Thank you. Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. So what the Member's asking is to piggyback with Arctic Winter Games. Arctic Winter Games are very -- trials are very focused on the competition to get the teammate up for NWT. However, the opportunity, if communities want to work and provide opportunities, these communities can work together to provide that opportunity and if they are able to put it in the same weekend, they can do it. Right now the Beaufort Delta recreation association does have money for opportunities to give youth to have competitions within the regions. So they can have that opportunity. So if the communities are willing to work together on that, and they can reach out to Josh McDonald, our recreation development coordinator. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you for that, Mr. Minister. We've been -- two years now we've been getting through the COVID pandemic. Now we're pre-COVID, I've been asking for this 18 months ago, in regards to trying to do something for our adults, for our elders, for our youth, our young adults. So I think that if the funding is there, why aren't they doing it themselves? Why do we have to come forward and do the job for them? If they're able to -- the monies that they do get, Madam Speaker, for the territorial trials, it's territorials before you go for the main -- for the Arctic Winter Games. So it could be spread around a little bit and making sure all communities and all students that are able to come in to do that, making sure they're able to come, the commitment from the Minister for that. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the Arctic Winter Games trials are for the Arctic Winter Games. It's like Team NWT. However, what the Member is asking is there's opportunity to piggyback on other regional events, other regional opportunities, then that is something that the regions and the communities work together on. So the money is for the communities to decide how they want to do it. We as the government and we as the department don't tell them well, you got to do hockey, you got to do this. Again, the recreation association, the communities work together, come up with a plan to do what they want to do.

Unfortunately, COVID had an impact on us previously, but we are starting to work together. And so if the Member wants to reach out to me, and we can sit down and have the opportunity to talk with the recreation development coordinator and with his communities and see what we can do, work with Sport North, Aboriginal Sports Circle. We're willing to work with the communities to see what opportunities are available for the residents, for the youth. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I'm more than willing to work with whoever we can get our youth engaged on, whether it's the education system, whether it's the schools and communities, the local sports groups. I do kind of disagree with the Member about making sure attendance and that. Sometimes the only reason our youth are coming to school is to be part of the sporting team. I can tell you from my experience as a coach, we lost youth because they didn't make -- didn't have their attendance. It wasn't 70 percent. It wasn't 60 percent. And what did we do? Those youth -- when we went and travelled, those youth were making bad choices. So if the youth are wanting to be part of the team, I think we really need to work with them and work with the system to get these youth engaged, because once we got them hooked, as the Member said, once you're hooked you want to go to school. You want to be engaged into the sport recreation activities afterwards. So I'm more than willing to -- make a long answer shorter, I'm more than willing to work with the Minister and the Member on this. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yeah, I just -- for myself, I think -- like I did last week, you know, I called everybody out on suicide prevention. Now it's the same thing but it's in a different light we're using. We're using our youth now to give them opportunity. We don't give them -- they're pushed to the side, you know. We have to stop this in regards to making a way for them. We can't just say oh, youth are our future and not do nothing for them. We got to stand up for them and let -- in this House, and do something for them instead of just lip service. So I will be talking to the Minister, and I look forward to working with both of them to get this happening for this year. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I can tell you the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is not doing lip service. We have youth contributions. We have youth core. We have youth centre initiatives. We also have children and youth resilience program. Youth -- the regional sports programs. And, you know, the NWT Youth Ambassadors. And we're also working on developing a youth strategy. So we are actually taking it to committee of Cabinet within the next month. Then we're going to bring it to committee to have that conversation. It's part of the youth -- our youth strategy, but it's also part of the suicide prevention strategies we're talking about, the Member's talking about. So I appreciate the Member's passion. I greatly appreciate his willingness to come bring this to the forefront, and I will work together with him, I can guarantee you that. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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