I find that a truly terrifying statistic, and I am a little concerned that it took this long for me to hear that one third of our residents are in that category, because I really do think it shows the significant risk we are at. One of my other concerns is that there is a lot of different data out there showing how deadly COVID-19 is and what actually its effect on a population are. I'm not looking for specific modelling. I'm looking to get a sense of, given there is one third of our population at risk, and based on the number of people in the Northwest Territories, if COVID-19 is spreading across the Northwest Territories, how many people would we expect to be hospitalized and/or die?

I don't have that level of detail right now, but I will get back to the Member.

Yes, I would appreciate if that level of information could be made public. During one of our briefings, I asked the Chief Public Health Officer, and she started to lay out a formula of how you could take a set of the population, and what we know about COVID-19, and then project hospitalizations. It's that kind of information I'm looking for. It's certainly not information I am capable of understanding or providing, so I would really appreciate if the Minister could follow through with that commitment.

Another one of the main concerns I have had is that I still don't have a full understanding of the risk. If we have community spread of COVID-19, there is going to be a set number of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19, but there is also the risk of a surge on our healthcare system. Can the Minister try to give me a sense of what the risk of deaths due to unrelated-to-COVID illnesses that would not be treated due to a surge?

Yes, we will look into that and provide that detail to the Member.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that the questions I'm asking are highly technical, and I have resorted to asking them on the floor of the House because, after numerous requests, I have not got that data, so I'm really looking for some concrete numbers.

I don't believe it is a fair comparison to compare COVID-19 to the flu, based on everything I know. I also know that flus have flu shots, which significantly reduce the number of people who get the flu, but I have made this request previously, and I am looking to get a sense from the Minister of how many people require hospitalization in the average flu season in the NWT or how many die from it. I think that would be a fair comparison to COVID-19, and ultimately, I would like data that shows that, but if I could get a sense of what a flu season looks like in the Northwest Territories, as compared to the worst cases of COVID. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We do have those numbers prepared, and I can get back to the Member with those. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask some questions today of the Minister responsible for Seniors. My first question is: what tasks or responsibilities has the Minister responsible for Seniors been charged with to achieve during the life of this Assembly? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Seniors.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the roles is being an advocate for the seniors within the Cabinet, working with the various departments, but also the second part of it is to work with the seniors' societies. Groups in the Northwest Territories that have seniors' issues that need to come forward and talk to me, as well. I attend federal meetings, as well, on behalf of the government in regard to seniors. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I understand that the Minister is very dedicated to his job, but he is one person, so I'm wondering: what kind of fiscal and human resources have been allocated to the Minister to achieve the tasks and responsibilities that he would like to achieve as Minister responsible for Seniors through the life of this Assembly?

Presently, the Minister responsible for Seniors doesn't have any fiscal or staff time allocated to me specifically; however, I do have a working relationship with various Ministers, in particular the Minister of health, and we are able to work together on various tasks and we are able to get work done that way. Also, in regard to resources, one of the things is that we are looking at our mandate letters and some of the challenges that we see facing us. We have reached out to AOC, and to my understanding, it has gone to the committees, and they are coming back and commenting on our ability with the mandates and what they would like to see, as well.

I'm wondering if the Minister has considered developing a plan for aging in the Northwest Territories that identifies things like policies, programs, and services that are currently in place to support seniors; that identifies gaps in those supports; and that also sets out a course of action or a plan for how to improve territorial supports of seniors going forward.

I recognize the importance of supporting seniors to ensure that they are safe, supported, and are able to age with dignity within their communities and their own homes. There are a number of initiatives across departments that provide support for seniors. These programs are listed in the Seniors' Handbook, which is a valuable resource for seniors looking to access government and community supports in the NWT.

Departments are constantly looking at gaps in programs to be responsive in a timely manner to issues affecting seniors; however, developing an NWT seniors' strategy may not be achievable at this time. However, we are committed to supporting seniors by advancing the mandate priority of the Government of the Northwest Territories. The most important other part of it is that we are willing to work with committee and what they can help bring forward.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I had a teacher in high school who still lives in town, and he used to always say to us, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." I am wondering if the Minister responsible for Seniors would be willing to commit to creating a plan, somewhat of a strategy, one would say, around seniors. Thank you.

Unfortunately, I can't make that commitment. I am becoming the Minister of "No." However, we do have a number of activities, things that various departments are doing. We are also working with NGOs to identify concerns and issues that we can help work with them. At the end of the day, as the Member says, you plan to fail or whatever the statement was. I get that one mixed up. If you fail to plan, you fail, but at the end of the day, we are working with the government departments to make sure that the issues are brought forth, that we can work to be able to achieve that. We have a variety of activities that are happening within various departments that help seniors move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I would like to follow up on a letter that I tabled in the House a couple of days ago regarding support for childcare. Has the Minister had an opportunity to review the letter from the Children First Society in Inuvik and the Yellowknife Daycare Association? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes.

That is the kind of answer I am looking for. Thank you to the Minister. There has been almost $5 million designated to support early childhood care and education during the COVID-19 pandemic by GNWT. Supports include a subsidy to lower childcare costs for essential service workers, wage top-ups, funding for cleaning supplies, and money available to assist with reopening. Of course, we don't want to take steps backwards. The child carers would like to maintain this positive momentum. Will the Minister commit to continuing these additional supports for childcare beyond the COVID-19 pandemic?