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Speaker: =
b>I will now call the House to order. We will commence with pray=
ers.
Prayers
DAILY ROUTINE
Speaker: We will proceed with the Order Paper.
Tributes.
TRIBUTES
In
recognition of National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against W=
omen
Hon. Ms. Taylor: <=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. S=
peaker,
I rise to pay tribute to December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Ac=
tion
on Violence Against Women in
Established in 1991 by Parliament, =
this day
marks the anniversary of the day on which 14 young women, in 1989, tragical=
ly
lost their lives at l’École Polytechnique in
December 6 is an opportunity to con=
sider
those women and girls for whom violence is a daily reality and to remember
those who have died as a result of gender-based violence.
December 6 also represents an oppor= tunity for Canadians to reflect and speak out against violence against women in our society.
Here in the
Increasingly, more and more people,= both women and men, are speaking out and taking action and, for this, I am encou= raged. By working together and doing our collective part to prevent violence in our communities, we can have healthier communities, safer families and happier children. We can live free of violence.
I would like to thank the many indi=
viduals
in our communities, especially the front-line workers who work with victims=
of
violence every day. I would also like to thank the Victoria Faulkner
Women’s Centre, Les EssentiElles, Kaushee’s Place, Whitehorse A=
boriginal
Women’s Circle, Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Council, Yukon Status =
of
Women’s Council, and the Women’s Directorate for their work in =
our
communities to raise awareness about violence through their events and publ=
ic
information campaigns during the 12 Days to End Violence against women, whi=
ch
ends today with this year’s annual vigil.
I encourage us all to take strength= and courage from one another to speak out against violence when we see it happe= ning and to find the power within ourselves to be agents for progressive change = in our community.
Ms.
White:=
8195; I rise on behal=
f of the
Official Opposition to commemorate this day, December 6, the National Day o=
f Remembrance
and Action on Violence Against Women. This day helps us to recall the death=
s of
14 women murdered in
These women wanted simply to work a=
s men
do, with the freedoms and rights of men. The loss of the futures of 14 brig=
ht,
young, educated women, who would have contributed much to the well-being and
advancement of our society, is a loss for all of
Despite many advances, women still = suffer physically, emotionally, economically and even politically in this country. There is sometimes strong resistance to the full integration of women and i= t is often displayed in acts of violence, disregard and aggression toward them.<= /span>
It is right and just that we have t=
his day
of mourning. Like many tragedies, we cannot forget. We must learn from our =
mistakes
so that we do not repeat them in the future. It is also a day for action wh=
ere
we stand together, united as a country, to say that we do not condone viole=
nce
against women. We must educate ourselves, our families, our children and our
friends about the truth about what happened in
Mr. Silver: I rise
today on behalf of the Liberal caucus to join with my colleagues as I did t=
oday
at
Gender-based violence has been brou= ght to the forefront and on to the international and national scene. At this time,= we remember all women globally whose lives were tragically ended because of the bias of misogyny, the hatred of women.
For many women and girls, violence = is a daily reality. It is estimated that 60 percent of Canadian women have suffe= red from physical or psychological violence at some time in their lives, and th= is is not acceptable.
The 12-day White Ribbon campaign to= end violence against women runs from November 26 to December 6. We all have a r= ole to play in violence prevention. As we mark this sad anniversary, let us ren= ew our resolve to prevent and eliminate violence against women.
By wearing the white ribbon, we ple=
dge to
never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and gir=
ls.
Wearing the white ribbon signifies men working to end men’s violence
against women. I wish to commend the local White Ribbon
Let us consider what we can do indi= vidually and collectively to help heal victims of violence and build a safer future,= not only for our daughters, wives, sisters and mothers, but for all women. Resp= ect for girls and women and equality between men and women are preconditions to ending violence. We must teach our children by example that all forms of violence are unacceptable and that we are responsible for our own actions. = We must take a stand together to end gender-based violence. I encourage all me= n to behave in a way that promotes equality, dignity and respect for all women a= nd to help end the circle of violence. We must each take responsibility for building a nation where no one lives in fear because of their gender and wh= ere we can all live freely and safely and participate fully in society. Togethe= r, we can make a difference.
In recognition of White Ribbon c= ampaign
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to= day to pay tribute to the White Ribbon campaign. This campaign launches every year= on November 25, which marks the International Day for the Elimination of Viole= nce Against Women. The White Ribbon campaign is the largest effort in the world= of men working to end violence against women. It relies on volunteer support a= nd financial contributions from individuals and organizations.
The White Ribbon campaign addresses= issues of public policy and encourages men and boys to speak out in their workplac= es and their communities against violence done to women.
In 1991, a handful of men in
As an elected representative of Yuk=
oners,
as a married man, as a father of three daughters and one son, I am proud to
wear a white ribbon.
Members of the Legislative Assembly= , it is our responsibility to be role models in working against violence toward wom= en by acknowledging that women have the right to live free from physical, sexu= al or psychological violence at all times.
Wearing a white ribbon is a persona=
l pledge
to never commit, condone, nor remain silent about violence against women. E=
ach
year, men and boys are urged to wear a white ribbon, starting on November 2=
5,
the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, until
December 6,
The elimination of sexism and our commitment to ending violence against women are absolutely fundamental in a= chieving full equality for all women and in creating communities of peace and safety= for women and girls. As men, we can make a choice to speak and act when we know violence is taking place. Our sisters, nieces, mothers, aunts and our child= ren need us to demonstrate leadership and strength in our allied role to challe= nge and prevent violence through our actions and our words. Without our actions= and commitments, women and girls will continue to experience barriers to gender equality.
Men must join women who continue to=
work
tirelessly as victim services workers and transition home workers, who often
feel isolated in their efforts. As men, we must speak out against sexism and
violence and strive to become allies with women to ensure that gender equal=
ity
is realized in the
Mr. Barr:= 195; I also rise on = behalf of the Official Opposition to pay tribute to December 6, a day for remembra= nce and action on violence against women. Today we men wear a white ribbon to signify our stance that violence against women must end. We are proud to no= te that the White Ribbon campaign was started by our own Jack Layton. <= /p>
I was proud this morning in our com= munity of Carcross to be a part of the men and boys in our community — that = has been going on for a few years now — that we got up and we cooked breakfast for all the women of our community and gave them fresh flowers and just pampered them. By doing that with the young boys — educating and being — we are walking our talk as men. Women face misogynist acts da= ily, from seemingly minor sexist jokes to sexual assault and domestic violence. Until there is an attitude by everyone that women truly are equal in our society, violence against women will continue. This is a day calling for action, as well as mourning. Active changes must occur on a very personal level. When we see bullying of women in the workplace, when we refuse to co= ntribute to the unpaid work done by women in the household, when we don’t vote= for a woman because she is seen as a weaker candidate — those are times w= hen we must remember the 14 young women in Montreal.
In recognition of International Day of Persons = with Disabilities
Hon. Mr. Graham: I rise in the House today in honour= of International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The United Nations General = Assembly declared 1981 as the International Year of Disabled Persons. The aim was to raise awareness about the need for full participation and equality for everyone. The following year, the General Assembly named December 3 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The theme this year is, “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabili= ties in development.”
The Health and Social Services depa= rtment supports people with disabilities in a number of ways. The family supports = for children with disabilities unit promotes early intervention to increase a child̵= 7;s lifelong learning potential, coordinated access to supports and interventio= ns, and inclusion of children with disabilities in community life. Community ad= ult services unit provides employment counselling, income assistance, and supportive outreach services. The department also houses a suite of decision-making legislation to protect Yukoners, whether temporarily or permanently disable= d.
The Adult Protection and Decisio=
n-Making
Act, the Care Consent Act — which applies to children as w=
ell
as adults — and the Public Guardian and Trustee Act help prote=
ct
the rights of Yukoners who are unable through disability or illness to make
decisions for themselves.
As well, through its mental health services, palliative care program, residential care programs and respite ca= re services, the department offers support to Yukoners at all stages of life a= nd at all levels of ability. As well, almost every other department in governm= ent offers some form of assistance to help Yukoners dealing with disabilities. = For instance, Education offers special programs for students who need special supports as well as financial assistance to students with permanent disabil= ities to cover their costs.
As an employer, Government of Yukon=
abides
by a policy that governs its dealings with employees who have disabilities.=
In
part, it says:
That is simply because, at the four=
-way
stop on
For that reason, it’s up to e= very one of us to look around and see how we can include our friends, neighbours and family members who have disabilities.
In recognition of the Department of Highways and Public Works
Ms.
Moorcroft: I would like to=
pay
tribute to
Yesterday morning it was raining th=
roughout
the territory, and this was followed by a blizzard that dumped lots of snow=
on
top of black ice. Last night on my drive home, I passed two vehicles in the
ditch. By this morning, the
Thank you to them and to the Highwa= ys and Public Works crews who were busy throughout the night to make our roads saf= e. We appreciate their work.
Speaker: &nb= sp; Intro= duction of visitors.
Are there any returns or documents = for tabling?
TABLING RETURNS AND DOCUMENTS
Hon. Mr. Cathers:&= #8195; I rise today to= table two documents. The first is a letter addressed to myself and the Minister of Environment from the Chief of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in F= irst Nation, the Na Cho Nyäk Dun First Nation, the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, and the Gwich’in Tribal Council regarding the Peel Watersh= ed Regional Land Use Plan and their proposed schedule for continuing and concluding consultations.
The second document is a letter fro= m myself to the same four chiefs indicating the government’s agreement with the basic schedule and proposing a meeting between myself and them.
Speaker: Are there any further return= s or documents for tabling?
Ms. Stick: = I have before me the Minority Report on Whistle-Blower Prot= ection that I would like tabled at this time. Thank you.
Some
Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Point of order
Speaker: The Hon. Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I believe the document that the mem= ber just tabled was attempted to be tabled in a previous session. A previous speaker ruled that matter out of order since the committee had not concluded its work. I’d ask you to review that matter and report to the House. =
Speaker’s statement=
Speaker: I will take it under review and report back.
Are there any petitions?
Are there any bills to be introduce= d?
Are there any notices of motion?
NOTICES OF MOTION
Ms. Moorcroft: Mr. Speaker, I = give notice of the following motion:
THAT it is the opinion of this Hous= e that the principles of rehabilitation, healing and reintegration of offenders fo= und in Yukon’s Corrections Act should be respected in our justice system and restorative justice approaches, such as pre-charge diversion, Fi= rst Nation justice committees and community-based policing are effective; and= span>
THAT the Minister of Justice should=
urge
the federal government to withdraw the omnibus crime bill, C-10, the Safe
Streets and Communities Act.
I give further notice of the follow= ing motion:
THAT this House urges the Minister = of Justice to respond positively to the recommendations made by Yukon women’s groups to the Review of Yukon’s Police Force 2010, foun= d in the Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Council Report and Recommendations, and = If My Life Depended On It: Yukon Women and the RCMP, in the review = of policing in the Yukon and to Yukon women, by:
(1) ensuring gender equality on the=
Yukon
Police Council, and by naming to the council one woman nominated by =
(2) establishing a public complaints process that is community-based, accessible, transparent, accountable and h= as timely reporting;
(3) increasing resources and suppor= ts for the public safety of aboriginal women;
(4) committing resources for a legal advocate position to assist women victims of violence;
(5) investigating whether primary a=
ggressor
legislation is appropriate for
(6) establishing a sexual assault a= nd domestic violence response team that includes medical support and access to victim services;
(7) increasing training and resources to ensure more effective prosecuti= ons of women assault charges;
(8) establishing a women’s co= urt watch project to monitor woman abuse cases;
(9) ensuring RCMP compliance with a civilian complaints model is part of the contract agreement with RCMP;
(10) enhancing the community orient=
ation of
(11) ensuring all Yukon RCMP member= s and officers receive training on interviewing women victims of violence, youth,= and people with disabilities, violence against women in the north, First Nation culture, and the historical and contemporary RCMP and First Nation relation= s.
Ms. Stick:= 8195; I give notice o= f the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Governmen= t of Yukon to introduce effective whistle-blower protection legislation, guided = by the submissions and deliberations of the Select Committee on Whistle-blower Protection, so that government employees who act in good conscience to repo= rt unethical or possibly illegal activity within the workplace will be protect= ed from discipline or retribution for doing so.
Mr. Elias:= 8195; I give notice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Yukon gov= ernment to consult with Yukoners and meet with the Yukon College Board of Governors= to resolve the issue of endowment lands for the college that:
(1) ensures
(2) ensures the remaining land refl= ects the needs and best interests of the community.
I give notice of the following moti= on:
THAT this House urges the
(1) ensuring that the chair of the
committee calls a meeting in the near future;
(2) giving its members on the commi= ttee a free hand in determining matters;
(3) allowing the committee to sched= ule a sufficient number of meetings to deal with these matters; and
(4) providing the committee with su= fficient resources to properly carry out its work.
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; I rise to give = notice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Governmen= t of Yukon to explain, by way of ministerial statement, the additional expenditu= re of $8.1 million on the new Correctional Centre contained in the Suppleme= ntary Estimates No. 1 tabled last week.
I also give notice of the following= motion:
THAT this House urges the Governmen= t of Yukon to work with the private sector and the placer mining industry to enc= ourage the development of a local gasification facility to burn waste oil.<= /p>
I also give notice of the following= motion:
THAT this House urges the Yukon gov= ernment to regulate the practice of midwifery in Yukon and to ensure the costs of midwife services are covered under the Yukon health care insurance plan.
Speaker: Are there any further notices of motion?
Mr. Hassard: I rise to give notice of the follow= ing motion:
THAT this House urges the
(1) improving access to safe drinki= ng water;
(2) increasing data collection and information sharing about water resources;
(3) protecting the quality of
(4) planning for current and future=
needs.
Speaker: Is there a statement by a minister?
This brings us to Question Period. =
QUESTION PERIOD
Question re:
Ms. Hanson:=
In February of =
this
year, the House was honoured by the presence of the Rt. Hon. David Johnston,
his Excellency, the Governor General. In the Governor General’s addre=
ss
to this House, he discussed the importance of sustainable economic developm=
ent
and the historic nature of the National Round Table on the Environment and =
the
Economy. He praised the past leadership role taken by the
Hon.
Mr. Dixon: Thanks to the member opposite for t=
he
question. This government believes very much in sustainable development and=
the
importance of joining the environment and economic development. That’=
s a
good reason the Premier decided to have me sit as Minister of Environment a=
nd
Minister of Economic Development.
Sustainable development, at its hea= rt, sees the protection of the environment and the development of the economy as two heads of the same beast. We have a number of actions that have been underta= ken by the Department of Economic Development, in terms of diversifying our eco= nomy and, through the Department of Environment, we promote a number of activiti= es to protect the environment.
Ms.
Hanson:&=
#8195; Previous govern=
ments
heard from Yukoners that they wanted sustainable economic development and t=
hat
this development had to be underpinned by a healthy environment. As a resul=
t,
the Yukon Council on the Economy and the Environment was created and was gi=
ven
an integral role in sound economic planning. This mandate included acting a=
s a
public forum for economic and environmental issues, reviewing major policie=
s,
strategic legislative and program initiatives — not leaving it intern=
al
to government, but allowing the public to have a voice — functioning =
as
the central advisory group to the government on the
Under previous Yukon Party governme=
nts,
this council was ignored and then disbanded. This contravenes
Mr. Speaker, we have here an opport= unity to provide leadership. Will the Premier commit to re-establishing the Yukon Council on the Economy and the Environment and allowing it to provide valua= ble assistance in planning for our economic future?
Hon.
Mr. Pasloski: Mr. Speaker, at this time, the
Ms.
Hanson:&=
#8195; We have seen th=
e result
of ad hoc decision-making through past Yukon Party governments and what we =
were
hoping for with this new government was that there would actually be a new
vision. The
Hon. Mr. Dixon: We heard loudly and clearly from Yu= koners during the election that they want a strong, healthy, diversified economy a= nd the protection of a healthy natural wilderness. We see those priorities reflected in our mandate, both in terms of our platform and our actions goi= ng forward.
We’ve undertaken a number of activities on the innovation and diversification of the economy — innovation to determine that we proceed with the development of a knowledge= -based economy that reflects the importance of the environment and the development= of clean climate technology in the territory.
Question re: Restorative justice
Ms. Moorcroft: Yesterday the M= inister of Justice, in his Reply to the Speech from the Throne, spoke with feeling about the conditions of children and adults with autism spectrum disorder a= nd fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Does the minister support a restorative justice approach that keeps people with mental health conditions, autism spectrum disorders and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders out of corrections facilities?
Hon.
Mr. Nixon: In addressing the member opposite, =
the
government has made great progress toward implementing recommendations in <=
i>Sharing
Common Ground — Review of Yukon’s Police Force — Final Re=
port.
The preliminary construction has be= gun on the secure assessment facility, the facility that will replace the Whitehor= se RCMP detachment cells, providing a high standard of care and supervision of persons detained by the RCMP.
I did attend the session by Shannon= Moroney and was touched deeply, and those are things that I’m taking under co= nsideration.
Ms.
Moorcroft: I wou=
ld like
to believe — although that was a fairly vague answer — that the
minister does support a more progressive model of justice than the
incarceration of youth and adults with conditions that cannot be changed. It
has been proven over and over that this segment of our society is best kept=
out
of custody. Mandatory minimum sentences and the incarceration of youth is
costly and counterproductive. The Canadian Bar Association has spoken out
against the federal government’s crime omnibus legislation, the Safe Streets and Communities Act, =
which
does not make communities safer. Indeed, the State of
Hon. Mr. Graham: Mr. Speaker, I’d like to resp= ond in part to the part about keeping these people out of custody. We have a numbe= r of programs at the present time operating through Health and Social Services t= hat are specifically tailored to keep young people out of jail or custody of any kind. And we’re looking at other options that we hope to be able to a= nnounce in the very near future to do just that, to help these — not only you= ng people, but people with disabilities at a later time in their life. =
Ms. Moorcroft: =
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that t=
he federal
Bill C-10 will eliminate the ability of the judiciary to exercise any
discretion in their sentencing decisions. Programs such as those the members
opposite have spoken about would not be available given the provisions in B=
ill
C-10. First Nation people are already over-represented in our jails and this
bill is likely to increase the numbers of aboriginal inmates. This is contr=
ary
to the Gladue decision. I would point out, Mr. Speaker, that crime rates are
decreasing without these vengeful actions.
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Point of order
Speaker: Government House Leader, on a point of order.
Hon.
Mr. Cathers: Mr. Speaker, I believe it’s c=
ontrary
to our Standing Orders and to past rulings for a member of this House to re=
fer
to the actions of another government in
Speaker: The Member for Copperbelt South, on the point of order.
Ms. Moorcroft: Mr. Speaker, I = do not believe that the term “vengeful” is an unparliamentary term, an= d I would ask that you consider whether you will in fact rule that the word “vengeful” would be unparliamentary. I think this is an appropr= iate description of the state of affairs.
Speaker’s statement=
Speaker: I will take it under advisement and discuss it later.<= /p>
Ms.
Moorcroft: Mr. Speaker, =
span>
Speaker: Order please. The member’s time is up. Ask the question please.
Ms.
Moorcroft: Again, I ask the
Minister of Justice, will he support justice, not vengeance, and urge the
federal minister to withdraw its omnibus crime bill?
Hon.
Mr. Nixon: =
Mr.
Speaker, in addressing the member opposite, Bill C-10 has raised questions =
in
the
If we want to talk about Bill C-10
specifically, there are things built in there like: the Protecting Child=
ren
From Sexual Predators Act; the Penalties for Organized Drug Crime Act=
;
Sebastien’s Law, the Ending House Arrest for Property
and Other Serious Crimes by Serious and Violent Offenders Act. We are prepared; the
Question r=
e:
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; I have a questi=
on for
the Minister of Health and Social Services about the model of health care t=
hat
will be used in the new
The government’s direction an=
d lack
of community input on this project is one of the main reasons why I am stan=
ding
here today. Residents have been recommending for the last year that the
government look at turning the
Is the new Minister of Health willi= ng to look at changing the model of health care delivery in the new hospital?
Hon.
Mr. Graham: Mr. Speaker, at the current time, w=
e have
an open dialogue with the Yukon Hospital Corporation with regard to the fut=
ure
of the hospital in
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; It was quite obvious at the Yukon Hospital Corporation’=
s AGM
in
I can tell the minister that there =
are a
lot of unhappy medical professionals in my community and they want to be he=
ard.
Under the previous Yukon Party government, they were not. This minister has=
an
opportunity to improve the situation by simply listening to what the people
have to say. The acute care model lacks the accommodation for the scope of
local nurses’ training and abilities, and that is the issue here.
We would hate to see local nurses f= orced to sell their homes and leave the community because of this, and this is the danger that our community is facing. Could the minister speak of any plans = his government has in mind to remedy this situation?
Hon.
Mr. Graham: The hospital in
Mr.
Silver:&=
#8195; I’m unsur=
e about
the medical hospital group the minister speaks of.
Health care professionals with whom= I have spoken over the last year are very disappointed in how this entire process = unfolded. Their input was ignored and they were told not to talk to the media, not to criticize the government and just simply toe the line.
They think there is a better way to= set up the hospital, and I agree with them. Health care professionals and residents alike want to see a collaborative health care model adopted by this new facility.
Let’s put money and focus int= o health promotion as opposed to illness treatment. A collaborative model allows work within the schools and community organizations to promote healthy living, a= nd it would be less costly in salaries and recruitment, as we already have the= se nurses in our town. It is also the environment needed to recruit doctors who are community-oriented and who are willing to stay and be part of the community.
The current plan will mean higher p= aid, fly-in doctors who will spend their salaries down south after their rotatio= n is complete.
Will the minister meet with health =
care
providers in
Hon.
Mr. Graham: Mr. Speaker, I don’t know exa=
ctly
where the member is getting his information from, because he is talking abo=
ut
two different things. Discussions are currently taking place with the
As for a collaborative model, we= 217;re already beginning that system — or, it has been in place for a number= of years. Health prevention, health care at a very young age, we all know will reduce the cost of hospital care in the future. So, yes, that’s somet= hing that we are promoting.
I’m not sure where the member= is coming from and I’ve made a policy of meeting with anybody who wishes= to meet with me at any time I’m available, and I will continue that poli= cy.
Question re: Whistle-blower legislation
Ms.
Stick:=
8195;
The Yukon
Hon.
Ms. Taylor: I wish to thank the member opposite=
for
the question raised. First off, I would also like to add our sincere thanks=
and
gratitude for the very professional work that our public servants do on beh=
alf
of
With respect to those individuals w= ho feel aggrieved through actions taken by Government of Yukon, there are provisions within current statutes and within respective legislation, and pieces of policies within our own collective agreements, whether it’s the Om= budsman Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and so forth. There are provisions avail= able for employees who feel aggrieved and are seeking refuge.
We are committed to whistle-blower
protection and, in fact, I believe that letters were sent recently by our
Premier to the respective leaders of the opposition parties, asking that th=
ey
put forth members interested in sitting on a select committee that would
oversee recommendations for whistle-blower protection.
Ms. Stick: I don’t t= hink we have received that letter yet, but I thank the minister and we look forward= to receiving that.
In May 2007, the Government Leader established a Select Committee on Whistle-blower Protection and that commit= tee received submissions from former public servants, labour, chambers of comme= rce, the Ombudsman, which we just spoke of, and the Public Service Commission.= span>
The Legislative Assembly has a weal=
th of
materials that Yukoners contributed in good faith to the select committee
process. We don’t have to study this again. I know from speaking to
colleagues and hearing from other members on this side of the House that
government employees are still being told not to speak up against the
government. My question: will this government be taking the submissions and
recommendations from the select committee process and developing rules, and=
if
so, what time frame?
Hon. Ms. Taylor: As I just mentioned= , or referenced in my first response, we are, in fact, committed to whistle-blow= er protection, and as I articulated earlier, our Premier did issue letters to = both the Leader of the Official Opposition and also the Interim Leader of the Th= ird Party, with respect to obtaining members and their participation on a select committee that oversees recommendations that would formulate what that whistle-blower protection would look like. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the information and all the work that was done by the previous select committee that oversaw this very important issue; however, that work was incomplete. = It was not signed off by all three respective political parties within the Legislature, so we are hoping that we are able to reconvene. There are a nu= mber of new members. It is a new government and we certainly look forward to receiving new responses from the Official Opposition.
Ms. Stick:= 8195; Thank you, Mr. = Speaker; we look forward to receiving that letter. We will be happy to provide names= for this committee, as I’m sure the other party will too. I am hoping that there are clear timelines and that this is something that we can be looking= forward to sooner rather than later. Is the minister able to give us an idea of what the timelines are for this?
Hon.
Ms. Taylor: Mr. Speaker, I’m very pleased=
to
hear that members of the opposition will indeed be participating on the Sel=
ect
Committee on Whistle-blower Protection.
We look forward to their participat= ion and coming up with the terms of reference that will oversee the protection and = oversee the timelines to be determined. It will likely be through the Government Ho= use Leader that we’ll be coming up with a motion that will determine who = will be participating on this committee this sitting.
Question re:
Mr. Tredger:= I and many stud= ents, teachers and parents were dismayed to hear yesterday that the construction = of the new F.H. Collins high school will experience yet another delay. This ti= me it will take another two and a half years to have it finally open. I trust = the staff, the school council and the building advisory committee were fully involved in this action.
The previously announced opening of= this much-needed school was just a few short months ago. My concern is first for= the children and the teachers, while they are waiting for the building to be completed two years from now. For years now, the facility maintenance and upgrades have been postponed because we were to get a new building. Now we = will be working in a school that is in need of extensive repairs and has been partially demolished.
Speaker: Question.
Mr. Tredger: What measures has the minister made to ensure the safety and convenience of our children and teachers while they wait for the final completion of the building?
Hon.
Mr. Kent: Mr. Speaker, I have to start by rei=
terating
what I’ve said in media interviews over the past couple of days, as w=
ell
as in a meeting yesterday morning at 7:30 with the building advisory commit=
tee
and the school council. That is that the
Mr. Tredger:= Thank you, Mr. Minister. I know a number of our constituents were concerned that the delay meant that F.H. Collins might be built in another spot. I appreciate your assurances.
The Auditor General in her report o= n the Department of Education stated the department lacked long-term facilities plans. This further delay in building F.H. Collins is just one of the many projects that this government has announced and then delayed. Many announcements of new construction projects have come suspiciously close to election time.
Will the minister assure the House = that the new high school will now be completed within the two-year time frame?
Hon.
Mr.
Now what we’re doing is ̵=
2; we
want to make sure that we do the right thing for the students, the parents =
and
the teachers over there by providing the learning model that was envisioned=
by
the building advisory committee. But of course we also have to be sound fis=
cal
managers. We have to ensure that this project comes in on budget and
that’s the work that will carry on now through my colleague, the Mini=
ster
of Highways and Public Works.
His officials are doing that due di= ligence right now to ensure we can meet that August 2015 deadline and deliver the l= earning model that was envisioned by the folks who put in all the hard work to come= up with it and to deliver that learning model within the budget that was set a= side for that project.
Mr. Tredger:= There are milli= ons of dollars wrapped up in beginning projects that are then delayed, altered, an= d often result in cost overruns. It is a disturbing pattern of ad hoc planning.
We also know that the cost of build= ing is increasing substantially year by year. Will the minister assure the House t= hat there is now enough money in the budget to complete the new F.H. Collins without having to go back for more money — on time and on budget?
Hon.
Mr.
Again, we want to make sure that th= e new school that is built on-site, that was envisioned by the building advisory committee and the students, staff and parents, is the one that meets the go= als and meets the needs of not only the class of 2016 but also the class of 206= 6. We’re building this school for a long life and we want to ensure that, again, it’s something that serves as a model for 21st cent= ury education. That’s how the design was envisioned and that’s what= we intend to work toward.
Question re: Water quality
Mr.
Barr:=
195; Throughout
Hon. Mr. Graham: Health and Social Services has a dr= inking water monitoring program in place. We are in the process right now of doing drinking water assessments on 20 major drinking water sources in the territ= ory, and we will continue to do that kind of assessment. I think that — th= at will do for now.
Mr.
Barr:=
195; I’m glad =
that you
are doing that at this time. One of the reasons for
Will the
Hon.
Mr. Dixon: Thanks to the member opposite for t=
he
question.
As Environment minister, I look for=
ward to
building on the strong record of the previous government with regard to pro=
tecting
drinking water sources. The previous administration undertook a number of
public water projects in communities throughout the
I look forward to developing that <=
/span>
Mr.
Barr:=
195; Yes, we are awa=
re the
Yukon Party pledged to create a
As Walkerton demonstrated, we need accountability measures and oversights to ensure the integrity of our drink= ing water. A water strategy is a good place to begin getting everyone on the sa= me page to look at permitted activities near source water, to look at infrastructure, data collection and monitoring, training and maintenance.= span>
How close is the water strategy to completion and how has the government involved all parties responsible for = our drinking water in the development of this water strategy?
Hon.
Mr. Dixon: Mr. Speaker, on a number of points =
the
member opposite brings up, we agree there is more work that needs to be done
and coordination between a number of the players with regard to water
resources. Municipalities, First Nations, stakeholders and the private sect=
or
all have a role in
There has been some significant att= ention paid to water issues at the national level. Work was done last year at the = western premiers conference and ultimately resulted in the Council of the Federation creating the Water Charter. That charter will guide us forward in te= rms of reducing consumption, increasing efficiency, protecting quality and adap= ting to the effects of climate change on water.
We’re thoroughly committed to proceeding on that water strategy and look forward to working on that.
Speaker: The time for Question Period has now elapsed. We will proceed= to Orders of the Day.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
CONSIDERATION OF SPEECH FROM THE THRONE
Hon. Mr. Cathers:&=
#8195; I wish to infor=
m the
House pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 26(2), that consideratio=
n of
a motion for an Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne, if not
concluded today, will take place on
ADDRESS IN =
REPLY TO
THE SPEECH FROM THE THRONE =
8212;
adjourned debate
Clerk: Motion for an Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne = moved by Ms. McLeod; adjourned debate, the Hon. Mr. Nixon.
Hon. Mr. Nixon: Just as a recap from yesterday R= 12; I went home last night and my wife was very happy that I thanked her, so agai= n, I’ll thank my wife Danielle who worked extremely hard on my campaign.= She continues to be my greatest support. I’d also like to extend thanks t= o my constituents. It is with great humility that I serve you. I look forward to building positive relationships over the years to come.
Thank you to the previous Yukon Par= ty government for a job well done on so many issues. I do take great pride in the fact th= at the Yukon Party committed to provide services for children and adults with disabilities in addition to the services already provided to my son and oth= er children with autism.
To carry on from yesterday, Mr. Spe=
aker, I
just want to reemphasize the point that in 2006 the Yukon Party made this
happen. We are talking about housing. We look back and see the delivery of =
113
new senior units. Mr. Speaker, our track record demonstrates we deliver on =
what
we promise. We did not rest on our successes either. We have continued to
respond with public sector solutions to this problem.
I know the focus tends to be on
We are working with local NGOs to i=
mprove
the housing situation for those with FASD and for others in difficult circu=
mstances.
But I believe the greatest opportunities are found in engaging the creativi=
ty,
the experience and the resources of the private sector. The Yukon Party has
always been a party that promotes the role of the private sector in our
economy, and this is one area in which I see the private sector playing an =
integral
role. The time has come to provide more opportunities to ensure more large-=
scale
rental accommodations are available in
To make this possible, we’re =
going to
raise title on pieces of Crown land and then we’re going to sell that
land to the private sector to create and manage rental units. The first ren=
tal
unit project that is proposed for a piece of government land is in the Takh=
ini
area, located between
In addition to these initiatives, t=
he Yukon
Party government has a number of land development projects throughout the t=
erritory.
I would now like to turn my attention to another matter facing the <=
st1:State>
I spent time reading and preparing =
for the
discussion on energy. I was reminded of how important energy is not only to=
our
local economy here in
Many commentators here in
The World Economic Forum has stated= that access to energy is fundamental to improving quality of life and is a key i= mperative for economic development. In our platform, we spoke to promoting energy self-sufficiency. Our Yukon Party government will invest in a series of projects to ensure Yukoners retain access to affordable energy. In my mind, this is playing to our strengths.
Previously, our party has indicated=
that in
an age of increasing energy demands and decreasing supplies of non-renewable
energy, Yukon must take steps to ensure we continue to have uninterrupted
access to power. The Premier has stated that a failure to invest in the
territory’s energy infrastructure will have grave impacts on our econ=
omy
and our way of life as we move forward. He has clearly stated that our ener=
gy
needs are real and immediate, and we are committed to investing in short-,
medium-, and long-term solutions to ensure that energy in
To provide for the increasing energ= y needs of the territory moving forward, this government has also committed to the = development of a natural gas industry, as well as geothermal, wind, solar, biomass and = hydroelectric projects to meet medium- to long-term needs.
We believe that the
We have committed to reducing
Finally, we will continue to implem=
ent the
energy strategy for
I want to talk for a few minutes ab= out the world of energy efficiency. Noted academic Dr. Weidenbaum stated, “We need to back off the perennial debate on whether we should adopt a production-oriented strategy or a conservation-oriented strategy.” “Energy production and energy conservation are the twin blades of the same scissors. We need both.&= #8221; I agree.
Your government will continue to ma= ke energy efficiency and conservation a priority to reduce energy consumption,= energy costs and emissions. Toward that end, we will be increasing energy efficien= cy by 20 percent by the year 2020. We will be improving access to energy efficiency evaluations by providing training for energy evaluators, and we = will be providing incentives for building owners to carry out retrofits. We will promote the use of energy-efficient products by providing rebates for produ= cts that meet energy performance standards.
In closing, the Premier has put his= faith in me to lead two very important departments: the Department of Justice and= the Department of Tourism and Culture. As a minister, I’m humbled to have= the confidence of this Premier and my colleagues. I can tell you that I have sp= ent the last month learning about these two portfolios and, trust me, there is a great deal to learn. More importantly, though, I have spent a great deal of time over the last month starting to meet the staff in both departments who work hard on the ground. I am very impressed with their attention to detail, the level of commitment and dedication, their skill and knowledge, and the vision and professionalism of both my teams. As the Premier has confidence = in me, I have full confidence in my team that we can build on past experiences= to create a remarkable future in both Justice and Tourism and Culture. I truly look forward to working with everyone in both departments over the next few years.
In the Department of Justice, we wi= ll be working on things like modernization of the land titles system. We are committed to improving this service so that it meets the modern service standards. We have already been in preliminary discussions with stakeholders and within government to get this project moving. I expect to have a substantive announcement in the near future.
In the coming months, the new
I can tell you that I’m also =
very
excited to be the Minister of Tourism and Culture. I had the opportunity to
travel to
Heritage and cultural projects also
continue throughout the territory. The paleontology and archeology departme=
nts
might arguably be the two best kept secrets. I’ve recently toured the
centre here in
With relationships being establishe= d within the mining industry, it’s absolutely incredible to see the artifacts, bones and fossils that are being extracted from the ground. I encourage all Yukoners to research and talk to this team.
I am very happy to know that not on=
e, but
two new cultural centres will be opening in the very near future: Kwanlin D=
un
Cultural Centre here in
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate= you as our new Speaker. I want to congratulate my colleagues on this side of the H= ouse and my new colleagues on the opposite side of the House. I look forward in = the coming years to us being able to have an impact and make a difference in the lives of all Yukoners.
Finally, as I mentioned earlier, I = would like to once again thank my constituents in Porter Creek South for providin= g me with the opportunity to represent them in the Yukon Legislative Assembly. <= /span>
Mr. Speaker, members, guests, merci, thank-you, mahsi’ cho, günilschish.
Hon.
Mr. Dixon: I thank the members in the House for
their work to date. It’s a pleasure to be here today to respond to the
Speech from the Throne. Of course, it was delivered last week, on December 1, 2011, by Commissioner Doug Phillips. The Speech from the Throne wa=
s for
the First Session of the 33rd Yukon Legislative Assembly, of whi=
ch
we all have the privilege of being members.
It’s an honour to be here, Mr. Speaker, for the first time on the floor of this House. I have worked for a= number of years, Mr. Speaker, in the building at the political level, but never on= the floor of this House. So it’s indeed a great privilege to make this st= ep forward and represent my constituents.
I’d like to say, first of all=
, a
little about my constituents in my riding. I represent the riding of Copper=
belt
North, which is a new riding created by the Electoral Boundaries Commission
several years ago. It’s a large riding in terms of population. I beli=
eve
it’s the second most populous riding in the territory. It’s a W=
hitehorse-based
riding.
Copperbelt North is a surprisingly =
large
riding. It tends to get the focus in terms of its Copper Ridge component, b=
ut
there are a number of other important aspects to the riding.
We have the
One of the gentlemen I had the priv= ilege of running against in the election, Skeeter Miller-Wright — it was a pleasure to meet him and get to know him through the election. He is now a constituent of mine.
Throughout the election I had a lot=
of help
from friends and family, and I would like to recognize a few of those indiv=
iduals
today. First of all, I would like to thank my mother and father, Don and Li=
nda
Dixon, for their help, both in raising me and sending me here today. I
couldn’t have done it without either one of them. My mother, of cours=
e,
works in the office and I have had the privilege of working with her over a
number of years. My father is a welder by trade and now a gold miner, altho=
ugh
I believe he is considering a career switch to film, having recently starre=
d in
the Discovery Channel show Gold Rush.
He had a very integral role in that
television show. He played a big role. He didn’t have any lines, but =
some
good face time. I think it’s the starting point for a big leap for hi=
m in
terms of his career. I think he’s got a burgeoning career. I think =
span>
I’d like to say a quick thank= you to a number of people who helped me on the campaign, including my partner Brit= tany McNeil — I couldn’t be here without her support — and, of course, a number of my constituents who supported me all along the way.
The Speech from the Throne delivere= d by Commissioner Phillips last week outlines a number of issues that are import= ant to my constituents, and we committed to a number of initiatives in our plat= form that will have a direct impact on my constituents, both in terms of the rid= ing itself and the individuals.
One of the things this brings to mi=
nd is
the commitment to extending a number of the medical bursaries and medical p=
rograms.
One of my constituents, Rachelle Blais, is currently attending University in
Copperbelt North is full of a numbe=
r of
young families — families of folks who are from here and were raised
here, like myself, but also a number of new Yukoners and people who are new=
to
the territory. Interestingly, there are a significant number of Yukoners who
left the territory but found reason and cause in the past several years to =
move
back to the territory. I think that’s indicative of the tremendous
economic growth the
Not only has my riding grown over t=
he years
— the neighbourhood — but the city itself has grown too —=
the
city in which my riding exists —
Another issue that’s importan= t to my constituents is of course an action item that the previous administration d= eveloped, which was support for families with children with disabilities. It was a program that was implemented by the previous administration and one also th= at we committed to extending the services for in our platform, as well as providing additional funding for therapies, physical renovations to homes, = and ensuring that these programs are flexible and family oriented. That’s very important to my constituents. A number of them access those programs a= nd have made it very clear to me that they appreciate the work we’ve don= e in the past and want to see us continue with that good work.
Another interesting component of my=
riding
is
Another point of our platform that = was well-received by my constituents was the commitment to developing a caregiv= er tax credit. That’s something that a number of folks who care for a lo= ved one within their own home are excited to see. I can’t help but commen= t on one of my biggest supporters, Jean Jamieson, who of course celebrated her 9= 8th birthday this past summer, and I very much appreciate her support. She got = me a tie when I won the election, Mr. Speaker, and I was happy to wear that last Thursday, the first sitting of the House.
A number of the medical services bu=
rsaries
and support programs to Yukoners who wish to pursue a career in the medical
field — I mentioned a friend of mine and a constituent who is attendi=
ng
the medical program at
Let me speak a little now about the departments I’ve had the privilege of being minister for. First of al= l, we have the Department of Environment, and we have the Department of Econom= ic Development — two very exciting departments and a very exciting portfolio.
There are a number of initiatives w= ithin each of these departments I’d like to discuss a little today, but I’d like to start by saying that, over the past few weeks — my short time as being minister — I’ve had the opportunity to meet= a number of the staff, a number of the officials in the departments. I don’t think I’ve met them all yet certainly, Mr. Speaker, but certainly endeavouring to do so. The Deputy Minister of Environment is Kelv= in Leary. I am very excited to be working with Kelvin. He recently agreed to extend his period as deputy minister. I’m very excited to have him an= d to work with him on many important files in Environment.
I’ll speak, Mr. Speaker, now = about one very important issue that’s very important to me and to a number = of the staff and officials in the Department of Environment, and that’s = the issue of climate change. Mr. Speaker, I’ve had a significant amount of exposure and experience with this particular issue at the academic level in= my previous academic work. I’ve never quite got the mastery of the physi= cal sciences side of this issue, but I’ve had significant experience and exposure with the policy response of governments to this very important iss= ue
Mr. Speaker, climate change is some=
thing
that is very much an issue that’s important to Yukoners as well as Ca=
nadians
and, indeed, citizens of the world. It’s one that impacts us all. It =
has
a particular impact here in the
The polar regions are experiencing =
the
highest rate of temperature rise and degree of climate change in the world.=
The
Coastal erosion is occurring on
Yukon First Nations and aboriginal =
groups
throughout the circumpolar region have consistently identified food securit=
y as
a key concern that relates to the availability and accessibility of the har=
vest
of traditional foods. In some instances, a changing climate may create new
opportunities though. For example, a longer growing season may result in new
agricultural opportunities in the
The effects of climate change are c=
lear and
we are seeing them throughout the
The previous government developed t=
he
We have had the opportunity to see,=
first-hand,
a number of the initiatives being undertaken under this action plan. It has
been very encouraging for me as someone who has followed this issue through=
out
my academic career to see some real action on the issue. In terms of
innovation, technology and innovative responses to the effects of climate
change, we can look to
The previous government established=
the
Yukon Cold Climate Innovation Centre. It established the Climate Change
Secretariat and the Yukon Technology Innovation Centre, and it has supported
the Northern Climate ExChange.
There are a number of opportunities=
, as
I’ve said, Mr. Speaker, that arrive from the effects of climate chang=
e,
and one of them is the longer growing season we enjoy here in the territory=
as
a result. There are a number of other opportunities I believe the
Another important role we undertake=
through
the Department of Environment is conveying these issues to
The Yukon delegation there is made = up of three members — Kelvin Leary, of course, the deputy minister I mentio= ned, Ed Van Randen, the assistant deputy minister, and the director of the Clima= te Change Secretariat, E= ric Schroff, who is what they call a “super delegate”, meaning he participates in all of the delegations. =
Yukon government has been actively participating in the federal-provincial-territorial roundtable meetings lea= ding up to the international climate change talks in South Africa, and it’= s a very exciting opportunity for Yukon to be at the table in Durban, as well a= s a number of other Conference of the Parties meetings throughout the years. = span>
We’ve seen what happens when =
the
federal government moves without support from the provinces and territories=
, an
example of which is, of course, the failed Kyoto Protocol. Having our voice
heard at the table is absolutely important for the federal government and f=
or
the United Nations at large. The Conference of the Parties meeting in
The intent of COP is to further the
development of a coordinated international response to climate change,
including mitigation and adaptation. When we speak of adaptation, those are
very real issues for Yukoners. The number of impacts I addressed in my
discussion of the impacts of climate change on the
There is another issue I would like=
to talk
about in terms of Department of Environment. I had the opportunity, in my s=
econd
week as minister, to visit the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. This is a preserve =
that
we have had the privilege of funding over the years. I think this is a phen=
omenal
organization, Mr. Speaker, made up of very active members who play an impor=
tant
role in a number of fronts. The three that come to mind are education,
conservation, and rehabilitation. I will speak about those a little bit. The
educational component of the Yukon Wildlife Preserve is one that the origin=
al
private sector creator, Danny Nowlan, envisioned for this site. He really
thought that this was a place for
The second part, of course, is conservation, and it provides an incredible habitat for a number of wildlif= e in the territory. Rehabilitation — the Yukon Wildlife Preserve has a num= ber of very impressive facilities to aid in the rehabilitation of wildlife that have been injured in the course of their lives and would normally have nowh= ere else to go, but the side of the highway to die. They now have the opportuni= ty to rehabilitate, to gain strength — whether it is following a broken = leg on an animal or a broken wing on a bird — there are number of opportunities for them to rehabilitate.
Part of the tour had a tourism comp=
onent in
it as well. It’s a very attractive location geographically and topogr=
aphically.
It has an incredible natural landscape that allows for a certain amount of
tourism potential. The Yukon Wildlife Preserve organizing committee conveye=
d to
me that they have heard that this is the envy of a number of institutions
throughout the world because of its physical and geographical beauty.
Just by nature alone, Mr. Speaker, = we have some unique habitats within the preserve whether it be mountain ranges for sheep or plains or wetlands for other migratory species. In short, Mr. Spea= ker, the Yukon Wildlife Preserve is a tremendous project, and I’m very hap= py and encouraged, and I look forward to working with the Wildlife Preserve operators.
Mr. Speaker, an issue that came up =
earlier
today, which we’ve had a chance to discuss a little bit, was the
commitment by the Yukon Party in our platform, and the further commitment in
the Speech from the Throne, to develop a water study for
This is an issue that we know is im=
portant
to Yukoners — the safety of their water and the safety of our signifi=
cant
water resources here in the territory, whether it be lakes, rivers or subsu=
rface
water bodies. Water has a number of complex effects on our everyday lives.
That’s why we committed to developing a
In addition, the
I would be remiss in my speech if I neglected recycling. Of course, this isn’t something that falls into = the Department of Environment specifically. It’s spearheaded by the Minis= ter of Community Services, under the Solid Waste Action Plan, but recycl= ing is an important diversion method that is important for a number of Yukoners= .
In my capacity as Minister of Envir= onment, I’ll have the privilege of working with a number of co-management bod= ies throughout the territory, including the Fish and Wildlife Management Board, RRCs and the First Nations. I’ve had a chance to meet with the Fish a= nd Wildlife Management Board chair and executive director, and I look forward = to meeting with their entire body next week.
I look forward to meeting and worki=
ng with
the RRCs over the next few years, as we get a chance to get out and enjoy t=
he
I’ll turn now to the Departme=
nt of
Economic Development. Let me speak a little bit about that department.
It was established, of course, in 2=
002,
with the creation of the first Yukon Party government, the first of the two
prior to this one. The modus operandi of the department at that stage was,
quite simply, economic development. The economy had, in many ways, left the=
Recently, we weathered the storm of=
a
significant global downturn in the economy. Happily,
The Yukon
The mining and mineral resource sec= tor, in terms of projects that include exploration, development and production, all tend to be, and have traditionally been, the backbone of our private sector economy here in the territory. Part of what the Department of Economic Development is doing is trying to diversify that economy and make sure that other sectors of the economy are able to flourish and have the necessary support to do so.
I can’t help but mention the =
mineral
resource sector a little bit more. Its development of late has been nothing
short of astounding. The current expenditure forecast for
Mineral development expenditure for=
2011 is
expected to be very significant as well. The historically high prices for g=
old
and a continued rebound of copper prices are helping to drive interest in <=
/span>
Year to date, gold prices in 2011 h= ave averaged over $1,500 per ounce, which is, of course, 30 percent higher than last year. The daily price of gold approached nearly $1,900 per ounce in Au= gust 2011, which is quite remarkable. The current forecast for mineral production value of 2011 is in the neighbourhood of $450 million, as we saw most recen= tly in the economic outlook. With the Yukon having three operating mines now, a= nd several others in various stages of permitting and feasibility assessment a= nd record levels of exploration activity, the near-term looks very promising f= or the mining sector.
Let me turn now to tourism. The Min=
ister of
Tourism and Culture outlined some of the important developments in the tour=
ism
industry, but I’ll continue on from that. The data for the period of
January to August 2011, show border crossings in the first eight months
totalled 257,051, which is up from the same period last year. Gains of 7.5
percent were noted in visitation via motor coach. The current forecast for =
2011
border crossings from the Department of Tourism and Culture is 320,000, whi=
ch
would represent an increase of 2.7 percent, from 311,000 in 2010.
It’s all good news, Mr. Speak= er, on the economy. That’s for sure.
In the construction sector, we have=
seen
strong year-to-date activity and it appears to be shaping up to be a good y=
ear
in terms of construction. Permit value data indicates that residential
construction is up substantially, almost 60 percent year-to-date from the s=
ame
period in 2010, benefiting primarily from strong residential construction
activity in
Major projects such as the <=
st1:place>
Small- and medium-sized businesses =
—
I should mention as well that the Member for Riverdale South mentioned tiny=
businesses
are also important, not just small and medium — but retail trade is d=
oing
well. On a year-to-date basis — January through August 2011 —
seasonally unadjusted retail rates in
That stat indicates to us that Yuko=
ners and
those visiting the
In terms of our labour force,
One of the important aspects of the
Department of Economic Development is the Film and Sound Commission. The Fi=
lm
and Sound Commission has done a great job recently in developing the film a=
nd
sound industry here in the territory. We’ve seen a number of big budg=
et
film and sound projects come through the territory and bring their business
here. Most recently, the big-ticket item was The Big Year, a film
starring a number of
The objectives of the Yukon Film an= d Sound Commission, for those who aren’t familiar with it, are to position Yu= kon to compete in the international market for film location activity, facilita= te training for Yukoners to work in the film and sound industries, provide Yukoners with financial support to enable them to develop commercially viab= le film productions, provide incentives for sound recording, support industry organizations in the film and sound industries, support marketing activities for the export of film and sound products.
Basically, the Film and Sound Commi=
ssion has
a two-fold approach. On one side they promote the big-ticket items to come =
into
the territory, these larger endeavours by Outside firms. Those bring the big
dollars north and to the territory. On the other side, we’re also
promoting the development of a local film and sound industry.
When we bring these big projects to=
the
The Government of Yukon is committe=
d to
providing programs and services to support and stimulate the development and
growth of Yukon’s small- and medium-sized enterprises and, of course,
tiny enterprises as well, Mr. Speaker. The strategic industries development
fund supports government’s commitment to foster the development of =
span>
Government of
I’ll speak again about suppor=
t for
small and medium enterprises. We have the business incentive program, the
business nominee program, Canada-Yukon Business Service Centre, Däna
Näye Ventures’ business development program, Däna Näye
Ventures’ micro-loan program — both those programs are in
partnership between Däna Näye Ventures and the Department of Econ=
omic
Development. We’ve got the enterprise trade fund. We’ve got the
north Yukon business advisory outreach, Yukon business development program,
Yukon entrepreneur support program — which we’ll see in the bud=
get
as one-time funding through the community development trust fund — the
Yukon small business investment tax credit, and of course the Yukon venture
loan guarantee program.
As I mentioned before, there are a = number of programs through the Film and Sound Commission. The film incentive progr= am, for example, was created following extensive consultation with the local and national film and sound industries and is designed to make us a competitive market for film and sound projects.
I see my time is wrapping up, but b= efore I sit down, I’ll speak again about the importance of the innovation sec= tor of the economy, both in its contribution to our work in Environment and Economic Development. I’m very excited about the opportunities that t= he Yukon Research Centre of Excellence, and I look forward to working with the Minister of Education on a number of files that will be affected by that research centre. I look forward to meeting with the staff of the Yukon Cold Climate Innovation Centre and ensuring that Yukoners with innovative ideas = have an opportunity to commercialize their innovations and bring them to viable = products that could be a benefit to all Yukoners.
Once again, Mr. Speaker, it’s=
a
privilege to be here, and I look forward to working with the members of this
House in a collaborative and constructive manner over the next several year=
s.
Thank you.
Ms. Stick:= 8195; Mr. Speaker, congratulations to you on your appointment as Speaker of this House. It is a privilege to stand here today= . I am very aware of the trust and responsibility that has been placed on me by= the constituents of Riverdale South. I want to thank all my constituents for greeting me at their doors and sharing their ideas and concerns.
I always felt welcomed, and I appre= ciated the time that people took from their busy schedules. I would be remiss if I= did not thank Glenn Hart for his work as MLA previous to me.
Today I also want to thank my famil= y, my friends and campaign volunteers. The support given to me was so important during my campaign. I am counting on these same people to continue to suppo= rt me and keep me honest.
It was such a pleasure to have my m=
other
and sister travel to the
I would be remiss if I didn’t remember those who sat in these seats and who are no longer with us. I spea= k of Todd Hardy, Steve Cardiff and John Edzerza. I also wish my husband, Ed, cou= ld have been here today. He was my greatest supporter behind the scenes. He wo= uld have been proud. I also congratulate the other elected officials in this Ho= use. It is good to be working with my old colleague from City Hall, the Member f= or Porter Creek North. Since beginning this job, we have already found ways to work together. I look forward to similar opportunities with all members her= e.
I welcomed in the throne speech the
government’s pledge to practice open, accessible, fiscally responsible
government and to work constructively with all members of the House to impr=
ove
the operations of its committees and the proceedings of this Legislature. T=
he
NDP, as Official Opposition, is committed to making this Legislative Assemb=
ly
work for the interest of all Yukoners. The reason I ran in this election wa=
s because
I wanted to be able to contribute to building the territory’s future =
and
to ensure that our growth leads to improvements for all our citizens. I am
honoured to be an MLA and I am humbled by the decisions all of us will be
making here. Some of these decisions affect what happens in the territory.
Others might have national implications, and I am not exaggerating by saying
some decisions will affect others in other countries. All our decisions here
will impact future generations. We must think beyond our small world in her=
e.
As critic for Health and Social Ser= vices and Continuing Care, I’d like to take a few minutes to touch on some = of the areas where government services impact the lives and health of all our citizens, from birth to death. Social services should be the path through w= hich people needing assistance are given a hand up and should not be made to feel any less. In the 1980s, the House of Commons pledged to lift all Canadian children from poverty by the year 2000. Poverty has grown in our country and the gap between rich and poor has widened.
In the
The costs of poverty are great: inc=
reasing
medical needs, shortened lives and costs borne by Justice and Health and So=
cial
Services.
The social inclusion strategy was d= eveloped a few years ago and was a great idea, but it has not achieved its goals bec= ause we have not made that strategy a priority. Too often, decisions impacting t= hose on social assistance fly in the face of social inclusion. Madam Speaker, we= in the NDP Official Opposition will hold this government accountable on social inclusion.
Continuing care is also where we ne= ed to do some work. We need to ensure that as our population continues to age, there= is a wide range of services that provides care according to community needs, f= rom home care to full-time care and supervision. We need to ensure our family members receive the best care and live safely, with their dignity preserved= .
We have read recent reports concern=
ing
The minister initially dismissed legislation as necessary to improve continuing care, but I hope more resear= ch from other jurisdictions and the discussion about improving the current situation will proceed. We want the safest and best for those in our care. = The status quo will not do.
I am pleased to see — you keep
tricking me here — I am pleased to see childcare mentioned in the thr=
one
speech. The Official Oppositi=
on
will be challenging the government to ensure that changes to childcare lead=
to
positive outcomes. Childcare can take up much of a family’s income. <=
/span>Yukon
My special interest, or passion, is=
for the
individual with disabilities. I previously worked in this field for 19 year=
s in
the
I am pleased to hear the government= will continue to support families with children who have disabilities and ensure proper resources are available. We have paid a lot of attention and provided good services to families with children. This is good. Their needs are often greater and appropriate support is required, but we seem to have forgotten = that many of these children remain in the family home long after becoming adults. They continue to have the same ongoing needs, and sometimes new ones, as adults. We need to build on continued support to families caring for their adult children, whether through respite, tax breaks or other programming options.
I also believe that adults with disabilities need adequate income supports. It’s not appropriate that many are restricted by the current social assistance regulations and rules. It’s not appropriate that they need to fill out their forms and wait = for their monthly cheque, as do all other social assistance recipients. Social assistance was never meant as a lifelong financial support program. For many individuals who are unable to maintain full- or even part-time work, they e= nd up living in legislated poverty. We can do better.
There are many samples in other jurisdictions to look at and adapt for our citizens. I would like to see th= is government consider an assured income or pension that is more appropriate to this population.
Mr. Speaker, I want to switch gears=
here
and talk about our economy. The
I would also like to speak of anoth=
er
critic role, which is the Public Service Commission. Over the course of this
sitting of the 33rd Legislative Assembly, I will be challenging =
this
government to be a good employer. There seems to be — and I heard on =
the
doorstep — persistent and growing insecurity in our public service. On
one hand, the
As critic, I will be scrutinizing t=
he
government’s direction on hiring. Staff jobs in our hospitals or
continuing care facilities should be permanent, unless there is a compelling
reason to not do so. I also heard from public servants on the doorstep duri=
ng
the campaign — many shared their concerns with regard to programming =
and
practices, but felt they had no way of bringing their concerns forward safe=
ly.
We spoke of this earlier today and = I look forward to the Premier’s letter inviting us to a committee to look at whistle-blower protection. I heard it on the doorstep; people want this. = span>
I would also like to speak about the Ombudsman and the Information and Privacy Commissioner, an office that play= s a critical advocacy and watchdog role in the interaction between Yukoners and their government. The Office of the Ombudsman and the Information and Priva= cy Commissioner is seeing increased numbers of requests since it was created, = but has not seen these positions become full time. We all recognize the work is more than part time. If we expect continuation of their excellent services,= we need to debate adequate resources to this vital service.
In conclusion, I look forward to wo=
rking
with all members in this House. Though on different sides on some issues, I
know we all want to do our best to advance
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Hon. Mr. Graham: It is indeed good to be back in the Legislature. It has been a long time and I’ve really noticed how some things have changed and some things have remained the same.
During my first term here some 30 y= ears ago, I was the youngest MLA, one of the youngest Executive Council members ever, and now it appears, as has been so rudely pointed out by my friend opposite, I could very possibly be the oldest. I have to tell you, Mr. Spea= ker, if that means that I am going to be expected to dispense wisdom, understand= ing and patience, we may all have a great problem because I know for a fact I l= ack at least two of these attributes, possibly all three.
In 1978, we were the first governme= nt elected under the party system, and the leader of the Conservative Party at that time was the grandmother of a current MLA. Another MLA here today hadn’t even been born when I was first elected and sat in the Legisla= ture, and another current MLA is the son-in-law of a person who sat with me in th= at Legislature.
It’s also interesting to see =
across
the floor a member I knew as a kindergarten student, who was beginning Fren=
ch
immersion at the same time and in the same kindergarten class as my daughte=
r some
30 years ago.
It’s also a pleasure to have = served with the Member for Riverdale South on Whitehorse City Council. I remember = her as an intelligent, capable person, whose judgment I know came into question when I learned what political party she intended to run for in the past election. I’ve come to since understand her reasons. I don’t necessarily agree with them, but I at least understand her reasons and I lo= ok forward — if she’s still speaking to me after this — to working w= ith her, and indeed all members opposite in the coming years.
I’d also be remiss if I didn&= #8217;t take the opportunity to thank Porter Creek North for showing their confiden= ce in me in electing me in the recent election, and I also should thank the ot= her candidates who ran against me for running an excellent campaign. We avoided personalities and stuck to policies, and it was a very nice thing to see.= span>
I should also perhaps tell you a li=
ttle
about the riding of Porter Creek North, or as I refer to it, Porter Creek N=
orth
and Crestview. Crestview is a very important part of the Porter Creek North
riding. In fact, the Porter Creek North riding also encompasses almost all =
of
the riding that I represented in 1970-something as Porter Creek West as it
represents the western part of
I would also really like to thank m= y wife for allowing me to run in this election, as we both retired last summer jus= t before the election and were looking forward to spending some time together, doing= all the things we hadn’t managed to do in the 40-odd years we’ve be= en married.
I’m not exactly sure if she s= hares my disappointment in me being elected, because I really have noticed in the la= st few weeks that she seems to be extremely happy in her retirement and really hasn’t missed me at all since I’ve been here. I don’t kno= w if there’s a message in that or not. I also think I will have to apologi= ze to my grandson, Levi, when he’s old enough to understand, at least, w= hy his grandpa won’t be home to babysit him, as I promised when he was b= orn.
Now, Mr. Speaker, I have a confessi= on to make: I’m a Conservative — an unrepentant Conservative. I feel = much better having got that off my chest.
I’m a Conservative. I was a Conservative in 1978 when I first ran for the Legislature and, despite temporary lapses from time to time, I’m still a Conservative to this = day. I believe that people who earn a paycheque are the people best equipped to decide where their hard-earned money should be spent. Government should not= be in the business of extracting even more of their earnings in the form of hi= gher taxes. I believe that fewer rules in the form of legislation and regulation= is a good thing. I believe in the freedom of the individual and that people are responsible for their own actions and should be held accountable for those = same actions.
Finally, I believe that government =
should
be financially responsible to all taxpayers. I’m a Conservative, but =
not
only do I have a strong sense of fiscal responsibility, I have a similar se=
nse
of our collective social responsibility to the vulnerable people in our
society. In fact, this sense of social responsibility was one of the factor=
s in
my decision to run for the Yukon Party in the recent election. The Yukon Pa=
rty
platform — and this point was reiterated in the throne speech —
included a document called A Better Quality of Life and made mention=
of
supporting actions such as social inclusion and development of a wellness s=
trategy;
addictions treatment and shelter for the vulnerable folks in our society;
support for sustainable, patient-centred quality health care; family violen=
ce
prevention and education; continuing care programs for our aging population;
and, accessible, safe services for persons — not so much with
disabilities, but as I like to think of them — with different abiliti=
es.
One of the things I found by growing up with a person with a so-called
“disability”, is that they had an amazing ability to teach me n=
ew
lessons almost every day. I prefer to think of him not as a person with a
disability, but he had a different ability.
In furthering these election promis=
es, we
are currently in the process of bringing forward the social inclusion and p=
overty
reduction strategy. The foundation of this strategy is based on major repor=
ts
that were completed during the last two years, including the 2010
It’s very important to get the
strategy right the first time and it’s also very important that we
consult at each stage of the strategy, as it will set a long-term vision fo=
r
This government is committed to
consultation and partnerships with a variety of non-government organization=
s in
the territory that do so many wonderful and necessary things on behalf of a=
ll
of their clients. This strategy is only one example of the many issues that=
we
have under consideration in consultation with these NGOs. Having said that,=
we
can’t lose sight of the tremendous work and dedication our employees =
in
the Department of Health and Social Services display on a daily basis on be=
half
of all Yukoners who come into contact with the department. In the short tim=
e I
have been in this portfolio, I’ve been impressed, first, by the
management group that I’ve met, and then, on a daily basis when I vis=
it a
relative in one of the continuing care facilities, I am impressed by the de=
dication
and hard work displayed by employees in our continuing care facilities. I w=
ould
like to say thanks to all those employees. I think it’s very important
that we consider what they’re doing and how we would respond ourselve=
s,
had we been put in a place like that.
As you know, Mr. Speaker, my recent background is in municipal politics, and I’d like to take a few momen= ts to make a few comments with respect to municipal issues and how we in this Legislature can support and encourage municipal councils in their deliberations. As those of us in this Legislature who have spent time on municipal councils know, municipal politics is the political arena closest = to the voters of this territory. Municipal politicians hear from the residents= on a weekly basis at council meetings. They are the only level of government t= hat allows people to address the elected representatives at each of their meeti= ngs.
In fact, at committee meetings, res=
idents
may state their opinion on every single issue facing council at those meeti=
ngs
and, at each meeting, they can come back and reiterate their point again and
again and again. Each time the issue appears on a council agenda, they can =
come
back and participate in the debate. No other level of government allows that
kind of direct participation in the decision-making process.
Often I found, too, that municipal
government leads all others in taking on issues impacting their citizens. F=
or
example, yesterday the Leader of the Official Opposition made mention of th=
e Smoke-Free
Places Act being passed in this Legislature. While that’s a very
important piece of legislation — and I’m not trying to take away
from that accomplishment — but I’d like to point out that sever=
al
years prior to that, the City of
Other issues that municipal governm=
ents
have led the way on are sustainable development, recycling, composting R=
12;
they’re all municipal initiatives that have led other levels of
government to do the right thing for their citizens. I make these comments =
in
order to impress upon members the importance of respecting legislative
authority. This government has taken the position that municipal governments
have a responsibility under the Mun=
icipal
Act to perform certain tasks, and they should be allowed to follow thou=
gh
those responsibilities without interferences from other levels of governmen=
t,
as long as they don’t break the law and as long as they remain solven=
t.
My personal experience during this past campaign was that some opposition
members were very quick to become involved in municipal affairs that were m=
ore
appropriately left to the municipality. In the same way, members of this Le=
gislature
would not appreciate interference from
When six members of the two parties
opposite and myself were invited — I wasn’t invited; I just
happened to show up at a press conference at McIntyre Creek with respect to
Porter Creek D. I heard members — all six members, in fact — of=
the
other two political parties state categorically that they would not allow t=
hat
development to go ahead if they became the Government of Yukon. I thought t=
hat
attitude was absolutely incorrect. It’s a municipal responsibility; we
have an agreement with the City of
I’m not trying to say that me= mbers opposite shouldn’t represent their constituents in municipal affairs,= but it should be done in a respectful way and it shouldn’t be done at a p= ress conference, saying that if we become the government, we won’t allow t= his to go ahead, and that’s that. To me, that is not a good attitude, and= I sincerely hope it doesn’t represent the current attitude of members opposite, and I don’t think it does.
When I think about who truly repres=
ents the
voters in the territory, I’m reminded of the fact — and was just
recently — that in the past municipal election, the leading candidate
— the leading vote-getter — in municipal council, received more
votes than all six members of the Official Opposition combined. In fact, th=
at
person received more votes than all the members here on the front bench as
well. So that leads one, Mr. Speaker, to wonder who truly represents the
electorate. I am all for respecting boundaries, Mr. Speaker, and I certainly
hope that everyone in this House does.
In closing, it’s often said t=
hat
every person learns from their mistakes. Well, I don’t know if I truly
agree with that comment, because if that were true in my case, I would be a
genius. I know that many folks in the City of
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It has inde= ed been a pleasure.
Ms. White: Mr. S= peaker, that is a hard act to follow, but I’ll do my best.
I would like to thank my family and=
my friends.
Their confidence and belief in me was inspiring. I would like to thank all =
the
people in my riding with whom I spoke, who shared with me stories, concerns,
triumphs and worries. I come into this House with you in mind. I feel the
responsibility and the privilege of being your voice.
My journey here started more than 1= 5 years ago. In my late teens and early 20s, I felt that I had no voice — tha= t my opinions and experiences had no place in politics. I felt that government w= as a self-contained, unapproachable and intimidating machine. At that same time,= I was lucky enough to find myself in the folds of the Hardy family, who patie= ntly guided my political awakening. We had many boisterous conversations around = the kitchen island drinking tea. I was walking through life with my eyes wide s= hut. I’ve always had the heart and the passion to do what was right, but u= p to that point I had no idea how that could be incorporated into politics.
I stand before you with my eyes wid=
e open,
knowing that heart, compassion, humility, integrity, humanity and drive all
belong in the Legislature. I believe that these are qualities that all elec=
ted
representatives should have. We are all aware of the problems around us: the
obstacles we face in defining “home” and the pressures to move
forward quickly without much forethought. We have reached that critical mom=
ent
where we as Yukoners need to define our image of home and the expectations =
that
we as politicians are responsible to enact that vision. Home doesn’t =
stop
at the front door or at the end of your block or road. Home extends from so=
uth
of
Home is clean water; home is afford= able housing; home is job security; home is an inclusive community. My image of = home is wild, with strong environmental protection, affordable housing and caref= ul economic planning into the future.
[Member spoke in French. Text
unavailable.]
I sought the nomination in Takhini-=
Kopper
King because of my love of McIntyre Creek. As a child, I spent countless da=
ys
playing in the pools in the mud. As a teenager, I discovered the treasures =
of
old classic cars buried in the hillside. As an adult, I spent hours watching
the ravens play in the crosswinds off the bluffs. I used to have a favourite
bike trail that left my parents’ house in
There are many sites of conflict ar=
ound
land use in the territory. Look at McIntyre Creek and all the competing cla=
ims
by recreational users, wildlife enthusiasts, different levels of government
and, of course,
Just the other day, the college cha= ncellor was on the radio advocating that the college should receive a large portion= of the area as their endowment lands as they move toward a potential universit= y. This situation is a mess. The gallery at city council was packed last night with citizens who think that the best plan is not being proposed for this unique wildlife area. Land use planning is the process whereby our views, o= ur values and our dreams for the future are reflected into decisions. The McIn= tyre Creek situation highlights the need for land use planning — for that = to happen and how we need to do it in an expeditious manner.
If we had a discussion two years ag= o about FASD and addictions, I would have been at a loss for words. After two years= of working in corrections, I have seen our failure to support the most vulnera= ble members of our society. The women I worked with in corrections were amazing. They had overcome incredible odds and were often struggling with addictions= . We brought them into a safe environment, told them they were worthy of a second chance, and told them that they could choose the life they want. But when t= heir time was up and it was time for them to leave the Correctional Centre, they would end up back in the same situations that they came from. Sadly, these women don’t qualify for existing programs. They get left out in the c= old. That needs to change. We need a supportive, safe environment similar to the Yukon Adult Resource Centre to help these women become the successful membe= rs of our community I know they can be.
I’m pleased to have heard in =
the
Speech from the Throne the commitments to developing a youth shelter, to
implementing second-stage housing for Kaushee’s Place and to working =
with
the Salvation Army on expanding the available space at the shelter.
I worry that these commitments are = just words, not a call to action. Kaushee’s has been waiting for more than= two years for concrete development. The youth organizations have said for years that there needs to be an adequate shelter to suit the special needs of you= th.
I worry that we’re putting th=
e onus
of responsibility of housing and caring for the hard-to-house in the lap of=
the
Salvation Army, that we’re passing the buck, so to speak. What happen=
ed
to the proposal put forward by the Northern City Supportive Housing Coaliti=
on,
an idea document that addressed our current crisis? This group of eight
non-governmental organizations wrote and promoted a detailed proposal and b=
usiness
plan. Their objectives were to provide the homeless population in the downt=
own
core of
This isn’t a new idea. Housin= g First models have been implemented elsewhere and have proven successful in other = jurisdictions. The Northern City Supportive Housing Coalition was proposing a concrete solution to the complex problems this government faces with the hard-to-hou= se. It would mean a reduction in emergency room use, ambulance calls and RCMP a= nd court involvement. All of this would have had a very positive effect on our ever-expanding budgets in both Justice and Health and Social Services.
As the NDP Official Opposition crit=
ic for
the Yukon Housing Corporation, I am very interested in what the government =
has
said about housing in their throne speech. I suppose it’s good that h=
ousing
is the first issue raised in the throne speech; I just wish that tangible
solutions were given.
The Yukon Party says prosperous tim= es are here and they describe the housing crisis as a pressing challenge. It’= ;s more than just a challenge for those struggling to pay the rent or forced to live in substandard hotel units; it’s a grim existence, a hard realit= y. These Yukoners deserve more from their government. The Yukon Party hand-pic= ks a few housing projects they will support and dismisses others without ever providing the rationale for their choices. They said they’re acting on the housing crisis as they released a request for expressions of interest. = How does a request for expressions of interest meet that immediate need? Develo= pers are being asked to submit a proposal for land development that would have t= hem acting as landlords to affordable housing units, but not until January of 2= 013. The onus of responsibility is being passed yet again. This government lacks= a vision, a clear housing strategy, aside from identifying the private sector= in terms of increasing the supply of affordable housing.
We in the Official Opposition want =
to see a
housing strategy. We need to be strategic and focused to address the many
housing needs. A housing strategy would address the lack of affordable rent=
al
housing and plot a course to correct the situation. A housing strategy would
look at the high cost of home ownership and issues Yukoners face around
financing their mortgages. A housing strategy would look at the solutions to
care for the hard-to-house population. We have a lot of reports on this iss=
ue.
We asked Dr. Beaton and Chief Allen to study how we treat acutely intoxicat=
ed
persons at risk.
They presented their report, the Be= aton and Allen report. Why are they not following it? Why isn’t the Beaton and Allen report a major plank in a comprehensive housing strategy?
A housing strategy would look at ou= r social housing needs, our social housing stock and waiting lists. A housing strate= gy would look at existing government facilities that sit empty and put them in= to emergency use. A housing strategy would look at the rather shoddy housing conditions in the territory and look at whether our building code or other regulatory frameworks are up to snuff in terms of our needs for well-built, healthy buildings.
A housing strategy would look at improvement to consumer protection so that new home buyers or those who pay= for substantial renovations can have reasonable guarantees of the quality of th= at construction. A housing strategy would place updating the Landlord and Tenant Act high on the list of priorities. We would be crafting a residential tenancy act, which would clearly spell out rights and responsibilities for both landlords and tenants.
There was nothing in the throne spe= ech about implementing the Landlord and Tenant Act recommendations, even though it was in the platform. We hope the government will retain this pled= ge. The work on the Landlord and Tenant Act has been done and now we nee= d to act on those recommendations sooner rather than later.
In the absence of a housing strateg= y, the government repeats a litany of projects from their platform, and I’m = not saying they’re not welcomed — student housing and the Mayo seni= ors complex are just a few. There are some head-scratchers: is the announcement we’re working with the Salvation Army a response to the Beaton and Al= len report? Project announcements aren’t a substitute for vision.<= /p>
As Environment critic for the Offic=
ial
Opposition, I was intrigued by an item in the throne speech dealing with Yu=
kon
Energy Corporation’s controversial waste-energy concept for electrical
generation. The
As a waste-management option, recyc= ling has proven to be more cost effective than waste energy. Yukon Energy is throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars on a waste-energy scheme which, according to all the research, would only produce a fraction of the energy = that we need — and at what cost? Dioxins and furans, both poisons, are cre= ated in the cooling process following the burning of ordinary paper and plastic. These poisons are dangerous at extremely low levels and modern day technolo= gy does a poor job of reducing these emissions into the atmosphere. The propos= ed locations of Riverdale and downtown are both highly populated and sit in the basin. We have all seen what happens to wood smoke in the winter. How would this be different?
What happens when we don’t ha=
ve
enough garbage to burn? We turn to biomass, or, in plain English, wood. A r=
enewable
resource is described as any resource that can regenerate itself naturally =
over
time. The growing time in the
One of my critic areas within the O=
fficial
Opposition is as youth critic, looking at the Youth Directorate, talking to
youth and various youth organizations and raising their issues and concerns.
We’re lucky in the
The NDP caucus believes in improvin=
g our
democracy in ensuring that affected groups participate in the decision-maki=
ng.
Youth are not just our future. They are part of our here and now and need t=
o be
part of our economy, our political life and our plans.
That is why we continue to push for representative youth council to involve youth and their organizations and representatives to identify priorities for government action. I’ve go= ne into some negatives of what I heard and didn’t hear in the throne spe= ech, but I want to end with a highlight — something I heard that I believe= is really positive, and I quote: “My government remains committed to practising open, accountable, fiscally responsible government and to working constructively with all members of the House to improve the operation of its committees and the proceedings of the Legislature.” I like that. We a= re pleased to hear this pledge from the government. We look forward to working with them on improving how our Legislature functions in terms of making it = more accountable and accessible to the public, where questions aren’t desi= gned to embarrass and answers are forthright and honest. We look forward to work= ing in an environment where mutual respect and a desire to put the interest of = the people comes first, before ego and posturing, where we, as elected official= s, will lead by example, understanding that although we represent our views, we all represent the people of the Yukon.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Mr. Speaker, it’s a pleasure = to rise here in response to the throne speech. I’d like to begin first a= nd foremost by thanking my constituents for re-electing me for a third term. <= o:p>
I look forward to continuing to wor= k with them over the next five years. It has been an honour and a pleasure to serve them for the past nine.
I would also like to begin by thank= ing the many people who have helped me to get here and who have helped me throughout the years, including all of my current and past constituents, who voted for= me during the past nine years, and of course the people who have taken time fr= om their lives to dedicate their time and effort and make contributions to my re-election. It’s very much appreciated, particularly those who took significant amounts of time to help me in this last election campaign.
I’d like to also begin by tha= nking my family for their support, help and advice over the past nine years and befo= re. I’d like to especially thank my parents and my sister Jeanine. Without her efforts this past year — well, she put a tremendous amount of time and effort into assisting me this year, which I very much appreciate.
I would also like to thank the many= staff who have helped me over the years, and I include with that both the staff of the political offices and the staff of departments.
Although there are too many who hav= e put in tremendous efforts for me to name everyone individually, I’d like to = give a special thank you to the four people who have served me as executive assistants during that time and whose advice and help have been vital to me during that time period, those being Warren, Val, Rosie, and a fourth, whose name I’m pleased to not be permitted to speak since he’s now the MLA for Copperbelt North and the Minister of Environment and Economic Devel= opment. I very much appreciate the assistance of all of them throughout the years.<= o:p>
In talking to the throne speech, I = would like to highlight a few other areas that are priorities for my constituents that I committed to working on. Again, I could go on at great length about = the issues that are important to my constituents, but these include improving l= and planning and the processes around land, which are also a priority for this government; supporting agriculture; continuing to invest in infrastructure, including roads and wells; continuing support for the rural well program; continuing to improve and expand our cell service network and, of course, t= he other priorities important to my constituents in the territory as a whole, including health care, the education system, justice and the list goes on.<= /span>
I’d like to set the context in
reminding people where we came from. In 2002, the
I’m looking forward to contin= uing to —
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Hon. Mr. Cathers: I try to compliment the Member for Whitehorse West and I’m hearing comments from the northern — or, what shall we say? We’ll move on. I see the heckling has started alre= ady.
I’m looking forward to contin=
uing to
work with staff at the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. I certain=
ly enjoyed
serving with them as minister in the past and look forward to continuing in=
the
future.
I would also like to — speaki= ng of those who have provided support over the years — give recognition to = the staff of the Legislative Assembly and of Hansard. I appreciate the e= ffort they put into not only assisting me but also putting up with me over the ye= ars. I look forward to working with them over the next five years as well.
When we were first elected in 2002,=
It also includes other pressures re=
lated to
housing and land availability — including the availability of housing=
. I
remind members opposite who express concern about the shortage of housing a=
nd
the pressures in that area that if they take a look at the statistics and t=
he
very dramatic growth in the population of the
What also must be pointed out is th= at under the NDP and Liberal governments we had a very different type of housing cri= sis. There was not a shortage of available housing; there was a shortage of buye= rs for that housing and housing prices were in dramatic decline. So I do want = to emphasize to members — not to diminish the issues that we face today — that it is far better to have the problems associated with a strong economy than to have the problems associated with a declining and in fact, = at that point, a collapsing economy, where there are no jobs for your friends, your family, your communities and those whom you care about.
That was the situation we were in i= n 2002. So, again, we do recognize the need to take additional steps. That is why e= xpanding the availability of housing, including addressing the major element needed = to improve the availability of housing; that being availability of lots and la= nd is a priority for this government. This was outlined in the throne speech a= nd outlined in our platform under the heading of “Providing Land for all Yukoners”.
Now, one thing that I also will poi=
nt out
to new members of the House is that there has been the expression by some t=
hat
perhaps we should have put something in the throne speech other than what we
promised in the election campaign. I would note and remind those who may no=
t be
aware that, in fact, the throne speech is supposed to be the high-level vis=
ion
for government going forward and, in my view, it should be exactly what a p=
arty
promises to the public in the election campaign. That is exactly what is
reflected here. We are committed to implementing our election platform.
I know that members of this House f= rom different parties have very passionate viewpoints and, in some areas, viewpoints that differ from our own, but they should also recognize that, w= hile we do want to work with them, we are committed to implementing our election platform and are not going to implement their election platforms.
I would also like to mention one sp= ecific concern raised by the member who spoke before me, the Member for McIntyre-Takhini. I believe she expressed the concern of using recyclables = for energy projects. I would emphasize that, while the Yukon Energy Corporation= has done some work considering that, as the Premier has made clear and I want to make clear today, burning of recyclables for energy is not something this government supports. We believe that recyclables are best put into recycling programs.
We began the election campaign by
committing to something that is important to
We are also committed to maintainin=
g key
financial agreements with
I’d also like to mention the = success that the Premier had in late summer in fulfilling one of the commitments he made in the leadership campaign, that of working with the federal governmen= t to achieve their agreement for an increase in the resource revenue cap. I̵= 7;m pleased that Prime Minister Harper did announce that the federal government will raise that to roughly $40 million, compared to the current level it si= ts at under the devolution transfer agreement. It’s a rather dramatic increase to see our cap go up from $3 million, for example, for revenues for minerals, to a new level of $40 million.
We are also committed to continuing= to work with the federal government and work with provinces and with territories in= as cooperative a manner as we can. That has been an emphasis of the Yukon Party since 2002 and will continue to be going forward. We will not always reach agreement with those governments, but are committed to engaging with them as positively as we can, reaching agreement where we can and working together = on issues of mutual interest to our citizens.
In providing the housing that I ref=
erred to
— our commitment to providing more housing or increasing the amount a=
vailable
to Yukoners — one part of it includes a commitment to making more land
available. That includes taking on new processes for disposing of land to t=
he
private sector and making it available. That entails titling a piece of lan=
d,
We are also committed to providing = more housing units to low-income Yukoners, including building a youth shelter in Whitehorse; constructing a new seniors complex in Mayo; replacing McDonald Lodge in Dawson City with a new facility that will be attached to the new Dawson City hospital; providing $4.5 million for second-stage housing for Kaushee’s Place in Whitehorse; providing $2 million for Options for Independence to expand its current complex for adults with FASD from six un= its to 24 units; providing $2.57 million for a new seniors Abbeyfield complex in Whitehorse; $2.2 million for Takhini duplexes; $5.9 million for double-wide trailer replacements and making land available to Yukon College to construct new student residences.
Another area I’d like to talk= about is the importance of continuing to support families who are caring for seni= ors and children with disabilities. One of the commitments we made in the elect= ion and have reaffirmed in the throne speech is our commitment to provide new supports for people looking after sick or disabled family members, including adults and seniors needing extra care and children with severe disabilities= .
We recognize that families caring f=
or a
parent, grandparent or child with disabilities face many challenges and
additional costs to the household budget. We are committed to continuing to
help them provide their loved ones with the care they need and to build on =
the
supports that we have previously implemented.
Our new commitments include establi=
shing a
new caregiver tax credit for families caring for a relative with disability,
including seniors and adults and children with severe disabilities. We are =
also
committed to providing additional funding for therapies, as well as money f=
or
specialized equipment ramps and lifts to assist disabled children and expand
family supports through the children with disabilities program. I’d l=
ike
to mention that program, and highlight it, as well, as a program I was plea=
sed,
as the then Minister of Health and Social Services, to be able to work with
families who were involved, to work with the department, and to develop and
implement a program that was aimed at assisting children with disabilities,
including autism, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Down syndrome.
I’d also like to recognize the work that the Member for Porter Creek =
South
put into that as the then president of Autism Yukon and both the passion and
dedication that he brought to the table, as well as other parents and famil=
ies
who put their time into this and the specialists and therapists who provided
their efforts and their work into developing and ultimately implementing th=
at
program.
Another area that is very important=
within
the Yukon Party’s election platform, within our throne speech and, of
course, important to my constituents and, really, people in each and every
riding in the territory, is improving access to health care. In 2006, I had=
the
pleasure and honour of launching as the then Minister of Health and Social
Services our health human resource strategy to attract new doctors and nurs=
es
to the territory. That strategy was effective. We also committed in the
election campaign to increasing the support for that strategy through the
development of a new health human resource strategy. That includes doubling=
the
family physician incentive program to $100,000 over five years for physicia=
ns
who have recently graduated in exchange for working in the Yukon —tha=
t,
of course, is for recent graduates of a Canadian medical institution —
and creating a new family physician recruitment incentive to help medical
clinics with the cost of recruiting and supporting new doctors. Under that
incentive, family practices will receive $20,000 per new doctor in the first
year and an additional $40,000 if the doctor completes five years of servic=
e in
the
That of course is to create an ince= ntive to get them more involved in the recruitment process and recognize the costs t= hat are placed upon a medical clinic to recruit and support those new doctors, = and it also recognizes the importance of the role they play in that process.
We have also committed to increasin=
g our
successful medical education bursary by 50 percent to $15,000 per year for =
We have also committed to increasin=
g the
nursing education bursary by 50 percent to $7,500 per year, and to increasi=
ng
the health profession education bursary by 50 percent to $7,500 per year for
Yukoners training for other health professions. I believe the total number =
of
The Minister of Health and Social S=
ervices
just recently announced the most recent bursaries, which takes the number to
roughly 65 or 69 who have currently been assisted through the program. Agai=
n,
this is a made-in-Yukon program, developed through the work of the Departme=
nt
of Health and Social Services, which has assisted
Another area we touched on in the e=
lection
platform was a commitment to continuing to support the hospital and to supp=
orting
the needs emerging as a result of their campus review of facilities, which
includes the need for facilities for a new MRI machine and the need to begin
moving forward with expanding the emergency room. It is an area, through wo=
rk
that has been done to date in the satellite specialist clinic, that has
significantly increased the number of Yukoners who are receiving specialist
procedures in the territory.
I don’t have the numbers in f= ront of me, but the number has dramatically increased over the period of time since= we were first elected. It is an area that we have committed to continue to support. If members are interested in the numbers, they will find the numbe= rs referring to the increase in specialist procedures addressed the last time = the Hospital Corporation appeared before the House, which I believe was the spr= ing of this year.
Mr. Speaker, there are many areas o=
f the
As we have emphasized throughout the election campaign and will continue to emphasize going forward, we believe that, when political debate becomes unnecessarily polarized and politicized= , it detracts from the issues that are really important to Yukon citizens and ignores the fact that we believe that most Yukoners actually share common values. I can tell you that over the past nine years and in going to the doorstep in this election campaign, hearing from and working with constitue= nts throughout that time period, I firmly believe that most Yukoners value wilderness beauty and healthy ecosystems, and also want a strong, diversifi= ed economy that provides employment for their friends, families and communitie= s.
We are focused on respecting that d=
irection
from Yukon citizens, on continuing to support the diversification of the
economy, recognizing the value of the mining sector, recognizing that havin=
g a
strong mining sector is so vital to the Yukon’s economic success, and
also recognizing the potential for increased development in other areas,
including agriculture, tourism, big-game outfitting, the knowledge economy =
and
the creative economy, to name but a few.
Again, I want to emphasize my belie= f in the importance of these sectors and our commitment to supporting and working wi= th all those sectors of the economy to try to come up with solutions that real= ly foster an environment for success in those areas and allow the private sect= or and Yukon citizens to take actions to make use of the opportunities —= a better way to put it — to develop those areas for their own good and = the good of their families and their communities.
We have also committed to putting m= ore support into addictions recovery, including replacing the aging Sarah Steele Building with a larger, more modern facility that provides space and resour= ces to support an after-care program for people coming out of the 28-day program and putting more resources toward youth alcohol and drug programming. Of course, another important part in that is the linkage between addictions is= sues and mental health.
During my past time as Minister of =
Health
and Social Services, we significantly increased the resources for mental
health. There continues to be pressures in those areas, which we recognize.=
I
know that my colleague, the Minister of Health and Social Services, and sta=
ff
in his department are working on it. It is also important to recognize what=
has
been done to date, including the development of the secure medical facility=
at
the
We have also increased the resource=
s available
for mental health services, including going from one psychiatrist to three =
and
increasing the mental health clinicians, including two rural mental health =
clinicians
and a mental health clinician focused on youth. Early intervention for youth
psychosis was another program funded under what was then referred to as the
territorial health access fund and has since been retitled the “terri=
torial
health system sustainability initiative” under its successor agreemen=
t.
Those services — mental health
services, other counselling services and in some cases, diagnostic services
— are also provided through the telehealth network, which is something
that the Yukon Party, during my time as Minister of Health — we became
the second jurisdiction in Canada, second after Nunavut, to make a teleheal=
th
network available in each and every community and within all of our communi=
ty
nursing stations and hospital facilities. That has served as an important t=
ool
that allows, in some cases, easier access to services and allows reduced co=
sts,
because in some cases, the counseling and dialogue can occur without requir=
ing
somebody to travel on the highways from rural
The 811 Yukon HealthLine is another= area that was established back during my time as Health minister and I’m pleased to see it continue forward. It has provided, again, increased access for Yukoners to health care services and advice in their homes, which I fir= mly believe is a very good thing — to provide people more access and more information to take control of their health care needs.
Other areas that we have committed =
to in
the throne speech and within the election platform include enhancing our ho=
me
care program to help seniors stay in their homes longer. We believe
that’s what most seniors and elders want. That’s certainly what=
we
tend to hear from people who are facing the potential need for those servic=
es.
We believe that that is the appropriate thing to do — help people care
for themselves, provide increased home care services and provide additional
supports, in some cases, for minor home renovations. We’re also commi=
tted
to continuing to support childcare and early learning, including strengthen=
ing
the licensed childcare system by helping to address training and retention
needs and creating a new parenting and early development resource centre. I
would like to credit a member of the childcare community who happens to be a
constituent of mine for coming up with that idea and developing it into
something she made us aware of. We are pleased to be able to commit to this=
and
look forward to implementing it.
Another area I would like to touch =
on is
implementing of the Yukon Solid Waste Action Plan. This is focused on
ensuring the creation of a state-of-the-art solid-waste management system to
adapt to the changing needs of future generations of
The throne speech commits to —= ; as we committed to in the election — promoting the territory’s econom= ic mainstays, such as mining — both hard rock and placer — support= ing tourism, to supporting oil and gas and to providing additional support and economic diversifications in other sectors, including agriculture, arts and culture, film and sound, forestry, wilderness tourism, outfitting and trapp= ing, research and development, knowledge-based industries and value-added manufa= cturing.
We’re also committed to maint=
aining
the
We have also committed to the devel=
opment
of a natural gas industry. We are committed to supporting the development of
the Yukon’s own natural resources and oil and gas, but also recognizi=
ng
that if the potential that is believed to be there and hoped to be there in
areas, including the north Yukon, does not meet the Yukon electrical demand=
, in
the medium term, even the baseload is going to require additional steps.
Natural gas, while not as green of = an option as hydro, is certainly preferable to burning diesel. It’s both= a cheaper alternative and one that emits less carbon.
An important part of all of this is= also putting in place that network that does encourage people, both on a small a= nd larger scale, to invest in alternatives like solar power, wind and hydro, a= nd that is exactly what the net metering policy and independent power producer policy are aimed at doing — encouraging that small-scale investment b= y adding additional green energy to our electrical system.
Another element committed to within=
the
throne speech and mentioned earlier today, both by my colleague the Ministe=
r of
Environment, and by my colleague the Member for Pelly-Nisutlin, is the
This is also going to build on the
important infrastructure component in the investments that have occurred in=
the
past, such as public water projects, development of wells and, of course, t=
he
continued support, which we finished during the election campaign, for a
program that is near and dear to me and to my constituents, that being the
rural domestic water well program, which was something that was proposed to=
me
and brought forward as an issue by constituents during the first term I was
elected. I’m pleased that it has come into being and has been a very
successful program. It has provided a long list of
The water strategy commitments, as I
alluded to, to increase our information and data, are an important part of =
understanding
— especially our groundwater resources — understanding the effe=
cts
on aquifers. We also recognize the need for managing our surface water and
ensuring that we have an integrated approach from all involved
I’d also like to mention the
importance of supporting agriculture. In a motion I tabled in this House
yesterday, which now sits on the Order Paper, I confirmed the government=
217;s
commitment to continuing to support the development of the
There are other sectors of the terr=
itory
— notably in the Haines Junction area and around McQuesten and in the=
Dawson
area — that have a lot of agricultural potential, but really, it̵=
7;s
certainly something that — throughout the Yukon — the ability to
grow food, whether on a small scale through a personal garden, or on a larg=
er
scale, is an important part of improving access to local food and an import=
ant
component of improving food security — increasing the supply of local=
ly grown
food.
In our election platform, in the th=
rone
speech, and in the motion I tabled yesterday, we have recommitted to working
with farmers and industry associations, including the Yukon Agricultural
Association and Growers of Organic Food Yukon to implement the agriculture =
multi-year
development plan; committed to developing a Yukon-grown food policy aimed at
significantly increasing the production and use of locally grown vegetables,
meat and food products; supporting the development of agriculture
infrastructure that improves food security, facilitates access to market and
encourages local production of food; and supporting the development of loca=
l markets
for Yukon agricultural products through measures, including increasing the
annual funding for the Fireweed Community Market and, of course, continuing=
to
work with Yukon farmers to conduct agricultural research.
We believe that’s important f=
or food
security. We believe it’s also good for the economy and diversifying =
that
sector. And with the increasing public desire to have access to locally gro=
wn,
healthy foods, continuing to develop this sector of the economy will be an
increasingly important part of the
Mr. Speaker, I believe you are sign= alling that my time is getting close to an end, so I will have to wrap up my remar= ks. I look forward to the next five years of continuing to work with my colleag= ues. Before wrapping up, I would be remiss if I did not thank the Premier for the honour of being appointed as Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources; minis= ter responsible for Yukon Development Corporation and Yukon Energy Corporation and as Gover= nment House Leader. I look forward to serving in those capacities and continuing = to work with all my colleagues in delivering good government for Yukoners and working with other members of the House on initiatives where we can. Thank = you, Mr. Speaker.
INTRODUCTION OF VISITO=
RS
Ms. McLeod:̳=
5; I would like all members to help me wel=
come
to the gallery a constituent of mine, Leanna Hougen.
Applause
Mr. Barr: ̳=
4; I am honoured to rise today as MLA =
for Lorne-Southern Lakes
We were talking about that last wee= k and, you know, another member — you know, as a human being, I sold CDs at = his store that he sold — and I might say that they haven’t replaced= the ones and it’s sold out. Maybe you could talk with them.
You know, there’s also the Me=
mber for
Actually, I first came here to the =
When I speak to the rest of the fol= ks whom I’m honoured to be a part of — and I see our other colleague who has just sat down — I remember when you were Justice minister and ack= nowledging me that I had done something as far as when I used to volunteer for the jus= tice committee way back many years ago around Carcross.
I extend my thanks to everyone and = to those I haven’t mentioned, I look forward to getting to know you as a human being, really, so that we can proceed as human beings outside of this ̵= 2; I would like to have coffee and do that kind of thing. I believe that is what= has helped me: when I needed it most, people extended themselves as human beings and I was able to work with them and with others to achieve a common goal a= nd that was, I believe, for the good of all the people I came into contact wit= h. As we all have stated here, that’s what we want to do. That’s w= hy we’re here to do that.
People loved me until I could love =
myself.
What can I say? That might sound kind of corny and I never would have thoug=
ht
10 years ago I would be an elected person, let alone saying something like =
that
publicly. When I was first thinking about doing this, I had been involved w=
ith
a lot of grassroots work in the territory from the Southern Lakes Justice C=
ommittee,
back before we had our first circle sentencing.
I was a group home parent for many =
years
— a single male with eight co-ed teens in Riverdale. That was an
experience I’ll never forget. I might add that back then, there was a
parent model. It was a parent model. That’s why I was a single parent.
Since then, we’ve evolved to staffed group homes. I’ve brought =
up
over the years that, as we move forward, sometimes we forget the stuff that
works. So, I’d like to call upon the government to maybe reintroduce
parent model group homes. What that did was allow me to take some of the gu=
ys
fishing, some of the folks to watch a movie at the house, invite some frien=
ds
over, some to sleep over, some to cook their meals, some to go grocery shop=
ping
— or I could go to the classroom, and on and on. Today, we don’t
have those opportunities. What I say is that if we’re asking our yout=
h of
today to grow, then we have to provide the opportunities for them to grow a=
nd
be responsible.
As it stands today, we threw out th= e baby with the bath water is what I’m saying. You might get a year’s extension to be in a staffed, supervised group home, but not the opportunit= y to actually evolve as a responsible young adult in our community who can stay = at home by themselves when they’re not feeling well. As a parent, I can trust and devolve trust in those relationships, so that we’re not just plunked out there as someone who hasn’t had a chance to process what = it is like to be on your own.
So there are many things that I hav= e seen that are progress. I can’t say enough about the staff that work in th= ese fields. Even when I think of corrections today — before I get too far ahead of myself, I haven’t thanked the people that put me here. I wou= ld be so remiss if I didn’t acknowledge my family who stood by me through thick and thin, who disagreed with me, but loved me enough to tell me the s= tuff I didn’t want to hear. Yet, somehow it sunk through this thick skull = and I became teachable. I became willing to listen and learn and then, within my own process, to start to practice some of the things I did not want to do. = We may be asked to do that here, because we certainly do have differences of opinions at times. That’s why I really pursue this human being thing, because if we can’t do that, then we’re going to be at loggerhe= ads a lot. They did do that.
I remember the first time I ran as =
a MLA in
2006 for Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes. I was not a member of any party. Mr.
Hardy, who has since passed, was totally unaware that I might want to becom=
e an
MLA, let alone for the NDP. I thought of running as an independent. I was j=
ust
fed up with how things were running in the government, being a grassroots
worker and seeing programs such as CAIRS start — which I might add wa=
s an
aboriginal healing foundation — the $365 million that put forward wou=
ld
solve all the historic intergenerational land effects of residential school
survivors. In five years, that would be done.
I couldn’t even get the money=
off the
ground to organize it within the communities in those five years. It had to=
be
extended for two more years and then three more years. CAIRS was funded bec=
ause
it was one of the most innovative social programs in this country, here in =
the
That foundation I spoke of — =
as we
think of foundations — should be lifelong. However, the
government’s best thinking of the day, even though they called it =
212;
this is the federal government, not territorial; no points there — is=
it
had to be spent. We wanted to just live and work off the interest. First
Nations have lots of great ideas. It’s another way; if we can listen,=
we
can learn. Now, of course, they received a year’s grace. When you wal=
k 20
miles into the bush, you have to walk 20 miles out, if we’re thinking
about residential schools starting in this territory and in
We may have touched on the survival= part of it, but we certainly haven’t touched on the intergenerational effects= of these schools and supporting First Nations with their agreements and implementing self-government agreements to fulfill their own destiny.
I can be passionate and I can forge=
t where
I come from — you know, there I go — forgetting that I had all
these volunteers helping me be here. I had Boyd Pyper just cheering me on t=
he
whole time. I had people driving out from
My sister — I was thinking ba=
ck on
that first time — it was her and I and Eleanor Millard, pretty much
— and Drew. He helped out some there.
I was on my crutches with my one-le= gged dog — he had only three legs. I told Todd I was running for this party, so that happened — and I won’t go into that. There I was trying to= get up the hill with my sign to stick it in the ground, and Eleanor pulls up an= d says, “Can I help you?” Then she continued that first time around. It= was out of frustration that we weren’t listening to each other really. I = know that we are all in here for the hearts. So when she stopped and did that, I lost by 38 votes to the honourable member who preceded me from Southern Lak= es, which led to me being invited to run in the federal election, where I was l= ast. It wasn’t about winning; it was about doing it, just taking part, not sitting on the couch with that famous tee-shirt I used to see, that everyon= e is an expert from the armchair — that kind of thing. I’m just goin= g to continue to try to do my best.
I want my constituents to know that= , in the spirit of Steve Cardiff, who passed away earlier, who I’m sure would = have won this riding — I have no doubt. I had no intention of seeking the nomination this time around, but with his tragic passing, I reconsidered th= at. Yet I have no doubt that, because of his tireless work and endless accountability efforts — I mean, at one point, he was the only guy sitting over there as the Third Party, with all the areas — and I thi= nk I have lots to do.
When I was at the door, the constit=
uents of
I would like to say that
As the member opposite was saying, =
there
has been infrastructure put in place in Carcross. I’d like to say tha=
nks
for that. I would like to say that it has been a long time coming and
there’s a lot more to do. When I think of the per capita of people who
drive through, that port of entry has the largest number of people who enter
the
When I remember standing and speaki=
ng to
the government of the day as we are going across for the justice thing, I s=
aid,
“Look at that house over there — the condition of that house, w=
hich
is a First Nation house.” The first thing you see as you come into
Carcross is stapled cardboard to insulate it from the winter — stapled
cardboard. I said, “We want to promote tourism in this territory? We
should do something about that, don’t you think?” Let alone the
conditions of, at that time, unemployment in that area, which was about 95
percent. It is still high. In rural communities in the Yukon
I think of situations with the First Nations that have not finalized their agreements. When I was going door to = door, they said that they feel like because they haven’t signed, they are b= eing penalized for not having signed. What is with that? Because I want to follo= w my path, how is it that when you hold the stick, you don’t have to liste= n. I think that’s unfair in our relationships. It makes us not want to have faith in each other. There is a lack of trust with each other. I would encourage this, because I am not just a representative of Mount Lorne-South= ern Lakes, I am also asked to represent all Yukoners. I can’t forget that= . It is easy when we all do what we want to do together, but when we have opposi= ng views, especially with these First Nations — and they have been in th= is position for a long time — we need to listen and not try to force peo= ple to do what we want. We must listen and have compromises.
There are also ports of entry from =
I think that it’s important, = if we’re going to move forward, that we recognize that, and how we can w= ork forward and move forward with those final agreements.
As I was saying, in Carcross there&=
#8217;s
a carving studio now. It’s great. We’ve got the First Nations
development corporation, the store and the new First Nations building. We
don’t have a community centre. We’ve got one, but it’s ve=
ry
old. When I think of the wellness and the lack of — we do have a
community centre, sorry, but it’s very small and it doesn’t acc=
ommodate
the youth and the community for activities. I mean, the mountain’s gr=
eat
to slide on, but we need more than that, because we don’t really even
have a coffee shop. So when we want a community to be together, one of the =
good
things was that when we did have a coffee shop, you could at least be warm =
and
people could have a coffee. A community needs a heart. I speak this for all=
the
communities — and
When I was in
The local planning advisory committ= ee said, “Hey, we don’t want this. We don’t want it like that. We = do want some of this.” But at the end of the day, it wasn’t what w= as agreed upon. So now we’re starting that refinancing — and thanks for taking down a lot of those signs. I did send a letter to the minister a= nd thanked him for correcting some of these difficulties. We have lots more to= do in the springtime because we do live there. The heart of our community, basically — because we can’t meet at the stores — we go to the post office. Elders drive up there. We’ve always done that. If we= put a one-way street in a town that is used to passing across, we’re never going to see each other to wave hi and say, “How are you doing?” — because we park in the middle of the street. I mean, Carcross is Carcross, right? We stop and talk. I mean, people do that on the highways. = Can you imagine now? We can’t do that in Carcross. We cannot stop. We hav= e to — “Oh, I wonder who that was?” You know, our heart was wh= ere we stood out there in front. I was there with an elder and we parked at the stop sign where we usually stop there, prior to taking down some of the sig= ns, and he’s right at the stop sign. I said, “What are you doing? We’re at a stop sign.” He got out of the car. He said, “G= et out.” So I got out. We walked into the post office. I said, “You can’t park there. There is a stop sign right there.” He said, “I’m protesting.” I said, “I like this.” You know, I might have been charged, right? Good thing I wasn’t elected y= et. I don’t know, but I might be breaking the law in Carcross and, if I g= et caught, please understand — I’m not trying to be a real troublemaker, but sometimes we have to do some long-term thinking and take = care of the folks we’re serving.
I don’t know if I’m mak=
ing much
sense, but I better move on. One of the things I do know in the whole
territory, and that’s volunteers, not only in the Southern Lakes, but=
in
all areas of the
There were over 200 people at Kurt Gantner’s memorial. He was our fire chief in Tagish and he passed away not that long ago, leaving a fire scene. Some of the comments I heard after that was, when they were there trying to put out the fire, the Tagish and Carcross trucks were trying to empty their water into a pool because there&= #8217;s no standardization, for example, of the fire departments in the Yukon. We n= eed to standardize and at least give them the proper tools to work with, if we’re asking them to do this volunteer work. Volunteer fire departmen= ts in the territory are recognized as essential services — they are not. They don’t get the $3 to be on call, as ambulances do, as emergency services.
We need to recognize this. The reas=
on I
understand they’re not recognized as essential services is because th=
ey
don’t save lives, as an ambulance does. They’re saving property.
But I want you to know that, if I’m burning in my house — which
there isn’t enough training at this point in time or numbers of
volunteers who can actually legally go in to save me — we need to sup=
port
them in their training. That’s what I’m saying.
Even if they had the proper training — I would think — and they come in and they get me out — = or your daughter or your wife — or some of the children we’ve been talking about with disabilities here — and they couldn’t get ou= t, I would want that volunteer — I would think he was pretty essential at = that moment. Not pretty. I would think that, my god, if I had something to do ab= out it, and you weren’t essential, I’d be doing everything I could = to make sure you’re an essential service in my life and not taken for granted for the lack of training. That’s all around the territory. = span>
I was honoured to be at the emergen=
cy
services banquet earlier and present an honourary award to Bruce Harder, wh=
o is
a neighbour, who volunteered, not only on the fire department — emerg=
ency
rescue, the ambulance — but on everything you could imagine, and if y=
ou
needed a cord of wood and you didn’t have the money, he’d bring=
you
that too. He didn’t build a road into where the caribou were living b=
ack
there in Tagish — not for money. Because he knew that if that road we=
nt
in there all the caribou that we had been working to save for the last many
years — all that work would be gone. That herd is up to nearly 2,000 =
now.
It was down to 350.
We have to think, I believe, as gov=
ernment
— and I would like to mention that — oh, there is so much more =
that
I would like to say. I haven’t even got to
I would like to extend, in closing,=
my
appreciation to the Creator for me standing here today. I call him The Grea=
t Mystery.
Some people I know call him “Her” or “Him” — =
whichever.
I believe it’s all the same for all of us. Part of my spiritual learn=
ing,
with my First Nation ancestry — the reason that I say human beings is
that my mother was First Nation, Ojibway and Irish; my father was Scottish =
and
German on my grandmother’s side. So growing up, I wasn’t liked =
by
— well, I got the brunt of it everywhere that I went. In grade 6, whe=
n I
transferred I was circled by all the non-native kids [member makes whoop=
ing
sound]. There must have been 50 or 60 of them. It was an awful experien=
ce.
I’ve been within First Nations and it wasn’t good sometimes the=
re
either. I’m a human being first and we all are. That’s why I wa=
nted
to say, please, let’s all come together as human beings; go for coffe=
e.
We were hugging at the Arts Centre, some members across the floor, and I ho=
pe
to continue to do that. I just am grateful to be standing here today as a h=
uman
being.
I would like to thank you all.
[Member spoke in native language= . Text unavailable].
I would like to say mahsi’ ch= o, günilschish — and in my Ojibwa ancestry — miigwetch.
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: Mr. Speaker, I would like to congra= tulate you. You’re a veteran, and I’m a veteran. I’m sure order = and decorum will be the utmost pristine — what the military would like to see.
First of all, I would like to thank= my constituents — everybody who voted for me and the people who didnR= 17;t vote for me — they’re all my constituents now. My family —= ; my wife and my two children are very important to me. It’s going to be a real honour to serve everyone here.
I would like to congratulate all of= the new MLAs and some of the older MLAs coming back for another seat — I think it’s really good. Also, our former Yukon Party MLA, Mr. Brewster R= 12; I don’t know if anybody noticed — put an article in the paper c= ongratulating the Yukon Party on their third consecutive term win. I would like to thank = them and also congratulate them, and I would like to thank the Premier and the t= eam for the opportunity to be the Minister of Highways and Public Works.
As most of you probably know, my
grandmother was Hilda Watson. She was the first lady to lead a political pa=
rty
in
The Kluane riding — let’=
;s talk
about that. It’s a pretty big riding. For the last 5,000 years,
Europeans first explored over the C=
hilkoot
and into the interior. In the late 1800s, Jack Dalton, an American, who mos=
t of
you know as an explorer, was in the area from 1894 to 1896 and established a
series of trading posts in the interior, and then a pack trail over the Chi=
lkat
Pass to where everybody met up with the Chilkoot Trail to the gold fields. =
One
of his trading posts, Dalton Post, was on the
All the stuff I spoke to, basically=
now
I’ll speak to as part of my riding. Now, modern day — the
This is also the traditional territ=
ory of
the
Further northwest, you arrive at =
span>Canada
That’s a pretty big riding, a= nd I put a lot of miles on, as did my cohorts in crime, Eric Stinson, Tim Cant and Gerald Dixon. We fought a hard fight out there and we travelled a lot on th= at highway. We know what the highway is like.
My history a little bit, in my comm=
unity
— as one of the older members in the House here brought up, I am a
Conservative and I have also been known a little bit as a redneck. That came across at the door a few=
times
and I brought up to them that I am, because my father is from the farmlands=
of
Mr. Speaker, my early life — I
started off, worked at an early age; my family built the store. I can remem=
ber
working in the store. My parents tried to get permission for me to leave sc=
hool
on Fridays. Every Friday was freight day. We got a lot of fight from the
school. They were going to — “We’re going to fail you,=
221;
and all the rest of this. But I kept good marks in school and I got Fridays
off. We found a bit of a balance there, I guess. Working in the store from a
tender age, I would drive elders of First Nations and non-First Nations to =
I spent many years working in the c=
ommunity
with a lot of different stuff. I’m adopted into a First Nation family=
. I
helped the family out when I was young and, when we had the store, I drove a
lot of First Nation members around. We worked and co-existed together.
I’m very active in the Canadian Rangers and always will be, as with t=
he
Legion. I spent many years in the military when I was young, travelled
My son is working in
I want to talk a little bit about s=
ome of
the boards and committees in the national park in our neck of the woods. I =
was
on the Alsek Renewable Resources Council and I saw a lot when it comes to s=
ome of
the things I heard from the speaker before me. When we talk about the land =
and
our environment, when we talk about our species of animals and stuff like t=
hat,
I’ve seen us not be able to — I’ve gone to renewable
resources council meetings, where I looked at a 50-minute beautiful statist=
ics
presentation on everything about the Porcupine caribou herd. The second
statement in there says, “We will not be talking about wolves.”=
The
politics of the day — just because somebody doesn’t like it, an=
d it
makes it to the newspaper, we can’t do complete management of our
animals.
But we need to look at that. I̵=
7;m a
firm believer in that. We’ve heard from the Member for Pelly-Nisutlin
about the moose populations and we hear it in my area. We’ve been on a
permit hunt there since 1983 and we really need to look at how we do our
management. We need to set politics aside and let the locals — the el=
ders
and the local councils — come forward with proposals. Just because th=
ey
screwed everything up in
I also would caution this, because I
remember my grandfather telling me — he was on the local improvement
district and was the chair — and when Parks Canada came, they said,
“Look at Banff and Jasper. You’re just going to be inundated wi=
th
more people and money and business opportunities.” My grandfather, un=
til
the day he passed away, was kicking his butt for not making the
We are finding it very difficult. I=
sat on
the Kluane Park Management Board, and they brought forward that the demogra=
phics
of people are down. No longer is it the five nights’ stay in the nati=
onal
park and enjoy the wilderness. It’s not like that, whether you are
talking about
I want to talk a little bit about s=
ome of
the issues I heard on the campaign trail. We don’t have to talk about=
the
Infrastructure upgrades — I
campaigned big on it. We have diesel generators everywhere in Beaver Creek,
Burwash and
At the lodge I was working at, we p= ut over $100,000 a year in diesel fuel into it. There’s no recent infrastruct= ure upgrades with power, and we talked about getting more green energy. I heard lots about addictions and mental health. Mental health is a big cure to our health system, if we can catch it early.
After-school programs, extended car=
e for
seniors — we’ve built a facility in Haines Junction, which peop=
le
are happy about, but we are looking at it for the long term with doctors. R=
CMP
— we had a bad incident a few months ago, toward the end of summer. We
almost lost an RCMP officer. I happened to be part of that whole ordeal, and
it’s not fun. Ambulance — we talk with the community a lot about
volunteerism. I spent a lot of time in my community, working with the
Not high-marking any more, sitting =
at the
bottom watching the young fellows, but safety and the rest of that stuff go=
es a
long way.
So I see a great opportunity in hav=
ing me
here. I’ve been around the community; I know a lot of people up and d=
own
the highway. Working with them all — working with the
So a lot of the platform issue stuf= f came up on the campaign trail — a lot of the stuff that the Yukon Party put forward I was happy to see, because it ties into some of the issues within = my riding and within everybody else’s riding.
I want to just go on a little bit a= bout — I’m doing well here. I’ve only got 11 pages left and I’m on page one. Just kidding.
Ministerial stuff — I once ag=
ain want
to thank the Premier. I have a lot of experience within highways, and not so
much the public works. I know a lot of people in there. But within highways
— I worked for Highways for 10 years, so I was very impressed to see =
that
the school bus company sent us a nice letter thanking us, because the school
busses were all safe and the roads were plowed for them. So I was pretty im=
pressed
with that.
A lot of people here probably don=
8217;t
know that a day does not go by where every single Yukoner is touched by one=
portion
of my department. There are over 900 employees. Every Yukoner — wheth=
er
it’s a highway, a road, a bridge, Supply Services, Corporate Services,
Property Management division, cellphones, Internet, communications. Some of=
the
priorities and some of the vision — I met a lot of different people, I
have a great team working with me and I’m going to get to working tog=
ether
here in a little bit about it. Some of the priorities for us are the greeni=
ng
of our government operations in support of the Climate Change Action Pla=
n.
That’s something that we’ve looked into. The
Through our Property Management div= ision, a database to track energy consumption has been developed to provide to busin= ess case information for the decision makers. Using LEED — leaders in ene= rgy and environmental design certification — with the new projects. Green energy-saving projects such as biomass, geothermal or biofuel, district hea= ting systems — this will help with energy consumption and reduction, Mr. Speaker.
Using risk assessment — which= was a big one I was tied into and I never thought much of it, because we have so = many departments within the government. Some of us here and across the House have worked in those departments, but used risk management on our entire infrastructure. Our department is looking at all the buildings. This will h= elp prioritize and acknowledge facilities that most need upgrades. Every depart= ment wants to be number one on upgrades but we have to look at the big picture. We’re going to be improving and modernizing our contracts and procure= ment services to ensure we meet adequate environmental standards, also promoting contract regulations, procedures and policies that are consistent for the l= ocal business community.
We’re going to use something =
that is
really interesting and I’m proud to say we’ll use our scale on
contractors to encourage
I say a good example is
One thing that I don’t know &=
#8212;
we were contracted by the federal government through the Canadian Border
Services Agency, and I’m proud to say that our Property Management di=
vision
managed the building of those infrastructures down the Haines Road at
Forty-eight Mile, and Canada Customs at Beaver Creek. They utilized us and =
paid
us to manage their facilities and we are doing quite well on that. The depa=
rtment
knows that there are issues that we have to deal with and we are looking at
them, but we are encouraged and looking at working with that. The risk asse=
ssment,
the multi-year plans for development of all our infrastructure, upgrades to
highways and bridges — we’ve heard it already. Somebody is look=
ing
for something here; somebody is looking there. There are only so many dolla=
rs,
but we need to have a plan on this, and a well-laid-out plan that we work
together on for infrastructure and all upgrades.
There are great ways of finding mon=
ey,
whether it’s for a rural road program, resource access roads program,
Build Canada — there’s a great way to partnership. On this,
it’s vital we work in partnership with
We put together a strategic plan an=
d there
are three strategic goals for our department, and three strategic goals for=
the
My department alone has over 900 em= ployees. When it comes to constituency services — some of the stuff that we he= ar from our constituents — I’ve already seen some stuff. I signed something off for the Member for Copperbelt South a little while ago — working together. I’m hoping that an issue from a constituent about a berm on a road doesn’t get brought up in the House, that I get a call from the office, so we can work together on this and get some of these issu= es done. Nine hundred employees: it’s not hard to say that maybe somebody might have a bad day at work or do the wrong thing at work and we have to be accountable for it in this Legislature as government. But working together, I’m sure we can deal with a lot of these issues and work together. = span>
So, again, I’m looking forwar=
d to
working with my counterparts. I’m pretty humbled by the fact that I
don’t know how a guy who likes snowmobiling and trapping and hunting =
and
fishing got to be here, but I’m going to work as hard as I can. IR=
17;m
really happy with the team. We spend a lot of time together and we’re
getting to know everybody quite well. I’m happy with my department.
I’m happy with my constituents. I have apologized to a lot of them
because I said I will never live in
I just want to state a couple of th=
ings.
Let’s not forget, when it comes to our youth, I’ve done a lot w=
ith
youth. Anybody can talk to me about youth. They’re our future and they
should be of the utmost importance, not forgetting the needs of our seniors=
and
elders, because those are who made us and made the
I just want to thank everybody, and that’s all I have. I could keep on for 10 more minutes, but sorry.
Mr. Silver:&= #8195; Let me begin by congratulating you, Mr. Speaker, on your new appointment. I believe you will prove to be an excellent representative for our Assembly. As a servant to a= ll MLAs, I trust you to bring a fair and honest approach to the Orders of the House, while protecting our rights to be heard.
I wish to also congratulate the oth= er 18 elected MLAs. Over the past few weeks, we’ve all managed to meet each other and, from these encounters, I am encouraged. With fair and objective attitudes, we enter into this Chamber. How we conduct ourselves from this d= ay forward will be our legacy and I am hopeful and confident in our potential.=
I am honoured to be standing here,
privileged with the responsibility of representing the people of the
What we have accomplished was no sm= all feat. We worked hard; we stayed positive and prevailed on our own merit. Our focus was on what we could accomplish together if we worked together and I = am here today as proof positive of such an ideal. This pedagogue I will bring forward to this caucus and to the House at large.
From elders to students, to all peo= ple in between, my team represented the most diverse group of Klondikers. I receiv= ed support from placer miners to environmentalists; from explorers to expedite= rs; to musicians and artists. There was not one sector of our community that I = did not draw upon. The one thing that binds us all is our love for our northern home and our vision for a stable future.
The
It connects us and it makes us who =
we are
and, when dire straits inevitably occur, we are selfless and we unite and d=
raw
strength from one another. This is the strong core needed for life in rural=
Whether you were born and raised th=
ere or
if you came from away, it takes a special type of resilient character to wa=
nt
to stay and live in
I love the fact that anybody can do
anything in
I pledge today that I will be up fr=
ont and
honest with all of you. My work ethic will be my strength and my focus will=
be
on accountability in government. I will work with the governing party and w=
ith
the Official Opposition to ensure progress. The people of the
As a critic, I plan on doing so, no=
t by
picking apart individuals’ characters and not by looking for a chance=
to
watch ministers fall.
I plan, instead, on holding the gov= ernment accountable for their promises. I will work diligently, researching and ana= lyzing their policies for inefficiencies. I will focus on helping to instill common sense in government regulations and policies. I will hold ministers account= able if they engage in inane practices or incompetence, which ultimately impedes= the very progress that your government set out to accomplish.
I see fire crews with 20-plus years= of volunteer service left wondering why their programming, funding and services are being changed with no warning after over 100 years of extremely functio= nal service. There is a proposed recreation centre that is only discussed when there is an election looming. A hospital planned, built and programmed by outside interests while local health care providers are issued gag orders instead of being consulted on the real needs of the community. Nurses have = been forced to consider selling their homes and pulling their children out of sc= hool because they are too qualified for the acute health care model that the Yuk= on Hospital Corporation has ensured for community hospitals. And the list goes= on, Mr. Speaker.
Before I go deeper into the list of
concerns of my constituency, I would like to address some specifics from the
Speech from the Throne. I was not necessarily impressed by the boisterous
introduction which clearly indicated that the Yukon Party feels 100-percent
responsible for prosperity. I do not believe that the world economy is so m=
uch
affected by
The C.D. Howe Institute recently ga=
ve the
Here’s a quick math lesson, m= e being a math teacher: when looking at the gross domestic product, boom-and-bust e= conomies create a periodical function. The Speech from the Throne touched on this concept when it mentioned the closure of the Faro mine in 1998. No governme= nt could have stopped this from happening. It was a part of the natural cycle = of a boom-and-bust industry. What Yukoners want is stability between these ebbs = and flows. Inject life into the private sector by correctly planning for these phenomena and your government will receive accolades.
My only other specific criticism re=
lates to
the housing strategies Whitehorse-centred approach. It’s time to swit=
ch
from a reactive to a proactive government. The only strategy bullet listed =
for
It is, however, an excellent segue =
for my
list of
Before I do, I would just like to c=
ommend
the government on its main commitments. Moving forward together is a promis=
e I
hope to help this government keep. As I switch the focus of this reply to <=
/span>
Rural
I should probably end there for the= day, or do you want me to keep on going?
Speaker: Order please. The time being
Debate on motion re Address in R=
eply to
the Speech from the Throne accordingly adjourned
The House adjourned at =
i>
The followi=
ng Filed
Documents were tabled on December 6, 2011
33-1-1
Peel Planning, letter re: (dated =
span>
Eddie Taylor, Chief, Tr’ond&e= uml;k Hwëch’in; Simon Mervyn, Chief, Na-Cho Nyak Dun; Norma Kassi, Chi= ef, Vuntut Gwitchin; and Richard Nerysoo, President, Gwich’in Tribal Coun= cil; to Hon. Brad Cathers, Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, and Hon. Cur= rie Dixon, Minister of Environment (Cathers)
33-1-2
Peel Planning, letter re: (dated De= cember 2, 2011) from Hon. Brad Cathers, Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, to Eddie Taylor, Chief, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in; Simon Mervyn, Chief, Na-Cho Nyak Dun; Norma Kassi, Chief, Vuntut Gwitchin; and Richard Nerysoo, President, Gwich’in Tribal Council (Cathers)
80 &=
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