Members, we left off from item 7. Item 8, oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Masi. Honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member noted, the Prime Minister has announced a review of laws and policies related to Indigenous peoples by a working group of federal Ministers. My understanding is that this working group of Ministers will be responsible for the review and will examine relevant federal laws, policies, and operational practices to help ensure the federal Crown is meeting its constitutional obligations with respect to Aboriginal and treaty rights; adhering to the International Human Rights standards, including UNDRIP, the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and also supporting the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner's Calls to Action. It is also likely that there will be a focus on the Indian Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate the response. My second question is: how is the department monitoring the working group's progress?

Our government has reached out to the Privy Council Office to ask if the Northwest Territories could play a role in this ministerial working group. Although it is very important for Canada to get its own house in order, we feel we have many best practices that we could share with Canada around reconciliation and working with Indigenous people.

I appreciate the response; that answered my third question. My final question for the Premier is: the Northwest Territories has successfully implemented a collaborative process for developing policy on legislation that involves input from our Aboriginal governments early on; how has this model been shared with Canada and Canadian jurisdictions?

We have certainly identified for Canada and our provincial and territorial colleagues on many innovative approaches in working collaboratively with Indigenous people in our Northwest Territories. I was recently the chair of the Aboriginal Affairs working group for two years, which involved the five national Aboriginal governments and also every province and territory, the Aboriginal Affairs ministers, which included at least eight premiers, and we certainly took advantage of that opportunity to highlight many of the leading practices that we have here in the Northwest Territories and also to speak about the positive outcomes. Because as a government I'd say, in every instant, we are way ahead of the game when providing for Aboriginal and treaty rights and certainly in legislation, when you look at the Species at Risk and the Wildlife Act, for examples, when Aboriginal governments held the pen in doing these types of legislation.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I spoke about a vision for the North and, in particular, a strategy for the North and the importance of that, and it seems that since the change in federal government a northern strategy or a vision isn't as apparent. I'd like to ask the Premier what our territorial government has done or is doing to promote a northern vision that's inclusive of the three territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. The honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That was certainly a concern of ours with the new government, the fact that there was little emphasis on a northern strategy. In a lot of cases we felt we were being treated as a stakeholder rather than as a government in our right. So the three northern territories got together, the three Premiers. We wrote a letter to the Prime Minister inviting him to meet with the three northern Premiers and to indicate that we were the true representatives of Canada's territories and that we wanted to develop a vision for the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Premier for his reply. I guess the next natural question would be then: what kind of response have we received from Ottawa or the Prime Minister with regard to meeting on this initiative and developing this vision and strategy?

We were very pleased with the Prime Minister's positive response. He was very eager to meet with us and we are looking to meet in the early part of 2017. Each of our three Premiers who have been to Ottawa quite a few times have reinforced that message. When the Prime Minister was here a couple of weeks ago, he reconfirmed his availability, and we're very much looking forward to working with him in this area.

That's all positive news, so thank you to the Premier for that. I guess if we are going to go forward as a territory and be a part of this pan-territorial discussion, can the Premier advise what initiatives will be taken or what steps we will be taking to make sure that the five regions of our territory are inclusive of our NWT vision, that the piece of what we're going to put into the call it pan-territorial vision that we'll be bringing to Ottawa?

Can the Premier maybe explain a little bit about what we're doing to make sure that the five regions are inclusive in that discussion or in that vision?

We are still developing our framework of engagement with the federal government, and certainly we will reach out to our Aboriginal partners and also to the Members of this Assembly.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Yesterday, the Minister released a set of recommendations aimed at a critical incident that took place last year in which the family alleged there had been a cultural bias toward the treatment. So my first question is: to what extent are the recommendations unique to Aklavik and to what extent will the rest of them be applied to the NWT? Thank you.

Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a result of the critical incident investigation, 16 recommendations were provided to me. Of those recommendations, two of them are specific to Aklavik; the remainder are more systemic or system-based. The two recommendations that do reference Aklavik specifically in my mind also are for the whole territory, not just for Aklavik, but clearly we have some work to do in the Northwest Territories to improve care for all residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister for that response. How soon will the community's specific recommendations be implemented?

There are two recommendations that were specific to the community, and, as I said, I feel that those recommendations, although they reference the community, are still a territorial recommendation. The first one, recommendation number 3, was to review first responder training in Aklavik. Mr. Speaker, we have provided training around the Northwest Territories. Now, we are just reviewing. The last round was delivered in Aklavik so that we could deliver it. We are looking at enhancing and ensuring that training gets out to all communities in the Northwest Territories. We are currently looking at a pilot study in Tsiigehtchic to provide this type of services on a more fulsome basis.

The second recommendation was the medical and transport and ambulance recommendation. Mr. Speaker, we are not moving forward with a territorial ambulance services. We aren't going to be putting an ambulance in Aklavik. I did make a commitment when I met with leadership in the community, as well as the residents, that we would work with the community to find some solutions that work for the community. In the interim, we are looking at the stretchers and other equipment that we have in our health centre to make sure that it is the best equipment and the most suitable equipment for the community. We are doing that work right now.

I wonder if the Minister can assure us that an incident like this is unlikely once these recommendations are implemented to be avoided elsewhere in the NWT, and how soon is full implementation likely to occur?

A critical incident investigation of this sort is intended to do just that, provide us with recommendations and thoughts on how we can improve our system for all people of the Northwest Territories. There are 16 recommendations. Some of them, I think, are easier than others, and we are moving on all of the recommendations with the exception of two. Those two recommendations that we are not doing, as outlined, we are doing portions of. Specifically, like I say, we are not going to move forward with the territorial ambulance service. The other recommendation we are not moving forward is the creation of a stroke centre here in Yellowknife. There is work we are doing on those, just not as outlined in the recommendations. Mr. Speaker, these are important recommendations. Some of them, I think, are foundational. We have made commitments to move on all of them, but I don't have timelines.