Good morning, colleagues. The Member for Monfwi has asked to address the Chamber, and I will give the floor to the Member. Member for Monfwi.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Mr. Clerk, please note the Member's decision to resign on the record of the Legislative Assembly. The Member for Monfwi's seat is now vacant.

Mr. Lafferty, before you leave the chamber, I want to thank you for your 16 years of service to the Tlicho people, the residents of the Northwest Territories and to the Legislative Assembly. You have served as a regular MLA, Member of the Executive also known as Cabinet, and as Speaker.

Throughout your time in the Assembly, you have been a champion for the Indigenous languages. Mr. Lafferty, you were the longest serving Member in the 19th Assembly. You have served as part of four Assemblies, first being elected by by-election in the 15th in 2005. In the 16th and 17th Assemblies, you served as Deputy Premier, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Minister of Justice, and the Minister responsible for Official Languages and for the Worker's Safety and Compensation Commission. In the 18th Assembly, you served as our Speaker. And it is in this chair where you left a legacy.

Your leadership reinvigorated the Assembly's use of Indigenous languages, expanding interpretation services, your use of the Tlicho language in this chamber every day while in the Speaker's chair set an example for those who follow you.

On a personal note, it has been a pleasure serving with you the last ten years. I still remember the 'good ol' days' when we used to travel --

---Laughter

-- and our trip to Fairbanks to visit the University of Fairbanks to see how they teach the Gwich'in and Inupiaq languages so that we can adopt those teachings in our education system.

Mahsi cho, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Colleagues, we will take a short recess. Please join us in the Great Hall to say our farewell to Mr. Lafferty. Mahsi.

---Applause

---Recess

Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to update Members and the public on the Community Access Program administered by the Department of Infrastructure.

The Community Access Program provides contribution funding to communities across the Northwest Territories for the construction and rehabilitation of transportation and marine infrastructure. The program is application-based with a bi-annual intake of proposals. These projects support the development of a strong northern workforce through construction activities, economic and training opportunities. Mr. Speaker, our regional superintendents work closely with the communities to support projects that meet local priorities. I am pleased to report that communities take advantage of opportunity.

In 2019-2020, there were 22 projects were supported across all five regions. This resulted in over $1 million invested into transportation and marine infrastructure. Projects ranged from building and maintaining ice roads, community trails and access roads, to completing necessary marine facility upgrades. In addition to employment, the construction and maintenance of these projects provided valuable work experience in the operation of heavy equipment, modern road construction and environmental protection techniques, and project management.

Mr. Speaker, the benefits of this program extend beyond the construction phase. These trail and dock projects improve quality of life for residents by increasing access for on-the-land activities like harvesting and educational programming, allowing for more convenient community and regional road transportation access for residents, and furthering economic activity like tourism. There is also a sense of community pride and accomplishment that comes along with delivering and completing these community-based priority projects.

The Community Access Program provides funding for construction projects to meet specific community needs such as: access roads to hunting, fishing, wood harvesting and community recreational areas; trails connecting to the community for walking, hiking and traditional activities; docks and wharfs to support boating and marine activities, harvesting, and recreational uses; also winter and access to granular sources.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Infrastructure is doing its part to support the 19th Legislative Assembly's goal of increasing economic and training opportunities across the Northwest Territories through this Community Access Program. We have seen great uptake in communities, and we are continuing to work closely with leaders to identify future projects to be considered under the Community Access Program in 2021-2022. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, June is the month when we make a special point of acknowledging and celebrating seniors for their contributions to our families and communities. Seniors are valued members of NWT communities and they contribute by working, volunteering, and passing on knowledge and traditions through teachings, stories, and ceremonies. Seniors also sit on advisory councils and engage with governments and non-government organizations helping to develop strategy and policy. Seniors fulfill many vital roles within our society that enhances our quality of life. The NWT's population of seniors continues to grow. Our task is to work together to ensure we provide quality of life for them as they age.

Mr. Speaker, most seniors want to remain in their own homes or communities. We must ensure services and supports are available to them, including home and community care services, accessible and affordable housing, and transportation and supports for their caregivers to enable them to continue to age in place with dignity.

We are implementing recommendations from the Home and Community Care Review based on the Department's response to the review that was tabled at this time last year. We are implementing a comprehensive and internationally recognized system of assessment of vulnerable persons within home care programs early next year. This change will allow us to improve areas of service that have been identified as being inconsistent or inadequate.

This year, we are also expanding hours that home care services are available in Hay River, Behchoko and Inuvik. We will expand hours in additional communities over time. We are also engaging Indigenous governments to improve the responsiveness of home and community care program to the needs of Indigenous residents.

Mr. Speaker, when seniors are no longer able to stay in their homes with the support of home care, we must ensure that our long-term care facilities can provide quality care for them. We have updated our bed projections and determined we will require fewer beds than previously anticipated.

The department has engaged with stakeholders in Hay River and the Beaufort Delta Region to discuss the new projections. We have shared our plans and received feedback from community partners on how we can enhance services in home care and work with other government partners to enhance aging in place.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has a mandate commitment to support seniors and as one, I am personally invested in. The department is collaborating with the departments of Education, Culture and Employment, Municipal and Community Affairs, and the NWT Housing Corporation to help advance this mandate work. Together, we can ensure seniors continue to get the services and programs they require in their communities. We are also developing a Northwest Territories Seniors Strategy that will reflect a whole-of-government approach and assist in coordinating programs and services for seniors.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I recognize World Elder Abuse Awareness Day comes up on June 15th. We acknowledge that seniors are a vulnerable sector in society and can be at high risk for abuse and neglect.
To help address this prevalent issue, the department provides funding each year to the NWT Seniors Society which is specifically directed towards supporting the Network to Prevent Abuse of Older Adults. The NWT Seniors Society has taken the lead on elder abuse initiatives by providing awareness workshops in a number of communities and by providing the toll-free seniors information line. Furthermore, this fall we will be launching an elder abuse awareness campaign and planning is underway to increase training for GNWT staff to identify signs of elder abuse.

Mr. Speaker, we see where gaps exist in the services our government must provide to ensure seniors have good quality of life through the stages of aging, and we are working to address them to ensure seniors are able to enjoy comfortable and dignified lives in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every community in the Northwest Territories is different and has different needs and priorities. I am pleased to say that our Community Housing Support Program recognizes these differences and puts the priorities of local people right in the center of the planning process.

We recognize the local people that have clearest understanding of their needs and often of the best solutions. For this reason, the Housing Corporation works in partnership with Indigenous governments and community agencies to develop an innovative community-driven housing projects of their own design. This helps ensure local priorities are met with a variety of support options such as grants and other contributions such as -- may also be in the form of policy and program design, material packages, technical expertise, land management, or surplus units when appropriate.

Mr. Speaker, I have spoken about this program in the past in the Legislative Assembly and would like to provide an update today. Previously, I spoke about this program adding affordable housing in Salt River First Nations, implementing a repair program in Fort Good Hope, and a log project in Colville Lake among other successes.

Today I would like to note even more recent successes for this program. The K'atlodeeche First Nation has used the Community Housing Support Program to implement a repair program for homes in the community. Programs like this give the community the ability to locally prioritize any repair work they want to get done.

Mr. Speaker, the hamlet of Aklavik has used funding through this program to connect to biomass heating systems. Innovative, forward-thinking, locally-driven projects like this are why we believe this program is very valuable to the communities across the NWT.

In Inuvik, the Community Housing Support Program has been accessed by Teepee Housing in order to renovate multiple buildings. Being able to modernize affordable housing units is another example of the program being used to turn local ambition into reality.

Mr. Speaker, one of my priorities as Minister is partnership, and this program is a great example of how by listening to each other and working together, we can make progress towards many of our shared goals. We all look forward to seeing these new projects being provided in accordance with community aspirations and recommendations.

I look forward to speaking about the Community Housing Support Program in later sitting of this Legislative Assembly, sharing even more success stories. I also want to acknowledge and thank the hard work of the staff of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation for implementing this program and being able to develop a community-driven program and their aspects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Mr. Speaker, today's mineral resource industry in the NWT is innovative, collaborative, environmentally conscious, and has the highest standards of safety. It collaborates with the GNWT and with Indigenous communities to enhance resources for capacity building and supports Indigenous participation in, and benefits received from, the mining industry.

The resource sector directly employs over 3,000 people in the Northwest Territories and contributes over $800 million in spending each year. It accounts for nearly a third of the Northwest Territories' gross domestic product. A healthy and vibrant mineral resource exploration and development sector is critical for the Northwest Territories, its people, and our future prosperity.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment has a mandate item to increase resource exploration and development, and I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge some of the initiatives underway to support this anchor industry.

As with other industries, mineral resource exploration has experienced a downturn in activity and investment over the last year. The department has provided mineral tenure support and has acted as a liaison for industry with the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer to ensure the industry was able to continue its planning and operations during the pandemic.

The Work Credit Program provided a one-year one-time relief on work requirements for 189 mineral claims in 2020-2021. We also provided a one-year deferral of mineral lease rent payments for mineral tenure interest holders. This enabled 39 clients, with a total of 548 leases, to defer payments until 2021-2022.

We continue to hear concerns from industry, and in response I am pleased to announce that mineral tenure relief will also be available in 2021-2022. This will provide additional relief for those claim holders that are unable to work their claims as the pandemic continues.

The Mining Incentive Program was also adjusted in 2020-2021 to accommodate the impacts of the global pandemic. Most of these changes are being continued for the 2021-2022 year. Changes implemented include: An increase to the maximum funding of corporate projects to 60 percent of eligible expenses, to a maximum of $240,000; Northwest Territories expenses related to self-isolation, expediting, and program logistics are eligible for MIP funding; and, the reporting deadline has been further extended for some projects that were significantly delayed due to the pandemic.

As of January 2021, 12 prospector and seven corporate 2020-2021 projects were funded in the North Slave, South Slave, and Sahtu Regions for a total of $1,094,000. From its launch in 2014 to 2018, the Mining Incentive Program directly leveraged $11.8 million in company and prospector exploration spending in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, there are some bright lights on the horizon in mineral resource development. After a tumultuous 2020, the Ekati Mine has reopened under the new ownership of Arctic Canadian Diamond Company, and recalled its workers. Gahcho Kue, under De Beers Canada and Mountain Province Diamonds, continues operation and has established itself as one of the top diamond mines in the world. In December 2020, a 157.4 carat diamond was discovered at this mine. Cheetah Resources and Rare Earth Minerals Projects at the Nechalacho site is in the demonstration phase as it advances to be the first rare earth mine in Canada with innovative environmental standards, comprehensive training programs, and strong partnerships with the Indigenous groups in the area. The anticipated outputs are extremely promising, with the potential for a multi-generational operation providing materials for the clean energy economy.

As well, in the past few weeks, Arctic Star has confirmed five kimberlites discovered around Lac de Gras on its Diagras diamond project, concluding its spring exploration. Their ongoing activities will include assessing diamond content and the ongoing testing of targets.

Mr. Speaker, this is exciting news and only scratches the surface of the Northwest Territories mineral potential. There is a wealth of resources in the North, and as new projects successfully move into production, we can expect increased exploration and renewed investor interest in Northwest Territories mineral resources.

In anticipation of this, the established Polar Bear Diamonds trademark has a new, polished look as it works to reintroduce branded Polar Bear Diamonds into the global marketplace. A 2018 review determined that the brand remains highly recognizable in the market, and reflects a unique, authentic, and ethically-sourced product.

We will be highlighting some of these recent successes and continue to further build public awareness and interest in the sector during this year's Northwest Territories Mining Week in July. I look forward to sharing the plans for what will remain a largely virtual program this year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Honourable Premier.

Mr. Speaker, today, Northwest Territories residents will come together to march through the streets of Yellowknife to honour the 215 Indigenous children found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School last week. This is an important opportunity for all of us as residents of the Northwest Territories to come together and show our support for people during this difficult time. It has brought to the surface painful memories for many, and with the strength of the community we will get through this, together.

In a show of solidarity, two Members of Cabinet and two regular Members of the 19th Legislative Assembly will be attending the memorial walk, fire feeding, and water ceremonies.

I want to thank the Dene Nation for organizing this memorial. It's important that we all stand together as a territory for those whose lives were impacted by the residential school system, and those who never came home. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, honourable Premier. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I'd like to thank what Madam Premier just brought up about the Dene Nation walk for the 215 that we lost there in Kamloops. Our thoughts and prayers are with them from Nunakput. And, you know, as a third generation survivor as yourself, myself, Diane and Paulie, we're all in residential school in Inuvik and it's just like a sister- and brotherhood, you know, when you see them. It's a special thing, that bond you have with them. And we'll get through it. And we're still standing.

Mr. Speaker, I'd also like to -- let people, you know, up since the last month for the flooding and, you know, from Jean Marie River to Simpson everything, our thoughts and prayers are with them and hope everything works out. I know our government will work hard to get you where you have to get to get your lives sorted out. I know it's a mess now but we'll get -- you'll get through it. And I know our government is there for you.

Mr. Speaker, also, again yesterday I brought up my graduates and, you know, I'm really excited for them, and I'd really like to make sure that graduation day, be safe, make sure you're letting your parents know what's happening. And I'm pretty proud of them for Nunakput.

Mr. Speaker, also people hunting and fishing back home because winter just doesn't want to let go. And people are out fishing in Husky Lake and hunting on the coast right now, getting our geese for the summer and that, and harvesting so just be safe. In Ulukhaktok, they're hunting on the floe edge for ducks so just be safe out there and look forward to seeing everybody.

And, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank our frontline staff, all the hard work that they're doing in our small communities and thank them for all the hard work that they do.

For all those who lost loved ones this past few months, again, Mr. Speaker, thoughts and prayers for you and all your families. And to the Members, you know, it's -- summer's coming and spend a little bit of time with your family and enjoy it, and look forward to seeing my family here shortly. To my constituents, have a safe spring. And when summer starts, fishing and whaling will be safe and God bless you all. And thank the mayor and councils in our communities for all what they do for us in our community corps and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. Thank you for what you do for our communities.

And I'd like to just say to Mr. Lafferty, who left the House today. 16 years service, he did so much for the Tlicho people and I'm proud to call him a colleague of mine. And he's been not only a colleague but a good friend and a big support of Nunakput, and I know his future endeavors, whatever he's going to do, he's going to do a good job. I just want to thank him for his service and a lot of good memories with that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate each of those students from Hay River, Enterprise and Katlodeeche First Nation who are graduating from Ecole Boreale, Diamond Jennesse Secondary School, Chief Sunrise Education Centre and Aurora College. I know that each of these graduates will not forget the year they graduated, nor will they forget the unique events of the COVID-19 pandemic surrounding their graduation. Nor will they forget that they are posed to be the last to ride a school bus in Hay River.

Mr. Speaker, we all appreciate and the bounds of commitment, sacrifice, and hard work these students put in to achieve their status as graduates. These students started their educational journey as young children and now have finished as young adults. That chapter has now closed, and it is time to take that next step, whether it is to further their education, join the work force, or, pending travel restrictions, travel the world. It is only the beginning of life's journey.

Mr. Speaker, the only advice I would offer each student is show respect and compassion for others, always be open to new ideas; and, most importantly, follow your dreams and your passions. This is your time.

Mr. Speaker, for the graduates to achieve the success each celebrates today, we must recognize the parents, caregivers, family, and those teachers who supported and encouraged them to succeed. One day, each graduate will look back and understand the importance of this achievement and hopefully convey that importance to their children and others.

I will also ask each student, as they walk across the stage to accept their diploma, to remember and never forget the suffering of those young students who were taken from their homes and now lay in unmarked graves.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I congratulate the graduates of 2021 and wish them all success for the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize the East Three Secondary graduating class of 2021, and all the graduates of Class 2021 in the Northwest Territories on achieving this milestone through a pandemic, as they had to spend their entire final school year under COVID restrictions. I wish you luck on the next chapter of your lives.

I would also like to congratulate the college, university, and trade students from my community and the Northwest Territories who will or have graduated this year. Like I said, the pandemic has put a real twist on learning not just in the Northwest Territories but the entire country and possibly the world.

Mr. Speaker, you know, I'm very afraid of how this will be in the future. Our students have missed many days of school. Our attendance rates are lower than they have been, and this was already a problem. I just wish that, you know, that when we move forward after with all the restrictions that there is going to be a plan in place, Mr. Speaker, for our students to be able to be supported to be caught up so that this last 15 months was not a waste of their schooling, because we all know that moving forward, you know, you want to move on with your students, you want to move on with your classes, you want to graduate, you have future goals. I'm sure these grade 12 students have future goals but are all going to be put on hold whether or not they can attend university, whether or not they can, you know -- these are all things that we're going to be facing in the fall. So I just wanted to recognize that and congratulate all the hard work of all the students in the Northwest Territories, right from all the little junior kindergartens right up to our post-secondary.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize that June is National Indigenous History Month, and Saturday is the 37th year of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement when it was signed, and there will be some COVID-restricted celebrations going on in my community, and I'm sure throughout the Inuvialuit Region. So I just wanted to recognize and hope to be -- to make it home to celebrate with them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, according to StatsCan's 2019 Family Violence Report, the Northwest Territories has the second-highest rate of all types of family and domestic violence amongst Canadian territories and provinces. Many Northerners have experienced or know someone who has been a victim of domestic violence. The NWT also has the highest rates of sexual violence in the country. Females comprise the majority of those experiencing sexual violence and males represent the majority of perpetrators. Family-related sexual violence is more than five times higher for women and girls than men and boys.

In the Northwest Territories, the rate of family violence reported to the police in 2019 was 9.9 times the national rate and was the second highest in Canada only to Nunavut. We also saw a 28 percent increase in the rate of intimate-partner violence in the Northwest Territories from 2018 to 2019, and I can only imagine that due to the stress from the pandemic, this rate is continuing to rise. Family violence is a crime. While many vital supports are in place, I believe we could take it one step further by adopting Clare's Law in the NWT.

Clare's Law provides people who feel at risk of domestic violence a way to access information about their partners so they can make informed choices about their safety. Clare's Law is named after a young woman in England, Clare Wood, who was murdered by her ex-partner who had a history of intimate-partner violence and was known to the police. Clare's Law has been adopted by many provinces in Canada, and most recently came into effect in Alberta.

Clare's Law, generally known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, provides several ways for police officers to disclose a person's history of abusive behaviour to those who may be at risk. It is intended to reduce intimate-partner violence and could prove a useful tool here towards increasing safety for our people.

In the NWT, domestic violence situations are compounded by the remote location and lack of services in many of our communities; unaffordable, substandard housing; socioeconomic conditions; and a harsh climate where mental health issues, like Seasonal Affective Disorder, are aggravated. When I think of myself and the women I know in the North, it's rare to know someone who hasn't experienced some form of family or domestic partner violence. It is unacceptable that this has become the norm in the Northwest Territories therefore I urge this government to work harder on improving this situation for our people and they can start by adopting Clare's Law. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to take a moment and wish all the graduates from PWK High School in Fort Smith a big congratulations for concluding their high school studies. I was not able to attend the grad ceremony in person due to our session taking place here at the legislature. I did send some remarks which were read at the ceremony last Thursday. I want to thank all the parents, the teachers, the families and friends of the students, and the entire community for helping our students achieve their goals.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to wish all the graduates of Aurora College Thebacha Campus, and all the colleges in the North, a big congratulations as well. The convocation ceremonies this year will include graduates from both the class of 2020 and 2021. I know these last 15 months have been difficult. But these challenges will only make them stronger before the better. I wish all graduates of both schools all the best with their future endeavors.

I want to thank the staff for their resilience knowing that we are now the headquarters of the future polytechnic university. And I want to welcome all future students who attend school in Fort Smith.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to acknowledge and thank all front line and essential workers, teachers, and of course all of my amazing constituents of Fort Smith. I wish all the Indigenous leaders and the municipal governments, and all the peoples of the Northwest Territories, a safe and great summer. I want to wish a safe summer for all my colleagues and for you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.