Thank you, Madam Speaker. I think that's a great suggestion, and I'm happy to have that conversation with the youth advisory committee. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I just had to send a message to the Minister of Infrastructure to confirm she remembered a conversation we had on the weekend.

Our highway system -- everybody here is, you know, drives the highway systems at one time or another. We know our highways are narrow. We know that, you know, we get blowing snow. We get dust. And one of the things that we see, you know, occasionally, and from time to time, is we see emergency vehicles assisting people on -- you know, on the highways. And so what I guess I'd like to ask the Minister is the Minister aware of safety issues related to the visibility of emergency vehicles using amber lights only? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I spent the weekend with the MLAs in Hay River, and we had lots of discussions so I was a little bit worried about which discussion we had because there were plenty, but we did have a conversation on -- you know, on the concern of the tow trucks that are out on the highway and some of the Alberta regulations versus the Northwest Territories regulations. So, yes, I'm aware of that. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. So I am pleased that the Minister was listening. Is the Minister aware of the use of combination of amber and blue lights for tow trucks in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and they use that to increase safety when they're responding to accidents? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. So the research concludes that the amber light is the most viable combination in low light conditions as well as bad weather, you know, which is often when tow operators are doing their most dangerous work. So, yes, we are aware. And that is something that we can perhaps look at. I'll leave it at that, and I'll see what other questions he has. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. So she's hitting 50 for 50 so we'll see if she passes the exam. I'd like to ask the Minister does our current legislation allow for the combination of lights to be changed? For instance, if tow trucks wanted to go to amber -- a combination of amber/blue, is that possible within current legislation? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. And I'll save the Minister some time. Yes, you have to change the regulations, and you have to change the act, and I would ask you to change the act and allow for changes in light combinations to be set in regulation, and I think that you do have some changes coming up the Motor Vehicles Act this -- you know, fairly soon, and I would ask the Minister to commit to trying to incorporate this in that -- in those changes. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, that is correct. I do have another change coming up to the Public Highways Act, and if this is something that we need to bring forward to this House, then we can do it. The motor vehicle equipment regulation is the prohibition on the blue versus amber light. So this is something that we can look into. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

In June of this year, I asked the Minister a series of questions in regards to people who presented at our hospitals and healthcare centres with suicide attempts or suicide ideations. And the Minister committed to taking my comments and concerns and asks around the supports that are provided to people away and into account and considering them. And so I'm wondering what changes have occurred to supports or responses to suicide attempts at our healthcare centres and hospitals in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you for the question. We are reviewing the suicide risk assessment tool, which has been in place since 2019, which NTHSSA staff use when someone comes to the hospital with suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. The policy runs to ten pages and talks about the ways in which staff need to respond, who needs to be involved, and what kind of a safety plan the patient leaves with. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, in June I identified that safety plans don't always happen at health centres and hospitals when somebody presents with a suicide attempt. And so how does Health and Social Services now ensure that every suicide attempt receives a safety plan when they are at the hospital or the healthcare centre? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this is the standard operating procedure, that a person leaves with a safety plan. I think that some of the confusion comes around having a standard diagnosis. Not everyone who comes in with self-harm is recorded consistently in that way or with suicidal ideation. So they may not always fall into the category of the suicide risk assessment. So it depends on what kind of information is conveyed right at the beginning. But the safety plan is required. So if the Member knows of times that safety plans have not been given to people who have suicidal ideation or self-harm from suicide, then I encourage her to have them contact quality risk management. We're always interested in improving our services. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, one of the things that Health and Social Services introduced this year from headquarters are mental health subscription boxes. But these boxes, which I believe in September the theme of the box was suicide prevention, these boxes are not made available to people in healthcare centres or in hospitals. And so I'm wondering if that is a change that the Minister is willing to make? Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I think it's fair to say that the youth subscription boxes have been more popular than we anticipated, so much so that we've made the resources available online to people who are not able to obtain one of the boxes. We are now evaluating the success of that program with a view to deciding how and when to expand it. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, might I start a new set of questions? Is that good?

You are still at a follow up. Okay, oral questions. Member for Monfwi.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. This is a question to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Madam Speaker, caribou is important to all the Indigenous people, you know, and it -- because it sustains us, and it -- for Tlicho people, it sustained us for thousands of years. And my people used to go out to the barren land for fall hunt. But since 2009, that has stopped, since that caribou restriction came into effect. My people, especially my elders, it is sad because many of my elders since 2009 have passed on, and many have never went back to barren land to go hunting since 2009 because of the caribou restriction in place. Why? Why should we go back to barren land to go hunting? You know, I mean, we can't even go hunting so why should we go back to barren land? So many of the elders have that said that. So now it's good that, you know, Lutselk'e people they still practice -- they still carry on with their tradition of going hunting in barren land.

So I just wanted to ask the Minister -- it's good that I support that livelihood because my people never had a chance. My elders never had a chance to go back to go the barren lands since 2009, but slowly we're -- it's coming back. Our school just -- our Chief Jimmy Bruneau students went out to the barren land recently. So I really admire that. But I want to ask the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources if he will apologize to the Lutselk'e people, to Lutselk'e Dene First Nation. Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister of ENR.

Thank you. I thank the Member for her beautiful Member's statement; I greatly appreciate that. In regards to the question, I've already told the Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh and Member from Great Slave, I've reached out to the chief from Lutselk'e. We are right now having a conversation, and we're working together on this. So that's what I've made a commitment to and that's what I'm going to do. Thank you, Madam Speaker.