I will call to order the Interim Mid-Term Review of the 18th Legislative Assembly, and I would like to ask Member Beaulieu to lead us into a prayer.

[Translation] Marsi. I'd like to say thank you while we're here together. Two years now we've been working together, since we've been elected. So that's why we're here: to do a good job today, and we're here to talk about that today. So that's why I want to ask for prayers. Thank you. [Translation ends.]

---Prayer

Masi, Member Beaulieu. Members, the agenda before you today is one that we have all agreed in Caucus. Do Members agree with the agenda that is before us today?

Agreed. Masi.

Masi. Just some of the opening remarks from the chair. As chair of the Mid-Term Review Committee of the 18th Legislative Assembly, I would like to take some opening comments before we proceed today.

All Members have been provided with the guidelines and also procedures for the Mid-Term Review Committee. We have reviewed these guidelines and procedures in Caucus and have agreed to follow all of them throughout our proceedings today. I will review these guidelines and procedures as a reminder to all Members and to explain our process to those joining us here today; as well, for those who are following our proceedings televised or radio or Facebook Live. In a few minutes we will begin statements by Premier Robert R. McLeod. The Premier will have up to 10 minutes to make a statement on his leadership and performance, as well as leadership and performance of Cabinet as a whole. Following the Premier's statement, each Minister may make a statement of up to five minutes on his or her leadership and performance. The order for Ministers will be alphabetical by surname as follows: Minister Glen Abernethy; Minister Caroline Cochrane; Minister Robert C. McLeod; Minister Alfred Moses; Minister Wally Schumann; and Minister Louis Sebert. Following the statements by all Ministers, we will commence Members' questions to Ministers. Each Member will be permitted to ask up to two questions to each Minister. Questions must not be longer than two minutes; responses from Ministers also must not be longer than two minutes. No extension of time limits will be permitted. Members are not required to ask their full allotment of questions.

As chair, I will recognize Members wishing to ask questions as they catch my attention. I will not recognize the Members wishing to ask second questions or subsequent questions until all Members have had the opportunity to ask their first questions. Supplementary questions will not be permitted. However, second questions on a same topic are acceptable. The chair and the clerks at the table will maintain a tally of how many questions each Member has asked, and to whom. Once recognized, Members may ask a single question to one or more Ministers. If a Member asks a question to multiple Ministers, it will be counted as a question to each Minister.

When there are no further questions to Ministers, or when Members have each asked two questions to each Minister, we will proceed to questions to the Premier. No questions to the Premier will be permitted until questions to the Ministers have concluded. Each Member will be permitted to ask up to two questions to the Premier. Questions must not be longer than two minutes. Responses from the Premier must not be longer than two minutes as well.

Once questions to the Premier have concluded, Members will be called upon to cast their secret ballot in an open forum. The ballot will inquire as to whether each Member does or does not have confidence in the performance and leadership of Cabinet as a whole, the Premier, and each Minister individually. A ballot box will be placed in front of the clerk's table and two voting booths will be placed on either side of the clerk's table immediately prior to balloting. Each Member will receive one ballot from the clerk's table. Members must be present to vote and Members will not be permitted to cast their ballots by proxy. As chair, I will cast my ballot once all Members have voted. Once balloting has concluded, the ballot box will be taken to the clerk's office, where the ballots will be counted by the clerks at the table. Incomplete ballots will be rejected. Specific vote totals will not be announced. The bells will be rung for five minutes to call Members back to the Chamber once the results are determined.

As chair, I will announce the aggregated results on Cabinet as a whole, followed by the Premier, and then each Minister in alphabetical order. In the event of equality of votes, I will report an expression of confidence. The order of results will be: Cabinet as a whole, Premier Robert R. McLeod, Minister Glen Abernethy, Minister Caroline Cochrane, Minister Robert C. McLeod, Minister Alfred Moses, Minister Wally Schumann, and Minister Lou Sebert.

As Members, we owe a great duty to our constituents in the Northwest Territories. However, in a forum such as a Mid-Term Review Committee, we must consider the entire territory to the best of our ability. I also wish to remind Members that we have publicly committed to conduct ourselves in a dignified and respectful manner throughout this process. The guidelines and the procedures of the Territorial Leadership Committee will be followed where applicable and all Members are expected to conduct themselves accordingly.

Members, we will now continue with item 4, statement by Premier Robert R. McLeod. I would like to call upon Premier Robert R. McLeod to deliver a statement on his leadership and performance and the collective leadership and performance of the Cabinet. I remind the Premier that he has up to ten minutes to deliver his statement. Premier McLeod, you may proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as Members of the Legislative Assembly and as Cabinet Ministers, it is important that we always remember that our job is to serve the people of the Northwest Territories. I was born and raised in the Northwest Territories, and I am proud to be from Fort Providence in the Deh Cho. I spent more than 30 years in public service working to build a strong and self-reliant territory for our people. I am now in my third term representing the people of Yellowknife South and have been chosen by my colleagues to serve on Cabinet in all three terms, including the honour of being selected Premier twice, the first person in the history of our territory to return as Premier. My small community roots and travels throughout the territory have helped me learn what the people care about the most. They want jobs and a strong economy, Mr. Chair. They want safe communities and a good future for their children and grandchildren. They want to be healthy and educated, and they look to us here in the Assembly to support them in those aspirations. These are things that I have been working steadily towards for my entire career, and they continue to be priorities for me today.

I am proud of the work I have been a part of as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, as a Cabinet Minister and Premier, and what we have achieved by working together. You will hear in more detail from Ministers today about the good work that they have done to fulfil our mandate, but I wanted to highlight a few areas that are particularly important to me.

Addressing the needs of our people and communities is a priority for me, and I am pleased with the work we have done on this. Some of our achievements including holding health fairs in 18 communities, establishing regional wellness councils, and holding regional and territorial early childhood development workshops. We have completed construction of the Mackenzie Valley fibre link, connecting the people of the Mackenzie Valley to new services and business opportunities and positioning our territory to be a leader in the knowledge economy.

We have begun to address homelessness with Housing First pilot projects in Behchoko, Fort Simpson, Aklavik, and Yellowknife. We have partnered with the K'atlodeeche First Nation and K'asho Got'ine to provide housing for their residents and establish local housing organizations in Gameti, Whati, and Fort Liard. We are addressing the needs of elders with new seniors' supported independent living units in Aklavik, Fort Liard, Fort McPherson, Fort Good Hope, and Whati, and we are responding to the need for long-term care beds with plans for facilities in Norman Wells, Hay River, and Yellowknife in the next three years, as well as additional facilities in Inuvik and Fort Simpson.

We are investing in new health facilities in our communities, including the $300-million Stanton renewal project, which is on schedule to be completed during this government. We are successfully bringing government closer to the people that it serves through our single window service centres and through Cabinet open houses in every region.

We are also doing significant work to address the issue of climate change and the high cost of energy in the Northwest Territories. In addition to completing renewable energy projects in six communities, we have also been working to outline our government's long-term approach to energy and plans for addressing climate change. Early next year, we expect to table a new energy strategy and a climate change strategic framework, both informed by extensive public engagement. We continue to invest in jobs and the economy, Mr. Chair, particularly through infrastructure investments to support further economic development and diversification. This includes the $20-million Canyon Creek Road in the Sahtu, the Tlicho all-season road, and work to increase access to the Slave Geological Province, and completing the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

Next month, Members will have the opportunity to be part of the opening of the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway. The Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway will bring new opportunities to the people of Tuktoyaktuk and complete a decades-old vision of connecting Canada by road from sea to sea to sea. We recognize that diversification is critical to the sustainable economic future of our territory and continue to work to expand economic opportunities in all regions and communities. Just one example: our efforts, including trade missions to China, have significantly grown aurora tourism and helped make tourism one of the fastest growing renewable sectors of the economy.

Finally, Mr. Chair, creating certainty around Aboriginal rights and land ownership in the territory would be a major accomplishment for us, and we continue to make progress in all regions. Most significantly, our government was able to make innovative new offers to the Akaitcho and Northwest Territories Metis Nation earlier this year, and I am hopeful that deals are very close. We also continue to pursue negotiations with the Dehcho First Nations, and I remain hopeful that we can find a path forward there.

Mr. Chair, when Members voted unanimously to adopt the first ever mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories in March 2016, we all made approximately 200 commitments to the people of the Northwest Territories that we said we would complete during our four-year term. Nearly halfway through, we have made progress in all areas of our mandate. We have completed 53 commitments, and another 145 are in progress. Only two of our 200 commitments are in the planning stages. I am pleased with that progress, Mr. Chair, and confident that our record speaks for itself.

I am also pleased with the work that my Cabinet colleagues have done during the first half of our term. We have a good team that combines the unique strengths of each individual to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. I look forward to working with them under whatever circumstances Members decide on today.

I do recognize, though, that we cannot rest on our achievements or lose our focus. I also know that there is always an opportunity to do better. Today's mid-term performance and mandate progress review is an important opportunity to check our progress and recalibrate our efforts for the remaining two years of our term. Mr. Chair, we all share responsibility for the achievements and accomplishments of this government. Every Member has a role to play and can take credit for what we have done.

I look forward to hearing from Members today about how they think we have been doing and which areas need a renewed focus. On behalf of Cabinet and myself, I thank Members for their support and contributions to date, and should Members express confidence in my leadership and Cabinet's performance, we will continue to work with you to create the strong, healthy, and prosperous Northwest Territories our residents expect and deserve. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi, Premier McLeod. We will now proceed to statements by Ministers. I remind the Ministers that they will have up to five minutes to deliver their statements on his or her leadership and performance. We will begin with Minister Glen Abernethy. Minister Abernethy, you may proceed with your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to stand up today and reflect on what we have achieved together over the past two years. The government's mandate provided an ambitious road map, but I believe that we have made substantial process in a number of areas that are priorities not only for this Assembly, but for residents of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Chair, I have travelled throughout the Northwest Territories, I have met with community leaders and stakeholders, I have listened to the concerns of representatives in this House, and it is clear that concerns about the impacts of mental health and addictions on our community is a priority for all.

Last fall, the Department of Health and Social Services completed a Mental Health and Addictions Strategic Framework that sets the stage for enhancing the range of programs and services that are available to our residents. Last week, I tabled the first of three action plans to be completed under this framework. The Child and Youth Mental Wellness Action Plan outlines concrete achievable actions that will take over the next five years in partnership with government departments as well as external stakeholders. These actions will make a real difference in the lives of youth across the Northwest Territories.

Another priority in the government's mandate speaks to taking action so that seniors can age in their communities. Mr. Chair, we have delivered on this priority. We completed a major long-term care review that identified key areas for action. Our Continuing Care Services Action Plan outlines how we will enhance and improve services available for elders, including expanding homecare services and vibrant day programs. New investments in homecare have allowed us to expand services in Yellowknife, Inuvik, Hay River, and, for the first time, offer homecare services in five Dehcho communities, but we also need to take care of elders who are no longer able to live independently.

The government has rolled out a detailed plan to address the projected shortfall of 250 long-term care beds over the next ten years, and their funding is included in the capital plan to make good on that commitment. In the next three years, we will see an 18-long-term-care-bed facility open in Norman Wells, a 48-bed facility constructed in Hay River, a 72-bed facility within the old Stanton Hospital in Yellowknife, and plans underway for facilities in Inuvik, as well as Fort Simpson.

Mr. Chair, just over one year ago, we achieved a major milestone with the establishment of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority. Integrating six existing authorities has allowed us to implement improvements to care and services delivered to people across the entire Northwest Territories. We have already made significant progress in establishing consistent standards of care across the Northwest Territories. We have improved our ability to deploy staff in situations of physician shortages, as well as community crisis response.

We have seen how implementation of territorial electronic medical records is helping to ensure that patients no longer fall through the cracks and are no longer required to keep telling their stories over again as they move between regions. With the establishment of the new regional wellness councils and the Health and Social Services Leadership Council, regions now have a voice at the territorial level and can bring their issues and concerns forward in ways that they could not in the old system.

Mr. Chair, we have made great strides in addressing the challenges of aging infrastructure. Hay River and surrounding communities are now benefiting from a state-of-the-art regional health centre, the new health centre in Fort Providence opened last year, and we are poised to move into the new health centre in Fort Resolution. The new Stanton Territorial Hospital project is on time and on budget and will serve residents from across the Northwest Territories and the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut.

Finally, Mr. Chair, I am incredibly proud of the work that has been done in the health and social services system to respond to the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and to address disparities of health outcomes for Indigenous people. Our commitment to building a culturally respectful health and social services system is being realized through the rollout of cultural safety training for frontline workers. We are in the early stages of piloting elders-in-residence programs at Stanton Territorial Hospital and in the Sahtu and the Dehcho regions. We are working with the Deline Got'ine government to implement a traditional healing project.

Mr. Chair, none of this work is accomplished by working in isolation. As a Minister, I have invested a tremendous amount of time and effort in reaching out to communities and stakeholders. I value the knowledge and wisdom of the people in our communities. I value the partnerships we have created with our government departments, our Indigenous governments, and with non-government organizations. I value the perspectives of my colleagues in this House, and I want to take this opportunity to thank you and your contributions to improving health and social services for all residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi, Minister Abernethy. We will now hear from Minister Caroline Cochrane. Minister Cochrane, you may proceed with your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, almost two years ago, I stood in front of my colleagues and explained why I felt that I would be an appropriate choice to become one of seven Ministers for the 18th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. I was honoured and humbled with the vote of confidence shown to me at the beginning of this Legislative Assembly, and not once have I forgotten the responsibility I carry for the residents of the Northwest Territories.

We've all worked hard towards achieving the mandate commitments, and I appreciate the endeavours of my colleagues from both sides of this House, as well as the amazing dedication of my personal staff, department heads, employees on the ground, and those behind the scenes. In regards to gender equity, we have made some progress. As of January 2017, gender equity on NWT public boards and agencies reached 50 per cent. We also completed two women in leadership workshops and are reviewing the feedback to develop a made-in-the-North curriculum that will equip women for a broad range of leadership roles.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has enhanced its support to community and Indigenous governments through online courses and training designed specifically for Indigenous governments. As well, we have modified the accountability framework tool and the asset management framework to better assist in capital planning and identifying training needs. We continue to provide a host of supports to encourage wellness through physical activity, healthy lifestyles, and community leadership. Evaluations have been completed on some of the youth programs to ensure that we are providing services that meet their needs.

Mr. Chair, I have held high expectations of all of my team, and I am exceptionally proud of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. The corporation has expanded community property management services to provide better service and increase jobs in communities. We are addressing homelessness through support of the City of Yellowknife's Housing First project, building semi-independent units, and constructing shelters in three other communities. We have also constructed more seniors' units, and provided information seminars to assist seniors to age in place.

The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation has made a significant shift in direction. Over the last two years, I have watched the transformation of programs, policies, and even employees as we move beyond simply providing housing supports to a place of supporting people to obtain, maintain, and retain their homes. Mr. Chair, all the work that we have done has been in a spirit of transparency, accountability, and collaboration. MLAs provided direction through the mandate, and we have worked with community and Aboriginal governments, stakeholders, and residents to help shape our approaches and meet the needs of residents. Almost 1500 replies to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation's survey have provided the background for policy and program enhancements.

We have built solid relationships with provincial and territorial counterparts, and federal Ministers. These partnerships have resulted in funding specifically dedicated to addressing the needs of the Northwest Territories, and I am confident that we will see even more long-term federal investment. Mr. Chair, I have taken the mandate of this Legislative Assembly seriously, and my team has worked hard to live up to the expectations placed on us. Our successes are the result of a commitment to work together with partners, stakeholders, and residents. I look forward to continuing to work with these amazing people as we all strive to provide the best services for the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi, Minister Cochrane. We will now hear from Minister Robert C. McLeod. Minister McLeod, you may proceed with your statement.

Masi, Minister McLeod. We will now hear from Minister Alfred Moses. Minister Moses, please proceed with your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am pleased to report on our achievements in Education, Culture and Employment during the first half of the 18th Legislative Assembly. Mr. Chair, as Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and as Minister responsible for Youth, I am especially proud of the work we accomplished as a result of the Right from the Start Early Childhood Development Framework.

We have increased operating subsidy rates to create more affordable childcare spaces, we eased the burden on operators by offering simplified licensing and funding application processes, and we have made changes to allow for multi-year agreements.

The passing of Bill 16 established junior kindergarten for four-year-olds in 33 communities in the Northwest Territories. This is something that we all can be proud of. I have visited children in junior kindergarten classrooms around the Northwest Territories and their energy and enthusiasm give me great hope for the future. Because of our actions, children in the Northwest Territories are getting a better start to their educational journey. In high schools, I want to make sure that all students have the opportunity to learn and excel in a multitude of subjects.

Distance learning continues to bridge the gap by offering programs that were previously not available in rural and remote communities. I am excited to keep expanding this innovative program. While the factors that influence student outcomes are complex, there is strong evidence to show that giving teachers more time to prepare, assess, collaborate, and professionally develop their teaching practice is critically important. Bill 16 gives teachers this flexibility through the Strengthening Teacher Instructional Practices initiative. Our partnerships with the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association and the Northwest Territories Superintendents Association were significant in reaching this milestone.

Mr. Chair, we must ensure our residents have the skills and training they need to enter the workforce.

The Skills 4 Success 10-Year Strategic Framework aims to improve employment success for all Northerners. We have already completed many key actions including releasing and implementing the Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupational Certification Strategy. This plan details how training, apprenticeship, and certification opportunities will be improved in skilled trades and industrial occupations across the Northwest Territories. Another part of our actions under Skills 4 Success is working with Aurora College on their renewed strategic plan. Currently the strategic plan has been put aside to allow for other informing work to be concluded. This will make the outcome stronger and enable Northerners to benefit from college programming offered in response to labour market needs.

To fulfil our mandate to increase immigration to the Northwest Territories, the Government of the Northwest Territories has launched a marketing campaign promoting the Northwest Territories Nominee Program. The launch of the ImmigrateNWT website was the first action to increase the number of immigrants working and investing here. I am pleased to report that Education, Culture and Employment's target to increase the number of approved applications by 25 per cent each year has been fully achieved. As well, Education, Culture and Employment and Industry, Tourism and Investment released the first ever Northwest Territories' Immigration Strategy. This strategy supports population growth and addresses labour market gaps and skills shortages, while safeguarding employment for our northern residents.

Mr. Chair, language is the foundation of our culture and heritage, and it expresses the uniqueness of who we are as Northerners. Negotiation with the federal government to provide additional money for official languages has been successful. We received a substantial increase: we now receive $19.6 million for Indigenous languages and almost $22.5 million for French through the unprecedented multi-year agreement.

The updated Aboriginal Languages Framework: A Shared Responsibility was tabled in May. This work would not have been possible without the support and expertise from language communities and Indigenous governments.

Mr. Chair, as Minister, I have worked hard with all our partners. I am proud of our achievements to date and certain that with the guidance of Members we will meet our remaining mandate responsibilities by the end of the 18th Legislative Assembly.

Mahsi cho. Quyanainni. Merci beaucoup. Thank you.

Masi, Minister Moses. We will now hear from Minister Wally Schumann. Minister Schumann, please proceed with your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Departments of Industry, Tourism and Investment and Infrastructure play an important role in delivering our mandate to advance economic growth in the Northwest Territories and reduce the cost of living for our people. Natural resources are the foundation of our economy. In the first two years of our mandate, we have invested approximately $3.4 million under the Mineral Development Strategy to support ongoing geoscience, marketing, Aboriginal capacity building, and the Mining Incentive Program. Our NWT Geological Survey continues to enhance publicly available geoscience, some of which has contributed to the most staking we have seen in years. Mr. Chair, we have completed community engagement sessions of our territory's first Mineral Resources Act and we are on track to ensure the unique needs of our territory are reflected in the legislation before this Legislative Assembly dissolves.

Mr. Chair, we have also made significant progress on an important priority of all MLAs: economic diversification. By supporting entrepreneurs, businesses, and business associations across the NWT with improved programs and services, as well as generous grants and contributions, we are growing areas of our economy to create better opportunities for residents to succeed. We committed to improving our tourism and parks facilities, Mr. Chair. We invested nearly $7 million to grow the capacity within the sector. Our investments have been reflected in the best-ever year for the NWT tourism sector, now worth more than $200 million to our economy. Mr. Chair, we released an Agriculture Strategy in March to encourage local food production and commercial capacity. It gives us the foundation to guide the expansion and growth of the business of food in our territory and over time will help address the cost of living, improve food security, foster healthy families, and enhance capacity-building programs for our youth.

We have also introduced a strategy to revitalize the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery, backing our commitments with funding to build a new fish processing plant in Hay River and plans for a collection point in Yellowknife. We have committed to growing a profile of NWT art at home and abroad. Our revamped NWT Arts website is delivering on this commitment by connecting the world to the NWT-made art.

Mr. Chair, with my Infrastructure portfolio, we have achieved progress on our mandate in the first half of this government that will benefit residents across the Northwest Territories. All Members agree that we need to address the cost of living and we have made strides in reducing energy costs and transitioning the territory to alternative energy production. Mr. Chair, we committed to a comprehensive public engagement on energy and climate change. That informed the development of the draft Energy Strategy. It sets out the long-term vision for energy security in the territory. We have supported alternative energy projects in communities here and now, with two solar installations completed in Inuvik as well as one in Aklavik. Biomass systems were installed in several GNWT facilities and a combined heat and power pilot project is under way in Fort Simpson. A feasibility study looking at building liquefied natural gas storage for power generation in Tuktoyaktuk was completed. Mr. Chair, access to secure, affordable, environmentally sustainable sources of energy is essential to the prosperity of the Northwest Territories and we've continued to work to find markets for the Taltson Hydro Expansion.

We have also made significant process in expanding the transportation system. Construction of the Canyon Creek all-season access road has commenced, creating employment for Sahtu residents while providing access to traditional lands for recreation, tourism, and business development. Mr. Chair, conditional approval of the Tlicho All-Season Road has also been received. The project will provide all-weather access to Whati, while improving winter access to Gameti and Wekweeti. Most recently, expressions of interest for the Slave Geological Province Corridor and the Mackenzie Valley Highway were submitted under the National Trade Corridors Fund. These transformative projects will help create jobs and business opportunities, while increasing access to our territory's extraordinary natural resource potential.

Mr. Chair, I believe in working together. Of the 38 commitments I am responsible for, seven commitments were completed, while the remaining 31 are at varying levels of progress. Mr. Chair, this work would not be possible without the support of Regular Members and their respective standing committees. Our success is not measured on one individual, but on the collective efforts of both sides of this House and the commitment of dedication of public servants to improve the lives of residents and ensure they have the ability to find success in their lives. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi, Minister Schumann. We will now hear from Minister Lou Sebert. Minister Sebert, please proceed with your statement.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I was asked to improve access to justice for residents of the Northwest Territories. I am proud to say that through innovative action and the support of this Assembly, we have made progress in this area. We have expanded the Outreach Legal Aid Clinic allowing residents access to free confidential legal advice for up to three hours on any single legal issue. This expansion makes it possible to offer more in-person clinics in our communities. We have also expanded the Mediation and Parenting after Separation and Divorce programs. Our mandate also set goals for supporting the RCMP and our communities in developing policing action plans. We now have plans in place that reflect local community safety priorities for every community in the Northwest Territories. I am keenly aware that the relationship between community, RCMP, and our government is of critical importance to how we keep citizens safe. I have worked hard to maintain an open and collaborative relationship with the new commanding officer of "G" Division.

Our mandate also set out goals to strengthen initiatives to address the crisis of family violence, including the continuation of A New Day program. Transitioning A New Day program from a pilot project to a long-term program was not without challenges. Of utmost importance to me was ensuring that the program was flexible to meet the needs of participants, provide greater opportunity for success, and be sustainable for the future. The changes made improved the program. The transition to the new service provider has been smooth and all supports are in place, including well-qualified, culturally competent, and experienced facilitators.

I want to acknowledge Members' support of this program. The objective of having the best programs available to prevent and reduce family violence is one we all share. I also want to acknowledge the role that Members have played in supporting our extensive engagement program with the public and stakeholders on cannabis legalization. We want to make sure that we understand the views of Northerners and I look forward to discussing what we heard with committee in the near future.

As Minister of Lands, I continue to work with the Premier on a number of land issues with the federal government. Together we have shared our concerns about participant funding and reducing regulatory duplication in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, as well as on proposed changes to the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. In March, I tabled the Recreational Leasing Management Framework. We are hard at work on implementing the framework's action items and are working towards fulfilling this mandate commitment. Over the summer, we also engaged with Aboriginal governments, stakeholders, and the public on the review of the Commissioner's and Northwest Territories Lands Acts. Work is also underway on developing a Yellowknife Periphery Area Management Plan. Our Aboriginal engagement process has started, and we hope to have a draft of the plan ready for public review in early 2018. This plan will provide direction and guidance on how to manage recreational lands outside and around Yellowknife, Ndilo, and Detah. Mr. Chair, I have heard the concerns of residents and Members on issues of land ownership, and I have made it a priority to seek out solutions. I have given clear direction to the department to return with options on how to resolve issues with equity leases, and I look forward to discussing these with committee in the coming year.

Finally Mr. Chair, open and transparent government has been a top priority of our government, and I was happy to take a leadership role in helping bring forward an open government policy, ombudsman legislation, and changes to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. As lead Minister for open government, I visited every constituency in the Northwest Territories and personally hosted 16 open houses in 14 communities. True democracy involves working with citizens and stakeholders, not just for them, and this progress will lead to a more engaged and involved public to ultimately support and enable the development of better policies, decisions, programs, and services. Mr. Chair, I look forward to working with all Members of this Assembly to advance all of our priorities.

Masi, Minister Sebert. That concludes the statements from the Premier, Ministers on their leadership and performance, as well as collective leadership and performance of Cabinet. At this time, I would like to recognize former Members: Mr. Anthony W.J. Whitford, former Commissioner, former Speaker, former Minister, Sergeant-at-Arms, honourary clerk at the table, and also with us our former Member Wendy Bisaro, 16th and 17th Assembly Member. Welcome. Members, just being mindful of interpreters: obviously, they will need a break from this. The chair is going to call for a short recess, and we will be back ten after 10:00. Masi.

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Members, we just went through the statements from the Premier and Ministers. We will now proceed to Members' questions to Ministers. Members' questions to Ministers. I remind everybody that each Member is permitted to ask up to two questions to each Minister, no longer than two minutes each. Responses by the Ministers must not be longer than two minutes as well. We'll proceed. Are there any questions? Member Green.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my question is for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Earlier this year, the GNWT signed a new healthcare funding arrangement with Ottawa. It offers less money, even with the special allocations for specific purposes such as homecare, at a time when the cost of providing healthcare and the demand for service is growing. My question for the Minister is: what is your assessment of this gap, and how are you going to close it? Mahsi.

Masi. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The money that we are getting from the federal government, when you look at the Canada Health Transfer and the new monies for the individual pots, is less than we would have received if they had maintained it at a six per cent growth rate for CHT. This is certainly a challenge, but we are working on a number of mandate items within this government. We are looking at seeking additional resources for many of the activities that we are undertaking, things like homecare, things like midwifery services, and things like community counsellors in communities throughout the Northwest Territories. We continue to work with the federal government to try and get a better understanding of how we can utilize these funds, but clearly it is a challenge. Many of these funds are what are often referred to as boutique funding because they have a real short time period. They start one day and they end a number of years later. We are going to use these dollars to help actually build some capacity within the system, training and putting in new programs that we can use those dollars to help design, to make real changes for people in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Questions. Next on my list: Member Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, a lot of people have commented to me that today will be an interesting day. Spoiler alert: it won't be. The Ministers' statements we heard today are no different from the Ministers' statements we hear during session. The MLAs everyone expects to ask questions will ask questions and the Ministers will answer them in the same manner they've done for two years.

This is essentially just another sitting day, albeit a longer and likely less productive one. For those who have paid any attention to the proceedings in this House, there will likely be nothing new. However, Mr. Chair, what most people do not know is what happens when we're not in this Chamber. Residents generally are not aware of how Ministers handle the constituents' issues that we bring to them, how their offices respond to our requests for information, or about the battles that some Ministers have with their departments and with other Ministers when they attempt to change the status quo for the benefit of the territory. All of this will factor into my decision today.

Mr. Chair, with all that being said I would like to start with a general question addressed to all Ministers. If you receive a vote of non-confidence from the majority of this Assembly today, will you step aside, or will you be defiant and force Members to remove you? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, there are established protocols for how an individual can be removed from this House and from this Chamber. The only way to remove somebody from Executive Council is through an open public vote in this Assembly. Given the protocols that exist, the protocols that have been agreed by this Assembly, I wouldn't resign. I would take the criticism. I would work with Members to make improvements where appropriate and hopefully be able to do a better job moving forward, but I wouldn't resign. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The MLA has asked an interesting question, and I have to agree that if we do get a vote of non-confidence it would be hurtful, in all honesty. I believe that I have worked hard over the two years. I believe that I have a lot of work to do. I came with a purpose. I have been working towards fulfilling that purpose, so no. I have to say that if I do get a vote of non-confidence that I would want to see who actually believes that I need to step down. In all honesty, we all take feedback, and we need to be able to take that feedback and improve our work, but to step down is not what I came for. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Robert C. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, one of the things we have talked about a lot in here is transparency, and if any of us, or if I were to resign, that would go against what we have been talking about for the last two years. I would not resign. I would wait for a motion or revocation, which is far more transparent and is something that we are preaching and we should practice. Thank you.

Minister Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, being a Minister takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice. Over the last two years, I've made a lot of investment into increasing relationships with our partners to accomplish a lot of the goals and achievements that we have done. A very interesting question by the Member. No, I would not look at resigning if I received a vote of non-confidence. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Sebert.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I share the sentiments of my colleagues that you've already heard from. Members may recall that when the rules committee came forward with their plans and suggestions around the whole issue of the midterm review, I did file a minority report. I was particularly concerned about the secretive nature of the vote we are facing today. Therefore, no, I would not resign, and if Members opposite wish to remove us, they can do so in an open vote. Thank you.

Minister Schumann.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. After hearing all my colleagues, I agree with everything that has been said today. When we all ran to be Members of the 18th Legislative Assembly, we know this is a consensus government. We all want to work collectively for residents of the Northwest Territories and do the best things that we can. There is a lot of work to be done in this Chamber, and there continues to be a lot of work done, and I think everyone has done a great job bringing forward the work that's been done so far.

We have one of the largest mandates ever in the history of the Northwest Territories. We are collectively working towards fulfilling that for the residents of the Northwest Territories, and as my colleague said, the Minister of Finance, I would not resign just based on openness and transparency that we talk about continually in this government. I would want to have an open and fair discussion in this Chamber to do that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Questions to Ministers. I have next on my list: Member O'Reilly.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for Minister Abernethy. On December 9, 2015, MLA Abernethy put his name forward to serve as our Premier. In his candidacy speech, Mr. Abernethy said "we have a new energy, new ideas" and "the status quo is no longer acceptable." Can the Minister tell us what he has personally done to change the status quo here at the Legislative Assembly over the last two years, and what further work remains? Mahsi, Mr. Chair.

Minister Abernethy.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I remember intimately what it's like to be a Member of this Assembly and not sit in on the Executive Council side. It can be very frustrating for Members when they don't feel like they are getting information, or there are surprises that occur in the House. I do not support surprises for anybody in this Assembly on either side, so I've worked very hard over the last two years to make sure that Members are informed on issues related to health and social services.

I have gone extra steps to make sure that we are providing them with detailed information when crises are occurring in communities, and providing them updates on a regular basis. I'm trying hard to work with MLAs on a regular basis to make sure that their input is incorporated in things that are actually happening in this Assembly. Outside of this Assembly, we have also tried to do things differently. I believe that there are answers, and good, great ideas in communities on the issues that are facing them, and I think it's really important for us to really engage with stakeholders.

When it comes to things like developing a framework and an action plan for things like disabilities, I have gone to the stakeholders and asked them to be part of the design of frameworks. I have asked them to actually help hold the pen. This is not something that has happened very often in this Assembly. It happened once before on the anti-poverty framework and action plan. These are things that are important to me, and working with Members and working with stakeholders, and giving them opportunities to take their consideration, and listen to what they are saying, and use those ideas to make change is different than things have been done traditionally, and I think it is a good way of doing business. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Questions to Ministers. Next on my list: Member Testart.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, my question is for the Minister of Education, Minister Moses. When he was on this side of the House, he made many statements into the proposed junior kindergarten program at the time. He sought additional funding for educational authorities, going so far as to request an extra supplementary appropriation to "offset these costs and let education authorities out there know we will support what they do, whether they had a surplus or a deficit." Further, he supported a motion to get dollars for the implementation of junior kindergarten and that whole early child education initiative, and even went on to question whether or not Cabinet takes it seriously, what Regular Members were doing. Now, when we embarked on continuing the junior kindergarten initiative, the Minister resorted to the exact same plan, which left a funding gap that took years to resolve. My question for the Minister is: what experience did he gain on this side of the House criticizing that program? Why did he continue on with the same plan? Why didn't he work with his department to make it a better plan that would be supported by the majority of Members, and when Members raised opposition to the plan because it left our school boards out in the cold, why did he continue along with it? Why was it such a battle to get full funding for junior kindergarten? There's still a question to that full funding. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the Member's comments and questions. Yes, when we first looked at implementing junior kindergarten, there was concerns, and my experience is we waited until we got the comprehensive report that was released in the 17th Legislative Assembly. As you heard in my opening comments, I did visit schools as a Regular Member and as a Minister, and looked at the junior kindergarten classes. We heard from education authorities.

We've developed a really strong relationship with education councils, listened to the concerns, but also listened to the concerns of committee, and moving forward, working with my colleagues on this side of the House, working very hard to find a solution and that's where we looked at fully funding junior kindergarten. It is all that experience working with our education councils, with Members on that side, and committee, and finding a solution. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Questions to Ministers. Next on my list: Member Beaulieu.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Education. During the last couple of years, one of the key things that occurred with the Department of Education was the close-down of the Teacher Education Program and the social work program. This upset many students. This upset many people that were hoping to, mature students, especially students that already are married and have children that the best place for them to attend school was in Fort Smith. However, those programs were shut down. Even the community of Fort Smith was upset over it. There was lots of letter writing going back and forth in the community, over to here, and then at the end of the day, the board was dissolved. I'd like to ask the Minister: who, and by who I mean a person not a department. Which person made the decision to close those two important programs down? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to clarify, we did put a hold on those two programs until the foundational review was completed. The students in those two programs will continue to get support to complete the programs in Fort Smith, as well as the social work program. They are getting work from our department. They are getting support from staff at Aurora College. Plus we continue to support students that are taking a degree, granting programs for education, as well as social work, outside the territory.

These discussions were brought forth in the May-June sitting. I listened. We worked with Aurora College, and we decided to put those two programs on hold until the foundational review was completed. We did not shut them down. We stopped. What we did shut down was enrolments into the access program, and we will wait for that foundational review to come out. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Questions to Ministers. Next on my list: Member Vanthuyne.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chairman, we all know that in the early days of this Assembly that there was a kind of a contention and some tension between Regular Members and Cabinet relating to the fiscal strategy and the budget process at the time. One of the things that we have as an opportunity through that process is the opportunity to stand up and provide a reply to the Budget Address. My question is for the Minister for Health and Social Services, Minister Abernethy.

While all of us Regular Members took advantage of that opportunity to stand up and give our thoughts, positive or negative, it was our opinions and our views that we were sharing on the budget at the time. Minister Abernethy had his right to do that, and he stood up in this House and gave his reply to the budget address. However, as most know, it did not seem to be a reply to the budget address. It was more a criticism of Members and their replies to the budget address. I would like to ask the Minister: if he had the opportunity to do it again, what would he do to change, if anything? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm an MLA as well as a Member of the Executive Council and I've been around for a few years in this Assembly, and I do have to say that that budget process was one of the more frustrating budget experiences that I have been around for. This is a consensus government. This is supposed to be about working together. If you go back and read that statement, I made some criticisms and maybe I was a little harsh and I apologize that, but I was also hard on Cabinet as well.

I did indicate that we have an obligation as Cabinet to work with the Members of this Assembly, to work together to find compromise and it seemed like we were both having difficulty in that process at that time. I was frustrated. I might tailor my words slightly differently and be a little bit more soft in some of my approach, but I do acknowledge that I did criticize both sides of this House. We're supposed to work together in the best interests of the people of the Northwest Territories. That takes compromise. That takes work. Some of the statements that were being made, in my mind, some of them were not exactly accurate. It was frustrating, so I made a statement. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Questions to Ministers. Next on my list: Member McNeely.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is to the whole Cabinet. We heard earlier on the accomplishments and the targets achieved from the Members across the floor, and now we know what is there. Now I'd like to discuss what is not there. My question: which department or departments within your portfolios can you explain that needs the attention of what is not achieved, aside from the presentation we heard earlier? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Schumann.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think that is a hard question to answer, what we have not achieved, because a lot of the stuff that's within my portfolios is well under progress. We are working to achieve them. We have a number of initiatives. Like I said in my statement earlier today, I had 30-some commitments of the mandate, and we are working to achieve those. If I wanted to speak about specifically one particular commitment that has been left behind a little bit, I guess, would be the Petroleum Resources and Oil and Gas Act, and there is a reason for that. It has to be dovetailed in with the energy strategy that we are working on. It has to fit in with the climate change framework that's being proposed with this government. With the downturn of the economy in the oil and gas sector, it was one I think that was not quite brought forward in a timely manner that maybe in different Assemblies possibly could have been, but with the sector down right now… We are trying to figure out how we can capitalize on this energy sector to help facilitate bringing the cost of living down for residents of the Northwest Territories. I think out of all the general ones that I have that are in progress, that's the one that sticks in my mind that we need to be working on, but there is a reason for it, which was my explanation of what I've just said. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Sebert.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think one of the greatest challenges that I have faced in my time as Minister is dealing with the issue of equity leases. I was aware of this issue in private practice before I became a Minister and certainly was made further aware of it by members of my profession who contacted me soon after I became a Minister, seeking a resolution of this serious issue. I had thought that it might be simpler than it has turned out to be. I didn't realize when I first looked at the issue that there were literally hundreds of equity leases; I think around 250 in the Northwest Territories. Certainly, when I did my travels to the communities, concerns about equity leases and the need for people receiving certainty in their land tenure were brought to me. We are working on this matter. I will be working with the department to bring options to Cabinet, and hopefully we can come to a satisfactory resolution of this matter before the end of this term. It's a very important issue, particularly in the smaller and more remote communities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We do have a four-year mandate in front of us here. We are halfway through. There are a lot of good things that the Department of Education has done to meet their mandate commitments. Obviously, two years in, you're not going to meet all of them. I am looking forward to addressing some of the other ones, especially around post-secondary education. There's work that we can do, we've had questions in the House about it, working with our post-secondary institutions and our partners to address other learning opportunities for our northern residents, obviously creating jobs in small communities, developing skills and training for our Northerners so that they can enter the workforce. We've got a lot of things under education renewal that when we get them implemented and running, we are going to see a lot of really good impacts there moving forward as well. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Robert C. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, one of the biggest challenges that we faced when we all got elected, I think even before we sat down in this Chamber, was the fact that the federal government made an announcement of a $34 million decrease to our Territorial Formula Financing. I would have to say that we are fortunate that they gave us $24 million back, but we are still short $10 million. I think that has been our biggest challenge, and that's one that we will continue to work on. With regards to the other portfolios I have, there are some challenges in there. There's some things we want to see going forward, but we still have two years left in the mandate. We have a couple more business planning cycles left and a couple more budgets. I think you will see some of the initiatives come forward then. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As I had stated in my Minister's statement at the beginning of today, I hold high expectations for all of my team. I know that they are out there watching, so just letting you all know that no one is getting off easy. We still have a lot of work to do. I will be putting a greater focus on every department. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has important legislation around public safety that we need to get addressed. Women in Leadership, we are still only two out of 19, so we have huge work to do with that to get women involved in politics. Of course, like I had said earlier, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, I'm really excited, actually. We have a lot of work to do in policy renewal and we also are looking at an educational component. Every team member out there, it's been great to work with you, but we have a lot more to do. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Department of Health and Social Services had 84 different milestones within the mandate that we're following here in the Government of the Northwest Territories: 43 of them have been completed; 26 are on schedule; but yes, some of them are clearly behind. Outside of the ones that have been behind, there are some things that obviously I think are frustrating for myself and for Members. For the Members in Yellowknife, I think one of the things that has been frustrating is the fact that it has taken us so long to get a sobering centre up in place. This is an area that I am keenly interested in and pushing the department very hard, but I am frustrated, as I think everybody in this territory is, with finding the location and getting that location up and running. We're still committed to getting it done, but it is clearly something that has been frustrating. Another area that has been frustrating for me is an area that I am passionate about, and I think Members who have been around for a while know, is moving forward with Building Stronger Families. We are on the fourth year of a five-year rollout of Building Stronger Families. We have to fundamentally change how we provide child and family services here in the Northwest Territories, and in my opinion we're on the right track, but it feels painfully slow. I've accepted that we have to take time in order to get this right, that we have to test the different tools that we've put in place and make sure that they work, rather than rushing the implementation and ending up with tools that are really no better for families here in the Northwest Territories. I'd love to see this go faster, but I'm committed to getting it right. I am frustrated, as I think everybody in the Northwest Territories is, about how long it has taken us to get to the point where real change is evident, but it's coming. We're rolling into our fifth year, and we'll see some real change shortly. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Questions to Ministers. Next on my list: Member Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning. One of the priorities of the 18th Assembly was to settle outstanding land claim agreements here in the NWT. We all understand: if we conclude the land claim agreements throughout the NWT, it will create of course a level of certainty and bolstering of course the economic climate in the NWT, but we also have to be aware that in some respects we're led by the federal policies. One of the significant, more likely principles, that guides this whole process is section 35 of the Constitution Act. My question is to all of the Members of Cabinet. In your view, what are the GNWT impediments to negotiating outstanding land claim and self-government agreements? Mahsi.

Masi. Minister Robert C. McLeod.

I believe the Member said "impediments." I would like to see them all come to the table. I would like to see them get land claims settled. I don't know what the impediments might be. Maybe they're reluctant to settle. I know there's been offers out there. I recognize the importance, in this day and age, of getting the land claims settled, because I don't want to see the people across the NWT lose opportunities because the land claims have not been settled yet. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. To the question on the land claims and impediments and work that's being done. I think we really need to build a strong working relationship with the Indigenous governments throughout the Northwest Territories. I believe this government, under our leadership, has progressed us in that area, with all the bilateral meetings that we're having with all the governments across the Northwest Territories and continuing to work with the federal government to address these issues. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Sebert.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think we’re all interested in settling land claims. We have seen the success in those areas that do have settled land claims, and more generous and comprehensive offers have been made recently. We’re hoping for a favourable response to those initiatives because, as I say, it is really to the benefit of everyone. I know that in the area of lands knowing what the regime will be in your region certainly would be a great help to landowners. As I say, those areas that have settled their land claims are moving ahead. Certainly this government is interested in the completion of the program, as it were, so that all land claims could be settled, and all residents, including industry, could have certainty moving ahead. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I have had an opportunity to talk to Aboriginal leaders across the Northwest Territories, and this issue often comes up. One of the things that I have heard from a number of our partners and the individuals that we're negotiating with is that the reliance on the old Dene Metis claim as the foundation of negotiations does not necessarily make sense in this day and age. The Premier and the departments have worked hard with the federal government and those that we’re negotiating with to move away from the Dene Metis claim as sort of the foundation and looked at new ways of producing an agreement or finding ways forward. I think that was incredibly important, not relying on the way things were done in the past, but trying to do things differently. The Premier has worked with the federal government, brought in some individuals to do some work on how we can move forward together, united, in the best interests of all people in the Northwest Territories. It is a long process. It is a detailed process. There are a lot of questions that need to be asked, whether it is land quantum or what areas an individual government's going to take on as far as mandate. The work is under way. We all know it's not going as fast as we'd like it, but it is moving forward. Now that we have a new way of moving forward, I'm optimistic that we are going to see more progress in the future, and I'm excited by the opportunities that that presents. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Schumann.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Great question by the Member. As he's well aware, he and I have both been on both sides of the table. I think if you want to get right to the meat of this question, there's a lot of issues internally amongst Aboriginal groups. There has got to be consensus-building amongst themselves to bring some of these things forward, to have a position where they can stand together to bring issues forward as a group and deal with the federal and territorial government. Overlap issues is another big one as an impediment. I think a lot of people that don't realize it, don't follow it. Particularly, the South Slave region is probably the most contentious overlap issue area in all of Canada. There are so many groups that need to be dealt with, and thankful to the Premier and his great leadership, he's got the federal government at the table to bring new offers and new ideas on how we can settle these things. I think the biggest impediment is, as I've said in my opening statement, that, as Aboriginal peoples we have to get ourselves organized and have a united front on what our actual position is to be able to sit down and deal with the territorial and federal government. It's been frustrating, as I've said, as a negotiator when I was at the table, but I think a lot of things have changed under the leadership of the Premier now and the federal government with regards to how they are reaching out to try to settle this. It is something that is the number one priority of this government. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The issue of land claims is really important to all of us. As a Northerner whose family business was in mineral exploration, and still in mineral exploration, I've taken a keen interest in the needs of people in that field, and I recognize that it is the major economic driver within the Northwest Territories. It is impacting mineral exploration and new monies coming into the territories so it's a priority. As the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, I know that it's also a priority because municipalities are waiting for land claims to get finished so that they can deal with their land needs as well. It is important for all of us. I believe that some of the issues that are affecting it is that Aboriginal governments want to get it right. They have one chance at this, and so it is really important for them that they try to get things as they need, because they might not have another chance at it. I recognize that it's a difficult decision for their leadership and something that we have to support. I do want to give credit where credit belongs. Our Premier has cleared his docket. It is his number one priority. I am hoping that it will be his legacy when he leaves here, that he will have the Aboriginal governments settled, and I know that he is working hard towards that. Like I say, I need to give credit where credit is due, and our Premier, it is his number one priority, and he is working hard at finishing these. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Questions to Ministers. Next on my list is Member Nakimayak.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I didn't write anything, but I represent four coastal communities, and sovereignty in the Arctic, in my region is important as far as infrastructure. As well, they are all Indigenous people, mainly Inuit. My questions are for all of the Ministers, Mr. Chair. I've been lucky to have a couple of tours with the Ministers in my region, and I just want to say that tours like this are important. We need to ensure that we host Caucus and other meetings like that around the territory, mainly in the smaller communities where sometimes access to information is very limited and very much so, and sometimes very slow. My question to the Ministers is mainly: can you highlight achievements, as well as how you have refined the working relationships, with Indigenous leaders, not just with the Inuvialuit, but as with the Gwich'in and other Indigenous groups around the territory as well? I think it is important for the government to be involved and, like I said, refine that working relationship and have liaisons between the government and the Indigenous groups to show more of a presence on both sides. My question is: how are the Cabinet Ministers and their departments going to reach out and connect more closely with Indigenous governments? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was actually honoured to be able to travel to some of the communities within the MLA's region, although I recognize I still need to get to Sachs Harbour. We got weathered in at the time. Each region, when I was travelling, I noticed has different needs and different beauties, actually. It really reinforced that the Northwest Territories is really beautiful. We need to appreciate what we have here. It is not all rock. What have we done, though, to support Aboriginal governments? The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs works hard with Aboriginal governments. We developed the online training and the training components in partnership with the federal government to provide support so Aboriginal governments can govern their people properly and as they need to. The Housing Corporation has also worked really closely with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation to support not only our housing needs, but their housing aspirations. We work very diligently with Aboriginal governments. Like I had said when I first took on, accreditation is about working with people. It is about getting constant feedback, and it is important that Aboriginal governments have feedback into what we are doing to govern the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Schumann.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As a Member of the Executive Council, and having the opportunity, I've been to all 33 communities these last two years in the Northwest Territories. A number of my files allow me to interact directly with either Aboriginal governments at a land claim level, or at a local level, or a band level, and this interaction is very important as the population of the Northwest Territories is 50 per cent Indigenous. As many of the people watching on TV know, most of our communities are small and remote communities, and are led by Aboriginal people. There are various different degrees of leadership in these communities which is very important to understand when we're travelling around when we are dealing with issues. We've a good interaction with them. I think as Cabinet we have our bilaterals with the Aboriginal groups in the Northwest Territories on a grander scale and their issues, and we continue to do that. That is very informative on government-to-government relationships on how we build and try to prosper the Northwest Territories for our residents. But also, when you start digging down into some of my portfolios, you can even get right down to some programs like the CAP programming, the Community Access Program, where we deal with right down at the local level on how we can work with Aboriginal governments to help facilitate projects within the community, and bring awareness to job training, and economies and such. These are very important relationships to this government, and particularly when I'm at FPT tables and travelling around the country, I try to explain to people of Canada the importance of the relationship that this government has with Aboriginal people, and how we interact with them, and how we are leaders in this country in how we deal with Aboriginal people in the great country we live in. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As my colleague had mentioned, we do have these bilateral meetings with all Indigenous organizations. Usually, out of those bilateral meetings through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, we set up more face-to-face direct meetings where you get down to the issues of educational challenges within a community or within a region. We have started those. I know on the community tours, we do get a lot of questions as well and sometimes we work on looking at setting up another meeting with the community groups to address the issues. We are working very hard to build that strength and that collaboration of work. One other thing we do through our department is through official languages. We do fund directly Indigenous governments so that they can take on the ownership and responsibility, the strength in our official languages throughout the Northwest Territories, as well as some of the residential school training that we offer, and we usually get leadership to participate in that. I know through our bilateral meetings, community tours, that's already strengthening the relationships and the trust-building with our Indigenous governments, and continue to look forward to it over the next two years to build on that strength. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. There's a couple of different ways that we do this. From a system point of view, we have gone to a single authority here in the Northwest Territories with the exception of the TCSA and Hay River. There are members on the regional wellness council from all over the Northwest Territories, and the chairs of those wellness councils have the ability to provide regional and community-based input at a territorial level which has never existed before. It is pretty exciting, and we are starting to get some good results. Of course, there are growing pains with any new transformation, but we are starting to see some positive results.

From a Cabinet point of view, Members have already talked about our bilateral meetings which we hold on a regular basis. From a ministry point of view, from Health and Social Services, I've tried to do something a little different than it's been done before. It has never been done to my knowledge, but I've called together a meeting of Indigenous leaders on an annual basis to talk about shared priorities and areas where we can work together to benefit their people, but also the people of the Northwest Territories. There are a lot of areas where we could work together, whether it's wellness initiatives or suicide prevention initiatives or other initiatives. Those partnerships at the community but also with the Aboriginal governments, is vital to making things happen. I've called these leadership meetings on an annual basis. We’ve had some good results. One of the things that came out of that, that I am particularly proud of, is the Indigenous Knowledge Advisory Group. That was really interesting because the actual members of the Indigenous leaders that we pulled together, they all identified staff who had worked with the department to develop a terms of reference. That terms of reference is done, and we're getting nominations from the different Aboriginal leaders, and we're putting this group in place which is going to provide some real great information on how to move forward with traditional knowledge, traditional healing, but also battling and trying to break down the barriers we're experiencing with systemic racism in our system. It is those relationships with those leaders that I think has really given us some headway in these areas. Thank you.

Masi. Minister Sebert.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As has been mentioned, this government, this Cabinet, often has bilateral meetings with Aboriginal organizations, and those are very important so that we can deal with them in a government-to-government way, and hear their concerns, and hopefully allay their concerns. Apart from that, the Department of Lands as I mentioned earlier when we are dealing with frameworks, leasing frameworks, Yellowknife periphery area management plans, of course, we do consult with the Aboriginal groups, which is quite appropriate. Apart from visiting the individual communities as I mentioned, the Cabinet often goes out to communities to meet on a bilateral basis with Aboriginal governments. I am expecting that to continue and I am hoping that we will have continued success. Thank you.

Masi. Minister Robert C. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I think of all the departments within the government, the one that has pretty well the closest ties with the Aboriginal people and the Aboriginal governments would be Environment and Natural Resources. A lot of work we do, we rely on their traditional knowledge, and with the initiatives and LPs that we bring out, we use to consult with the Aboriginal governments, receive their feedback amongst other people in the Northwest Territories. We have membership on a lot of the land and water boards, the wildlife boards, and we work with the Aboriginal governments. On the finance side of it, since devolution with the resource revenue sharing, the Aboriginal governments that have signed on to devolution have been able to receive some money as part of the agreement with the Aboriginal governments that have signed on. That goes back to an earlier question that I was asked before, and I replied, there were some missed opportunities there. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Questions to Ministers. Next on my list: Member Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Ministers and the Premier for their speeches and that, and they talked about working together and the importance of working together. I truly believe in that. They talked about consensus government, and I do have a difference of opinion with Cabinet on what consensus government I believe is, and sometimes we miss out on it. As you are aware, I represent six communities, especially the small communities. Again, when I sit there and I try to work with Cabinet, there's been some challenges, pushback or whatever. I would have to comment positively on how they developed the committee on rural and remote communities. I think that's a great step, but it's two years in. We're two years in, so we're coming down to it. I thought about this, and I looked at this, and I am going to be asking the same question to all Ministers here.

Mr. Chair, besides the Mandate documents, can each Minister explain what they and their department have done to make residents of smaller communities a better place to live and reduce their cost of living? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister Moses.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. One of the things that we've implemented, Mr. Chair, we actually piloted in a lot of the communities in Nahendeh, was around early childhood funding and the changes that we made to early childhood subsidies. We funded a lot of the daycares. That helps out families but also gives the child the greatest chance from the start. We've also funded them through languages programs, small community employment program funding over the years, especially with the influx of the $3 million. Two communities in Nahendeh had access to those fundings as well. We are also looking at creating distance learning education to help some of the small communities in Nahendeh to be able to take academic courses that they weren't previously able to take. I think the big one moving forward, though, in looking forward to working with the rural and remote communities is in the small community employment program. I know we're two years in and the committee just got started, but I think that committee can make a lot of positive impacts for job creation, skill development, and training for our residents in small communities which the Member has a few in his riding, and look forward to working with the Member, and the rural and remote communities, as well as the leadership in Nahendeh to address job creation in small communities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Schumann.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Great question. My department, in particular ITI, has a number of initiatives that we work on this. Agriculture is the first one that comes to mind that would help to bring the cost of living down in the small communities. We have the Small Scale Foods Program that we have done in all 33 communities. We have the community gardens that we have done in all 33 communities. These sorts of things are definitely directly related to helping do that. We are working with the federal government to develop a national food policy which we hope is going to clearly support bringing down the cost of food and subsidies in the area of small communities, so we are working greatly with the federal government on that. As I mentioned earlier today, the CAP program is another one, I think, that is directly related to economic development to help and create employment and economic opportunities within the program that is delivered out of the Department of Infrastructure. That one is well taken up. It is always expended completely every year. We have $1 million that is directly invested into that. The traditional economy: we work along with ENR to try to facilitate that with the fur buying program to help support the hunters and trappers in all small communities in the Northwest Territories in particular. That is one of the best programs I think that we have in the government to help support people in the small communities. You know, as far as how we are trying to diversify our economy, the Great Slave Lake Fishery initiative. We want to expand that into small communities. We had an opportunity this year to go to Tsiigehtchic to help residents understand how they can get into the commercial fishery, and we are open to do that to all regions in the Northwest Territories. There's a number of initiatives that we have within the Department of ITI that help supports these types of things. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Robert C. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, as the previous speaker had mentioned, there was a fur harvesters program which through ENR and ITI is a great program for supporting small communities. On the finance side, I think that putting this government in a position where we are able to make infrastructure investments or match federal dollars for infrastructure investments. We've seen firsthand the contribution it has to small communities and small community employment. Also, I would like to mention that this summer, we had 347, I believe, summer students that were hired across the Northwest Territories. One of the challenges I put to the department is to ensure that we have all 33 communities in the Northwest Territories with summer students next year. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. When I think about support for small communities, actually, a lot comes to my mind. Within the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, we have put money into small communities. We put a lot of money into small communities. In fact, that's reflected in our core needs report. The difference between 2009 and 2014, how the core needs in small communities have actually gotten better at the cost of bigger communities such as Yellowknife where the core needs have increased because of that, so I need to look at a balance as well. Small communities as well… Doing the housing survey; that is about asking the people, what do you want versus us sitting up here in our nice chairs and deciding what is best for people. It is on the ground. It is asking the people, what do you want, and listening to them, and revising our policy and programs because of that. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs: it's all about supporting small communities and communities in general. They provide extra support to small communities in regards to their community leadership and the supports they can do. They also provide great programming for youth. They provide leadership programs, and not only physical activity but leadership so that we can actually get more youth that are actually role models to the communities. The more role models we have, the healthier communities are; positive role models, not negative, of course. Women in leadership: doing the workshops. Women are huge decision makers in communities. Many communities, women are underrepresented. The more workshops that we do, the more women that take leadership roles, the better, the healthier, the communities will be. I believe that all departments that I oversee have done a lot for small communities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Sebert.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As is the case with other Ministers, I've had an opportunity to go around to many of the smaller communities including the Member opposite', smaller communities that I had the opportunity of visiting this summer. Some of the concerns I heard during those visits, not only in his riding but in other ridings, was the importance of land tenure and ownership. People want to have the ability to improve their houses, build their businesses, and they need certainty as to the ownership, and that is why we are hoping to address this issue of equity leases which hopefully will improve the economic situation in small communities. In the area of justice, one of the programs that has been quite successful is the legal aid outreach which has been delivering legal services to the more remote communities, and hopefully reducing the cost of those legal services that otherwise could probably be only obtained in the larger centres. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Masi. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, the Member's question seemed to be more focused on things that aren't in the mandate, so I'd like to talk about a few of the things that may not appear as direct lines in the mandate but are part of core business, or part of some of the things that we're doing. Ultimately, many of the things that we're doing in Health and Social Services are tied directly to the mandate in some capacity. There's no question that it is a challenge to ensure that residents in our small communities have equitable access to programs and services that are available to residents in the larger centres. During my time as Minister, I've made it a priority to get into as many communities, all communities, from the Northwest Territories to meet with residents, to hear from them, to hear about the issues that are important to them, but also to hear from them on recommendations on how to make improvements, because I truly believe that communities are the experts who can provide us real solutions, real local solutions. In that light, we've done a couple of things differently in the Department of Health and Social Services. We're trying new things. We've been working with the community of Tsiigehtchic to put in a pilot program where we could train local people to do local work and provide emergency response when there are crisis in the communities. When there have been some suicide and other challenges in communities, we have gone to communities. We have sent them the extra capacity into the communities to help the communities go through those crises, but we haven't directed or led those particular initiatives because the communities have some of the best ideas. We want to work with the communities. In two different communities in the Northwest Territories, Fort Good Hope and Fort Simpson, Fort Good Hope provided us with a plan on how they wanted to move forward, and how we can be partners in addressing those issues. We're still waiting for a plan from Simpson, but they're working hard on a plan to help them address things like suicide and other things, and we want to work closely with them when they roll out that plan. Mr. Speaker, it's about working with the communities, hearing from the communities, taking their ideas. Thank you.

Masi. Questions to Ministers. I have next on my list: Member Blake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I know it's on the minds of many people throughout the territory. The Ministers are given a great responsibility through their departments, and I know I've heard many people say this, so I'd like to ask the Ministers: within your departments, are you taking a lead role in decision making, or are you simply reading the lines that the department gives you? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

---LAUGHTER

Masi. Minister Robert C. McLeod.

Can't take it as notice, can we?

---LAUGHTER

No, I think one of the reasons is that we are where we are is our ability to take a lead role. I think it would be evident quick enough if we are just reading the lines that are given to us. We do have meetings with our departments. If there are some things we do not agree with, we let them know. If there are some items that the Members have raised with us, then we raise that with the departments. There is a lot of pushback between the Ministers and the department, and I think that's a healthy relation, like the relationship we have with the Regular Members. There's some give and take. There's some back and forth. We can't always agree on everything, but that's what makes this an interesting building to work in. The short answer to the question is, no. Personally, I take a lead role. Thank you.

Minister Abernethy.