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Yukon Legislative Assembly
Whitehorse, Yukon
Wednesday, Novembe=
r 4,
2015 — 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: I w= ill now call the House to order. We will proceed at this time with prayers. =
Prayers
Daily
Routine
Speaker: We = will proceed at this time with the Order Paper.
Tributes.
TRIBUTES
In recognition of Movember
Hon. Mr. Nixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today in this House on beh= alf of all members to recognize Movember as a way of promoting men’s health.
Novemb= er is now known as “Movember.” As part of this movement, men start the month clean-shaven and grow a moustache for days to become a walking, talking billboard for men’s health issues. <= /p>
Since = 2003, millions have joined the global movement, raising some $677 million and fun= ding more than 1,000 programs focusing on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, po= or mental health, and physical inactivity. Men grow a Mo moustache and become = Mo Bros, and women can also participate and be Mo Sistas<= /span>.
ItR= 17;s not only about the Mo any more, Mr. Speaker, since you can also MOVE into = Movember. MOVE is a 30-day physical challenge: take a 30-minute walk to work, play a game of soccer or go on an epic bike ride. No MOVE is too big or too small. This is the time for Mo = Sistas to shine and do something tangible for men’s health. It’s also a great way to get your friends, family, school or workplace involved by crea= ting a MOVE team. Having a fun event like MOVEmber o= r Movember encourages men, their friends and their fami= lies to talk about these serious health issues; and if men are more comfortable talking about these issues, they’ll be more likely to access health c= are earlier, if needed.
The 20= 15 Canadian cancer statistics are estimating that just over 100,000 men will be diagnosed with cancer — the leading cancer being prostate cancer R= 12; with 24,000 expected new cases, which is 24 percent of all new male cases.<= /span>
In clo= sing, if any member would like to support the Movember campaign, I encourage them to visit www= .movember.com and search “Yukon” to see a listing of local participants.
In
recognition of Make a Will Month
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to rise today to recognize Make a Will Month in the Yukon, which is a new initiative designe= d to increase awareness around the importance of holding a legally valid and up-to-date will. A will is one of the most important documents a person sho= uld create in their life because it protects their loved ones and ensures their estate is distributed how they want. Yet, it is estimated, based on studies conducted by CIBC and LawPRO, for example, that= more than 50 percent of Canadians do not have a will. Dying without a will ̵= 2; or intestate, as it is known — leads to very hard decisions for famil= ies of the deceased and causes additional stress in an already difficult time. There are many reasons why people put off making a will: life is busy; some= do not consider themselves wealthy enough to justify one; some think they are = too young and others do not realize the significance of a will, especially if y= ou have remarried or are living common law. Through the Make a Will campaign, adult Yukoners of all means and wealth will be encouraged to consider a var= iety of modern, real-life situations where a valid and up-to-date will provides great certainty and assurance, not to mention peace of mind. There are many reasons to have a valid will, including that it takes care of what matters = most in one’s life: children, spouse or common-law partner, extended famil= y, family businesses, friends, charities and non-profits, for example.<= /p>
A will= provides greater certainty that one’s estate will be distributed as they would have wanted, rather than according to legislated guidelines, and it makes it easier for the administrator to distribute the estate smoothly and reduces administrative oversight by the courts and the Yukon government.
The = 8220;top five reasons to make a will” and how-to guide from the Yukon Public L= egal Education Association will be available on the Department of Justice websit= e at www.justice.gov.yk.= ca/makeawillmonth and the Department of Justice intends to make Make a Will Month an annual affair and has mirrored it from other initiatives all throughout the year and in other parts of Canada and around the world.
I woul= d also like to acknowledge and thank a constituent who brought this issue to my attention through relaying his personal experience that can happen with not having a will. I would like to note that this is but one of the initiatives= the Department of Justice is undertaking to help address this type of circumsta= nce. We encourage Yukoners not to put off planning for the distribution of their estate — large or small. Please ensure the ones you love are taken ca= re of through the planning of a will and don’t avoid the subject, althou= gh it is perhaps a difficult and unpleasant one for many of us to contemplate.=
I hope= that Yukoners will make themselves aware of this information that is out there on the Department of Justice website and that this is the first of many Make a Will Months.
In
recognition of climate change adaptation plenary
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to pay tribute to a successful event, which brought together representatives from provincial, territorial, and federal government climate change offices here in the Yuko= n, as well as representatives from Canadian industry.
On Oct= ober 27 and 28, the Yukon government, in partnership with the governments of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, co-hosted the national adaptation plenary in Whitehorse. This was the first national adaptation plenary held north of 60= and provided an excellent opportunity to share unique adaptation challenges fac= ing Canada’s north.
Later = this month, of course, the world will send more than 40,000 delegates to the ann= ual Conference of the Parties meeting in Paris. It is especially important that those representing our provinces and territories are aware of the challenges facing our many diverse jurisdictions. Approximately 40 plenary attendees participated in several information-sharing sessions and discussed adaptati= on challenges across our many different landscapes.
Plenar= y also provided opportunities for enhanced collaboration and partnerships that will allow different jurisdictions to leverage adaptation resources, knowledge a= nd skills. Without this overwhelming desire to share information with our counterparts in other areas of the country, this event would not have been = the success that it was.
I woul= d like to recognize our pan-territorial partners from their respective climate change sections at the Government of Nunavut and the Government of Northwest Territories for helping to organize this successful knowledge-sharing event, the federal, provincial and industry delegates who attended and who travell= ed great distances to be here, and our own Yukon organizations and representat= ives.
I would especially like to recognize the staff at the Yukon government’s Clim= ate Change Secretariat for representing our government and for sharing the clim= ate change issues that we face as a territory. Over the coming months, weeks and days, I look forward to an additional conversation to build upon what was discussed at the national adaptation plenary.
I̵= 7;m proud to be the Minister of Environment, and I’m confident that our governm= ent is taking the necessary steps in developing strategies for adapting to the ever-changing climate.
In the= House today, Rebecca World is here. She is from our Climate Change Secretariat. I would like to introduce her and have everybody thank her and give her a warm welcome.
Applause
In
recognition of Take Our Kids to Work Day
Hon. Mr. Graham: It is indeed a pleasure today to rise to pay tribute to the an= nual Take Our Kids to Work Day. On this day, many young Yukon students will join students across the country in an opportunity to connect school and career choices under the guidance of a trusted adult.
The Ta= ke Our Kids to Work program originated in the Greater Toronto area in 1994, and si= nce that time, the program has really grown. It now involves roughly 250,000 students across this country and 75,000 organizations that assist in the pr= ogram. This opportunity, to see a day in the life of a parent, friend or volunteer= , is an important way for students to explore careers. It helps students to cons= ider what their future might bring at a time when they’re making key decisions.
The De= partment of Education is dedicated to developing an inclusive, adaptable and product= ive workforce that meets the needs of Yukoners. Take Our Kids to Work Day gives those employers an opportunity to engage with the workers of tomorrow. The Department of Education’s mission is to support success for each lear= ner, and Take Our Kids to Work Day can help make school relevant to students by helping them see how their education connects them to their future working lives. Take Our Kids to Work Day is an exciting opportunity for young peopl= e to find career inspiration and for employers to connect with the future workpl= ace.
I woul= d like to commend the students who choose to spend time in the workplace today. I wou= ld also like to thank the workers and employers who have made time in their bu= sy schedules to show these students around and answer their questions. I would like to take the opportunity to ask all members of the Legislature to welco= me three young ladies here to the Legislature today: Isabel Maqsucang, Kyla Frangetti-Haines and Molly Brooksbank — all from Vanier Catholic Secondary School — are here with us today. They’ve had the opportunity — pleasure, according to them — to visit both the Commissioner’s residence and spend some time there. They’ve had an opportunity to meet and spend some time in the Speaker’s office and they’ve also had a chance to tour the Executive Council Office — all in an effort to really learn how government in this territory operates. So welcome, young ladies, to the Legislature today. I hope it was as big a pleasure, as you’ve already stated it has been.
Applause
In
recognition of National Skilled Trades and Technology Week
Hon. Mr. Graham: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s also a pleasure for me= to rise today in recognition of National Skilled Trades and Technology Week, organized by Skills/Compétences Canada. =
This y= ear it takes place from November 2 to 8 as a time to honour the contribution of tradespeople to Canada. It’s also an opportunity to showcase the rang= e of career options in these exciting fields. Tradespeople, technicians, and technologists provide our essential services. Construction, transportation, manufacturing and services all involve trades. Building homes; building highways; building burgers and crème brûl= ée; keeping our water flowing; our electricity running and our Internet operati= ng; styling our hair and nails — tradespeople are part of it all. Trades = and technology jobs support an enviable quality of life, a high standard of liv= ing and measurable job satisfaction. Moreover, tradespeople tend to be in extre= mely high demand. Anybody who has tried to renovate a home in Whitehorse, such a= s I have over the last little while, can attest to that fact, Mr. Speaker.=
The De= partment of Education strives to meet the current and future needs of our regional labour market by encouraging Yukoners to pursue careers in the trades. At t= his year’s fall REM in Dawson City, rural high school students tried their hands at trades and technology in week-long intensive courses. Options included: culinary arts, hair and esthetics, mining matters, robotics and w= ood shop framing. These experiential opportunities help youth explore options a= nd plan their careers. The Department of Education has many wonderful partners= who dedicate their time and energy toward promoting trades and technology.
Yukon = Women in Trades and Technology hosts the Young Women Exploring Trades career fair ea= ch fall. This encourages female high school students to consider trades as a career option. It also facilitates Cool Tools, an after-school program that gives high school girls a chance to try out a variety of trades and technol= ogy projects. The Association of Professional Engineers of Yukon organizes the highly successful bridge-building competition and the robotics challenge to build enthusiasm for technological careers.
Skills= Canada Yukon opens doors to youth across the territory with exciting workshops and skills clubs. The lively skills competition showcases skills and trades to youth and provides hands-on experience related to trades and technological careers. Yukon has become extremely well-known as a team to contend with at= the national level and has even secured international recognition. Skills competitions shine a spotlight on trades careers= . They celebrate achievement. They teach best practices and inspire cutting-edge ideas.
Team Y= ukon enjoys a solid support network from family, staff, volunteers and coaches, = to the national technical committee members, judges and board members. Yukon a= lso enjoys the support of many forward-thinking and caring employers who invest time and money to train employees and improve their skills in trades and technologies. In recognition of the importance of the trades, we are conduc= ting a review of the Yukon apprenticeship and trades qualification program. We a= re inviting our apprentices, tradespeople, employers, Yukon College, Skills Ca= nada Yukon, Yukon Women in Trades and Technology and others to give us feedback about the program. We are looking to learn about what works well and what government can do to improve its trades programs to ensure continuing succe= ss of trades programs in the Yukon. This review is part of our ongoing work to ensure that the Yukon trades and apprenticeship program continues to meet t= he evolving needs of our clients and our stakeholders.
Let us= take this week to thank all of our tradespeople for all that they do for us — building our homes, community and economy through their hard work and their innovation. Let us thank all the employers who mentor apprentices and who s= upport youth in skills clubs and competition, youth workshops, bridge-building competitions and robotics challenges. Let us also thank the organizations a= nd volunteers who work with youth in trades and technology. Finally, I would be remiss in not recognizing the Department of Education’s apprenticeship unit staff for their hard work. Together we are building strong communities= .
Mr. Tredger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise on behalf of the NDP Official Opposition to p= ay tribute to National Skilled Trades and Technology Week. This is an annual national public awareness campaign to promote the many career opportunities= for people to get involved in skilled trades and technology in Canada. I think = we can all agree that there is a definite need for more people to be trained in trade skills. However, it is not always clear to young people how to go abo= ut seeking a career as a skilled tradesperson or in the technology field.
Nation= al Skilled Trades and Technology Week stresses education and opportunity and will help Canadians and Yukon citizens take advantage of th= ese opportunities. As a rural high school principal and teacher, I have seen the benefits that training and exposure to the skilled trades provide to people living in our communities. I think of the time when one of my students came back from a trade course and he had a new spark in his eye. He was all enthused. He had the enthusiasm from having successfully learned a new skil= l, and it was just bubbling out of him. I wanted to catch that image and share= it with the many people who work with our young, potential tradespeople and do not = get to see that image later or sometime later, because it is a very special mom= ent and it was a very special moment in that student’s life.
It is = important to acknowledge the skilled trades and technology industry, and the importan= ce of that skills training and the exposure to it, how confidence comes from t= hat success and from that training, and how those skills training courses, opportunities and successes transfer to other courses and to life itself.= span>
It is =
also
important to recognize that to be successful in the skilled trades, one
I woul= d like to acknowledge all the work that Yukon College has done to help establish the trades in communities through their community colleges. Those are special courses, and Yukon College has gone out of their way to work with the Department of Education and local First Nation governments to provide them = in the communities.
I woul= d also like to thank Yukon schools and the teachers, as well as Skills Canada. I w= ould also like to mention the many businesses and community industries that take time and effort and help to advance and provide opportunities for Yukoners taking up skill careers in the skilled trades and technologies fields. I th= ink in my area of the Minto mine, of Victoria Gold and Kam= inak, which have worked closely with students and young adults in the communities= and brought them, in terms of education, out to the mine site and had them expl= ore their opportunities there, and also to employ them and help them get an education, get ready and get the training necessary to move on up. Those are examples of good industry that works well in our communities, and they need= to be congratulated for that.
As I w= as preparing for this tribute, I went to the Skills Canada website and there i= s a lot of information. I thought, as a parent, that there are some things you could sit down and talk to your children about at the supper table, and ide= as that you can share of the value of training and trades. They have a wonderf= ul set of information on their web page — ideas for discussion. There is even a quiz that you can take — and I must say I didn’t do that well on this quiz, but it certainly provided a talking point for my family = and me. There are also lesson plans for teachers. I encourage everybody to check out the Skills Canada website.
Mr. Silver: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
I rise= on behalf of the Liberal caucus to pay tribute to National Skilled Trades and Technol= ogy Week.
Skills= Canada — this is how I’m going to focus in on this tribute — puts much though and effort into this week every year with a goal to promote the great opportunities that careers in skilled trades can bring. This yearR= 17;s kickoff will be in the New Brunswick Community College in Moncton, and that event promises, as always, to be an important advocacy beacon for skills, trades and their successful contributions to the Canadian economy.= p>
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, this year’s theme is “From the Classroom to the Workplace Essen= tial Skills Matter”. One of the most important skills that they are going = to focus in on is oral communication.
Skills= Canada wants our youth to know that communication skills are one of the top 10 ski= lls required and requested by perspective Canadian employers. Skills Canada wor= ks to educate and to inform our youth about the opportunities and careers that trades can provide. Their goals are to get Canadian youth thinking about skilled trades and technology careers as being viable and interesting optio= ns, to get Canada’s youth to engage in projects and experiences involving skilled trades and technologies, fostering conversations between industry, teachers and students, and to engage with industry through leaders and political decision-makers, creating a dialogue focusing on the importance of encouraging uptake in the skills, trades and technologies careers to ensure that Canada remains at the forefront of competitive advantages in global economies.
This f= ocus is all on employment, but I have to say that I come from a long line of skilled tradesmen. My grandfather was a boat builder and my father was a boat build= er as well. They would be building fishing boats, but in their spare time they built hydroplanes. It wouldn’t be an odd sight on a Sunday to see in = Goldboro the Silvers coming out and waterskiing in th= eir suits behind their hydroplanes, and one of their boats — the Quicksilver, aptly named — w= as one of the fastest boats in Canada.
The re= ason I bring this up, Mr. Speaker, is that not only do skilled trades make for excellent career opportunities, but the camaraderie and the friendships that you make through your skills will last a lifetime.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, basically the opportunities and skills are endless. I would like to thank Skills Canada Yukon and also Yukon College for the work they do to promote skilled trades and deliver the necessary training for our economy to grow a= nd to be successful.
Thank = you, Mr. Speaker.
In
recognition of new Government of Canada Cabinet
Mr. Silver: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker — one more tribute for the day. On behalf of the Liberal caucus of the Yukon, I would = like to congratulate Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on being sworn in today as Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister. After a positive and hard-fo= ught campaign, Mr. Trudeau certainly has his work cut out for him.= p>
Canadi= ans made their voices heard on October 19, and I am pleased to embark on a new phase= of working together with the incoming federal government to address infrastruc= ture and economic needs for the Yukon. The new Cabinet includes both new and experienced hands, celebrates our diversity and ensures voices from coast to coast to coast will be heard. It will also include representation from nort= h of 60 with the Nunavut MP, Hunter Tootoo, having b= een named minister responsible for fisheries and oceans, and also for the Canadian Co= ast Guard.
In tal= king to my colleague, the Member for Copperbelt South, we were remarking on the commen= ts that Justin Trudeau made when he was asked why half of his caucus, half of = his Cabinet, is female, and his answer was simply, “It’s 2015.̶= 1;
Many Y= ukoners were inspired by the less-partisan tone set by Mr. Trudeau’s campaign and his commitment to running an open and accountable government. Justin is no stranger to Yukon, and his recent visits here, like the swearing-in today, have all been in the public eye.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, last week in the congratulations phone call to Mr. Trudeau, I highligh= ted the issue of amending Bill S-6 as a top priority to Yukoners, and I will em= phasize that again when I speak to the new Indigenous and Northern Affairs minister, Minister Carolyn Bennett, in the very near future. I will also be raising t= he issue of a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women, Mr.= Speaker.
I also= extend congratulations to our new Member of Parliament, Mr. Larry Bagnell, and I look forward to working with him to ad= vance our territory.
Speaker: Are= there any other tributes?
Introduction of visitors.
Are th= ere any returns or documents for tabling?
Are th= ere any reports of committees?
Are th= ere any petitions to be presented?
Are th= ere any bills to be introduced?
Are th= ere any notices of motions?
Notices
of Motions
Ms. Hanson: I rise to give notice of the following motion:
THAT t= his House urges the Government of Yukon to:
(1) honour the planning process set out in chapter 11 of t=
he
Yukon First Nation final agreements ; and
(2) work toward the “dialogue central to the plan for
reconciliation” in chapter 11 of the First Nation final agreement. =
span>
Mr. Silver: I rise to give notice of the following motion:
THAT t= his House urges the Government of Yukon to ensure that a moratorium on mineral stakin= g in the Peel watershed, which is set to expire on December 31, 2015, remains in place until a final land use plan for the area is completed.
Speaker: Is = there a statement by a minister?
This t= hen brings us to Question Period.
QUESTION PERIOD
Question re: Peel watershed land use plan
Ms. Hanson: Democracy, hope and optimism were handed a victory this morning when the Yukon Court of Appeal confirmed the rejection of Yukon government’s unilateral Peel watershed land use plan. The court was clear: the government’s actions derailed the dialogue essential to reconciliation as envisioned in Yukon’s final agreements.
The Tr= uth and Reconciliation Commission says that reconciliation is about an ongoing proc= ess of establishing and maintaining respectful relationships at all levels of government. This government has been handed an opportunity to re-establish those respectful relationships that are so essential to reconciliation. The government has said that it is satisfied with the court’s decision. W= hen will the government follow the court’s direction with respect to honouring the planning process set out in chapter 11 of our Yukon final agreements?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: We filed our appeal to gain greater clarity into the process a= nd to protect the rights of all governments to make final decisions about their lands. To a large degree, this decision accomplishes those goals. It’s worth stating that we offered to deal with this matter out of court before = the appeals were filed, and we remain open to that approach. It goes without sa= ying that this government respects and upholds the final and self-government agreements, and our record demonstrates that.
Ms. Hanson: This is not just about the Peel. It has far-reaching implications for Yukon̵= 7;s land use planning process and our final agreements, both of which have been undermined by this Yukon government’s actions.
The co= urt found that the Yukon “undermined reconciliation by failing to honour the le= tter and spirit of its treaty obligations”. The land use planning process = and the final agreements are essential pillars of Yukon’s democratic institutions. They must be embraced and respected if Yukon is to move forwa= rd with certainty founded on reconciliation. This Yukon government cannot say = it supports reconciliation while simultaneously undermining the mutually agreed-upon democratic processes designed to achieve reconciliation.
When w= ill this government accept that their refusal to honour the spirit and intent of the final agreements is at odds with the respectful relationship that reconciliation requires?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: Again, Mr. Speaker, we offered to deal with this matter o= ut of court before the appeals were filed, and we remain open to that approach. A= s I said in the case of the Bill S-6 amendments, there is always a way to sit d= own as governments and resolve these issues out of court. Our genuine hope is t= hat we can work with First Nations on these and other issues.
Ms. Hanson: Mr. Speaker, the final agreements envision a new and respectful relationship to move Yuk= on into a brighter future. They are our best tool to give effect to reconciliation. They are agreements for all Yukoners and they are the way forward. Yukoners know this. Yukon First Nations know this. Even the courts have shown this. This Yukon Party government does not understand that the P= eel was more than just about resources waiting to be extracted. When it comes to the Peel, this government has been rebuked by Yukoners, by First Nations an= d by the courts.
The go= vernment has said that it is satisfied with the court’s decision. That is good. Will the government now agree to work with Yukon First Nations to kick-start the land use planning process that has been stalled since the government’s unilateral action on the Peel and give priority to completing all of Yukon’s land use plans?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It goes without saying that this government respects and upholds the final and self-government agreements, a= nd our record demonstrates that. We filed our appeal to gain greater clarity i= nto the process and to protect the rights of all governments to make final decisions about their lands and, to a large degree, this decision accomplis= hes those goals. This is not just about today’s governments; it is also a= bout future governments. The courts have today given leaders of today an opportu= nity to work together, and it is my hope that all leaders will take that opportunity.
Question
re: Oil and gas development
Mr. Tredger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In a 1997 memorandum of agreement, the Yukon governm= ent agreed to include Yukon First Nations as full participants in the cooperati= ve development of all aspects of Yukon’s oil and gas regime. On Monday, = the NDP asked the Premier if he was confident that his government had met its l= egal obligations to consult on amendments to the Oil and Gas Act. Yukoners may experience a sense of déjà vu a= s I table this letter because, yet again, it appears this government decided to derail dialogue rather than cooperate with First Nation governments.=
Why ha= s the government refused the request of three Yukon First Nation chiefs for formal consultation on the proposed amendments to Yukon’s Oil and Gas Act?
Hon. Mr. Kent: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to the Oil and Gas Act amendments that are before this House right now, there was a 60-day consultation period beginning on July 16 and ending on September 14. During that time, Yukon government’s consultation with First Nations included government-to-government engagement as well as meeti= ngs of the oil and gas MOA working group. The MOA working group met on two occasions: once at the beginning of the consultation period, and again after consultation had concluded. At the second meeting, the feedback received du= ring consultation was shared with the working group members.
When i= t comes to the letter that was sent yesterday by the three northern chiefs identifying some concerns that they had, I can share with members of the House that I h= ave reached out to my incoming Deputy Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, = Mr. Stephen Mills, this morning and sent him a copy of the letter so that he will be ab= le to reach out to senior officials in those First Nations and work on a path forward. That is what we’re doing and we look forward to some positive resolution.
Mr. Tredger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The letter of November 2 from three Yukon chiefs not= es that the government’s disregard — and I quote: “…gravely concern our First Nations and contribute to our lack = of trust and confidence in the Yukon Government Oil and Gas branch.” Not only was the consultation inadequate, but also the government’s amendments unexpectedly expand the unilateral pow= ers of the minister.
We kno= w the government intends to push ahead with oil and gas development. We have been told to expect new oil and gas disposition regulations very soon, but first= the government should honour the chiefs’ request for formal consultation = on the Act to Amend the Oil and Gas Ac= t.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, will the government consult with these Yukon chiefs as requested?
Hon. Mr. Kent: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We will be preparing a response to the let= ter received yesterday. In response to concerns raised by First Nations during = the early consultation, the proposed amendment to section 68 of the act, which addressed the negotiation process for benefits agreements, has been deferre= d to enable further dialogue with First Nations. There is another MOA working gr= oup meeting that has been tentatively scheduled for the week of November 9. Fir= st Nations’ concerns regarding the section 68 consultation process and the role of the MOA working group will be discussed at that meeting.
The pr= oposed amendments to the Oil and Gas Act= i> allow Yukon government to continue its commitment to constantly improve the regulation of the oil and gas sector while ensuring that Yukon residents and First Nations continue to benefit from the oil and gas sector’s growth opportunities through royalty revenue, employment and business opportunitie= s.
Mr. Tredger: The Yukon Party approach of undermining reconciliation by failing to honour the letter and spirit of its treaty obligations is harmful to Yukon. The Premier says he wants clarity. Well, the record is clear — on the Peel, on fracking, on Bill S-6, on amending the Oil and Gas Act.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, if the government really wants to promote economic prosperity and job creat= ion, it must honour the agreements. Will the government withdraw the Act to Amend the Oil and Gas Act u= ntil it has completed a full and meaningful consultation on both the act and the= new disposition regulations with Yukon First Nation governments?
Hon. Mr. Kent: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. To reiterate, there was a 60-day consultat= ion on the oil and gas amendments, starting July 16 and ending September 14. Consultation with First Nations involved government-to-government engagemen= t, as well as meetings of the oil and gas memorandum of agreement working grou= p, or the MOA working group. As I mentioned, that group met on two occasions a= nd, as I also mentioned, I have reached out to my incoming Deputy Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, who will work with officials not only in our government, but senior officials in the First Nation governments that expre= ssed concerns — to identify their concerns and determine a path forward wi= th respect to this important piece of legislation.
Question
re: Peel watershed land use plan
Mr. Silver: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Yukon Party government= was dealt another major setback today with the latest Peel land use court decis= ion. The government is 0 in 2 in court, having lost the original trial and now t= he appeal as well. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on communication plans and Outside lawyers from Van= couver and Toronto. The trust level between this government and First Nation governments has been eroded significantly.
Many, = many Yukoners and people of the public have seen their views on this subject ign= ored and the long court battle has had a significant negative impact on our econ= omy and has now led to the third straight year of decline of our economy. It co= uld have all been avoided, Mr. Speaker, if the Yukon Party had simply respected the planning process and used the road map that was outlined by t= he Umbrella Final Agreement. <= /p>
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, does the Premier take any responsibility for the long-term negative impacts that his actions have caused?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We filed our appeal to gain great= er clarity into the process and to protect the rights of all governments to ma= ke and have the final decision around their land. To a large degree, Mr. = Speaker, the decision accomplishes those goals and, as I have said, it is worth stat= ing that we offered to deal with this matter out of court before the appeals we= re filed and we remain open to that approach. It goes without saying that this government respects and upholds the final and self-government agreements and our record demonstrates that.
Mr. Silver: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker — interesting response. The eight principles drafted in secrecy by the former Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources and the former Minister of Environment are really at the heart of this government’s attempt to sideline the final Peel plan. These eight principles, and the unilateral plan that they led to, have been heavily criticized by both court rulings. The former Energy, Mines and Resources minister is now the Justice minister. He will certainly have a big say in the decision as to whether or not this is going= to be appealed. The government has had two months to prepare for this outcome = and I don’t really get or buy the stalling tactics that I’m hearing right now today.
We rec= all the former Minister of Environment telling Yukoners when he was caught altering consultation reports on the Peel that “numbers didn’t matter.” Well, I have a number for this government right now that does matter —
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Point of order
Speaker: Gov= ernment House Leader, on a point of order.
Mr. Elias: The suggestion that the Leader of the Third Party — personalizing debate = with the Hon. Minister saying that he personally altered documents is contrary to Standing Order 19(g): imputes false or unavowed motives to another member.
Speaker: Lea= der of the Third Party, on the point of order please.
Mr. Silver: Mr. Speaker, on the point of order, this is clearly a dispute among members and I would = ask the House Leader for the Yukon Party to go to the newspapers and take a look and he can respond as much as he wants to about whether or not these docume= nts —
Unparliamentary
language
Speaker: Order, please. The implication that the minister delibe=
rately
changed the facts indicates that he was manipulating in an effort to mislea=
d.
That is unparliamentary. I want you to rephrase and apologize, sir. =
Mr. Silver: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, after the Minister of Environment took the rep= orts of the Peel and said that the numbers didn’t matter — well, I h= ave two numbers that do matter: one and two. Two court cases, Mr. Speaker.=
Some Hon. Member: = (Inaudible)
Mr. Silver: Absolutely, an apology.
I have= a question, Mr. Speaker. Has the government now received the message? Now the Premier has danced around this, but he hasn’t answered it. Has he received the message or are they going for strike number 3 in the Supreme C= ourt of Canada?
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: Mr. Speaker, I don’t view reaching out to First Nat= ions as a “stalling tactic” — never have, never will. Again, Mr. Speaker, we offered to deal with this matter out of court before the appeals were filed and we continue to remain open to that approa= ch.
As I s= aid, in the case of the Bill S-6 amendments, there is always a way for governments = to sit down and to resolve these issues out of court. Our genuine hope is that= we can work with First Nations on these and many other issues.
Mr. Silver: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, the my-way-or-the-highway approach of this gover= nment has led us to today. The Premier has stated time and time again in this Hou= se his opinion on his power over a democratically elected government. <= /p>
What t= he two court decisions have both confirmed is that the Premier does not understand the difference between democratic power and constitutional authority. The court appeal has been very clear: Yukon failed to honour the letter and the spiri= t of its treaty obligations and the Yukon Party government should publicly acknowledge its responsibility for this failure.
WeR= 17;re not getting any answers here today, Mr. Speaker, so I’ll just end wi= th a statement. The Yukon Party’s antiquated approach to First Nation relations has become a textbook example of why this government and other governments need to respect consultation processes, democracy and First Nat= ion treaty rights. It will only be through partnerships and open consultation t= hat this territory will once again be able to move forward.
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: It certainly is my way and the way of this government to conti= nue to reach out to First Nations, to look for opportunities, to reach agreements = out of the court system, as we heard earlier from the Minister of Energy, Mines= and Resources. It goes without saying that this government respects and upholds= the final and self-government agreements and our record demonstrates that.
We fil= ed our appeal to gain greater clarity in the process and to protect the rights of = all governments to make final decisions about their land. To a large degree, Mr= . Speaker, this decision accomplishes those goals.
As I= 8217;ve said, this is not just about today’s governments; this is also about future governments. The courts have given today’s leaders an opportun= ity to work together, and it’s my hope that all leaders will take up this opportunity.
Question
re: Hotels, long-stay
Ms. Hanson: The government confirmed yesterday that it is comfortable with the fact that not all tenants have equal protections under the new Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The minister’s state= ment made it very clear he is not familiar with the substandard conditions in wh= ich government clients, including some seniors, are housed.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, I would refer the minister to a three-part series published by the Whitehorse Star in September, call= ed “A Place to Call Home.= 221; Three people died this summer while living in a rundown hotel, and family members told their stories about the conditions there. Why does the governm= ent not monitor the condition of the shelter it pays for?
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The debate we’ve had throug= hout the course of this week has been on the regulations brought forward pursuan= t to the Residential Landlord and Tenant= Act. Those regulations set out the new set of rules that will apply to landlords= and tenants throughout the territory. There are a number of positive new steps = that come with those regulations, but one that the NDP seems to have taken issue with is the threshold upon which a person moves from being a hotel guest in= to a residential landlord and tenant agreement.
The th= reshold we have selected for that, Mr. Speaker, is six months. I realize the NDP believes that it either should be longer or shorter — they haven̵= 7;t said which — but we believe this is a reasonable threshold for decidi= ng when someone goes from being a short-term hotel guest to a tenant under the= Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. Obviously I’ve explained how we arrived at that decision, as a result= of considerable consultation. The NDP yet again have failed to articulate their position or an alternative, simply offering empty criticisms to the House.<= /span>
Ms. Hanson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NDP have repeatedly offered options with respect= to accessible housing and affordable housing for all. They were talking about = the absence of protections, Mr. Speaker. All people deserve equal treatmen= t, including shelter that meets the minimum standards of the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.
The fa= ct is that it is now winter again, and despite all of its big plans and announcements,= the government will again be paying to shelter people in conditions that do not meet minimum standards — accommodations that may not have windows, ventilation or cooking facilities, or bathrooms may be shared by many strangers.
The go= vernment has the authority to mandate improvements but it’s not taking responsibility. Mr. Speaker, a simple question is: Will the minister responsible agree to come with me to visit some of the long-stay hotels in = my riding where clients of the government are sheltered for up to six months?<= /span>
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To me, it sounds like the NDP is = suggesting that hotels should have the same standards applied to them as residential landlord and tenant accommodations, Mr. Speaker. I don’t think t= hat the tourism industry would agree with them on that particular issue.
Obviou= sly, Mr. Speaker, a decision had to be made as to what the appropriate threshold is for when someone moves from a relationship of a hotel guest with a hotel owner to a tenant and a landlord. We’ve selected a date of six months. The NDP hasn’t offered any alternative to that. They seem to have criticized = it but they haven’t offered any alternatives. Perhaps they can suggest w= hat they find is an appropriate threshold and whether or not they think that the regulations pursuant to the Residen= tial Landlord and Tenant Act really should apply to all hotels as well.
Question
re: Sexual health promotion
Ms. Stick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Yukon’s chief medical officer of health revealed that Yukon is experiencing an alarming r= ise in the rate of gonorrhea infections. So far this year, there have been 90 k= nown cases of gonorrhea — twice the number of cases than last year, and nine times the number of cases since 2013. <= /span>
Dr.&nb= sp;Hanley said chlamydia continues to be a big problem as it is still far more common than gonorrhea. Both sexually transmitted infections can cause sterility if they’re not treated properly. The chief medical officer says this spi= ke is largely concentrated in teens and young adults.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, how is this department addressing this alarming rise in STIs among Yukon’s teens and young adults?
Hon. Mr. Nixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the member opposite for h= er question. Certainly there are a number of campaigns, brochures and informat= ion available throughout the Department Health and Social Services, and we see = it throughout the Yukon communities. We will continue on with those campaigns, certainly engaging the medical professions in the territory in seeing the b= est way forward. This is a serious issue and we see it across the north — higher numbers. It is certainly something that we are looking to address.= span>
Ms. Stick: I certainly hope so, Mr. Speaker. It’s not only the rate of STIs t= hat is on the rise. The rate of pregnancy for women under the age of 19 rose 33 percent from 2012 to 2013, which is the most recent data we have. Unfortuna= tely we don’t know the breakdown of pregnancies for Whitehorse and rural communities. We do know that the current spike in Yukon STIs includes disproportionately higher rates in rural Yukon. We also know from local and national research that northern and rural communities are at greater risk of unintended pregnancy, in part due to lack of appropriate contraception and sexual health education.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, when will this government have a sexual and reproductive health strategy throughout the Yukon to address these concerns?
Hon. Mr. Nixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I certainly thank the member opposite for her question.
This i= s an important issue — one that this government certainly takes very seriously. It is very important that we keep our young people willing to ta= lk about issues such as STIs and pregnancy. Getting them to talk about the iss= ues is certainly of great benefit in resolving the issues.
Throug= h the department, SHER is a comprehensive sexual health education resource and th= at is for grades 4 to 7. It is designed by Yukon educators and the Health Promotion unit within Health and Social Services. This updated resource all= ows teachers, counsellors and nurses to provide consistent research-based educa= tion to empower students with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the ch= allenge of healthy sexuality and relationships in today’s culture.
We do = certainly see promotions happening throughout the territory. In the health centres, t= here are free condoms for teens and I think most use that resource — certa= inly one that this government does take seriously and will continue working on w= ith the professional staff throughout the territory and continue with the campaigns.
Ms. Stick: Mr. Speaker, when the medical officer of health brings this forward as a concern, itR= 17;s a concern. Something is not working. Rates are going up — gonorrhoea, pregnancy under the age of 19. These are serious. Whatever is out there is = not working. We heard about the No Big Deal campaign, a slogan that suggests th= at it is no big deal getting tested for STIs. Well, I suggest that is not work= ing, because gonorrhoea and chlamydia are on the rise. Our rates are way higher = here in the Yukon than anywhere else in Canada.
I̵= 7;m wondering if this current community nursing crisis is partly responsible — where nurses are not able to provide the time and energy to support individuals in their communities and do health promotion.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, does the minister believe that this understaffing might be impacting the ability to focus on sexual education?
Hon. Mr. Nixon: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and again I thank the member oppo= site for her question.
In add= ressing her concern, I spoke about the program SHER, which is a comprehensive progr= am here in the territory. The updated resource certainly allows teachers, counsellors, nurses and other health professionals to provide consistent research-based education to empower students with the knowledge and with the skills needed to navigate the challenge of health sexuality and relationshi= ps in today’s culture.
We do = take this issue very seriously. We’ll continue to work with the medical professionals around the territory and in the communities. We provide free condoms for anyone who wishes to access that resource, but this is an issue that I said this government takes very seriously and we’ll continue to work with those professionals involved.
Question
re: Film industry
Mr. Barr: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For well over a year, Yukon’s Film and Sound Commission has been without a commissioner. There is no mention of film or = the Film and Sound Commission in the 2012-2017 strategic plan of Economic Development. We hope that the government recognizes that film is a viable, sustainable cultural industry in which Yukon has demonstrated talent. There= are successes in Yukon film. To get our film professionals to the next level, t= here are some challenges to address and opportunities to pursue.
Why ha= s the government failed to find and retain a commissioner who is experienced and knowledgeable about the film and media industry?
Hon. Mr. Hassard: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We understand the significant imp= acts of the film and sound industry here in the Yukon. It is a very vital part of our economy. We continue to support the film and sound industry. We work ve= ry well with the industry, and I believe that things are going very well in th= at department.
Mr. Barr: The point of having a commissioner is to have a champion who has experience in = all aspects of film production, including the financing side and industry networking. The film industry is quickly changing. Platforms are shifting f= rom traditional film houses to web series on digital media. Success depends on planning to keep up with the changing landscape and evolving technologies. = The Minister of Economic Development has been tasked with completing a film fun= ding review and making recommendations.
When w= ill the film funding review be completed and who will have input into taking action= on the recommendations?
Hon. Mr. Hassard: The Department of Economic Development is undertaking a strategic review of the funding programs offered by the Film and Sound Commission. There have been significant changes in technology and the possi= ble distribution mechanisms in the film industry in recent years. As requested,= the department is currently meeting with stakeholders who have an interest in t= he Yukon film industry in order to obtain input on how they see these changes impacting our film programs.
Mr. Barr: In terms of the money spent by this government, we are looking for value and efficiency. Film has artistic, cultural and community values that are not captured in the GDP. Film can also play a part in Yukon’s economic diversification and create jobs and opportunities. Leaving the Film and Sou= nd Commission without a commissioner for over a year makes it look like govern= ment does not understand the full potential of this industry for Yukon. There are segments in the film and sound industry that do not feel listened to.
Will t= he minister commit to ongoing consultation with all of Yukon’s film and media stakeholders, including regular funding reviews?
Hon. Mr. Hassard: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do believe that the government understands the importance of the film and sound industry here in the Yukon= . As of August of this year, over $8.2 million has been awarded to 413 film- and sound-related projects and initiatives. These programs have provided fundin= g to Yukon producers for projects that have demonstrated commercial potential. T= he programs have also provided financial benefits to production companies from outside of Yukon to film here in the Yukon and hire Yukoners for that filmi= ng. Between April 1 and August 14 of this year, the Yukon Film and Sound Commis= sion approved 13 film projects for funding under the film incentive program and provided approximately $900,000 worth of support to filmmakers. I think this clearly demonstrates that we do understand the importance of film and sound here in the Yukon and we will continue to support it in the future.<= /p>
Speaker: The= time for Question Period has now elapsed. We will now proceed to Orders of the D= ay.
Orders of
the Day
Opposition
Private Members’ Business
Motions
other than Government Motions
Motion No. 1042
Clerk: Motion No. 1042, standing in the name of Ms. Hanso= n.
Speaker: It = has been moved by the Leader of the Official Opposition:
THAT t= his House urges the Government of Yukon to acknowledge that its divisive approach to working with Yukon First Nations on issues like the Yukon and Nunavut Regulatory Improvement Act, oil and gas development and the Final Recommended Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan:
(1) has a negative impact on Yukon’s economy, as ref=
lected
by a projected third year of territorial gross domestic product decline; an=
d
(2) undermines the stated intent of the Government of
Yukon’s commitment to implementing the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission of Canada’s calls to action.
Ms. Hanson: I am pleased to rise today to speak to this motion and = to engage in discussion and debate, I hope, with members opposite and to hear = the opinions of others, as we again discuss some of the foundational aspects of government in this territory. When I say government, Mr. Speaker, I include all levels of government, and most profoundly the relationship betw= een First Nation governments and the Yukon government.
WeR= 17;ve seen a roller coaster over the last four years in terms of that relationship. Unfortunately there haven’t been any highs. It’s one of those roller coasters that seem to have a way of going down and down and down. So today I will be speaking about the impact of what seems to be, on the surfa= ce of it, a very contrarian approach to intergovernmental relationships. It’s seizing defeat from the jaws of victory. This is a government th= at was handed the opportunity to work, to build a dynamic territory based on t= he relationships that governments — First Nation governments and Yukon government — had agreed to with the completion of First Nation final agreements and First Nation self-government agreements and, as we’ve = said before, the final sort of building block for provincial-like status, the devolution of provincial-like powers for land and resource management.
With a= ll those agreements, it’s not just about the glory; it’s not just about = the signing of agreements and the nice words of “we honour these” or “we like them” or “we think they’re a good ideaR= 21;. It’s about the guts; it’s actually doing the work. It means that — as we’ve heard from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission repeatedly and we’ve said in this House many, many times — the reconciliation process is about building respect. It’s an ongoing pro= cess and there is no easy way. It takes time and, as we discussed last week when= we were debating the motion from the Member for Vuntut Gwitchin and we talked about the challenges that are inherent in this relationship, it is really a= bout shedding some of that past.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, I just want to start the discussion this afternoon by reflecting on a quota= tion from a Métis, Gerry St. Germain, who was= also a Canadian senator, who commented in the context of history on why it’= ;s so important that we think about history as we move forward. He said — and I quote: “There can be no doubt that the founders of Canada someh= ow lost their moral compass in their relations with the people who occupied and possessed the land…while we cannot change history, we can learn from = it and we can use it to shape our common future…This effort is crucial in realizing the vision of creating a compassionate and humanitarian society, = the society that our ancestors, the Aboriginal, the French and the English peop= les, envisioned so many years ago — our home, Canada”.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, I think the same words and the same sentiment has been expressed many, many times in the context of the conversation that we have and speak about the opportunities that are there to be realized when we give life and we breathe life into the relationships that are established pursuant to the agreements that were negotiated on behalf of all of us and that represent all of us. <= /span>
So it&= #8217;s with real sadness that we have to speak today and call upon the government = to acknowledge that in fact they’ve chosen a path of division as opposed= to a path of unity. It’s no secret to anybody in this territory that Yuk= on First Nations and the Yukon government have a very strained relationship. T= his is most evident but not restricted to the fact of the slew of court cases t= hat have been before us and that have been launched by Yukon First Nations after they have been pushed into the corner by this Yukon Party government.
The fi= rst part of the motion speaks to the negative impact on Yukon’s economy by this divisiveness — and it’s reflected in the economic reality that’s facing this territory. We have, as I said before — and we’ve talked about this in many, many other opportunities in this Legislative Assembly — the benefit of huge opportunities of working in cooperation with First Nation governments and, through them, First Nation development corporations, which have proven to be significant economic driv= ers in this territory. They live here — have always lived here — and their development priorities were to invest in the Yukon to the extent that they were welcomed.
To the= extent that we rely upon outside investors and we push that button so that it is m= ore and more reliant upon the externals as opposed to the internal opportunitie= s, then we create the dependency that leads to the decline that we have seen in our real gross domestic product in 2013-2014 and expect to contract a furth= er 3.4 percent in 2015.
We see= the reality that no new mines are planned in the near future. That is partially attributable to the fact of world commodity prices, but it is also attribut= able to the climate of uncertainty that has been created by the divisive actions= of this government. One of the key and salient points during the course of many years of negotiating final agreements was the stakeholder consultations with many external groups — with mining groups and investors. Repeated over and over again was the importance of certainty — knowing the rules and creating that legislative stability. We did it, and we heard from many peop= le, including mining companies, that knowing what the rules were allowed them to then go and seek the kind of investment that would allow them to go forward= .
For id= eological reasons, we had a government that chose to sort of pin itself to the tail o= f a federal government that had chosen to demolish the regulatory regime in Can= ada, to take it to the lowest level possible, to eliminate environmental assessm= ent processes across the country, to eliminate environmental protections and regulatory reviews. Our government chose to say, “That is the kind of threshold we would like to see in the Yukon.” Thank goodness that they have been saved from themselves by the wisdom of First Nation governments a= nd previous First Nation governments that established an independent process, = the environmental assessment process.
I will= come to the challenges that process faces, but the fact of the matter is that, by taking this very divisive approach, we have seen this real decline in our economy. The strong growth in the construction industry is not anticipated = to rebound until 2017. The Conference Board of Canada has also said in their 2= 015 projections — and I quote: “In all, the mining industry in the territory will see a decline in production for the third consecutive year, = with the drop expected to be a whopping 23.7 per cent in 2015.” Yukon̵= 7;s economic outlook, the forecast for 2015 — our real GDP is expected to contract for the third consecutive year, decreasing by about six percent. T= he significant decline in mineral production is considered to be the biggest contributor to that contraction.
I thin= k it is really clear — and it becomes more clear as time goes on — that this current Yukon government’s misunderstanding of the importance of building strong relationships, of giving real life to the concept of reconc= iliation — all of that relates to the struggles being experienced throughout a= ll sectors and all strata of our economy.
I ment= ioned that the motion speaks to a number of areas where the Government of Yukon has ch= osen to take a divisive approach to working at odds with First Nation government= s. I think I would just like to talk a little bit about each one of these, and h= ow the Yukon government’s actions or inactions have caused significant problems and the subsequent impacts on our Yukon economy.
Today = the regional land use plan for the Peel watershed — the Yukon Court of Ap= peal made its ruling public. The Yukon Court of Appeal effectively upheld the Yu= kon Supreme Court’s decision on the Peel watershed land use plan. Essenti= ally what the court said is that this government’s actions on the Peel undermined the spirit and intent of chapter 11 of the final agreements.
This d= ecision clearly rejects what we’ve been hearing from this Yukon Party for the last 12 years or more: it’s somehow possible to disrespect the final agreements — and, in this case, the Yukon land use planning process — and still achieve reconciliation. It flies in the face of the Premier’s use of the word “reconciliation” to be code for “we spend money on program X or Y.” That actually cheapens the concept of reconciliation.
Reconc= iliation is not about a territorial government listing various program dollars. When= the minister and when the Premier gets that, then we’ll be on the road to reconciliation.
The co= urts found — and I quote: “Yukon undermined reconciliation by failing to honour the letter and spirit of its treaty obligations.” They then ordered the government to return to the step in the process where they veer= ed away from the land use planning process and acted unilaterally and in bad faith.
When t= he court stated that the Government of Yukon has to go back to the stage in the proc= ess where they deviated from it, they said — and I quote: “It was there that the Yukon derailed the dialogue essential to reconciliation as envisioned in Final Agreements.”
So, Mr= . Speaker, I’m not making it up. The Yukon Official Opposition does not make it = up when we say that these are opportunities for reconciliation. The court R= 12; in the most recent case today, the Yukon Court of Appeal — has talked about how this is embedded in these agreements. That’s what it’s all about.
These = final agreements are tools for reconciliation. The sad thing — and which le= ads to division — the division — until and unless there is some rapprochement, some pulling together — if not healed soon, will have significant impacts for this territory. The saddest part, Mr. Speaker,= is that this government either doesn’t understand the importance of final agreements as tools for reconciliation, or they simply don’t care. The evidence points to both, depending on the situation.
The fi= nal agreements provide an opportunity to move forward. The sad part, despite ha= ving a really clear map — and the irony is that we have in the foyer of th= is Legislative Assembly building displays about self-government mapping the wa= y. Well, it would be lovely to think that one minister across the way had actu= ally read any of that — follow the map and we might get somewhere together — but the government chooses to avoid every opportunity to move forwa= rd.
The go= vernment says — and it has said in their press release — that they’= ;re satisfied with the court’s direction — great. But I would say that’s a really weak statement after dragging all Yukoners through th= is ultimately fruitless attempt to impose their will — their sense of wh= at land use planning is — contrary to what we all agreed, through the fi= nal agreements, land use planning was to be in this territory — the proce= ss to be followed. This government has given us five wasted years. As a result= , they have soured relations with Yukon First Nation governments.
You kn= ow, this government talks about how they do this because it’s somehow going to translate into wondrous things for the mineral extraction industry. We have heard expressions of concern from representatives of the resource extraction industries that the kind of uncertainty that has been created creates them problems. You wonder what goes through a mining executive’s mind when they watch this government break the rules that they signed on to. If they&= #8217;re prepared to break a constitutionally protected treaty, what kind of certain= ty do they give you as somebody who is undertaking to invest significant amoun= ts of money in your territory? Will they break those agreements too? It’= s a question —
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Point of order
Speaker: Gov= ernment House Leader, on a point of order.
Mr. Elias: The Leader of the Official Opposition in her assertions today in debate is suggesting that someone on this side of government is deliberately attempti= ng to break agreements and treaties in this territory, and I consider that offensive. Under Standing Order 19(h) — charges another member in this Assembly with uttering a deliberate falsehood — or (g) unavowed motives — show some class.
Ms. Stick: Mr. Speaker, on the point of order, this is a motion debate that has been brought forwar= d by this side of the House and I hear my colleague expressing — going thr= ough her motion and her debate and putting forward her arguments. I would suggest that this is a dispute between members.
Speaker’s
ruling
Speaker: I a= m going to have a look at the Blues and hold my ruling until then. The wording is v= ery difficult and there is a lot of rhetoric that has been used to follow along= and there are some assertions on both sides of the House. I will reserve it and rule at a later date.
Ms. Hanson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I guess the point I am try= ing to make is that you just can’t be cheerleaders for a sector; you need to= be leaders and you need to demonstrate your leadership by honouring the obligations that you sign on to, whoever you sign on to those obligations w= ith. You need to work collaboratively — not talk about it, but actually do= it. The courts quoted, in this regard, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission again. They said, “Reconciliation is not about ‘closing a sad chapter of Canada’s past,’ but about opening new healing pathwa= ys of reconciliation that are forged in truth and justice.”
With r= espect to the Peel watershed land use regional planning process, the government has received an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and to let go of th= eir attempt to dominate the land use planning process and to undermine the final agreements. Our final agreements have always embodied the spirit of reconciliation and the message is that we need to move forward together.
Absolu= tely underpinning the whole of the undertaking that forms the foundation of the agreements between Government of Yukon and First Nations is the notion of sharing and the notion is given life through the process of land use planni= ng. In assuming the mantle of government, the Yukon Party assumed the responsibility of ensuring the completion of land use plans, so that the certainty that is necessary for any development — whether it’s resource development, agricultural, residential, recreational — you n= ame it — is completed in accordance with our shared commitment about how = the land and resources in this territory would be developed. The fact that the Government of Yukon, after 20 years, has one final recommended plan complet= ed — many, as I have said before, would argue it is an intensity of use plan. A significant portion of land use planning was completed in the Vuntut Gwitchin traditional territory through their final agreement in terms of the establishment of parks and protected areas and the withdrawal of oil and ga= s in the northern part of the territory — the Dempster corridor. = p>
The fa= ct of the matter is that when they got — whether they chose it — well, the courts have made many comments about the process that was followed by this Yukon Party government with respect to the Peel plan, but the bottom line is they have said the government chose not to play according to the rules that= it had signed on to and now it has been told to go back and start from that po= int where they deviated from the process.
The ch= allenge in terms of reconciliation is to re-engage with all Yukon First Nations and Yukoners to complete land use planning throughout this territory pursuant to the provisions set out in chapter 11.
There = are many people who are concerned about attempts by this government and by their previous partners in the federal government to reframe — to re-jig — to whatever you want to call it — the land use planning proce= ss. I think it would be important, in terms of the spirit of reconciliation, for the Yukon Party government to disavow itself from the process launched by t= he chair of the Yukon Land Use Planning Council to re-examine land use planning outside of any formal mechanism provided for in the final agreements.
It is = a process, if followed and if supported by this Yukon Party government that will lead = to court cases. It will lead to further divisiveness in this territory. We are charged with the responsibility of giving life to what is in those agreemen= ts, not to unilaterally try to come around and change them from the outside. Th= ey were never designed that way; that approach will fail.
The mo= st recent one — so today we’ve had the Peel decision. We saw again and we heard in this Legislative Assembly the reading into the record of letters f= rom First Nation governments after the December 2012 Court of Appeal decision w= ith respect to the Ross River Dena Council, when First Nations — in respo= nse to that decision with respect to issues of staking in the traditional terri= tory of the Ross River Dena Council, First Nations offered and urged the Yukon government to work with them, to use that decision as an opportunity to fin= ally modernize Yukon’s mining regime.
Instea= d of starting the Yukon on a new path to a modernized mining regime for the territory — a commitment made by Yukon government in the devolution transfer agreement — again, Mr. Speaker, a commitment that made = it clear that the Yukon government would, with Yukon First Nations — when devolution of land and resource management responsibilities were transferred — effective April 1, 2003 — that we would be on our path to developing Yukon resource legislation, reflective of the realities of the Yukon, not the federal government’s legislation carried over from eons ago — instead, reflective of the 21st century; reflective = of the rights and responsibilities that flow not just from the devolution transfer, but would be respectful of what we also negotiated in the final agreements.
The go= vernment chose — again a deliberate choice, and I t= hink it was a mistaken choice — because it seemed to think that an easier route would be to bring these amendments to the Quartz Mining Act and the Placer Mining Act in the form of what we now know as Bill No. 66. As we know, Yukon First Nations requested that rather than just amending the Quartz Mining Act, the government = honour the commitments — honour the commitments — to create successor resource legislation. Now we are in a number of sort of nebulous processes around mining renewal. There are umpteen little working groups. Sometimes w= hen you talk to First Nation leaders and their representatives, it is as though there is a deliberate attempt to keep as many balls in the air so that First Nation representatives and First Nation government are being constantly distracted and derailed from the actual job of getting the work done by the= se endless consultation processes that the government has chosen to follow, ne= ver intending to actually to take into consideration what they hear. We have se= en it on every single piece of legislation that has come forward.
I have= said this before, and it really concerns me — that rather than embracing the opportunities that come with giving life to the new relationship with First Nations, they have chosen to take a divisive approach, and this is no more evident than with the next chapter in the final agreement — chapter 1= 2. Through a long, long process — and it was one of the longest processe= s in terms of negotiations for the establishment of a made-in-Yukon, independent environmental socio-economic assessment process that provided clarity of process and rules that was accepted by various industry stakeholders throug= hout the territory.
When t= he territorial government, in its zeal to follow the lead of the federal Torie= s as they passed through many omnibus bills that had significant implications for environmental assessments, the Envi= ronment Act, fisheries and oceans and waters and rivers — all kinds of protections — they said: “Hmm, boy oh boy, what this does is re= duce and make the barrier quite low in terms of thresholds. It sort of creates greater discretion for us as government. We can give direction. Forget about the independence of an environmental assessment. We do not need independence, we need to be able to make decisions as politicians about what is good for this territory.” I hear that every day. In fact, the wisdom of the YESAA process was to take it out of the han= ds of politicians and to allow an independent, fact-based, evidence-based environmental assessment process with the added dimension in the Yukon of t= he socio-economic element to it.
We hav= e heard a lot of language from the opposite side about how this is wonderful because = it provides regulatory certainty. Well, what it does, Mr. Speaker, is tak= e us to the bottom. It’s a race to the bottom as opposed to ensuring the environmental and socio-economic integrity of the territory is maintained a= nd done so through a wholly independent process, as opposed to one that is sub= ject to the direction of a minister who, as we’ve already seen from the ev= idence from this territorial government, is all too willing to waive obligations w= ith the hope that certain things are going to happen. That’s not what YES= AA was all about.
So the= changes that were proposed after the completion of a prolonged, I would admit, and rigorous review process of the environmental assessment legislation, much vaunted a five-year review — it was initially the Premier who spoke in this Legislative Assembly that those amendments had come from the federal government. Fine — we still rejected them. First Nations still reject= ed them because they were made unilaterally after the consultation had occurre= d; after the negotiations about the 76 recommendations that all parties had discussed — 73 of which they all agreed to. Those four unilateral amendments were not born of respectful and inclusive negotiations; they were imposed.
It was= a strange when I was in Ottawa when Bill S-6 was introduced and I sat in the visitors gallery across fr= om First Nation representatives. We listened to the minister of the day and it surpr= ised us — shocked us — to hear that in fact it was the Premier of the Yukon who had recommended these amendments, echoed by the then Member of Parliament. How divisive is that? To go against the spirit and intent of an agreement that you are a party to and to go against the intentions, and the= n to say to First Nations after the fact, “Oh well, don’t worry. I k= ind of encouraged the minister to do this, but now we can talk about it and see= how we can make it good.” You don’t do that if you're living up to = and expressing honour in terms of your relationship.
I thin= k that the actions of the Yukon Party government in terms of how they have continued to represent themselves and the notion that somehow you can sell something that’s odious really underestimates the integrity of Yukon First Nati= on governments and all Yukoners. It’s a bad deal — why would someb= ody agree to it? — and it’s very, very questionable as to why a government would continue to try talking about som= ehow putting a nice gloss to something that’s not good.
It is = intensely wrong, Mr. Speaker, to suggest that having any minister able to give binding policy direction to an independent board to make incredibly importa= nt decisions as we go forward about the future of this territory and to try to sell that. This is not a game show. Government is not a game show and it’s not about glossy salesmanship. It’s about the hard work of working it out together and not surprising people in that negative way. Ultimately it is divisive and ultimately it has economic consequences.
If we = heard one thing from industry over the years, it is that certainty is one of the most important factors when it comes to making the decision about investing. It = is also one of the most important factors when you’re going out to sell a property, or looking for investors in your property.
During= the course of debate here, before it was revealed what the real role of the territorial government was, we tabled in this Legislative Assembly a letter from the president of the Casino Mining Company that he had sent the Premie= r, detailing his concerns about the potential harmful impact of Bill S-6. A representative from Kaminak Gold said — a= nd I quote: “If Bill S-6 is passed and challenged in court, the Coffee gol= d project and our presence in Yukon is uncertain.”
The ge= neral manager of Minto mine, during the parliamentary hearings into Bill S-6 R= 12; when asked about the effects of a lawsuit over Bill S-6, he said — sa= id, and I quote: “That is going to draw things out even longer. It is goi= ng to result in more layoffs, more mine closures and the end of mining in Yukon.” Why would any government deliberately work to create that kin= d of uncertainty? Why would it support, promote and insert those kinds of provis= ions into legislation? Yes, we all know it’s federal legislation, but we a= lso know the federal government took the advice of the member opposite, the Premier, to make those amendments. He is accountable and responsible for creating the uncertainty that affects all of us in this territory. When the general manager of the only operating mine left in Yukon says something has= the potential to be that bad, I kind of think we ought to listen.
The Yu=
kon Party
government continues its divisive approach, as we have just heard again tod=
ay
and we saw yesterday. This has been coming for some time with respect to the
process over the last few years on oil gas since it — well, really si=
nce
this iteration of the Yukon Party was elected. In 2012, the Premier, in one=
of
his first moves in office, unilaterally deleted the consent provisions
contained in section 13 in the Oil =
and
Gas Act.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, just before that Yukon Oil and Gas = Act was amended, you will probably recall that the Kaska= span> sent a pretty scathing letter to the Premier and in it they outlined their opposition to the unilateral changes that took away consent.
They t= old the Yukon government what the changes would mean for Yukon industry and relationships. They said — and I quote: “What will you have achieved? You will have incurred our deep enmity and otherwise irrevocably damaged a relationship that is supposed to be trust-like, not adversarial; = you will have destroyed any doubts which may exist regarding your government’s profound lack of respect for our recognized title and ri= ghts; and you will have erected completely unnecessary but potentially insurmount= able barriers to any new oil and gas development in our traditional territory fo= r so long as your government remains in office.”
Unfort= unately, it does not look like this government has learned from their mistakes. The recently tabled amendments to the O= il and Gas Act, we now learn, were tabled without meaningful consultation with Yukon First Nations. That is an ironic state of affairs given the fact that consultation is not a new concept or phrase. One would have assumed that wo= uld be the practice of government in 2015.
We hea= rd today the letter from the three northern First Nation chiefs raising concerns abo= ut this government’s failure to adequately consult with them on the prop= osed amendments. They use the language of repeating a request for formal consultation on proposed amendments to the Yukon Oil and Gas Act. As stated — and I am quoting here from t= he September 14, 2015, letter: “…we expect the opportunity to cons= ult on draft text, not vague concepts outlined in a discussion document.”= We are seeing history repeat itself. It is similar to the kind of technique or approach taken by this government around the Peel land use planning process. “Oh well, don’t worry about it. We have some ideas, but they are consistent with the agreements.” The reality is that unless you have those details, you cannot determine whether or not they are in fact consist= ent, not just with the agreement, but with the intent.
The Fi= rst Nations went on — and I quote: “In this instance, it appears the Yukon government has chosen to ignore its legal obligations. The Yukon government is expediting amendments to YOGA at the expense of its relations= hip with Yukon First Nations, the terms of the MOA, and the legal framework of = our final agreements.” What we are seeing here is a pattern of divisivene= ss; of unwillingness to fulfill the responsibilities and the obligations to actually honour the relationship that has been established through the proc= ess of negotiation. It is important for the government not to minimize or try to ignore the importance of those agreements, because every time they do, they lose, and then we lose as a result of the bad faith, the divisiveness and t= he lack of trust.
More a= nd more, Mr. Speaker, as time goes on — despite the efforts of the Yukon government to try = to push these over and these are First Nation agreements — Yukon citizens realize and have come to embrace the idea, as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has reaffirmed, that these are our agreements. This is the new w= ay. We’ve gone past the colonial mindset referred to in the court cases — the colonial mindset referred to in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It’s 2015. It’s time to recognize what has been negotiated.
I was = looking at a speech that somebody gave in one of the Munk Debates in September. The comment was made that every <= span class=3DSpellE>i that was dotted and every t that was crossed= in the First Nation final agreements in the Yukon was negotiated. The further comment that they made was that — and in fact there are a lot of them, and there are more words in the First Nation final agreements than there ar= e in the whole New Testament. There’s a fact for you; I bet you didn’= ;t know that.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, this government has made an awful lot about its — and has said that it intends to pursue reconciliation and has said that it will implement the Tr= uth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action. I have challenged the Premier to explain exactly what he means by that, beyond a program review — of how he might link key words in various programs that the Governm= ent of Yukon delivers — to what is at the core of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report. It’s clear that their stated intention to pursue reconciliation has not been reflected by this government’s approach to dealing with First Nation issues.
I woul= d really urge and encourage each member of this Legislative Assembly to take the tim= e to be challenged by the language of this summary report of the Truth and Recon= ciliation Commission because it does challenge us. In particular, it challenges those= of us who are non-First Nation to revisit, to rethink, to look deep inside of = us about how we make assumptions about what history is, and whose version of history is true. It goes to the very core of the kinds of laws we’ve developed with respect to who owns what.
As we&= #8217;ve said before, reconciliation is an ongoing process of establishing and then working really hard to maintain respectful relationships. It is not about h= ow much money you spend. It is not about listing the largesse of government in givi= ng to this group or that group, because effectively what that is doing is repeating the refrain of colonialism. We’re beyond that, Mr. Spe= aker. We must move beyond that.
That’s why, as the New Democratic Party, we understand a= nd are prepared to do that. We know that it’= ;s hard work. We know that respecting the spirit and intent of Yukon’s f= inal agreements is a challenge because, as I said earlier and as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has pointed out, it means each of us as individua= ls and as representatives of the citizens of this territory being open to challenging the status quo, the legal assumptions underpinning the way we’ve done things in the past, the policy assumptions that have driven the kinds of programs and services that we’ve developed.
These aren’t just words. Historically it was the Yukon New Democratic Party government that negotiated — took the risk of negotiating — the provisions of the self-government arrangements pursuant to the final agreem= ent. They didn’t get the glory, they didn’t get to sign the agreemen= ts, but they sure took all the flack of doing the negotiations — and there was flack.
We kno= w that it takes courage to step outside the box and be willing to take the risk to wo= rk toward that new relationship. We also know that we’re not prepared to stand by and watch this government try to dismantle what generations of peo= ple in this territory worked so hard to achieve for their children and their ch= ildren’s children.
There&= #8217;s a lot to be said about the importance of moving beyond the divisive approach = that this government has established. There’s so much that needs to be don= e. In the closing words of the reconciliation document, they talked about the = challenge that we have, and some of the words they used — the way we govern ourselves must change, they said. Laws must change; policies and programs m= ust change; the way we educate our children and ourselves must change; the way = we do business must change; thinking must change; the way we talk to and about each other must change.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, I know there are others who would like to speak. One of the First Nations — it was the last First Nation whose agreement was signed. It was the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. We applauded them last week on October 22, be= ing the 10th anniversary of the signing of their agreements. As I sa= id, I had been honoured to — along with the current Member of Parliament, Larry Bagnell, and the late Andy Scott, who was Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs at the time, and Anne King — = who members in this House will know as legal counsel, most recently for Governm= ent of Yukon, but who worked for the federal government at the time as legal counsel on final agreements. We were proud — well, more than humbled because these agreements were challenged on many levels.
One of= the most intriguing elements of the Carcross= /Tagish First Nation Final Agreement was the inclusion at the beginning of the final agreement of what’s called an “Elders’ Statement= 221; of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. This Elders’ Statement is a prof= ound reflection of the difference of vision. I am so happy that those elders persisted, because I can tell you there was mighty resistance to having this statement placed within this agreement — mighty resistance. But it sp= eaks to the truth of what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has challenged= us to do.
If you= bear with me — I’m not going to speak it in Tagish or Tlingit because I s= peak neither of those languages, but I will give you the English version, and it says: “We who are Tagish and we who are Tlingit, our heritage has gro= wn roots into the earth since the olden times. Therefore we are part of the ea= rth and the water. We know our creator entrusted us with the responsibility of looking after the land into perpetuity, and the water, and whatever is on o= ur land, and what is beneath our land. So those coming after us, we will give = them that responsibility into perpetuity. Our elders have assigned us the task of showing respect to things. Therefore, we will look after our land as they h= ave told us to do... We will manage together the land and the water and what is= on the land. Then everything will be prepared for those coming after us. As we have agreed on, so we will act. We will work as our elders instruct us, and improve the lot of those coming after us. We will use our land with other nations. Moreover, we will look after our land well so that our descendants= can see how good it is. And in this way too we will respect our land from which= we were born.”
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: I am going to restrict my comments essentially to talk a littl= e bit about the collaboration that exists between this government and First Natio= ns. I will not go into correcting the many inaccuracies that we just heard from= the Leader of the NDP, but will really talk more about the collaboration.
I will= comment on the assertion — to make the comment in a negative context about endless collaboration. I’m actually going to take that as a compliment — that the Leader of the NDP, after everything that she said, also included the endless consultation that goes on. I think that we’re qu= ite proud of that.
I̵= 7;m going to begin by, for the record, going over the Yukon Party caucus news release= of October 22, 2015, which says: “Premier opens fall sitting with motion on Truth and Reconciliation Commission”= ;; “Premier invites First Nation leaders to special Cabinet meeting̶= 1;; “First Nation and YG leaders to review report on reconciliation and discuss future steps”; “WHITEHORSE — Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski opened the Yukon Legislative Assembly today by tabling a government motion calling for a joint meeting of First Nation leaders and Cabinet ministers to review Yukon’s response to the report of the Tru= th and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
“= ;When the TRC report was issued earlier this year, Premier Pasloski immediately direc= ted Deputy Ministers to review the report and draft a plan for Yukon’s response. The Premier asked that they consider work already being undertake= n, as well as areas where more work is required.
“= ;ʻMy priority is to share this information with Y= ukon First Nation leadership and Yukon government Cabinet ministers as soon as possible, so that we may work together, government to government, to determ= ine next steps,’ said Pasloski. ‘Working respectfully with our First Nation partners is a priority for us. By sharing ideas and collaborating in good faith, we can explore potential solutions that could be taken by all parties to promote the well-being of Yukon First Nations and all Aboriginal Canadians.’
“= ;Pasloski’s motion also noted that the report fr= om deputy ministers would be used as part of an engagement with Yukon communit= ies as next steps are considered. The Premier’s words were echoed by a private member’s motion from MLA for Vuntut Gwitchin Darius Elias.
“= ;ʻAs the Premier has stated, everyone has a responsibility to become familiar with the TRC report and to work toward reconciliation,’ said Elias. ‘I am confident that by working together we can find ways to support the healing process and build a strong healthy future for all Yukoners.’
“= ;Yukon leads the country in some areas identified by the TRC report, including the negotiation of modern-day treaties, development of curricula that address residential schools, and support for First Nations’ involvement in the child welfare system.”
To tha= t, we are looking forward to that meeting to share the results of that work with First Nation leaders and chart a path forward for all governments. As we’ve also said, reconciliation isn’t just about governments. Of course it’s also about communities and it’s also about individuals. I encourage all Yukoners and all Canadians to read and understand the recommendations in the report that was so diligently and with so much, real= ly, pain put together, I believe, by the commission. Again I want to acknowledge and thank all those people, especially those Yukoners, who came forward. For many people, it had to be tremendously difficult to share their stories.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, I thought that, as I said, I would just focus my comments on some of the collaborative projects that have occurred. We will pick some of them out — and I’m not going to go back to the beginning of this mandate, but just in the last couple of years — as examples of how this govern= ment works on a daily basis in collaboration with First Nations for what will be= the benefit, truly, of all Yukoners.
In Aug= ust 2015, the Yukon government and Kluane First Nation signed a memorandum of understanding to support sustainable growth and economic development opportunities for the Burwash Landing community and surrounding area. In Ju= ly, Yukon government provided $60,000 to the Kwanlin D&uum= l;n First Nation to support the Strength Within Circ= le youth health and wellness gathering. This three-day event took place at the Jacks= on Lake healing camp and was attended by approximately 200 youth from across t= his territory. This cultural gathering provided an engaging opportunity for you= th and the people who support them to further understand the effects of trauma= and work toward healing. I certainly had the honour of being in attendance for = part of this gathering as was the Deputy Premier — and I know of course the Chief of Kwanlin Dün First Nation was ther= e. I know that Chief Carl Sidney from Teslin Tlingit Council was there, and I believe Chief Mathieya Ala= tini was there — and perhaps there were others, but those were ones I had seen.
In Mar= ch, Yukon government and Carcross/Tagish First Nation signed an intergovernmental acc= ord. Highlights include a $2.7 million financial contribution to support the construction of a learning centre; negotiation of a $17.7 education agreeme= nt and support for training focused on mental health and substance abuse.
In Mar= ch, Yukon government announced its partnership with the Kwanlin = Dün First Nation and Carcross/Tagish First Nation management corporation and contributed $250,000 toward the creation of a capacity-building pilot progr= am — tiny buildings, big future — aimed at increasing employment skills for aboriginal youth. Mr. Speaker, I had an opportunity, as did= the Khà Shâde Héni Danny Cresswell and Chief Doris Bill, to stop in and have a look at the work that was going on — the mentoring that existed by red seal journeymen — with some= of the Kwanlin Dün youth and the great experi= ence and hands-on work that they were able to do.
When i= t was done we actually saw these tiny buildings at work at the Carcross Commons where = they were included into the commons and the fantastic reports — I mean, pe= ople from many places asking how they could purchase a building such as this. We talked with the businessmen who had leased those spaces for the summer and certainly we can say that it was a resounding success.
On Feb= ruary 27, 2015, national aboriginal organizations hosted a National Roundtable on Mis= sing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and Girls in Ottawa. Yukon government support= ed a delegation of 10, including myself, chiefs, aboriginal women leaders and an affected family member to attend this meeting. Planning is underway for a regional roundtable on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Yukon. I need to acknowledge the tremendous amount of work that has been put into this by the Deputy Premier and the minister responsible for the Women’s Directorate, along with the Chief of Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the aboriginal women’s organizations, and is certain= ly going to be tremendous event. The response has been incredible. The outreach has been tremendous to so many different organizations. We’re certain= ly looking forward to the first event as well, which would include the opportu= nity for family members to share their stories, followed by a meeting of all the groups who are affected and interested and very supportive.
In 201= 5-16, the museum contribution program will provide partial funding support for the an= nual management operation costs of Yukon First Nation cultural heritage centres = in the amount of $566,000. As we heard from the Minister of Tourism and Cultur= e, not only have we increased funding for the museums and cultural centres this year by 10 percent, we’re following that up next year with an additio= nal 10 percent. We’re very proud of the tremendous amount of support that= is provided to the cultural centres and the museums, looking back since the Yu= kon Party came into power in 2002. The amount of centres that are supported and= the amount of funding has increased dramatically.
Last J= uly 2014, Yukon government and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation signed a multi-year $2.7 million transfer payment agreement to support the construction of a new community and recreation centre in Old Crow. This new facility will provide= a number of important services to that community.
The Ca= rmacks Development Corporation, owned by Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation, was awarded $1.16 million toward a $2.3 million project from the northern housi= ng trust to support construction of a six-unit, two bedroom affordable rental housing complex in the Village of Carmacks.
In 201= 3, a memorandum of understanding on education partnership was signed by Canada, Yukon government and the Council of Yukon First Nations focused on improving learning outcomes for First Nation students. The education partnership initiatives include: a student achievement strategy; literacy framework; a pilot project; and community consultations. Intergovernmental accords were signed with Kluane First Nation and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, which pro= vide a framework for governments to work in partnership on common priorities.
There = are a number of successful initiatives that have arisen out of accords with First Nations, including the on-the-land education program with Vuntut Gwitchin F= irst Nation.
In 201= 5, the Yukon government approved a two-year contribution agreement for the Yukon F= irst Nation Chamber of Commerce with operational funding of $75,000 a year. This= funding will support the program services and the operation of the Yukon First Nati= on Chamber of Commerce. I certainly want to acknowledge the leadership and the hard work that is going on within the Yukon First Nation Chamber of Commerc= e.
Yukon = government is currently engaged in reconciliation agreement negotiations with the White River First Nation and preliminary discussions have been initiated with the= Kaska. These agreements are a proactive approach to improving government-to-government relationships, addressing shared priorit= ies and clarifying consultation processes with non-settled Yukon First Nations = and Kaska Dena Council.
Yukon = government continues to negotiate Yukon asset construction agreements with the Kwanlin= Dün and the Carcross/Tagish First Nations. To da= te there have been 21 projects negotiated with the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and four with the Carcross/Tagish First Nation.
In par= tnership with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Pu= blic Schools branch has developed curriculum regarding residential schools using= the “Finding Our Way Home” scrapbook project. Yukon Education has reprinted the book for use in Yukon schools. Yukon government is leading a cooperative effort with assessors, regulators, First Nations and industry to improve the timelines, clarity, transparency and effectiveness of the mine licensing system. This includes engaging with First Nations to discuss how = they want to be involved in decisions regarding mining activity and how they der= ive benefits from mining.
Yukon = and self-governing First Nations have signed a protocol and developed a workplan that will facilitate cooperation and communi= cation on mining related issues. Central items for the discussion include a focus = on developing solutions for each government’s consideration.
A new = gas tax administration agreement was signed between Canada and Yukon on July 24, 20= 14. Yukon First Nations will see a further $38.22 million allocated in funding = from 2014 to 2024 for projects that contribute to revitalizing and building publ= ic infrastructure.
Yukon = government continues to support community-based fish and wildlife workplan development and implementation, which includes activities relating to fish, wildlife and habitat management priorities in the Little Salmon Carmacks, Vuntut Gwitchin, Champagne and Aishihik, and Na Cho Ny= äk Dun First Nations’ traditional territories.
In 201= 4, the Yukon government entered into a funding agreement with the Kwanlin Dün First Nation to contribute $1 million over t= hree years to the Jackson Lake healing program. This funding is being provided in recognition of the important services that the program provides to all Yuko= ners — another one of those projects or commitments that we made in our platform.
Betwee= n 2014 and 2017, Skookum Jim Friendship Centre will receive $935,925 to run a youth employment centre and community outreach service to provide youth, 16 to 30, with skills, knowledge and work experience to participate in the workforce.= The program is funded by youth at risk and employment services and supports program.
Yukon = College continues to collaborate with Yukon First Nations and Yukon College to prov= ide the Yukon First Nation Governance and Public Administration program through Yukon College. Work is underway toward incorporating the program into a bachelor in policy studies in indigenous governance degree at Yukon College, beginning in 2017, as we continue to move forward with another one of our visions, and that is creating the first university north of 60.
I thou= ght I would spend a little bit of time just talking about some of the accomplishm= ents that occur, by department, as well. I am going to start with Community Services. FireSmart projects have been conducte= d with Teslin Tlingit Council, Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Ta’= an Kwäch’än Council, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, Kluane First Nation, Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation, Ross River Dena Council, First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, White River First Nation and Selkirk First Nation. Wildland Fire Management engages with First Nations f= or over half of the initial attack crews in preparation for fire seasons.
Yukon = Emergency Medical Services worked with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Ca= nada and the Council of Yukon First Nations representatives to include four Champagne and Aishihik First Nations participants in the Haines Junction, Y= ukon Emergency Medical Services pilot project. Since April 2015, YEMS recruited = and trained five First Nation community responders in Haines Junction, and three have continued their engagement with YEMS as volunteers. Aboriginal Workfor= ce representatives have met with Yukon Emergency Medical Services to discuss future opportunities of this nature. Proposals are under development.
Commun= ity recreation assistance grants provided annually to Vuntut Gwitchin First Nat= ion for Old Crow, Selkirk First Nation for Pelly Crossing, Liard First Nation f= or Upper Liard and Kluane First Nation for Burwash Landing. An increase to all community recreation assistance grants began this fiscal year.
Collab= orative solid waste management planning with Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation included a contribution agreement to operate the solid waste facility in Old Crow. Community Services continues to engage with First Nations regarding solid w= aste facility operations and management planning.
Since = 2009, a First Nation emergency preparedness planner has worked with Yukon self-governing First Nations to provide emergency management planning. This project is ongoing and communicates regularly with all First Nations to dis= cuss and implement emergency management programming.
Whiteh= orse Public Library continues to collaborate with Kwanlin D= ün Cultural Centre on programming and other initiatives including National Aboriginal Day and the Adäka festival.
Commun= ity Services has worked in partnership with First Nation recipients in delivery of commu= nity infrastructure under the Building Canada fund for a total of $28.4 million = over the last three year. These investments include: new water treatment infrastructure in Takhini River subdivision with Champagne and Aishihik Fir= st Nations for $580,000; upgrades to the water facility, including water treatment, in Tagish with Carcross/Tagish First Nation for $980,000; green energy building retrofit in Carmacks for Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation administration building for $500,000; upgrades in Burwash Landing to water wells and design of a new water treatment facility, $1.65 million and local road upgrades of $1.35 million with Kluane First Nation; local road upgrade= s of $3.4 million, bridge stabilization of $1.7 million, and a new public works building and water treatment facility in Ross River, $6 million; road upgra= des of $1.5 million and construction of a new public work shop in Pelly Crossing for $912,000; road upgrades of $4 million, construction of a solid-waste incinerator facility for $1 million and a new water treatment facility for = $5.2 million in Old Crow.
First = Nations are invited attend the fall 2015 asset management conference. The conference will provide best-practice examples for asset management experience of a pi= lot asset management initiative for Teslin Tlingit Council and the Village of Teslin and explain opportunities for funding asset management initiatives.<= /span>
Yukon = Emergency Measures Organization is piloting the rural disaster resilience planning program with Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation and the Village of Carmack= s. It is a model for all Yukon communities. The program will assess the community’s disaster resilience to aid in strengthening its emergency preparedness capacity.
We wil= l continue working with Kwanlin Dün First Nation to identify projects that meet the provisions and the spirit of chapter 22 of = the final agreement. This year, Land Development entered into two such agreemen= ts, with Kwanlin Dün First Nation totalling $5= 00,000 for preparation of Lot 262 for future development and to clear and grub pha= se 3, Whistle Bend subdivision.
Workin= g with Canada, First Nations and communities to support upgrades in the constructi= on of community infrastructure through the gas tax fund, over $28 million of g= as tax funding has been allocated to Yukon First Nations between 2005 and 2015. This funding has supported projects such as: the purchase of solid-waste disposal containers and a solid-waste collection vehicle for Carcross/Tagish First Nation; a community recycling program and ground-source heat pump for Takhini River subdivision, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations; a new water distribution line with Kluane First Nation; office space retrofits, Kwanlin= Dün First Nation; Albert Creek water quality pro= ject, Liard First Nation; water truck shed, Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation; storage facility for water truck, First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun; utility storage building addition, Ross River Dena Council; small-diam= eter piped water system, Selkirk First Nation; windows and furnace upgrades to administration building, Ta’an Kwäch’än Council; Teslin fire guard, = Teslin Tlingit Council; installation of water and sewer in subdivision C expansion with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation; water truck and sewer truck, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation; updated integrated community sustainability plan with White River First Nation.
A new = gas tax administrative agreement was signed between Canada and Yukon on July 24, 20= 14. Yukon First Nations will see a further $38.22 million allocated in funding from 2= 014 to 2024 for projects that contribute to revitalizing and building public infrastructure.
If we = look at the Department of Economic Development, there was a memorandum of understan= ding signed by the Government of Yukon, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, the First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun, Tr’ond&eu= ml;k Hwëch’in as well as the City of Dawson and the Village of Mayo in August 2015. The MOU provides a collaborative framework in which the participants can work toward positive economic and business development outcomes in north Yukon. This initiative, the north Yukon READI initiative — standing for “regional economic action development initiative” — brings the participating governments together to share respective resources and capabilities that will result in the group hiring a regionally based business and economic development advisor with a storefront office who will provide advisory services to entrepreneurs, soci= al enterprises and other economic development stakeholders in the region.
The ad= visor will be based in Dawson but will travel regularly to Old Crow and to Mayo — work closely with the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the City of Dawson and Canada in finalizing a regional economic development plan related to chapter 22 of the final agreements. The plan was signed by parties on August 11, 2015. A number of projects identif= ied in the draft plan are currently being implemented by the community, led by Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in with funding from the regional econ= omic development fund, the strategic industries fund and Ca= nNor: one regional economic development advisor from the department is currently = on assignment with Selkirk First Nation as executive director; approved funding for a market feasibility and project scoping for Carcross/Tagish Development Corporation to complete a high-level market feasibility study and scoping document to determine the viability of a development of a tourism attractio= n; approved funding for Kluane First Nation development corporation to help develop a business plan for a wind-diesel project. Kluane wind project is a vision of Kluane First Nation and Kluane Community Development Corporation = to build and operate a 300-kilowatt wind energy facility near the south shores= of Kluane Lake between the communities of Burwash Landing and Destruction Bay. This project is to develop a business plan to assist in securing the necess= ary investment.
In 201= 5-16, Economic Development provided funding to the following First Nation corporations under the regional economic development fund for business planning: Na Cho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation, the Da Daghay Development Corporat= ion, Ross River Dena Council, Liard First Nation development= corporation, Teslin Development Corporation and the Kluane Community Development Corporation.
The de= partment is assisting two representatives of the Kwanlin Dü= ;n First Nation to attend the International Economic Development Council annual conference in October of this year.
Contin= ue to work with Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation with the community readiness initiative — the financial assistance provided in the previous and current fiscal year by the department has enabled the First Nation to successfully design a resource development planning application that was us= ed to access $230,000 in CanNor funding. This fund= ing will help the First Nation plan for resource development across a number of sectors within its traditional territory. Going forward, the department anticipates involvement in a number of related multi-sector planning activi= ties in collaboration with the First Nation.
Assist= ing Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation to investigate potential economic benefits from the Mandana Lake burn area — assistance consists of advice on the overall development and business planning process= as well as helping to identify funding sources to support the business planning process, and it involves a collaborative work with forestry division of Ene= rgy, Mines and Resources.
In 201= 5, Economic Development provided funding to the following First Nations under = the community development fund for various projects: Little Salmon Carmacks Fir= st Nation for the trail-building youth program, which involves employment of s= ix youth and two leaders; Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in in the UNESC= O World Heritage Site nomination project; Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in f= or the dive dome trails, which will develop a network of single-track mountain bike trails on the Midnight Dome to support the expansion of the adventure recreation and tourism potential of the area; Van Tat = Gwich’in navigation systems phase 1, which will create local opportunities in employment, tourism and trapping by utilizing local knowledge to research, = mark and clear traditional travel routes in north Yukon; Ta= ’an Kwäch’än’ Council for McI= ntyre Creek stream bank stabilization project; Teslin Tlingit Council to continue= its work on its bioenergy and wood products feasibility study.
In 201= 5-16, Economic Development approved the following projects under the strategic industries fund: First Nations Tourism Association to complete a curator familiarity tour focusing on promoting knowledge and awareness of fine craft and attend the mission to the 2015 International Folk Art Market in Santa F= e, New Mexico; Kluane Dana Shä̀w Corpora= tion to undertake a conceptual stage development, or pre-feasibility work, to evaluate the potential for local hydroelectric power of greater than one megawatt west of the Alaska Highway corridor from the = Donjek River to the southern extent of Kluane Lake; approved a two-year contributi= on agreement with Yukon First Nations Chamber of Commerce with operational fun= ding of $75,000; approved multiple trade mission funding applications for the Yu= kon First Nations Chamber of Commerce including both territories, PNWER, and mo= re; approved a cultural retail product workshop for the Yukon First Nations Cul= ture and Tourism Association; approved a trade mission to represent and sell loc= al First Nation artists’ work at a trade show in Iceland through a partnership with Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association; conti= nued assistance for Yukon First Nations to attend industry conferences, Roundup 2014-15, Cambridge House, Cordilleran Roundup and Economic Developers Association of Canada annual conference; provided funding for Carcross/Tagi= sh Management Corporation for a study examining the feasibility of hosting a Carcross mountain bike event; provided funding and completed the Minto mine socio-economic household survey as conducted by Selkirk First Nation with financial support from the Department of Economic Development; provided funding to Selkirk Development Corporation for the development of a strategic plan; provided funding to Kluane First Nation development corporation to help them evaluate the best usage of commercial = land in the community; provided funding to Dakwakada Development Corporation to assist them with the costs of hosting a mergers = and acquisitions workshop; provided funding to Kwanlin D&u= uml;n First Nation to assist with the costs related to the development of a busin= ess charter for their commercial entities; provided funding to Kluane Community Development Corporation to offset costs incurred attending a First Nation g= as bar and convenience store conference; provided funding to help Kwanlin Dün First Nation attend the annual conference of= the Economic Developers Association of Canada; provided funding to Chief Isaac = Inc. to help offset the costs related to the development of a strategic plan; provided funding to Carcross/Tagish Management Corporation to help with the costs related to the development of an iconic tourism development; provided funding to Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation to help with the costs relat= ed to the initiation of a community-readiness initiative that will help the Fi= rst Nation prepare for significant resource development within their traditional territory; provided funding to a number of First Nation development corporations to help offset the cost of attending the annual Yukon First Nations Chamber of Commerce mining and energy forum; provided funding to Kwanlin Dün First Nation to help with costs related to the elder community day programming pilot project; provided fund= ing to Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation to help with the costs of the Hats’adan<= /span>, or learning storybooks, and materials for daycare projects, taking existing storybooks and making them into a daycare format for young children and developing posters, games and activities for each book; provided funding to Champagne and Aishihik First Nations toward the costs of their website desi= gn project; provided funding to Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation to help th= em with the costs of the Northern Tutchone artifact identification project; professional learning community session and distributed conference micropho= ne system for the Council of Yukon First Nations; audio-visual screen for Da Kų Cultural Centre for the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations; skati= ng rink resurfacing for the Kwanlin Dün First Nation; old village restoration in addition to showcasing Northern Tutchone arts and crafts; an outdoor skating rink and playground for the First Natio= n of Na Cho Nyäk Dun; promotional video to be distributed to target export markets in addition to a curator gallery familiarity tour to provide Yukon First Nation fine art and traditional cra= ft artists with the tools to explore and develop new markets by inviting natio= nal and international curators and owners to cultivate new business relationshi= ps and development of a five-year Yukon First Nation arts, culture and tourism business and marketing plan for the Yukon First Nations Tourism Association= .
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, this government collaborated with Kwanlin Dün First Nation elders’ portrait and history project phase 2, and strate= gic and business model research for the Kwanlin Dün= span> Cultural Society; arena upgrade for the Biennial Gwitchin Gathering in 2014= -15 and the Old Crow spring break youth leadership camp for the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation; provided funding toward implementation of the carpenter apprenticeship training program for Carcross/Tagish First Nation; provided funding to Chief Isaac and 12028 Yukon Inc. with Ta= 217;an Kwäch’än to facilitate Yukon Fi= rst Nation trust symposium on behalf of a number of Yukon First Nations in 2013= and 2014; provided funding to Teslin Tlingit Council for the development of the language revitalization strategy; provided funding to building capacity and understanding of economic development for Champagne and Aishihik First Nati= ons; detailed analysis of Teslin region tourism market for the Teslin Tlingit Council; funding to support a delegate from the Yukon First Nations Tourism Association to attend the Premier’s tourism and trade mission to Euro= pe; support the Yukon First Nations Tourism Association to showcase Yukon First Nation arts and crafts at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region summit in Anchorage, Alaska; diverse fibre study with Dempster Energy Services, which= is Vuntut Development Corporation, Na Cho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation, Chief Isaac Inc. and the Gwic= h’in Development Corporation; support to the Kwanlin Dü= ;n Cultural Society to provide a national platform for Yukon First Nation businesses and artists to showcase at the Assembly of First Nations annual general meeting in Whitehorse; strategic planning and policy tool developme= nt for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in trust; Klondike UNESCO World Heritage Site feasibility assessment for Chief Isaac Inc.; Kluane community recreation complex for Kluane First Nation.
Moving= forward, community development funds supported the Ross River Dena Council to constr= uct a variety of community assets aimed at improving the aesthetic appearance of = the community and supporting positive community interactions while building capacity and providing employment.
Human = resources policy and procedures manual and board protocols/training for Na Cho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation; bird-viewing s= ites for Carcross/Tagish First Nation; Daana Jili Tr= ust strategic planning for Carcross/Tagish Development Corporation; forestry research and planning for Liard First Nation development corporation; exhibition research and planning for Teslin Tlingit Council; community socc= er field development plan for Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation, in addition= to community traditional healthy living retreats and learning storybooks.
Fundin= g for Kwanlin Dün First Nation projects — recreati= on facility upgrades, CHOICES, youth sexual health conference, and land development conceptual plan. Funding for Champagne and Aishihik First Natio= ns projects — Canyon Creek playground development, fitness room equipment and culture camp literacy; commercial renewable mini-hydro and wind power assessments for Dakwakada Development Corporati= on; career exploration week for Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, as wel= l as Dome trail project, development of a mountain bike trail and procurement strategy and partnership forums; funding for the Dena = Nezziddi Development Corporation for a situational analysis and geothermal energy development.
What w= e’re talking about are some examples of collaboration that goes on every day bet= ween this government and Yukon First Nations.
If we = look and pick a few things out of Education, in the public schools — a memoran= dum of understanding/joint education action plan. A 2013 memorandum of understanding on education partnership was signed by Canada, Yukon and the Council of Yukon First Nations focused on improving learning outcomes for F= irst Nation students. The Council of Yukon First Nations began the initiative in March of 2013 by hosting a Yukon First Nation education summit with service providers to develop educational priorities resulting in a joint education action plan.
Recent activities include Council of Yukon First Nations-sponsored workshops with = the Yukon First Nations that resulted in a report of draft community plans for literacy, a draft literacy framework and the inclusion of First Nation perspectives into the Yukon education literacy strategy.
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Point of order
Speaker: Ord= er, please. Member for Mayo-Tatchun, on a point of order.
Mr. Tredger: Standing Order 19(b) — a member shall be called to order by the Speaker if that member speaks to matters other than the question under discussion. I believe the Premier is speaking to his Budget Address and not Motion No. 1042, which was brought forward by the Member for Whitehorse Centre.
Speaker: Hon. Premier, on the point of order.
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: Mr. Speaker, I’m clearly speaking to the motion tha= t is being debated today.
Speaker’s
ruling
Speaker: I b= elieve the Premier is speaking to the motion that is before us today. The subject matter is quite broad. I’m going to allow the Premier to continue.
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: It is a privilege to take the opportunity to inform members of= both the NDP and Liberal opposition and Yukoners who are listening of some of the collaborative things that this government is doing with Yukon First Nations across this territory.
I was = talking about the memorandum of understanding on education partnerships — Cou= ncil of Yukon First Nations student achievement and success workshop with First Nations that shared a draft report on Yukon First Nation student achievement and looked at the definitions of success from a First Nation perspective.= span>
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, it certainly is abundantly clear that we are overwhelming the opposition wi= th the depth and breadth of the collaboration that occurs on a daily basis with Yukon First Nations.
An edu= cation summit was held in March 2014 that shared the results of two workshops and members worked on a draft joint education action plan. An education summit = was held in March 2015 that shared the Yukon First Nation student achievement report — a draft report on the Yukon First Nation policy and protocol framework — an update from the joint education action plan working gr= oup and focused work on the joint education action plan implementation strategy. The joint education action plan was ratified by leadership in March 2014, a= nd was endorsed by Yukon government on October 7, 2014. A joint education acti= on plan working group has been established and is actively meeting to work on = the implementation plan initiatives.
A one-= year plan, 2015-16, with joint CYFN/FNEC and Yukon education initiatives are being wor= ked on. Some of these initiatives include: a data sharing agreement; a “h= ow are we doing” report on Yukon First Nation student achievement; an inventory of cultural awareness courses; an inventory of First Nation cultu= ral resources; and a possible cultural inclusion template for Yukon schools and research into best practices on language and culture programs.
The Yu= kon Education Advisory Council was discontinued and replaced by the First Natio= ns Education Commission, Yukon . An education summi= t will be held in March 2016, to share the 2015-16 implementation initiatives and = the “how we are doing” report on student achievement.
In Jul= y 2013, an education agreement was signed with Tr’ondëk= Hwëch’in, which sets out a workplan = for implementing key initiatives: traditional knowledge camp accreditation; an independent learning centre; and cultural education and curriculum developm= ent regarding residential schools. A Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in education oversight committee has been meeting to provi= de updates on the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in education agreement = workplan. Some current initiatives include: developin= g a high school First Nation leadership course; an inventory of First Nation cultural resources by grade level at Robert Service School; development of = the Tr’ondëk national history site for cultural activities; and prog= ram planning for the Independent Learning Centre.
In par= tnership with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in pub= lic schools, a branch has developed curriculum regarding the residential schools using “Finding Our Way Home”, Tr’&eu= ml;huhch’in Näwt’udäh’a, scrapbook pr= oject. Yukon Education has reprinted the book for use in Yukon schools.
A grad= e 10 unit in social studies has been developed in collaboration with Yukon First Nati= ons, along with a teacher’s guide, a timeline resource, and digital resour= ces of stories for former students. An in-service for teachers, First Nations’ education staff and health supports was conducted in the fall 2014. Three urban and three high schools implemented the unit in the 2014-15 school year. Unit resources will be available fo= r all schools in the 2015-16 school year and will be a required unit of study, which we are proud to announce. Another in-service = was held in October 2015, and all grade 10 social studies teachers are required= to take the training if they will be teaching the unit. We anticipate three ur= ban schools and seven rural schools to implement the unit in the 2015-16 school= year.
Interg= overnmental accords were signed with the Kluane First Nation and the Vuntut Gwitchin Fi= rst Nation in July and August 2013 and with the Carcross/Tagish First Nation in March 2015. Yukon government is currently negotiating a Kwanlin Dün First Nation /YG intergovernmental accord wi= th possibilities to add an education memorandum of understanding. Action plans= are being developed containing specific initiatives to address key priorities on alternative learning and land-based experiential learning for Carcross/Tagi= sh First Nation, Kluane First Nation and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation. A numbe= r of other Yukon First Nation self-government agreements will be amended to prov= ide for similar education agreements. We are currently working on education agreements with Selkirk First Nation and Kluane First Nation.
Public=
Schools
branch is supporting the Kwanlin Dün House=
of Learning to provide upgrading, employment- and
trades-specific training, certifications and tickets, career and personal
counselling, personal growth programs and capacity building for Kwanlin
We hav= e also had informal partnerships with many other Yukon First Nations such as Little Sa= lmon Carmacks, Selkirk and Na Cho Nyäk Dun, to facilitate educational resource material development from a Northern Tutcho= ne perspective. The Doòli team and Little S= almon Carmacks First Nation have produced traditional storybooks, posters, a DVD,= a potlatch resource and a land claims booklet. FNPP provided in-services to t= he three schools — Elijah Van Bibber, JV Clark and Tantalus school ̵= 2; for the use of these resources.
A Firs= t Nation experiential program for students in Whitehorse — CHAOS 9 and 10 R= 12; community, heritage, adventure, outdoors and skills is<= /span> operating out of the Wood Street Centre School for grades 9 and 10 students= . A new course, ancestral technology 9 and 10 was piloted in the CHAOS program = in 2013.
The Ol= d Crow school and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation will continue = to host spring camps to support land-based experiential education. I know that= our Minister of Tourism and Culture, while she was Minister of Education, had a= lot of fun going up with the Member for Vuntut Gwitchin and going out to Old Cr= ow Flats and experiencing first-hand some of that traditional experience. As p= art of the rural experiential model, First Nation courses in art, technology and experiential education are being offered for credit through collaboration w= ith First Nations. The First Nations Programs and Partnerships unit is supporti= ng the Northern Cultural Expressions Society to provide carving training for elementary and secondary students. A one-year agreement for NCES will be de= veloped for the 2015-16 year.
Yukon = Education signed memorandums of understanding with both Simon Fraser University and t= he University of British Columbia in support of their applications for Social Science and Humanities Research Council partnership grants to research First Nation languages. SFU was awarded the grant in 2013 and their research will document best-practices and provide opportunities to improve digital techno= logy for language learners. UBC was awarded a grant in 2014 for a four-year Kaska language digital archive and dictionary databas= e. The project includes the use of video conferencing for language teaching and documentation. Ross River School, Watson Lake Secondary School, Johnson Elementary School and FNPP are participating in the video conferencing. Yuk= on Education is providing in-kind contributions to support Yukon research and attends meetings to learn best-practices in language technology innovation = and the development of dictionaries.
In par= tnership with Yukon College and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Advanced Education is working on an apprenticeships framework process outline to exp= and the goals related to apprenticeship and trade, First Nations language and culture and support for disengaged students who were identified in the secondary report.
Skooku= m Jim Friendship Centre is receiving $935,925 over three years to run the youth employment centre, a community outreach service to provide youth ages 16 to= 30 with skills, knowledge and work experience to participate in the workforce.= The program is funded by the youth at risk and employment services and supports program.
As par= t of the Yukon asset construction agreement under the Kwanlin Dün First Nation Final Agr= eement, the following are to support the building of the new F.H. Collins school: f= unding support to Kwanlin Dün First Nation for the creation of an employment office and additional learning space to increase employment support to Kwanlin Dün members;= and two years of salary funding to develop an employment services trainee for t= he Kwanlin Dün First Nation job centre. This position is funded through community training funds.
If we = were to look at a few things where there are examples of collaboration between our government and First Nations when it comes to Energy, Mines and Resources — if we look at agriculture, EMR supports the various First Nations to answer questions related to the agricultural capability on their settlement lands and within their traditional territories. The Agriculture branch currently sits on the steering committee of the Tr̵= 7;ondëk Hwëch’in learning farm project, providing farm management and technical advice. In February of this year, discussions took place with the First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun in relatio= n to the designation of agriculture lands in the Mayo area, and again in Septemb= er, on the development of an agriculture feasibility plan for the land in Na Ch= o Nyäk Dun traditional territory.
The Yu= kon government and the Government of Canada continue to engage Ross River Dena Council, Liard First Nation, Selkirk First Nation and the Kaska Dena Council — also known as the affected First Nations — regar= ding their participation in the Faro mine remediation project. Affected Yukon Fi= rst Nation businesses and individuals received subcontracting employment and training opportunities related to the care and maintenance activities, site-improvement projects and preparation for final remediation and closure= .
The Yu= kon government, with the Government of Canada and Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation, reached an agreement on remediation of the Mount Nansen site in 201= 2. EMR continues to work with the parties on preparing and implementing the remediation plan. In 2014-15, $50,000 was provided to Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation by the Yukon government for their technical participation on t= he Mount Nansen remediation project.
EMR is continuing to work with Yukon First Nations to develop community energy pla= ns. Each community energy plan evaluates how communities currently use energy, = any potential business development opportunities related to generating energy, long-term energy consumption projections and near-term actions for reducing energy use and using clean sources of energy.
The En= ergy branch has developed a full energy plan in collaboration with Vuntut Gwitch= in First Nation and is now working with Kluane First Nation to develop energy consumption projections, and with Champagne and Aishihik First Nations to complete an energy use inventory.
EMR en= gaged with all Yukon First Nations during 2014 and 2015 on the independent power production policy. Public consultations occurred between May and August 2014 and the results were compiled into a “what we heard” report. The First Nations’ input plus the public’s input has informed revis= ions to the policy.
EMR en= gaged with all Yukon First Nations and renewable resources councils on the Yukon bioma= ss energy strategy between April and June 2015, and a “what we heardR= 21; document is being developed.
EMR has negotiated a transfer payment agreement to provide $1 million in support of= the Kluane First Nation-led Kluane wind-diesel project. The project involves the construction of a 300-kilowatt wind energy facility that will generate renewable power for the sale at Atco Electric Yukon. The project is intende= d to provide economic development opportunities to Kluane First Nation and the Kluane Community Development Corporation and environmental benefits to their community.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, the Dawson forest resources management plan was approved by Yukon government and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in on M= arch 20, 2013. The parties continue to work collaboratively in implementing the plan’s priorities. In November 2014, both governments signed a memora= ndum of understanding to affirm and guide the commitment to the plan’s implementation. In July of this year, a timber supply analysis contract was issued to support the annual allowable cut determination.
The Wh= itehorse and Southern Lakes forest resources planning area was established in Februa= ry 2009 through agreement by EMR, Kwanlin Dün= First Nation, Ta’an Kw&aum= l;ch’än Council and Carcross/Tagish First Nation. The planning team conducted First Nation and public consultation in the spring of 2014, held technical worksh= ops in March 2015 and is currently drafting strategic management directions for= the next round of public consultation to occur in January of next year.<= /p>
EMR is implementing the renewed forest management implementation agreement with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, signed in August 2012, to carry out shared implementation priorities under the integrated landscape plan and the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations’ traditional territory strategic forest management plan. To support implementation, a new vegetation invento= ry was completed in August of this year, and a timber supply analysis contract= was issued in July. This collaboration supports economic development opportunit= ies for energy production, sawmilling and fuel wood.
EMR an= d Teslin Tlingit Council continue to work together using common planning and enginee= ring criteria to support joint land development initiatives, such as the Sawmill Road planned country residential lots in Teslin, which were made available through a lottery in the spring of 2014. Teslin Tlingit Council is also wor= king with Yukon government to develop options for a planned recreation lot initiative in Morley Bay, as well as options for the development of additio= nal industrial lots within the community.
Yukon =
government
and Kwanlin Dün First Nation signed a lett=
er of
understanding in August 2011 outlining areas in which the two parties would
work together in a collaborative and timely manner to investigate opportuni=
ties
and advance solutions related to the residential development of Kwanlin
Implem= entation on the exchange of Crown and settlement land policy 2015 has enabled a land exchange process between Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Yukon government and the Government of Canada. Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Yukon gove= rnment are progressing with the exchange of lands outlined in the proposed site-specific settlement land memorandum of agreement between the parties to the final agreement — Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Yukon government and the Canadian government.
This s= ignifies a step forward in rectifying errors made during land claim negotiations in the location of specific settlement land parcels. Once the land exchange with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in is complete, similar initiatives are planned to occur with Teslin Tlingit Council, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and the Ta’= an Kwäch’än Council.
Suppor= ted by a memorandum of understanding between Yukon government and the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, signed in December 2013, EMR is working closely with First Nations to support joint land and development initiatives for future planned development in Carcross. This included the development and lottery sale of = 19 remote recreational lots in the Carcross area in September 2014.
EMR is= also working with Carcross/Tagish First Nation and a private sector proponent to evaluate a recent expression of interest for the development of a resort at= Millhaven Bay. EMR and the Carcross/Tagish First Nati= on are also moving forward with the extension of Tagish Avenue in Carcross as part= of the implementation of the memorandum of understanding. The parties are shar= ing the cost of expanding Tagish Avenue in order to provide access to settlement la= nd for Carcross/Tagish First Nation’s Bennett beach project and to Yukon land for potential residential development.
Yukon = government and the Kluane First Nation have entered into a memorandum of understanding that supports sustainable growth and economic development for Burwash Landi= ng. Projects being considered include: recreational development; Dutch Harbour = on Kluane Lake; and other potential joint land development projects.
EMR is= also commencing discussions and sharing information with Kluane First Nation and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations on the possible development of remote recreational lots in their traditional territories.
EMR is= working with First Nations in cancelling outstanding titles on settlement land parc= els. Building on work carried out under the northern strategy initiative, EMR continues to work with First Nations when requested to develop geographical information system mapping systems, tailoring support to the needs of the F= irst Nations. EMR participates for the Yukon government on the settlement land committee working to complete all of the First Nations’ settlement la= nd surveys. The North Yukon Regional L= and Use Plan continues to be implemented with Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation through the joint party implementation group.
Contin= uing on with Energy, Mines and Resources and examples of this government collaborat= ing with First Nations — the Sunnydale/West Dawson — Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Yukon government approved the local area plan. Prop= erty owners have been informed of the decisions.
In Car= cross, the Carcross/Tagish First Nation and Yukon government jointly approved a local = area plan. For Marsh Lake, EMR is working with Kwanlin D&uu= ml;n First Nation on a local area plan. The draft plan was presented to the publ= ic in December 2014. Carcross/Tagish First Nation requested that the plan incorporate their settlement land and a discussion is taking place between Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Carcross/Tagish = First Nation and EMR to address this request. The steering committee is expected = to recommend a final plan later this fall.
Fox La=
ke —
EMR is working with Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and Kwanlin Dün First Nation on the development of a local a=
rea
plan. The background report, which incorporates input from the property own=
ers,
the steering committee and the Ta’an Kwäch’än C=
ouncil,
was presented to the public in June and July of 2014. A vision workshop will
take place in the fall.
Tagish= — EMR and the Carcross/Tagish First Nation have established the Tagish planni= ng committee. A series of public meetings were held in Carcross and Tagish in = May and June of this year. The background report for the planning area is being prepared for the steering committee’s review.
Fish L= ake — EMR and Kwanlin Dün First Nation are in the process of determining the planning boundaries for the local area plan. It = is expected that once Marsh Lake local area planning wraps up, the Fish Lake planning process will start.
Yukon = government is leading a cooperative effort with assessors, regulators, First Nations a= nd industry to improve the timeliness, clarity, transparency and effectiveness= of the mine licensing system. This includes engaging with First Nations to dis= cuss how they want to be involved in decisions regarding mining activity and how they derive benefits from mining.
Yukon = government and self-governing First Nations are advancing discussions on shared mining priorities and working together to identify solutions that improve clarity, certainty and management of mining activity in the Yukon.
Yukon = and self-governing First Nations have signed a protocol and developed a workplan that will facilitate cooperation and communi= cation on mining-related issues. This protocol and jointly developed workplan set out central items for discussion and foc= us on developing solutions for each government’s consideration. EMR ensures full participation and consultation with First Nations in the environmental assessment and licensing of resource developments and cost-shares with First Nations on the Yukon Environmental = and Socio-economic Assessment Act reviews. Yukon government is providing funding for Selkirk First Nation under the Minto socio-economic monitoring program framework agreement.
In ord= er to provide opportunities for building relationships between industry, First Nations and Yukon government, each year, EMR will provide up to $1,000 for = the chief or designate of each Yukon First Nation to attend the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia (AMEBC) mineral exploration roundup. E= MR provides funding support to First Nations for their negotiations with compa= nies for socio-economic partnership agreements. Some examples include: the First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun with Victoria Go= ld; Kluane First Nation with Prophecy Platinum; Ross River Dena Council with No= rth American Tungsten; White River First Nation with Kamin= ak; and numerous First Nations with Casino.
On Aug= ust 19 and September 18 of this year, Oil and Gas Resources branch met with a memorand= um of agreement First Nation working group on oil and gas legislation to review amendments to the oil and gas legislation. EMR invited the chiefs from Klua= ne First Nation, Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Li= ard First Nation, Ross River Dena Council, and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation to = an energy innovation tour and reception in Calgary in October of this year. The Liard First Nation and Ross River Dena will be engaged as part of the oil a= nd gas engagement strategy that was committed to as part of Yukon government= 8217;s response to the Final Report of the= Select Committee Regarding the Risks a= nd Benefits of Hydraulic Fracturing.
The Yu= kon Geological Survey is collaborating with Yukon College and First Nations to identify areas in and around communities that are susceptible to climate change-related geological hazards — examples: flooding, permafrost degradation, and landslides. The studies will aid with climate change adaptation planning. The work is an ongoing initiative. In 2015, the survey completed fieldwork for the Old Crow area and released reports for Dawson C= ity, Faro and Ross River.
The Kl= uane area geophysical survey — the Yukon Geological Survey partnered with Kluane First Nation to carry out a regional airborne geophysical survey over a por= tion of the Kluane ranges south of Burwash Landing. This project is unique in th= at it was initiated by Kluane First Nation, which was collaborating with the Y= ukon Geological Survey to better understand the mineral potential of this area, = to support land and resource management planning and to identify potential economic opportunities for a block of category A settlement land included in the survey. The survey has also filled a gap in existing regional scale geophysical data. The data files and interpreted ma= ps are publicly available for download at no cost through the Yukon Geological Survey website. A letter was sent to White River First Nation notifying the= m of the survey and providing information on what the work entailed and offering= to present the survey results once the data and maps were released.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, we turn to the Department of Environment for a few examples of collaboration between this government and First Nations: Pickhandle<= /span> Lake Habitat Protection Area management plan developed by EMR, White River First Nation and Kluane First Nation; management planning for the Tagish Narrows Habitat Protection Area is underway, together with the Carcross/Tag= ish First Nation and the Canadian Wildlife Service.
A mana= gement plan is being developed together with Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation for the Whitefish Wetlands Habitat Protection Area. This is an outcome of the North Yukon Regional Land Use Plan. The First Nation liaison officer, through Conservation Officer Services, continues to work with self-governing First Nation governance staff and is tasked with the local resource management responsibilities in resolving subsistence harvest issues. This position is = also tasked with presenting on responsible harvesting. These presentations can be joint efforts with First Nations. There are collaborative harvest management discussions with Kluane First Nation for the Kluane/Duke moose population a= nd Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in for the Fortymile caribou herd.
There = is the community-based fish and wildlife workplan development and implementation activities related to fish, wildlife and hab= itat management priorities in the Little Salmon Carmacks, Vuntut Gwitchin, Champ= agne and Aishihik and First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun traditional territories. There are collaborative management systems in place with various First Nation governments to monitor local area wildlife populations. These include: bison and elk management plans; Porcupine herd management; moose population studies; habitat protection management plans; = and Porcupine caribou monitoring and Porcupine caribou harvest monitoring with = the Inuvialuit, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun and Tr’ondëk Hwëch̵= 7;in.
There = was the development of a protocol with the Teslin Tlingit Council Land and Resource branch respecting conservation/environmental education and environmental compliance; collaborative work with First Nations in the Southern Lakes in = the implementation of the Southern Lakes coordinating committee’s recommendations for wildlife management; collaborating with Tr’ond&eu= ml;k Hwëch’in in the design and development of the Orchard Acres natu= re trail and interpretive panels for the Fortymile caribou herd; established a technical committee with the Council of Yukon F= irst Nations and the Yukon First Nations’ representative on the Wildlife Act amendments for consis= tency with final agreements.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, there was working collaboratively with Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation in Old = Crow to assess the community waste management program and how it affects human a= nd wildlife conflict; joint meetings between the Conservation Officer Services branch, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation and local renewable resources council occurred in June and August of this year; a human/wildlife conflict plan for Old Crow is being developed; and work with Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation lan= ds and resource staff in the summer of this year assisting Old Crow residents = to install electric fences around certain cabins and harvesting camps in the O= ld Crow area in order minimize damage to camps by bears. More fencing installa= tions are planned for next year.
There = is ongoing support to the First Nation hospital health care program through the regular donation of game meat to the cultural food program; participated in a three-year First Nation training corps program by providing training for a conservation officer trainee; work with numerous land-based programs includ= ing assisting with first-fish, first-trap and first-hunt programs; delivering b= ear safety programs to Vuntut Gwitchin staff; providing training on investigati= ve techniques to game guardians; and work with Kluane First Nation to identify= and mitigate potential bear/human conflicts within Burwash through a household visit program — in partnership with Kluane First Nation.
There = is Peel region water sampling, in partnership with the First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun; public engagement and targeted outreac= h to Yukon and transboundary First Nation governments in the development of the Yukon water strategy; an invitation extended to Vuntut Gwitchin First Natio= n, First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in to assist Water Resources’ br= anch staff in future implementation of a water monitoring/sampling program in the Eagle Plains Basin; continued liaison and collaboration in areas of mutual interest with the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council; working with = four affected First Nations — that’s the Teslin Tlingit Council, Lia= rd First Nation, Ross River Dena Council and Acho = Dene Koe First Nation — and with the Kaska Dena Council in the negotiations of a Liard Basin bilateral agreement with British Columbia; undertaking a joint water inspection and follow-up activi= ties with Ta’an Kwäc= h’än Council in relation to a watercourse in its traditional territory; and collaborating with Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation on a project investigating groundwater and fish habitat and chum salmon return on the Fishing Branch River. With the assistance of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation and Ross Riv= er Dena Council, Yukon government is identifying potential community water monitors for Old Crow and the North Canol Road.=
We are= working collaboratively with the Carcross/Tagish First Nation in campground site planning for a campground development at Conrad, which we’re very pro= ud to know that we’ll be opening for the 2016 camping season; park management planning for Kusawa Territorial Park= in collaboration with Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, Carcross/Tagish Fi= rst Nation and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation; p= ark management planning for the Asi Keyi Territorial Park, in collaboration with the Kluane and White River First Nations; collaborating with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in on the management of Tombstone Territorial Park through the Tombstone Territorial = Park management committee; collaborating with the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation on the management of Fishing Branch protected area through a committee of mana= ging agencies; collaborating with the Inuvialuit in the management of Herschel Island Territorial Park; and collaborating with the Inuvialuit in developing and implementing wildlife programs in the Inuvialuit settlement region on t= he eastern North Slope.
The De= partment of Environment has worked with Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation and stakeholder= s on site assessment work, including drilling related to the Yukon government contaminated sites in Old Crow. As part of the Marwell= tar pit remediation agreement, the Marwell tar = pit project manager continues to communicate and discuss with both Ta’an Kwäch’&au= ml;n Council and Kwanlin Dün First Nation regar= ding economic and employment opportunities in relation to the Marwell tar pit project — and also collaborating with Southern Lakes First Nations and Forest Management branch on a forest resources plan in the grea= ter Whitehorse area.
In the= Executive Council Office in May of last year, Yukon government endorsed Canada’s statement of support of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Yukon government continues to negotiate Yukon asset construction agreements with = the Carcross/Tagish and Kwanlin Dün First Nati= ons. To date, there have been 21 projects negotiated with Kwanlin Dün First Nation and four with Carcross/Tagish F= irst Nation — and those numbers are growing. In fact two additional projec= ts are currently being negotiated.
The Yu= kon government has entered into a funding agreement with the Kwanlin Dün First Nation to contribute $1 million over t= hree years to the Jackson Lake healing program. The funding is being provided in recognition of the important services that program provides to all Yukoners= .
In Mar= ch of this year, the Yukon government announced its partnership with Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Carcross/Tagish First Natio= n and contributed $250,000 on the tiny buildings, big future project. In February= of this year, Yukon government took a delegation of 10 representatives to the National Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and Girls, hel= d in Ottawa. There is now articulated planning underway for the next regional roundtable.
The Yu= kon government invited Yukon First Nation chiefs to meet with Yukon Cabinet min= isters to discuss the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report and how Y= ukon government and Yukon First Nation leadership can work together on this very important joint priority.
Yukon = government negotiated a new resource royalty sharing agreement with self-governing Fir= st Nations. This agreement builds on the resource revenue sharing provisions of chapter 23 of the final agreements and will share an additional 15 percent = of the resource royalties collected by Yukon each year. To date, 10 of the 11 = self-governing First Nations have signed the agreement. Yukon has signed the agreement, bringing the agreement into effect. Teslin Tlingit Council, as the only self-governing First Nation that has not signed, may sign the agreement at = any time. Yukon government and the Teslin Tlingit Council have concluded a lease agreement that will allow for the continued operation of Teslin School, whi= ch is located on Teslin Tlingit Council settlement land.
Aborig= inal Relations continues to assist the departments of Justice and Health and Soc= ial Services in administration of Justice agreement negotiations with Canada and Kwanlin Dün F= irst Nation, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nat= ion. Yukon government and Canada are also negotiating with the Teslin Tlingit Council to implement their Administ= ration of Justice Agreement, which was signed in 2011. Yukon government, Canada and the Council of Yukon First Nations have reached an agreement on an Umbrella Final Agreement implement= ation plan. This plan provides secure funding agreements for UFA boards and committees for a 10-year period. Yukon, Canada and Yukon First Nations have also reached an improved funding arrangement for renewable resources counci= ls. Yukon government, Canada and the settled Yukon First Nations have entered i= nto an agreement regarding the surplus funds accumulated by the renewable resou= rces councils. This agreement allows for renewable resources councils to access = the pooled surplus for specific projects. Yukon government, Canada, Champagne a= nd Aishihik First Nations, the First Nations of Na Cho Ny= äk Dun, Teslin Tlingit Council and Vuntut Gwitchin have reached an agreement to extend certain provisions of chapter 22 of those First Nations’ final agreements, which are due to expire on January 1, 2016.
Yukon = government continues to work with settled Yukon First Nations to implement the “Mapping the Way” campaign, which raises awareness and educates= the public about First Nation self-government and land claims. The campaign celebrated the 40th anniversary of Together Today for Our Children Tomorrow as well as the 20= th anniversary of the Umbrella Final Agreement and the first four Yukon First Nation final self-government agreements. In 2013, intergovernmental accords were signed between Yukon government and the Vuntut Gwitchin and Kluane First Nations.
Yukon = government signed an accord with Carcross/Tagish First Nation in March of this year and anticipates signing an accord with Kwanlin Dün First Nation later this year. Yukon government negotiated a $2.7-million transfer payment agreement with Carcross/Tagish First Nation to support the construction of a new learning centre in Carcross. This initiative will sup= port important learning services for the community and is included as a joint pr= iority in the intergovernmental accord.
Yukon = government and Yukon First Nations held a meeting of the Yukon Forum in May of last ye= ar. At the meeting, Yukon government announced the implementation of class 1 notification areas across Yukon. Since 2013, five informal government-to-government meetings have taken place. In July 2015, Yukon government provided $60,000 to Kwanlin Dün= First Nation to support the Strength Within Circle you= th wellness gathering. This three-day event took place at Jackson Lake and was attended= by approximately 200 youth from across the territory.
In 201= 4, Yukon government provided $20,000 to support the Yukon First Nation emerging lead= ers gathering. This three-day event brought together over 100 youth from across= the territory to build and develop leadership skills, enhance their understandi= ng of land claim and self-government agreements, and gain a better understandi= ng of substance abuse prevention, healthy living and positive lifestyles.
In Jul= y of last year, Yukon government and Vuntut Gwitchin government signed a multi-year, $2.7-million transfer payment agreement to support the construction of a new community and recreation centre in Old Crow.
Yukon = government departments contributed $50,000 to support the capacity of the Council of <= span class=3DSpellE>Kaska Chiefs to host the 2015 Ka= ska General Assembly held August 20 to 22. The three-day gathering brought toge= ther Kaska members from five Ka= ska communities to Watson Lake to celebrate, network and plan for the future.= span>
Yukon = government co-hosted the sixth First Nation governance and capacity development confer= ence for the Council of Yukon First Nations and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada in February of last year. Highlights included the promin= ent First Nation leaders speaking about First Nation self-government visions and initiatives and examples of First Nation capacity collaborations. = p>
Yukon = government continues to collaborate with Yukon First Nations and Yukon College to prov= ide the First Nation governance and public administration program through Yukon College. Since 2011, 38 students have enrolled in the program and four graduates have received college certificates. The courses are delivered in Whitehorse or through video conferencing in the communities. Work is underw= ay toward incorporating the program into a bachelor of policy studies and indigenous governance degree at Yukon College beginning in 2017.
Yukon = government has developed a capacity assessment tool to help First Nations identify the= ir capacity needs. This tool was developed in partnership with the Carcross/Tagish, Kwanlin Dün and Vuntut Gw= itchin First Nations and is the first of its kind in Canada. Available in both wri= tten and online format, it generates reports and is adaptable to fit the needs of any organization.
Yukon = government has created a Yukon First Nation funding sources directory that identifies funding options available through governments of Canada, Yukon and other organizations. The Government of Yukon and Tr’ond= ëk Hwëch’in have completed an agreement to enhance the educational outcome of all students in the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in traditional territory. Amendments to the self-government agreements of five other First Nations to allow similar agreements were also approved. =
Yukon = government has entered into negotiations for reconciliation agreements with White River First Nation, Ross River Dena Council, Liard First Nation and Kaska Dena Council. The negotiations with Kaska are presently in the preliminary stages while t= hose with White River are in a more substantive stage of negotiations. = p>
Yukon = government has extended an offer to Taku River Tlingit Fir= st Nation to enter into negotiations for a consultation protocol.
Yukon = government has extended the prohibition of entry for mineral staking into the Ross Riv= er area until January 31, 2017. The extension will allow for continued consultation with Ross River Dena Council in relation to which lands in the area will be available for staking.
Yukon = government has extended the interim protection under the Quartz Mining Act, Plac= er Mining Act, Lands Act and t= he Territorial Lands (Yukon) Act on t= he land selections of White River First Nation, expiring on April 1, 2016, and Liard First Nation and Ross River Dena Council, expiring on April 1, 2017.<= /span>
In Feb= ruary 2012, the Yukon government partnered with Carcross/Tagish First Nation, Kwa= nlin Dün First Nation, the Vuntut Gwitchin gove= rnment and the First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun to develop a series of organizational and operational manuals that will help support First Nation governance.
In Mar= ch of this year, Yukon government announced its partnership with Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Carcross/Tagish Management Corporation to create the pilot project in the tiny buildings, big future a= nd to increasing employment skills for aboriginal youth.
Aborig= inal Relations has created and filled two new senior consultation advisor positi= ons in the policy and consultation branch. The position assists Yukon to more effectively manage consultation with both settled and non-settled First Nat= ions.
The yo= uth leadership and activities program is an annual funding program that is an amalgamation of three former seasonal programs: the youth leadership progra= m, the winter youth activities program, and the community youth activities program. It is a stable funding source for 16 rural communities, and Kwanli= n Dün First Nation, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, Kluane First Nation, Selkirk First Nation and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation are the youth leadership and activities program administrative bodie= s in their respective communities.
The Yo= uth Directorate’s annual youth leadership training program develops youth leadership skills and empowers them to become better leaders in their communities through informative workshops and on-the-land activities. In the last three years, the youth leadership training has trained future youth leaders from Kwanlin Dün, Carcross/Tagish, Champagne and Aishihik, Little Salmon Carmacks, Selkirk, Liard, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, and Vuntut Gwitchin First Nations.=
The yo= uth investment fund allocates money for youth projects through an application process in t= he fall and in the spring. These programs should promote self-esteem, encourage development of positive lifestyle choices, or create social or recreational opportunities. In the last three years, the youth investment fund has suppo= rted 19 projects from various First Nation governments and organizations, with $61,305 for short-term projects aimed at First Nation youth in the territor= y.
The Mi= nto mine socio-economic monitoring program has been initiated, and a key feature is a yearly annual report. The first annual report will be publicly available th= is fall once it is approved by the parties — Yukon government, Selkirk F= irst Nation and Minto Explorations. The purpose of the monitoring program is to promote and enhance the economic benefits and avoid or minimize the adverse socio-economic effects on health or well-being that may result from activit= ies associated with the Minto mine.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, we’re talking about examples of collaboration between this Yukon Party government and First Nations across this territory. Family and ChildrenR= 17;s Services participates in regular meetings with First Nations’ health = and social directors to discuss policy issues and operational matters related to the Child and Family Services Act= i>. There is also active and ongoing collaborative work between Family and Children’s Services and First Nations in planning and decision-making with and for children and families.
A memo= randum of understanding is being jointly developed with respect to child welfare matt= ers between the Department of Health and Social Services and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. A memorandum of understanding was signed in October 20= 12 between Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Healt= h and Social Services. The agreement provides guidelines and procedures to support cooperative work regarding child welfare matters between Health and Social Services and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation. Health and Social Services presently funds liaison or family support positi= ons with seven First Nations on an annual basis to support First Nation participation in the Child and Fami= ly Services Act: Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, $75,000; Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, $69,000; Liard First Nation, $48,000; Ross River Dena Council, $48,000; Selkirk First Nation, $65,000; Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, $65,000; and Kwanlin Dün First Nation’s annual contribution agr= eement for two child welfare liaison positions as part of a funding agreement that receives matching funding from Justice Canada through an aboriginal justice strategy — $150,000 per year. It’s an increase of $75,000 to reflect the higher number of families involved with child welfare here in Whitehorse.
With r= espect to the Kwanlin Dün Health Centre, Health and = Social Services currently has contracts with three family physicians to provide primary health care, utilizing the collaborative health model to members of Kwanlin Dün First Nation.
The ph= ysicians work out of the Kwanlin Dün health centre, ensuring there is a medical doctor present at the health centre for three f= ull days each week to meet the health care needs of the First Nation. The total amount of the three contracts is $263,731. The Kwanlin Dün health centre has provided immunizations as part of the Yukon immunization program since back in 2007. Roles and responsibilities of Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Health and Social Services related to the Yukon immunization program are set out in a protocol agreeme= nt.
In Dec= ember 2014, Yukon government deployed a new electronic system for recording immunizations, and that’s called Panorama. Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Health and Social Services signed a memorandum of understanding to enable Kwanlin Dün First = Nation to access Panorama so the nurses at the Kwanlin Dü= ;n health centre have access to a shared electronic immunization record for individuals receiving immunizations in their clinic.
The Yu= kon home care program continues to work with First Nation home and community care programs to deliver prevention programs and education. As part of the strat= egy for home care for the homeless, Yukon home care program has a formal partnership with Kwanlin Dün First Nation = health programs to deliver an outreach drop-in clinic once a week through the Salvation Army. Both organizations provide staff and volunteers to collabor= ate on delivering this service to people in need.
The Yu= kon home care program is working with the Council of Yukon First Nations in utilizing their cultural competencies toolkit as a fundamental training tool for the staff who work in the program. This training sta= rted in 2013 and continues to be rolled out for home care staff in the Yukon.
Contin= uing Care meets with the directors of Health and Social Development at the Council of Yukon First Nations to provide updates and to get feedback on the design and program developments of the new Whistle Bend care facility. Health and Soci= al Services assistant deputy ministers meet regularly with the director of Hea= lth and Social Development at the Council of Yukon First Nations — this i= s a Yukon government-funded position — to share information about current activities, to collaborate on research opportunities and to discuss issues = of mutual concern and interest. In addition, the assistant deputy minister of Health and Social Services supports the Council of Yukon First Nations Heal= th and Social Development Commission, which has representation from a majority= of Yukon First Nations. These two initiatives have a total funding amount of $150,300.
Health= and Social Services has been committed to enhancing relationships with First Nations to collaboratively develop better and more culturally relevant alco= hol and drug services. The work formed part of a workplan<= /span> that resulted from the Kluane First Nation intergovernmental accord. Alcohol and Drug Services has been developing a First Nations service perspective document with the Council of Yukon First Nations director and has consulted with First Nations on the development of the new ADS program redesign.
Health= and Social Services is also taking an incremental approach to developing formal networks to support after-care and is delivering training and mentoring to local service providers, along with ongoing community capacity building thr= ough prevention programs.
ADS en= tered into an agreement with Liard First Nation to train two national native alcohol a= nd drug abuse program workers in the area of substance abuse support and after-care. Health and Social Services meets regularly with the Council of Yukon First Nations Health and Social Development Commission to provide departmental updates and special presentations on topical issues — specifically, the directors of policy and program development and community nursing update the commission on departmental policies, special presentatio= ns on topical issues and to discuss health care operation.
Commun= ity Nursing is involved with the chief medical officer of = health in short-term project partnership with some Yukon First Nations and the Pub= lic Health Agency of Canada to validate a diabetes screening tool for First Nat= ion individuals between the ages of 20 and 29. The CANRISK project involves a questionnaire, blood test screening and follow-up education.
The Co= uncil of Yukon First Nations has been involved from the inception for approval of the project and Kwanlin Dün First Nation is al= so actively involved.
Health= and Social Services is part of the health roundtable that consists of territori= al and federal assistant deputy ministers in health, the Grand Chief; health director of the Council of Yukon First Nations chiefs and the director of t= he Council of Yukon First Nations, chiefs from Yukon First Nations and the fed= eral regional director general of health. This table provides a forum where the Council of Yukon First Nations and other First Nations can bring policy mat= ters forward for discussion and action. The Council of Yukon First Nations execu= tive director sits on the e-health stakeholders steer= ing committee, which is overseeing the three new e-health projects: the drug information system, the Lab Information System Connect and the client regis= try.
In the= summer of 2014, Health and Social Services worked in partnership with the Council of Yukon First Nations to launch an online community calendar pilot project in three First Nation communities. Health and Social Services provided funding= and online resources to support communities and the Council of Yukon First Nati= ons. Working collaboratively, a memorandum of agreement was signed between the Council of Yukon First Nations Grand Chief Ruth Massie and the Health and S= ocial Services minister at the time, Doug Graham, in 2014, regarding the use of t= he Council of Yukon First Nations cultural orientation tool kit and permission= to reprint it as needed. Health and Social Services continues to participate a= s a member of the community advisory board in the Homelessness Partnering Strategy chaired by the Council of Yukon First Nations. The CAB previously developed the Whitehorse Homelessness Partnering Strategy Community Plan and is currently approving proposals for= the designated aboriginal and rural and remote funding streams for two-year projects in Yukon. The intent of this federal funding is to prevent homelessness through the development of partnerships that contribute to a sustainable and wide range of supports to help those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness move toward self-sufficiency.
Health= and Social Services worked extensively with Yukon First Nations individually and collectively through the Council of Yukon First Nations Health and Social Development Commission in the development of the clinical services plan in April 2014. The department continues to engage with First Nations in the implementation of the clinical services plan.
The Fi= rst Nations health program at Whitehorse General Hospital was negotiated as par= t of the 1993 health transfer and provides funding to support various First Nati= on health-related activities, including a First Nation health liaison worker program, a child life worker for pediatrics, traditional medicine, traditio= nal diet, employment equity and training program, interpretation services and in-service training. Funding for 2014-15 was $663,000 and has received an increase for 2015-16 by another $537,000 for a total of $1.2 million.
If we = briefly look at Highways and Public Works, the Executive Council Office is leading = and Highways and Public Works is assisting in negoti= ating a reconciliation agreement with the Kaska. High= ways and Public Works has a memorandum of agreement w= ith the Kluane First Nation pertaining to the Shakwak economic benefits agreement for $10,000 per year. Highways and Public Works contracted the Kwanlin Dün First Nation de= velopment corporation to do $75,000-worth of work pertaining to the Whitehorse airport apron panel rehabilitation Yukon asset construction agreement. Highways and Public Works supported Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation on the construction of a winter road to Old Crow in 2013-14 by providing $700,000. Highways and Publ= ic Works provided $33,941 to Champagne and Aishihik First Nations in support of the construction of the visitor reception centre in Haines Junction.
The de= partment has concluded or is currently managing Yukon asset construction agreements = on the following capital projects: Atlin Road upgr= ade with Carcross/Tagish First Nation; airport parking lot — Kwanlin Dün; Whitehorse airport terminal building extens= ion — Kwanlin Dün; Whitehorse Correction= al Centre — Kwanlin Dün; F.H. Collins &= #8212; Kwanlin Dün; Takhini Hot Springs Road upgr= ade — Kwanlin Dün; airport water and sew= er extension — Kwanlin Dün; emergency response centre — Kwanlin Dün; White= horse airport apron panel rehabilitation — Kwanlin D&u= uml;n; St. Elias adult residence — Kwanlin Dün; Tourism and Culture archives vault expansion — Kwanlin Dün, but I believe that one is still under negotiation; Sarah Steele drug and alcohol treatment building replacement — Kwanlin Dün; new Whitehorse contin= uing care facility — Kwanlin Dün; Nares R= iver bridge agreement with Carcross/Tagish is currently under negotiation; and t= he Carcross fire hall with Carcross/Tagish First Nation.
If we = look at Justice: working in collaboration and cooperation with Kwanlin Dün and Health and Social Services to refer suit= able corrections clients to Kwanlin Dün’s Jackson Lake healing centre; working in conjunction with Kwanlin Dün First Nation, the Council of Yukon First Nat= ions and its members to implement the recommendations of Sharing Common Ground, the final report of the 2010 police revi= ew — an example is the inclusion of Yukon First Nation representatives on the Yukon Police Council; continuing the partnerships forged under Sharing Common Ground with a new community safety committee, which is Council of Yukon First Nations and Kwa= nlin Dün First Nation and which will engage a b= road spectrum of service providers in working-level dialogue on policing and pub= lic safety issues aimed at improving information sharing, coordination and collaboration; funding for an RCMP member to be the First Nation community policing coordinator for Yukon RCMP; working in cooperation with the six service delivery carriers — the Council of Yukon First Nations, North= ern Tutchone Tribal Council, Liard First Nation, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation and Ross River Dena Counc= il — to deliver aboriginal courtworker servi= ces; working collaboratively with eight First Nations on community justice proje= cts — Kwanlin Dün, Carcross/Tagish, Liar= d, Ross River, Vuntut Gwitchin, Champagne and Aishihik, Teslin Tlingit Council= and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in — to support community-based alternative justice systems; hosted a restorative justice forum in February 2014, which brought together community justice workers, aboriginal courtworkers, RCMP, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, Correctional Service Canada, Yukon Corrections and other interested stakeholders to discuss restorative justice initiatives in communities and explore ways to build capacity for community justice; working in cooperation with Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Council of = Yukon First Nations, non-government organizations like the Yukon Women’s Coalition, the RCMP, Public Prosecution Service of Canada and the Health and Social Services within the Yukon prolific offender management team to ensure intensive supervision and appropriate programming for prolific offenders; working collaboratively with First Nations to implement the safer communiti= es and neighbourhoods legislation on settlement land, including protocols with Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Tr’ond&eum= l;k Hwëch’in, Carcross/Tagish, First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun and Champagne and Aishihik First Nation= s; supporting the First Nation policing program in Yukon with additional funding for 2014= to 2018 in support of dedicated police services to First Nation communities — funding includes 16 RCMP members across Yukon and the community consultative group within the community tripartite policing agreement in Li= ard First Nation; collaborating with government and NGOs to participate in the Victims of Crime Strategy Advisory Committee.
First = Nation, NGO and government representation on this committee include the Council of Yukon First Nations, Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Council, Whitehorse Aboriginal Women’s Circle, Kwanlin Dün First Nation, First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk = Dun and Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation.
The Kw= anlin Dün First Nation justice department, offender su= pervision and services unit and the victim services unit are working together to prov= ide a collaborative culturally relevant service-delivery model to assist with t= he ongoing management of clients living in the Kwanlin D&= uuml;n First Nation community. Assigned probation and victim services staff deliver services at Kwanlin Dün First Nation in sp= ace provided by Kwanlin Dün First Nation. A co= ntract with the Council of Yukon First Nations and the corrections branch is in pl= ace to provide reintegration assistance to offenders returning to their communities. The objective of this program is to remove barriers to success= ful reintegration. The reintegration worker collaborates with case managers and communities to achieve this goal. Funding is available to assist with indiv= idual needs.
The Co= mmunity Justice and Public Safety division, which includes the corrections, victim services and public safety, and investigation branches, has an agreement wi= th the Council of Yukon First Nations to support information sharing with the First Nations on corrections, policing and victim issues. This agreement supports the Council of Yukon First Nations to work with the three branches= in the ongoing implementation of specific initiatives and to facilitate First Nation participation and the inclusion of First Nation perspectives.
The La= nd Titles Office is in discussions with Kwanlin Dün = First Nation regarding the registering of settlement land in the Yukon land titles system.
If we = were to look briefly at collaboration between the Public Service Commission and Yuk= on First Nations, aboriginal representation in the Yukon government workforce = in 2014 was 15.4 percent, up from 13 percent, according to the most recent workforce census. Implementation of the final agreement representative publ= ic service plan is well-underway in its fourth year. In late 2014, the working group updated the operational implementation plans to ensure continuity of successful implementation.
The Pu= blic Service Commission is working closely with departments to increase aborigin= al representation in the organization, as called for in chapter 22 of final agreements. This collaboration has resulted in creative recruitment drives = and a more focused approach overall, which includes Yukon government continuing= to meet with participating Yukon First Nations on implementation matters throu= gh a bilateral representative public service working group and provides updates = to the tripartite land claims implementation working group. The bilateral representative public service working group is comprised of representatives= of PSC and now includes all 11 self-governing First Nations.
More r= ecently, the working group has included other Yukon First Nation representatives in human resources, employment and training, and education. This collaboration= has resulted in additional recruiting efforts to support the successful implementation, including joint post-secondary recruiting, employability surveys to First Nation beneficiaries, individual job referrals and cross-government employment postings.
PSC co= ordinates Yukon government’s annual participation in multiple Yukon First Nation-sponsored career fairs as well as community public information sessi= ons. Following consultation with several Yukon First Nations and Yukon government departments, the First Nations Training Corps program was recently restructured. The new aboriginal recruitment and development program provid= es training and employment opportunities to Yukon First Nations and aboriginal people to support the goal of a public service that is representative of the people it serves.
A temp= orary assignment protocol placed between Yukon government and First Nations strengthens intergovernmental relations, increases knowledge of governing structures and supports skill development while addressing critical staffing shortages and promoting cultural awareness.
The Ab= original Employees Forum provides an opportunity for Yukon aboriginal employees to network, to learn about organizational values, have a cultural support syst= em and connect with aboriginal role models within the organization. The Aborig= inal Employees Forum also hosts the annual Aboriginal Employees Award of Honour celebration. In 2013-14, the Public Service Commission created a unique networking and information-sharing website for AEF members. There are curre= ntly about 165 aboriginal employees on the forum mailing list, and certainly one= of the highlights and honours of being the Premier is to be able to attend that annual award of honour celebration and to be able to recognize some outstan= ding public servants.
PSC an= d several self-governing Yukon First Nations participated in the review and redevelop= ment of Yukon government’s Yukon First Nation history, culture, land claim and agreements course. This training provid= es Yukon government employees with an overview of Yukon First Nation cultures = and traditions, as well as the history and basic provision of land claim agreements.
Staff Development branch’s Career & Asssessment Centre had over 200 contracts with Yukon aboriginal employees in the past t= wo fiscal years. Recent Staff Development branch activities include: providing career counselling to aboriginal employees and prospective job candidates internally through the services of a dedicated career support counsellor and externally through the outreach to individual First Nations and presentatio= ns to First Nation events — for example, the 2014 aboriginal youth leadership conference in Teslin — and delivering a series of career counselling workshops to aboriginal employees in Yukon government, as well = as Yukon First Nation participants, using the guiding circle’s approach, which is endorsed by the Aboriginal Human Resource Council, and developing a series of training modules to support, as part of the above, delivering a p= ilot aboriginal development program with a roster of 15 Yukon First Nations, aboriginal, Inuit and Métis employees, who aspire to play a more effective role in their departments while seeking new professional challeng= es and growth; hosting training exclusively for the Aboriginal Employees Forum= , as requested.
Exampl= es of past workshops are guiding circles, lunch and learn, thinking on your feet, speak clearly, listen well, enhancing clarity and verbal communication — retention of an internationally recognized consultant to deliver two worksh= ops on aboriginal career planning and recruitment support to Yukon First Nation governments and local employment NGOs. The guiding circles train-the-trainer workshop and the telling your story facilitator workshop, which introduces = an approach to helping job candidates overcome cultural barriers when job hunt= ing — made changes to the way the career development services are deliver= ed to focus on empowering individual employees, including aboriginal employees= , to actively develop their own career plan from the convenience of their own workspace. Existing and planned new online resource tools serve as a road m= ap, guiding employees in their career planning within the Yukon government.
The mu= seums contribution program provides partial funding support for the annual manage= ment operation of Yukon First Nation cultural heritage centres — 2015-16 including: Selkirk First Nation, $42,000 for Big Jonathan centre; Champagne= and Aishihik Da Kų, $110,000; Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, $110,000; John Tizya Centre, Vuntut Gwitchin, $42,000; Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, $110= ,000; Little Salmon Carmacks, $42,000; Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre, $110,000.<= /span>
Fundin=
g for
specific projects is provided to cultural centres under the special projects
capital assistance program. For the current fiscal year, audio collections =
for
Selkirk First Nation, $23,359; exhibit design, Da Kų Cultural Centre,
Champagne and Aishihik, $21,219; Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in for
collections, $23,359; outdoor exhibits, Vuntut Gwitchin, $3,359; Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre collections, $23,359; exhibit
repair, Little Salmon Carmacks, for $3,359; Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre
interpretive panels, $3,359.
The Mu= seums unit hosted the University of Victoria cultural resource management program cour= ses, including developing culturally relevant programs in Yukon museums and cult= ural centres and collections management. One credit course from the University of Victoria is hosted yearly in Yukon. The Museums unit supported one internship for collection management with Champagn= e and Aishihik First Nations. The Museums unit cultural heritage training coordin= ator was seconded to the Adäka Cultural Festival artists’ workshop coordinator position for 10 days. Other Museums unit staff contributed time to the festival as well. The Museums unit’s cultural heritage training coordinator assisted with the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre’s Walking With Our Sisters exhibit as an interpreter and with training cultural interprete= rs for the exhibit. A museum conservator and collections management advisor assisted with exhibit setup and takedown. The Museums unit, through the Fir= st Nation heritage advisor, continues the successful 30-year-old Searching for our Heritage project, in cooperation with Yukon First Nations and international institutions. The Museums unit suppor= ted the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Selkirk F= irst Nation and the First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk= Dun in summer staff training for heritage and cultural interpreters.
The He= ritage Resources unit is continuing to investigate the late ice-age Britannia Creek site and area with Selkirk First Nation, Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in.
The He=
ritage
Resources unit collaborated in the 2014 ice patch research project with Tes=
lin
Tlingit Council, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, Carcross/Tagish First
Nation, Kluane First Nation, Kwanlin Dün F=
irst
Nation and Ta’an Kw&=
auml;ch’än
Council. The Heritage Resources unit jointly carried out an evaluation of
potential alpine archaeological sites in the future Asi Keyi Territoria=
l Park
with Kluane First Nation. The Heritage Resources unit is working with Kwanl=
in Dün First Nation to develop an exhibit on Kwanli=
n Dün First Nation/Yukon government archaeology pr=
ojects
that will open at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural
Centre in conjunction with hosting the Canadian Archaeological Association
annual meeting in May 2016. The banquet for the meeting will be held at the
cultural centre.
Histor= ic Sites and the First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun are initiating a process to develop a heritage management plan for Lansing Post historic site per the First Nation’s final agreement. Historic Sites = and the Carcross/Tagish First Nation have created a steering committee to overs= ee the development of a heritage management plan for Conrad historic site per = the First Nation’s final agreement.
The Hi= storic Sites unit’s historic properties assistance program has provided the Teslin Tlingit Council with $12,000 over two years to restore the Freddie a= nd Nina Johnston House in Teslin; Champagne and Aishihik First Nations with $7= ,000 to restore the Shadow/Stick Cabin in Champagne; Kwanlin Dün First Nation with $15,000 over two years to restore the First Nation’s cemetery in Whitehorse; First Nation of Na Cho Nyä= ;k Dun with $7,000 to plan, assess, consult regarding future work at the Old M= ayo Village; Ross River Dena Council with $10,000 to restore grave sites at eig= ht First Nation cemeteries.
A tran= sfer payment agreement is in place for $21,000 with Vuntut Gwitchin for the completion of the Van Tat Gwich’in naviga= tion systems project on the identification and research of heritage trails; a transfer payment for $20,000 to Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation for the development of = an atlas of Van Tat Gwich’in Navigation Syst= ems; a transfer payment of $21,000 to Na Cho Nyäk= Dun for the completion of a heritage trail documentation research project; a transf= er payment of $15,000 to Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in for the completion of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in routes research.
Histor= ic Sites administered transfer payment agreements with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in for $95,000, Vuntut Gwitchin for $60,000, and Selkirk F= irst Nation for $140,000 for co-owned and co-managed historic sites, for restora= tion work on historic buildings, interpretation, and site development. = p>
Histor= ic Sites provided a contract to the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation to install boardwal= ks and location signage at Lapierre House for $20,= 860.
Collab= oration — Mr. Speaker, Historic Sites provided a contact with Selkirk Development Corporation to install and provide data on Yukon River breakup = at Fort Selkirk for $17,469. Historic Sites administered a transfer payment agreement with Carcross/Tagish First Nation to conduct research on the Conr= ad area, for $5,400. Historic Sites continues to work within Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Government of Canada as= a member of the Waterfront Heritage Working Group to develop a history and pl= an of the Kwanlin Dün in relation to the Whit= ehorse waterfront to promote public awareness, appreciation and an understanding of the history per the First Nation final agreement.
Develo= pment of an interpretive pullout at the entrance to Champagne at the request of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations — $5,000 was contributed to the First Nation for research for interpretive panels; partnered with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Yukon Environment to build a tr= ail and develop interpretation for Orchard Acres/Steamboat Slough — Touri= sm and Culture contributed as well; partnered with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in in development and interpretation for the Klondike River interpretive pullout at kilometre 668 on the north Klondike Highway — $5,000 was contributed to the First Nation for research and $1,700 for the installation; assisted Selkirk First Nation and Yukon College in developing content and course delivery of an interpretation course held in Pelly Cross= ing and in Fort Selkirk; provided a log building conservation course at Fort Selkirk — Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, Selkirk First Nation, Vuntut Gwitchin and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nations, First Nation of Na Cho Nyäk Dun and Ross R= iver Dena Council and Ta’an Kwäch’än sent participants.
Touris= m and Culture established a three-year funding agreement for $345,000 each year, starting in 2013, to the Northern Cultural Expressions Society for its carv= ing program. The arts fund supported Gwaandak Theat= re to work with Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation in creating a new theatre piece writ= ten using Gwitchin language — $20,000.
Arts f=
und
provided 10 applications for First Nation community arts projects: $40,000 =
to
Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association for the 2014 Adäka Cultural Festival; $12,500 to the First Na=
tion
of Na Cho Nyäk Dun for a moccasin workshop=
and
booklet, and $2,000 for arts workshop and culture camps; $10,000 to Moosehide Cultural Society for the biennial festival;=
$8,190
to Bringing Youth Towards Equality and Northern Cultural Expressions Society
for Eagles and Condors Community Tour; $17,000 to Liard Aboriginal
Women’s Society for a Kaska mask-making
workshop for men in Watson Lake; $20,000 for the Teslin Tlingit Council for=
Hà Kus Teyea
Celebration; $13,000 to
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in for traditional arts project.
The arts operating funds awarded fundin=
g to
three operations: $52,000 to the Gwaandak Theat=
re
Society; $27,500 to Blue Feather music festival; $7,000 to Skookum Jim Frie=
ndship
Centre for a folklore concert; $30,000 to Blue Feather music festival.
In 2015-16, the touring artist fund has
approved three tours to First Nation artists and arts organizations so far =
this
fiscal year. That’s representing two of four annual fund intakes: $4,=
000
to Vision Quest for the Warrior Sun national tour; $5,750 to Diyet to tour Saskatchewan; and $10,000 to the Gwaandak Theatre to present Paradise at IMPACT theatre festival in Kitchener, Ontario.
In the spring of 2015, the advanced art=
ist
award supported three First Nation artists: $10,000 to Dennis Allen to writ=
e a
feature film script; $10,000 Joseph Tisiga to c=
reate
a new exhibition of multidisciplinary visual art; and $5,000 to Sarah McHug=
h to
expand her traditional garment-sewing practice. The advanced artist award
approved $4,495 to Dennis Shorty to produce jewellery and sculpture in copp=
er,
brass and gem stones.
Yukon Archives provided an 18-month tra= ining internship for membership of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations to be= come an archive/records officer. This individual is now employed by the First Na= tion at the Da Kų Cultural Centre.
This i= ndividual is now employed by the First Nation at the Da Kų Cultural Centre. Yukon Archives provided orientation or training in records management and archive= s to a variety of members or employees responsible for archival materials at Lit= tle Salmon Carmacks First Nation, Kwanlin Dün = First Nation, Carcross/Tagish First Nation and Kluane First Nation.
The de= partment has a funding agreement with the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association for $60,000 toward its mandate of growing, promoting and celebrating strong and sustainable Yukon First Nation arts, culture and tou= rism sectors.
Touris= m and Culture entered into a 10-year lease in 2012 with the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations to house Yukon government’s visitor information centre = at the Da Kų Cultural Centre in Haines Junction. Tourism and Culture ente= red into a one-year lease with the Carcross/Tagish Development Corporation to operate the Yukon visitor information centre out of the Carcross Commons for the 2015 season.
The pr= oduct development partnership program supported the following projects: Yukon Fir= st Nations Culture and Tourism Association tourism mapping asset project during the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association cultural tourism conference; YFNCT 2015 Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism and Trade Show $21,0= 00 — although no applications were received, funding was provided to YFN= CT to provide financial support for the Yukon First Nation tourism development stakeholders to attend the conference; Tourism Industry Association of Yukon’s attendance at the 2015 International Aboriginal Tourism Conference in Quebec — TIAY is the umbrella organization representing= and advocating for the interest of a number of tourism organizations.
A tran= sfer payment agreement totalling $40,000 was provided to Yukon First Nations Cul= ture and Tourism Association for the development and the production of webisodes= to increase the awareness of Yukon First Nation tourism experiences. A transfer payment agreement totalling $16,000 was provided to Yukon First Nations Cul= ture and Tourism Association for planning and hosting of their Sharing Our Stori= es conference in November of 2015.
Kluane= community tourism planning: in November 2014, the Education department, in collaborat= ion with the community of Haines Junction, held a regional tourism planning discussion at the Da Kų Cultural Centre with both First Nation and non-First Nation tourism stakeholders. Department officials attended the 20= 14 International Aboriginal Tourism Conference to learn more about trends, development, opportunities and key contacts that may support aboriginal tou= rism development in Yukon.
The to= urism cooperative marketing fund provides partial funding for the advertising of Yukon First Nation cultural heritage centres, including $13,750 in 2013-14, $28,650 in 2014-15 and $26,285 that has been approved so far in 2015-16. = span>
Workin= g with the Women’s Directorate in collaboration with Yukon First Nations, Yukon, along with other provincial and territorial counterparts and national aboriginal organizations, joined together and renewed the call for a nation= al public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The Women’s Directorate has an annual funding program of $200,000 to supp= ort innovative projects that address violence against aboriginal women and girl= s in Yukon communities.
Since = 2004, the Yukon government has contributed approximately $1.7 million to violence prevention through this fund. Currently this fund is supporting eight community-based projects, such as Women of Wisdom at Skookum Jim Friendship Centre and Sally and Sisters at the Whitehorse Food Bank.
The Women’s Directorate and the Department of Justice provided over $222,= 000 to the Yukon Sisters in Spirit project, which responded to the crisis of missi= ng and murdered indigenous women in Yukon.
In Oct= ober of 2012, the Yukon government and the Yukon Advisory Council on Women’s Issues co-hosted a Yukon aboriginal women’s summit, YAWS2. The Women’s Directorate has been working in partnership with the Yukon aboriginal women’s groups and Yukon First Nations to develop a collaborative implementation plan to respond to some key recommendations fr= om past Yukon aboriginal women’s summits.
In 201= 0 and 2013, $450,000 was allotted to support seven projects focused on implementi= ng priorities from YAWS1. From 2013 to 2016, $450,000 is committed to support = the following projects that address recommendations made at YAWS2. LAWS — Liard Aboriginal Women’s Society continues to work with the Together = for Justice initiative with the RCMP and the aborigi= nal women’s community. This work has been ongoing since 2010 and the curr= ent Together for Justice project will run from 2013 through 2015 and receive a total of $125,000.
LAWS has been working on a Kaska language camp, which is a =
Kaska
language immersion camp that shares traditional knowledge about Kaska culture and ways of life. The camp is intended =
to
build on the elder/youth land-based camp project that LAWS developed as par=
t of
the First YAWS implementation. LAWS delivered a two-day training session to=
a
number of community organizations on response-based approaches to working w=
ith
offenders, led by Allan Wade. Whitehorse Aboriginal Women’s Circle ran
suicide prevention and life skills development project — Daughter Spi=
rit
— which received $50,000 from the Women’s Directorate. <=
/p>
Yukon = Aboriginal Women’s Council will deliver an aboriginal women’s leadership program designed to coach and mentor aboriginal women in three key areas: education, career path and culture. In addition, Whitehorse Aboriginal Women’s Circle has been supporting community sewing circles/workshops= to respond to a number of recent tragedies in the community, as well as a prel= ude to Walking With Our Sisters, a commemorative art installation on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, which was hosted in Whitehorse in April.
Yukon = Aboriginal Women’s Council built on the successes of the Yukon Sisters in Spirit project by hosting a violence prevention symposium for aboriginal men and b= oys in Whitehorse. This project received $50,000 from the Women’s Directorate. Building on the outcomes of Brothers in Spirit violence preven= tion symposium, Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Council will deliver a poster campaign that addresses the role of men and boys in healthy communities and families and violence prevention. Three aboriginal women’s groups are funded through the women’s equality fund to assist in their work towa= rd women’s legal, political and social equality in the north. The Women’s Directorate supported aboriginal women to attend the National Aboriginal Women’s Summit IV as part of the Yukon delegation. National aboriginal organizations hosted a national roundtable on missing and murder= ed indigenous women and girls in Ottawa. Yukon government supported a delegati= on of 10, including myself, two chiefs, aboriginal women leaders, and an affec= ted family member to attend this meeting.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, Kwanlin Dün First Nation has a Yukon asset= construction agreement in place for Yukon Housing Corporation’s affordable seniors housing under contract at 207 Alexander Street and a new 48-unit facility on Front Street as an economic measure to achieve the objectives of chapter 22= of the final agreement. Representatives from the Council of Yukon First Nations and self-governing First Nation governments have been involved with the development of a housing action plan through their participation on the technical and community advisory committees. Yukon Housing Corporation participates in the renewed Council of Yukon First Nations-led homelessness partnering strategy to support projects that prevent and reduce homelessnes= s in Yukon, including those in rural and remote communities and projects that address the needs of aboriginal homeless people. Yukon Housing Corporation hosted the 2013 Northern Housing Conference, Housing Ou= tside the Box, in Whitehorse, cofunded and hosted by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada with the participation of First Nations.
The Ca= rmacks Development Corporation, owned by Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation, was awarded $1.6 million toward its $2.3-million project from the northern hous= ing trust to support the construction of a six-unit, two-bedroom, affordable re= ntal housing complex in the Village of Carmacks.
The Carcross/Tagish Management Corporation was approved $236,000 from the north= ern housing trust to support construction of two, one-bedroom affordable rental houses in Carcross.
I just= wanted to take a little bit of time to highlight a few of the collaborations that occ= ur between the Yukon government and Yukon First Nations each and every day. I = am certainly pleased and honoured to have that opportunity to be able to do so and, in light of the tremendous amount of work, an example of which we have talked about today, we will not be supporting the motion today.
Mr. Silver: Where to start? I want to start by thanking the Member = for Whitehorse Centre for her motion today, and I want to get back on track here for the actual debate by stating the contentious relationship that is betwe= en the First Nation governments and the Yukon government is something that we = have been discussing for years. The impact of it has been felt territory-wide.= span>
Clearl= y the Premier wants to absolve himself from any responsibilities through this extremely interesting choice today to basically outline every single nickel that has been given — “given”, in his words — to the First Nations as a response to this motion. I have to question the Premier = and his tactics here today. Quite frankly, I find it offensive that the Premier= had to paint this picture today as if it is his money, or his party’s mon= ey, and that they just keep on giving and giving and giving, and yet the First Nations are still suing.
This n= arrative treads dangerously close to the “when is it ever going to be enough” narrative that we hear time and time again by Conservative th= ink tanks. It is a narrative that only further pits two levels of government against each other — which pits neighbour against neighbour and polar= izes our communities. How is this helping the current problems that we have in intergovernmental relationships? Is the Premier listing off all of this bec= ause he wants to bury his head in the sand and say: “See, with all of this money that we are giving, there can’t be a problem”? Or is the point of this to recognize that yes, there is a problem, but yet the Premier believes it’s not his problem?
He has= done more than enough — I guess that is the narrative today. Either way, though, this is proof that the Premier really doesn’t get it.
Reconc= iliation starts with the willingness to cooperate, and the Premier’s words are= a denial. What the Premier has failed to mention when he is counting up all t= he nickels today is the money that was brought in to the Yukon through final agreements and self-government agreements.
The po= or relationship between this government and First Nations is having an effect = on our economy and is impacting our GDP. We have all been hearing how investors are increasingly concerned over the state of Yukon’s mineral sector, = and they are staying away. This is what I hear at Roundup, this is what is being said in the Bill S-6 debate, this is what was published in the YMAB report = and in the Fraser Institute as well. Our GDP is dropping. Instead of encouraging business, this government is closing up large swaths of land to development= and continuing to battle First Nation governments in the courts. That is what t= hey are doing. Industry is speaking out against this government’s inabili= ty to manage the mining industry. It has become apparent how the relationships between the Yukon Party and the First Nation governments have eroded. The government’s relations with First Nations are supposed to make a difference. It is of the utmost importance for our shared identity and our shared economy.
I want= to start with Bill S-6. I know the government has backed down on these amendments no= w, and the new government has said it will overturn the four clauses that were added without good faith negotiation, but the bad will between First Nation leadership and the Yukon Party will not be overturned so easily.
Unfort= unately the government’s approach once again puts us at odds with First Nation governments and is going to create bad faith for the two parties and uncertainty for the mining industry. We know that there are lawsuits from Y= ukon First Nations that are on the table. First Nations are not going to allow t= he federal government to make amended changes to legislation that so blatantly= fly in the face of the Umbrella Final Agreement — amendments that were not consulted on.
One of= the largest mining companies in the Yukon has also spoken out against this government’s approach, saying that they have — and I quote: “a negative impact on the territory’s mining industry.” Private sector investment is slowing down, forcing the government to inject money into exploration. Mining incentive money is great, but it will mean v= ery few projects, getting locked up in lengthy legal battles, which is what will happen with this government’s approach to making changes to YESAA.
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Mr. Silver: I know the Member for Vuntut Gwitchin wants to have his= turn to speak. He’s going to have to wait until I’m finished up here= .
Speaker’s
statement
Speaker: Ord= er. Direct your comments to and through me, not to the member across the floor.=
Leader= of the Third Party, please continue.
Mr. Silver: Mr. Speaker,
other members of this Legislature are going to have to wait until I’m
finished speaking, then they have their turn.
Speaker’s
statement
Speaker: Ord= er. I take that as a direct one to me, sir, and I don’t take it lightly. You’ve been having numerous conversations, as other members on that s= ide of the House have — and also heckling. I have not interrupted you; vo= ices were not interfering with the person speaking.
His st= atement was not interfering with me hearing you. Don’t argue with my rulings.= When I ask you to do something, please carry forward. I would remind you that th= is is in the Standing Orders.
Leader= of the Third Party, please continue.
Mr. Silver: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Yukon’s mining industry will never succeed in an environment where we pit it against the First Nation interests and their legal rights under the Umbrella Final Agreement. The Yukon Party spent seven years consulting with Yukon First Nations, but ultimately ignored their own process. The mining industry needs market certainty, and Bill S-6 has not created that. Changes to YESAA= may address some of the problems the mining industry has had getting projects o= ff the ground, but the way the Yukon Party government has approached the chang= es will lead to even bigger issues for mining in the long run with strong opposition from First Nation governments.
I̵= 7;ll move on to the Peel, Mr. Speaker. In December, the Yukon Supreme Court info= rmed this government why its approach to the Peel was such a mistake. Today the Court of Appeal was clear: the Yukon government failed to honour the letter= and the spirit of its treaty obligations. The Yukon Party government should publicly acknowledge its responsibility for this failure.
The Yu= kon government’s plan for the Peel went against the land use planning pro= cess set out in the final agreements with First Nations. Since 2012, and really = even before then, the Yukon Party government has had a number of warnings from lawyers, from First Nation governments and even the Land Use Planning Counc= il itself about the way it has approached the regional land use process.
Ultima= tely, the majority of these issues result from this government’s lack of respec= t for the consultation process and the contentious approach to First Nation relations. The Yukon Party spent the duration of the 2011 election campaign hiding its cards from Yukoners on the Peel watershed. It even refused to be clear with the planning commission about what it wanted. That’s one of the reasons for the motion here today.
The Yu= kon Supreme Court has come out against the way the Yukon Party approached the consultation process. The Yukon government decided to spend even more money= on appealing the decision. The Peel case saw four First Nations in just one lawsuit. This opposition from First Nations is going to ensure that the Pee= l is 100-percent untouched from mining companies for years to come. This government’s habit of negotiating in bad faith has eroded trust with First Nation governments and it has created unnecessary uncertainty to our economy.
I want= to move to the Yukon Oil and Gas Act. T= he First Nation chiefs of Na Cho Nyäk Dun, Vu= ntut Gwitchin and Tr’ondëk Hwëch̵= 7;in raised concerns over the new amendments to the Oil and Gas Act. The letter states that the government proceeded with — and I quote: “… inadequate consultation and the complete disregard for the important role of the memorandum of agreement ...”
There = is a 1997 MOA signed by this government that recognizes Yukon First Nations as full participants with Yukon in the cooperative design, determination, developme= nt, administration and management of oil and gas regimes in the territory. The = MOA specifies that the parties shall jointly develop any further amendments or additions to the common onshore oil and gas regime. Once again, we see the Yukon Party ignore its own agreements with Yukon First Nations.
As all= three examples raised in this motion suggest, these bad-faith negotiations have a dramatic impact on our economy. We have been in a made-in-the-Yukon recessi= on for awhile now. A report in the spring confirme= d that our economic growth has stalled under this government. For a second year in= a row, our economy actually shrunk. In 2014, it shrunk by 1.2 percent. The Yu= kon usually releases an economic update — an economic forecast — in= the summer. Instead, this year, on October 20, as Yukoners were taking in the results of the federal election, the government’s own forecast was finally released. It said our GDP is expected to contract for a third year — three consecutive years — decreasing by six percent. <= /p>
As I m= entioned, while discussing Bill S-6 and the Peel, we are seeing uncertainty for our mining sector. First Nations are protected by federal legislation as resour= ce rulers, Mr. Speaker. All of this is under the leadership of the Yukon Party government. We are the only place in Canada where this economic decli= ne to this level — to such a dramatic extent — has happened.
Our ec= onomic performance is worse than both Nunavut and the Northwest Territories in 2015. Yukon is = the only place in Canada to record two consecutive years of negative GDP growth= in both 2013 and 2014 and we had the second-worst GDP numbers in all of Canada= for 2014, at minus 1.2 percent.
This i= s what happens when you spend years riding on high mineral prices and failing to p= lan for the inevitable slowdown when mineral prices drop. It wasn’t that = long ago that the Yukon Party was promising 8.8-percent economic growth for 2014= in one of its forecasts. The minister stood in this House in 2014 and said = 212; and I quote: “So you generally see a positive outlook and a positive trend going forward.” We have since learned the real numbers for grow= th for 2014 are minus 1.2 percent.
The pr= ospects for 2015, Mr. Speaker, look no better, with uncertainty hanging over t= he mining sector, thanks to this government’s ongoing court battles with= our First Nations.
Up unt= il about a week ago, the Premier backed his YESAA changes here on the floor of the Hou= se and he said that he wanted to meet with the First Nation chiefs to discuss implementing them. The Premier has since changed his mind on that and chang= ed his mind on the four amendments and says that his government will not be a barrier to the federal government repealing these amendments. After two yea= rs of backing the federal government, against the wishes of the First Nations,= the Premier finally went back and admitted that what the best thing for his government to do at this point was to simply stay out of the way. Unfortunately, the uncertainty forced on to the economy has already been do= ne.
I want= to move on to the truth and reconciliation part of this motion. Last week, we had unanimous support for a motion that spoke to the need for the Yukon governm= ent Cabinet to work with Yukon First Nation governments and communities on implementing the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The TRC report was a massive undertaking. The commission had painstakingly documented the impacts of residential school on First Nation, Inuit and Métis people in Canada.
By rec= ording the experiences of thousands of survivors, the Truth and Reconciliation Commiss= ion has ensured that all Canadians can gain a deeper understanding of this dark= chapter of our collective history and of the devastating and lasting legacy that it= has left on aboriginal peoples, communities, culture, language, health, educati= on and welfare.
Mr.&nb= sp;Speaker, we owe it to the drafters of this report — and more importantly to the thousands of people who shared their experiences — to act on their recommendations. I’m anxious to see the report prepared by the Yukon government deputy ministers who reviewed the recommendations of the Truth a= nd Reconciliation Commission that fall within Yukon’s jurisdiction and w= ill identify areas where more work is required. It’s funny how the Premier didn’t mention too much on the TRC side of things when he mentioned a= ll the nickels that he’s given to people.
The Commission’s work has now ended, but the work for governments across = our country are just beginning. There are 94 recommendations in total that cut across all aspects of our daily lives and the various jurisdictions of government. Meaningful reconciliation will only come when we live up to our past promises and ensure the equity of opportunity required to create a fair and prosperous shared future.
The mo= st important element of being able to implement the recommendations of the TRC= is trust. As the Peel, Bill S-6 and the Oil and Gas Act have clearly shown, the trust between the Yukon Party and Y= ukon First Nation governments is fleeting. There is much work to be done in repairing the damaged relationship before meaningful implementation of the = TRC can be done in the Yukon.
I see = that my time is almost up here, so I will make some concluding remarks.
WeR= 17;ve spoken a lot in the last couple of years about the strained relationship th= at exists between the Yukon Party and First Nation leadership — First Na= tion governments. This relationship has had a negative impact on our GDP and will make implementing the TRC a difficult process. For the Premier to sit here = and list all of the money that somehow is his government’s, or is his party’s, as opposed to the money from Ottawa for all of Yukon, does n= ot help when we are taking a look at the negative impacts and when we are taki= ng a look at how to build respectful relationships amongst governments. <= /p>
Sadly,= the Yukon Party’s antiquated approach to First Nation relations has become the textbook example of why governments need to respect consultation process, diplomacy, democracy, and the First Nation treaty rights. It is only through partnerships and open consultation that our terr= itory will once again be able to move forward.
In clo= sing, I commend the Leader of the Official Opposition for bringing forth this motio= n. If we get to a vote, I will absolutely be in support of it.
Speaker: If = the member now speaks, she will close debate.
Does a= ny other member wish to be heard?
Ms. Hanson: I thank the Member for Klondike for his comments this afternoon on this impor= tant motion. I echo many of the words that he has said this afternoon. = p>
For th= e record, Mr. Speaker, I do want to make a comment that I share the concerns expressed by the Memb= er for Klondike. The Premier’s choice to use the time in this Assembly to effectively mock the important substantive matter here demonstrates yet aga= in the deep disrespect for democracy that this government has time and time demonstrated. I say it’s disrespect for democracy for a number of reasons. We could start with the refusal of the Premier to engage in discussion of the subject matter of the motion —= the very true and real fact that we’ve seen — as the Member for Klondike has reiterated and as we laid out earlier this afternoon — t= hat there is demonstrable evidence of a divisive approach being exercised by th= is government when it comes to the real work of government and when it comes to living up to the obligations and the rights and responsibilities that we ha= ve mutually agreed to in First Nation final agreements, self-government agreements, and those that flow from the devolution transfer agreement R= 12; the underpinnings of our Yukon constitutional framework — the institution that we are supposed to be jointly creating. Instead, the Premier preferred= to insult all Yukoners — not just the Official Opposition or the Opposit= ion members, but all Yukoners.
I do w= ant to take a second here and applaud the members of the public who sat through th= is this afternoon. Their forbearance — their bearing witness to this is important. It’s incredibly frustrating, but important.
His re= citation into the record of — as the Member for Klondike referred to it — every nickel spent on any activity, person or entity remotely First Nation — I can’t think of any other word for it, Mr. Speaker, than patronizing. If he doesn’t get how patronizing that is — does he not get that the colonial mindset that would even contemplate that it is ok= ay to suggest that the obligations arising from negotiated provisions in First Nation final and self-government agreements are just that — obligatio= ns.
You ar= e obliged when you say that you’re going to take a special management area and = turn it, as you said, into Asi= span> Keyi. That is what you said you would do. That’= s not something special. It’s because it’s part of what you agreed to, and if you didn’t do it, then you would be violating the agreement. We know that is the intention — but the pressure — it took a long = time for those provisions to be finally realized.
So if you’re kicking and screaming and you finally do it, do you get special attention — a special reward — for that? No. You’re doing your job. That is what government is supposed to do — do your job. = span>
So for= the Premier to suggest that simply fulfilling the obligation occasionally for t= hose things that are identified in the implementation plans of the various First Nation final and self-government agreements makes them special, no. It means that they have done that part of the job and it means there is way more to = get done.
We hav= e land use plans to complete. This government refuses to do that and did everything it could to derail the process of land use planning through its obstruction of= the Peel watershed land use plan.
What w= e saw here this afternoon was again evidence of this government — this Premier a= nd his government’s rejection of the core messages of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I remind you, Mr. Speaker, that when we loo= k at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s — the section where t= hey talk about the challenge of reconciliation — and they call it a chall= enge because it is. As I said earlier, it’s talking about changing our mindsets — our way of doing things, the way they were, but opening ourselves to the fact that life has changed.
We emb= race change as Yukoners through agreeing to the final and self-government agreements. It is time for this government to catch up. I am not sure how t= hey can live in this bubble. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada,= in the challenge of reconciliation, said: “Reconciliation must become a = way of life… Reconciliation not only requires apologies, reparations, the relearning of Canada’s history, and public commemoration, but also ne= eds real social, political, and economic change.” Economic change is exac= tly what this motion was talking about — the fact that the economy of this territory is suffering as a result of this government’s divisive appr= oach to not being prepared to live up to the obligations that we, all of us, are bound to.
I appr= eciate the support of the Member for Klondike, and I commend this motion to the House = and look forward to the support of all members of this Legislative Assembly, so that we can actually move beyond the notion of a litany of line-by-line obj= ects out of the budgets — departmental line objects — but actually t= alk about the relationships that should be at the base of all of that — t= he base of the relationship between governments and hopefully, at some point, within this House.
Speaker: Are= you prepared for the question?
Some Hon. Members: Division.
Division
Speaker: Div= ision has been called.
Bells
Speaker: Mr.= Clerk, please poll the House.
Hon. Mr. Pasloski: Disagree.
Mr. Elias: Disagree.
Hon. Ms. Taylor: Disagree.
Hon. Mr. Graham: Disagree.
Hon. Mr. Kent: Disagree.
Hon. Mr. Istchenko: Disagree.
Hon. Mr. Dixon: Disagree.
Hon. Mr. Hassard: Disagree.
Hon. Mr. Cathers: Disagree.
Hon. Mr. Nixon: Disagree.
Ms. McLeod: Disagree.
Ms. Hanson: Agree.
Ms. Stick: Agree.
Ms. Moorcroft: Agree.
Mr. Tredger: Agree.
Mr. Barr: Agree.
Mr. Silver: Agree.
Clerk: Mr.&n= bsp;Speaker, the results are six yea, 11 nay.
Speaker: The= nays have it. I declare the motion defeated.
Motion No. 1042 negatived=
span>
Motion
No. 1034
Clerk: Motio= n No. 1034, standing in the name of Mr. Silver.
Speaker: It = is moved by the Leader of the Third Party:
THAT t= his House urges the Government of Yukon to release cost estimates= , drawings and all background information on the new francophone school.
Mr. Silver: I was going to say that I’ll be brief, but I will= be even more brief than I wanted to be.
After = many years of fighting the Commission scolaire francophone= du Yukon in court, a court battle that cost Yukon taxpayers almost $3 million = in external legal fees, the Yukon Party government changed its mind and decide= d to negotiate. One of the main issues was the construction of the new francopho= ne school here in Whitehorse.
Now, I won’t go through the entire history of the Yukon Party’s court battles with the francophone community, but let’s pick up the story on August 26, 2015. That day, the Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon and the Yukon government issued a joint public stateme= nt and it said, in part — and I quote: “…the Yukon Francopho= ne School Board and the Government of Yukon asked that all proceedings for a potential new trial be put on hold until November 18.
“= ;Both parties wish to allow the newly created settlement committee and constructi= on sub-committee the opportunity to settle outstanding issues and make progres= s on the most urgent files. The Government of Yukon has recently committed to constructing a French high school…”
Novemb= er 18 is rapidly approaching, so it is an ideal time to update the public on what progress has been made on this project. The decision by the Yukon Party to commit to building a new high school is quite a change from the view the Yu= kon Party has held for many years, which was to litigate and not negotiate.
This s= ummer, when the Premier provided new direction to his ministers by way of mandate letters, however, there was no mention of a new school, and in the Minister= of Education’s letter, there was a curious omission for sure. To date, t= he Government of Yukon has provided very little information to the public about the new school. In fact, the commission has been much more forthcoming with information than the government itself. Thanks to the commission, we now kn= ow that the new school will contain a theatre, for example, and we also know t= hat it has other public spaces. We know that there are conceptual drawings that have also been produced.
There = has been a great deal of debate as to where the location of that new school is. To date — and the minister can correct me if I’m wrong — there has been no explicit confirmation from the Government of Yukon as to where the = new school will be built. Now, there has been a great deal of talk about it bei= ng in Riverdale, as part of the F.H. Collins campus, but for myself and for ma= ny Yukoners, the location remains an open question — thus the motion. = span>
Can th= e Minister of Education confirm the location of the new school for the public record, = and is that a final decision?
We wou= ld also like the government to actually table the drawings that I referenced earlie= r.
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Mr. Silver: The minister is ready to go on this debate — ready to go. The public also deserves to see the rationale behind decisions to locate the school wherever they decide to locate the school. We also want to know what reports have be= en produced to support this decision. There have been questions raised about traffic, underground infrastructure and other details that this government = has not made public, but they’re there.
Speaker: Ord= er, please. The time being 5:30 p.m., this House now stands adjourned until 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.
Debate on Motion No. 1034 accordingly adjourned =
The House adjourned at 5:30 p.m.
The following docu=
ment was
filed November 4, 2015:
33-1-1= 18
Draft = Amendments to Yukon’s Oil and Gas Act and Oil and Gas Disposition Regulations, letter re (dated November 2, 2015) from Simon Mervyn, Chief, Na Cho Nyäk Dun; Roge= r Kyikavichik, Chief, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation; Rob= erta Joseph, Chief, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in; to Hon. Scott Kent, Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources (Tredger)
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