As you can tell, I'm a little eager today. Thank you, everyone. I would like to thank you all for the trust that you have placed in me as your Speaker-elect. I will have a lot more to say tomorrow when the 19^th Assembly officially opens.

The next item on the agenda is the election of Premier. Our agreed-upon procedures will see us call for Members to ask one question to the previously nominated candidates. As we all know, the candidates for the Premier position are Caroline Cochrane, Jackson Lafferty, Frieda Martselos, and R.J. Simpson.

Members are now permitted to ask a maximum of one question to be directed to all Premier-candidates. Candidates will have two-and-a-half minutes to answer each question. In the interest of time, I will be consistent in enforcing these timelines today. Members, the floor is now open for questions. Mr. Simpson.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker-elect, Canada has re-elected the Liberal Party to again lead our country. With a minority government in place, we may end up with another election fairly soon. It is therefore important for our government to quickly establish an immediate and effective working relationship with the federal government to address issues such as our fiscal position, state of our economy, health, housing, land claims, and many more that directly impact the residents of the NWT.

The question that I pose to the candidates is: if elected Premier, what do you see as the first and most pressing issue respecting the NWT that you would raise with the Prime Minister of Canada, and why? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. The first candidate that we have is Ms. Martselos.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The most important thing that we would have to express our interest in would be the economy. The economy of the Northwest Territories is at a crossroads. The main issue with the economy is extremely important. We know that we are in a deficit of over $1 billion, and I think that something has to be put forward to make sure that we address the whole thing with the economy. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Martselos. Next, we have Mr. Lafferty.

Masi, Mr. Speaker-elect. Congratulations. Part of the process should be that whoever is elected as the Premier and Cabinet need to, obviously, meet with the newly formed Liberal government. Although they're a minority, there are a lot of moving targets in Ottawa.

First, and foremost, obviously, I agree with the economy, as well, those areas that we need to have an informed discussion with the federal government. We need to continue to push our existing infrastructure that is before the federal government and that we push as a territorial government over the years. We have mega projects that are on the books right now and waiting to be approved. We need to continue to push that forward because that will have a lasting positive impact in the Northwest Territories.

At the same time, building our relationship that we have in the federal government, the new Prime Minister and also the Cabinet, whoever that will be. At the same time, we must have strong working relations with our MP and also our Senator for the Northwest Territories. We need to utilize their services because they are our gateway through Ottawa, opening doors for us. We have positive working relations with our current MP and newly again re-elected. We need a foundation even more going forward because we do have a lot of challenges. At the same time, I'm optimistic. There are great opportunities for the Northwest Territories, and this is the time. This is the time that we move forward with the federal government because we need to form positive working relations with them as well. Masi, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Next, we have Ms. Cochrane.

Thank you, Speaker-elect. I agree with the last two speakers that the economy in the Northwest Territories is a huge issue that we need to address. However, I must also state that we need to make sure that our priorities line up with the mandates of the Liberal government that is newly elected because it is strategic to make sure that we're asking the same thing that can meet their goals.

I think that one of the beauties that we have is being a consensus government. Over the last four years as a Minister, when I met with different federal Ministers in different jurisdictions, I have not made an issue of putting my voice behind one party, and I think that's important. As a consensus government, we have to support all parties, especially in a minority government, and relationships are critical. We have a very strong Member of Parliament. We need to use that. Michael McLeod has been for us for the last four years. He's a strong advocate for the Northwest Territories. We need to strengthen that. We have a strong relationship. We need to use that relationship.

We need to meet with the Liberal Party. We need to make sure that our priorities can fit within their priorities, and we need to meet forward not in an aggressive way -- aggression is not the answer; I've learned that as I've aged -- in a collaborative way, working towards them, showing how, if they support our jurisdiction in the Northwest Territories, it will actually further their priorities, as well. Working together is the key. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Cochrane. Next, we have Mr. Simpson, Jr.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. In 2015 when I was elected, I was asked the question: what was the first thing I was going to do when I came to the Legislative Assembly in Yellowknife. My answer was: I was going to build relationships.

When I was acclaimed to this Assembly, the first thing I wanted to do was build relationships, so I reached out to all new Members. If elected Premier, the first thing I would do is build a relationship with the Prime Minister. We have priorities, but if we're not on their radar, if we don't have that kind of access at the very top, then our priorities aren't going to be heard. It's good to have relationships with Cabinet Ministers and the bureaucracy as well, but to have the ear of the Prime Minister I think is very important because we have serious issues facing us, and I'd tell him to expect a new way of doing business from the territories, as well, that does line up with the Liberal priorities. The Liberals, they talk a lot about reconciliation. There is nowhere in the country that does reconciliation like the Northwest Territories. Going forward, we're going to see a new way of it. We're going to move forward arm-in-arm with Indigenous governments, and we're going to go to Ottawa with our Indigenous partners to address some of these issues, to address these infrastructure issues so that we can be a sustainable economy on our own, so we don't have to wait on our $1.3-billion welfare cheque from Ottawa every year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Ms. Nokleby.

MS. NOKLEBY: "Nokleby."

Sorry, I mispronounced it.

Thank you very much. Congratulations, Sonny. This kind of builds on Rocky's question there, Mr. Simpson's question, sorry. If we want to advance all of these great big infrastructure projects that we have been discussing for several years now, if not decades, one of the key issues for that or the most important thing we're going to have to do is go to Ottawa and ask for a significant portion of the funding, and I'm aiming to look for more than the 75 percent, actually, that they usually pony up.

My question to the Premier-candidates is: what experience and skillset do you bring to the table that will enable us to get that money from Ottawa and convince them that they do need to invest in the North, and do better in taking care of all of us, and see that the northern infrastructure projects are not just for the territory, that they're for the entire nation, a part of our Arctic sovereignty and our access to our northern ports? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Nokleby. First, we have Mr. Simpson.

Thank you for the question. To continue on with what I was saying, we need to be on the federal government's radar. Politics, a lot of politics, is sales, and it's relationship-building. I have been able to do that over the last four years, I believe, anyways. I had relatively good relationships across the board in the last Assembly. There were always strained relationships between Cabinet and the Regular Members, but I prided myself on being able to work with people and to reach out. I think that's what I would bring. It's not just reaching out to the federal government. It's reaching out to the Indigenous governments, and it is understanding that, if we want more from Ottawa, we can't keep everything for the GNWT. We have to understand that our Indigenous governments are our partners, and, moving forward, we have to include them with equity shares in these projects. We have to make sure that we all benefit. I think that's the kind of attitude that we need going forward because we are stronger together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. I'd like to ask all Members to please speak slowly to allow the interpreters to keep up. Thank you.

Next, we have Ms. Martselos.

Well, I have the experience of going to Ottawa. I have built those relationships. I have dealt with the federal government, and I am very thankful that MP McLeod got in again. We have a very narrow window, like one of my colleagues said, of two years. I think it's extremely important that we are well organized to ensure that our issues are on the table with this new government. It is going to be a narrow window because we have a minority government. We have to make sure that the Indigenous partners are also involved, and all the partners, whether it be private industry, but I think that, when we go, we go as a group, we go as partners, and we collaborate with all the people -- that is necessary -- and we be persistent. I think that persistence is what gets you what you need in the end. We won't get everything, but you will mediate through to make sure that we get as much as we can. There are new ways of doing business with this whole file, with the infrastructure, and I think that's what the people of the Northwest Territories want. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Martselos. Next, we have Mr. Lafferty.

Masi, Speaker-elect. We now have the Liberal party as a government, so we depend on them for operating the North. They asked what I was going to do, what kind of skills that I have. I have a lot of experience. I was a Minister for many years. I also had a good relationship with the federal Minister for about eight years, so they also know what I can do. If we get the support of the Indigenous leadership, it is better to bring the issues to the government if we have the Dene leadership behind us as well. We cannot go to Ottawa as one individual person. We need the support of all of the other leadership and have one voice, and it will go a long way. We all know that the federal Ministers will be selected soon. Also, we have to think about the capital infrastructure in the Northwest Territories. We have to have that in place. We have settled claims in the Northwest Territories, but we also still have two outstanding claims that need to be settled. We need to support them as well.

With all of this leadership in the Northwest Territories, we will be able to bring our issues to the federal government. I think it would make a big difference. I think that is very important. Let's have a good relationship, a respectful relationship with them, and things can be accomplished. I have been a Minister for eight years, so I have had experience working with the federal Ministers, as well. I feel like I do have the experience to do this job. Thank you [translation ends].

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Next, we have Ms. Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. What experience am I bringing to the table? I have 20 years that I have been a social worker; I have over 20 years that I have actually spent counselling people, so listening is one of the biggest skills that I have. Being able to work with people and not cutting them off, I think, is very important.

I also spent the last four years building the relationships with the Liberal government and with all governments, not only the Liberal government. I have said it before and I am adamant that it is important that we maintain relationships with all parties in all jurisdictions. Things can change in a moment.

I am honest. Honesty is one of the most important traits. I see it as a strength and a weakness. Sometimes people say that honesty is not good, but I believe that, if I am honest at all times, I don't have to lie to cover my lies, and that is important to me.

The other thing that I bring that is really important is I have always been a strong woman. When I was younger and I first got into social work, I was a strong advocate, yelling and screaming and holding up the picket signs. I have learned as I have aged that that is the wrong approach. That should be the last resort.

We do need to go into Ottawa with all of the Indigenous governments, if they are willing to come with us, community governments. We need to come as a unit, but we also need to build the relationships one-on-one. The last thing that I would want to see as a Minister is a group of 20 people at my door. Automatically, my guards would go up. It is important that the Premier go first and build the relationship, Premier to the Prime Minister, and build that first, to make sure that they feel comfortable, give them notice that we are coming, and make it a win-win situation, not that "we are pushing our needs down your throat" but "this is how our needs will benefit Canada as a whole."

Those are things that I bring to the table, and those are the things that I have learned from my experience, my professional experience, and also my age. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Cochrane. Any further questions? Mr. O'Reilly.

Merci, Monsieur le President. Congratulations, Mr. Speaker-elect. I would like to know from each of the candidates what they believe the environmental priorities should be for the 19^th Assembly and how those priorities would stack up against other priorities. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. O'Reilly. Now, we have Ms. Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. The environmental priorities that we have for the Government of the Northwest Territories should not only be our priorities; they need to be international priorities. Climate change is real, and it is impacting our communities, impacting the Northwest Territories, more than many other jurisdictions in the world. We see that. We have had Members talk about it already in the short time that we have been in the House. We have seen it in the last session.

During my speech to be Premier, I had stated that anything that we do for moving forward has to have climate change, always be looking at that, realizing that we do need infrastructure and we need a strong economy, but we also need to be as environmentally conscious as possible within that. We need to be part of the solution in battling climate change. Our youth are screaming at us. Our youth are begging us, crying in the media, to save their future. We have an obligation to do that. Climate change, the reality is the environment has to always be hand-in-hand with any decision that we make moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Cochrane. Next, we have Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. Obviously, climate change is a global crisis, and everyone is concerned about it. We feel the effects more than others. This is one area where, because we feel the effects and because of the high cost, the GNWT has actually done quite a bit over the last number of years to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, but of course, we always have to do more. Going forward, we have to consider climate impacts in all of our decisions, in all of our infrastructure and our policy decisions, as well. Even service delivery could have implications.

We have to address the declining caribou herds. That's an environmental issue, but that goes far beyond environmental concerns. That goes to food security; that goes to culture. I know that some work has been done, but that is not something that we can ignore or make half-hearted attempts to consider.

Another issue which I hear a lot about in the South Slave is water. There are a lot of concerns about water. The water that comes into the territory comes from other jurisdictions in Alberta. We are near the oil sands. There are major dams being constructed that could affect the level of water, and that has practical effects on things such as shipping, as well as on traditional harvesting and fishing.

Those are some of the concerns that I have heard the most about and I think that we need to focus on going forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Next, we have Ms. Martselos.

Well, we did a group of priorities. I think the priorities have to be addressed, and balanced development is important. Making sure that the climate change issue is a priority in all of our decisions that we make in the future with regards to infrastructure or any other decisions that are made is important.

I also feel that I want to put on my Indigenous hat and explain to the Assembly that Indigenous people are environmentalists in their own way. We have always looked after the water, the land, and everything around us, and the animals. I think that it is extremely important that Indigenous people are part of the whole issue of climate change. I think, also, that, climate change, a piece of the whole development of the polytech in Inuvik will be an incredible solution for studying climate change, not only for the Northwest Territories but for Canada and for the world. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Martselos. Next, we have Mr. Lafferty.

Masi, Mr. Speaker-elect. [Translation] When you are speaking about climate change, it is a big issue in the North. When you look at it, there are a lot of changes in the environment, not only the water but the land, the animals, all of the things that are on the land. Even to make winter roads, it is getting difficult.

When you are talking about climate change, it has to be one of the priorities for the next four years, and I think that we can work on that all together. We have talked about it for the last four years, so I know a lot of people here want to work on it for the next four years. We have to also listen to the people in order to work on the climate change. We have to also include the young people and also the elders, who are almost like our doctors. We have to take all of the information from the elders, and the elders also have to work with the young people on this climate change. They are almost like our scientists. There are scientists all within Canada, but they are our scientists in the North, and we have to put them ahead with the climate change issue. Even in 50 to 100 years from now, we will see the results of their work. There are a lot of people who are southern people, who want to say we can do this and do it this way, but we have to learn to work together because we have different knowledge of this issue, the young people and the elders. When you are talking about climate change, it is extremely important because it affects our water, our land, and our animals. Thank you [translation ends].

Next on our list, we have Ms. Semmler.

As we have heard loud and clear this past couple of weeks that the Indigenous governments do not have any trust in our government, can you tell me why you would be the best person who should represent us in building this relationship? Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Semmler. First on our list, we have Mr. Lafferty.

Masi, Mr. Speaker-elect. [English translation not provided.] [Translation] Sometimes it is difficult to work together. Sometimes we have issues that we cannot resolve, and now we have a lot of new MLAs. We also talk about having one voice. In order to go forward. We need to build trust among each other. We need to talk to each other about what is important to us in our region. Once we settle that and have a good relationship, we will be able to go forward. We need to keep an open communication with each other so that everyone knows what everyone else is doing. Also, in the Northwest Territories, we need to communicate with the Dene leadership and the mayors of the Northwest Territories because they have the grassroots information in their region. Sometimes, if we do not know this information, we are not able to resolve the issues at our table. I believe that working together and having trust among each other is very important. When I look at the past leadership, we did not have that in place, and everyone knows here, I have said this to the 18 Members here, we talked about our priorities and how we can work together. In order to do that, we all need to work together. I would like to thank every one of the MLAs. Also, the leadership that's here, as well, I would like to thank them [translation ends].

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Next on our list, we have Ms. Cochrane.

[Microphone turned off] ...governments and building trust. Trust is not an easy thing. People often use it and say, I have often heard, "trust openly, and then, if it's taken away from you, don't trust again. Slap once, and be careful if you turn your head again." However, I will say that I have built my relationship over the last four years built on trust. I have been very honest in all of our bilaterals. Many chiefs, many Indigenous governments have called me. Many have my cell phone number, which is something I do not give out to everyone. They know it's an open-door policy. I have done things as a Minister, for Indigenous governments, that have not been done before. I am going to give you an example, even though my colleague is standing here, as well. Salt River: never before was there a housing unit put in that community, never before. As a Minister, I said "fairness to all." I was the first Minister to bring housing units into Salt River. I worked with Colville Lake. They are looking at a school. They have gotten some pushback saying, the department saying, "We want to do it on our own." I have given them my word we will work together. Trust is something that we have to build, we have to earn. It's not something that I am going to walk in and assume that we have. People, Indigenous people, have been hurt for many, many years, not only in their leadership but all of the people, so it's something that we have to be conscious with. The biggest way to build trust, in my opinion, is to be open and to be honest. I am not going to promise things I cannot deliver because, if I do that once, I have lost that trust. So I am honest. It is my strength and my weakness, and I think that most of the Indigenous governments know me by now and they know that my word is my honour. That is the most important thing that I can bring. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Cochrane. Next, we have Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. When we met with the Indigenous leaders from around the territory last week, two weeks ago -- it's been a whirlwind; I can't really recall when it was; it was recently, though -- there was a strong desire, everyone who spoke had a strong desire, to improve relationships with the GNWT. It was clear that everyone had been frustrated in the past, but everyone saw this as an opportunity to move forward, and we need to capitalize on that. We need to listen and understand why there is that lack of trust, not make assumptions, actually listen, and we have to address those issues. Like I said in my previous speech about accountability, I can say I am going to do a better job, and I am going to be more trustworthy, and I am going to listen more, but what about when I am gone? So what we need to do is put some procedures in place. The same way that the Cabinet and the Regular Members have communications protocols, we need that, those types of things, in place for Indigenous governments because I have heard the frustration that there will be a meeting and then there is no follow-up, maybe for months, maybe for years. Four years is the last one I heard where there was an issue that had just been unaddressed. So every time the government comes back to the table, the Indigenous government has to bring this issue back up again, and that is not acceptable. It's those kinds of things that we need to put in place so that, no matter who is in the office, we can maintain a level of trust. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Next, we have Ms. Martselos.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. Being in that leadership since 2007, an Indigenous leader, and then sitting around that table and listening to the Indigenous leaders on October the 17^th was quite an experience sitting on the other side because I have lived that. I think the Indigenous people have to have a strong voice in changing the way government thinks. We are the majority of this Northwest Territories, and I take a very strong stand on making sure that all the claims that are outstanding are settled. I also make claim that all the land agreements that are implemented or have not been implemented with one section or two sections, that we ensure that we look at those. I think that it's extremely important that the trust is reinstated by this government. Our Indigenous people is a big file, and I know it thoroughly because I sat around that table since 2007. My commitment to my own people is that this will be done with honesty, with trust, with compassion, and ensuring that the people of the Northwest Territories benefit from all, because, when claims are settled and land agreements are settled, it benefits not only Indigenous people, but it benefits all the Northwest Territories, and then we can move forward to develop the economy. I am very compassionate about this file, and I am sure that you saw that the last couple of weeks. I want to thank everybody for the comments that I was willing to make. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Ms. Martselos. Next set of question, we have Ms. Thom.

[Microphone turned off...] congratulations. This question is from one of my constituents from Inuvik Boot Leg. Actually, there was another question on climate change, but that was already asked. The question is: what would the candidates do to support families losing their children to the childcare system because of homelessness and the lack of support for them to care for their children? Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Thom. First on our list, we have Ms. Martselos.

This is a big file. I have had the experience of dealing with this issue. Children who are apprehended and are put in permanent care is not the way to go. I think that the social workers work hard to try and keep the families together, whether it be an extended family or not. Many times, there are issues that are pending. I know that I have dealt with this issue many times, not only territorially but cross-border in Alberta and BC and different parts of Canada, because we have members from all over Canada. One situation that I had was in Edmonton. I had to have a colleague of mine and myself sit outside a deputy minister's office for four hours in order to get access because they were going to take a child away from a grandmother. It was a very emotional experience. I know that we waited outside that deputy minister's doors to make sure that we caught her when she was coming out. That's how persistent I was in the whole file, and we were successful.

I think that children are extremely important, and the start of their lifespan and making sure that we don't use the wheel to re-invent any residential school issues. We have to look after the child at a young age and try to keep them with the family and unite them with the family, whether it be extended family or stay with family. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Martselos. Next, we have Mr. Lafferty.

Masi, Mr. Speaker-elect. This is of interest to all of us. It was one of the priorities, as we said. Whether it be apprehension, foster care, kids being taken away from their family, I feel that, as a government, as we move forward, we need to promote more of an awareness of what kind of programs we have, after-care programs or even homes that they need to go to. One of our first priorities should be families in the communities. If there is not much available in a community, then at least in the region, so they don't lose their language or our culture or way of life. We have heard over and over from our elders, from our parents, from across the Northwest Territories, that their kids are taken away. Even in my region, some of the kids have been taken away for the last 10 to 15 years, and some have lost their language, as well. We need to take that back and deal with it as part of our priority-setting. We have talked about it, and I think that it is very important that we deal with this first and foremost.

To deal with homelessness is another great example there of our most vulnerable. We have so many in our communities now, even here in Yellowknife, our own constituents who are wandering the streets. How can we make our program more equitable and also fairness across the board in the Northwest Territories? The NWT Housing Corporation programs are not meeting the needs of our people, especially the homeless. Let's be creative, be innovative, and let's fix that issue once and for all because we talk about it. Now we should take actions to deal with the most vulnerable people, our people, in the Northwest Territories. Masi, Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Next, we have Ms. Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I know you have asked us to speak slowly, but this is a passionate file for me, and I am going to try to speak slowly and try to get everything I need in there.

I came from a family who had serious addictions and serious family violence in the home, and so people think sometimes that that is a horrible story and they need to take that away. The big thing is that we loved our parents. When our parents were not drinking, when they were not physically abusive, they were the most wonderful people in our lives. We learned to hide our secrets. I knew that, if I spoke anywhere out of what was going on in my home, there was a risk of being taken away, and that is not the answer, and so we kept those secrets, and we experienced that violence for many years. We grew up with that violence, and it related in anger for most of us, all kinds of issues.

I spent my career, I moved into social work because I cared about people. Before I came into politics, every AGM with health and social services, I was at their meeting and saying, "What are you doing with these children? What are you doing with these children? Why are the numbers not going down? Why are they all Indigenous? What is going on?" I had my own children, and I struggled through that. I didn't know because of my bringing up, I didn't know how to bathe my children, I didn't know how to feed my children. I loved my children, and I needed help.

Thankfully, somebody reached out to me and I was provided into a women's centre, and they did give me the support. They showed me how to raise and bathe my children and feed my children and take care of my children. Because we love our children. I am now a grandma, and I have a new baby. Well, she is three years old, and I love her dearly. I watched the young parents struggling and trying to make it, and I give them as much guidance and support as we can. Food, clothing, and shelter are basic needs. We should not be taking children away because of those. Those are basic needs. We need to make sure we support them. We need parenting support. We need supports for people.

I want to go into longhouses, the experiences in schools when communities, Indigenous communities, took care of their own. That would take way more than the 21 seconds I have left, but we need to work with Indigenous governments. The majority of these children are Indigenous. Indigenous people have the answers. People say it is residential school if we work with them and we support them, but it is not. Indigenous people need to take ownership and work hand-in-hand. They are the answer.

I am running out of time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Cochrane. Next, we have Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. This is an issue that cuts across the government, it cuts across departments, it involves housing, it involves health and social services, it involves ECE, and it involves the Indigenous governments. It involves communities, community governments. That is where the Premier's role is engaged here. You know, the Premier doesn't create health policy, but the Premier has to take responsibility. In the last Assembly, we had a scathing report from The Office of the Auditor General about our health and social services system. When there are situations like that, where there is something so fundamental to what we are as people, there is an issue like that, that is the time when the Premier needs to step up and say, "We are going to handle this."

Ultimately, this is something that, even though the Premier isn't going to be developing service delivery policy, the Premier has to stand up and say, "This is an issue that I am going to personally look into, and you can personally hold me accountable for it." That is something we haven't really seen in the past just because of the way our system is designed.

We need to do a better job engaging with Indigenous governments and implementing self-government, and building capacity in communities so communities can draw down the authority to run their own programs because, you know, people in the community know their community. They know the children in their community. They know the people. The government can't do everything. The government shouldn't do everything, and we shouldn't try. We should engage the people who know how to do this type of work. In the role of the Premier, that is how I would deal with the situation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Any further questions? Mr. Bonnetrouge.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. Good morning to my colleagues. Good morning to the candidates running for Premier. I have not heard any specific strategies on addressing the issue of settling the land claims nor the self-government agreements in this House. Past Assemblies have reiterated the settling of land claims negotiations as a priority in order to share the lands for resource development and to create partnerships with the Indigenous governments of the Northwest Territories. A statement was made at the 18^th Legislative Assembly, stating that they would create an oversight committee made up of Cabinet Members and Regular MLAs to give direction to the negotiating team in order to settle any and all outstanding land claim negotiations. However, that idea did not come to fruition.

I truly believe that creating the oversight committee ensures that this government is serious in settling all land claims and self-government agreements. If elected Premier, what will be your strategy to seeing negotiations finalized for the outstanding claims? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Bonnetrouge. First on our list, we have Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was a Member of that committee, the Joint Advisory Committee on Aboriginal Relations, I believe it was called. Frankly, it was more of a place where we would go and get briefings from the government about what was going on. It wasn't really a place to give advice on these issues. That sort of exemplifies the type of changes that I would like to see going forward, where we take advantage of all of the skill sets that we have here in this Assembly, and we move forward making informed decisions.

Do I have a specific way that I would advance these claims? There is a lot going on. There are a lot of different tables, and I can't say that there is a specific offer that I would make, but there is definitely a different approach that you can take. Right now, the approach is that the GNWT and Canada make an offer to Indigenous governments, and it is sort of a "take it or leave it." There doesn't seem to be that back and forth. That authoritative way of dictating negotiations is what needs to change. We heard from the Indigenous governments that they want to move forward, as well, and everyone says the GNWT is what is standing in the way. What we need is a willingness to change that. Like I have said before, nothing should be off the table. If it's a whole new way of doing business, if it's new people, then those are the things that we have to do.

The reason I got into politics is because I was tired of people talking and nothing seemingly changing. I have come to realize over the past four years that it is not enough to just sort of inch along here and do things slightly differently. Sometimes a big change is needed, and I think that, to settle some of these claims that have been going on for decades, a big change is needed, and I am willing to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Next, we have Ms. Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I used the statement "win-win" before when we talked about going to the federal government, but we also need to carry that forward when we are dealing with our Indigenous governments. It has to be a win-win situation here. It can't be top-down. It can't be the GNWT making the direction. It certainly can't be the federal government making the direction.

We need to, first of all, build that trust that we have talked about, because the Indigenous governments don't have as much trust in us as we need to have. We need to bring things to the table. We need to be willing to put what we have out there, not "I'll give you a little bit and hope you don't ask for too much." Let's just be honest and put it out there and say, "This is what we have to offer."

The biggest thing that we need to do is we need to change. I keep hearing that it is GNWT and Canada against the Indigenous governments. That is not what I want to hear. We need to start hearing and practising that it is the GNWT advocating for the Indigenous governments when we talk about Ottawa. We all live on this land together. By fostering our relationships, by moving Indigenous governments into their own self-government, we will all become strong as a people. We say that all the time, so why don't we act on it? If we believe that, then that is how we should be walking.

I think that the most important thing that we need to do is actually sit down at the table, more meetings, regular meetings, build that trust with them, put out what we have to offer on the table, and then we need to work together in advocating to Canada. It can no longer be Canada directing the GNWT and forcing the Indigenous people to try to get crumbs on the bottom. It has to start with the Indigenous governments telling us what they want, the GNWT being willing to work with them in a win-win situation, and then all of us advocating to the federal government.

I want to turn it around. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Cochrane. Next, we have Ms. Martselos.

Well, having this file since 2007, every year around our annual meetings, we would hear the same thing: the claims are unsettled. I am very happy to say that it is one of our priorities. The thing that I have been hearing from the leaders of the Indigenous community is that they would like to have a negotiator who understands the claims for all of the outstanding claims and the self-government agreements. In some of the self-government agreements, there are two clauses that are not being looked at. Some of them have one clause that is extremely important to their development. I will ensure that they have a person on each claim who is familiar with the claim, who is Indigenous, for the Government of the Northwest Territories, so that we stop being obstacles to ensuring that those claims are supported, not only with our own government, but are supported to ensure that we get the best deal from the federal government for the Indigenous people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Martselos. Next, we have Mr. Lafferty.

Masi, Mr. Speaker-elect. This is, again, one of the first and foremost priorities that we discuss around the table. All 19 of us around this building support settling the two outstanding claims. As we stand here, we need to take the lead. We need to make that happen. Enough of this talk; let's put that into action.

The Member is asking what the steps are to be taken. One of the steps to be taken is to go outside of this building and meet with elected officials face-to-face, without any staff there. We are supposed to be giving direction to our staff to start discussions and implementations of such claims to be finalized. Those are discussions that we need to have, put everything on the table, and have a constant dialogue.

We need to have open communication with our Aboriginal leadership. We have heard last week from the NWT Indigenous government leaders that that is not the case. They rarely see government leaders or Cabinet Ministers. We have to improve in those areas. Working relations is very crucial at this point in order to finalize the two claimant groups. It is time that we start listening to our Indigenous leaders across the North. They have told us to finalize it, and we need to start listening to them.

One of the elders' visions, obviously, is being united as one, all 19 of us here with our Indigenous leaders. We need to have one voice going to the federal government, and they obviously will be standing behind us, supporting us. We've heard loud and clear from our elders and from our Indigenous leaders that this needs to be the case, and I, for one, would like to push that forward. Masi, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Next, we have Ms. Cochrane. Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself here. I was trying to give you a second chance. Next, we have Mr. Jacobson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. Today before we get started, I'd like to welcome to the House, my mayor of Tuktoyaktuk and my deputy mayor, Mayor Merven Gruben, deputy mayor Erwin Elias. Former Member Mr. Nakimayak, welcome to the House. My wife and my son Joseph, it's good to have you guys here and everybody here.

Mr. Speaker-elect, as you are aware, this Legislative Assembly has 11 official languages in the territory, some strong and some not so strong, and we're losing our languages, especially in the riding where I am from, of Siglitun, Inuvialuktun, and Inuinnaqtun, Mr. Speaker-elect, and even the Gwich'in Nation is losing our language. In this government, this 19^th Legislative Assembly, what are we going to do to promote and preserve our languages and the culture and way of life? It's time to take action and less talk. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. Now, we have Mr. Lafferty.

Masi, Speaker-elect. [Translation] Our language and culture is very important to us. It identifies who we are. The question that is posed to us, if we were to look at our languages, we talked about this as one of the priorities of the 19^th Assembly, the 19 Members. We need to put that forward and make it stronger. We have all departments, and, if we take a look at our languages, it seems like it is under education but at the bottom of the list. I think it should be a different department for language, culture, and heritage. There are a lot of people who are advocating for that, and they are saying that we should make this as a priority and create its own department. Even our elders are in support of this. If we were to create a different department, I think it would be very important. If we had that as a separate portfolio of the government, the federal government would take us more seriously. We have all these official languages, and the more we use our language, they would listen. When they look at us, they look at the Department of Education, and language doesn't seem to be a priority in Department of Education. I think we have to have our people use the language and to practise their culture. I think it's important that maybe we create our own portfolio. I think it will get stronger once we do that. As Dene people, Dene leadership would be very happy if we did that. It is their priority that we want to push forward. That's what they want us to do. Masi [translation ends].

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Next, we have Ms. Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. Language is culture. Language is important. As a Métis woman, I realize my family down in Paddle Prairie lost their language. They don't even know which language they speak anymore. They are desperately trying to regain language. I don't want to get there. I don't want to be a population of people who are struggling to find out who we are, to figure out what our language is. We have one of the strongest jurisdictions in the whole of Canada in our languages, but we are quickly losing them, so it has to be a priority. I believe language is more than culture. It's about self-esteem. When you can speak your language and you feel proud in what you speak, it makes you feel proud as a person. Taking away your language is one more chip to making people feel bad about themselves and to taking away a society.

Currently, the federal government does give the Government of the Northwest Territories money for language preservation and revitalization. We are doing some good work. We have money going into the education system. Some schools are bringing elders into their schools, taking children on the land. We're working within our whole government departments to actually have access so that those 11 languages aren't available just when we have the appropriate translators in the House, which I appreciate, but also when anyone phones to any government building, that they'll be able to speak their first language and actually get services. That's critical, but the key is there's also money that we give to the Indigenous governments.

I'm careful to say this because I see that it's important that we have money for schools to be able to promote it and that we have money to promote the GNWT for access to services, but I believe in my heart that the strongest way of retaining and revitalizing the languages is giving it to the Indigenous governments and letting them use the money to preserve. It is their language, and they know what they're doing, so I think that the best thing to do is again to sit down with them and talk to them and say, "This is what we're using the money for. Is it the right way? Is it not?" and letting them take the lead. It's no longer appropriate for the GNWT to tell them how we will preserve their language and revitalize it. It's time for them to tell us what they want to do so that they can preserve their own culture and their own language. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Cochrane. Next, we have Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. These consensus government leaders' debates can get a little boring sometimes because often we're all on the same page and often we're all saying the same thing. We all recognize the importance of language.

Being in this House for the last four years, I've seen the growth of the use of language, and it's inspiring. I think that we need to see that across the territory, and I agree that we need to do a better job partnering with Indigenous governments, giving them the lead, perhaps, in this. We need to better raise our profile so that, when we go to the federal government, we can get more of those funds. Language isn't just a way to communicate. It's culture. If you have a stronger connection to your culture, you have better mental health outcomes, better education outcomes. If we are teaching children multiple languages when they're young, that does wonders for them. I know in Hay River, they attempted an intensive Dene Yatie program to complement their intensive French program, but they couldn't get the instructors to do 80 percent of the course load in Dene that they needed. We need to do more in order to do better. I've heard good ideas around the table here, and, going forward, I'd be happy to work with everyone and implement those.

Personally, I have a connection to this, as well, because my grandpa spoke Cree, Chip, English, and French. I spoke a little bit of French in high school, but right now, I'm just English, so I see how quickly how all of that can be lost, and we need to take action. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Next, we have, Ms. Martselos.

Preservation of the Aboriginal languages is extremely important. I know the territorial government has done some great things because we were recipient of some of those things that were handed down. I know both schools in Fort Smith have access to both languages. Also the Head Start program, we teach some parts of that with the Aboriginal language. I think it's extremely important, though, that we do more than that. In my idea of the polytechnic university/university of the North, I think that there should be different sections to that. The climate change and all that thing with the erosion of the shoreline in Tuktoyaktuk and the warming of the ocean in the Arctic, there should be a special department that is made up in Inuvik.

In Yellowknife, I feel, because we have the hospital here, that the medical centre should be situated here. We should be training our nurses. We should be training our technicians. We should be training our x-ray technicians. That should be our medical centre. The one in Fort Smith should be the place where a lot of the Aboriginal languages are studied, and the holistic approach to medicine could be in that place, also, the more cultural area for our people of the North, so that we preserve the languages.

I have lost my language. My father spoke Chipewyan, both my mother and my father, but they did not teach it to any of us, because it was a barrier to doing well in school in those days. I graduated without learning to speak my language, and I am sure it is a regret today. My parents both passed away, but I know that it is an extremely important part. The more languages you speak, the better it is. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Martselos. Next, we have Ms. Cleveland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect, and congratulations on your new position. I would also like to thank former Premier Joe Handley for joining us and thank him for his service.

Thank you to all of our colleagues who have put their names forward for Premier. My question today is: given the stressors caused by the last round of collective bargaining for public servants and the territory as a whole, and given our ongoing economic challenges, as Premier, what will you do to ensure a successful round of upcoming negotiations? Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Cleveland. First on our list, we have Ms. Martselos.

That is a great question. I am very labour-friendly. I have always been very labour-friendly, because it is the people all through the ladder who do the work to ensure that the Northwest Territories moves forward.

I will listen. I will ensure that good decisions are made for both the government and for labour. I will always ensure that we don't have so many barriers, that we are able to sit across the table and mediate properly and in good faith. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Martselos. Next, we have Mr. Lafferty.

Masi, Mr. Speaker-elect. This is an area that we have gone through in government for quite some time now. Collective bargaining is always at the Cabinet table. It is very important that we look at and re-evaluate how we approach this. It is our community staff, community employees, and contractors. Those are discussions that, obviously, we are going to be having. I, for one, would like to have engagement with the union representatives and hear their perspectives, where they are coming from, and what their wish list is, basically, but we have to keep in mind that we have to educate them as well, that "our fiscal reality is this," and obviously, we need to compromise somehow.

As Ms. Cleveland alluded to, how can we be successful moving forward? If we have an open communication dialogue constantly, I believe that we can achieve that goal. Maybe not everybody will come to an agreement, but at the end of the day, I would like to see us moving forward to benefit the communities, the region, and the Northwest Territories as a whole, for our staff, our employees, and our contractors at a community level under the union representatives. I feel that we need to have the communication dialogue constantly going.

There has been a breakdown of communication in the past for various reasons, but at the same time, in order to achieve our goal, in order to finalize our deal, similar to land claims, let's meet. Let's constantly put it on the table and try to work on an agreement. We have done that in the past, and I believe that we can build on the relationship that we have and make it even stronger. Masi, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Next, we have Ms. Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I was on the Cabinet for the last collective bargaining with the union, and that was not a pleasant experience. I certainly don't recommend that anyone who puts their name for Cabinet forget what we experienced in the last Assembly. We need to learn from our mistakes. I was also, I believe, the only MLA that, after the fact, put on Facebook that we need to change this.

My understanding is that this went on for years and years. This is not okay. It is not okay that the union and the GNWT make this a personal battle between each other, because the victims are the people who are providing the services. They are the ones that we can't forget.

I put on my Facebook, and I am open to working with standing committee on it, because I'm not the expert on it, that we need to find a solution. That was on my Facebook a couple of years ago when that all went down, over a year ago, I believe it is. It has been fast; life goes fast.

We need to look at our Public Service Act. Right now, the Public Service Act says that we have the right to go into negotiation and mediation. It does not have the right to go into binding arbitration. When the motion was made, if it had said binding mediation, we could have stood up, because that is within the act. If binding arbitration is something that the people want, then we should be willing to put it back on, but not compromising by saying, "Take away the strike vote," because that's punitive. We need to work with that.

I also believe, in the Public Service Act, that we need to have timelines. Again, I am open to feedback on that, because I am not the expert on this, but it is not okay, what we are doing. Let's put a timeline. People should not have to wait years and years to get through each process. There should be a timeline: negotiation is this long at maximum, and then it moves to the next step, that long maximum, then it move to the next step. I don't usually like to be punitive, but maybe we need to look at consequences if the union and the GNWT do not meet those timelines and do not do that.

We need to start in good faith and move forward, but we can't forget that these are people's lives. I got calls during that time, and it broke my heart, of people crying and saying, "If I don't have a paycheque, I can't feed my children," and that stays with me forever. This should not be an adversarial process. We need to work. We need to make it better, and it cannot be lip service. We need to look at our act and figure out how we can strengthen it so that we have the best interests of our employees always. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Cochrane. Next, we have Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. The thing that we need to do, I believe, is improve our relationship as the elected Members with the public service. We need to show respect to the public service, and we need to listen to their concerns so that they don't get dealt with during contract negotiations. That is the worst time to try to deal with everyday concerns.

That is why I talk about things like having some sort of a feedback loop, where these frontline concerns that people are talking about for years on end actually get dealt with. A lot of times, the complaints are things related to mental health. We heard them talk about that in the contract negotiations. Well, if you are listening to people, and you are improving the situation on an ongoing basis, those don't become concerns.

We need to do a better job with the timing of these meetings. I thought that I was an idiot because I would look at these meeting schedules and see months in between them. I thought, "Oh, I guess that's how negotiations go. It doesn't make any sense to me, but these guys must know what they're doing." No. You can't wait six months between meetings. You need to be at the table and hammer something out.

I know that there are practical issues, but we have to get over that. We almost had a strike here. There were businesses around the territory that were hurting. There were people who didn't go travel to see their families, because they didn't know if they were going to be able to afford it. These are real life issues.

The other thing that we need to do is have better communications amongst ourselves during negotiations, because as a Regular Member in the last Assembly, I didn't know what was going on until basically the eleventh hour when we got a briefing, maybe two briefings, during that entire time. Again, the Regular Members need to be able to provide feedback and show the public service that, as the elected Members, we are all concerned about this issue.

Those are some of the changes that need to happen because not only does no one want that to happen again, but we can't have it happen again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Next on our questions, we have Mr. Norn.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect, on being acclaimed again.

I just wanted to start off by recognizing someone in the gallery, Mr. Tom Beaulieu, who was in my seat here for several years, many years in the public service, Housing as a Minister and as a Regular Member. On behalf of the world, I want to say a big mahsi cho for your service.

I want to start off just making a quick comment, and, just to make sure that my question is fairly simple, I will give you some context. I have spoken with a lot of my constituents about their interactions with the government. One common theme I seem to hear is, "Oh, you know, we always seem to run into barriers. We always seem to run into red tape. There are always these obstacles." What I mean by that is, if you are a small business, there is something going wrong with the BIP policy; if you are a struggling single mom who wants to get into housing, you have some policy that is blocking your way to get into your home; or, if you are a job applicant who has earned the way and worked really hard to get an education, you still can't get a job within our government ranks, affirmative action. Early on here, we had some discussions about our policy and policy restructuring, so my question to the Premier-candidates is: of these three policies I mentioned, BIP, affirmative action, and housing policies, what do you feel needs immediate attention in this 19^th Assembly? Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Norn. First, we have Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. I didn't quite catch the end of it, but I think my comment on these policies and what needs to be changed, basically, the Member is correct. There is a lot of red tape. One of my biggest concerns with service delivery is the service delivery. There seems to be a default to "no." When there is an issue and someone needs help, the default answer is "no" when it should be, "How can we help? You know, how can we get to the answer?" Yes, there are policies in place and we need to be accountable, so we need to follow those policies, but there are ways to get things done. We have to remember we are in the customer-service business. From the top down, I have noticed there seems to be this notion that the government isn't necessarily there to serve the people. It's sort of attitude of "We are doing you a favour," and we need to change that mentality. It has to happen right from the top down, and that goes across all policies.

We have housing policies. Sometimes, people can't get into houses because there are just not enough houses. You know, in Hay River, we just don't have places to put people right now, so that is one barrier and that one I understand, but, if it is something where everyone who is looking at the situation says, "This doesn't make sense," there should be a way to rectify the situation. We shouldn't just say, "Nope, that is what the policy says," and then move on. That goes for everything.

I have a minute here to talk about affirmative action and the Business Incentive Policy, and I am not going to be able to touch on them, basically, the way that they need to be, but it has been acknowledged that those policies need to be looked at. We need to make sure that they are serving their purpose. For a long time, according to a lot of people, they haven't been. It has been clear from what I have heard in the public and from the Members here that we need to re-examine those.

You know, if I am Premier, I will do what I can in that role to ensure that not just those policies are looked at but policies across the territory have a focus on service delivery and customer service. That is one of the reasons that I am actually running, is because the Premier's position is the one who gives the mandate letters to the deputy ministers and to the Ministers. Mandating a better customer service is something that the Premier can do, and that is my plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Next, we have Ms. Martselos.

I think all three policies are extremely important. The whole BIP policy, we have to ensure that our local and our northern contractors are addressed because we have heard many times that a lot of the monies are flowing out of the NWT, and we cannot let this happen if we want to build an economy that we are going to ensure that the money stay here, so that is an extremely important policy.

The housing policy, also, we know there is a shortage of housing, and it is one of our priorities that we looked at. As Premier, I would make sure that we ensure that we rebuild on those policies to make sure that we address all the issues that the Indigenous governments have come forward to us about because it affects mostly the Indigenous population and the population as a whole, the low income people.

The Affirmative Action Policy, I think we have to review the way it is being implemented because I have heard, also, many times, lots of complaints about the way the Affirmative Action Policy has been implemented. Sometimes, the implementation is not the way it should be, and we have to be more open and transparent and accountable of how we hire our own people, all the North, the people who lived here and work here, and we must address that issue very carefully.

I will take a strong stand on any policy that is not addressing the issues of the Indigenous governments and the people of the North, all the people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Martselos. Next, we have Mr. Lafferty.

Masi, Mr. Speaker-elect. The interaction with the GNWT as a government and Indigenous leaders, I think it is very crucial that we hear from them. We have heard clearly just last week, NWT Indigenous leaders, that these three areas they have raised over and over. They want us to do something about it. In the past, obviously, this has been a barrier, an obstacle, for community members, contractors, business, and it hasn't really benefited our communities. The BIP process obviously is a challenge right now. We hear from our community members that a lot of contracts have been awarded outside of the NWT, no benefits to the communities. That needs to put a stop to it.

Affirmative Action. We have had 32 percent. Now it is 29. It is going down. Our GNWT affirmative action is not working for our people, for our staff, so it is a concern to me. The Housing Corporation, that alone we can speak all day in this House. We need to be proactive, Mr. Speaker-elect. We always seem to be reacting to certain things that are coming up. Let's be proactive. The policies are there as guidance for our senior staff to start implementing with the communities. We, standing here as Premier and Cabinet Ministers, are supposed to take that lead to get direction to our staff. I don't see that happening, and I, for one, would like to push that forward and make it happen. We need to lead these Northwest Territories, and these three critical areas need some revamp of the policies. Policies can be amended. It is not legislating, so, Mr. Speaker-elect, let's move forward on making positive changes in these areas so it benefits our communities, our businesspeople, and the Northwest Territories as a whole. Masi, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Next, we have Ms. Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. My first instinct was to say food, clothing, and shelter, housing is important. If your business is failing, how are you going to pay your rent? If you don't have a job, how are you going to pay your rent? However, in honesty, Mr. Speaker-elect, neither of those are the most important in my opinion. They are all huge priorities. The most important thing is give the power back to the people. Let the people. It is not for the government to determine.

I had over 20 years' experience working with homeless people, and when I look over Housing, I did not stand here and say that I had all the answers, because I was old enough and smart enough to know that I didn't have all of the answers, but the people did.

The first thing that I did with the Housing portfolio was that I sent a survey across to every residence in the NWT, and I asked the people. From the people's voice, we divided that up into short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals, and then every time I stood in this House, I was able to say, "We did this, we did that, we did this, we did that," but it wasn't my work. It was the people's direction. You know what? I never got slaughtered in the House, because I listened to the people. All of the Regular MLAs couldn't fight that, because they knew that it was the people's voice.

Then I got Education and income support, and it was a huge file with not enough time and a lot of things coming at once, but I wanted to get to income support. I never got enough done, but the first thing I did was income support. For the first time in history, I gathered all of the NGOs that I could and the clientele on income support together. "Nothing about us without us." We did the same process. I said that you can give me a basketful of problems, and then I have a basketful of problems, or you can give me the solutions. We spent a day. It was so powerful, Mr. Speaker-elect. They had flip charts all over the room, and they wrote solutions that were incredible, and we did the same thing. We did short-term, mid-term, and long-term. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker-elect, I never had enough time in the last Assembly, so we only got a few things ticked off of the short-term goals.

My direction, if elected to be your Premier, to every single Cabinet Minister is: you work. You engage. You don't just consult. You do not know it all. You engage the stakeholders applicable to your files. You are here to serve the people. Serving the people does not mean telling the people that you are the boss, you know all. Serving the people means asking the people and listening to them and making your decisions based off of the direction of the people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Cochrane. Colleagues, members of the public, I would like to take this time to recognized our newly re-elected Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, Mr. Michael McLeod. I would also like to recognize former Premier Joe Handley and former MLA Kieron Testart.

At this time, we will take a 15-minute break. Thank you.

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I now call the Territorial Leadership Committee back to order. Ladies and gentlemen, next we have on our list, Mr. Thompson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect, and congratulations on becoming the Speaker tomorrow. It is my understanding that the Dehcho is taking a different approach now with their negotiations. They want to focus on taking the responsibility of education, housing, and potentially language to start with. This is a unique approach, which I support.

As the Premier moving forward, how are you going to be able to work with the Dehcho leadership on this new direction? Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Thompson. First on our list, we have Ms. Cochrane.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. This is actually really exciting news. I am really glad to hear this, actually. It is one of my passions.

When I actually took over as the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, I have to say that it was a pretty easy file because the first thing that I said to them was, "Community development, are we giving the say to the community and the Aboriginal organizations?" and MACA said, "We're there." That was great. That's all about giving power to the people. That's what I have said.

I actually, also, was working with a chief in one of the communities, and I won't say which, who unfortunately lost his seat. At that time, we were talking about bringing down Housing. I was the Housing Minister at that time. The election changed, and so we need to rebuild that relationship.

I am really excited that governments are looking at this. My opinion, to work with them, it is not about telling them, "This is how we do it. This is our system." We need to give them the money for our system. "This is our system. This is how we spend our money." Community development is really about listening to them and providing support.

As the GNWT, our role isn't to say, "We know best, and we will tell you how to do it," but it's to say, "We are supporting you. What do you want from us?" and "We are there to support you in actualizing your own community self-government," because self-determination is the answer.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect, and thank you to the Member for bringing it forward. This is probably the most exciting news -- well, potentially the second-most exciting news, potentially, of the day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Ms. Cochrane. Next, we have Mr. Simpson.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect. This is a unique case, obviously. It is one of the claims that has been ongoing for many, many years, and I believe, from my understanding, the reason that Dehcho is at this point is because there has been such a roadblock to getting a deal regarding lands and resources, which is generally how things are done. You get the land and the resource base, and then you start doing the other things, the service delivery.

Instead of just accepting the fact that there is this problem with land and resources, and negotiations have broken down, can we look at moving that forward? That is the first thing that I would do, is figure out what those issues are, but like I said, nothing is off the table. We need to keep an open-minded approach and move forward for the benefit of the people. What is going to benefit the people on the ground, the people receiving these services, the most? Thank you, Mr. Speaker-elect.

Thank you, Mr. Simpson. Next, we have Ms. Martselos.