Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its Report on Long-term Post-pandemic Recovery: Recommendations to the Government of the Northwest Territories, and commends it to the House.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations has developed the following recommendations to the Government of the Northwest Territories concerning the Northwest Territories long-term, post-pandemic recovery, with a specific focus on the departments for which the standing committee has oversight: Executive and Indigenous Affairs, Finance, and Municipal and Community Affairs.

Coordination of Overall Government Response to Pandemic

Committee is generally satisfied with the government's response to COVID-19, but feels that lessons can be learned to improve the Government of the Northwest Territories' response to future pandemics, including a potential second wave of COVID-19 infections requiring the Northwest Territories to return to a containment phase, as described in the Government of the Northwest Territories' plan for safely easing pandemic restrictions, Emerging Wisely: Continued Public Health Response to COVID-19 in the Northwest Territories.

With respect to the Government of the Northwest Territories' overall response to the pandemic, the standing committee feels that the Government of the Northwest Territories must build on the lessons learned from this experience to ensure that future emergency responses are as prompt as possible. Committee also feels that strong, visible leadership on the part of the Premier and her Cabinet Ministers is essential to ensuring a successful emergency response. With respect to the overall government response to future emergencies, committee makes recommendations in the following areas: the emergency response legislative framework; public communications; and enforcement.

I will now turn the reading over to Ms. Green. Thank you.