This is page numbers 3837 - 3896 of the Hansard for the 19th Assembly, 2nd Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was indigenous.

Topics

Members Present

Hon. Diane Archie, Hon. Frederick Blake Jr., Mr. Bonnetrouge, Hon. Paulie Chinna, Ms. Cleveland, Hon. Caroline Cochrane, Mr. Edjericon, Hon. Julie Green, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Martselos, Ms. Nokleby, Mr. O'Reilly, Ms. Semmler, Hon. R.J. Simpson, Mr. Rocky Simpson, Hon. Shane Thompson, Hon. Caroline Wawzonek. Ms. Weyallon-Armstrong

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

---Prayer

Prayer
Prayer

Page 3837

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for the Status of Women.

Caroline Wawzonek

Caroline Wawzonek Yellowknife South

Mr. Speaker, today is International Women's Day. Designated by the United Nations as an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women, it is a day to raise awareness of gender inequality and reflect on the journeys we have all taken to get here. It is an opportunity for us to come together and to commit to continue the fight for gender equality.

This year's theme is Break the Bias. This is about breaking from the beliefs we have about what women are capable of. We must work together to break the bias in our workplaces, in our communities, and in our own homes so that all genders have the opportunity to flourish. Together we can create a world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive - A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

This morning I had the pleasure of participating in a fireside chat alongside the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, as well as the Honourable Lisa Thompson, Honourable Margaret Johnson, and Honourable Lana Popham, Ministers of Agriculture from Ontario, New Brunswick and British Columbia. During this event we discussed the women and girls who inspire us through their leadership and contribution to the social, economic, cultural, and political spheres across Canada.

Mr. Speaker, as I look around this room, I see courageous, intelligent, and powerful women, sons of mothers and fathers of daughters. It is an honour to be part of the first gender-balanced Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Across the Northwest Territories, voters have also elected women in unprecedented numbers at all levels of government including Chiefs, mayors, and councilors.

Mr. Speaker, these great achievements are cause for celebration because it is a sign that in the Northwest Territories, we are breaking biases. While I feel great pride for the progress we have made, I am also saddened by the discrimination that women and gender-diverse people continue to experience daily.

From unequal salaries and low representation in leadership roles to being victims of gender-based violence and domestic abuse, many women continue to face challenges that stem directly from gender bias and inequality. This is not the world I want to leave our children.

Mr. Speaker, although the last two years have been a struggle for everyone, they have been particularly challenging for women. During this time, women have suffered through what has been called a shadow pandemic. Data shows that all types of gender-based violence, particularly domestic violence, has greatly intensified since the start of COVID-19. At this very moment, there are women across this territory who are stuck in cycles of poverty and violence and forced to make difficult choices every day that put their safety at risk. This is not the world I want to leave our children.

Mr. Speaker, Indigenous women are 3.5 times more likely to experience violence, and we continue to hear reports of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. And I repeat, this is not the world I want to leave our children.

Mr. Speaker, as the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, I reaffirm this government's commitment to addressing the evolving nature of work related to gender, including gendered violence and gender equity. One year ago, I stood in this House to announce the creation of the GNWT's gender equity division and today I am happy to share some of the important work that they are undertaking.

On December 8th, 2021, I tabled Changing the Relationship, a draft action plan in response to the Calls for Justice on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. This comprehensive plan was developed by the gender equity division with support from all GNWT departments and key stakeholders. The plan includes 95 actions to address systemic causes of violence, inequality, and racism so that Indigenous women and girls can feel safe and empowered in our territory. So far, the Northwest Territories is one of only a few jurisdictions across Canada to develop an MMIWG action plan.

The gender equity division will also be responsible for implementing Gender Based Analysis Plus, or GBA+, to assess how diverse groups may be impacted by government policies, programs, and initiatives.

The gender equity division continues to support women in leadership initiatives including the Campaign School for Women, which encourages the participation of women in political leadership and equips them with tools and supports to run for elected office. If we want to measure success and importance of this program, we can simply look at all the women elected in this room and beyond holding office across the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, on this International Women's Day, we do have much to celebrate. It's important to acknowledge the work that has been done to honour and recognize those women who have gotten us here today. However, if we want a gender equal world, one that is free of bias, stereotypes or discrimination, we do still have a lot of work to do.

The time for gender equality was yesterday; it was last month, last year, decades and centuries ago. The time for gender equality is long overdue, Mr. Speaker, but today will have to do. Together we can forge women's equality and together we can Break the Bias. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Member for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.

Paulie Chinna

Paulie Chinna Sahtu

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation is delivering an exceptional large capital program to cost share the delivery of 60 new single public housing units. 46 of those units are projected to be completed in 2022-2023, and 14 are projected to be completed the following year. The majority of this funding is coming from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation under the Co-Investment Fund.

In addition, Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada is also contributing funding towards the delivery of 30 new public housing units. Seven are expected to be completed this year; 21 are expected to be completed in 2022-2023; two are expected to be completed in 2023-2024.

This will be the largest expansion of public housing units in the Northwest Territories in over 20 years. The annual capital delivery plan of approximately $94 million involves the construction and renovation of more than 364 housing units in the Northwest Territories. This represents almost a 100 percent increase in capital investment compared to the previous year's $47 million capital plan. This plan includes new and replacement public housing units, major retrofits, and a large biomass district heating project, market housing, and the remaining units for the RCMP housing initiative.

Mr. Speaker, the majority of this delivery is now either already completed or in the construction phase. Over the last year, the Housing Corporation has awarded negotiated contracts for the construction of 12 new housing units being delivered by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Gwich'in Tribal Council (Delta North Alliance); Fort Smith Metis Council; and the Norman Wells Claimant Corporation. Under the Tlicho Infrastructure Corporation Agreement, the Housing Corporation has also awarded the construction of the local housing organization office in Behchoko. The NWT Housing Corporation is continuing its discussions with Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations to support this extraordinary delivery.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to our own delivery, we will continue to work in partnership with Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, community governments, and non-profit organizations to help them access funding through the Government of Canada's National Housing Co-Investment Fund. The co-investment fund application process can be very time consuming and requires significant resources to move through the different application phases. There are currently ten active projects we are aware of in construction phase, two nearing completion of the application process, and more than 20 projects the Housing Corporation are engaged in supporting through the federal co-investment application process.

The Housing Corporation will continue to support applications from across the Northwest Territories as they move through this complex process.

Mr. Speaker, beyond the benefits of adding housing options in communities where new units are built, the economic benefits of the construction delivery can provide meaningful employment opportunities. The committed to working with northern contractors as much as possible to maximize the benefits of these projects.

To support these outcomes, on April 1st, 2020, the Housing Corporation amended its construction contracts to require general contractors to support at least one northern apprentice on work assignments for the duration of the construction project.

I am very pleased to advise that in addition to the dozen apprentice positions the Housing Corporation supports each year with local housing organizations, the new apprentice hire as required for general contractors has supported the creation of 33 new apprentice work assignments to date.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment to increase the number of affordable homes and reduce housing core need. In this territory, with support from our partners, we have made and continue to make great progress towards fulfilling this commitment. From home repair and community housing plans to invest in new housing units and addressing homelessness through the Northern Pathways to housing programs, the Housing Corporation and its partners are taking big steps to ensuring residents most in need have access to comfortable, safe, and affordable homes.

Despite the progress being made, there is still more work to be done. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the need for affordable housing and shown us that adequate housing plays a critical role in the success, health, and wellness of residents and communities across the territory.

The Housing Corporation will continue to engage with the Government of Canada, Indigenous governments, and the stakeholders to help make housing in communities across the Northwest Territories more affordable and more accessible for the residents who need it most.

I'd also like to thank the staff at the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and our Indigenous partnerships and our partners throughout the Northwest Territories for this collaboration and this work being done today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Rocky Simpson

Rocky Simpson Hay River South

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with the rising cost of fuel and gas prices throughout the NWT, Canada, and internationally, we must consider alternate forms of transportation.

Mr. Speaker, Arctic Energy Alliance provides rebates for electric vehicles and charging devices. As an added benefit, these rebates can be piggy-backed with federal rebate programs as well. The reason for these programs is to reduce greenhouse gases through the use of zero emission vehicles. We are off to a good start. However, we can advance this by taking a page from our friends in the Yukon who have implemented rebates for electric bikes and electric snowmobiles.

Mr. Speaker, e-bikes are an excellent choice for commuting, exercise, and reducing the carbon footprint. The electric bike does not require one to have a driver's license while saving on fuel and insurance costs. What would excite my colleague from Frame Lake is that the electric bikes and snowmobiles benefit the environment as the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is not an issue.

What excites me about the e-bike is the exercise it can provide. Although the e-bike comes with an electric motor for those steep hills, it does have pedals and if those pedals are actually used, it will benefit one's heart, lungs, muscles, and sense of well-being.

Mr. Speaker, we all know one cannot live in the Northwest Territories without owning a snowmobile. Or better yet, having a friend you can borrow one from at no cost. There are now electric snowmobiles available in Canada that have a range, on a single charge, of approximately 100 kilometers. In addition to being fully electric and not requiring fuel, the machines are quiet, have comparable performance with machines we are familiar with, and require minimal maintenance.

Mr. Speaker, one drawback in all of this is the lack of EV charging stations in the NWT however I understand there are plans to install more this year. Nevertheless, it is important we look to alternate EV modes of transportation beyond trucks and cars - electric bikes, electric cargo bicycles, and electric snowmobiles would be a good start. Each must be part of the list of equipment eligible for rebates in the NWT.

Currently, the Yukon government provides a rebate for electric bikes and electric cargo bikes of 25 percent up to a maximum of $750 and $2500 for electric snowmobiles. Let's not be left behind.
I will have questions for the Minister responsible for Infrastructure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Ronald Bonnetrouge

Ronald Bonnetrouge Deh Cho

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize International Women's Day, which is held on this date, March 8th, every year.

International Women's Day is celebrated globally to recognize the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Today is also a Call to Action for accelerating gender parity which is working towards achieving equality with men and not to be discriminated against because of their gender.

Mr. Speaker, great strides and progress have been made since the days of just being a housewife or someone to send to the store to do the shopping. We have to recognize achievements made by women including in trades, management, business, and politically. We can look at the 19th Legislative Assembly, which is the first to have nine female Members of an Assembly. I believe this is a first for any Assembly anywhere.

Mr. Speaker, I have to note that a by-election held in the Monfwi riding, and with the election of a woman, this has now given the 19th Legislative Assembly a majority of women.

I also recognize the many achievements of women in leadership who have broken the glass ceiling. I congratulate and applaud all women who serve on local councils and the many other organizations for which they volunteer. Mr. Speaker, I would like to close with a quote from someone who states, "there's no evidence whatsoever that men are more rational than women. Both sexes seem to be equally irrational." Mahsi.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Lesa Semmler

Lesa Semmler Inuvik Twin Lakes

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today is International Women's Day. The government of Canada's theme for International Women's Day is Women Inspiring Women. It celebrates all the women and girls who inspire us by demonstrating leadership and the choices they make in their day-to-day lives to contribute to the social, economic, cultural, and political spheres.

The international 2022 campaign is Break the Bias. Imagine a gender-equal world, a world free of bias, stereotypes, discrimination; a world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive; a world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to point out that I stand in this House with a gender balance. Actually, majority of women representing this territory. We have a female Premier and a majority female Cabinet with most of our chair -- our special and standing committees are chaired by females.

As I stand here, I'd also recognize we have our clerks today that are both female sitting in the House today.

However, I want to express my thanks to our male colleagues who have treated me as an equal throughout my time as a sitting MLA. Never once have I heard a bias against any issue or idea that I have brought forward, unless they're scared to approach me.

Mr. Speaker, there are so many women who have inspired me throughout my life, each one of them has made me who I am. They're women in my life who have led the way long before women had a place at any table. Thank you for breaking this trail.

There have been women who inspired me to strive to be the mother and wife I am today. Thank you.

There are women and girls who continue to inspire me every day, and this gives me the energy and the courage to continue to do the work that they put me here to do. I hope this inspires them to follow in the footsteps, in many of the female footsteps before them. We need to ensure that days like today are not celebrations but are the norm in our world. So I would like to wish everybody a Happy International Women's Day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.

Katrina Nokleby

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

I am also going to speak about International Women's Day.

Mr. Speaker, the Oxford dictionary defines bias as "a strong feeling in favour of, or against, one group of people, or one side in an argument, often not based on fair judgement."

Since time immemorial, women have faced bias, labelled as the "weaker sex", "hysterical", "emotional", and my personal favourite, Mr. Speaker, "angry". All words used to discredit opinions and lived experiences so that justice for women and girls remains difficult and we are taught to blame ourselves.

Mr. Speaker, this is the greatest example of gaslighting we can see in human history. And it has hurt all people, across the gender spectrum, as we now have generations of people, men, who struggle with expressing their emotions and showing vulnerability as society says those attributes are weak and belong only to the "fairer sex".

As we've heard, this year's International Women's Day theme is Break the Bias, something that I've attempted to do most of my life before I even knew what that word meant.

In 1991, I was the only girl in my high school's industrial education, or IE, class. This, after my antiquated school district finally stopped putting the girls automatically into home economics and the boys in IE.

As a child I was a "tomboy", another one of those biased words used to make women feel lesser than, implying if you don't fit into the traditional gender role you will be labelled as different and held out as an example. If I had a dollar for the number of times that I've been told that it would be hard for me to find a man, I'd be able to build housing for the entire territory, Mr. Speaker. And as I stand before you a single, never married woman, I guess they were right.

As sad as I am that I haven't fulfilled what society tells me is my purpose in life - to get married and have children - I have managed to fill my empty life with other matters, including my career as an engineer, my role as an MLA, and of course being a cool auntie.

Mr. Speaker, I may joke about this situation but as I've said before, humour is how I cope and cope I have, as women have coped for millennia. Never in my life have I so keenly been aware of being a woman, and I am proud to be part of the change that began for this nation when the legislature became the first with a majority of women. And I know the focus of this Assembly reflects our voices. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Caitlin Cleveland

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A powerful Indigenous woman, a woman who persisted to overcome and then thrive, once demanded to see my fire. We all have fire. Sometimes its hidden deep with a whisper of a flame and sometimes it roars.

Mr. Speaker, International Women's Day isn't only about women who make headlines and win awards. It is especially about women who persist every day to overcome the social and economic challenges that life throws their way. These are the women who risk financial stability to flee violence, the women who support children with disabilities day in and day out, the women who parent through their own mental and physical disability and trauma, the women who work multiple jobs to stay housed; today is for the women who persist to wake up tomorrow and do it all again. Today is about the persisters.

Mr. Speaker, to say the word "equality" is not enough. Action is needed on the heels of this public health and shadow pandemic. We need to call out bias, douse stereotypes, squash systemic barriers, and reject that which doesn't serve our persisters.

Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead so as residents we must recognize our bias and build up the women around us. And as legislators, we must recognize the bias in legislation, policies, and how the government serves Northerners.

Mr. Speaker, supporting women is good economics. Increasing women's participation in the workforce to that of men is said to generate an extra $13 billion to Canada's GDP. So how can income assistance policies evolve to help persisters thrive? How can government get out of the way of entrepreneurs? And, how can policies that drive housing support women? Meeting residents with the support they need to overcome and thrive furthers our $700 million investment on social programs. So how can integrated service delivery break down department silos this year?

To me, International Women's Day is about looking at what I am thankful for as a woman and ensuring that all women have access to the same. But today is not only about women as true change doesn't happen in gendered silos either. Today needs all voices because being a champion of women is being a champion of social change, economic strength, and prosperity for this territory.

Mr. Speaker, here is to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them. And here is to supportive men. May we know them, may we hear them, and may we raise them. And, to today's true heroes, the persisters, speak your truth, demand your worth, and continue to call for our fires. Thank you.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Frieda Martselos

Frieda Martselos Thebacha

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to wish everybody a Happy International Women's Day, and with that, Mr. Speaker, I have a different topic.

Mr. Speaker, the Affirmative Action Policy has existed in the Government of the Northwest Territories for 33 years now. The purpose of the policy is to hire more Indigenous people in the public service, which sounds simple enough, but has not been so easy in practice.

Since affirmative action was created, the number of Indigenous employees across the Northwest Territories has remained stagnant at about 30 percent every year. Mr. Speaker, the Affirmative Action Policy is not fulfilling its stated purpose. It simply is not working for many Indigenous people. I hear stories all the time from Indigenous people in my community about folks being screened out of jobs or trying to appeal hiring decisions or trying to move up to a higher-level management positions but they run into roadblocks every step of the way.

It is not easy for Indigenous people to move up to higher-level jobs within our government.

Mr. Speaker, in January the Standing Committee on Government Operations had a public meeting on the Affirmative Action Policy, which had some very insightful presenters. Among the presenters was the Fort Smith Metis Council who stated that there needs to be serious consequences for employees and managers who do not follow the Affirmative Action Policy. I agree with that statement.

Employees and managers need to know that by not following affirmative action, they will be reprimanded in some way. With mechanisms like that built into the policy, perhaps we will see more Indigenous hires into the public service.

Mr. Speaker, another point that was mentioned at that public meeting was the need for the government to accept education equivalencies more broadly within all or most job descriptions. Again, I agree with that statement, and I've mentioned that several times here.

In many cases, Indigenous peoples are screened out of the job application process simply because their education level does not match exactly what is stated in the job description. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, another aspect of Indigenous hire in the public service, which is not talked about often, is mentorship. It is extremely important for managers in every department to mentor and provide every opportunity for professional development with all Indigenous employees. Indigenous employees need to be supported and treated as valuable Members of the team.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister of Finance has been working on a new Indigenous Recruitment and Retention Framework and Action Plan. She tabled those documents in November. While it is good to see those plans advancing, I hope to start seeing some results from those plans sooner rather than later. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Kevin O'Reilly

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. I raised the issue of the federal wage top-up program offered through GNWT in June last year. The federal funding appears to have ended on August 31st, 2021. At that point, GNWT workers receiving $18 an hour reverted back to their previous wages as low as our miserly minimum wage of $15.20 an hour.

No matter how the Minister of Finance tried to pitch the wage top-up program and who was supposed to benefit from it, the program definitely helped a lot of people impacted by our totally inadequate minimum wage. I was surprised to see that the Department of Finance still has a webpage on the now defunct wage top-up program.

As of July 19th, 2021, the total cost of the program was $4,607,888, including employee wage top-up, employer EI and CPP, and $50 per employee compensation fees; 102 businesses participated; and 3,053 individuals benefitted from the program, or about 12.5 percent of the labour force.

I recently had a small business person who lives in the Frame Lake riding contact me about government assistance as they were hoping for a reinstatement of the wage top-up program. That business understands the need to retain employees and wants to pay their employees a living wage. When I contacted the finance minister, all I got was a brush off that the program had ended and a link to where federal assistance programs could be found.

The response from the Minister did not deal with the fundamental problems outlined by this small business person. There is no shortage of labour, but a wage/benefits shortage where people are no longer looking for work that pays less than a living wage.

There should be a general wage top-up program that is focused on increasing the wages for lower income workers. The GNWT could provide a wage top-up program to applicants to get low income workers up to a living wage and then a staggered withdrawal over time. This would bring up the wages for low income workers and would mitigate the risks for small businesses.

Do we want to support a more vibrant economy and attract employees with better services to the public, Or do we want to continue to have workers living in poverty? I will have questions later today for the Premier. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Rylund Johnson

Rylund Johnson Yellowknife North

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If you search through Hansard, there's no shortage of questions about audiology wait times, both in this Assembly and the last. And I know the department has made some progress both for wait times for hearing and those in certain priority candidates, but I'm still hearing from many constituents that the time to get proper audiology services is too long.

Mr. Speaker, hearing loss in adults over 50 years of age is currently one of the top contributors to the burden of disability. Hearing loss increases social isolation and worsens the symptoms and onset of disorders such as Alzheimer's and dementia.

Mr. Speaker, I've been told by multiple constituents that they have waited well over a year to have their audiology needs addressed. And in the interim, some have gone out-of-territory to get those services.

Mr. Speaker, we have to recognize that when we have massive wait times for services, some people are going to go out-of-territory and get those services so that they can get the service they need. In doing this though, I have helped constituents try to get reimbursements. I've had constituents tell me conflicting information about whether they can be reimbursed from services both from one aspect of whether it's their doctor or it's the office in Inuvik that ultimately deals with this. I think there is some silos occurring and an overall comprehensive reimbursement policy is needed so clear direction can happen to someone who is stuck without being able to get a service here, goes down and tries to get their hearing needs addressed. I'll have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services about what we are doing to end the audiology wait times. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Jane Weyallon Armstrong

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Yes, okay, I'll do it in my language.

[Translation begins] Today is March 8th, International Women's Day. They say this is our day. It is all over the world as women exist, this is our day. That's a day that we do have. So when we look at this the way it is, our fore-parents, our ancestors, we have to remember them and this is a day that we would also have a day for them to remember who they were. And without them, we wouldn't be where we are today. We know they have worked very hard for all of us, our ancestors that I am talking about. So when we remember them and thanking them for who we are as women being and as a leader, so we know that time has changed and we have lived that experience to be who we are today. But it's not only us that we are who we are today but as a lot of change happens under Indian Act and for the Indigenous women, a lot has -- a lot has changed for the election as well as women in leadership. And the women made some changes so that we would have women in power so in that sense, that we have gone forward. So for that reason as women, so we are very important and very precious of who we are and what we do for our people today. And I see it's some are women -- some women are in the background but we would like to also have the other women in leadership as well.

As Tlicho region that I say, I see, I know we have two women in leadership in Tlicho region, Chief in Gameti, Doreen Arrowmaker. In Wekweeti, the Adeline Judith Football. And for myself, as being the first woman being an MLA. So it is, like, an opening an eye and go on the right way of who we are as a women, what we can do for our people. But for -- we know that a lot of women today, they have a lot of work to do as a leadership, as teachers as well. We know that we do have a lot of ladies as women in leadership in their own way, in their own role, so we have to say it's being women is very important. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today because of our ancestors. Thank you very much. [Translation Ends]

The Speaker

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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