I want to thank the Minister for that. It sounds like the backlog is going to be taken care of maybe before the end of March, and I really do appreciate that. These problems with the sterilization equipment, though, appear to have started soon after the new building was opened. Of course, this was a very large public-private partnership P3 arrangement, so I want to know from the Minister if she can tell us what the total cost of the investigations and delays were and who is responsible for these costs?

Just to clarify the timing here, the first hospital day was May 26, 2019, and the sterilization equipment functioned without any issues until July 23, 2020. That was the point at which they discovered that there were wet packs that were wet and material that was stained. What we do know is that Stanton has spent approximately $50,000 to date for equipment testing and consultant expertise. As a matter of fact, it could have been more but for the fact that the sterilizer manufacturer has been providing extensive support throughout this time, much of which has been provided at no cost. It's important for the Member to know that the materials, the equipment inside the building, is the responsibility of the NTHSSA and not of Dexterra, the P3 operator.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that financial information. Of course, finally, I think it's important to know whether the -- we have cleared up the backlog, but I just want to get some reassurance from the Minister that this is not going to happen again, so can the Minister tell me what the likelihood is that the problems will re-occur? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The staff at Stanton would like to put this issue behind them, but unfortunately, this is historically a recurring problem that is most often occurring in April and May and aligns with the spring melt and the difference in the water chemistry. It has turned out to be a very unpredictable problem. It will appear and disappear, making it very difficult to investigate the root causes as much as we would also like to do that. What we have done, though, in preparation for this year's spring melt, is taken measures to mitigate potential future occurrences with the purchase of new equipment for the sterilization service in the form of new trays that will require less use of towels and fabrics. That should assist with the wet-pack problem, which is the problem that really reduced the number of surgeries. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for the Status of Women.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Keeping in mind the principles that were set out by the national inquiry for the put through the final report, which included stating that we need to take a decolonizing approach, that we need to have the inclusion of families and survivors, that the conclusions should be self-determined and Indigenous-led solutions, I have decided, Mr. Speaker, that, when work that has been done to date, organizing, as the Member has already described earlier, organizing the work that is happening within the government already, that could be happening soon and that may take longer to happen, it is not good enough for the government to simply make our own list of what we are doing. We, in keeping with those principles, need to take that out to the Indigenous people, to the communities of families and survivors, and let them confirm if, in fact, us looking at ourselves is accurate. If what I'm seeing, where we think we are is actually accurate, they should be the ones. If we're going to do this right, they should be the ones that tell me, "Yes, you're right. You're doing okay here, but you're not doing okay there." We can't look at ourselves without going back out to those that we are hoping to be actually benefitting. As such, Mr. Speaker, instead of having it ready by June, by taking this additional step, I am expecting that the draft plan shall be ready by October. Thank you.

I hear what the Minister is saying, and I recognize we have to take direction from those who are closest to the plan. My biggest concern is: when I go through the plan and if I cost it in my head, it's millions and millions more dollars than we actually have to fully implement. I think this has been a systemic problem across the GNWT is that we often create great action plans but don't back them up with the dollars. Will the action plan that is presented at the new date be costed for each of the calls to justice?

Implementing all 231 calls to justice will, indeed, cost probably not only millions. It may well cost billions of dollars. That's not going to deter me from putting forward the implementation plan, the action plan, and, again, the draft plan because, again, the point to be is: it's going to be a living document that goes back out into the community, to the people who we're purporting to be serving.

No, it's not going to be a full costed plan. What I do intend to do is to try my best to subscribe to the principles that are in the final report and speaking to those principles, which is what they say very clearly is the foundation for all 231 calls to justice and really looking at way we do things, how we do things, and where we're going. Along the way, that can, then, filter back into each department as we prepare our business plans, different levels of government as they prepare their own budgets, looking at what we do already and where we need to go. While that won't necessarily be costed one by one, I do believe that, by laying all this out, we are going to be better placed to make better decisions about how we properly address the budgeting to achieve the things that are in that plan.

I'm hoping that the Minister, I'd like to get into the weeds a little. There are certain calls to justice that, no matter how much consultation or how much talk we have with people, simply costs money, and it's a yes or no. One example is calls to justice 4.5. We call upon all governments to establish a guaranteed annual living income for all Canadians, including Indigenous peoples. I've spoken numerous times about a guaranteed income in this House. Our current Income Assistance is neither guaranteed nor annual. Will we implement this calls to justice?

I watched as an advocate at the national inquiry, as the national inquiry struggled to be something that was built in a legal system and built in a government system, which is, in fact, the same system of legality and government that they were trying to address and to change, and it is a struggle. I can't say whether or not we, as a government or the national government, are ultimately going to implement this specific calls to actions or when or how.

What I can say and what I want to do is do what the national inquiry was calling on, which was to implement the principles, to look at the principles, and to apply them to every single one of the 231 calls to justice. That is not a small task, but we're going to do our best to lay that out in that spirit, to do it in a way that responds to the principles. It takes it out back out to the people who are meant to be served, to include the families and survivors, and to be decolonizing in our approaches, and then, rather than being stuck within the systems that we are still stuck in, do what I can to try to be thoughtful and progressive in how we put forward this draft plan.

No, I can't say whether or not we're going to address the specific one that the MLA has singled out. I'm not going to prioritize or hierarchize the different calls. We're going to look at the whole thing, and once we have that draft plan in place, it may well be that the individual families or survivors, Indigenous governments, may then say, "This is how you need to roll it out, and these are the priorities." At this point, Mr. Speaker, it's not for me to make that determination.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister could have just said no. I've asked the Minister of ECE multiple times, and he gives me pretty clear nos on that one. I didn't expect a different answer there, but I'm going to try again with another call to justice: 5.6(4), guaranteed access to independent legal services must be provided throughout court processes as soon as an Indigenous woman, girl, or 2SLGBTQQIA person decides to report a defense, before speaking to the police, they must have guaranteed access to legal counsel at no cost. Mr. Speaker, I don't know how you can go out and consult with victims and they will not want free independent legal advice. There is really no one who is going to say, "No, I don't want that." This is a simple yes or no. Do we change our legal aid policy to provide legal services to victims of crimes? Are we going to implement this calls to justice? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am going to do my best to maintain the principles from the national inquiry which say, that you must look at all 231 of the calls to justice, that we have to take decolonizing approach, inclusive approach, a self-determining approach, a trauma-informed and cultural safety approach. I simply am not going to pick out one and give an answer right now, Mr. Speaker, of which one will or will not be implemented when or how. I am struggling, Mr. Speaker, with how to be decolonizing in the approach to the action plan, working within a system that is still the system that people were telling us is colonial. It is challenging to figure out how to create an action plan which is a thing that governments do. When that is something that is so historic and so built into the structures and the systems that we have, how do I go out? I'm sure that most survivors would like to have free legal advice. That seems self-evident. As far as an action plan that is meaningful in a response to the national inquiry and the totality of all 231 calls to justice, I am determined to try my best to go about differently how to create that draft plan, and that means not picking one out right now and not being premature about what that draft plan's going to look like or where one individual one of the calls to justice is going to fall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In Hay River, we have a housing issue, so I'd like to ask the Minister of the Housing Corporation, when will we see a real plan to either put houses on the ground or some other solution to take care of a backlog wait list of those seeking housing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Housing Corporation is right now looking at retrofits in our smaller communities and abandoned units that we could bring back up to living conditions. We have expedited our plan right now for the RCMP units, but those are market units that are not specifically for residents of the territory. We also have a list of duplexes and units that are going up throughout the territory. I will have to provide that to the Member. I don't have that information with me on hand. Also, looking at the housing wait list, I am working right now with my federal counterpart for Canada. We, actually, just had a conversation this afternoon, just before this session. I'm quite optimistic about the outcome of that meeting, and I will keep my colleagues informed of the outcome of those discussions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Ever since the high rise had the fire, what happened there was -- prior to that, the number of people who were considered homeless wasn't that great. However, since the fire and the closing of it, the number has substantially increased. What this increase has done is cost this government between $10- to $15,000 per month per person to house them temporarily. I'd like to ask the Minister: there was a working group. I'm just wondering if that working group is still looking at potentially having a high rise open and where they are with respect to communication and working with the owner of the high rise?

The last update that I did receive in regards to the high-rise in Hay River was that they did submit an application for co-investment to look at the deficiencies that are existing in the high-rise. There were a number of expectations to be met prior to that building being open. With that, I will provide the Member with an updated status on where we are with the high-rise in Hay River.

I was elected here by the constituents in Hay River South, but I am also here to ensure that people are provided the opportunity to have housing and other services. This isn't happening. This has been going on with the Housing Corporation year after year. My issue here is that I don't see an end to it. At some point, I am going to have to ask the Minister. I need something concrete. We keep hearing the same rhetoric, and we don't hear anything new. We hear about the smaller communities. We hear something about the larger ones, as well, but I need to be able to take something back to Hay River. What can I take back to them to give them some hope that we are actually going to have some houses?

Our scheduled delivery, we don't have any expectations for Hay River for this year. I just want to just inform the Member that we did address the homelessness issue in Hay River this year for the COVID response. We did respond accordingly and dealt with the homelessness situation in the community, as well. Conversations are still going on with the Hay River high-rise. Looking at other situations that do burden us from constructing in Hay River, as well, is that we need land. We need land to build. In Hay River, it's quite challenging, to be honest. Looking at those opportunities going forward, those discussions are currently happening, as well.

I do hear the Member, like every other community and region, as well, that housing is quite significant, but I will keep the Member updated, as we do have a couple of co-investment applications that are coming forward. Like I had said earlier, the conversation that I did have with the federal government, I am quite optimistic about those outcomes of the applications. I am very confident, and I hope I am able to make an announcement prior to this session ending.