NORTHWEST TERRITORIES LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 3rd Session Day 8 14th Assembly HANSARD Thursday, June 29, 2000 Pages 295 – 364 The Honourable Tony Whitford, Speaker i TABLE OF CONTENTS PRAYER........................................................................................................................................................................ 295 MINISTERS’ STATEMENTS.......................................................................................................................................... 296 11-14(3): MINISTERS LATE TO THE HOUSE (HANDLEY).................................................................................................. 296 MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS........................................................................................................................................... 297 THE NEED FOR A GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT TO LITERACY (DENT)............................................................................... 297 LITERACY IN THE FAMILY (MILTENBERGER) ................................................................................................................... 297 SUPPORT FOR LITERACY PROGRAMS (NITAH) ............................................................................................................... 297 LEVEL OF LITERACY OF INMATES IN THE NORTH (DELOREY)........................................................................................... 298 IMPROVING LITERACY THROUGH ADULT BASIC EDUCATION (KRUTKO)............................................................................. 298 OPTIONS FOR DELIVERY OF ADULT BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS (BELL) ...................................................................... 298 LINKING LITERACY LEVELS TO EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES (BRADEN) ........................................................................ 299 YELLOWKNIFE CORRECTIONAL CENTRE LIBRARY BOOK DRIVE (LEE).............................................................................. 299 LINKING LITERACY LEVELS TO OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT (MCLEOD)........................................................................... 300 LINKING LITERACY LEVELS TO APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES (ROLAND).................................................................... 300 ACCESS TO ADULT BASIC EDUCATION (LAFFERTY)........................................................................................................ 301 FORT SIMPSON MEETING OF ABORIGINAL LEADERS AND OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES (ANTOINE) ............... 301 RETURNS TO ORAL QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................................... 301 RECOGNITION OF VISITORS IN THE GALLERY ........................................................................................................ 302 ORAL QUESTIONS....................................................................................................................................................... 302 WRITTEN QUESTIONS................................................................................................................................................. 313 TABLING OF DOCUMENTS ......................................................................................................................................... 313 FIRST READING OF BILLS .......................................................................................................................................... 314 REPORTS OF COMMITTEES ON THE REVIEW OF BILLS ......................................................................................... 314 CONSIDERATION IN COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE OF BILLS AND OTHER MATTERS.......................................... 315 REPORT OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ................................................................................................................ 362 ORDERS OF THE DAY ................................................................................................................................................. 362 ii June 29, 2000 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES HANSARD Page 295 YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2000 MEMBERS PRESENT Honourable Roger Allen, Honourable Jim Antoine, Mr. Bell, Mr. Braden, Mr. Delorey, Mr. Dent, Honourable Jane Groenewegen, Honourable Joe Handley, Honourable Stephen Kakfwi, Mr. Krutko, Mr. Lafferty, Ms. Lee, Mr. McLeod, Mr. Miltenberger, Mr. Nitah, Honourable Jake Ootes, Mr. Roland, Honourable Vince Steen, Honourable Tony Whitford. ITEM 1: PRAYER Points of order respecting procedure must be raised promptly. As a point of order concerns the interpretation of the rules of -- Prayer procedure, it is the responsibility of the Speaker to determine its merits and to resolve the issue. SPEAKER (Hon. Tony Whitford): Thank you. Good afternoon. Please be seated. A point of order has been raised by Mr. In raising a point of order, a Member should only state the rule Krutko. Mr. Krutko. or practice he or she considers to have been breached. The Speaker has the duty to preserve order and decorum and to Point of Order decide any matter of procedure that may arise. The Chair is also bound to call the attention of the House to an irregularity in MR. KRUTKO: Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order under debate or procedure immediately, without waiting for the rules 23(h) and (i) and Rule 24, concerning words spoken intervention of a Member. In addition, the Speaker decides yesterday by the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing questions of order once they arise and not in anticipation. Corporation, Mr. Allen. When a point of order is raised such as the one that we have before us now, raised by the Member for Mackenzie Delta, I will Mr. Speaker, my point of order is contained on page 556 of the attempt to rule on the matter immediately. However, if unedited Hansard of June 28, 2000. During question period, I necessary, the Chair may take the matter under advisement asked the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories and come back to the House later with a formal ruling. Housing Corporation a question concerning the Corporation’s adherence to the Business Incentive Policy. Mr. Speaker, I I felt it was important to clarify the procedure for dealing with a asked the Minister the following question, and I quote from the point of order prior to hearing debate on the point of order unedited Hansard: raised today. In hearing a point of order, and if it is not clear to the Chair whether there has been an infraction, I may permit “Does the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation debate on the point of order. support the Business Incentive Policy or the Manufacturer’s Directive that this government has in Our Rule 24 permits the Member who has been called to order, place? Why are you not following it?” in this case, the Minister for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, Mr. Allen, to explain. Mr. Speaker, the Minister, Mr. Allen, in answering my question indicated, and I quote, also from page 556 of the unedited Therefore, to the point of order before me today, the House has Hansard: heard the point of order raised by the Member for Mackenzie Delta. I would now permit the Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, “Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do believe Mr. Allen, to speak to the point of order. The rules also allow the question is misleading.” the Speaker to hear from other Members who may wish to Mr. Speaker, my point of order is that the Minister, Mr. Allen, is speak to the point of order. imputing motives that I am misleading the House with my To the point of order. The Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, Mr. question. As you know, Mr. Speaker, misleading the House is a Allen, do you wish to speak to the point of order? point of order. It could also be a point of order for using the word “misleading” as being unparliamentary language. Thank HON. ROGER ALLEN: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you, Mr. Speaker. I do wish to point out that when I said the question was misleading, I did not intend to imply that Mr. Krutko had done MR. SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr. Krutko. If I recall correctly, this anything misleading. If that has offended the Member, I would is one of the first formal points of order that the Speaker has gladly withdraw my remarks. To clarify for the record, Mr. been asked to hear. Prior to proceeding with the point of order, Speaker, I think Mr. Krutko and I have a different interpretation and for the benefit of new Members, and perhaps to remind not of the issue that was being discussed at the time. That is so new Members of how points of order are dealt with by the probably a better way to describe the incident. Thank you. Chair. -- Applause A point of order is a question raised by a Member who believes that the rules or customary procedures of the House have been MR. SPEAKER: Thank you, Mr. Allen. To the point of order. incorrectly applied or overlooked during the proceedings. The honourable Member for Mackenzie Delta, Mr. Krutko. Members may rise on points of order to bring to the attention of the Chair any breach of the relevance, repetition, rules or MR. KRUTKO: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On the point of order, unparliamentary remarks. my question to the Minister, I made it clear that the question Page 296 NORTHWEST TERRITORIES HANSARD June 29, 2000 was coming from a meeting I held with colleagues in this the budget of the Department of Health and Social Services, House, with Members of the Manufacturers’ Association. They had hidden motives with respect to money that was raised the point that