; Hon.
Ms. Taylor: It’s my pleasure to introduce=
the Supplementary Estimates No. 2 for =
the
Department of Tourism and Culture for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The departme=
nt
is seeking a total of approximately $500,000, with the bulk of this associa=
ted
with the O&M area. As well, we’re expecting revenues to be enhanc=
ed
by $450,000.
In terms of op=
eration
and maintenance expenditures, this budget reflects an increase of $513,000,=
of
which $440,000 is recoverable. This was primarily for funding Destination: =
In the cultural
sector, $73,000 is dedicated toward the first-year allocation from northern
strategy, heritage training initiatives, as part of a $500,000 partnership =
with
In
terms of capital, capital expenditure overall is showing a decrease of $6,0=
00. A delay in the implementation of several=
small
projects resulted in savings of about $26,000.
For the Guild =
Hall
rehabilitation project, $20,000 was expended in the last fiscal year.
In terms of
recoveries, I believe I’ve already gone through that in terms of
Destination:
I welcome any =
comments
and any questions from members opposite. Thank you.
Mr. Inverarity: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> First of all, I’d like to thank th=
e officials
for coming here this afternoon. As always, it’s a pleasure to have th=
em
take part of their day to come over and sit with the minister and assist us
with going through the supplementary budget.
I guess I prob=
ably
would like to have had a little more time to deal with the whole budget in
terms of discussion, rather than just a supplement. I know a year ago, when=
the
mains were tabled in the House. We had a mere hour to discuss it on the last
day of the sitting in May of last year. We didn’t really get an
opportunity to get down into the meat of it, and then have a little bit aga=
in.
I missed the
opportunity again in the fall. I think the Environment department then went=
off
to
I think it was
interesting to note this morning — if I heard it correctly on the
I would like t=
o look
forward to tourism receiving a significant portion of that and I would
encourage the department and the minister, in their deliberations, to look =
at
ways to improve the economic well-being of tourism in the
I think itR=
17;s
important that we don’t forget tourism. Out there, as I indicated,
it’s a mainstay and it’s important. I know my early life revolv=
ed a
lot around moving people — tourism — in a travel business.
I know if it w=
asn’t
for people travelling in and out of the Jetway bridge was not part=
of the
current expansion and was going to be part of the phase 2 expansion for the
airport. I was wondering if the minister had any comments about what kind of
impact that will have deplaning a 767, or whatev=
er, on
the ramp and having to move through into the new wing at the
Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
<=
/span>I
would like to thank the member opposite for his recognition of tourism and =
culture
as sustainable industries in our territory. This department is comprised of
both cultural services — which encompass arts, culture, heritage — and then we have the Tourism branch, =
which
is equally important. Each of these sectors housed within the Department of
Tourism and Culture I believe serve as a model for the rest of the country =
in
terms of being able to work with each other and to be able to complement
initiatives delivered by their respective branches.
Tourism and Cu=
lture is
indeed sustainable industry and it has been a real privilege to be able to
serve as the minister for the last several years. I think I have repeated t=
his on
the floor of the Legislature time and time again, but I have learned an imm=
ense
amount of information and how we do market ourselves as a territory, as a
destination of choice when it comes to the national as well as international
bases.
There’s =
one
thing that I can say when it comes to tourism — and I believe
that’s what the member opposite’s words or questions were based=
on.
When it comes to delivery of tourism marketing, everything that we do in
tourism, when it comes to marketing
We’ve be=
en very
fortunate to have a number of individuals throughout the
I believe that=
, again
— looking at what we’ve done, looking at the return on investme=
nt,
evaluating that return on investment and constantly tweaking all of our
marketing programs and coming up with innovative ways to address some of th=
ese
challenges — we have been able to do relatively well compared to other
jurisdictions in the country, as well as worldwide. One of those initiative=
s is
Destination:
When it comes =
to
providing services and programs, that is where we
partner with our tourism partners throughout the
So we have bee=
n able
to carry on with this expenditure. This was, in part, federal government
dollars that we were able to access through the community adjustment fund a=
nd
in the mains, which we’ll get into in further debate when we get to t=
he
main estimates. There’s a further $500,000 that is built now into our
A-base going on into years out, which is something that I believe industry
appreciates and they provided that direction that, when it comes to marketi=
ng
Yukon, we need to continue our efforts to raise awareness of the Yukon as a
destination of choice. This is one market that continues to show considerab=
le
promise.
In speaking of=
air
partners, it brings us to the next subject, and that is the airport. The =
span>
The minister &=
#8212;
yesterday, I believe it was — spoke to a couple of phases. Phase 1 was
primarily to work to address the security requirements as an international
carrier to accommodate not only the Canada Border Services Agency, but also=
to
accommodate those security concerns and new requirements coming out of the
United States, because as members know full well — for example, Condor
flying directly into the Yukon also carries on direct to the United States =
into
Alaska — whether it be Fairbanks or Anchorage. So there has been a se=
t of
requirements — new security requirements associated with that as well=
.
So it has R=
12; and
I thank the Department of Highways and Public Works in particular, but also
Tourism and Culture has been part of that planning process from the very
beginning as well as our air partners such as Condor when it comes to inter=
national
air access.
I think the
improvements are going to be very well-received. I haven’t been to the
airport lately, but I understand that the improvements are very visual and =
that
they’re very functional.
We look forwar=
d to the
grand opening of the new expansion but, more importantly, we look forward t=
o,
again, being able to continue to facilitate those international flights, en=
abling
us to continue as a deliverer of international flights. The passenger bridge
— the second passenger bridge, as the minister alluded to — tha=
t is
comprised in phase 2 of the improvement for the airport. But in terms of
whether or not there is going to be any impact as a result of not having th=
at
second bridge, no, there will not be any immediate impacts. We have been op=
erating
with the one-passenger bridge over the last number of years. Again, we look
forward to a second passenger bridge, but for the time being, the phase 1 w=
as
really to accommodate — to be able to respond to those immediate requ=
ests
and concerns — requirements, not even requests, but requirements,
surrounding security. So, we look forward to, again, receiving the first fl=
ight
of Condor. We look forward to, again, being able to facilitate those intern=
ational
flights.
In terms of the
numbers — compared to other visitors, there may not be as many
individuals coming over by Condor but those visitors on board Condor are
considered very high yield. They do yield a lot of spending revenue in the
territory. They spend a considerable amount of time in the territory and th=
at
means also spending dollars in our stores, in our campgrounds, buying servi=
ces
and travel product from our operators, and we believe that it has been very
successful. We are very pleased to be able to come through with these
requirements and we look forward to the opening of the airport terminal
building.
Mr. Inverarity: <=
span
style=3D'mso-ansi-language:EN-US'> I am debating on whether to — I=
217;d
like to thank the minister for her comments on the Jet=
way.
I am not sure if I caught the actual time frame for the completion of phase=
2
but that’s okay. I know it will be coming down the road as the money
permits.
I know budgets=
are
tight this year and it is difficult to plan a lot of these things when there
are a lot of conflicting good causes for the dollars that are being spent. I
think at this point I’ve talked a bit about the tourism side of the
department. The minister talked a little bit about the culture side, and
frequently I’d have to say that I’m at fault for not giving the
culture side its due recognition. It’s not because I’m not
interested in culture, it’s just I’m really not good at culture
myself. I can barely sing on a good day and while I do like to listen to
things, my skills and talent in that area are not always evident for sure. =
I find that so=
me of
the other aspects of the Department of Tourism and Culture are certainly
interesting, to say the least. I notice there’s some money in the
supplementary budget for the Guild Hall and I’m going to ask a couple=
of
questions here along these lines to avoid getting up in a lot of repetition
that’s going on. Specifically, I believe it was something like $20,000
for the Guild Hall and there’s some more money in the current budget =
for
it. Perhaps the minister, if she has a moment, could just outline what all =
the
funds were for, both the previous in the supplementary budget — was t=
here
planning or whatever — and the additional amount that’s coming =
up
in the mains that we’ll be debating shortly. I’m curious to get=
it
on the record, if nothing else.
When you look =
at
certain aspects of culture, there is an overlap into tourism. If you look at
all of the music shows that are held virtually it seems like every weekend
somewhere in the Yukon or northern British Columbia — although I unde=
rstand
the Atlin one is maybe not going ahead any more=
, but
the Haines Junction show and the Dawson City Music Festival, which has been=
around
a long time. I believe Farrago — I can remember going to Farrago in t=
he
1970s on the old dirt road up there, the time I was driving my ’57 Ch=
evy.
It was quite an experience. When I came back in the late 1980s, it had sort=
of
dropped off the horizon for a little bit.
Now I see the department is funding=
it and
funding a number of these sort of community even=
ts
that are going on. I find that encouraging for two aspects, obviously: the =
one
that brings the tourists, or brings the musicians into the
I was recently=
in I know that wh=
ile they
border and on sport, art and recreation, some of the other activities that =
do
that, of course, are the Klondike Road Relay and the Haines Junction to So I think that
it’s important that we recognize them from an external point of view
— certainly, the cultural events draw and I certainly assume from the
tourist guides that I’ve read that, when they’re mailed out, pe=
ople
plan their trips around some of these cultural events that happen in the
communities. I kind of think that that’s well worthwhile, and I see t=
hese
dove-tailing together — both the cultural side of the Tourism and Cul=
ture
department and the tourism side. I would encourage the department to keep t=
he
funding and ensure that these groups continue to develop and grow. They say that =
you can
tell a lot from a community by the type of culture that it stimulates and by
the type of culture that is within the communities, so it’s important=
to
do that. A couple of th=
e other
departments — I know, and so, I guess my question at that point was
related to, specifically, the Guild Hall, but I understand that there are s=
ome
issues developing with the new Tombstone Visitor Reception Centre. So my second q=
uestion
when we get into that would be that there may not be sufficient funding and
this may be something for the new budget but it may have been a hold-over f=
rom
the old one too, that there are some issues around the cultural centre up t=
here
and that the O&M costs are missing from the budget, but we can get into
that when we get into the mains. Mr. Chair, I t=
hink
that I know that the minister is anxious to start to answer some of my
questions regarding this. I move that we=
report
progress. Chair: It has been moved by Mr. Inverarity that=
we report
progress. Motion agreed to Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
<=
/span>I
move that the Speaker do now resume the Chair. Chair: It has been moved by Ms. Taylor that the
Speaker do now resume the Chair. Motion agreed to Speaker resumes the Chair Speaker: I will now call the House to order. May the House =
have a
report from the Chair of Committee of the Whole? Chair’s report Mr. Nordick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Committee of the=
Whole
has considered Bill No. 18, Third A=
ppropriation
Act, 2009-10, and directed me to report progress. Speaker: You have heard the report from the Chair=
of
Committee of the Whole. Are you agreed? Some Hon. Members: =
b> Agreed. Speaker: I declare the report carried. Hon. Ms. Taylor: =
Mr. Speaker, I move that the House =
do now
adjourn. Speaker: It has been moved by the Government House
Leader that the House do now adjourn. Motion agreed to Speaker: This House now stands adjourned until =
span> The House a=
djourned
at
|
&n=
bsp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; HANSARD &n=
bsp;  =
; &n=
bsp;  =
; &n=
bsp;
|