Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism and Investment.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT has a mandate to advance the knowledge economy in the Northwest Territories. In doing this, we have engaged with residents, and they have told us that the knowledge economy needs to be grounded in innovation. Guided by input from residents, we are working to expand both our understanding of innovation and the scope of action in this area. We will focus on an innovation action plan to facilitate growth, create opportunity, and diversify our economy. It is a new way of thinking, empowered and driven by new technologies merging with traditional practices.

While our vision of the knowledge economy may be new, its foundation in innovation is not. Northerners have long been recognized for their resourcefulness and resilience, but most especially for their innovation.

Historically, sustainable northern fur harvesting practices established the beginnings of our modern economy more than 200 years ago. And long before the first geologists arrived, Indigenous people used the oil seepages along the banks of the Mackenzie River to caulk their canoes. Inuvialuit kayaks have distinct shapes designed for the conditions of the western Arctic. And today, the blending of traditional and scientific knowledge plays a key role in projects like the planning and construction of the new Tlicho Highway.

This path of innovation continues today, Mr. Speaker. Our government has invested in a world-class fibre link which supported the development of the Inuvik satellite station facility where polar-orbiting satellites transmit data. The Aurora Research Institute at Aurora College applies scientific, technological, and Indigenous knowledge to solve northern problems and advance social and economic goals. The Innovate Centre for the Arts, Crafts, and Technology in Inuvik merges traditional arts and crafts with new technologies and supports community technology centres across the region. Research on permafrost is expanding, including in areas that are now more accessible through the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway.

Often, the challenges presented by our climate and permafrost can lead to innovation. Building hundreds of kilometers of ice roads is a painstaking but state-of-the-art process that connects communities and industries to wider transportation networks. Using technology to measure ice thickness with ground-penetrating radar has created space for pioneering research. Current testing is underway to use satellites to measure the thickness of the ice and identify where it is weakening and shifting.

In the natural resources sector, mining in a northern environment with permafrost also requires groundbreaking approaches. This includes engineering award-winning dike technology, blending knowledge and innovation that keeps the ground frozen to enable mining and testing new underwater remote mining systems to extract kimberlite with minimal waste.

Mr. Speaker, the private sector has always looked for ways to innovate and create efficiencies, and our government is adopting the same approach to strengthen the conditions for collaboration, discovery, innovation and ultimately create a more diversified and inclusive NWT economy. Part of this diversification will happen through Aurora College.

Through recent amendments to the Aurora College Act, our Legislative Assembly has taken the first legislative steps to establish an arm's length post-secondary institution. The polytechnic university's vision is to become a hub for researchers from across the North, Canada, and the world. The university will work to increase investments and build partnerships with governments, industry, and other post-secondary institutions. Opportunities in research have already been seen in recent years in northern organizations like Hotyi ts'eeda and Dechinta.

Mr. Speaker, we have creative thinkers and doers in the Northwest Territories. With emphasis on incorporating Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing, our territory will have even greater opportunities for development with an NWT innovation action plan and knowledge economy. These approaches will strengthen our entrepreneurial ecosystem across the NWT to bolster job creation, employ state-of-the-art technology, and establish investment opportunities for businesses, especially as we transition to a low-carbon economy. The possibilities are limitless. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, the Healthy Family Program is a voluntary, home-visiting and knowledge-sharing program for pregnant parents, caregivers, and families with young children under six.

Over the last five years, the Department of Health and Social Services has worked closely with communities to renew this valuable program. Elders and other community members have shared their vision for this renewed program, where children thrive, caregivers are supported, and communities care for families so that future generations are stronger and stronger.

The robust renewal process included an evaluation of the existing program, research on successful parenting programs in other jurisdictions, and extensive engagement with over 180 staff, families, and caregivers from across the Northwest Territories. The new program is designed to include innovative practices successfully implemented elsewhere and encourages integration with other community programming. It also includes a change in approach, from risk-based to prevention.

Mr. Speaker, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action Number 5 calls on governments to develop culturally-appropriate parenting programs for Indigenous families, both as a commitment to reconciliation and to reduce the number of Indigenous children in care. Such programs are needed because government policy rooted in colonization has attempted to dismantle Indigenous family life and parenting practices for generations through assimilation and violence against children in residential schools. It is our responsibility to acknowledge this truth and commit to action. The re-design of the Healthy Family Program responds to this call as part of a system-wide shift to prioritize culturally-appropriate and prevention-based programming that supports parents and nurtures children.

Mr. Speaker, the renewed Healthy Family Program is available to all families and is responsive to their needs. It combines a traditional Indigenous approach to parenting with techniques and best practices learned through scientific research. It prioritizes children and families and provides a hub for support services and resources.

Healthy Family support workers work directly with families to develop their identity through a connection to community and culture. Workers encourage an active role for fathers, partners, extended family, and community in child development and well-being.

Implementation of the renewed program is taking place in all 14 original locations and is expanding to five additional communities. In the next year, we will focus on communication with families and staff, program delivery, and program evaluation.

Mr. Speaker, the Healthy Family Program staff have been the champions of this work from the beginning. They are dedicated to families they work with and always do their best to treat clients with respect and as the expert on their own family. Program staff are knowledgeable and experienced in the communities they serve and their expertise in early childhood development is vital to the success of this program. They apply the program's guiding principles daily and serve as coaches, facilitators, and community connectors.

The Healthy Family Program helps to create an environment where children feel loved and where parenting leads to healing. It can have lasting positive effects on children, their caregivers, and on the community they live in.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of our achievements to date. I would like to thank the knowledge-holders who worked with us on this renewal project, including elders, families and caregivers, social services staff, Indigenous scholars, and the project team. The government is committed to improving early childhood development indicators for all children in the NWT and renewing the Healthy Family Program is an important part of honouring that commitment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Northwest Territories' winter roads are a very important part of providing much-needed access to and from communities. They are especially critical when it comes to connecting families and businesses.

Every year essential goods, like fuel for electricity generation, heat, and transportation, are delivered to communities and homes by way of the NWT's winter roads. I would like to thank all the highway and fuel delivery crews across the territory for their care, diligence, and commitment this season. Their work is vital for the day-to-day lives of residents in all NWT regions. The pandemic has created challenges and hardships but the highway and fuel crews have risen to the challenge and continue to deliver quality service, safely and reliably.

Today, I am pleased to provide an update on the 2022 winter road season and fuel resupply activities.

Each year, highway crews in the Beaufort Delta, Sahtu, Deh Cho, and North Slave regions build and maintain 1,399 kilometres of winter roads, ice roads, and ice crossings, connecting nine communities that are not served by all-season roads.

Mr. Speaker, fuel is an essential good for residents and businesses in northern communities. Many communities rely heavily on diesel and gasoline for electricity generation, heat, and transportation.
The GNWT is responsible for the purchase, transport, and storage of fuel for 16 NWT communities that are not served by the private sector. During the winter resupply season, seven communities receive dedicated resupply services while five communities are part of live supply activities. Local contractors then sell and distribute these petroleum products to residents and businesses.

This winter, the GNWT's first fuel delivery took place on February 2. It is expected that fuel resupply will be completed by mid-April, with a total of 9.7 million litres of petroleum products - diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel - delivered to 12 communities.

We are aware of the effect that recent world events have had on fuel costs. I want to assure you that the delivery and resupply of fuel to NWT communities continue to run smoothly this season.
Partnerships are an important part of this work. This year the supply and delivery contracts were carried out by the same two contractors as last year - Bassett Petroleum and Midnight Petroleum.

Mr. Speaker, our staff and contractors have worked diligently this season in keeping communities connected as well as supplied. Our government will continue to work with the public and private sector partners to maintain a dependable supply of goods and services to all NWT communities. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I am going to be talking on mental health. Mr. Speaker, the pandemic has been a challenging time for all of us and now we go into the endemic stage. How are people going to move ahead?

Mr. Speaker, the biggest challenge in the Tlicho region are poor mental health, high rates of addictions and substance abuse, lack of housing, and unacceptable housing conditions. These were major issues before the pandemic and we know that isolation and other limitations imposed through COVID only worsen the situation.

Mr. Speaker, over half, like 56 percent, of residents in the Tlicho region consider their mental health less than very good. We know across the NWT, residents struggle with mental illness and this is the greatest in some of the regions, particularly Tlicho region.

Mr. Speaker, people are drinking and doing drugs at alarming rate. We even have crack cocaine in our communities. At one time we know this was unheard of. But Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult to improve people's mental health or address addictions without appropriate housing. Without a safe place for people to call home, where they are comfortable and can make healthy choices, people will continue to struggle. Throughout the Tlicho region, people are crammed into housing units. People wait for years to get into housing. Many of our elders still live in rundown and condemned housing, desperately in need of refurbishment and renovations. How are we doing this to our old people?

Youth and young adults alike, who are the future of our regions, are struggling to get ahead and stay ahead because of mental health challenges. Drugs and alcohol abuse and lack of safe places to call home. All of these things are destroying our regions. Not just our regions, there are other regions as well.

Mr. Speaker, these are desperate times and we have to act fast in awareness of this situation. What we have been doing is not working. We need a community-centre approach. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the health and social service Minister at appropriate time. Thank you.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was struck by a CBC North article dated March 11th, 2022, in which a Dene says local health centre failed to detect tumour that nearly killed him. The elder stated he [audio] died because of his local health centre failed to diagnose the problem. The elder had gone to the local health centre multiple times for abdominal pain only to receive Tylenol medication. The elder then ponders the question as to why he was treated this way. And [audio] if it was because he was an Indigenous Dene.

Mr. Speaker, the saving grace in this story is the actions the elder took upon himself to get to Yellowknife and check into the hospital. I believe it was a CT scan that confirmed his worst fears. It was colon cancer and the tumour was the size of a pop can. The doctor told the elder if he had waited longer he would not be with us today.

Mr. Speaker, that CT scan is not in every small community health centre. I will questions for the health minister at the appropriate time. Mahsi.

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

Mr. Speaker, no one is more precious than our babies, children and youth.

Every child deserves to live and grow in a healthy home where they are cared for in a stable learning environment. I do not doubt that all parents, grandparents, and caregivers want to give their children the best But not all have the means to do so. In the language of child welfare, the difference that emerges is not what parents and caregivers want for their children; it is what resources they have available to fill those wants and needs.

For too many, safe and adequate housing, nutritious food, health supports, and stable income are out of reach. This puts children and youth at risk. Often exasperated by poor mental health and addictions in the home, babies, children and youth experience hardship that is unfairly placed on their young shoulders.

But raising children is not an individual responsibility, and it never has been. For decades we have repeated "it takes a village to raise a child", because it's true. We are not built to go it alone; caring for children is a collective responsibility.
We need a whole-of-government and, furthermore, a whole-of-territory response to pull us out of a crisis that continues to separate Indigenous families. To lift up every family, child, and youth who call the NWT home demands that every person, leader, government department, and civil society organization work together to keep families together raising children that grow to not only be healthy but thriving, creative, self-determining Northerners.

Mr. Speaker, we declared a public health emergency two years ago to change the trajectory of COVID-19 and keep communities safe. The NWT came together. Now, here we are, with a public health crisis that continues to separate Indigenous families needing the same all-of-government resolve to change the life trajectory of children in care. Our children need us to come together again.

COVID-19 proved that all-of-government responses are possible. We watched as the government acted through a public health lens that controlled our borders, identified available housing, and put extra dollars in families' pockets. And I get it, Mr. Speaker - this public health emergency has been life or death but the NWT is also losing vulnerable children through the child welfare system. This loss is a slow decline of the health, cultural continuity, and creative potential. It requires an integrated approach to provide a continuum of care and support for all families throughout the territory's 33 communities.

With 98 percent of children in care being Indigenous, the GNWT must work respectfully and generously with Indigenous governments to ensure that all children have the opportunity to thrive.
Because, Mr. Speaker, no one is more precious than our babies, children and youth. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Minister of Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a Member for Thebacha, the majority of my constituents are part of the NWT Metis Nation. As one of their representatives in this Assembly, I consider the advancement of their priorities as part of my priorities.

Mr. Speaker, on May 19th, 2021, the NWT Metis Nation, along with the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories, signed a self-government negotiation framework agreement to help advance land claim negotiations for the NWT Metis Nation.

This framework agreement will help guide negotiations in order to reach a final self-government agreement. The signing of this framework negotiation agreement is a major step in the advancement of this land claim and self-government process. This document also marks six years since the NWT Metis Nation agreement-in-principle was signed and 25 years since the initial NWT Metis Nation framework agreement was signed, which was when this process began.

Mr. Speaker, in talking with various Metis leaders during this term, I have heard that there is a high level of concern and frustration at the lack of progress with these negotiations. I am also told that the Government of the Northwest Territories negotiating team for the NWT Metis Nation claim has had a lot of turnover which seems to be preventing this claim from advancing in a timely matter. It seems that the Government of the Northwest Territories' negotiating team is very busy in dealing with many other files concurrently and are unable or perhaps unwilling to provide a dedicated team to this particular file.

Mr. Speaker, as with other Indigenous governments in land claims negotiations, the NWT Metis Nation wants a fair deal for their people. The NWT Metis Nation wants a final agreement that provides for land quantum and generalized interests that is comparable to other NWT claims. They also want to continue dealing in good faith and want to use the remaining time of the 19th Assembly to advance their claim as soon as possible before the end of this term. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to complete by statement. ---Unanimous consent granted Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with only 18 months left in this Assembly, I hope our government will prioritize this ongoing land claim and self-government agreement with the NWT Metis Nation.

Settling this claim will help provide stability and many positive lasting socio-economic benefits to the NWT. Finalizing this claim would also enable our government to advance one of this Assembly's priorities of settling and implementing all outstanding treaty land and self-government agreements. I will have questions for the Premier later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe we need to enshrine in the Child and Family Services Act that no child shall be apprehended on the basis of socio-economic conditions.

Now Mr. Speaker, I am well aware that many cases by the time child and family services have intervened are due to severe neglect or abuse and likely the time of intervention was long before child and family services got involved. To solve those issues is something all of us in the House strive to do but it is one that will take healing of a whole territory. However, Mr. Speaker, it is clear that there are still children being apprehended simply because their parents live in poverty.

Mr. Speaker, we may not be able to provide everyone with enough income to get out of poverty and we might not be able to, you know, end our waitlist in the life of the Assembly, however I believe a whole-of-government approach needs to make it a priority that whenever a child is facing apprehension the government provides every single resource it can to address those socio-economic conditions, Mr. Speaker.

And Mr. Speaker, the sad reality is that this is probably cheaper for us to do in the long run. Taking children into care, operating the system, running apprehension trials, are extremely costly. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we do not presently provide those, our child and family services workers, with the resources needed to create truly wraparound plan of care agreements. I believe they need the power to provide housing immediately for those families when they are facing apprehension.

Mr. Speaker, telling a family to get on a hundred-person housing waitlist when they are homeless and facing their children being taken away does nothing. Telling a family that is homeless and struggling to provide food for its children that they have to fill out a series of forms does not help. We need to empower our child and family services workers to make sure that plan of care agreements provide all of the basic necessities of life for those children and we need to do that before they are apprehended, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Service about what we are doing to break down silos and make sure that our CFS workers have true access to immediate resources and wraparound services for children. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we near the end of COVID restrictions imposed by this and the federal government, you can hear a sigh of relief from all residents. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately there remain issues that are unclear and questions unanswered. One issue, a specific issue, which impacts public sector employees is that of job descriptions that include a requirement for duty travel.

The vaccination policies this government developed were, in part, based on federal government restrictions for air travel. Because of these policies, some GNWT public sector workers were placed on leave without pay. This action not only impacted the employees but also resulted in emotional and financial hardship for their families.

Mr. Speaker, in making those restrictions for air travel, the federal government recognized the unique circumstances of the NWT, more specifically, the remote and isolated communities with air access only.

Documents posted by the federal government dated December 1, 2021, and February 28, 2022, which have been tabled in this House, confirms exemptions for air travel for Indigenous people and Northerners in remote communities to and from Yellowknife. The documents confirm that a valid COVID-19 test result would be accepted for travel in the NWT by persons not fully vaccinated.

Mr. Speaker, our vaccination policies were developed on the premise that air travel was restricted equally for all Canadian jurisdictions and that only those who were fully vaccinated were allowed to board aircraft unless it was an emergency. This was, in fact, not true for the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, our vaccination policies must recognize the federal government directives and incorporate those exemptions that allow for employee testing if not fully vaccinated. This would support and allow duty travel for those employees not fully vaccinated by having them test.

Mr. Speaker, the harm has been done as some GNWT employees were subsequently placed on leave without pay; some were compelled to take a vaccine they did not believe in; others took a severance package or outright quit. This could have been avoided if this government were aware and fully understood the federal directives.

Those impacted employees, and their families, experienced tremendous stress as they experienced ongoing harassment from management, from other employees, and the public. For this, the government owes each of them a public apology. We must now recognize the wrong by reinstating and compensating those employees who were placed on leave without pay or forced to leave their employment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, this Thursday, March 31st, is the International Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual event dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by them worldwide. It is also a day to celebrate the contributions of transgender people and their achievements in society.

The day was founded by transgender activist Rachel Crandall of Michigan in 2009 as a reaction to the lack of LGBT recognition of transgender people, citing the frustration that the only well known transgender-centered day was the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which mourned the murders of transgender people, but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community.

The first International Transgender Day of Visibility was held on March 31, 2009. Since then, it has been spearheaded by the US-based youth advocacy organization Trans Student Educational Resources.

In the Northwest Territories, the Northern Mosaic Network, formerly know as the Rainbow Coalition, is working hard to advocate on behalf of this vulnerable sector. They are "invested in making the Northwest Territories a safer, more equitable place for 2SLGBTQIPA+ youth, families and adults." In the past I have spoken about the amazing work done by this NGO, work that includes inclusive youth activities such as ski and paint nights, body positive swims, and peer support groups where non-cis-gendered youth have an opportunity to spend time in a welcoming, inclusive environment where they can lean on each other for support and understanding.

The Mosaic runs a youth centre and a library, providing resources for those wishing to discover more about 2SLGBTQIPA+ issues and history, and to learn about the accomplishments of those who have contributed to the movement and to celebrate their achievements. The Mosaic also offers training for organizations and businesses that want to improve their corporate culture towards making them more inclusive.

Mr. Speaker, I challenge all of my colleagues and the people of the Northwest Territories to spend time this Thursday, the International Transgender Day of Visibility, learning more about the accomplishments of transgender people and their history. If people are not sure how, then I suggest a great place to start would be the Northern Mosaic Network and looking into the amazing work they do. I can't say enough about how their important work is saving lives. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. I'm going to return again to the issue of a child and youth advocate for the Northwest Territories, an issue my colleague from Kam Lake reports has been raised almost 900 times in this House since 2003. I've raised it a number of those times, yet we appear to be no further ahead today.

To be clear, a child and youth advocate is an officer established at arms-length from the government to ensure that the rights, interests, and viewpoints of children and youth are considered when decisions are made that will affect their well-being.

In addition to a general oversight function, the advocate will stand on behalf of individuals engaged in the child and youth family services system and to promote transparency and accountability.

The offices are commonplace. Yukon has had a child and youth advocate since 2010; Nunavut since 2014. Both these offices produce annual reports for public review. We are the last place in Canada without a child and youth advocate.

The last time I raised this issue was almost two years ago in the review of the health and social services budget. At that time, I was told that the department was looking actively at options for establishment of that role. A jurisdictional scan was underway. We were told that in moving to proposed models, the unique circumstances of the NWT needed to be analyzed, both in terms of national changes in child welfare and to address the need to build and share accountability with Indigenous governments. Needless to say, all of this work is needed more than ever in light of the 2018 Auditor General of Canada's report on child and family services, and subsequent recommendations from Indigenous governments and key stakeholders.

But here we are again in 2022, and I see us no closer to creation of an advocate. I see no references to an advocate in the child and family services quality improvement plan activities now underway, nor any updating of the almost decade old Building Stronger Families Action Plan. What I do know from reading of other jurisdictions' successes, and in my work with constituents seeking the authority of an arm's-length authority, is that the time for a child and youth advocate is now. I'll have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services on the status of a Northwest Territories child and youth advocate. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Gino Paul Kotchea was born on May 6th, 1978 to Frank Kotchea Sr. and Jeanie Fantase in Yellowknife. At the young age, his grandfather Harry ran him through some willows after the rain and after this his grandfather named Kaidday.

Gino spent many summers on the Liard River with his grandparents and shot his first moose at the age of 12. In the traditional way of the Dene, the meat was shared with elders in the community. Gino learned many skills from his Uncle Pete whom he called his brother. While at Whitefish River, Gino and his grandfather caught another moose. Upon returning to the cabin, Gino's shirt was ripped up and he said, "Grandpa ripped me up pretty good, eh", and they both started laughing.

Being out on the land, his grandfather was his greatest thing. Gino learned many traditional skills from his grandfather and spent a lot of his early years Beaver River and Fantase Lake area.

In 1990, Gino attended school in Fort Smith. One weekend on a family picnic, he saw his first garter snake ever. He pulled his socks up over his pant leg, and that's where they stayed for most of the day. Later that day they went on a 9-kilometre hike and he carried his sister on his back most of the way. He was very protective of her.

Gino attended school at Echo Dene School until grade 12 -- or grade 10, and then graduated high school in Fort Simpson June 2022 -- or ‘20. 2000.

Gino loved to give back to the community and his way was coaching the girls and boys soccer team, and he took them on a number of regional tournaments.

Gino had many adventures during his lifetime. He wanted to be a police officer. He started working at the local police detachment during his last years of school as a special constable. Gino's grandfather Harry did not approve of this. He told Gino there is more negativity than positivity and a young Dene man should not experience this. As a result, Gino did not pursues that career.

Soon after high school graduation, Gino begin working for Chevron and continued to be an oil/gas operator in the Cameron Hill area. In 2014, Gino got his class 1 and he said that it was his most -- one of the most challenging things he's ever done. 2017, Gino achieved the power engineering ticket at the High Level college.

Gino loved listening to his brother Frank tell stories, like the one where there was an Inuit boy lost on the tundra. The story lasted three days until Gino discovered it was all made up.

Gino and Donna had their first child Eva Raine on November 26th, 2012 and Medin Storme on February 1st, 2016, and adopted Donna's son Melvin. The family was his most important part of his life and he loved them dearly.

Family and community will miss Gino, Mr. Speaker. We will keep him and his family alive in our hearts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and community at this time.

Members' statements. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Welcome. If we have missed anybody in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber and I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It's always good to have an audience with us taking in the session. Especially after the almost two years without anybody in the gallery, it's really good to see people back. Mahsi.

Reports of committees on the review of bills. Reports of standing and special committees. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Social Development is pleased to provide its report on the Child and Family Services Act - Lifting NWT Children, Youth and Families: An All of Territory Approach to Keeping Families Together.

Executive Summary

Call to Champions and Message to Children and Youth

All children are sacred. NWT children and youth are talented, unique and powerful. But not all children have access to what they need. Over 98 percent of children and youth in care in the NWT are Indigenous, even though just 57 percent of the population of children and youth are Indigenous. The extent of destruction and trauma on Indigenous peoples, families and communities due to colonization, residential school and the Sixties Scoop, and the resulting overrepresentation of Indigenous children and youth in care in the child welfare system is a territorial crisis that requires an all-of-territory response.

We call for champions at all levels of governments, Indigenous governments and groups, non-governmental organizations, and allies to work together to provide a broader continuum of care, including supports and resources for all children and youth across the NWT.

Thank you to the children and youth in the territory who shared courageously with the committee. We hear you. We respect you. We value you. From you, we learn and take your lead. We hope you see your thoughts, insights and brilliance reflected within the following report and its recommendations. Once again, thank you to each and every one of you.

Introduction

The Standing Committee on Social Development (the “committee”) is mandated by the Child and Family Services Act to review the act and its implementation every five years. Thus, the Standing Committee on Social Development of the 19th Assembly of the Northwest Territories commenced a review in April 2021 to meet this requirement. In plain language, the review may include the Child and Family Services Act itself, directives, policies, plans, guidelines and implementation such as programs and services.

Committee focused the scope of the CFSA review on prevention strategies, and reviewed areas of child welfare put forward by stakeholders. The recommendations that follow are informed by feedback provided to Committee through the engagement process, internal research and Committee direction. The recommendations reflect prevention, early intervention and targeted supports.

Committee Approach

With the passing of Bill C-92: An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis Children, Youth and Families and the Child and Family Services Act's expected amendments to align with the federal legislation, committee is completing its statutory review at a time of change for Canadian child welfare. Together, the 19th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories priority to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, and the 2019 Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls strengthen the long-needed momentum for change required in the Canadian child welfare system.

The committee has selected two lenses of analysis for this report. First, committee has taken an equity-oriented approach to prioritize recommendations with the greatest positive impact for Indigenous children, youth and families and those with lived-experiences with child welfare.

Second, Committee has taken a trauma-informed care approach. A trauma-informed approach recognizes a person holistically and acknowledges that a person may have or is currently experiencing trauma. A trauma-informed approach also considers how frontline staff in organizations deliver policies, structures and services.

Engagement Process

From April 2021 to January 2022, more than 50 people stepped forward to participate in the Child and Family Services Act statutory review. Participants represented themselves individually, and as territorial governments, Indigenous government and nongovernmental organizations through public presentations, in-camera private listening sessions, written submissions and online surveys. The presentations and written submissions are included in Appendix A of our report.

The Committee would like to thank everyone who offered their expertise to this statutory review and subsequent report. Committee would also like to thank the Department of Health and Social Services for the in-camera briefings and information.

Challenge: Overrepresentation of Indigenous People in Child and Family Services and the History of Colonization

According to the Department of Health and Social Services, over 98 percent of children and youth receiving care from CFS are Indigenous, even though just 57 percent of children and youth in the Northwest Territories are Indigenous. Indigenous children and youth are virtually all of the children and youth receiving care in the territory and represent most of the 1044 protection and prevention services provided by Child and Family Services in 2020-2021.

The historic and ongoing overrepresentation of Indigenous children and youth in care in the NWT is staggering. The overrepresentation of Indigenous children and youth in Child and Family Services has long been documented and is rooted in Canada's history of genocide, colonization, residential school system, the Sixties Scoop, and the modern-day child and family services systems. All stakeholders described the harmful impacts of these legacies and the ongoing trauma of those familial and community experiences including the death of family members, addictions, abuse, family breakdowns, loss of cultural knowledge, poverty and displacement within their communities.

Recommendations

Committee heard the voices of children and youth and children and youth want to be with their families. Committee recognizes that to raise healthy and well children and youth, supports and resources must be made available throughout their entire lives through parents, caregivers, family and even the broader community. The intention is to support the family and community so children and youth can remain with their families and within their home communities.

Culture

Culture is a source of strength, healing and positive identity. Over time, culture changes and innovates. Therefore, respectful incorporation of culture must be made to implement the recommendations made below.

Recommendation 1

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the Government of the Northwest Territories declare the overrepresentation of Indigenous children and youth in Child and Family Services a crisis and develop a whole of government response in partnership with Indigenous governments.

Recommendation 2

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the Department of Health and Social Services provide birthing support that is holistic, client-centered and culturally safe with doula and midwife services staffed in each regional centre.

Recommendation 3

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the Department of Health and Social Services establish a territorial treatment addictions recovery program or treatment supports specifically for youth to remain in the territory and to maintain their support systems.

Recommendation 4

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the Department of Health and Social Services create a pan-territorial youth homelessness plan that expands safe community-based housing options by collaborating with communities and non-governmental organizations.

Recommendation 5

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the Department of Health and Social Services tailor the Healthy Family Program for vulnerable families to access culturally safe and affirming child-rearing practices and expand the program to all 33 communities.

Recommendation 6

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends Municipal and Community Affairs lead an all-of-government approach to ensuring access to recreational programming by providing additional funding for recreational facilities and programming, so all families have increased access to these spaces outside regular business day hours and additional funding specifically for those children and youth in care to participate in extracurricular activities.

Recommendation 7

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the Department of Health and Social Services establish family mentorship pilot projects that pair vulnerable parents with grandparents or elders to share encouragement, child-rearing practices, and Indigenous knowledge.

Recommendation 8

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommend the Department of Health and Social Services increase funding to Indigenous governments, communities, and organizations to deliver addictions recovery on-the-land healing options specifically tailored to youth.

Recommendation 9

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services lead work with communities to establish culturally safe and gender-inclusive family violence emergency shelters in each NWT community with sustainable funding.

Recommendation 10

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the Department of Health and Social Services deliver and make mandatory culturally safe and trauma-informed training for foster families.

Recommendation 11

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services establish a recruitment strategy to increase the number of Indigenous foster families, including encouraging extended families to care for children by providing additional financial resources and support.

Recommendation 12

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services develop a Child and Family Services evaluation and monitoring framework, including a data profile on children and youth in care.

Recommendation 13

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services establish an Indigenous advisory body sub-committee specifically for Child and Family Services.

Recommendation 14

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services audit all Child and Family Services resources, ensuring they are all plain language, culturally safe and easily accessible online, including a plain language summary of the Child and Family Services Act.

Recommendation 15

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services provide legal services to parents as early as the plan of care stage with Child and Family Services.

Recommendation 16

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services make legislative changes to the Child and Family Service Act to support the readiness of Indigenous governments to draw down jurisdiction for child welfare, using trauma-informed language, that centers children and youth as individuals with rights, ensures cultural continuity for Indigenous children and youth, and affirms the unique political relationship with Indigenous groups and peoples.

Recommendation 17

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services establish a comprehensive spectrum of services available to children, youth and adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and their parents and/or caregivers, to prevent developmental delay and mobilize support for families.

Recommendation 18

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the Department of Health and Social Services annual quality improvement plan reporting include progress on the Committee's recommendations.

Recommendation 19

The Standing Committee on Social Development recommends the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this report in 120 days.

Conclusion

The committee respectfully puts these recommendations forward in the hopes that it will benefit all children, youth and families in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Great Slave, that the remainder of Committee Report 26-19(2) be deemed read and printed in Hansard in its entirety. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. The motion is in order. To the motion?

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion is carried.

---Carried.

The remainder of Committee Report 26-19(2) is deemed read and will be printed in Hansard in its entirety. Member for Kam Lake

[Committee Report 26-19(2)]:

Committee Report 26-19(2): Report on the Child and Family Services Act - Lifting NWT Children, Youth and Families: An All of Territory Approach to Keeping Families Together

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Great Slave, that Committee Report 26-19(2): Standing Committee on Social Development Report on the Child and Family Services Act - Lifting NWT Children, Youth and Families: An All of Territory Approach to Keeping Families Together, be received and adopted by the Assembly and referred to Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. The motion is in order. To the motion?

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? All those abstaining? The motion has been carried.

---Carried

Committee Report 26-19(2) and has been adopted by the Assembly and is referred to Committee of the Whole.

Member for Kam Lake.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 19.4(4) and ask that Committee Report 26-19(2): Standing Committee on Social Development Report on the Child and Family Services Act - Lifting NWT Children, Youth and Families: An All of Territory Approach to Keeping Families Together, be referred directly to Committee of the Whole for consideration later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. The Member for Kam Lake is seeking unanimous consent to waive Rule 9.4(4) so that Committee Report 26-19(2) be referred directly to Committee of the Whole for consideration later today. Is anyone opposed?

There is no one opposed. Committee Report 26-19(2) is referred directly to Committee of the Whole for consideration later today. Thank you.

Reports of standing and special committees. Returns to oral questions. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.

Mr. Speaker, people dealing with mental health and addictions need safe places. There are no shelters in the Tlicho region for those struggling with mental health and addictions.

Can the Minister of Health and Social Services commit to establishing a shelter in Tlicho communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as you know, one of the mandate commitments of this 19th Assembly is the need to strengthen addictions aftercare programming. And so with that in mind, we recognize that having a safe place to live is essential to achieving and maintaining sobriety, whatever the root cause of the addiction is. So from that point, we put out a call for proposals to Indigenous governments to ask them if they would be interested in creating a transitional housing model in their communities, with our money, and create a model for service for this kind of programming. And that call went out in December. We did not receive a proposal from the Tlicho but we did receive four other proposals, and we are working with each of those Indigenous government organizations to develop the transitional housing options as a pilot project with my hope that eventually when we find a model that works, it will be scaled up to the rest of the NWT. Thank you.

Okay, can the Minister of Health and Social Services commit to reviewing the need for a sobering shelter in the Tlicho communities? Thank you.

Thank you. The transitional housing program pilot project which I just mentioned may, in fact, fill that role otherwise there is only one sobering centre in the NWT. It's in Yellowknife where the majority of the vulnerable population who require the service are located. So at this time, that is the major service for immediate sobering. The transitional housing program is for people who are maybe a step or two further down that road. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Health and Social Services commit to working with the local organizations - Tlicho Government Friendship Centre, Tlicho Community Services Agency, and other agency in other regions as well, and the Minister of Housing, to find solutions to address the need for shelter space in communities? Thank you.

Yes, thank you. As I mentioned, and I'm happy to add some more detail, we advertised generally for Indigenous and community organizations to provide transitional housing. We heard back from the Hay River Committee for Persons with Disabilities, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the K'asho Got'ine Housing Society in Fort Good Hope, and the Salvation Army here in Yellowknife. So at this point, the department is working with each of these organizations to fund them to create a pilot project which would provide safe housing for people who are recovering from their addictions. Thank you.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the GNWT identified a list of public housing units that could be available for isolating individuals.

Can the Minister of Health and Social Services commit to reviewing this list with the Minister of Housing to determine where vacant units in the Tlicho regions and other regions may be repurposed to provide safe shelter for community residents? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can certainly have that conversation with the Minister of Health -- I mean, the Minister of Housing. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my Member's statement alluded to problems in small community health centre nurses for having diagnosing ailments especially of the cancerous types, could be colon, prostate, breast cancer, abdominal, and back pains. (Audio) CT scan in the small community. Can the Minister (audio) the procedure used at small community health centres to diagnose cancerous tumors? Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'd like to thank the Member for the question. Of course we're all the concerned about the high rates of cancer, including colorectal cancer, that occur in the NWT.

I want to make a distinction to start with between screening and diagnosis. We actually have a colorectal cancer screening committee, and they've recently started work in the Deh Cho by providing what are called FIT kits to households so that they can use that to provide a sample which would be screened for colorectal cancer. The health centres cannot provide diagnosis. The public health nurse, or the community health nurses who are there of course see patients, evaluate their complaints, take note of whether it's a continued complaint, and then they would refer the patient to a higher level of care, whether that's a visiting physician or a nurse practitioner, and from there, there could be additional referrals to a specialist. So the situation for Fort Providence, the Member's primary community, would fall into that area. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi to the Minister for that answer. She did reference at some point there referring to a specialist, but I just want the Minister to be aware that I brought it up previously and with the present case of this Deline elder, they'd been to the health centre more than once and the community, it's been four or five times. And -- and I'm wondering if the Minister can acknowledge at what point would a patient be referred to a specialist for their ailment? Mahsi.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the referral onwards for diagnosis is provided by a healthcare professional. In the case of small health centres, that would be a community health nurse. If it's an emergency, the telehealth system is available for the community health nurse to call the Stanton emergency room and speak to a physician there. And then, as I say, when the visiting doctor comes, it's possible for that person to make a referral for a diagnosis. So those are the different ways that that's handled by medical health professionals who are working in the local community setting with the assistance of people who may be a phone call away through telehealth. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi to the Minister for that. I don't think my question was really answered because I've been stating that there's many residents probably up and down the territory that go to centres for an ailment, and like four or five times. And perhaps by the fifth time, they're being medevaced out. And it's at that point. So getting where -- we're missing something within the health centre, the diagnosis there.

Can the Minister advise that the department has any evaluations, evaluation processes in place to determine if small health centres nursing staff will require other training screening for cancer and other chronic diseases? Mahsi.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the community health nurses adhere to clinical practice guidelines for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer. They will assess for symptoms and taking into account family history, age, risk factors, and other circumstances. And once again, this would be for screening.

So this is to -- not to make a diagnosis but to -- on a general basis, offer people the opportunity to be screened in or out of the risk of cancer based on their health indicators. Nurses are offered frequent professional development opportunities and we do have, as I mentioned previously, a colorectal cancer screening program. So this program would be well known to the nurses and used by them to deal with this particular type of cancer, which is one of the most prevalent in the NWT.

As I mentioned at the beginning, in the Deh Cho region the Member can look forward to seeing communication from the Department of Health and Social Services about screening for colorectal cancer. And I certainly encourage everyone to take advantage of that opportunity. It's free of charge and in your own home. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and mahsi to the Minister for that answer. I think she's answered my question, but I really wanted to stress that even though you say that nurses do ongoing training, I don't know we as the public here, but and I keep saying and I said it many times since I've gotten to the Assembly in 2019 that there's many times -- I hate using the word "misdiagnosis" but that's the only one that I can use that a lot of people been there and I'm saying it again. Like, they've been there four to five times. And I don't want to get into specifics of what happened to those people at this time, but it's serious in our small communities and this elder from Deline, you must have read the story too, he's been there numerous times. He was sent there with just a Tylenol. You know, and that screening processes. What and it's not determined on site, you know, they go to Yellowknife where there's actually CT scan machine that can determine stuff like this that we don't have in the small communities, and I'd really like the Minister and her department to start working on better processes of diagnosis a lot of the unknown ailments which can lead to serious, serious illness and even death. Mahsi.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's not possible for me to comment on individual patient's cases because of privacy considerations. I just will go back again to the difference between screening and diagnosis. Screening can happen in the small health centres for colorectal cancer, cervical cancer. But you need to have no symptoms in order to be screened. You just need to show up. The diagnosis would happen in Yellowknife or further afield maybe in Edmonton.

I would say to the Member that the Department of Health and Social Services has a patient experience questionnaire available at this time to capture the experience of people who have used our services and gauge their satisfaction with them. So there are, I'm told, paper copies available at the health centres. It's also available online. And I would recommend that anyone who has received health services in the last year, whether they were satisfied with the service or not, complete the patient questionnaire so we can learn how we can do better with our services. Thank you.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

I'm hearing from constituents that day home providers are unable to see the contracts that they are going to be expected to sign to take part in the new federal childcare agreement before they are expected to sign them. I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to whether or not this is accurate and if ECE is willing to ensure that all providers have the information they need to feel comfortable signing onto this childcare agreement, including see the contract before being expected to sign it? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, we would never expect anyone to sign a contract that they haven't seen.

There's been a number of meetings between ECE officials and childcare providers, whether that's day home or childcare centres, and there has been a number of documents provided to childcare providers, and those documents contain all of the information that is contained in the actual contribution agreement. It's a contribution agreement, not a contract. So I just wanted to clarify that as well because childcare providers can have contracts with parents, but they would have a contribution agreement with ECE. And if the information that is being provided, which is the same as what's in the contribution agreement, isn't sufficient, we're happy to show a template of the contribution agreement as well with the understanding that it wouldn't be filled in with the actual numbers as those are dependant upon the situation of that particular day home, and that's the whole point of the -- the work beforehand. So if that's a hurdle, it's not much of one because we're more than happy to share that information. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that commitment from the Minister.

My second question is that the cost of living has gone up everywhere, including the cost of fuel and food as of late. As such, some businesses are having to increase the cost of their services. And so I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to what are the rules around increasing the cost of childcare now that the average rates have been set in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So in our agreement with the federal government, we've agreed to use the funding from them to reduce the cost of childcare by on average 50 percent. And we understand that the cost of childcare varies depending on what people are charging. There is a number built into the federal agreement which -- so we can handle a 2.3 percent increase and not have to take from any other pots of money. The timing is not great right now because as the Member mentioned, the price of everything is going up. We're seeing, you know, inflation like we haven't seen before. So what we are willing to do is work with childcare providers to ensure that if they're proposing an increase above that 2.3 percent, that it is something that is justifiable. And while I say that, I'll preface it by saying that most childcare providers are, you know, only putting forward increases that are justifiable. There have been some instances where we've seen, you know, increases of 20, 30 percent proposed for this month, even retroactive a month, and it's -- you know, it coincides with this new money that's flowing -- that's supposed to be flowing to parents. And so if we have a childcare provider increasing their rates by 30 percent when we're trying to reduce rates by 50 percent, that causes some problems because that will take money away from some of the other efforts that we need to put forth, such as increasing wages for early learning and childcare providers. So we want to ensure that parents are getting this money in their pocket, and we want to ensure that the childcare providers are not being unduly burdened. So we are providing them with additional funding because we understand there's additional reporting. And the 2.3 percent increase is seen as reasonable, and we -- you know, we believe that most operators are charging what they need to charge at any given time. And there are increases that businesses need to make along the way but when we're talking about 20, 30 percent increases, there are definitely some questions and we likely can't accommodate those types of increases, and we don't want parents to have to pay those increases as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, some people have been informed that the average for the cost of day homes or childcare in the Northwest Territories was determined using a zero dollar figure for providers who do not charge because of alternate federal funding contributions. I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to whether or not this is accurate and how the average cost of NWT childcare was reached? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And so we are looking to reduce the cost of childcare by 50 percent on average. And so what that average is, is the average of all childcare providers who charge for childcare. So we do not factor in all of the hundreds of childcare spaces that are available free of cost, many provided by Indigenous governments in smaller communities. The average that we're looking to reduce by 50 percent is based only on childcare providers that actually charge money. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering if a licensed day home chooses not to opt in to this new childcare agreement, if a parent can switch their child to a new licensed childcare provider and still receive the retroactive subsidy from their new childcare provider. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And no, the money that flows from the Government of Canada through the Government of the Northwest Territories through the childcare provider to the parent has to be flowed from the childcare provider who actually provided the services to the parent. So it can't be a different operator. If you've had your child in childcare for three months, from January, February, March with one provider, it has to be that provider who is flowing the funding to you. And we've had a lot of success. We have most people signed on to this, most providers. For some people, it's taking a bit longer. And, you know, I think we'll get there. There are some instances where perhaps information needs to be explained in different ways, but I'm confident that the vast majority of childcare providers will have signed on and that parents will be receiving these refunds. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Finance as the Minister responsible for the public sector. I have questions in regards to the labour market supplement that was offered to the Union of Northern Workers.

Given that there is a labour shortage across our healthcare positions, what was the rationale for only including the frontline RNs and medical lab technicians in the proposed labour market supplement? Is the department planning at looking at other healthcare positions for a labour market supplement and if so, what are the timelines on that? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister responsible for Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the labour market supplement was a policy tool that was developed, firstly, in consultation with the union.

In terms of what choice was made around which workers or which specific positions would first be -- would have the opportunity to utilize this policy, that was a choice made by the Department of Health and Social Services who was applying that policy. So there's a number of factors that are within the policy as to what types of positions should -- should qualify for what is an exceptional -- an exceptional tool, an exceptional that's being used to enhance costs -- or rather, to salaries and recruitment through the use of an enhancement, of enhanced pay. So that's why it was quite specific is because this was a segment that, in our view and in the view of the Department of Health and Social Services when it came forward, they had the evidence to support that these were positions that were difficult to recruit for, that they had tried to recruit for, that they weren't able to recruit for consistently. And, you know, again I won't go through all the elements of the policy that are there as to whether or not it -- we will be expanding or whether the Department of Health and Social Services will be expanding to other specific positions. Mr. Speaker, that will ultimately be a determination that they'll have to make looking at what's happening with the recruitment and retention processes and then bring that forward to -- to the Financial Management Board for consideration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yeah, well given that we've had a shortage of health care workers enough -- and this has been going on for long enough that it was one of the things that we did include in one of our priorities, can the Minister explain why the union wasn't approached sooner to negotiate the labour market supplement?

It's my understanding it was pretty much a give or -- you know, take it or leave it type scenario with not any room for negotiation. So why was the government not more proactive here versus reactive? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the union was engaged, I believe, back in the fall -- I believe in September, in fact, with respect to this labour market supplement in terms of its design, and then there was a process of going through to determine which positions to which this -- the supplement policy would properly apply.

But, Mr. Speaker, the health recruitment unit that now exists, and was developed both by Department of Finance and Health and Social Services, that's something that's been in the works obviously in response to the fact that there's been challenges in our healthcare and this is part of the mandate. That's been in the works for some time. It's looking not only at the salaries and compensation but at the totality of what the workplace situation is like.

You know, one of the elements that's considered in the supplement is whether or not the position itself is still at the top of the pay range compared to other jurisdictions in Canada. And in general, our health care workers continue to be high in the pay range and yet we still struggle. So we want to make sure that we're looking at the totality of what's happening in the workplace, morale issues, you know, workplace safety issues, whether it's the timing of the shifts, so on and so forth, Mr. Speaker. And so for that reason, it's more than just a labour market supplement and it's -- it's a process that's going to have to continue to go on but it is already well underway, and I'm again confident that we're going to continue to find good solutions as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's my understanding in talking with people that while we may have health care workers at the top of the pay grade, it doesn't mean that they're making or pocketing or -- or getting ahead any more than in southern Canada. It is my understanding that that high pay is no longer lucrative enough for the -- to attract workers here.

Another thing that's causing issues around attracting workers here is our housing and childcare issues.

How is the Minister working with the other departments and how is the government addressing the fact that even if we could recruit a healthcare worker, we have no house for them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is a challenge, Mr. Speaker, that I hear about actually wearing my ITI hat as much as Finance in terms of an impact on labour market shortages in a variety of areas and particularly in the private sector as well. So certainly I'm very live to it.

With respect to childcare, obviously I'll turn it to my colleague at ECE and the news that's being announced around a movement towards $10 a day childcare. But back to more generally with respect to housing, again that is a whole-of-government problem and a whole-of-government challenge as it is a whole-of-territory challenge. So at that point, I'd turn to my colleague over at Housing. But yes, absolutely, you know, when we're recruiting folks in, we are trying to find -- to look for, you know, some assurances as to where they'll be going, to work with the community, work with the Department of Housing, and try see, you know, again -- you know, what is available, what will the needs be, and to work with the -- to work the morale to see that the person's that's coming in is being supported to transition to being a permanent resident here in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to go back to something that the Minister just said around contacting the union back in the fall.

It's my understanding that the union responded with several questions as well, and there was a very -- a large lack of engagement during the fall time and then into the new year at which point the union was presented with a take it or leave it.

Is it not -- maybe the Minister could speak to the fact that isn't it under the collective agreement that the government has a responsibility to negotiate with the union and not present take it or leave it scenarios? Can the Minister speak to what happened to the breakdown of negotiations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was a lot of discussion back and forth firstly around the design of the labour market supplement in which case some of the requests that were made by the union were, indeed, incorporated into that policy to better reflect some of their suggestions. Then when it came time to apply the policy on the first occasion where the Department of Health and Social Services had brought forward their suggestion, it -- you know, again, there was further discussions. There were requests to expand in a way that did not, in our view, meet the conditions of the policy. And so we were left with a situation where we were trying to apply the policy as designed and as written and as understood in a limited way, again being an exceptional policy to provide an enhanced salary or enhanced pay to a specific set of workers who meet a set of conditions, and of course, you know, I don't want to speak for the union, and I can't speak for the union, their view was that it should have been expanded and applied more broadly. That's the situation we found ourselves in.

You know, I don't -- again, not speaking for the union, I certainly don't think that anybody that was involved in that process was happy with where it ended, Mr. Speaker, to be quite frank. I think anyone in the territories, very well aware that there's a lot of challenges in the healthcare sector right now, a lot of challenges in that employment area across Canada, and we are looking for solutions. We're going to continue to look for solutions, and we want the union to be partners with us in that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke about the NWT Metis Nation and their efforts to establish a final self-government agreement with the Government of the Northwest Territories. My questions are for the Premier.

Is the Government of the Northwest Territories prepared to offer the NWT Metis Nation an amount of land that is equitable to other NWT claims? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Honourable Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely, the Government in the Northwest Territories remains committed to land claim agreements that are comparable across the Northwest Territories. So absolutely, we're looking for a comparable agreement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, can the Premier tell us if the Government of the Northwest Territories is prepared to prioritize the self-government and land claim agreement with the NWT Metis Nation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this government remains committed to making negotiations and land claim and self-government agreements a priority. It's one of our 22 priorities of this Assembly. It was a priority from the last Assembly, many before. It remains a priority, and it will remain a priority until it is -- until they are completed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, can the Premier tell us what the Government of the Northwest Territories is doing to demonstrate its commitment and ability to achieve an NWT Metis Nation final agreement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are actively engaging with the NWT Metis Association and Canada and ourselves around negotiations. We're talking about flexibility, what we can do. And that process will continue throughout. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary, Member for Thebacha.

Mr. Speaker, can the Premier tell us if she anticipates a final agreement with the NWT Metis Nation will be established before the end of the 19th Assembly? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd love to be able to say yes, that these final agreements will be signed tomorrow, today, at the end of the day. The reality is that we're one member at the negotiation table. There's three members. And so we're trying to do our best to make sure that these agreements are done in a fair equitable manner that meets the needs of the -- the NWT Metis Nation people and also the needs of the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary, Member for Thebacha -- oh sorry, just checking.

Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These questions are for the Minister responsible for human resources.

Mr. Speaker, whatever one's perception of those vaccinated or not vaccinated against COVID-19, we must follow our laws, legislation, regulations, and policies, which, in the creation, must be made in conformity with the Constitution and followed as we create new laws and rules.

So therefore, can the Minister confirm how federal government restrictions respecting air travel for vaccinated and unvaccinated public government employees in the NWT played into developing our COVID-19 vaccine policies? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when the Government of the Northwest Territories vaccine policies were initially being developed, this was back in August, and if I recall correctly it was actually before the time that we had heard what the final federal policies might be, we were doing our best to develop our policy for the needs of our communities, having heard from Indigenous governments and communities here in the North and being aware of the vulnerable population we have in the North and seeing the evolution of COVID-19 to that point. And around that time, Mr. Speaker, other jurisdictions started to come out with other policies, their own policies at around that same time, and -- but we really -- we were doing our policy, you know, based on our analysis and not waiting on that of others or dependant upon that of other jurisdictions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Considering the federal exemptions came out, you know, sometime in December and continued on. So after review and clarification of the federal restrictions on air travel for the NWT, of the employees placed on leave without pay can the Minister confirm how many have returned to work and received compensation for the time they were on leave? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, there of course is the GNWT's vaccination policy but then there are also some employees who, because of the existence of federal policies either in the places where they need to attend, such as an RCMP detachment, or because of the concern around travel, they would have been doubly impacted because of their job descriptions on -- on those policies. And the federal government had put in place an exemption initially to January 31st, and it was our exemption that -- or our understanding that that -- at that point, people who were subject to needing to travel under their job descriptions would be on leave without pay because that exemption was no longer in place. That exemption was in fact renewed, and so there were, I gather, a total of I believe six or seven employees who were impacted and who were placed on leave without pay and who are since now welcomed back to return to their duties as a result of not having to travel and who can then comply with the GNWT's policy where if they're choosing to not provide a proof of vaccination, they can undertake PPE, protective -- protective equipment and testing in order to comply with their policies and, of course, any loss of pay during that period they would be compensated back for. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister confirm if changes to COVID restrictions in the NWT will result in the elimination of revision of current vaccine policy? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, as I think folks are generally aware, we are anticipating that there will be some changes to the overall restrictions and approach to COVID-19 under the chief public health officer -- chief public health office and the associated orders as of April 1st. Mr. Speaker, when that occurs we certainly will be reviewing revising and updating our own policy accordingly. It's always preferable, Mr. Speaker, in my view to communicate directly with employees first and not necessarily to make statements here in the House that affect them, but I would say that employees should be expecting to have an update from us imminently. We're just again wanting to make sure that we are acting in tandem and in lockstep with what's happening with the chief public health officer who I know has been looking at numbers right up to -- right up to the end here to make sure that what we're doing is, in fact, the safest possible approach for -- well, for residents, but in our case, for employees as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this has been a stressful time I guess for everybody, you know, vaccinated/ unvaccinated, you know, for everybody in the territories and throughout Canada. And more so, I guess for, you know, those -- those employees who were, you know, placed on leave without a paycheque and it was even more stressful on them and their families.

So due to the employees placed on leave without pay who could have continued working while meeting the federal restrictions for air travel, will the Minister offer a public apology to those employees who mistakenly lost their employment or placed -- or were placed on leave without pay? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I -- when we discovered that this -- that the change in the federal exemption hadn't been applied, it wasn't -- again, it was not -- it was something that we were not aware of, that their changes were not a public change. It was a change not communicated to -- to the Department of Finance. So as soon as we became aware of it, the employ -- the affected employees were contacted. I certainly, Mr. Speaker, I don't mind, and I think it's appropriate to say that I would not want to see hardship caused to any employee, any member of the public service, including those seven. I'm sorry that they went through that process. They've been contacted. They will not see any loss. They'll have their -- their compensation, their salaries dealt with appropriately so that they don't have to suffer any financial hardship or consequences. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I want to pick up where I left off two years ago with my questions on the status of creation of a child and youth advocate in the Northwest Territories.

Can the Minister update us on the jurisdictional scan that was underway in February 2020 and provide a copy to regular MLAs and the public? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wasn't the health minister at that time, and I did not make this commitment. It is my understanding there was a jurisdictional scan done and it has been -- it has been completed, that it is primarily about information sharing, which is a huge issue with respect to our path forward with child and family services and Indigenous governments. So it doesn't speak about the power or the role or the responsibility and so on of a child and youth advocate. That's not what it's about. It's about information sharing.

The focus that we have now is to work with Indigenous governments for them to exercise their lawmaking power under the federal act respecting First Nations, Metis, Inuit children, youth, and families to draw down responsibility for their own administration of child and family services. So we're looking at community or regional or Indigenous government based solutions rather than a broad territorial office of an advocate. We're not looking at a child advocate at this time. Thank you.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I'll go back and see what kind of commitment was made by the previous Minister on this topic but that was just disappointing to hear the Minister say this.

So, you know, the department has come up with this quality improvement plan in response to the auditor general's findings, and of course the Minister's just raised that there are consultations going on with Indigenous governments. So can the Minister tell us if the creation of a child and youth advocate is a specific topic of these consultations with Indigenous governments or other groups? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, thank you. In the negotiations to date, this hasn't been a topic of discussion. I note it's also not a topic of discussion in the recently tabled Child and Family Services Act Review Report from the standing committee. The point of Indigenous governments creating their own child and family services law is that they -- they won't need an advocate. It's their law. They decide how it's implemented. Thank you.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. Of course, there are other children that may not get covered by these negotiations, but I'll just park that one for now.

The auditor general in that report was not complimentary of how we have been carrying out child and family services. The report of this House or one of the standing committees that supported a child and youth advocate with regard to the auditor general's report, so. When does the Minister actually expect that we could ever establish an Office of Child and Youth Advocate for the Northwest Territories? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the child and family services system has been through a complete overhaul since the second of the OAG reports was tabled in 2018. And we created the quality improvement plan that the Member referenced which is now in its -- in its last days. We are going to create a bridge plan which will move over both the completed and incomplete actions that came out of the quality improvement plan.

We also as -- as the Member knows, we are going to revise the Child and Family Services Act to align our legislation with the federal legislation that came into effect in January of 2020. The basis of that legislation is that we act in the best interests of the child and that the best interests are for the child to maintain their connection with their family, with their community, and with their culture. So that will be the basis of the changes that we -- that we're going to make. As I say, other than the Member bringing this topic to me today, it hasn't been a request that I've heard otherwise. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Frame Lake.