Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I'll be brief. Today I will speak of pandemic restrictions here in the Northwest Territories. Firstly, out of respect and appreciation, it is important to acknowledge the work that Dr. Kandola and her medical team have undertaken over the past two years in working to protect the health of all residents in the Northwest Territories - something that must not be lost on us - and for this I say "thank you."
Mr. Speaker, this pandemic has impacted all our daily lives. It required engaging medical science as lives were being lost. It forced governments to make timely decisions. Hospitals were overrun with patients; elective surgeries cancelled; medical staff were overworked, harassed and threatened; mental health issues on the rise. Businesses were forced to close; workers being laid off; employees terminated for refusing the vaccine; employees required to work remotely; increased cost of goods; closed borders; limited in-class learning; children being shamed in schools; children being kept from grandparents and friends; extended care facilities locked down; vaccine mandates and travel restrictions became a reality; science has been questioned; charter and human rights have been questioned; religious rights have been questioned; big pharma ethics are questioned; many are living in fear; mistrust of government; and the list goes on.
Mr. Speaker, the responsibility for developing a plan to limit the impact of the virus fell on the shoulders of medical experts, not only in the Northwest Territories but throughout Canada and the world. Now this government has had two plus years in which to develop a plan that moves us from pandemic restrictions to an endemic response. We need to bring back some normality to the lives of people in the NWT. How this unfolds is a discussion that, if not already started, needs to start now. An exit plan needs to be developed, communicated to the public, and actioned.
To reach our end goal we must continue to provide ongoing medical support and protection to the most vulnerable. We must continue to make decisions that are based in fact, and those facts must be balanced. They must consider scientific information which include health, the economy, and freedoms on all sides of the debate.
Mr. Speaker I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted.
Mr. Speaker, it is time for this government to end the public health emergency and, as are other governments, to systematically rollback pandemic restrictions in order that those fractures created begin to close. And, just as importantly, we must begin to provide post-pandemic health and business supports to those that so desperately need it. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions at the appropriate time. Thank you.