Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for youth who may require treatment services, every youth will be assessed on their individual needs. There is a care plan that will be developed for every youth based on those. We try really hard to match their needs with a range of programs and services that are available. This includes services that are both available in the Northwest Territories but also services that are available in the South. If the needs can be met in the North, we send them to programs in the North. If they can't or they don't believe that they can be met with programs in the North, we send them to programs in the South. It is a bit of both, and it is based on the individual and their care plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Minister for that answer. Like I said, we had some challenges in trying to find out information with youth who are involved with the department. Can the Minister please tell us what policies are used to deal with youth who are the ward of the department? In other words, if the department has to step in and take the child, what policy is in place to ensure the parents, legal guardians, grandparents are informed of any decisions and/or issues that involve the youth?

With Building Stronger Families, which is our new approach on Child and Family Services, our first priority is really to try and keep families together and not result in apprehension situations. We have already started to see a decrease in the number of apprehensions, more voluntary agreements, more mediation, and fewer families being taken apart. However, yes, from time to time, we will still need to bring children into care.

Our work is directed by the Child and Family Services Act and all of the relevant standards within. Our focus is obviously in the best interest of the child and protecting children, as well as providing them with the services for the children as well as the families. The level of engagement with the family is really dependent on the many dynamics that may exist that are considered by all of our professional childcare protection staff as part of the assessment that I previously mentioned, as well as in the development of the care plan.

Our preference is always to work with the families as well as the kin, extended families. Sometimes there are reasons why doing this is not seen to be in the child's best interest and where sharing information could possibly create a risk of harm to the child. Those things must also be considered. I would be happy to read out the sections of the legislation that outline this exact information. It is in the Child and Family Services Act, in sections 71 through 74. I imagine that would take me longer than the time we have. I would encourage the Member and anybody from the public who is interested in the legislation to check out those sections.

I again thank the Minister for that answer. I appreciate that, and I will be able to get that information to the parents and guardians in future. Mr. Speaker, if a youth becomes a ward of the department, can the youth sign the third-party consent form so information is shared with their legal guardians, parents, grandparents, and the person's MLA? Presently, we cannot seem to understand who can get this information out there.

I wish there was a really simple answer to this one, but there is not. It really is dependent on the individual and whether or not they have the capacity to understand the consent that they are signing. A youth can sign their own consent when it is deemed that they actually have the capacity to understand what they are signing and the ramifications of signing, and so, when a youth does need support through an independent voice, we can and we do utilize the children's lawyer to help determine whether they have the capacity to do that. If the capacity is there, absolutely, they can sign their own consent. If not, then we would engage the child's lawyer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement, I raised some concerns I have heard from the North Slave Metis Alliance. Just to summarize, Mr. Speaker, the courts have found in favour of the NSMA many times, and it is clear that the issue of their constitutional rights needs to be settled clearly once and for all with a strength-of-claim assessment from this government and from the federal government. So I would like to ask the Premier in his capacity as Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs if a strength-of-claim assessment could be brought forward for the North Slave Metis Alliance? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. The Honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to advise the Member that yesterday the North Slave Metis Alliance filed their statement of claim to the Government of Canada. It is our government's position that all Indigenous Aboriginal peoples of the Northwest Territories should have their Aboriginal and treaty rights clarified and confirmed in modern agreements.

I think that is a sound policy position for this government to take on this issue of reconciliation, but, you know, it is fairly self-evident from the court cases that have gone on from the position of the North Slave Metis Alliance that they are very distinct from the NWT Metis Nation. They are two different entities and should be given equal treatment from both this government and federal government in the Metis agreement in principle. So is the Premier willing to open up those discussions and allow the North Slave Metis Alliance to pursue their own approach rather than being forced into the AIP as it is presented?

I just want to clarify so the Premier understands me clearly, but currently there has not been a process launched for the North Slave Metis Alliance. They have been asked. The only avenue for them forward is to join the Metis nation AIP. So what I am asking the Premier is if he will start the process of fully recognizing their rights with a strength-of-claim assessment so that they can move on with any claim they might make to their own agreement, their own self-government, agreement, their own deal?

Once again, I reiterate that the North Slave Metis Alliance filed their statement of claim to the federal government yesterday. As well, the Government of the Northwest Territories has completed the preliminary assessment of the North Slave Metis Alliance asserting Aboriginal rights claims and is in the process of disclosing these findings to the North Slave Metis Alliance.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and that is good news. What is the government's position on the statement of claim that the North Slave Metis have filed with the federal government? Thank you.

It would be premature for me to disclose the findings before we disclose them to the North Slave Metis Alliance, but we are certainly, as I said, supportive of all Aboriginal groups having their rights clarified. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. There has been an oversubscription in many Arctic Energy Alliance programs for years, and now there is a waiting list. As we enter the last month of the fiscal year, can the Minister swiftly determine whether there are any unexpended funds across his department that could be re-profiled into the alliance budget to fund those applications on the waiting list? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to inform the Member that Infrastructure does not have any available funds ourselves, but, as of such, I have had a few emails lately about this program, and I have asked the department to check with the Arctic Energy Alliance to check within if any unsubscribed funds from any other programs would become available. We are also checking with other partners and other departments if there are any other funds that might become available that we can use to meet the needs for this fiscal year.

That is a good response. I thank the Minister for that, and, if he could let this side of the House know if he is able to come up with any money, that would be great. The draft NWT energy strategy paints a hopeful picture of future access to federal funds. I am concerned that, when federal funds are on offer for this essential need, we do not leave them on the table for lack of matching funding from our government. Sometimes federal dollars provide a convenient excuse for our government to cut its appropriation, as we have seen with boreal caribou monitoring and other programs. Can the Minister tell us whether there have been any approaches to the federal government to increase alliance funding, by how much, and when we will get a response?

Yes, I can update the House. We have applied under a federal program. It is called the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund. Under this fund, we want to be able to enhance the Arctic Energy Alliance. We are going to hear back on this program here very soon. What we have asked for out of that fund is $7.5 million, and we will match $2.5 million, which will double AEA's profile of money for the next four years if we were to be successful on this application.

I seem to be on a roll with the Minister, so I will keep going. I am sure he will let us know when we are going to get a response from the federal government. The Minister informed the House of an alliance program review which is nearing completion. Can the Minister tell us when this completed review will be available for study by the standing committee and how the Minister will work with the committee to incorporate Members' input into the proposals for a redesign of alliance programs?

Yes, we are currently reviewing them. We have almost done our first draft of this report. It is going to be completed shortly, and we will probably be sharing that later on this spring. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.