Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by again expressing my gratitude to all the health and social services workers in the Northwest Territories. These dedicated professionals have been serving the needs of residents through some very difficult times. I want to assure staff, as well as my colleagues here today and residents of the Northwest Territories, that the Department of Health and Social Services is working hard to find solutions that will ease the pressure on the system.

Mr. Speaker, the results of the retention and recruitment survey of nurses conducted in November 2021 indicated that in the first year of the pandemic, 94 percent of the nurses in the territory experienced symptoms of burnout and 90 percent were asked to work overtime. This problem has reached a point where many health professionals are choosing to leave their field, retire, or reduce their working hours. There is tremendous competition to recruit physicians, nurses, and nurse practitioners to work in every jurisdiction in the country. Staffing shortages have become so severe that service reductions in healthcare have not only become necessary but in many places they have become routine.

As of June 2022, the vacancy rate for nurses in the territory was 25.7 percent. That rate, while slightly lower than the same period last year, is a significant increase from September 2020 when the vacancy rate was 9.7 percent. By the way, the vacancy rate for family practitioners and specialists in the Northwest Territories was 42 percent in June.

Mr. Speaker, our health and social services leadership team has heard the concerns of staff, and we recognize their need for a better work-life balance. Their mental health, safety, job performance, and satisfaction depend on it, as does the sustainability of the system.

We have taken several steps to address staffing shortages. Indeterminate staff have been temporarily reassigned as needed to support critical service areas. The health authorities have used a combination of locums, casual, and agency nurses to cover staffing shortages. Mr. Speaker, we have begun using paramedics to assist in hospitals at acute care emergency room operations as well as to provide support in small community health centres.

To address the regular staffing challenges during the holiday season, we introduced the Friend and Family Travel Program in which all casual, term, and indeterminate frontline nurses and physicians scheduled to work at least five days between December 20th to January 4th can bring two family members or friends to their northern place of employment. Based on our survey results and our engagement with nurses, we know that 85 percent learned about employment opportunities in the Northwest Territories by word of mouth and by visiting the government's website. To encourage more word-of-mouth recruitment, we have created an incentive for GNWT employees to refer healthcare professionals to work in the territory.

Mr. Speaker, we know that building relationships with staff early in their tenure in a new community increases their likelihood of success in their role and increases retention rates. Four onboarding specialist positions have been created within the health authorities to provide a thorough orientation and help new hires settle into their new environment. We have increased locum pay to remain competitive with other jurisdictions in Canada. In addition, locum physicians are reimbursed for the cost of licensing fees upon completing a contract with the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority. We continue to cover nurse licensing fees as well. We are also working to issue licenses to physicians as quickly as possible so they can work as soon as possible.

These are the immediate steps the department has taken to address staffing shortages. The Health and Social Services Human Resources Plan, which was tabled during the June session, outlines our medium and long-term plans for recruitment and retention.

Mr. Speaker, these initiatives will help Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority to avoid further service reductions and improve work-life balance for employees. We recognize the value of the wonderful staff we have who are devoted to serving the residents of the Northwest Territories. We must ensure that retention remains our top priority as we continue to find creative ways to stay competitive in our recruitment efforts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements.

Colleagues, before we continue, I would like to draw your attention to the presence in the public gallery of a number of visiting parliamentarians, parliamentary officers, and accompanying persons who are here in Yellowknife this weekend to attend the 42nd Canadian Regional Parliamentary Seminar. MPs and MLAs from across Canada will be participating in a number of business sessions in the coming days commencing with the observation of statements and questions in the Chamber this morning. I suspect those of you who serve in partisan legislatures will find our unique style of consensus government a real change of pace. I have asked all our Members to be on their best behaviour while you are here. Just kidding.

These gatherings give us a chance to share our ideas and experiences and create important political connections no matter where we come from in Canada or what political stripes we wear. I sincerely welcome you all to the Northwest Territories and to our Assembly. There are so many of you to name -- to name everyone this morning but I do want to make special mention of a few of my fellow speakers who are in attendance: Speaker Raj Chouhan of British Columbia; Speaker Myra Driedger of Manitoba; Speaker Bill Oliver of New Brunswick; and Speaker Tony Akoak of Nunavut. Welcome to you all, and I look forward to productive discussions in the coming days. Thank you very much.

Members' statements. Member for Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I actually just want to make a quick comment, that he actually did ask us to be nice.

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about fairness, equity, and respect. Mr. Speaker, I have received numerous emails and calls on this topic from health workers in Hay River. Those emails paint a picture of dwindling morale as these workers hear that their counterparts within the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority have received a labour market supplement while there was no provision made for those within the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority.

Mr. Speaker, health workers in Hay River have provided exceptional service to all residents over the years and even more so during the last two and half years as they dealt with the pandemic, flood, and staff shortages. The stress associated with this is only now being realized by many of those health workers. To add to that stress, they now hear that there may be no wage supplement for them. In their own words, they are feeling disrespected, undervalued, and underpaid. The many hours and shifts required, the time away from family, staff shortages, and their commitment to providing timely medical care and services to residents must be recognized, and this recognition comes in the form of fairness and compensation.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT recognized that in exceptional circumstances there is a need to address labour retention and shortages by quickly adjusting compensation packages. This recognition resulted in establishing the Labour Market Supplement Policy, a policy that only exists within this government and is not part of the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority.

Mr. Speaker, as with many contracts, if there is an agreement between the parties, there is then a path to move forward to resolve an issue. In this instance, with agreement from the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, the union, and the GNWT, a memorandum of agreement could be pursued that would provide a market supplement to Hay River Health and Social Services Authority employees.

Mr. Speaker, the supplement I talked about has been quantified. We know it will now be paid to a number of Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority employees. Precedence has been set. So let us extend it to employees of the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority. As we are in this together, let us provide fair and equal treatment when it comes to the labour market supplement for all healthcare workers. Thank you

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to say thank you to all my frontline workers in the communities of Nunakput and to my constituents, our passed elders, our elders. Our elders in the communities are always ready to listen, to help and assist us as leaders and as regular people. Our youth, our future, you know, keep being resilient. I know we live in the most northerly communities in the North and that's what makes us so good. Frontline staff, our RCMP, our nursing stations, our social workers, our teachers, the Canadian Rangers, our mental health workers, our hamlet garage staffs in all communities, our housing, the management, the Inuvialuit Corporate Group, and, Mr. Speaker, all our volunteers that do so much that never get really recognized but thank them for what they do. Sachs Harbour, my leadership, Mayor Norman Anikina and council. John Lucas and the community corp of Sachs Harbour, and his board. Paulatuk, Ray Ruben and his council. Lawrence Ruben and the Paulatuk Community Corp, his board. Ulukhaktok, Josh Oliktoak and his council. Collin Ituna for community corporation. Tuk, my home community of Tuktoyaktuk, my mayor Erwin Elias and Ryan Yakeleya. We've been working together this last month really closely for all of what's been happening in my home community, and, you know, we've got through and we're still working together to make sure the communities in the riding is working together to get things done.

To all our HTCs who take care of our land and take care of the resources, which is our caribou and what's needed to be looked at.

Mr. Speaker, I really want to thank my good friend Jordin Tootoo for coming to Tuk. I called him up. And he just doesn't go on short notice. Almost a year out you have to wait but I knew him since he was 15 years old. And I called him and I said this is what's happening in my own community; I need your help. The young youth wanted him to come up. And that's why Jordin came, is because I called him and he wanted to help us with our youth. And now we're looking at planning a bigger for the Beaufort Delta in coming April. So all the youth get to see him and get motivated by him. He's such an awesome young man, and he is doing so good, you know, for our youth and the kids loved him. And I just really want to thank him for coming and thank all the leadership. And I miss doing the lunch and breakfast program in my home community of Tuk for the students. But, Mr. Speaker, I wouldn't be able to do what I do without thanking my wife Jenny for being behind me with all this last couple of months in trying times in my community and being there for me to be able to do what I do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I mentioned this in the House before, you know, and when I come to Yellowknife I go for a drive. I go for a drive down Ingraham Trail. I drive around, and it's so nice to be able to drive on chip seal and pavement, even out to your campgrounds. So, you know, I want to take this time to just explain a little bit about what goes on in my community.

This summer the constituency of Inuvik had a lot of work done occurring on our Dempster Highway widening project. Not only did two of the local contractors from the region bid on it but were successful in an open process to do this work. And it looks like those two sections were completed on time and on budget from what I'm hearing. Road construction contracts in my community and my region are vital to keeping local contractors providing jobs to our local residents which keeps the food on the table and the lights on. Mr. Speaker, part of the work that was completed this summer was the widening of the Marine Bypass Road. And I must say, Mr. Speaker, a job well done by the contractor and the department on that section.

Mr. Speaker, the bypass road in Inuvik is not only used by vehicles but it's also used by the people out for walks, exercise, as well as other recreational activities. I can say even as far back some of my colleagues in here remember PE class where we had to run the 5 kilometre run in the school at the bypass. So it's used for many, many different activities. Now that the snow has started to fall at home, you can hardly notice the one complaint that we all have at that part of the road for about five months of the year, Mr. Speaker, mud and dust. Mud and dust.

That is something that is so common to us up in the Delta. The dust some days carries throughout the town and can be a nuisance, can even creep in -- it does creep into all of our homes when the windows are left open. It can also be a real safety issue for vehicles and pedestrians alike. Flying rocks can also be very dangerous for the people that use this portion of the road. And that's not even talking about the mud that occurs when it rains. It also makes it very dangerous.

Mr. Speaker, today I'll have questions for the Minister, and I'll be looking for a commitment to finally chip seal or pave that portion of the road, Mr. Speaker, so that our residents of Inuvik can enjoy it to the fullest and finally put an end to the annoying, dangerous, unhealthy cloud of dust, flying rocks and mud, that the residents of Inuvik face every year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. On the first day of the last sitting, I asked questions about the limited public engagement opportunities in the ongoing development of new mining regulations. Why is this important? Because hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake in potential government revenues. The regulations will determine when and how people may get notified about mineral exploration, whether there will be any enforceable benefits from larger projects, if more or all of the geoscience collected during exploration is going to publicly reported and saved, and lots more. The Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment and staff proposed that public engagement take place from May to July but not much has happened so far. There is rather general information on a single web page and the ability to submit comments on this list of vague topics. The timeline is slipping, and public engagement may not happen now until spring of next year.

Several contracts have been issued for research as follows, but none of it has been made available to the public:

• $24,000 study by two former ITI employees on map staking;
• $100,000 contract for legal assistance with potential dispute resolution between mining companies and the Minister; and.
• $200,000 contract for policy advice from the University of Calgary on how mining rights are managed elsewhere.

I applied under Access to Information and got the first report on map staking and I tabled it in the House in the last sitting. It's not clear if and when ITI will release any of these secret documents or internal research. Discussion papers and options papers have been developed and discussed at a technical working group of Indigenous government staff, and I support that process. But I also applied for these documents too under access to information almost six months ago. I was told I had to pay $260 to get what I expect will be heavily redacted documents. I'm still waiting for those documents, Mr. Speaker. Meanwhile, the Department is holding detailed secret meetings with the mining industry to develop these regulations.

Draft regulations are supposed to be posted in the spring, but comments and responses may not be public. I am worried that Cabinet will try to ram through new mining regulations just before or during the election when accountability and public engagement are low. Clearly, we can and should be doing a lot better, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw attention to the lower grades, specifically JK to grade 3. I don't believe we have ever seen any statistics as to grade levels in relation to the rest of Canada. This will give us an indication whether we need to improve the curriculum in order to set up the students for a better understanding and development of their learning capabilities.

Mr. Speaker, when I campaigned in October of 2019, I heard a lot of concerns from parents that these students were not taught English until they reached grade 4. I believe there was a Dene language immersion program in one of the communities set up as a pilot program was Fort Providence, amongst some other small communities.

Mr. Speaker, I have not seen any evaluations nor reviews of this program, whether we are seeing any success or if there are any other challenges that we should know about. Parents have concerns that only being taught in Dene Zhatie' language could be an impediment to their children's learning success at an early age. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the education Minister at the appropriate time. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am doing my Member's statement on honouring the Indigenous women.

Mr. Speaker, in my lifetime, Mr. Speaker, maybe even in your lifetime, have seen -- it has been recognized, and in this House as well, that Indigenous people are the most -- this is a quote -- "the most discriminated against group", end quote, of people in their homeland since colonization. And specifically, it is the Indigenous women who experience firsthand the most discriminations and violence. Mr. Speaker, with this in mind, I want to talk about honouring the Indigenous women.

Mr. Speaker, the North and the entire country is filled with beautiful, resilient, capable, wise Indigenous women and girls. These women and girls offer not just our families but our communities so much. They bring families together. They raise babies. They care for elders. Indigenous women are always caring for their communities. Just like my colleague said, we are natural leaders and yet we carry a heavy load. In today's world, Mr. Speaker, Indigenous women have to be strong and brave. Despite all the talents and gifts, Indigenous women and girls bring to our families and communities, they face unprecedented levels of violence and death. Indigenous women and girls most often bear the brunt of multigenerational trauma; violence and trauma that continues today.

In December 2021, the RCMP reported nine open cases of missing Indigenous women in the NWT, but that number could be as high as 14. Mr. Speaker, can I have unanimous consent to conclude my statement?

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with permission from her mother, I want to tell you about Savanna Pikuyak. Savanna was a bright young woman pursuing a nursing education in Ottawa. When Savanna Pikuyak was only two days in her new home in Ottawa, she was brutally suffocated and murdered. Savanna had her life stripped of her, her dignity, her potential, her possibility of nursing, her possibility of a family and a caregiver.

Mr. Speaker, I extend my deepest condolences to Savanna's mother Sheeba, and her family and friends who are grieving the loss of their loved ones. Savanna is just one Indigenous woman whose life and dream is lost.

Mr. Speaker, Indigenous women are four to five times more likely to be murdered than all other women in Canada. Mr. Speaker, when we lose Indigenous women and girls, we lose what we could have been - our teachers, our lawyers, our leaders, and doctors in our communities. Our families grieve for their loss, and the community grieve for the possibility of what these beautiful, incredible, talented women could have become.

Mr. Speaker, October 4th is the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. This is the day that we say their names. We walk the steps they cannot take. We honour their lives so we never forget. I will have questions for the Minister responsible for the Status of Women at appropriate time. Thank you

Thank you, Member for Monfwi.

Colleagues, before we continue, it appears the clocks are not working on the Ministers' side, but we could see it up on the wall there. It appears the clocks are working on my regular Members' side. But we'll get it fixed at the end of the day. I just want to bring it to your attention.

Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So that means I can take extra time today?

Based on the 2020-2021 Public Service Annual Report, the GNWT employs 6,252 employees. Of these employees, Indigenous women represent 21 percent of total workforce while Indigenous men are much less represented at a mere 8 percent.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories population estimates, released in July 2022, show that people that identify as male represent 51.4 percent of the population. And while men represent half of the population of the Northwest Territories, as I said, Indigenous men reflect only 8 percent of GNWT employment.

What is further concerning, Mr. Speaker is the trend in employment rates for Indigenous people. While the labour force activity in the NWT is positive from September 2021 to 2022, the increase was due to the hiring of non-Indigenous persons and those living in Yellowknife. There has been a decline in NWT employment rates for Indigenous people, and it is unclear how this negative trend translates into our public service given the way the data is presented.

The Public Service Annual Report showed that as of March 31, 2021, the GNWT employs 30 percent Indigenous employees. The annual report also shows that Indigenous people only represent 21 percent of senior managers in GNWT departments. Given the low rate of Indigenous men employed by the GNWT, it is fair to say few of these Indigenous senior managers are male.

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that Indigenous men are not represented as well as Indigenous women and non-Indigenous people in the public service. When we look at mental health triggers for men, a lack of pride or lack of ability to provide adequately for their families is often cited as a reason for poor mental health. Given the unprecedented rate of suicide among young Indigenous men in our territory, it seems to me that this should be an area of priority for the GNWT's HR department. So I ask what is the GNWT doing about this?

There are several programs designed to support the success and development of Indigenous hires including the Indigenous Career Gateway Program, the Indigenous Management Development Training Program, the Regional Recruitment Program, and summer student hires. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. But how are these programs, Mr. Speaker, supporting the full range of needs of Indigenous men to see them get hired and progress within the GNWT? The GNWT needs to recognize that Indigenous men in small communities, many who have faced layoffs and subsequent economic downturn during the pandemic, face significant challenges to employment and career development within the public sector, and it is time that the GNWT take action on this. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Finance at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Members' statements. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm the voice for people in my constituency, and I am here to bring forward an issue of housing in our communities and I'm here to make a couple comments on this.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this year I provided the Minister responsible for Housing NWT with a thorough list of homes in desperate need of repair in the communities that I represent in the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding. I waited three months for the Minister to respond, and what I received was far from adequate to address the significant housing needs in my riding. The Minister has committed to working with respectful and political leaders in Lutselk'e, YKDFN, and DKFN to complete their housing strategies. Something, Mr. Speaker, that Housing NWT ought to be doing anyway.

Why am I here if not to advocate for the needs of my people and to cut through the bureaucratic red tape to find real solutions to their problems?

The Minister does not get a gold star for doing what it is expected of her portfolio. Under Housing, delipidated housing units are chronic issues in the Northwest Territories. There isn't a novel issue. And the problem -- the programs aren't doing enough to move the needle towards available, affordable, and adequate housing in the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding.

Mr. Speaker, I have spoken to the leadership in our communities, and they tell me it takes two to three years to complete these housing strategies. We simply do not have time to waste, and we must take immediate action to ensure proper homeownership repairs in all four communities that I represent.

Mr. Speaker, lucky for the Minister, I have already provided her with a solution to this problem. First, we need to conduct an independent housing assessment in the riding. This assessment will look at the unit condition and writing a report that will make recommendations on repairs based on current building codes, requirements in the communities of Fort Resolution, Lutselk'e, Dettah, and N'dilo. Once this report is complete, it will include actual costs based on today material pricing needed for the repairs, replacements, and to identify overcrowding issues, ultimately producing a cost action plan to complete this vital work over a four-year period. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member's statement. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not only will this resolve many of the housing issues in my riding, but it will create new opportunities to promote local trades and apprenticeship training. Mr. Speaker, this plan is estimated to cost a modest of $350,000 but the benefits will be priceless for the peace of mind, the economic opportunities that this work will represent to my constituents.

I am urging the Minister to take serious look at this plan. Working together across the floor is what we are supposed to be doing in a consensus government. And I sincerely hope that the Minister will be able to find the flexibility within her department to fund this plan immediately and see through the benefit of the residents of Lutselk'e, Fort Resolution, Dettah, and N'dilo.

Later today I will have questions for the Minister on her commitments to home repairs in my riding. I will also be tabling letters and referred documents earlier at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Every northerner loves the cabin, whether it's for hunting, fishing, trapping, or just simply a weekend getaway. People love to go to the cabin. It's one of the reasons people come to the North and it's one of the main reasons people stay in the North, Mr. Speaker. Yet if you live in Yellowknife, you better have a half million dollars to get a cabin, Mr. Speaker. There is insatiable demand for cabins in the Yellowknife periphery area. And we know this, Mr. Speaker, because the last time we did a lottery for 22 lots on the Ingraham Trail, 913 people entered that lottery, Mr. Speaker, for 22 lots. And, Mr. Speaker, since that time, how many leases have we given away? Zero, Mr. Speaker.

Shame.

Mr. Speaker, we are now seeing what should be $50,000 cabins sell for $250,000. We've artificially inflated the land value, and we've prevented a construction boom of potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of cabins being built.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I'm not suggesting we just open all of the land up to leases immediately. We already had the solution. That was the cabin lottery. It allowed us to plan where we're going to put leases. It allowed us to look at angling pressure of lakes. It allowed a fair way to let people literally "win the lottery" because getting one of those leases was like putting a hundred grand in your pocket the minute you got access to that land.

Now, Mr. Speaker, at that time, the Department of Lands said they needed a plan before they did that. And in 2017, they released a plan called the recreational leasing management framework, a framework that sets out how we give out recreational releases. And this is now the framework that is used everywhere in the territory except the Yellowknife periphery area. And I'm confused why, Mr. Speaker, there's no policy in place. In fact, we are not even following our own framework that sets out when we give access to leases.

Mr. Speaker, if we want an economic driver, let's get people some cabins. If we want people to stay in the North, enjoy recreation, enjoy our land, let's get them some cabins. Mr. Speaker, this is a great retention tool. Let people get out on the land. Let people build cabins. Let's do it properly. Let's consult with residents and Indigenous governments and do another cabin lottery. I know many people, including myself, will buy a ticket. I'll have questions for the Minister of Lands on when we plan to do that and when we are going to unfreeze this land. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Louise Marie Monette was born in Montreal, Quebec on the 3rd of November 1938. And was, at the age of 4, she was adopted by her parents, Harvey and Victoria.
As an adventurous young lady, Louise ended up in Inuvik where she took the job as a secretary at the Samuel Hearne School. She was very proud of this move because this is where she embraced the Baha'i Faith and met the love of her life Lewis Beck.

As true Northerners, they lived in several communities during their time in the NWT. After getting married, they moved to Fort Smith where Louise took the alcohol and drug counselling program at Aurora College. As true to herself, she felt this was the program that would help her help others.

After completing the program, they moved to Wrigley to serve as the community's ADA counsellor. They were very happy and proud to serve the residents during their time there. This is where I got to meet them both. They were very much part of the community, and I enjoyed interactions with them. After several years in the community, they had the opportunity to move back to Fort Smith where she worked with Uncle Gabe's Friendship Centre.

Unfortunately, Louise started to lose her mobility in the early 2000s so both of made the hard decision to move back to Nanaimo, BC, to be closer to their two children, Eleanor and Greg.

In true Louise fashion, her disability did not slow her down. With help from her loving husband and family, she was still active in the community and family adventures until she passed away from breast cancer on Boxing Day 2021.

Louise's beautiful smile, her loving heart, and resilient spirits earned her many admiring friends in the North. She will be remembered by all who knew her and loved her. The family would like to thank everybody for the help during their difficult time.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to share some powerful words from a young lady from the community of Wrigley: Louise, I love you and miss you every day. I smile every time I think about you with a happy tear rolling down my cheek because I am forever grateful to have gotten the chance to know you. You are the wisest, beautiful, loving, and caring soul I have ever met. She will be sadly missed, Mr. Speaker. Thank you

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and community at this time. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize one of the pages. This young man there is Logan Doll. I got to meet him about two years ago. He was the president and now vice-president so a young aspiring leader in the community of Yellowknife, and I thank him very much for the opportunity to meet him and look forward to hearing his adventures. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize an old friend, Mr. Tony Akoak. He is from Gjoa Haven and currently the Speaker of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly. Tony and I went to school here in Sir John Franklin back in the day and attended the Akaitcho Hall student residence. And Tony was a terrific basketball player on our Akaitcho Hall team. We just only had to pass him the ball at the top of the free throw line. He would jump up in the air and just magically turn full circle and always scored a basket. I still remember that one. Welcome to the Assembly, Tony.

And I also just want to recognize someone who introduced himself; I can't remember his name. The Indigenous gentleman from Thunder Bay, Ontario. It's nice to see an Indigenous person in the whole contingent, and we encourage more of them to join their legislators or work hard to get into those. And I also like to welcome the rest of the contingent from the CPAs. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to welcome all of our fellow parliamentarians. But also, I would like to recognize my constituency assistant, and also my constituent of Great Slave, Colleen O'Connor who puts up with a lot when she helps support me. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these questions will be for the Minister of Finance.

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, although being part of our NWT healthcare system, is a separate entity from the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority. We know that funding was identified and provided as a labour market supplement for some employees of the NTHSSA.

Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm when funding was identified to cover the labour market supplement for the NTHSSA, was additional funding a consideration and identified for employees of the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the process that takes place in order for the labour market supplement to be utilized, Health and Social Services brings forward the request. They know best what their human resources needs are. They bring forward a request to the Department of Finance, to the Financial Management Board, and that is how the funding gets approved. And for Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, as noted they are separate. They will then know best what their needs are. They will bring forward the request, and then the funding can be put through the Financial Management Board.

I certainly know that at the time that the NTHSSA was going through their process, Hay River was already under bargaining. And I'm fully confident that they will be taking into account the needs that they may have for a labour market supplement through that process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of Finance confirm approximately how many Hay River Health and Social Services Authority employees, if included, would be eligible for the labour market supplement based on criteria established for payout to the NTHSS Authority employees? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can't but I can't for actually a reason that I think is good, and that is the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority has the opportunity to look at their own human resources needs, to look at their own areas where they're having difficulty in recruitment. And it may well be that their needs are very different, or at least somewhat different than what we had under the first round of labour market supplement. So they now have the opportunity to examine their own direct needs. They're sitting down at the table right now in the midst of bargaining. It's a good opportunity to utilize the policy that we have in place, to apply it to Hay River, and to determine exactly whether they have the same needs as the NTHSSA or whether they have slightly different needs and then to bring that forward. So assuming they are going to be going forward, and I expect they will with the labour market supplement, that will then be specific and tuned to the needs of the people in Hay River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm curious to, I guess, know how much money we're talking about. So, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister confirm if she has an approximate cost to offer up the same labour market supplement to employees of the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority as she did for the NTHSSA? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't have an approximate cost, and I certainly want to be cognizant that they are in the midst of bargaining. I certainly don't want to create expectations or limitations on what may be happening at that bargaining table. I would note, Mr. Speaker, that they are not at the same pace in terms of when their collective agreement gets discussed or even in terms of what the opportunity that NTHSSA had and the Department of Finance had to sit down to do the labour market supplement that applied to the rest of the healthcare workers in the Northwest Territories. All that said, Mr. Speaker, given the size that we were dealing with in terms of the first round of the labour market supplement for all the rest of the healthcare authority in all of the Northwest Territories, the cost that might attract or attach to Hay River, I expect, to not be significant and, as such, it's not something that gives me great concern moving forward. I'm confident that they'll be able to reach an equitable solution. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess my concern is that if we do nothing, then we're going to end up losing healthcare workers in Hay River. So Mr. Speaker, knowing that -- knowing the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority is in negotiations with the Union of Northern Workers, will the Minister confirm if she'd be willing to reach out to the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority and the union to discuss a memorandum of agreement that would provide Hay River health employees with a labour market supplement? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, I share the Member's concern. That's why the Department of Finance developed the policy in the first place so there could be structure by which we can take steps to help with recruitment and retention. That's why there's the health recruitment unit that resides both with Finance and the Department of Health. But, Mr. Speaker, it's not the role of Finance to actually direct what's happening with the bargaining units at the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority. They are separate. All that said, you know, I'm quite confident that the authority and the union and the process of bargaining that's taking place there is well aware of the needs and concerns of the healthcare workers in Hay River. And Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that they'll be doing nothing. I simply don't want to impede on the process that's happening. I think a lot of information has been going out over the last few days to assure the workers that they are being heard and that, again, that process that's underway right now, it is going to take that into account. They won't be left behind. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment who is also responsible for mining. The timeline for public engagement on mining regulations is slipping and badly. Meanwhile, the department is holding detailed secret meetings with the mining industry. And I did give the Minister a head's up.

So can the Minister tell us how many secret meetings have been held with the mining industry in 2020 and 2022, and why the information presented to them has not been made public? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm inclined to say that there are no secret meetings. And simply sit down, that might be one path by which we could go about this. But leaving the wording and the language aside, I know we will not probably see eye to eye on this, there have been 32 meetings held with industry on the Mineral Resources Act regulations. This is, indeed, with the very entities who will be most directly impacted, most directly involved, and have the expertise to help develop these regulations.

All that said, Mr. Speaker, again, this is a normal process. Processes that are involved in the Department of Finance and the Department of ITI with which I have the most awareness, I can assure you all of which we would go to stakeholders who are most directly involved, would produce What We Heard reports. We'd take the opportunity to have open engagement platforms with the public. That process is going to occur here as well. There will be opportunity -- ongoing opportunity for interested parties to participate. There is the website open right now.

I note, again, you can't really win. If it's too detailed, we're told we're flooding people and if it's not detailed enough, it's too general. But I would encourage anyone interested in the area to obtain that website and provide their feedback. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for the information about the 32 meetings.

Look, there's one web page on the ITI website about development of these mining regulations with a vague list of topics, and it's been there for three months and there's been literally no changes. I mentioned that, you know, these detailed secret meetings the department is having with the mining industry.

So can the Minister commit to publicly post the PowerPoint presentations being given at these secret meetings so everyone has access to the information? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, just because one person is not maybe at the table doesn't make it a secret meeting. I don't want to belabour this point, Mr. Speaker. These are the industry partners who are most affected, the most impacted, and are the experts in the area. But more importantly, we are working with IGCS in this process. The Intergovernmental council, these are the partners that we're working at with ITI. And I am very mindful of that relationship.

We have, of course, co-management here in the Northwest Territories. It is a system of regulatory processes that we are proud of. And before I go out and make any promises to publish anything that I'm working with them, I want to go back and make sure that they will not be taken by surprise and that the IGCS, of which the GNWT is only one member, are on board with what we are publishing and the pace at which we're doing that. So let me go and confirm with those partners and make sure that what we put out to the public is in line with their expectations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. The problem is some information's being shared with, you know, the same industry this department is supposed to be regulating and one else has access to it, the public. You know, when does the public get to have a say on these issues? So, you know, I also mentioned that the -- I had to apply under Access to Information to get some of the documents that the department has contracted with some consultants. Someone from the mining industry actually thanked me for doing that. And another shares my concerns over the lack of public engagement.

So can the Minister tell us when any of the contract work and internal research is finally going to be shared with the public so that there's some meaningful public engagement? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for ITI.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is quite common, in fact, for departments, all departments, to conduct their research and their policy developments and to do that often internally. Sometimes they'll use contracts and sometimes they will not. So the detailed analysis and the research that goes into it does not always form part of the public engagement materials. That is not in and of itself unusual. I am pleased to hear that Members of this Assembly are engaged with industry and to discuss with them matters of importance, of shared interest.

When there are recommendations ready, then the recommendations will be put out to the public for comment. That is a standard process, and we'll be utilizing that in ITI as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. At some point, there's supposed to be five sets of detailed mining regulations posted for comment, and these are going to cover things like, you know, royalties, benefits, dispute resolution, and so on. Another vague and high level What We Heard report is just not going to cut it, Mr. Speaker. To ensure that there's some greater transparency and to avoid apprehension of bias by the department that is both a promoter and a regulator, comments made on these draft regulations should be public and so should any responses.

So can the Minister commit to ensuring that comments and responses on the draft mining regulations will be made public in the interest of fairness and transparency? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the same process that gets utilized when we're developing other pieces of legislation will certainly be utilized here. And in fact, quite often with regulatory development, regulations do not get the same level of engagement and research and input that these regulations are getting. So with that said, Mr. Speaker, again, subject only to the fact that there may be parties, there may be members of the public when they submit their comments, again, similar to any other development of legislation and regulation, who do not expect their comments to be made public.

So subject to ensuring that I'm not, you know, invading the privacy or confidence of members of the public who might be making comments, it is certainly our intention to try to put out as much information without the policy proposals that are in place, the background to them, and then what kinds of comments are made available prior to having the final materials put together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Colleagues, before we continue, I just want to remind Members normally questions and answers are five minutes per person. We're pushing seven. So just give everybody a chance, so tighten up the questions and answers would be appreciated. Thank you.

Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I might just have one question depending on the answer of the Minister.

Will the Minister of Infrastructure commit to chip sealing or paving the Marine Bypass Road in Inuvik next summer? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for -- order. Order. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the department has reviewed the request to chip seal the Marine Bypass Road. So the current cost estimate, and I say that loosely because it may change, is about a million dollars, which is about three times the cost that is incurred in southern Northwest Territories. As there are no paving equipment in Inuvik or in the community, we'd have to bring contractors in from Whitehorse. In order to maximize local benefits and to keep the cost down, we should align this work with some of the paving that's happening at the Inuvik runway.

So Mr. Speaker, I can commit -- you're welcome -- to doing this work at the same time as Inuvik runway. And I'm hoping with that answer, Mr. Speaker, I get no more supplementary. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, following up to my Member's statement as to the education grade levels for the JK to grade 3, can the Minister provide any statistics to determine actual grade levels of JK to grade 3 in relation to the rest of Canada? Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is no assessment tool that allows us to assess the grade levels that the Member is talking about and compare them to the rest of Canada. Primarily we use the Alberta achievement tests as a benchmark for grade levels. Alberta used to offer that for grade 3, but they stopped that in about 2014 so we no longer have that. However, we do use the early development instrument which provides a snapshot of developmental health in five areas. So physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, and communication skills and general knowledge. And then we also have the middle years development instrument for children who are a little older. So that begins in grade 4, grades 4 to 7. And that is sort of a continuation of that.

So from those instruments, we have an idea of how many children are on track with their development, or they're in a vulnerable position. So we do have those types of statistics. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi to the Minister too. Kind of alarming that they only have the tests for grade 4 and up but not JK to 3 specifically.

I'd like to ask the Minister is there a gauge or evaluation as to how to determine if the Dene immersion program is a success for achieving what it is to achieve? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So when an education decides to put on an immersion program, they develop a monitoring and evaluation plan, and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment can assist with that. And throughout that process, the education body consistently monitors and evaluates the program and if they have concerns, they can come to the department and we can provide assistance in how to remedy those. So far we haven't heard any concerns. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for his answer.

Mr. Speaker, the parents that approached me have concerns their children were not receiving education in the English language at this age, that's the JK to 3, which they believe is the path to success as they progress through the grades. Has the department considered making the Dene Zhatie' language program an option in the school curriculum and perhaps introduce at the mid to late grades? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I often say, and not to pass the buck, but the education bodies in the Northwest Territories have a significant amount of authority. They operate relatively autonomous from the Government of the Northwest Territories, more so than in most jurisdictions in Canada. So that decision to have an immersion program is one that the local education body makes. So those are people in the community on the DEA who made the decision to go ahead and do that, offer that program. And I'm fully supportive of it.

I know the Member has brought this up a number of times. I think we have differing opinions. I know parents are concerned about whether learning -- or being in an immersion program at a young age is detrimental, but that's probably one of the most studied topics in a language acquisition. And the research consistently for decades has said that it actually is beneficial to students. So a student in an immersion program in their early years, they will have a lag in their English acquisition for rules related to using English, things like that. But that lag only lasts about a year or two and then they catch up to everyone else, and they have the benefit of having a second language. And for many students, that second language is in their own language, the language of their ancestors, which brings with it additional benefits such as, you know, connection to culture and things like that. So I think that -- in my personal opinion, I think it's very beneficial to have these immersion programs. I would like to see one in every community if possible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Final supplementary, Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi to the Minister for that. As to the success of these programs, that's why I asked if there was any reviews of the program from JK to 3 because it's detrimental to the actual, you know, English language teaching that many parents want to see their kids excel at because they don't learn English until they're about 8 or 9 years old. That is alarming. And thus we need that evaluation. The program may be great; it is. You know, I'm not against it. It's just education levels that we have, it's alarming in our Indigenous communities, and especially the small communities, which the education department is not paying attention to. And it's in the Auditor General's report.

Mr. Speaker, we're all challenged with providing the best education that we can for our youth for future generations. Their parents usually get the blame at the end of the day. I've heard this numerous times, even from the department - it's the parents; it's the parents; it's the parents. Makes me wonder if it is the shortcomings of the department and the educators who lay blame on the parents.

Can the Minister commit to reviewing the education curriculum to determine if the department is achieving what it should achieve in providing the best education to our future generations? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And just to clarify, I never blamed parents. Some parents actually are to blame. But what I say is that we need partnerships. Everyone needs to be involved. If a parent doesn't care if their kid gets up in the morning and goes to school, then yes, that parent is to blame. But we as the government need to make sure that parent wants to send their kid to school. We need to provide an environment that that parent has trust in, and we need to provide staff that that parent has trust in, so they're going to want to send their children to school. So it's not black and white; it's not one or the other. We all need to work together. That's the only way education will ever succeed.

I will say that we have reviewed the curriculum. And we are currently transitioning to the British Columbia curriculum, as I've mentioned. And as that happens, it gives us an opportunity to fix any of the issues that we've seen over the years. And I will say in terms of Indigenous languages, we have developed our languages curriculum, and I think it's a world class curriculum. It's been -- I believe it's been called the curriculum of the century. But that's in relation to how long it took to develop. But that goes to show how much work went into it, work with community members, with elders, so it's really reflective of the people of the Northwest Territories. So we do have a good curriculum when it comes to languages, and we are improving the rest of our curriculum. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, October 4th was the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. What did the Minister responsible for the Status of Women do on this day? Mr. Speaker, what action did the Minister responsible for the Status of Women take on October 4th to recognize and honour Indigenous women in NWT and Canada? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was particularly honoured on that day to be invited by the Dene Nation, who had organized a march from N'dilo up to the Northern United Place in downtown Yellowknife. And I was able to join at the beginning of that. There was a circle that was formed and where a number of people spoke, and they gave me the honour of speaking as part of the opening of that process before they began their march. That was what I did on that day. I then put information out about what I had said and published some of my statements on social media to help raise some attention of what was going on. But I know many others took steps that day. There was many other events on that day. And while I'm happy to have the chance to speak about what I did, you know, I'm really more pleased that the Member is raising this issue so that everyone knows that it was a day and that everyone should be also asking themselves what they did on that particular day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Native Women's Association of the NWT states we must acknowledge that violence against Indigenous women and girls is a crisis that demands an urgent and active response. Mr. Speaker, we also know that in small communities there are limited supports available for women struggling in abusive and violent situations. Can the Minister explain what types of supports are available within communities for women who choose to stay in communities but are struggling with violence or abusive relationships? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I want to start by saying there's simply not enough supports for women who are struggling in those positions. That is part of acknowledging the crisis that's underway. That is part of, you know, being honest as a government about the crisis that Indigenous women and girls face every day in Canada, including in the Northwest Territories.

That said, there are supports through Health and Social Services. There are supports, I believe, within ECE for -- depending on the nature of what's being sought. There may be supports with MACA. There are supports in Housing. There are different opportunities throughout this government. And even residing within the Status of Women, there are some small pots of funding for activities that different NGOs, different organizations, might want to put on.

So, you know, I can certainly try to put together that information, provide it to the Member, provide it to the House, and see what we can come up with in general. But, you know, again, acknowledging that it's certainly -- there's more to be done. I'm not sure where the Member's questions might go next other than to say that, you know, I can try and look into putting that list together across all departments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will be doing a written statement on this as well.

Indigenous women living in relationships and raising children in small communities carrying a much heavier burden unlike non-Indigenous women in the territories. Can the Minister explain what type of specific support services are available for Indigenous women living in small communities?

Mr. Speaker, I can't speak, Mr. Speaker, for Health and Social Services, for ECE, for Municipal and Community Affairs, for the Indigenous governments, for EIA that supports those Indigenous governments. So I'm in a bit of a difficult position in that I can't speak to things that may be happening across other departments or other modes of government. What I can say, Mr. Speaker, we are right now at the point of having done engagement on a draft action plan responding to the national inquiry. I do believe that within that there will be some further information trying to bring together, in a better place, the details and the information available so that Indigenous women across the territory better know what supports are available and so that every Member of this government and of the Northwest Territories understands where the gaps are so that we can work to fulfill them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In December 2021, the Government of the Northwest Territories tabled a draft action plan to respond to the Calls for Justice on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. What action have been completed since this document was tabled in the House ten months ago?

And also, I will be doing a written statement for all the Cabinet, a classroom assignment. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what has happened since the draft plan was filed is that we've been doing engagement with communities and community partners since that time so as to be able to provide a final, final action plan. And the director of the gender equity unit over the course of the spring, summer, and early this fall had, I know, attended in person herself a number of different communities. There were sharing circles, sewing circles, various different ways of trying to have coffee time, different ways of trying to have engagement opportunities across the territory.

It was, to be quite frank, Mr. Speaker, more challenging than I would have liked it to be to bring out the kind of engagement that I would have hoped we would have had on this. But that effort was being made, and I am very grateful for the staff at the gender equity division for the work they've done to take this out and to engage directly with individuals in communities. We're now at a point of drafting it, putting it together, and hoping to -- and expecting to have it ready to provide to the House this fall. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to put this Minister on the hot seat today. But first I just wanted to say as a former member of industry, I'm super happy to hear that the Minister is engaging with industry on the regulations for mining because we always felt like we never had a part of that conversation. So just wanted to throw my support for the Minister, and one of the nice things about consensus is I can.

My question, though, is can the Minister identify whether the GNWT tracks and reports on Indigenous employment trends by gender, including those who identify as nonbinary? And if not, will she commit to starting that type of work. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister responsible for Finance.

We do get unexpected questions in the House, Mr. Speaker; I wasn't expecting that. As far as I know, we don't track someone who may be not nonbinary or otherwise nonidentifying by traditional genders. I think that's an excellent point, and I will bring that to the Department of Finance. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I was talking too much; maybe the Minister misunderstood my question. I'm asking about how does the department track employment by gender, including Indigenous breakouts. It was really difficult for me when looking through this research work to discover exactly how that breakout is. I can find stats by men and women and I can find stats by Indigenous and non-Indigenous, but I can't find that all mixed together. So if the Minister could comment on whether that's happening and if not, could she commit to doing so? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I got so excited about the idea that I may have missed what the question actually was. But so there is tracking that is done. Indigenous Aboriginal women, Indigenous nonAboriginal women, non-Indigenous -- nonAboriginal women, and the same for people who self-identify as being male, or men. And, you know, Mr. Speaker, just to remind folks, because I know that the nomenclature gets a bit challenging, we continue to use "Indigenous" to mean born in the Northwest Territories, and then "Aboriginal" to mean what we now generally would refer to as Indigenous. That is language that comes out of the now somewhat dated Affirmative Action Policy. And all of those things are tracked and then they are tracked based on seniority and whether they are in management or not. And I believe, in fact, with the commitment under the Indigenous Recruitment and Retention Framework, we are breaking that down even further into levels of management. So that should be available in business plans for every department, and I can certainly assist the MLA if there are more detailed findings that she would like me to find for her. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as I had acknowledged, my constituency assistant, she doesn't have a lot of time to go in and pull that all out of every business plan. So I guess my point being more that maybe having that presented altogether and conglomerating that kind of information instead of having it spread across the departments would actually allow us to be looking at this as more of its own issue. So I'm glad to hear the Minister committing to helping with that.

As I stated in my statement, there is a lack of supports for Indigenous men and clear pathways for them to get into the public sector. So can the Minister describe whether any of this data does exist or they're collecting it or some of the challenges? I guess I'm trying to see how is the department bringing in the socio-economic factors that are affecting Indigenous men into the recruitment and training programs? I know that's a long, convoluted question, but I know the Minister can answer it. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I think I should watch the clock when I try to answer this one. But there's quite a number of things that are happening in the Department of Finance right now, all of which I am hopeful will see a real change in being a more reflective public service. And so just as a very, very quick rundown, of course there is the Indigenous Recruitment and Retention Framework which does look at the specific challenges department by department as to why we are not attaining a level of 50 percent representation by Indigenous people and including within that the fact that, as pointed out, Indigenous men tend to be less represented. So that is underway, and specific plans attached to each department with their targets are all due to be released this fall.

More generally, Mr. Speaker, there is also, of course, the fact that we're looking to have a GNWT-wide human resources plan. Seems surprising, perhaps, that there isn't one, but at least we are fixing the problem as identified which will then bring again greater will clearer and greater opportunity for that sort of overall wraparound approach that we're looking to have so that we are a representative public service and a consistently representative public service.

And the last one that I'll raise, Mr. Speaker, there is already a commitment through the Affirmative Action Policy, and that work is well underway. In fact, I believe it will be out for engagement with our colleagues across the floor here as well as with Indigenous governments very shortly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the good thing about Minister Wawzonek is she answered a lot of my other questions when she's answering an earlier question. So I guess I just want to ask, and maybe leave a bit of a comment more, but can maybe the Minister speak a little bit about the trends for Indigenous male employment, Aboriginal male employment, in small communities. This is a priority of our Assembly to increase employment in general in small communities. So, you know, given that males are so underrepresented in the public service, what is she personally doing to ensure that that changes? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, so, you know, again part of what -- it's a bit of the same question -- or a bit of the same answer, unfortunately. But I do want to emphasize that I'm certainly putting a lot of attention on the Affirmative Action Policy. This is something that drives and governs how hiring takes place right now. It determines whether there are priority categorizations for different individuals. And if that policy, that is meant to be doing the thing of bringing greater representation, is not achieving greater representation, and it has not for some 30 years, then we do need to look at that underlying policy. So I certainly have pushed that to be reviewed. And as I said, you know, we are at a point now where I think it'll be coming out very soon for an engagement, for a look by Indigenous governments, by Members from this House, and if that underlying policy can be updated to be brought and be made more appropriate, to be made more effective, then I think that's probably one of the biggest single things that we will see start to change the dial. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've already provided the Minister responsible for NWT Housing a cost and achievable in a time-bounded proposal to take an inventory of home repairs and replacement needs in my riding of Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. As of April 1st, 2022, Housing NWT implemented changes to homeowner -- home repair eligibility and deadlines.

Can the Minister confirm that these changes will ensure that all necessary homeownership repairs will be completed in the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding within the next four years? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for asking the question. I'm very passionate about the portfolio and I appreciate that, you know, we have conducted our renewal for this government, and also we've updated our mission statement and our values as well. So I appreciate the Members keeping my department up to power in our commitment within this government.

For the Member, for this current year, I'm pleased to say that we're going to be investing $12.1 million into the 2022-2023 in Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh; $11 million of that is to complete 16 public housing unit repairs in 24 housing units, $912,000 for homeownership repair programs for private homeowners and minor repairs for Housing NWT units. Also I'm pleased to also include that we have supported a community initiative project in the Member's riding as well, too, of a $100,000 to complete their community housing plan as well too. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I'm surprised to hear that they're looking at spending some money in my riding.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister has cited the National Housing Co-investment Funds as a potential funding source for homeownership repairs. Can the Minister elaborate on what "potential" means when there being enough resources to ensure repairs and replacements of homes in my riding will be made possible through that fund? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And once again, thank you to the Member as well. The Member has also received, I want to say approximately seven units that were delivered into his riding that were supported through the co-investment application so your riding was successful in the application process.

What Housing NWT has been doing is that we support those 25 percent requirements of the federal government to have those applications submitted. This government has also committed to Housing NWT of $5 million over the next three years to support those federal engagement applications as well too. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In her written response to my proposal, the Minister did not address the matter directly instead citing Housing NWT partnership with Indigenous governments on their housing strategies. Can the Minister confirm that she has reviewed my proposal? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And absolutely, I did take a look at the proposal that was submitted. But unfortunately we don't provide funding directly to Members; therefore, we are working with the Indigenous groups in the appropriate riding of Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. As a Member, I wasn't really asking for the money be given to me directly. Mr. Speaker, the money that I was asking for we could figure out as to how we're going to really do this report needed to assess the housing needs in our riding.

So can the Minister, or will the Minister commit to securing the funding necessary to complete the independent unbiased homeownership repairs assessment immediately that I outlined in my Member's statement earlier today? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did display a number of -- funding that will be provided to the Member's riding. Right now we are working with the Indigenous groups in the Member's riding. We did fund that project up to $100,000 to submit and further that proposal. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Right now there's a recreational lease management framework, and it applies everywhere in the territory. It seems to be working well. Obviously, it doesn't apply in community boundaries or on land withdrawn for Indigenous land claim negotiations. But in most of the territory you can go out on public land and you can identify a lease, and the department works quite well with you to get one of those leases. And then what happens is you get into the Yellowknife periphery area, and the policy just ceases to exist. There's a land freeze. But as far as I can tell, Mr. Speaker, this isn't actually written down anywhere. What happens is you just have hundreds of people applying for leases and then they kind of sit in a pile, and nothing gets done with them.

And so I'm trying to understand where I could find this and why it exists. Can the Minister explain why there is a land freeze in this Yellowknife periphery area? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for Lands.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Member for asking this question, I think the fourth time, and I think will probably ask it a couple more times as we try to move forward on this.

Just for the record so everybody understands, the department is not currently accepting applications for recreation leases along the Ingraham Trail. The area has many different users and competing land interests, including areas of cultural importance. Decisions about new recreational leases in the area need to be made with consideration of all these interests. The department is working with Indigenous governments. And I need to really stress this: We're working with the Indigenous governments to understand their interests in this area. This essential work is necessary before the Department of Lands can begin accepting applications for recreational leases. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. My concern is that, you know, we are presently in the process of getting rid of about 700 squatters in this territory. Those who were squatting before 2014 are eligible for a lease. So we will, in fact, be giving out leases in this area to people who decided not to follow the law. And I'm not asking for a complete open application process. We know we would get hundreds of applications. I think the department already has a solution. In 2015, they gave out 22 in a lottery. I believe we could approach the Indigenous governments and maybe get an agreement for another 22 leases to go out and give some planning to this area.

So my question for the Minister of Lands is the department willing to do another new cabin lease lottery? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you Mr. Speaker, I'm going to answer a question he didn't ask but I'm going to answer it anyway. So people need to understand the department has posted nearly a hundred structures in the North Slave Region as working -- and is working through the enforcement process. Very few of these cabins meet the department's criteria. Any cabin that does comply is still subject to consultation with Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations, which is a fundamental component of leasing process.

In regards to his second -- the question that he asked, I'm aware there is a strong public demand for recreational type leases outside of Yellowknife, particularly on the Ingraham Trail. I'm hopeful that a ballot draw for recreational leases along Ingraham Trail will be possible within the life of this Assembly. But I want to do it right, ensure we take the respectful approach for leasing outside withdrawn areas with land and self-government agreements negotiated ongoing. We do have standard criteria and conditions for cabin leases we issue and so that criteria will apply to the future ballot draw. So, again, we are working through a process, and we're hopefully having it done by the end of this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm happy to hear that, you know, we are working towards this. I do truly believe that we can work with YKDFN and get some sort of agreement on a plan. You know, obviously, they have their land withdrawal, we're not talking about that land, and on how we manage public land in this area with competing interests.

My question is, I often hear the response that this is all tied up in accomplishing our Public Land Act regulations and bringing some certainty to how we actually regulate the public land. Can the Minister provide an update to this House on the Public Land Act regulations and when those will be implemented? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The scope of the Public Land Act regulations work is significant, and they are being collaboratively developed with Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations under the interdepartmental council protocol on legislative development. So again, what I was hoping to do was have this process done. But we've now added this process which allows us to do it properly and work with our Indigenous governments and organizations.

While the department is working to have a Public Land Act come into force at the end of this fiscal year, there are many factors beyond its control and should -- that could delay the timeline. Again, I want to ensure the work is done right, and we take a respectful and appropriate approach under the intergovernmental council protocol and ensure adequate stakeholders engagement and fulfill the government's consultation agreement. Once the regulations are further along in the development process, I will be able to provide a more concrete update on the timelines and I'll provide that to committee when it's ready to go. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.