This is page numbers 4727 - 4770 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was know.

Topics

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

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

Richard Edjericon

Richard Edjericon Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Madam Speaker. You know, for the last week or two weeks here now, I've been raising issues about housing in our communities and what I've been hearing from this government is basically there's no commitments; they're just -- for me, I hear what's been said to me is, more or less, I heard that before; I heard it for a long time.

So I did have questions, Madam Speaker, is that my question is to -- when I was doing my Member's statement, I was a little taken aback that there was a "nay" coming from the Minister of Health, and my question was to the Premier. I have a lot of questions for Health; that will be next week.

In the mandate status report, 65 percent of the commitments are identified as in progress for the Premier's statement in her message, within the document, that the majority of the commitments identified as in progress or on track to completion. Can the Premier clarify her statement as to what "majority" means in this context on the 65 percent commitment. Is it 65 percent, or isn't it? Thank you.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Member. Honourable Premier.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm kind of wondering if other Members besides myself wonder if we could turn back time, knowing that we'd be hit with the pandemic crisis never seen in our lifetime and lasting around two years, would we still have defined 22 priorities for this government. However, in saying that, despite the challenges over the past two years, we continue to work to achieve the majority of our commitments by the end of our term.

The Member is correct, that 65 percent of our commitments were in progress in our February 2022 status report. At that point, we had fulfilled 23.5 percent of our mandate commitments. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Richard Edjericon

Richard Edjericon Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you. Thank you, Premier for your answer, and I appreciate that. And I understand that, yes, we've been through the pandemic and we're hitting the ground running again.

Can the Premier update the House as to the exact percentage of mandate commitments fulfilled? You said 23.3 percent. Also, can the Premier advise the House if that 75 percent of the mandate commitments in progress and in planning will become completed in time remaining before the next election? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think I'll combine two in one. We've since completed, since the February 2022 status report, we've since completed another 10 percent of our mandate items and moved out of the early planning for another 3 percent. The latest numbers I have for August 2022 are 58 percent of our commitments are in progress and 34 percent have been fulfilled. I don't have a firm percentage on hand precisely to find a majority, but the numbers show that we've made significant progress between February and August.

As for the 75 percent, as stated, COVID did slow the progress but we're still working on them. And I'm hopeful that the work in this House and the work with our public service and government partners, as well as Regular Members, that we're going to achieve at least 75 percent of our mandate commitments.

Madam Speaker, it's not unusual -- even though COVID hit, it's not normal that within Assemblies that the last term of the government to still have a significant high percentage of in-progress work. New and significant work takes time to plan before it can be completed but we're actually quite pleased with where we are. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Richard Edjericon

Richard Edjericon Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Madam Speaker. A reasonable person would say concerning 50 percent or less of commitments unfilled to be a failure to implement the mandate. What are the consequences of such failure if the government fails to deliver its mandate? So within -- by the next session, you will have good understanding of where we're at. So thank you, Madam Speaker.

Caroline Cochrane

Caroline Cochrane Range Lake

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Well, the consequence of a government not delivering on its mandate is really up to the public. It's up to the voters to decide the consequences if we don't achieve the results in this House. As I said, I'm confident that we're going to be able to fulfill the majority of our mandate commitments. However, in honesty, Madam Speaker, I think a lot of the public in the next voting will be about the COVID, how we've related to the -- how we responded to the COVID pandemic, and that's not in our mandate but it was the number 1 priority. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

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

Richard Edjericon

Richard Edjericon Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

No, that's it, thank you

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this is part of my question, okay. We all know Indigenous people in the Northwest Territories are struggling with alcohol and substance abuse, grief, loss, violence, and intergenerational trauma from colonization, residential school and systemic racism. Many want to go to treatment but are turning to alcohol and drugs to cope because the NWT does not have a territorial-based treatment facility. The overwhelming majority of the NWT residents want, a territorial-based treatment facility. Why doesn't the territory have a treatment facility located in the territory? Thank you

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you Member for Monfwi. Minister for Health and Social Service.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

The simple reason that we don't have a treatment centre is because they don't work. We have tried four times. The effort to provide one treatment centre for all the regions, languages, and cultures hasn't been successful; people don't attend. And what we found is by giving people options, they attend in greater numbers than they ever have when we had a facility in the NWT. Thank you.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Okay, thank you for that. Why doesn't the Minister listen to the will of the people and develop a plan to open a traditional Indigenous healing territorial addiction treatment program? Can the Minister provide data on the number of injuries or death related to drugs and alcohol since 2013, since the treatment centre was closed in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Yeah, thank you. I am not exactly sure what the Member is asking for. If she's asking for how many people have been to treatment in that time, I can provide that information.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Why doesn't the Minister listen to the will of the people, is what I said. This is what the people want. And at the same time, can she provide the data on the number of injuries and death related to drugs and alcohol since 2013. So this is all related to the territorial treatment facility in the Northwest Territories. So that's what I was asking for, thank you and that is not my second question, so I am just replying to her. I still have two more questions, thank you.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I don't have the detail at hand that the Member is looking for so I will have to return to her. Thank you

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Will the Minister of Health commit to reopening an addiction-based facility and treatment and wellness centre in the Northwest Territories?

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you Member for Monfwi. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Julie Green

Julie Green Yellowknife Centre

Thank you, Madam Speaker. No.

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am not actually really sure who is the lead on transferring the land to the City of Yellowknife. I think that MACA kind of writes the process but then lands at the end of the day, you know, has to do the work of getting it over there. So my question is for I guess the Minister of Lands on when we can expect the bulk land transfer to the City of Yellowknife to be complete? Thank you

The Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Minister of MACA.