This is page numbers 5011 - 5050 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 work.

Topics

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

Does committee agree that consideration of the Department of Justice is now complete?

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

Mahsi, committee. We will now proceed to the Department of Lands on page 65.

Lands, 2023-2024 Capital Estimates, $225,000. Does committee agree?

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

Does committee agree that consideration of the Department of Lands is now complete?

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

Mahsi, committee. We will now proceed to the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs on page 68.

Municipal and Community Affairs, 2022-2023 Capital Estimates, $29,160,000. Does committee agree?

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

May I just have a moment with the clerk for a minute here.

Mahsi, committee. There is just a typo on the dates of the capital estimates. It should have been 2023-2024.

Does committee agree that consideration of Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is now complete?

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

Mahsi, committee. We will now proceed to the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation, or it should be Housing Northwest Territories, on page 71.

I would like to remind the committee that the Housing Northwest Territories is included in the capital estimates as an information item, and the totals are not voteable. Are there any questions or comments from the committee? The summary for the Housing Northwest Territories is found on page 71. Are there any further questions or comments from the committee? Does committee agree that consideration of the Housing Northwest Territories is now complete?

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Some Hon. Members

Agreed.

Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

Take a brief moment here. Seeing no further comments, does committee agree that this concludes consideration of Tabled Document 723-19(2), Capital Estimates 2023-2024? MLA for Great Slave.

Committee Motion 333-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2) Capital Estimates 2023-2024, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I move that consideration of Tabled Document 723-19(2), Capital Estimates 2023-2024, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 723-19(2) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Committee Motion 333-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2) Capital Estimates 2023-2024, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

Mahsi. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Committee Motion 333-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2) Capital Estimates 2023-2024, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Some Hon. Members

Question.

Committee Motion 333-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2) Capital Estimates 2023-2024, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried. Tabled Document 723-19(2), Capital Estimates 2023-2024, will be reported as ready for consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill.

---Carried

Committee, we have agreed to consider Committee Report 37-19(2), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2022 Audit of Addictions, Prevention, and Recovery Services in the Northwest Territories. I will go to the chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations for any opening comments. Mr. Johnson.

Committee Motion 333-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2) Capital Estimates 2023-2024, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Committee's report was read into the record yesterday. I don't have any substantive comments at this time but I would just like to thank the work of the Office of the Auditor General, the department for their work plan, and all of committee members. Thank you.

Committee Motion 333-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2) Capital Estimates 2023-2024, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

Mahsi. I will now open the floor to general comments on Committee Report 37-19(2), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of the 2022 Audit of Addictions, Prevention and Recovery Services in the Northwest Territories. Ms. Nokleby.

Committee Motion 333-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2) Capital Estimates 2023-2024, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I just wanted to thank the committee for doing this work. I have to -- I would guess that it was difficult work to undertake, and I do believe that it would have taken a toll on the committee in some form or manner as well as it is difficult for the residents to also hear this conversation as some of my colleagues have discussed with me. So I do appreciate that it is hard work and that we are heading down a very dangerous path at the moment when it comes to wellness, particularly amongst our youth and our Indigenous youth, and I just can't stress enough how important this work is, and I hope that there will be meaningful action that comes out of this that will start to reverse some of the alarming trends that we're seeing. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Committee Motion 333-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2) Capital Estimates 2023-2024, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

Mahsi, Ms. Nokleby. Any other comments? Ms. Weyallon-Armstrong.

Committee Motion 333-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2) Capital Estimates 2023-2024, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

November 2nd, 2022

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Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, originally this was supposed to be my Member's statement. So good timing to address now at this Committee as a Whole to the AOG report. So I would like to start.

Mr. Chair, earlier this year the Auditor General of Canada published the 2022 Addictions, Prevention, and Recovery Services in the Northwest Territories Report. The audit focused on the Department of Health and Social Services addictions, prevention, and recovery services to Northwest Territories residents. The report says that the department, quote, "did not do enough to provide residents with accessible, coordinated, and culturally safe addictions services," end quote.

Given the high rates of alcohol and substance abuse in the territory, I was very disappointed to learn of these findings. The Department of Health and Social Services addictions recovery and mental health supports are inadequate and unacceptable.

Mr. Chair, I have reviewed the department's two-year work plan that is intended to respond to the Auditor General's finding. I do not see in this work plan a strong connection with Indigenous governments and communities to leverage community resources and strengthen a culturally safe approach from treatment to aftercare to evaluations.

I want to see the Department of Health and Social Services make major changes to the way programs and services are delivered in the Northwest Territories. Residents of the Northwest Territories need quality healthcare services in their communities provided in ways that respect their languages and culture now, not in five or ten years.

Mr. Chair, working towards cultural safety, by definition means having the critical consciousness to examine power dynamics and inequities within visits between healthcare providers and their patients as well as across organizations and systems. Only the client or community can tell us whether a service or system is culturally safe.

The report on mental health and addiction focuses on the need for more consultation with Indigenous governments. Consultation is a two-way street that requires people to listen to one another. A Greek philosopher once said, quote, "we have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak," end quote. This is the approach that the Government of the Northwest Territories needs to take when doing these consultations - speak less and listen more.

Mr. Chair, the Department of Health and Social Services need to listen and learn from the Indigenous governments.

Indigenous governments and communities will tell you what is culturally safe health and social services care. I cannot speak on behalf of Indigenous government but it is clear, in my region, the Tlicho government does not have faith in the Department of Health and Social Services' ability to support good mental health and addictions for Tlicho citizens.

For the last year, Tlicho government has been working on its own community-based mental health and addiction strategy - Tlicho Healing Path. The Tlicho government have also requested that the child and youth care counsellor mental health program be transferred to them. To date, this program has not been transferred, and their concerns about program delivery remain unresolved.

And finally, as we have discussed, despite concerns being brought before them, Government of the Northwest Territories is currently without an Indigenous-focused facility-based addiction treatment services having been unable to resolve its contract disputes with Poundmaker's Lodge. Thank you.

Committee Motion 333-19(2): Tabled Document 723-19(2) Capital Estimates 2023-2024, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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The Chair

The Chair Ronald Bonnetrouge

Mahsi. I'm seeing no further comments. Mr. Johnson.

Committee Motion 334-19(2): Ease Access on the Land Healing Fund, Carried
Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters

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Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommends the Department of Health and Social Services review and relax administrative requirements to access On-the-Land Healing Fund with a view to ensuring full uptake of budgeted funds in 2022-2023, and report whether the funds were dispersed. Thank you, Mr. Chair.