Item 2, Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker. The COVID-19 virus has affected economies all over the world. On our home ground, it has hit us hard: our communities, our businesses, and our people. We know that the public is ready to get the NWT economy moving again. There are very few sectors that translate investment so quickly and directly into tangible benefits for our communities than housing. Housing investment supports local and regional contractors, apprentices, building trades-helpers, homeowners, and households needing housing. The investment isn't fleeting; it leaves behind critical and important infrastructure that will provide a social benefit year-after-year.

Housing is an issue that is best addressed by being person-focused. Person-focused is how we approach the delivery of our programs, but it is also important in how we deliver infrastructure and capital projects. Our 2020-2021 housing capital investment plan will bring in much needed employment and apprenticeship opportunities. For many in our small communities, COVID-19 has left them in either economic hardship or economic uncertainty. As we try and get back to a semblance of normality, our goal when delivering our housing capital plan is to bring back some financial certainty and opportunities to our residents.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation's 2020-2021 capital project delivery represents a total investment of over $43.8 million in the NWT. Approximately 90 percent of this amount is targeted for housing projects outside of Yellowknife, with the focus being on our smaller communities. It will include the construction of 89 units and repair projects for 160 owned public, market and Homeownership Entry Level Program housing units located throughout the NWT.

Highlights of our new construction include:

• 22 new and replacement units across the NWT, including: six market and public housing units in Behchoko; two market housing units in Hay River; four market housing units in Tulita; six public housing units in Deline; two public housing units in Fort Smith; two public housing units in Ulukhaktok;
• nine seniors units in Fort Good Hope;
• eight single occupancy public housing units in Yellowknife;
• four New Home Program units in Fort Resolution, Tulita, Deline, and Tuktoyaktuk;
• 45 market housing units for RCMP: six in Fort Smith; three in Norman Wells;17 in Inuvik; seven in Fort Simpson; and 12 in Hay River.

This year's unit repairs also include a major energy project in Yellowknife for the conversion of oil-fired furnaces to biomass heating. We are undertaking this project with significant assistance from the federal government under the Low Carbon Economy Fund federal program.

The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation will be supplementing this $43.8 million with a further $3.6 million investment to deliver additional unit repairs by utilizing the internally funded $5 million COVID-19 reserve. The aim of this additional investment is to bring on stream approximately 130 vacant housing units. Approximately 60 of these units are available for allocation in the short-term. Many of the remaining units will require some minor or major repair. When repaired, these units will be allocated for use within the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation's public housing, market, and home ownership programs. The introduction of these units, as well as the construction of new units, forms the basis of the housing response for any subsequent waves of the COVID-19 virus and is also a step towards fulfilling our mandate commitment to increase the number of affordable homes and reduce core housing need. While we expect that the vast majority of the planned capital investment will be delivered in this fiscal year, some projects, such as those involving winter road and barge transportation, may require a two-year delivery.

The Northwest Territories Housing Corporation has a long history of supporting community businesses. In 2018-2019, 94 percent of our contracting opportunities were awarded to local and northern businesses, and we expect similar results for this last year. We have also worked closely with community leadership to obtain support to proceed with the majority of planned delivery for 2020-2021.

Mr. Speaker, housing will be a key element of the economic recovery of this Territory. The construction, repair, and other contract work around housing brings in much needed income to the Northwest Territories, and to our smaller communities. This capital investment will support local and regional contractors, provide opportunities for apprentices and building trades, and ensures that a large portion of investment stays in the Northwest Territories. I look forward to seeing these new projects and opportunities for our people of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, earlier, I spoke about our public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, I would like to highlight how our health and social services system is responding to this unprecedented challenge.

The Chief Public Health Officer is leading the public health response and providing subject matter expertise to the health and social services system and Government of the Northwest Territories on pandemic planning requirements. Our first step in responding to the threat of COVID-19 was to activate the Emergency Operations Center, or EOC, on March 11, 2020.

The EOC assesses risks, identifies mitigation measures, and coordinates the health and social services system response and recovery. It includes representatives from the Department of Health and Social Services, the health and social services authorities, the Department of Finance, and the Northwest Territories Emergency Measures Operations, led by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, this early coordination of our Health and Social Services system response allowed for the necessary service adjustments to support the public health orders. This included reducing non-essential health services in order to ramp up testing, contact tracing, and care for those who may test positive for COVID-19. We also put in place measures to manage our Personal Protective Equipment inventory for front-line healthcare workers, and we are working closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada to secure our supply. To safeguard residents living in long-term care facilities, guidelines were implemented to reduce visits and to institute daily temperature checks and health screening. Service providers also implemented protocols in relation to the use Personal Protective Equipment and enhanced disinfection practices well before we had any cases in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, in order to meet the requirements for physical distancing and provide timelier access to care, our health system has expanded virtual care. This enables practitioners to meet with each other and with a patient over distance. It also reduces physical patient interactions in waiting rooms, with clinic staff, and with providers through the use of phone visits and video conferencing, as well as providing remote access to the electronic medical records. We have also accelerated Primary Health Care Reform in Yellowknife in order to support the roll out of virtual care and to maintain continuity of services while physician resources are redeployed to other parts of the system. We have now moved to an integrated care team model, which gives clients access to a dedicated primary care team rather than just a doctor. We are also testing some outreach approaches to provide primary care services to individuals being served by shelter organizations in Yellowknife.

Mr. Speaker, at the same time, the three health and social services authorities have been working diligently to address and prepare for the surge of transmission of the COVID-19 virus. This coordinated approach across the Northwest Territories healthcare system is crucial to ensure all resources are aligned in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients, staff, and the residents of our territory at various stages of this pandemic response.

This four-stage response plan is based on principles that acknowledge that the pandemic response is our government's primary priority, that all response activities are coordinated and all resources must be managed system-wide. It also focuses the response within the capabilities of our system: maximizing and mobilizing staff where needed; moving patients to where care can be provided; redistributing supplies and equipment where and when needed; and the appropriate triaging of care, including centralizing hospitalizations in Yellowknife and Edmonton for patients with severe symptoms. This plan demonstrates a thorough and realistic approach to respond to COVID-19. The Health and Social Services Pandemic Response Plan is being shared with Members of the Legislative Assembly and will be made public as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, the safety of children and youth in our care has been central to our COVID response. We are taking every opportunity to improve the quality of our child and family services to positively impact outcomes for children and youth while working within public health measures. During the containment phase of the pandemic, most face-to-face visits were temporarily suspended. These temporary suspensions were in place to make sure children, families, and frontline workers are safe. Child and family services staff made use of virtual technology to keep children and their families connected with each other and with frontline workers. With the release of the Emerging Wisely Plan, we are now assessing how to safely, gradually introduce face-to-face visits once again.

We are offering one-time, short-term financial support to help families with their basic needs if they cannot get enough assistance from other programs, and we have extended support services for youth in care and young adults who are aging out of these services during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also working with the Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories to respond to the needs of our foster caregivers and to provide ongoing support and communication. We have established respite services for foster caregivers in the Northwest Territories to support them during the COVID-19 pandemic and have established clear protocols should a child in their care require testing or care for COVID-19.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our front-line health and social services workers for their hard work and dedication to the people they serve. I recognize that there are many challenges ahead and know that you will continue to serve our residents as you always have, with professionalism, compassion, and commitment. Our health and social services have responded quickly and effectively to the COVID-19 challenge to date. I am confident that we are well prepared to respond should there be a surge in COVID-19 transmissions into the future. However, it remains critically important that we all remain vigilant in following the public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the demand on our health and social services system. We are stronger and healthier if we act together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Item 3, Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For my Member's statement, I am going to talk about the importance that the Taltson Hydroelectric Expansion Project continues to have for the economy of the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, in my response to the Commissioner's address the other day, I discussed the Taltson expansion as a key priority of mine for the 19^th Legislative Assembly. However, this priority is not only my own as it is actually an official mandate item on the priorities list of the entire 19^th Assembly. Therefore, it is incumbent on all of us in this House to ensure that this major infrastructure project gets built.

Mr. Speaker, we must also consider that, given the economic fallout from COVID-19, the Government of the Northwest Territories should be more interested than ever to pursue this project in order to help spur economic growth and ultimately the reduced power rates for the people of the NWT. This pandemic has caused a serious downturn in our economy, so it is extremely important that we stay the course with this hydro expansion as it will be vital in our economic recovery for the long term.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, I want to add that I find it very concerning that several Members in this House have repeatedly talked down toward this project and hopefully wish that it will never get built. It seems like nearly every time I mention the Taltson expansion, people get defensive and shoot down the idea right away. Well, that should not be happening anymore because we MLAs have already decided as a group at the beginning of the Assembly that this project would be pursued and go forward during the life of the 19^th Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said in previous statements, this project has the capacity to nearly double the NWT's current hydro capacity output and would help save our territory's power needs for years to come. This hydro expansion would provide the NWT with more renewable energy, create job opportunities, and will set the pace for a vibrant economy in the future. This has to remain a priority in order to secure any significant long-term investments to the NWT. We need this infrastructure if we want to sustain and grow our territory's economic development, especially during a time of economic recovery as we are now in. I will have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In February 2018, a former Member, Wally Schumann, Minister of Infrastructure at the time, gave a statement of planned improvements, he said, in airport runways across the territory. There are many studies that have been done across the NWT for subsurface and drainage problems that we have in our small communities. Mr. Speaker, Sachs Harbour has a problem. We cannot land King Air 350s for medevac service. The only planes that can come in are Twin Otters now, with tundra tires, because of the saturation in the airport runway. I worry for my constituents. The Minister pointed out that day that the work was going to be done, and it still has not been done.

In February this year, Mr. Speaker, the current Minister of Infrastructure gave an update to airports which pointed out GNWT's intention to fix the airport drainage problem in Sachs Harbour. Minister Nokleby pointed out that many communities across the North have essential services to this region and maintenance and improvement activities are particularly important to ensure effective travel. "This work," she noted, "will increase the resiliency of these airports to the effects of climate change."

Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister today is simple: why hasn't the work been done? When is it going to get done? Let me know why.

Mr. Speaker, why is it so important? Last week, I had spoken with our Aklak Air local carrier that flies into the community. It's costing them $58,000 to bring in a Twin Otter with tundra tires, with an aircrew, per month on them, when our government is supposed to be giving a runway that is accepting to land any aircraft. By the government's own admission, maintenance and work is essential to operations in the airfield. I am concerned. The safety of my constituents is a priority: no medevac planes. When are you going to get your mail? When are you going to get your food in regard to it because Aklak Air does not have a Twin Otter right now? What is happening? I don't know. I am waiting for a call from the president of Aklak Air.

Mr. Speaker, I am concerned, as MLA for Nunakput, hearing about this problem and prefer my constituents, being advised by the Minister's problems or delays. I want to remind the Minister in the House for keeping Regular MLAs informed in ongoing projects in our constituencies. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.

Masi, Mr. Speaker. Over the last few months, there have been so many deaths in the Monfwi riding. Most of them involved alcohol or other drugs. My constituents are very concerned about the well-known fact that our people are passing away one by one, all because of addictions.

Mr. Speaker, the last treatment facility in the Northwest Territories shut down in 2013. Almost immediately, the people of the Northwest Territories began requesting, again and again and again, a treatment facility to be reopened up in the territory. That has obviously fallen on deaf ears for all these years.

Mr. Speaker, let me paint a picture for you. The last Tlicho citizen who passed away tried his best to deal with his addiction issues. Yes, he did. He worked very hard on himself, signed up for and got accepted in the Fresh Start program in Calgary. Upon his return home, there was no follow-up or after-care program. He was homeless, ended up back on the streets in Yellowknife, and back, of course, to the bottle. His sister did a radio interview following her brother's unfortunate passing. She mentioned her own journey, going back to 1995. She completed her own treatment program in the South, returned home to Behchoko, and immediately had to move to Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker, because there were no after-care programs or support services in Behchoko.

As you can see, addiction is affecting entire families and communities. Sadly, this is a familiar story to far too many. Our people deserve better, and most certainly deserve better from ourselves as the 19^th Assembly Members. When will enough be enough, Mr. Speaker? I will have questions at the appropriate time for the appropriate Minister. Masi.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The International Monetary Fund is calling the pandemic's devastation of the global economy "the great lockdown." Its impacts are predicted to be worse than both the 2009 great recession and the Great Depression of the 1930s. According to the Conference Board of Canada, Canada's economic contraction during the second quarter of 2020 is estimated to be a staggering 25 percent due to COVID-19 shutdowns. The Conference Board is at least optimistic that a rebound will start later in the year, but by this time many businesses and the jobs they bring will be beyond devastated.

As I said yesterday, NWT businesses need aggressive, innovative stimulus programs and an influx of cash to start the long journey of regeneration of our northern economy. Today, I urge Cabinet to do more for northern business. I understand the GNWT has chosen to complement the federal government's COVID business relief measures. While this makes sense, it also makes it difficult for NWT business owners to know exactly what programs are available. Some of the federal programs available to NWT businesses include:

• the temporary wage subsidy for small employers and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy;
• the Canada Emergency Business Account;
• the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance;
• the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Loan and Guarantee Program; and
• support for jobs and businesses coping with the economic impacts of COVID-19 through CanNor and Community Futures.

The GNWT has paired a waiver of transportation fees until the end of June for the Deh Cho Bridge tolls, truck permits, and airport landing fees; improved payment terms by the GNWT for government vendors; a due-date extension for WSCC employer premiums; a waiver of airport fees for all businesses at NWT airports, including leases, licences, and concession fees; and the buy-back of unopened liquor from licenced establishments. I don't claim that this is a full list of supports currently available, because I cannot find a list on the GNWT website. This list was built by tuning into the Prime Minister's daily federal updates. I strongly urge the government to pull this information together and make it easily visible and accessible for NWT business operators.

I must echo my colleague from Yellowknife Centre, who asked why the GNWT isn't making grant money available to NWT businesses through the BDIC's $30-million surplus. Many business owners simply cannot afford to take on more debt, no matter how favourable the terms of the loan. I would like to see the GNWT take an inventory of business supports being offered by other Canadian jurisdictions to inspire more innovative and impactful recovery supports. For example, the Alberta government subsidizes WCB to cover 50 percent of employer premiums for 2020 and deferred premium payments until 2021. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that the GNWT may not be in a position to afford a subsidy of this $350-million magnitude, but it could perhaps offset some employer premium costs, improving the WSCC's current offer. The current business supports offered by the GNWT are not enough, and the GNWT must do more now. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to discuss the nursing shortage in the NWT and how our hiring process is working against us. As someone who is very familiar with the hiring practice in this area as well as the difficulty in staffing healthcare professionals, we need to look at how we do things. In my experience, it's more beneficial to be hired as a locum than it is to sign on as indeterminate. There are also times where staff choose not to extend terms or do not want to take on an indeterminate position, and instead choose to become a locum or work short-term casual contracts because they get more perks. As a locum, you can pick and choose when you want to work in the NWT, as we are always short. You get your flights paid back and forth from your home residence anywhere in Canada to your place of work. When signing on as a locum, you are guaranteed full-time shifts during your contracts, as well as overtime. You are entitled to the Northern Residency Allowance on top of your hourly pay, and evening and weekend shift premiums, if you are a shift worker, just as terms and indeterminate employees.

From my understanding, recent changes to the collective agreement made terms no more than 24 months, at which you then have to become indeterminate, because you lose your removal allowance. This previously used to be up to 48 months. Why would we not want them to stay longer?

Then there are the job sharers, where they can be six weeks, eight weeks, some might be longer, who work half-time in term or indeterminate positions, who also get their flights to and from their home covered. When in Inuvik, they get residence and put in hotels and pay a lower-market rent. Terms have to rent privately and remain in the community, just as indeterminates would. The only difference is they get 100 percent removal when they fulfil their contract. The staff who sign on indeterminate pay market rent. They don't get any travel. They often are stressed when it comes time for summer/spring break, Christmas break; that's because they are essential staff. They may not get vacation if short-staffed, or at least what they wish for, for vacation, if casuals cannot be confirmed.

Mr. Speaker, there needs to be a better way to have indeterminate staffing more appealing, as this would not only provide a stable workforce, but a better continuum of care for our residents. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe this Assembly needs to take drastic steps to become a more open and transparent and digital government. I would like to thank the last Assembly for all their work on the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. I believe that ATIPP Act is truly one of the best in the country, yet it is still not in force and, during this pandemic, I have heard no shortage of complaints from both media and the public that not enough information and data is available.

Mr. Speaker, the Information and Privacy Commissioner presented her annual report to the Standing Committee on Government Operations this week. She acknowledges that the new ATIPP Act is great but is concerned that not one single GNWT department is capable of implementing it.

I believe there is a culture across the GNWT of using ATIPP as a shield, whereas, when media makes a request, they say, "Go through ATIPP," as a way to defer the story. The Information and Privacy Commissioner said proactive disclosure would lower her office's workload by as much as 50 percent; similarly for departments, as well. However, there are many steps to getting to proactive disclosure. The first and most important is proper records management, and, Mr. Speaker, I believe the records management and the data collection across the GNWT is severely lacking.

One way to start tackling this problem is through a pilot project. The federal government has a pilot project called "Open by Default." I believe we need a similar project. This would essentially mean opening up departments' working documents, their version of DIMS, to the public. I think a very easy start would be Education, Culture and Employment, perhaps the Prince of Wales. I assume our archivists' records are in good keeping.

Mr. Speaker, in our previous government, we had a Minister responsible for transparency. We no longer have that portfolio. I believe the policy that was created by that Minister is a good start. However, the implementation is severely lacking. Given the way that this government had adapted to COVID-19, the GNWT must take large steps to become a digital and open government, and I believe that that must be a priority going forward.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the first step along this is to make a clear Minister responsible for open government, and I believe a clear department to have the authority to clean up the records across the GNWT. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Premier of whether she is willing to create such a position and make sure we actually do some implementation work on becoming a digital government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Almost 30 years ago, an artist who now lives in my constituency spent two months painting a giant mural for the Stanton Territorial Hospital. The picture shows a variety of people standing on the shore of Frame Lake looking across at what was then the new hospital. It's a favorite of many staff and patients who describe it as comforting. The mural stood on the edge of the hospital parking lot until construction of yet another new hospital began four years ago. It was taken away for safe keeping, then this spring, it reappeared as the snow melted, lying face up on a gravel pile.

A former Stanton employee has said when the mural was first removed, it was standing up in a safe location. He believes the mural was moved again last because of the work being done on the old hospital. Having the picture lying down had the potential to create water damage to it and fade the painting's colours.

Mr. Speaker, Walt Humphries was understandably furious that his art and his efforts are held in such low esteem by the government. After a week of behind the scenes efforts to have government acknowledge its responsibility to rescue the mural and store it properly, public pressure has prompted the Department of Infrastructure to move the mural inside until plans are finalized to put it back up on the Stanton campus.

Mr. Speaker, a similar situation exists in Hay River. The old HH Williams Hospital had a well-known mural inside. I understand plans are being made to relocate it prior to demolishing that building.

Mr. Speaker, these situations raise questions about the chain of custody for artwork. Who is responsible for the care, maintenance, and appropriate storage of the art that the government acquires? I will have questions for the Minister of either Infrastructure or Education, Culture and Employment. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. This is a statement I made in the House in August 2019, and it rings even truer today as we have all seen the limitations and shortcomings with Internet connectivity during the pandemic. Today, a fibre optic line runs from Alberta to Inuvik. The project, completed in 2017, cost about $95 million and $3 million to operate each year. That fibre link was funded on the understanding that benefits would be shared down the Mackenzie Valley.

Let's go back to the record, Mr. Speaker. As early as 2011, the then Minister of Health was promoting "a very ambitious plan...that would provide a fibre optic link to all the communities...there would be cell phone, Internet, TV, all those systems in the community." When the budget proposal was reviewed in 2015, the Finance Minister was asked if the proposal was "getting a fibre optic link right to the homes." He said, "The intention is to have a clear point of presence in all the communities." The March 2017 news release announcing completion of the line said that the residents and businesses would now have a hook-up point "located in Fort Simpson, Wrigley, Tulita, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope, Inuvik, and in High Level." This Finance Minister's September 2017 statement in this House said, "The completion of the nearly 1,200 kilometre fibre link brings affordable, high-speed, telecommunications to six communities along the Mackenzie Valley, including Inuvik." I'm sorry, that was the last Finance Minister.

Unfortunately, for communities along this route, none of the magical promises have come true. The fibre line hook-up point is not in all the communities. For Fort Simpson, Wrigley, Tulita, Norman Wells, and Fort Good Hope, the fibre line runs past the communities. As I understand it, it will cost $1 million plus to run the line into these communities. Without that money, the line might as well not be there at all.

This is serious. The Members of this House approved millions of dollars in expenditures of public funds because the government promised the project would deliver services in these communities, not pass by them. The justification of improved Internet service for these communities was repeatedly used in approving these expenditures. At the same time, numerous predictions were also made of new large revenue streams to help offset the costs of the project. Mr. Speaker, I see unanimous consent to conclude my statement?

---Unanimous consent granted

Merci, Monsieur le President. Later today, I will have questions for the Minister of Finance as to why the anticipated improvements to community Internet services along the fibre link have yet to happen and how we are going to improve Internet access and reliability in all NWT communities. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Item 4, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Go back to Members' statements. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize. Today, I am recycling one of my earlier statements on the NWT commercial fishing industry. On September 21, 2018, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard announced the establishment of a ministerial advisory panel to examine alternate governance and ownership models for the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation which better reflect the environment and market conditions in today's industry. The panel was directed to explore models that support collaboration and cooperation amongst fishers and involve them in decision making.

Mr. Speaker, the report also stressed a change in governance of FFMC by, and I quote, "Increase fisher participation in FFMC by drawing board members from fishers and fisher organizations. Fisher board members should be chosen to reflect the regional geographic diversity of FFMC operations and the demographic pattern of Indigenous participation in the fishery."

Mr. Speaker, after our government received this document, and I am assuming it was never read as the decision was made to do the exact opposite, this government removed the representative who was a fisher and replaced him with a GNWT bureaucrat. We need a fisher from the NWT sitting on the board of FFMC, and when I say "NWT" I do not mean transient Alberta fishers.

Mr. Speaker, this government talks about building relationships and working in partnership with our home-grown industries. In actuality, what is happening is that we are dictating to them and saying that we know better. We do know better when it comes to slowing a process down or not providing timely decisions or delivery of projects. That is an area we excel. When it comes to the industry itself, it is the fishers that know best. It is the fishers who are putting their lives on the line.

Mr. Speaker, I need to know and the fishers need to know that the approximately $9 million to be spent on a fish plant in Hay River is based on sound and factual data. If we ever expect to maximize financial returns to the fishers for their product they deliver, we need their support and their participation at all levels of the business case. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I raise in the House today the passing of Adele Hardisty, aka George Hardisty's wife. She was born April 15, 1925, to her loving parents, Marie and Jean Baptiste Antseti. Adele was raised near and around Fish Lake, living a nomadic life. Adele had three beautiful sisters and brother who passed at a young age.

Adele and George Hardisty were married down by the river on a mission boat that was passing through going up North. Together, they raised eight beautiful children: Gabe, Henry, Ethel, Nellie Jane, Violet, Shirley, Walter, Troy, and lost two children at a very young age. Adele and George raised two of their grandchildren, Melissa and Mical.

Adele was very involved in Fort Simpson and throughout the Deh Cho. She sat on the Wrigley Band Council and participated in various native women's meetings. She was a resourceful person for workshops on native language for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. People remember when she did the community reports for the CBC Radio in South Slavey.

Adele was an excellent bread maker and jam maker. She always had the best goods available when you went to visit her. Her door was always open, and she always welcomed you with a great big smile. She would invite you to sit at her table and would make sure that you were well fed. If you did not find her sitting at her table, you would find her in the backyard, working on her hides. She was known to have the best system set up for tanning hides, and her son, Henry, would always say that she always had the best-smelling perfume.

Adele was blessed with 21 grandchildren and one great, great-grandchild. She always had a way of making each grandchild feel special by giving them a nickname and a song. Adele made sure she prepared the family for her passing. The family wanted her to know that they will be all right. She raised an amazing, crazy family. We will all miss her immensely. For now, rest in peace. We are sure George is happy to have his amazing wife with him.

The Hardisty family would like to thank everybody for their loving support and prayers during their time of sorrow. As well, they would like to thank all the staff at the Fort Simpson Long Term Care Facility for all the support and love they offered Adele during her stay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Members' statements. Item 4, recognition of visitors in the gallery. Item 5, returns to oral questions. Item 6, acknowledgements. Item 7, oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member's statement today was for the Minister of Infrastructure regarding safety of my constituents in Sachs Harbour and the runway and making sure that they are getting service for their food and mail. Mr. Speaker, the maintenance plan work for Sachs Harbour was in 2018, and then this February, it was announced again. Is this additional work? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are currently working on the drainage issue on the runway in Sachs Harbour. The snow is being removed to clear the packed snow from the edges of the runway. We did experience some maintenance issues and have sent a mechanic and parts to resolve the situation. I am not sure at this time if this work is part of the original plan for the airport or the runway. However, I would say, if this is causing the problem that it's causing right now, it's a good chance that this has been an ongoing issue for years; it would not have just started at this point. I would hope that it is in the plan to be addressed in Sachs Harbour. I will commit, Mr. Speaker, to get back to the Member and confirm that it is in the plan, and if it is not in the plan, it will be added to the plan. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Minister, for that reply. I really look forward to that because the safety of my constituents is a priority. Like I said earlier in my statement, we cannot land a King Air 350 for the medevac plane. That is what they use in the delta. They are using a Twin Otter, which is being brought in. Safety is the biggest thing for myself and making sure the service is being provided. Mr. Speaker, that being said, the work was not done in 2018. I know that was not the Minister of the day, but what is the cause of the delay?

Without having been the Minister in 2018, I am not sure what the cause has been for the delay. I agree wholeheartedly with the Member that the safety and well-being of the people of Sachs Harbour is of critical importance. I commit to looking into it after we get out of session today, that we are currently in now, looking into whether or not the situation with the medevacs has been impeded. It is my understanding that we are working with my colleagues at Health and Social Services to ensure that we do have that reply and the medevac services maintained. It's my understanding we may be using a more expensive aircraft as a result, so obviously, as a good fiscal planner, I would like to see that rectified as soon as possible.

I thank you, again, Madam Minister, for that. I just want to make sure that if and when the work is scheduled to take place this summer or as soon as possible for the drainage of both sides of the runway, to make sure that we get that done this summer for a priority, in putting Sachs Harbour as a priority on the Minister's table, to get it done this summer.

Yes, the plan is to do the work on the runway this summer. I have not been made aware of any issues regarding COVID-19 impacts to delay this project, so my department will be planning to do so. We have sent a GNWT charter with a mechanic there at this point and parts to fix the issue that we have been having. We are sending the excavator there to fix the issue at this point, to get it so that it's working for now, and then we will take care of the permanent solutions this summer.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just again, the Minister's assurance she will keep me informed so I can keep my constituents and my leadership in Sachs Harbour informed on what's the plan when they do come up with one, to make sure it's sent to me and my local leadership. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, I commit to keeping the Member informed, and I am sure the Member will let me know if I am not. Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.

Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 global pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty and delays for much of our daily life. My question is: does the Department of Infrastructure still consider this project as a priority for the 19^th Assembly, the Taltson expansion? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the Taltson energy expansion project does remain a priority of not only Infrastructure but of the 19^th Legislative Assembly as decided upon by all of us in October last year. The GNWT has been successful in obtaining $18 million in grant funding from Canada and continues to pursue the advancement of the project in terms of examining options for the commercial structure, defining our Indigenous partnerships, and completing technical design and environmental baseline work in order to prepare for a regulatory application.

Given the economic fallout that the COVID-19 has created for our economy, this type of project is more important than ever to help spur economic growth. Can the Minister tell us whether any aspect of this project has been changed or has been delayed since the start of the 19^th Legislative Assembly?

All work on this important project does continue. The COVID-19 situation may impact the nature of engagement around the project, and that is something that we are going to have to figure out as a government as a whole: how do we do engagement at a time when we cannot necessarily meet in person and, if not, we would be in violation of the CPHO? We are just currently working on establishing the appropriate safety protocols and measures so that we can continue with the Indigenous engagement and the stakeholder engagement that we have promised to do. I just wanted to reiterate that I will be creating a unit within the Department of Infrastructure to take on the engagement process better.

Can the Minister explain what the current stage that the Taltson hydro expansion is in and what comes next?

Currently, we are in the feasibility stage of the project, so our focus remains on examining the potential commercial structures, signing an MOU with our Indigenous partners, and working closely with the Canadian infrastructure bank to build a preliminary business case for this project. Technical work is focused on transmission-line routing options and costs. Strong Indigenous partnerships are imperative to the success of this project. I recently met with the YKDFN leadership to hear their thoughts on how they would like to be involved in this project. I look forward to meeting with other Indigenous partners who will be involved in this project. I have heard not directly from the band but that Lutselk'e is also very concerned about engagement on this project, so I commit to doing that better. I am also currently working with, like I said before, my deputy minister on the establishment of an Indigenous engagement community relations unit within the Department of Infrastructure to ensure that we do have strong relationships with our partners going forward, so that we have the right people around the table when we're talking about Taltson.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Thebacha.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister provide a timeline for when the people of the NWT can expect this project to be built and operational? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This is a long-term project with many steps ahead of us. Our current focus is to establish the partnership relationships and agreements, finalize the preferred route for the project, and then prepare the regulatory applications. We have the federal funding in support of all of that work. Regulatory applications could be ready as early as next year, pending a complete field season this summer, so there potentially could be some impacts there if we can't get the engagement part done before the summer work starts. Following completion of an environmental assessment and regulatory permitting process, construction of the project will take about four or five years. We do think that operations at the facility could start as early at 2030. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of ITI. I have asked the Minister previously, and again I ask, if she has read the report from the ministerial advisory panel which examined alternate governance and ownership models for the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do have a copy of the advisory panel documents, the report, and I will review. It is an exciting time, especially if this does evolve into being a harvester-led-and-owned entity. We are very excited for this project to move forward, and there is no anticipation that we would not; we're just trying to figure out how that's going to go. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One important recommendation from the panel is the inclusion of fishers' participation in FFMC by drawing board members from fishers and fisher organizations. This government appointed a bureaucrat to the board. I ask the Minister if she will commit to reviewing this appointment and consider appointing a northern fisher to the board.

Thank you to the Member for the question. The department of fisheries and oceans is reviewing the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation and how harvesters will have more of an equity stake. The role of FFMC is critical to the Northwest Territories and how this transition to a federated cooperative will impact fishers across Great Slave Lake. It is quite possible that the FFMC becomes a cooperative entity and that the current board would dissolve. The new federated cooperative entity would be represented by fishers; however, in the meantime, until that happens, I do commit to the Member at looking at this appointment.

I appreciate that answer. The next one is: what is the Minister's department doing to financially assist the NWT fishers, beyond the current programs, who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic?

For the 2020 fiscal year, the department will provide additional freight payments for the remote locations to support the strategic goals outlined in the strategy for revitalizing the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery of 10 cents per pound for zones 2 and 3 and 20 cents per pound for zones 4 and 5, which, in turn, will increase cash liquidity to fishers for seasonal start-up activities. The regional office has been having conference calls with the fishers every two weeks. Discussions have been held to provide updates on the status of FFMC, the status of ITI programs, and new safety programs. We haven't received any concerns about the lack of funding support, but I ask staff to confirm on the next call on Thursday with the fishers that that's the case. If not, I commit to coming back to the Member and having a discussion with him about those concerns.

I also want to say that I've recently, myself, met with a local fisher, so I have also been taking some time to at least continue to hear and engage with that industry so that I know what's going on, so that when we are moving forward with the fish plant, I am more informed.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Now, for the $9 million question: what is the status of the proposed fishing plant for Hay River, and will the Minister commit to providing me with a briefing on this project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The department is finalizing a processing footprint for the proposed new plant to bring it within budget. Proposed processing volumes have been reduced, and plant size reduced to approximately 10,000 square feet. As the Member will remember, the proposals received were well over the budget of money allocated. The region is working with Infrastructure on this project, and it is hoped that Infrastructure will be finalizing a tender delivery process this summer with an award this fall. I do commit to having a more fulsome discussion and briefing with the Member and anyone else that he would like to bring from his business community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Finance, where the human resources department falls under. Can the Minister confirm or explain if term contracts cannot be extended up to 48 months any longer, where this could ensure a longer commitment from some of our healthcare professionals? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, the new collective agreement now has 24 months as the benchmark and no longer 48 months. Thank you.

Knowing, within my past experience, looking through the collective agreement, when somebody is here for up to 48 months, they get 100 percent removal. If they choose to stay on past that and sign on as an indeterminate, then there is a removal, and this is what staff look at: the years that you stay within the government, you get so much percentage of removal. When it used to be up to 48 months, if they decided they loved the place that they're living, they would comfortably move into an indeterminate. Can the Minister explain to me why this change was made?

I will say I listened quite intently, and I am well familiar that the Member has a lot of experience in terms of hiring in an area that is under a lot of stress, in terms of hiring healthcare workers. I'm not in a position right now to explain the details of how the collective agreement was negotiated on this particular point, but I certainly intend to inform myself on it. I will reach out to the Member and to a relevant committee if they're interested. The Member is probably still aware, and the House is likely still aware, that, earlier, I had made a commitment that the Department of Finance and human resources is going to be working and is working with Health and Social Services to improve recruitment and retention of healthcare workers. It certainly sounds like there is some interesting experience and very relevant experience that I would like to draw from the Member on.

As the Minister alluded to, one of our priorities of this government is to increase resident healthcare staff by 20 percent. I would like to know if there is some sort of plan that is in place in human resources to fix the system to make it more appealing to indeterminate employees rather than locums and terms, especially in our highly-needed healthcare profession.

I certainly can confirm that human resources has already begun working with Health and Social Services, that they are already underway in terms of developing their plan. I'll correct myself later if I'm wrong, but I believe there was an intention to move forward this summer. Again, now, with COVID-19, that may have changed somewhat, but the Department of Finance and human resources has been quite actively involved in the fact that we've had to staff up in the Health and Social Services Department. I will certainly commit to getting the details on those plans back to the Member and back to this House as quickly as possible.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Premier because I believe that the kind of response required by the GNWT to support small business will take a Cabinet collaboration. Mr. Speaker, can I have the Premier's commitment that she will instruct her Cabinet Ministers to bring forward innovative suggestions on how more funding and support can be made available to NWT businesses as a result of COVID-19? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely. We are already taking some movement in that way. It is one of the primary reasons that Minister Nokleby actually proposed the business advisory council. The important thing, though, Mr. Speaker, is that we have to make sure that our compensations for businesses complement the federal government's and not overlap, and that is a fine dance that we have been doing all the time. Constantly, in my first Ministers' conferences, I keep talking about flexibility. The federal government seems to say, "This is for this. This is for that." We have businesses keep falling through the cracks all the time, so I have been asking for flexibility within that. However, absolutely, we are already on that.

I completely agree with the Premier that we do have to demand flexibility from the federal government, but in that, I believe that we also need to make up for that here in the Northwest Territories because our businesses simply can't afford to wait until the federal government is able to kind of work with our entire country to then give our northern businesses what they need to survive. Does the Premier see us in the Northwest Territories being able to provide an influx of cash, as a government, to businesses within the Northwest Territories, ahead of waiting for the federal government?

The Government of the Northwest Territories has already provided some economic relief. The relief packages that we have put out there are available on our GNWT website. If not, let me know, and I will get back to you on that. We are trying to keep up as well as possible. The whole idea, though, is we need a coordinated approach. Like I said before, if we keep running to the federal government -- which happened at the beginning. First, it was tourism. I am trying to remember the order. First, it was tourism. Then it was Chamber of Mines, and it kept going. It's confusing for the federal government. That is why we are talking about having a plan that will actually come forward and say, "These are all of our needs, both social and economic." It's a better presentation to the federal government, and it makes us look more professional as the GNWT.

As a government, we have incurred many expenses because of COVID-19, and we have incurred these expenses hoping that the federal government will down the road reimburse us for all of these. I am wondering: does the territorial government kind of have a limit of how much COVID debt they are willing to take on or they can take on, and is small business and money to small business included in that plan? Thank you.

Absolutely. We are not waiting for the federal government to help businesses and residents of the Northwest Territories. However, we are advocating all the time. I have to give credit to the federal government for what they have done. It's not fair to stand here and blame the federal government. They are trying their hardest. They have given to us so far $23.4 million for us to use for COVID-19, mostly of course for health and social services but for other expenses because they gave us the flexibility in that. They gave us $8.7 million for airlines. They are promising more. They gave us $35 million for businesses recently. You know, I mean they are trying the best they can. The question, though, is: are we tracking it? Absolutely, we are tracking. The Department of Finance is responsible for tracking. All finance directors in every department has a special COVID-19 code that they use to implement any of the expenses we are doing. We are tracking, and we are trying to be as responsible as possible.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's indicative of the question of public art that it's uncertain whether the question should be for Infrastructure or for ECE, but I am going to start with Infrastructure. As I mentioned in my statement, the recent discovery of a hand-painted mural lying on top of a gravel pile on the Stanton campus raises questions about how the government tracks and cares for art that it acquires. My first question is simply: who is responsible for the care and maintenance and the appropriate storage of art from the old Stanton hospital? Thank you. That question is going to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. It's confusing.

Thank you. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are trying to work with the other Minister and the Member to get some answers for her questions here. When it comes to public artwork, it is the responsibility for the department to care for it, to maintain it, to store it, and they can always reach out to the Prince of Wales Heritage Centre for advice. That is where the experts are. That is the situation right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister of ECE for that answer. Is there a policy or are there guidelines in place that describe how art in the government's possession should be cared for?

Right now, there are no government-wide guidelines. However, not just ECE but ECE in collaboration with all departments has put together the Culture and Heritage Strategic Framework that is 2015 to 2025 as well as four-year action plan that is 2019 to 2022. As part of that framework and action plan, one of the goals is to safeguard heritage, including artwork in government buildings that requires special consideration and preservation. We have put our mind to it, but the work has not quite begun yet. I will leave it there. I won't answer all of the questions in advance from the Member.

I appreciate that information. I think the time has come to start that work of putting those guidelines in place. My next question is whether there is a formal chain of custody for artwork so that, when they come into the government's possession, they are tracked from the time that they come in to the time that they are disposed of, sold, given away, or in other ways come out of the government collection.

No, there is not right now. The government has a lot of artwork. There are a lot of government buildings, and they have lots of things on the walls. That means there is artwork that could be worth virtually nothing, and there could be some large pieces, like the Member has referenced, that could be worth quite a bit. There was an inventory taken by ITI, I believe, about 10 years ago, that looked at all of this, but nothing has been done since. I think the reason for that is because this massive artwork, it would cost more than all of the work combined is worth to inventory it, so I think that what is needed is a focus and identification of some of these special pieces and a system put in place to ensure that we know where those are and that, once they are done their useful life within the government, they can be preserved either by the museum or an appropriate organization.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that answer. You know, I am going to say that every artist who does a commission or makes a donation of art to the government feels that the piece is special, so deciding on which pieces are special I think is going to be somewhat problematic. However, I think we owe it to these artists to acknowledge their work in the government's possession, to take care of it, and to make sure that it is stored appropriately when it's not displayed or even that it's displayed appropriately. I am looking for a commitment to begin work on this whole area of managing public art as soon as possible. Thank you.

Certainly, commissioned art is different from something that someone might buy at the store to fill an empty wall, and there is not much consideration put into that piece of art. No, it is a different level that the Member is talking about. I will work with the Minister of Infrastructure. The department has some expertise in asset management and combine that with the expertise that we have in the culture and heritage division and see what we can do to remedy this problem because it is a shame when you see a piece of art that means a lot to a lot of people buried under the snow and degrading away like that. Yes, I can commit to having those discussions and charting a path forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the previous Assembly, we had a Minister responsible for public engagement and transparency, and I think we can all acknowledge that those are severely lacking in the GNWT and much work needs to be done. Mr. Speaker, some good work was started. There was an open government policy. However, I think the implementation and the continued work under that policy has not been carried on in this Assembly. My question for the Premier: is she willing to create a Minister responsible for transparency and open government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member said in the 18^th Legislative Assembly, there was a Minister appointed, just in that Assembly, for transparency. The Minister developed a policy, and in all honesty, the Minister got blamed for everything in that Assembly. In reality, it is that every department has a responsibility, and every Minister has a responsibility for transparency. However, in saying that, I know the federal government is doing that, as well. We're a small jurisdiction. We're 19, seven on Cabinet. I would have a portfolio and a Minister for everything if I had the resources, but I don't. I hate to say this because I'm a social worker, that there would be other things that I would appoint Ministers for on top of that, in honesty, because there are so many gaps in our government.

However, what we've done recently is that we created a branch within the Department of Finance. It's called the Information Systems Shared Services. Through the creation of this branch, the GNWT consolidated the responsibility for all GNWT information systems, including what the federal government calls their digital government under the chief information officer. As I mentioned, the information shared systems is housed in the Department of Finance. I am not making her the Minister of transparency or accountability, but by default, she is actually the Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I believe, in the future, I will direct my questions to the Minister of Finance. I do think that the centralization of ISSS will bring some of this work, but ultimately, they need to reach in the departments. Each Minister needs to be responsible for this. I think COVID has shown us that more and more government data needs to be public, and more and more services need to be online. One of the things that should come out of this: every single government service should be available online eventually. Is the Minister willing to put that in mandate letters to department that they work to bring all their services available online?

At this point, the mandate letters should have been in the process of being shared with MLAs, so I am not going to pull them all back from you and start adding things. I made a commitment, though, to the Regular Members that I would be open to feedback, not that I would make changes, but I'd be open to feedback. If that is something that the Member feels that should be on those, then I would welcome that feedback on those mandate letters.

That will be my feedback, that the mandate letters need a clear direction to get departments to make this a priority because when it sits on the side of different units' desks, it simply doesn't get done. My next question is: if the federal government has a pilot project open by default, this would take our records and make them open to the public, essentially our DIM system. I think it would also incentivize departments to prioritize record keeping. Is the Premier willing to keep a similar pilot project in the GNWT?

I do have to use some notes for this. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and the Members know that this is not my strength. I'm using help. As the Information System Shared Services branch moves forward with developing, formalizing the GNWT's approach to delivery of services, consideration will be given to how we can make government documents available online. This work will be informed by the GNWT's open government policy and our obligation and responsibilities under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. In saying that, Mr. Speaker, I do have to acknowledge that all departments are trying their best to put as much information as possible. We are in an unusual situation in these times of COVID-19, so I do ask to be patient. Don't expect everything to be on tomorrow. When there are gaps, also, at the same time, let us know because we are trying our best, all government departments. Let us know, and we will try to amend it.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are gaps. I think one of the gaps is we have that open policy, and that work was started by the previous Minister of transparency and engagement. That work has largely not been actualized. I'm unsure if the responsibility of that policy lies with ISSS. Can the Premier make sure that there is a unit where someone is clearly in charge of implementing the goals in the open government policy which was developed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I must say that we have an amazing Cabinet here. As soon as the question was asked, I've seen my Finance Minister shaking her head and saying, "I agree." Yes, we will make that commitment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. My question is for the Minister of Finance responsible for the Mackenzie Valley fibre optic link. My statement earlier today recounted how the expense was justified to this House as a means of connecting our communities to faster and more reliable Internet services. All of the references portray the project as delivering high speed Internet services in the communities, not a mile away with $1 million hook-up cost. Can the Minister explain why the promised improvements to Internet services in the communities along the fibre link has not happened? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, the Mackenzie Valley fibre link is essentially the highway that makes it possible for these communities to have access to high speed Internet. Without that highway, there would be no opportunity for these communities to have access. Right now, Fort Simpson, Wrigley, Tulita, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope, and Inuvik, all have a point of access inside those communities, directly inside those communities. The GNWT, the role that we had was in terms of providing that highway. We are the owner of that highway. We are not the Internet service provider, so we're not necessarily, then, going to take it from the point of access and run the line into somebody's home.

We are, however, also a consumer inside those communities, meaning that we take it from the point of access in the community, bring it into schools, bring it into healthcare centres, and bring it into government offices. Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, there has been tremendous improvement because the ability of all of those government services now is to access high speed Internet. It is in those communities. We are not the service provider. We are also an advocate to support the Internet service providers so that they can, then, provide that last mile of connectivity between the point of access into homes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I want to thank the Minister for that. I agree with her assessment, but the problem was that this project was sold to the House, to the public, as a way to allow for individuals, households in the communities to get access to high speed Internet. It hasn't panned out. Given that the promise was to have services in the communities, what steps will the Minister take now to deliver on that promise and literally go the extra mile to ensure that the improvements of Internet service actually happen?

In addition to being the owner of the main highway that brings that link all the way up and brings that point of access and, in additional, being the consumer that helps make it attractive to Internet service providers once they're in that community, there are two other roles, I think, that the government is playing and must continue to play, and needs to, certainly, do a very good job of playing as we've all realized how important Internet services are in our homes. That is as an advocate and as a supporter.

As an advocate, both at the federal government level, in terms of going in, this is a priority for the federal government, as well. It is important that they understand and realize that this is going to leave us behind if we don't have access to Internet in the homes of everyone. It is not enough to have it at the school; you need to now have it in your home, as well. We are an important advocate. I spoke earlier, very recently, at the federal finance committee's opportunity to speak there, and this is one of the things that I recommended to them, is that they must make good on that promise to bring Internet and broadband into the homes in communities across the North.

The other one is as a supporter who is working with the private corporations who are the Internet service providers to ensure that they have the opportunity to make the right connections, whether it's community connections, that they have the opportunities to go into those communities, that we can assist them with whatever supports they need so that they can then be the Internet service providers in those communities.

I want to thank the Minister for that explanation. We have seen during the pandemic how the limitations and problems with Internet access in all NWT communities has hampered communications, especially for distance education and people trying to work from home. While the Mackenzie Valley fibre link may help some communities, clearly, it is not going to link all of our remote communities either. Can the Minister tell us if there is a plan to improve Internet connectivity in the NWT comparable to southern Canada and, if not, when will that plan be ready?

The Mackenzie Valley fibre link is certainly one part of it. Making the connection up to Tuktoyaktuk is another. Looking at what other areas of connectivity we can work with. For instance, the road currently to Whati is another point where we want to look at what we can be doing as a supporter and as an advocate to make sure that we're using all those opportunities to get the basis, to get the fundamentals there available for those Internet service providers.

The plan, if we're going to be having a plan, is much more than just what the government can do. It's going to have to engage and look at what the Internet service providers are going to be able to do, what is private industry going to be able to do, because, again, the government is not in the business of running a line from the point of access into the homes. I certainly will commit to looking at that so that we are engaging differently, but I don't want to make any bones about it. This isn't a plan for the government to run the lines from the point of access to the home. It's a plan to make sure we have the point of access, and then to have a plan to engage, to support, and to advocate to get those lines into those homes.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I don't think she actually answered my question about when we're actually going to see a plan. The Minister knows well my views on megaprojects that Cabinet keeps pushing. I have made no bones whatsoever about that, but if there is one project that I think we can all get behind, it's improving Internet connectivity in the NWT. All of us can get behind that. It is something I think that the federal government is ready to move on, ready to fund us, but we need the plan. Can the Minister commit to making improved Internet connectivity across the NWT the highest priority for this government, especially when approaching the federal government for infrastructure investments? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

I am certainly not going to speak for the whole of the Assembly and determine which of our priorities ranks above one or the other, but I think every Member here who has experienced the last two months of working from home and working remotely knows how important Internet connectivity is. As we're going forward, we are not entirely out of the weeds in terms of COVID. People are going to continue to rely on digital communication. It is obvious that this item is a priority, and it already was a priority of the Assembly. I'm not, as I say, going to rank it above the others, but I certainly can assure the Member that, when we are having our federal Ministers meetings, out of all departments, that this idea of broadband, the importance of having digital access, is being raised across the board. It will continue to be raised, and I really have no difficulty, certainly, in making that commitment, that we have raised it and will continue to do so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to the Commissioner's address. Item 11, petitions. Item 12, reports of committees on the review of bills. Item 13, reports of standing and special committees. Item 14, tabling of documents. Minister of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: "Report of the Northwest Territories Traditional Remuneration Commission 2020." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister of Infrastructure.