Welcome, everybody. Ministers' statements. Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs continues to be engaged in flood recovery, and I am pleased to provide Members with an overview of the efforts taken to date and the status of the ongoing work. Flood recovery is communities driven and supported by the territorial and federal governments. There are many actions to be coordinated:

• address local concerns and impacts;.
• provide territorial supports and processes;
• working with the federal government; and,
• The Government of the Northwest Territories continues to work with impacted community governments to ensure that they are safe and that their residents have the support they need.

The Government of the Northwest Territories will continue to support communities with emergency planning and flood recovery efforts, along with long-term work to address the climate change impacts we are experiencing with more frequent and serious natural disasters.

The 2021 flood directly impacted 91 residents and 35 businesses across five communities and costs approximately $38 million. The GNWT repaired and replaced homes and undertook mitigation measures to protect houses from future flood impacts. And in some cases, this meant rebuilding in a new location; while in others houses could be lifted.

The 2021 flood recovery project is in its final stages. There is one additional home to relocate and a small number of claims to be completed. Municipal and Community Affairs is working with Public Safety Canada on a reimbursement claim under the federal Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements.

The scope and impact of the 2022 flood is significantly larger than in 2021. As of September 15, 2022, the flood recovery cost for Hay River and the K'atlodeeche First Nation is $174 million, which may change as the recovery work continues. There have been 484 applications for disaster assistance, and 416 damage assessments completed. While many claims have been finalized, the department is working through the remainder as quickly as possible.

Madam Speaker, we continue to learn from the 2021 Flood Recovery Project and have made significant changes to how the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs supports communities and residents following a natural disaster. This includes:

• creating a more efficient process for residents and businesses to apply for assistance;
• improvements to the Disaster Assistance Program, and,
• an increase in the amount of available disaster assistance.

Municipal and Community Affairs is finalizing the 2021 After Action Review, a standard practice after large scale emergencies. The 2021 Review is scheduled for completion in early 2023. The 2022 Review is currently being planned and details will be publicly available soon.

The difficult work of mitigation planning is also underway. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is engaged closely with the Town of Hay River and the federal government to investigate federal funding opportunities for mitigation projects identified by the town. Arrangements have also been made for a community-level mitigation assessment for the K'atlodeeche First Nation. Mitigation planning is complex, and it will take time before decisions are made about which community-level mitigation projects are available for federal funding.

Madam Speaker, I want to assure residents that although we cannot control how or when natural disasters may occur, we are focusing efforts to ensure we are as prepared as possible. These preparations include completing a flood survey report with input from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Town of Hay River, and the K'atlodeeche First Nation. This is essential to flood preparation and developing mitigation measures.

We are advocating with the federal government for the development of funding programs. These programs would support long-term planning to address the impact of climate change on northern communities, from the increasing risk of floods and wildfires to permafrost degradation and shoreline erosion.

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you, first and foremost, to the tireless efforts of all the volunteers who showed up for their friends, neighbours, and for their fellow residents. Thank you to community governments and their staff for the spirit of cooperation and collaboration. Thank you to the frontline staff who have been on the ground through all the response and recovery work over the last two years.

I have said that the 2021 and 2022 floods were unprecedented. The time, effort, and complexity of the recovery has been unprecedented and has meant a tremendous amount of work for everybody involved. We are stronger when working together and we should all be proud of the resilience, generosity, and determination of Northerners when faced with emergencies. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister of Finance.

Madam Speaker, as the Minister responsible for the public service I can say without question that the employees are the GNWT's most important resource. An engaged workforce that is committed to its work is critical to the delivery of quality programs and services to residents across the territory. This is why the Government of the Northwest Territories, like many other public and private sector employers in Canada, wants to ensure that public servants are engaged and satisfied at work.

This past year, the GNWT completed the first Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey since 2016. This survey is conducted by jurisdictions across Canada. It measures employee commitment and satisfaction across all government departments and regions and serves as an important pulse check so that we can understand and respond to any areas needing improvement. The results of the survey guide dialogue between management, employees, and human resource specialists. The 2021 Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey response rate was 48.0 percent.

Madam Speaker, the majority of this year's survey indices remained relatively unchanged from the GNWT's 2016 scores. The three categories where the GNWT aggregate scored above the previous survey were development, leadership, and diversity and inclusion, with diversity and inclusion having the highest increase, 5.8 percentage points, as compared to the 2016 score. In comparison to other jurisdictions, the GNWT scored above the interjurisdictional average in over half of the questions, including for all statements under the capacity, development and excellence and innovation categories, and for two-thirds of statements under the culture category. Most notably, the GNWT scored 11.4 percentage points higher than the interjurisdictional average on the statement "my organization supports my work-related learning and development."

Madam Speaker, although we scored better in some categories than other jurisdictions, there are areas of improvement that need to be addressed, one being employee morale. Since the last 2016 survey, employee morale has gone down by 3.4 percent. While some of that decline is likely the result of running this survey in the midst of a pandemic that affected work-life balance, limited travel, and contributed to higher turnover rates; I do not consider this to be the only challenge we face, and it does not alter the need to take action.
There are also some notable disparities in scores between departments. Appropriately, departments have received individual guides with detailed results to help them interpret the survey results so that they can take the appropriate steps to address some of the challenges identified by their employees.

In addition, Madam Speaker, the Department of Finance is also establishing an interdepartmental working group with the aim of improving workplace satisfaction across the GNWT. This working group will provide concrete meaningful actions and resources for departments and agencies to adapt.

I want to thank all employees who took the time to complete the Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey. The GNWT values your input and will do everything it can to ensure you are working in a safe, healthy environment that contributes to your success and the overall success of the communities in which you serve.

Our employees' outlook, priorities and expectations are changing, Madam Speaker, and we need to remain live to these changes and adapt accordingly. I look forward to seeing the good work that will come from these survey results. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, today I feel I must continue to share my frustration and disappointment with the overall state of Housing NWT and its service delivery to all people in the NWT.

Madam Speaker, throughout this entire term, all Regular MLAs have shared stories about their constituents' negative experiences with Housing NWT, and I don't blame them. The overall state of the housing units across the NWT are several decades old and are in severe disrepair. Most of the required repairs in public housing go unaddressed for many weeks, months, or even years by housing staff. So in cases where significant repairs to a public housing unit are required but housing staff fail to examine or repair said damages, is the onus on the tenant to cover all the damages? At what point does Housing NWT take responsibility for negligence towards the maintenance of housing units? Where is the line drawn?

Moreover, Madam Speaker, several of my colleagues have recently highlighted the issue of housing arrears, particularly for low income people and the difficulty for many in paying off their housing arrears. I agree with my colleagues that there is a real need for this government to examine all policies around housing arrears. Everyone's situation is different, but often it is low income or vulnerable people who owe housing arrears in public housing and it takes them considerable time to pay that off. There has got to be a mechanism of relief or additional support provided to these types of people in situations who are indebted with mounting housing arrears.

In addition, Madam Speaker, I support the idea of having a competent and dedicated board of local housing authorities because they provide a local perspective and a voice on all housing matters within our communities. At least, they're supposed to. However, it's been brought to my attention that the local housing authority in Fort Smith does not have a full slate of members right now, which is concerning. The reasons for vacancies are varied. But it is my understanding that once a board member is chosen by the local housing authority, it takes three months to get approval out of Yellowknife from Housing NWT to confirm any new board members. That is not acceptable. It is a bureaucracy like which disempowers local housing --

Member for Thebacha, your Member's statement has expired.

Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

That is not acceptable. It is bureaucracy like that which disempowers local housing boards and gives greater power to Housing NWT to dictate local housing decisions.

In closing, Madam Speaker, I really don't like ending a session like this, but I hope the housing Minister will take note of all the concerns we have on this side of the House and will enact some positive concrete changes within Housing NWT as soon as possible. And I hope to see more houses built and more retrofits done in Fort Smith because there hasn't been anything new on this for this year. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this past four weeks my Member's statements focused on those issues residents of Hay River have concerns with and that have implications for the continued existence of our community.

Madam Speaker, one must realize, and as long as I can remember, the community of Hay River has relied on the presence of marine transportation infrastructure, whether for commercial fishing or the transportation of goods and equipment. Without a navigable harbour and channel, we may well lose our ability to provide a service that, for decades, has sustained our community and provided services to northern communities and regions accessible only by marine vessels and air.

Madam Speaker, losing the harbour could result in:

• losing marine infrastructure;
• losing the coast guard base;
• losing fisheries and oceans; and,
• the demise of the commercial fishing industry.

That, Madam Speaker, would further impact other Hay River infrastructure, business, and jobs. It may also result in an exodus of residents who find themselves unemployed and with no employment opportunities within the community. We are already seeing a decline in our population, and we must do something to reverse that before it becomes a trend.

Madam Speaker, if access to the harbour is lost, where would that leave Hay River and the Northwest Territories? Currently, we all know that the railhead terminates in Hay River, and we all know that highway freight destined for those isolated and remote communities, or resource development projects, ends up at Island C where it is transferred to barges.

Madam Speaker, we have Cheetah Resources on the east side of Great Slave Lake needing access to our harbour for marshalling of their rare earth mineral concentrate. We have Osisko Metals needing the railhead to transport ore from the old Pine Point mine site to processing facilities in the south. We have projects, such as Sabina Gold in Nunavut, relying on our harbour to get material and equipment to site.

Madam Speaker, as this House does not resume sitting until February next year, then going forward and at every opportunity between now and then, I expect this government to relay a strong message to the federal government and that message being that the revitalization of the Hay River Harbour is a priority for the stakeholders, for the town of Hay River, and for the Northwest Territories, and that we need their support. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I want to talk about access to electrical power for Tlicho residents living on Highway No. 3.

Madam Speaker, the Tlicho people have historically lived in small encampments and have come together for special events such as weddings, funerals, successful hunt, and other celebrations. Some Tlicho residents still live in encampments, cabins, and houses along Highway No. 3. Madam Speaker, in the House on June 3rd of this year, the Minister of Infrastructure called the Whati Transmission Line, quote, "a key initiative under our 2030 Energy Strategy," end quote. But what is the plan for getting these homes along Highway No. 3 off diesel power?

Madam Speaker, the Minister told the House the Whati Transmission Line will occur 100 percent on Tlicho lands, and she said that the Department of Infrastructure and Tlicho government were working together, quote, "to determine an acceptable routing corridor for the transmission line between the Snare Forks hydroelectricity facility and Whati." When the authorities came to Behchoko to request access through Tlicho lands for the power lines from Snare hydro to Yellowknife, they promised Behchoko residents would have free access to the power on Tlicho lands. Madam Speaker, residents along the highway cannot always depend on portable generators to power their homes and their freezers after a successful hunt. We already have a fibre optic line along the highway and the addition of electrical lines might be accomplished at reasonable price. I will have question for the Minister of Infrastructure at the appropriate time. Thank you, or Finance.

Thank you, Member. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, November is Indigenous Disability Month. According to the most recent data, in 2012, there were over 2700 persons with disabilities in the NWT. Of those, 62 percent were Indigenous yet the total Indigenous population of the NWT in 2012 was only 48 percent.

Vital Abel was a former NWT Legislative Assembly employee who left behind a legacy of strength and inspiration. Vital Manuel Abel would have been familiar to MLAs in the '90s as the former assistant to Premier Stephen Kakfwi. Vital was from Fort Good Hope, where he was born with developmental disabilities caused by spina bifida. He spent his life in a wheelchair but was taught from a young age to not let his challenges limit him.

Vital's parents taught him to never depend on anyone. He arrived in Yellowknife in Grade 10 and attended Sir John Franklin High School in my riding. After graduating, he worked in MLA Stephen Kakfwi's office for over ten years. Premier Kakfwi referred to Vital as a good worker, who was faithful and positive and always on time. Vital was an avid churchgoer who never missed a service and was always the first to show up for worship. His parents were so proud of him and all he accomplished in his short life. Vital died in 2006 at the age of 32. Spiritually, he was incredibly strong and continues to be a source of inspiration to people in our territory.

Persons with disabilities in the North face many challenges, including having to relocate to Yellowknife to access supports. Often this means entire families move with children, as is the case of the family in Lanky Court I spoke of yesterday. As winter sets in, we must remember that what many of us take for granted, the ability to walk through the freshly fallen snow, poses great challenges for others. For people with disabilities, this means they can no longer go to school, no longer easily pick up groceries, no longer run other small errands. They fear fire because the simple act of leaving their apartment is no longer possible.

Madam Speaker, REITs, landlords, and Housing NWT all have a responsibility to ensure that the entrances and walkways of all the buildings in Yellowknife are free of snow and ice such that every person in our territory can move about freely, without barriers. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Our government's open government policy commits to our public service being open by design to build a government that is open by default. And Madam Speaker, it is my experience that the exact opposite is true - that, in fact, we are closed by design and closed by default. And this is shown, Madam Speaker, in the repeated requests that myself and committees have made for information that is inevitably either marked confidential or not provided at all. Every year when the capital budget comes forward, I give the same speech about wanting to see the same documents made public. And to date, none of them have been made public. I am going to just summarize a few of those documents that I believe should be public and if ATIPP would certainly be made public, the government should proactively disclose.

One is the GNWT's 20-year capital needs assessment. This is a document that shows the GNWT what it thinks it needs to build over the next 20 years. I think this would be very helpful for residents to look in their community and maybe they could see when their school or health centre was due to be replaced. Additionally, the government has a five-year needs assessment. This one is a little more particular and has actually had some financial input put into it whereas the 20-year needs assessment is more of a wish list, and we know things are going to change. It doesn't necessarily mean. But five years out, quite a bit of financial work has been done and it's actually more likely we're going to build that. This document exists. I think it would be great public information. Once again, a five-year capital plan of any sort we have should be made public. Right now we have a one-year snapshot of what's being built with no timeline of what is actually occurring, whether things are on time, whether something was completed, and it takes repeated questions in this House to actually figure out when a project was finished on budget and on time, as many are not.

Additionally, Madam Speaker, you can see in our capital budget a number of just one-line descriptions of projects but we know there is a briefing note describing each of those projects in a little bit more detail. I think this would be great public information. Perhaps someone is interested to know why the student records module replacement completion date moves up every single year it is presented in the capital budget. And I'd rather not waste all of my committee's time and all of Cabinet Members' time asking year after year if we could simply disclose that information in the briefing note which already exists. I'll have questions for the Minister of Finance, who presently holds all of these documents, whether she will make them public. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Mahsi, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, as this is the final day of the fall session, I would like to commend my colleagues on both sides of the floor for understanding each other. We all come here to make a difference and to make life easier and better for the residents of this vast territory. It is very trying in our efforts when having to deal with limited and challenging budgets for all departments. The staff who put up with us day in and day out, you're all loved, and we appreciate everything that you do for us.

To the ones who live with deep depression and feel there is no other way out, believe me you are loved, and we are all here for you. Your life doesn't have to fall to pieces as there most likely is a better day. That could be later in the day, it could be tomorrow, or it could be the next day, and perhaps all the other days of your life. Please do not give up; we care.

I would like to commend the housing Minister for providing assistance to the young family with the baby in Paulatuk by providing them a warm house that gives them comfort from the cold environment of our North. Mahsi to the Minister.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I would like to wish everyone who may be struggling with addictions and chronic diseases the best of health and the warm embrace of our Creator. We don't ask for anything more than the simplest things that life has to offer. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Member. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today, Madam Speaker, I just want to say thank you to all the Members here in the House, both sides that we worked the last three weeks together to try do good for our territory, and I think we did a good job and we'll just keep moving ahead and working together. There's some issues that need to be dealt with but we'll get them dealt with. And just by saying that, my colleague Mr. Bonnetrouge really said it well in regards to thanking the staff and really we're able to do our jobs because of them, all the research that goes into some of the stuff that we deal with.

I'd really like to thank all my community, my mayors, my councillors, my community corp chairs, the board of directors for the community corporations, the elders committees, my local DEAs, and especially, these days, is our recreation staff and the hamlet staff that are doing so much in all our communities to provide service for our constituents.

I'd also like to say thank you to my CA Vince Teddy. Thank you for all the hard work that you do for me. And I wouldn't be able to do what I do without my wife Jenny. I'd like to thank my wife Jenny because I wouldn't be able to do what I do without her support back home. And also would like to make sure that on November 11th, making sure that we keep that special day and all Members make sure, if possible, to make it to the Remembrance Day ceremonies wherever we are at the time. Make sure to do so in our great territory. Also I would like to thank our veterans for their service, our active members, 1 CRPG, and all my Ranger brothers and sisters, to have that day close at hand. And everybody, we'll see you in two weeks. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Member. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, health system researchers identify two potential ways to reduce health system costs - prevention through public health education and ensuring people take their medication. When I was a university student, our high school English teacher and his wife were sent to Edmonton where their baby was born premature. I went up to U of A Hospital where they sat teary eyed waiting for their tiny baby to finish her first surgery. Their baby Katie survived her surgery, persevered through childhood, set territorial records at this year's Canada Summer Games, and is now a third year university science student with a 3.95 GPA. Today, Katie is the NWT's only resident with cystic fibrosis.

Katie, who's sights are set on speech pathology, is deciding where to accept a job offer on graduation. But the cost of her medication plays a key role in deciding where to call home. Katie takes two medications - a nationally publicly-funded Trikafta at $300,000 per year and a second one that the GNWT helps support at $12,000 per year. If proposed changes to the specified disease program move forward, Katie will no longer receive GNWT support for her medication. Ironically, half of the Canadian provinces, also desperate for speech pathologists, will cover Katie's second medication.

Madam Speaker, Katie's story is one of many. I also serve single parents who exceed the income threshold but live on the poverty line with the North's high cost of living. NWT residents who sit above the income threshold but whose medications would cost roughly $20,000 a year, and others who would choose more opportunities for family and reduce medications for themselves.

The income threshold chosen by the GNWT are below liveable wages, and liveable wages do not account for high costs of life saving medications. Beyond the strain this will put on northern residents, this also stands to further strain our healthcare system.

With this change, many Northerners will join other Canadians who face decisions to not fill their prescriptions, take smaller doses than ordered, or cut back on food, heat, and family expenses to try to cover drug costs that, for some, will be suffocating, and mismanaging medications ultimately drives up hospitalization.

Hospitals now dominate all healthcare systems in high income countries. Canadian annual hospital care is roughly $77 billion. The average hospital stay in the NWT is almost twice the national average at just over, ironically, $12,000. Madam Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement for the first time this sitting.

---Unanimous consent granted

Very big thank you, colleagues. Madam Speaker, this is not a whole-of-system thinking policy change. This is a quick fix that looks at one budgetary line item in a vacuum with potentially harmful impacts to the health of other Northerners and the health of the system's collective bottom line. I urge this government to reconsider. They do not have a grasp on how many people will no longer qualify for support and, ultimately, what the cost will be to the system. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, with COVID pandemic moving to an endemic we are seeing the closure of events moving to opening of events. I'm happy to advise the House that Open Sky hosted its 20th festival at the beginning of September. I was able to partake in some of the events during the September long weekend. The festival is usually celebrated annually, and this was the first festival since 2019 and the beginning of the COVID pandemic.

They celebrated with a weekend full of workshops, vendors, and music. For this special festival they chose the theme of "Deh Cho Boogie" with a logo designed of a guitar playing kiwi bird. This year was special to them and the community as it was their 20th anniversary and to remember the late founding member Lindsey "Kiwi" Waugh.

Throughout the festival, they counted about 95 to 120 visitors per day, which was a great turnout for them. Visitors were able to participate in one or more of the 15 different workshops offered during the weekend, such as soapstone carving, earring making, or painting, Listen to some music, meeting with friends, and enjoy some of the local bakery and seeing what the other eight vendors had to offer in locally made arts and crafts.

One of the highlights was the cake cutting on Saturday. The hosts were lucky to have Pat Waugh, her daughter and grandchildren, do the cake cutting. This event attracted lots of people to stop by which then enjoyed other activities being offered.

Organizers would like to thank everybody who joined them in celebrating the 20th anniversary, participating in the workshops, and Fort Simpson for being such a welcoming community. As well, a huge shout out to all the sponsors without whom they wouldn't be able to offer such an amazing event.

Madam Speaker, we are already looking forward to next years festival. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Member. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife South.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, as MLAs, one of the platforms that we use to raise support for causes is here in the Chamber. Younger generations, meanwhile, are often very effective on platforms like TikTok and YouTube to get their voices out to those who will listen. One of my young constituents is one of those youths using social media platforms very effectively, and I want her to know that people are listening.

She had recently posted to Facebook a video sharing the reality of what too many young people are still facing every day at school. The video showed, for example, what it feels like to be someone who doesn't look athletic, as in relatively thin in stature, let's say, and so may be the last person chosen to participate on a team and yet also faces negative judgmental comments along the way. It showed an example of the kinds of stereotyping that happens based on a person's experience and appearance.

For another example, that a female who might not dress in what is a traditionally feminine manner can be judged for not being female enough. But if she dresses in a manner that magazine or pop culture tells us is feminine, they too can then be labelled for a variety of derogatory comments and ways. As if one's choice of clothing implies some kind of commitment about our values, our morals, our aspirations, or our desires.

Madam Speaker, what my young constituent had to say about that, I quote, "it sucks." I remember to this day comments made about my clothing that had, by necessity, to be inexpensive. I remember to this day comments about my body shape because it didn't portray the athleticism that was underneath it. I don't carry any hurt from that any longer, but I do carry an awareness of the importance of kindness and the need for courage to ask why we say such things to one another in the first place.

Madam Speaker, I see so much strength in young people today, particularly women and gender-diverse people. I see people wearing clothing that is about style and not necessarily conforming to rigid or narrow norms of beauty. And I see people enjoying activities because of the joy that they bring and not only because it is something they are supposed to do, or worse, not to. Clearly, we are not yet where we should be in terms of being the truly inclusive, respectful, or equitable society. But I'm very proud for my young constituent for getting this message out. I would not have had the courage to call out this kind of negativity when I was her age. But I do have the opportunity now to support and raise her voice from where I stand today. With youth like her and her friends out there, I can see and do believe we are on a good path to accelerate social change. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Member. Members' statements. Member for Range Lake.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. This week I've delivered Member statements on the theme of Remembrance Day. As Remembrance Day approaches, I want to take some time to honour those who aren't always talked about when it comes to the sacrifices made by the men and women who represent our nation and help defend democracy so people around the world can live free of oppression.

Madam Speaker, when someone is asked to defend our nation, they leave behind family, friends, children, parents, and loved ones. These people continue to go to work, take care of their home and children, they live their lives while wondering if their loved one will ever come home again. The wounds of war stretch far beyond the battle fields where men and women have fought valiantly in the name of their country. The lives of many have been impacted by war. It's important we remember and honour those who continue to live with the tragic impacts of combat and peacekeeping missions that Canada has been involved with during its existence. Many of us will hopefully never have to experience the dread of hugging a loved one as they get shipped off to war. Many of us will never have to experience that knock on the door when they find out their loved one won't be coming home. Many of us will never have to fill that hole left by a husband, wife, partner, child, or friend, who gave their life in the name of freedom.

To all those who have experienced the challenges of having someone close to you serve their country, we see you. We appreciate all that you have sacrificed. As a nation, we are here for you. Madam Speaker, on behalf of all my family who are watching, I want to say that we love you, Mom. Tally ho, Dad. Madam Speaker, Lest we Forget.

Thank you. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. There are a lot of people before -- first, I'd like to acknowledge Tom McLennan who is one of our newly elected Yellowknife city councillors. Welcome to the Chamber.

I also have a group -- there's a group here from -- I believe it's pronounced Videa. And in that group we have Kate Herchak, Taleetha Tait, Diane Anawak-Dunford, Ruth Kaviok, Delaney Drachenberg, and Twyla Etchinelle. I'm not sure if I'm saying everyone's name right, I apologize, but as a Nokleby I feel that pain. So thank you, and welcome to the Chamber.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Thebacha.

Madam Speaker, I'd like to recognize a constituent of Thebacha, Ms. Sheila Sharp, who has come to Yellowknife today to accept an award that she will be receiving tonight. I will share more about that during acknowledgements. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today I'd like to welcome CEO of Arctic Research Foundation, Mr. Adrian Schimnowski, in the House. And then we have my CA Vince Teddy. Thank you, and welcome to the House.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'd just like to recognize two of our Yellowknife North pages who are here this week - Willem Kanigan and Cole Avery. Thank you, guys.

Thank you. I'd like to welcome -- if we have missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the chamber and I hope you're enjoying the proceedings. It's always nice to have an audience.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Member for Thebacha.

Madam Speaker, I would like to acknowledge Thebacha constituent Sheila Sharp, who received a life saving award from the Order of St. John. Sheila was recognized for her heroic efforts in saving three individuals from a fatal car crash in 2018 along the Fort Smith Highway.

The mission of the order of St. John is to prevent and relieve sickness and injury and to act to enhance the health and well-being of people anywhere in the world. Congratulations, Sheila.

Thank you. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, can the Minister responsible for MACA confirm if his department has or is considering funding the Kole Crook Fiddle Association proposal to host a fiddle jamboree in his home community coming this January in Fort Simpson? Thank you.

Thank you. Minister of MACA.

Thank you. I'm going to embarrass the a Member a bit here. I'd like to thank him very much for his advocacy for the youth, especially when it comes to something as important as recreation opportunities for our youth. He's been very good at getting across the message, whether it's with his riding or other ridings, so I'd like to thank him for that.

What I can do is I can confirm the department is working closely with the Kole Crook Fiddle Association to support their upcoming fiddle jamboree in January and MACA and Kole Crook Fiddle Association has entered into a one-year funding agreement to support the fiddle jamboree this year. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this is a little more personal I guess. Will the Minister let us know how proficient he is in the art of playing the fiddle and if he will be taking part in the fiddle jamboree? Thank you.

Thank you, and I thank the Member for that. I'm really good at TV control, the stereo. I can play the fiddle perfectly that way. I can actually find it on YouTube. I started out very young trying the fiddle, and I was told to go play sports. So I enjoy it. I enjoy the fiddle, but yeah, that's all I can say. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, will the Minister confirm if his department is aware of all the excellent work the Kole Crook Fiddle Association provides to youth throughout the NWT, which includes

• Fiddling music lessons for children and youth of all ages;
• Having young advanced fiddlers teach the beginners;
• Lending and gifting instruments to those that may not be able to afford them;
• Conducting work shops in communities throughout the NWT; and,
• Providing students an opportunity to participate in music and music festival and events.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I get to proudly say I was part of the first Kole Crook Fiddle organization when one of the cofounders, Lewis Beck, reached out to the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and said hey, I got this great idea, we'd like to recognize Kole Crook for all his great work and this is what we're trying to do. So the Member explained perfectly what the Kole Crook Fiddle Association does. But I think the most important thing it's the love that they're able to provide our youth. This has made a huge impact on a number of youth across the Northwest Territories. So I can again say that the department is well aware of the work that this organization is doing, and we're very happy to be coworkers working with them moving forward. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the Kole Crook Fiddle Association is committed to teaching not only youth but people of all ages the art of playing the fiddle and other musical instruments. It is important that this government support not only sports but the arts as well.

Therefore, Madam Speaker, will the Minister commit to considering a proposal from the Kole Crook Fiddle Association for a three-year funding agreement that would provide longevity and support for the excellent work they do for our youth in the NWT? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, again, it just reverts to the first question. When the Member reached out to me, we had a conversation and we looked at their one-year proposal. And one of the things we talked about was we need to expand it. We can expand it for up to three years. So I guess I can commit to a new multi-three-year agreement with the Kole Crook Fiddle Association on top of the one year we already got right now. The association submitted a proposal. We're going back and forth to fix up the second and third year again. So again, I would like to confirm that we are working on a multiyear agreement with them. And, again, I thank the Member for keeping us on our toes and advocating for this organization moving forward. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. On October 25th, 2022, the Minister brought her assistant deputy minister for energy into the House to talk about pre-feasibility work in June of this year for hydro projects such as the one in Gameti. They said they would be working with the Tlicho government on technical studies in next fiscal year.

Can the Minister commit to completing a feasibility study to see what the cost would be to connect residents along Highway No. 3 to the new electrical grid? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister for Infrastructure.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, the Member is correct. We did have a meeting with the Tlicho government to advance the project. The phase that we're working on right now is to be advanced, which includes some of the preliminary planning. There is design, consultation, engagement activities, environmental baseline studies, and also development of a refined capital costs estimate. And I think that's really important, Madam Speaker, as we advance these projects. We need to ensure that the cost estimates are correct so when we go to the federal government looking for some support, that we have up-to-date cost estimates. And, yes, I will work with the government and continue to work with the government as I believe that's what we're doing now. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. On October 31st, I asked the Minister of Finance about the charging station for electrical vehicles coming to Behchoko in 2024. Who are these charging stations for? Is the government more concerned with seeing electrical vehicles on the road along Highway No. 3 over hydro lines connecting Highway No. 3 homes and cabins to the grid? Tlicho residents do not drive electric vehicles because many of us are still using diesel to power our homes. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I'm not sure if I heard a question in there. But I will respond to the Member's comments in saying that, yes, the Minister of Finance did talk about the budget and the electrical vehicles. This is part of our 2030 Energy Strategy, Madam Speaker. These are some of the projects that we need to start doing now to be able to meet targets, meet federal targets. So, I mean, yes, the electrical vehicles will be situated in Behchoko, and our hope is that it would be used for anybody that needs to connect to the corridor to Alberta. So those are our plans right now. Thank you.

Yeah, I did ask who are these charging stations for, but I'll go on to next questions.

The Minister previously told the House in June her department would finalize the routing corridor for the Whati Transmission Line by fall 2022. Did the department meet this target? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, that was our hope. We did look at some of the options on the routing. We're trying to connect the Whati to the North Slave hydro system, to go along the existing winter road roughly about the east -- to the west side to be able to connect to our current hydro facility directly. So I can get back to the Member in terms of timeline for when we will have it done. Thanks.

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

Thank you. The Minister said the Department of Infrastructure would collaborate with the Tlicho government on the routing corridor. Can the Minister explain in detail what input the Tlicho government have on the project and how they participated? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, how much time do we have? Because we've been doing a lot of -- having a lot of conversation and if she wants me to go in detail, I can. It'll take some time but I won't. Actually, I will speak a little more about some of the meetings we had the Tlicho government to be able to discuss this project, including the Tlicho government's suggested use of a progressive design build approach. We also -- which consisted with the GNWT, Tlicho government, Infrastructure cooperation agreement. So we have that agreement in place so that we can work with the Tlicho government and, you know, be able to determine who should lead the different aspects of this project, and I think that's important to involve Tlicho government in this. They provided the GNWT with the proposal to initiate some of the technical refresh study to identify an acceptable routing corridor for the project, also update the cost estimate as I mentioned. So the GNWT and Tlicho are working together in a partnership to do this study, which started in May. And fall is not over. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, yesterday I received a very negative response from the housing Minister on behalf of some constituents. In short, there is now an Indigenous elderly woman, along with her daughter, who are now homeless and couch surfing. It is moments like these that I feel demoralized, defeated, and disgusted at the system.

Can the Minister explain if her department supports reconciliation despite putting more vulnerable Indigenous people onto the street with some of her decisions? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Housing NWT.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you to the Member for her question. And just commenting on this specific file, we have seen a lot of situations like this occur throughout the Northwest Territories. We are currently under a policy review. We are looking at establishing and working with the renewal document that we have completed this year. Throughout the success of Housing NWT, we are concentrated on putting units on the ground, working with people productively, and looking for positive outcomes. We have a number of programs that are suitable for each of the residents of the Northwest Territories, and Housing NWT does work diligently with each of the clients throughout the Northwest Territories. We do support our local housing authorities in them establishing work on our behalf. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, defeating a person who is trying to make things right is not okay. My constituent is correcting herself and is trying to better her life. Rather than working with other departments in an integrated case management approach to support this person, the housing Minister is choosing instead to shut the door on her and have her to be homeless. Is the Minister okay with that? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. And I want to correct that - Housing is not here to completely say "no" to each of our clients and we do find problematic situations with our tenants. We are here to work with them fairly throughout the Northwest Territories. I have identified a number of programming that is available to the individual, and we are there to support each of our tenants fairly throughout the Northwest Territories and through a collaboration with the Indigenous governments as well. We look forward to successes in each of our communities. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, since the Minister is also the Minister of Homelessness, the unfairness of another constituent case is not okay either. Defending staff who make wrong decisions is not okay. My constituent who lost his house to a tornado has to crawl onto an airplane every time he flies because of his mobility issues. This is a man who worked 35 years for the Government of the Northwest Territories and trusted the system to be fair with him but was failed. Is the Minister okay with that? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I know it is inappropriate to be speaking about individual client files on the floor of this House, but I do want to remind the Member as well that housing does react and does provide adequate services when we are looking at residents that have extreme conditions that have suffered extraordinary circumstances - fires, evacuations, floods. We have been there to provide assistance to the people of the Northwest Territories in trying to accommodate them as quickly as possible. Some of these residents did not have to wait on the waitlist. Some of them did not even have an application, and we were there to provide fair and adequate client service to each of these individuals. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

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

Madam Speaker, will the Minister admit that her department made a mistake and also commit to compensate my constituent for lost funds that he should have never spent on market rental housing because he should have been moved to public housing? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Housing NWT is currently in the role right now of looking at our policy changes. We are speaking with the Indigenous groups, stakeholders at the ground level. When we're providing adequate services, we're looking at the threshold that is provided. Unfortunately, at this time, the individual was only able to access market housing. But we were able to efficiently provide housing in such an unusual circumstance and in such an emergency. Housing and the local housing authority as well did provide that adequate assistance. And right now, Madam Speaker, we are looking at putting more houses on the ground in each of these communities. And I want to just confirm right now that Housing is going to be constructing two units under our co-investment fund and also through our CIRNAC allocation of federal funding, we're putting in additional four units in the Member's riding, Madam Speaker. I feel that Housing has done a fair and adequate client service throughout the Northwest Territories, and I continue to support my department. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

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

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, before I ask my questions, it's been a very long session and I appear to have mixed up two very strong men in my Member's statement, Chief Vital Abel and Vital Manuel. So I would like to apologize to Mr. Manuel's parents. I did mix that up, and it has been a really long session. So my apologies there.

My questions are for the Minister of Housing. As I mentioned yesterday, there were issues with accessibility for some of the residents in the Lanky Court Apartments. Can the Minister speak to whether or not the snow clearing of the boardwalk has been done? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Housing NWT.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you to the Member too. This is such an important question as well too when we're working with people with disabilities and trying to provide adequate services. The snow removal, according to the last update that I was given, has been completed. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. And I do appreciate the Minister's office responding quite quickly and having that done so that the student can return to school this week.

Can the Minister speak to -- we are going to have a greater snowfall this year. That has been predicted and such. And it just does seem to happen that we're getting these greater and greater sort of weather events. Can the Minister speak to how this is going to go moving forward? I do understand that it is the owner of the property's responsibility to clear and keep the accesses and entrances clear of snow and ice; however, there is an obligation from the Housing NWT to do this as well. So can the Minister speak to how she's going to ensure that the snow removal continues through this winter? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, as well. And just putting on my workers' safety and compensation hat as well too, that this is a priority within our government in Housing facilities. I will follow up with the department to making sure that we have adequate safe entrances in our buildings that we either lease or that we either own. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'm going to segue a little bit on the housing minister. And could she provide us with an update on what's happening with the Inuvik shelter and whether or not a contractor has been found there? Thank you.

Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Presently through the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, we require every single municipality to have an asset management plan. This essentially lists every single asset and piece of infrastructure they own, its operation and maintenance, and then a life cycle replacement cost. And obviously we would require this to be public because we don't let municipalities do things in-camera. But the GNWT, as far as I know, doesn't have any asset management plan. The closest thing we have is a 20-year capital needs assessment which lists the assets we own and what we could relatively expect to replace over 20 years. This is not -- I must admit I haven't seen a recent version of this, and it's not a public document. So my question for the Minister of Finance is whether that is something she would be willing to publish? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I think this question actually came up, or a version of it, during Committee of the Whole. And the Members were assured there is an asset management plan, and there is a very thorough process by which we are keeping track of all of the assets of the government and the capital needs and any, you know, needs for maintenance, etcetera, through all the departments, particularly the Department of Infrastructure.

Now with respect to where the question actually got to, which is whether or not we'll be publishing a 20-year capital -- or the 20-year capital needs assessment, Madam Speaker, again as I think I said earlier in COW this session, that's a snapshot in time. It's not a detailed document. Actually, we did do a bit of a scan -- because this conversation does come up every session, did do a bit of a jurisdictional scan and we were sitting quite nicely in the middle of the pack. Most of the other jurisdictions we looked at provide similarly high-level documents. Member gave me a heads up on Alberta, for example. Not a single dollar figure is in that, Madam Speaker. It's really just meant to be a snapshot. And in appendix B of the capital plan, you can actually look there and see exactly how we developed that capital plan and the priorities therein. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I think I'll have to ask Infrastructure whether they have an asset management plan and will make it public. I'll put them on notice there.

Okay, so my understanding is then we have a five-year needs assessment as well which is a bit less of a snapshot in time and that it -- perhaps some financial thinking has actually gone into it, and if you've made it into the five-year needs assessment, probably much more likely to actually be funded. Is this document something the Minister is willing to publish?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, Members of the House do receive the five-year plan. Again, consensus government's a little bit different. This isn't necessarily how it would happen in a lot of governments elsewhere in Canada. But we do have that opportunity here to do things a bit differently. So Members do receive that. The public doesn't get a copy of the five-year plan, and the real and simple reason for that is the concern around ensuring fairness in the procurement process. If a total budget is put forward on a project, then there is a live concern amongst procurement that, in fact, every bid's going to bid to the project price rather than ensuring a competitive process in tendering. So that's the reason the plan doesn't get published, Madam Speaker. We have tried to put some more information out this year. There was a graphic included, for example, in the capital plan that was provided. So, you know, again trying to get a bit more information out and make it more user friendly. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Speaker. The other document which I would like to see, which I'm actually not sure exists -- I know we have a five-year needs assessment showing what we need. But whether we have a multiyear capital plan? I note I can go to the infrastructure acquisition plan and it shows we are currently planning to spend $1.4 billion in the future years. But there's certainly nothing that shows what we've already spent, the listing projects, whether things are on time, whether things are completed, if something gets completed -- well, we don't ever actually know that and we certainly never see a final cost of any project publicly listed anywhere. So I think some sort of planning document would be very helpful. Is the Minister willing to create a multiyear capital plan? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I'm going to take a bit from my colleague down the way here and the Minister of Infrastructure. The Department of Infrastructure really does have the lead for a large portion of the capital projects that go through, and that department, in response to concerns like this, is actually developing a dashboard. It will be a public dashboard and will be providing exactly the kind of synopsis that the Member's describing. And I can certainly commit to keep him updated as to the progress on that dashboard, or I'm sure my colleague will. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Find supplementary. Member for Yellowknife North.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Speaker. Yeah, and I'd be very interested to know whether Infrastructure is going to include the projects that don't fall under it. You know, I know we're building quite a number of long-term care facilities under Health and Social Services that -- not under Infrastructure, as an example.

And lastly, in our capital plan, we get one sentence description of projects, and then what happens is Members kind of ask, you know, what's going on with this playground fencing? Or we just ask these tedious questions that takes us hours and hours of review to get any information out there publicly. But I know that the departments have some sort of brief description more than one sentence. And I'm just wondering if those descriptions would be something the Minister would be willing to publish with future capital plans. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. So, again, Madam Speaker, that unusual consensus government process is that Members who would be on these sort of, quote unquote, "other side of the House" do get what are called substantiation sheets. That does give a fair bit of detail about upcoming projects. And it does include the budgetary detail that, again, right now most governments would consider to be not part of good procurement practice to be sharing publicly. So that's why those don't go out. But the point of the dashboard -- a part of the dashboard, the purpose of the dashboard I was just describing, is exactly that, to give that snapshot of where projects are at and what has been spent on them. So, again, looking forward to having that out in public so that hopefully there will come a year where we don't have to have this conversation during the capital session. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister responsible for integrated service delivery, the Minister of Justice. The GNWT committed to integrated service delivery as a whole-of-government approach at the onset of the government. Is shifting the entire system of the GNWT, the whole-of-government integrated service delivery, still within the short or long-term focus of the government? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Justice.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, it is. I would have liked to see more progress on this during the life of this government, but we had quite an ambitious mandate. We dealt with COVID. And we weren't able to put the time into working on integrating services the way I would have liked to see. But it is definitely still a priority for us and for me personally. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I completely agree with the Minister that it needs to be a priority and that it stands to not only better serve Northerners, but it stands to actually save the government quite a bit of money on their bottom line every year.

Earlier this year, the Minister spoke about the challenges associated with privacy laws when trying to provide residents with a multi-departmental approach to service delivery. How is the GNWT addressing this and on what timeline? Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Recently there was a report done that looked at our attempts to integrate services and some of the barriers. And out of that report there were things identified such as these privacy issues. And so from that steps have been taken. Departments are working on addressing those issues. So that work is happening, and it is ongoing. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, Recommendation No. 9 of the Report of the Review of the 2022 Audit of Addictions, Prevention and Recovery Services that was tabled by the Standing Committee on Government Operations recommended that the Department of Health and Social Services and the health and social services authorities set up a distinct method for frontline staff to identify barriers to care and cultural safety or propose better practices and policies on an ongoing basis and provide a timeline for implementation.

So will the Minister responsible for integrated service delivery ensure that a similar frontline feedback loop exists for all frontline staff within the government? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. And I wish I could commit to that. You know, I've spoken about that for years. But that's another area that we are working on. And I wish I had better answers. This is a work in progress. When you have something that includes all of government, it is -- it's a big project. You have a number of departments. Everyone needs to be on the same page. Everyone needs to be on the same timelines. Everyone needs to be available for the same meetings and there's only so many people to go around. So we are plugging away at it, and we are taking steps in that direction. Thank you.

Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I must admit that I do find this very frustrating. It's something that we as Members have been talking about on both sides of the House for the life of this Assembly, but it doesn't seem to be something that really we can move the bar on. And it's very frustrating given how reliant our constituents are on more than one service in order to be able to address their basic needs of life.

So in March of this year, Madam Speaker, the Minister indicated that before income assistance and Housing NWT could provide integrated service delivery that they needed to first agree on principles and standards of practice. Can the Minister confirm if these principles and standards of practice have been agreed on and when integrated service delivery between housing and income assistance will be visible for residents? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I'll have to get back to the Member on that. But as we are doing reviews of different programs, for example in ECE, we are taking steps to try and adjust the programs so that we can move towards something like this so that, you know, whether you are an ECE representative or, you know, you worked in the housing frontline, you will have perhaps -- we're trying to free up time, streamline processes, so that departments can work more closely together. But for the Member's specific question, I will get back to her. Thank you.

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

A question for the Minister of Housing. Madam Speaker, increasingly the federal government is providing housing funding directly to Indigenous government. It is critical for Housing NWT to develop relationships with Indigenous government and support the capacity of Indigenous government to deliver housing to NWT residents. What services or support is Housing NWT providing to Indigenous government? Thank you.

Thank you, Member. Minister of Housing NWT.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you to the Member for the question. Developing these relationships with the Indigenous government, for me, is crucial. I myself come from a smaller community. I come from a settled land claim area and also with self-government within my riding as well too. And I feel that these partnerships are crucial. This is the way that we need to be addressing housing together. In the Member's riding, we do have an established working group with Indigenous governments as well. We do have an active community housing plan throughout her riding as well. And with Whati being the first community housing plan to be completed, this plan identifies crucial housing needs coming right from the grassroots level. I would like to see this document as a lobbying document to the federal government. And with the Member's success in her riding that her Indigenous government received a significant amount through the distinction-based funding that was distributed throughout the Northwest Territories. And I continue to be working with those positive working relationships and developing them with the Indigenous governments throughout the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Madam Speaker.

Thank you. What capacity building initiatives are being developed by Housing NWT to support Indigenous government? Thank you.