Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to start with a quote made on February 4, 2021, by Marc Miller, the federal Minister of Indigenous Services, on defending the decision to prioritize Indigenous people in the roll out of the vaccine: "The decision to prioritize Indigenous people living in remote communities, but also in other parts of the country, including those living in urban centres, is based on science. It's not a matter of politics or opinion." Why is it, Mr. Speaker, that Indigenous people have not been placed on the priority list in the NWT, if our federal Minister is defending this publicly?
I am aware that the entire of what we call in the NWT small or remote communities have been prioritized in the NWT, which is a great start, but I am sure, when the federal Minister said "remote Indigenous communities," Inuvik, Hay River, and Fort Smith would fall under that term, coming from Ottawa. Why haven't the mostly Indigenous regional centres been on this priority list? Yesterday's announcement of the expanded priority groups still do not have Indigenous people without falling into all the other additional priority lists in other communities and urban centres, which I would consider Yellowknife to be in the Northwest Territories.
Inuvik is an Indigenous community. It is a designated Gwich'in community under the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claim, as well as an Inuvialuit community under the Inuvialuit Land Claim Agreement. It can't get more Indigenous than that, can it? I am also questioning why a two-week scheduled clinic was changed in my community to one week a month ago, and the vaccine for the second week was then designated for Yellowknife. Was this based on science?
Yesterday, it came to my attention that non-resident mine workers may be prioritized or considered for vaccines in the Northwest Territories. I hope this is not the case, Mr. Speaker, not before Indigenous people and the people of the Northwest Territories. I know that there are NWT residents working out at the mines, but non-resident employees should have to get their vaccine in their home province, not by receiving doses for NWT residents that are shipped to the Northwest Territories. I say maybe put some COVID cops at the mines so they follow the rules as well as we have to in the rest of the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.