Thank you, Mr. Chair. So after the past couple of years, the past few years, it's clear that we need to prepare and plan for emergencies. You know, we've had unprecedented -- everything that's happened in the past few years has been off the charts. We've never seen floods like this. We've never seen fires like this. And so we cannot go into another season without putting our mind to preparation. And that is where I see the role of the Premier and Cabinet in ensuring that that happens. We need to make sure that there is a plan, there are plans in place. You know, when something is happening, they're happening quickly on the ground. And the people on the ground are often in the best position to make decisions. But what needs to happen at the Premier and Cabinet level is ensuring that those people have the tools to make decisions, that the lines of communications are appropriate, that the appropriate governments know their roles and have roles. There's -- you know, in Hay River during the flood, there was a lot of discussion about the role of the GNWT versus the municipality. Hay River, they were used to potential floods on the island, a small part of town, not for the entire town flooding. And so we need to be prepared for things like that. There needs to be preparation in terms of knowing who's staying and who's going. The Department of Infrastructure has a role to play in a community even if it's evacuated. They need to know who's staying and who's going. The same with the health authorities. And that -- from my experience, that didn't happen. There wasn't a plan. So we need to ensure that a plan is in place and that the rules on the ground are well defined. And we also need to take a role in public communication prior to an emergency. We need to make sure that everybody knows their role. We need to make sure that the public knows if there's an evacuation, this is what's happened, this is what is happening, this is what you need to take with you, this is how you need to prepare. So preparation is going to be key. Thank you.
R.J. Simpson on Questions by Members
On December 7th, 2023. See this statement in context.
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