This is page numbers 1197 - 1220 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was work.

Topics

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Right now, we are in the process of hiring staff. We have got a whole other government department, departments working together. Here in the Northwest Territories, we always reach out to partnerships. We work together. It's not just a GNWT problem. It's substance abuse and alcohol abuse. Here in the Northwest Territories, it's a whole-of-government approach. This is something we can look at. It is important, and we recognize that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Today, we anticipate that the territory will move into phase 2 of the Emerging Wisely Plan, and that will enable a greater degree of freedom for NWT residents and a greater range of economic activity to resume. My question is: in what circumstances would we have to return to phase 1 or even to lockdown? Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As part of the public health risk assessment framework that is included in the Emerging Wisely Plan, the Chief Public Health Officer has publicly stated what might take a community or the Northwest Territories back a phase or back into containment is the most restrictive phase right now. We fully expect a second wave to come anywhere from August to November this year.

The second wave in Canada could force the Northwest Territories to go back phases if travel restrictions are not strongly implemented. Resources for checkpoints, Protect Northwest Territories, compliance, and enforcement are all important to ensure that we have proper implementation. Depending on the severity of the second wave hitting Canada and perhaps the Northwest Territories, that our testing capability, we may need to revert back to relapsing phase 1 or containment properly to protect the public health and also the residents here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you to the Minister for that response. I am looking for more specific information. How many cases would force us to reverse phase 2 or phase 1? Is there any consideration about where those cases would be located to drive this decision?

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

At this time, we are not sure. It all depends on our Chief Public Health Officer and some of the orders. We have talked about some of the measures that we are doing now. We need to make sure that our enforcement, our Protect Northwest Territories, some of the measures we have in place continue to be strong. It's important to recognize that our Chief Public Health Officer has the authority to make any changes to the orders.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thanks again to the Minister. I am going to continue to ask this question because I think people need to understand whether it's a matter of having a case, 10 cases, 100 cases, and also whether it matters in the decision-making whether those cases are in Yellowknife or whether they are in one of the small communities. I think that people want some accountability about when the phases could be reversed, what would trigger that in the NWT rather than in the country as a whole.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

At three o'clock today, we are doing a media release, and we are talking about what phase 2 will look like. Our Chief Public Health Officer, our deputy minister for enforcement, our Premier, and myself will be talking about what opening up phase 2 will look like. I think here is an opportunity for questions for our Chief Public Health Officer to ask her at what point do we revert back and how many cases it would mean. Right now, Mr. Speaker, I just don't have that information.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister for that. I find the answer a little troubling, because we don't have the opportunity to question the Chief Public Health Officer in public, but we are holding the Executive Council responsible for the management of the pandemic, and they are, of course, taking advice from the Chief Public Health Officer. Where does the accountability lie on the decision to move backwards through the Emerging Wisely Plan, and how is Executive Council involved in that decision-making? Thank you.

Diane Archie

Diane Archie Inuvik Boot Lake

I signed the order, which means our Chief Public Health Officer has the authority to take control of this pandemic. In terms of where we stand as a Cabinet, we get updates from our Chief Public Health Officer. She briefs us as Cabinet. That level of detail, Mr. Speaker, that was asked, I just don't have that with me. However, I can commit to getting back to the Member with the number of cases.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In March, I asked the Minister of Justice who the lead department is within the GNWT for domestic violence. The NWT has the second highest rate of domestic violence in the entire country. At the time, the GNWT did not have a lead department for domestic violence, and I advised the House that I would come back around to the question by the end of the sitting. Unfortunately, our sitting was cut short, so here I am today. I would like to ask the Honourable Premier: which department is the lead department responsible for domestic violence for the Government of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Honourable Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Domestic violence is not okay, and it affects many, many people in the Northwest Territories and throughout Canada. The Member is right; we have the second highest rates, and we do need to do something about it. There is no one answer to domestic violence, is the issue. We did talk about it at our Cabinet table. Things that we need to look at include our criminal justice response. It talks about treatment. We need to talk about housing for people. We need to talk about treatment for people who are the perpetrators and people who are the victims. It goes across all departments.

As such, then, we decided, as a Cabinet table, that it would make sense that the lead department would be Executive and Indigenous Affairs; I would be the lead. However, in saying that, it is very important to know that we all have a responsibility. All of my Cabinet Members and all Members and all of society have an obligation to speak out and try to address the horrible things that are seen when we talk about domestic violence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

I appreciate that Cabinet sat down and had this conversation and came up with a response. Thank you to them for that. What I would like to know from the Honourable Premier is if she would commit to creating a meaningful domestic and inter-partner violence prevention awareness campaign during the life of this Assembly.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

It would be irresponsible not to do a thorough public awareness campaign, Mr. Speaker. For too many years, when I grew up as a child, the theory was, you made your bed; you lie in it. Days were different back then, and many women experienced that and had to live with that, because they were shamed if they did not, if they did disclose and decided to leave their partners.

Those times are done, Mr. Speaker. It is time for all of us to have a voice and speak out against it. Absolutely, Mr. Speaker, I will commit to having an aggressive campaign to actually get it out there in the public and have people talking about it. If we do not talk about it, Mr. Speaker, we will not address it.

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

I agree, and I appreciate the Premier's commitment to this. My third question for the Premier is: when someone disappears, the first hours are the most crucial. Mr. Speaker, there is rarely evidence that a crime has been committed; however, this is a prerequisite for police to be able to seek a court's permission for a search warrant or for personal records for somebody who has gone missing.

What I would like to know from the Premier today is: would the GNWT commit to bringing forward a missing persons legislation in the life of this Assembly? There is precedent set by other jurisdictions, by other provinces and territories, and this could serve as a model for the Northwest Territories. Would the Premier commit to bringing this forward for our Legislative Assembly?

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

I think that we are all committed to it, but for the specifics of that answer, I would like to transfer it to the Minister of Justice.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Minister of Justice.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This issue dates all the way back to 2012. It was originally raised at the federal-provincial-territorial tables, and sadly, here we are in 2020 and, of course, the Northwest Territories does not yet have this legislation. Some provinces have moved ahead with their own, but it is not uniform across the country. We can't be left behind. Yes, Mr. Speaker, we are going to do the work that is needed to get ourselves ready, to do the investigative work, to put the proposal together. It is my hope that it would be ready to go this Assembly, but seeing as how I am, just today, turning my mind to it, I am not quite prepared to say a timeline to it, but I'll make sure we have a timeline possibly before I'm back in the Assembly, so we'll have a sense of whether that will be possible. At the very least, we are going to get it started. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the collaborative response from both the Premier and the Minister of Justice on that winner. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we spoke in the House about if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. My last question for the Premier today in regard to domestic and inter-partner violence is: would the Premier commit to creating a GNWT action plan to address domestic violence and inter-partner violation throughout the life of this Assembly? Thank you.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Like I said, we brought it up at the Cabinet table. We have decided the lead. We have already put it on the Committee of Cabinet agenda. We will have a working group. We will be looking forward to that. At this point, I don't want to commit to an action plan. I want to make sure that we know what we're doing first.

I do believe that, if you don't plan, you plan to fail. However, Mr. Speaker, I also believe that sometimes the GNWT does way too many plans, and they sit on shelves and get dusty. I want to make sure that this work is a priority for this government. It's a priority for Indigenous women and girls throughout the Northwest Territories. Domestic violence has to be a priority for all people in the Northwest Territories. I won't commit to an action plan; I will commit to action. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.