Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a property in Hay River referred to as "Disneyland." It's a fairly big area. The houses have been removed, and my understanding is that was to be for senior housing. I would ask the Minister if she would look at talking to some of the private developers in town and see if they are interested in building something and using that piece of land. Otherwise, I don't see anything happening, and I am very concerned because the Housing Corporation is important. It's a big budget. If nothing happened, I am hoping that, at some point, the Premier will take a look at the whole issue and maybe take a look at the top management. Maybe we have to do something there, some changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Putting houses in Hay River is quite complicated right now. There are other discussions that I will inform the Member about, as well. We are working with the community, looking at the vacant property that is there. We are looking at addressing the seniors issue there. That pretty much is the ongoing conversation in that specific community. We are really optimistic about the co-investment applications that are coming forward. I would really like to press on those, as well, because we were given a significant amount over the next three years to be addressing those applications and to making sure that they are successful. Once they are submitted to the federal government, the territorial government will receive them and were able to proceed with them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Mr. Speaker, yes. Thank you.

I hope questions like that happen in Committee of the Whole for ITI next week. Thank you. My second question is: time is money, Mr. Speaker, especially when you run and own your own business. I am wondering what the average time is between receipt of an application for the Business Incentive Policy and the northern manufacturers policy and confirmation of the application, as well, for the business owner.

I was looking for some information rather quickly. I can give an average, and the average is four to six weeks. I am not clear if that includes an application that is for both of those. I expect that it is. It may be that it is less complicated if it is only under BIP. Mr. Speaker, I should note it doesn't include a timeline if there needs to be further information, if an application is incomplete at the front end. As such, the clock would get stopped on the government end to allow a proponent to add to their application if need be.

Like I said, time is money. If somebody is trying to add something under either their Business Incentive Policy or trying to add something under the northern manufacturing policy, those timelines don't match up with a lot of our procurement timelines. If somebody is trying to do that, and it's taking two months, four to six weeks, potentially, for them to add that under, they are missing out on tenders. Every week, either I am notified about somebody missing out on a tender, or I am copied an issue to do with procurement policy, every week within my role representing the people of Kam Lake where there are a lot of business owners.

My next question is in regard to streamlining the process, in order to kind of help simplify those timelines. I'm wondering if the process for the northern manufacturing policy can be streamlined so that businesses aren't burdened by administrative demands of repetitive paperwork. What I find within the northern manufacturing policy is, if somebody, for example, manufactures coffee tables, they have to go back to ITI to say, "This month, I'm going to manufacture side tables." After that, if they want to then manufacture kitchen tables, they have to go back again. This adds a huge administrative burden to businesses. Instead of making kitchen tables, they're filling out paperwork asking to make kitchen tables and bid on government procurement for that. I am wondering if we can streamline this process with ITI to better serve northern businesses.

I want to say "procurement review" instead of simply saying "yes," because, really, the intention of the procurement review is to do exactly this, to look at barriers and to ensure that the barriers that may exist are brought to the attention of the government in a specific way so that we can identify the barriers broadly and systemically, not one by one, not solving one problem at a time for one proponent, but to truly look at having a system that is functional for everyone who is applying.

Again, the northern manufacturers policy is part of procurement review. I want to acknowledge that the Manufacturing Strategy is only barely a year-and-a-half or so old. I heard, in the course of doing that, that manufacturers are struggling with some of the systems. We are well aware of that, and that information is part of what has gone out in the discussion paper on the procurement review. Panel is well aware of it. I am confident that we are going to hear back from the manufacturers and have lots of good ideas of how this policy can be improved in the next few months.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that, and I am very appreciative that the government is going through this procurement review. We have been in House now for a year and a half. We are a year and half into our term, and I believe a lot of us came into this job wanting to reform procurement and make sure that we are retaining benefit for northern workers and northern employers. I think that this is something that we need to, as my colleague says, get on the ground sooner than later. We need to have results for the people that we serve, and we need to have results for the businesses that keep our communities afloat.

My next question for the Minister is: what are the service standards for responding to northern businesses and processing northern manufacturing policy applications? What kind of communication happens with businesses and what are the standards that ITI expects their employees to adhere to when they are dealing with an industry where time is money? Thank you.

At present, there is not a set service standard for responding under the northern manufacture policy. Again, the average time right now for processing the application, ensuring that it goes from start to finish completed, is four to six weeks. If having set standards is something that the manufacturers believe would be beneficial, would be useful, then, again, I would hope and expect that that is going to come through in the procurement review and that we can find something that is more functional and more workable, ensuring that, again, if there are other certain standards that are expected beyond simply the timelines for applying under this one process, then that is all part of what should be coming through. I am confident we can figure out what an appropriate standard can be in the course of this process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Item 8, written questions. Item 9, returns to written questions. Item 10, replies to Commissioner's address. Colleagues, we will take a short recess. Thank you.

---SHORT RECESS

Thank you, colleagues. We will now continue. 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 Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following four documents: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 499-19(2): Healthcare Services to Seniors During the Pandemic;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 512-19(2): COVID-19 Effect on Teachers Being Able to Travel;" "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 546-19(2): Diabetes Program in Small Communities;" and "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 561-19(2): Wastewater Testing." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 568-19(2): Inmate Rehabilitation." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Item 15, notices of motion. Item 16, motions. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The motion is on systemic racism:

WHEREAS half the population of the Northwest Territories is Indigenous;

AND WHEREAS the population of the Northwest Territories is becoming more racially diverse;

AND WHEREAS Indigenous peoples have faced colonialism and cultural genocide;

AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories has accepted the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the principles of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the calls to justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls;

AND WHEREAS there is growing public awareness of the impacts of racism in society brought to light by the grassroots efforts of Black Lives Matter and other anti-racism organizations;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Deh Cho, that this Legislative Assembly calls upon the Government of the Northwest Territories to review its policies and practices for racial and cultural bias, especially as they relate to education, health and social services, justice, housing, and government hiring;

AND FURTHER, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this motion within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. To the motion. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This motion is very much in line with my entire life philosophy of improving government for the people we serve. I have been fighting my entire adult life for the betterment of Black, brown, and Indigenous people. As a chief in leadership and now as an MLA, I firmly believe that anything is possible if we work together to make change. Change must come from the top. Change must be felt from the bottom. Only then, we have made a difference.

Racism takes many different forms, especially in government. Gaps in cultural barriers have always been a problem. Affirmative action and the procurement policy are prime examples of bureaucratic systemic racism. This has to change. Only then, we will make a difference. Mr. Speaker, I would like a recorded vote on this motion. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. I will allow the seconder to speak to the motion and open it up to others, if they wish to. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I support the motion. For far too long, we've had lots of racist overtones happening to our people. It has currently been happening in my community for well over a year at a specific institution that I probably have mentioned many times in the House and within meetings, and it is still continuing to this day. I made a Member's statement on it, and I don't want to have to go through it all. Mr. Speaker, I do support the motion. Mahsi.