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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The benefits of a Service GNWT model or single service window model are pretty obvious. There's Service Canada. Service BC. Service Alberta. I actually don't think there's a single jurisdiction in Canada, other than us, that doesn't have a single service window. And we actually kind of have one. We have service officers in the communities. But the Premier throughout this government has refused to bring them in to Yellowknife, refused to even consider a single service window, and seems to think it's impossible. But in reality, Mr. Speaker, it's one of the few things we could do that could create efficiencies. For example, a Service GNWT office would do things such as help with income assistance, housing, you could get your birth certificate there, you could pay fines there, you could apply for a lease, you could get your marriage license - typical things that the government does that, right now, are scattered through about 12 different offices in Yellowknife with a multitude of workers.

And the benefits to a service window model, Mr. Speaker, are numerous. Firstly, it allows you to buy one piece of E-services software. Right now, we are spending tens of millions a year on software licenses. Every year that software budget line just goes up and up, and there seems to be nothing we can do about it. Right now, E-services is housed in the Department of Finance despite the fact that all of the services it's providing are kind of scattered across the GNWT. And in some cases, there's actually the E-services platform and then another piece of software within the department being used for the same thing and they don't talk to each other. And never do the workers in the other department. We've heard multiple stories throughout my term of housing asking for your employment records, then income assistance asking for your employment records, and then sometimes the workers get in a fight. This is all well documented by integrated case management in the Department of Justice which basically gave up trying to get GNWT departments to work together. And, Mr. Speaker, I think we have made negative progress on this issue.

So for the next Premier, do something about this, adopt a Service GNWT model. It's not that complicated. Every government does it. It saves you a bunch of money. It really is a win-win-win situation.

And another thing it does, Mr. Speaker, is it allows you to be a little bit more flexible with your operating hours. Most service offices are open evenings and weekends. You could, perhaps, renew your license at the DMV on the evenings or weekends, which I have been asking for four years, Mr. Speaker, and have made no progress at all. So I give up. Next Premier, do better. Thank you.

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

That's pretty hard to beat that one. So, Mr. Speaker, today the residents are accessing a variety of government support programs - housing, income support, and disability supports, across the it territory, and especially my riding. This is due to a variety of reasons but the main reason that we do not have the sustainable income in Nunakput region - there's no jobs and nothing to sustain families. I have told this House to be compassionate, flexible about the needs of our people, particularly those in small communities.

But, Mr. Speaker, today my residents are facing claw backs, withholding of their income support payment. The ECE took steps in March 2020 to exempt from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, CERB, from the calculation of benefits on income assistance, the applications. However there are other payments that our residents received, including CERB, CRCB, that's disabilities, and CRSB and CWLB, are now being accounted as assessments when applying for income support.

Mr. Speaker, we need to remember that the residents do not have much support and much resources and are trying to get as much as they can to support their families. I already -- and we're already not providing enough. We're pushing them to obtaining other supports during this unprecedented -- the pandemic that we went through.

The money is not a huge sum of money, Mr. Speaker. People are struggling on high costs of living, high cost of food, just barely getting by. I call again and again we need some compassion here, Mr. Speaker. We need to show we care. COVID feels like forever ago, and we're all worried about the impacts and the supply chain issues, the vulnerability of our residents. People are trying to do whatever they can do to take care of their family. I will ask questions of the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to make sure that the CERB payment and the disability payment are not being calculated on the income support program and seeing if we could -- for the next government to take off. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the priorities of this government was to increase regional decision-making authority. I am unsure how much of that we actually have done in this government. We have decisions continuously coming from the capital. In my region, you know, the thing is that we have certain land claims, we have certain things. You know, we're waiting for decisions on cabins and how we're going to have -- you know, people are going to be able to establish a lease on a cabin if they're Indigenous. But we can't deal with it in our region.

We have procurement issues in my region. I have heard nothing but procurement issues. I know the Minister has stated that things are going to change. But I'm hoping that they're going to get better in my region.

Mr. Speaker, housing. Housing has impacted my region significantly. You know, the thing in our region, we've lost -- when we lost the housing -- or the territorial housing for our staff, this impacted our children's education. This impacted the health of our people. We cannot get jobs, people to come there. The cost of living is too high. That, and we get brand new graduates. I'm not saying that they're not great people but new grads teaching our children. You know, they're dealing with many issues, especially in the smaller communities in my region.

A lot of these decisions, the health authority, you know, that -- one of the reasons that I left GNWT was the centralization of the health authority. All the decision-making, the things that we could do in our communities different and tweak the programs, those kind of went away because we have to get permission from Yellowknife.

We made this a priority. We've had things come through us. You know, we had confidential little documents saying what they're going to do. So I am going to have questions for the Premier as to what decision-making authorities have been given to the regions and have they changed and have they impacted and made positive changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I stand in the House to recognize the passing of three individuals from the Nahendeh riding. These three people were amazing and very private individuals. With this in mind, I would like to recognize them.

Barb Tsetso, Fort Simpson. Barb was my next door neighbour. She was a wife, mother, and grandmother. I will miss seeing her and having those wonderful chats on the side of the road.

Sarah Lennie, Wrigley, a very committed person to the youth and education system. Sarah spent over 40 years teaching in Fort Simpson and Wrigley. She could have retired but she loved going to the school and being with the youth of Wrigley. Like others, I enjoyed talking to her and receiving her wisdom on life. She was a wife to Tim, mother and grandmother.

Tim would like to thank everybody for the support and condolences the family received during their loss.

Don Fabien, Fort Simpson. I had the opportunity to speak to Don numerous times throughout the years. He was a very knowledgeable man and always had a bit of wisdom he would like to share. One of the things we spoke about in the last four years was about his daughter. He was very impressed with her and the things that she was able to achieve. He was a very proud dad.

Mr. Speaker, these three individuals will be sadly missed by their family and friends. My condolences go out to them.

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

Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to start by introducing Darin Chocolate, who is sitting right there, and Kenzie Yakelaya, who I haven't seen, who are working for us as pages in this session. They are residents of Yellowknife Centre, and I want to thank them for all the work they've done for us in the last two weeks.

I'd also like to introduce Mr. Shawn Dean, a constituent of Yellowknife Yellowknife Centre, a former director of communications for the Legislative Assembly. I hope you're enjoying your retirement, Shawn.

And I'd also like to recognize my partner Janice McKenna, my brother from another mother Don Babey, and my friend Audrey Henderson. Thank you for coming.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't see my page in the Chamber at the moment, but I would like to recognize Rhiannon Ackerman-O'Connor who I have actually known since she was a little baby. And as well welcome my friend Nicole Sok to the gallery, who is here watching the proceeding today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Lee Mandeville who is here watching his son page here today, I think Zack. Oh, he's over there. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize two pages from the Sahtu. Jaylen Gaudet and Nevah Takazo.

And also I'd like to recognize the interpreters for the Sahtu, Therese Etchinelle and Sarah Cleary. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Sahtu. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize four Yellowknife pages who have been helping us out. We got Liam Kincaid, Zachary Mandeville, Sula Ray, and Kya Little Kim Wickens. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. I would like recognize one of the pages, Kole Lizotte. I believe he has a special someone who might work here as well. But also I believe Frame Lake resident Audrey Henderson is, I think behind me, is here as well and I want to welcome her to the Assembly. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge and recognize Tlicho interpreters/translators Jonas Lafferty of Behchoko and Mary Rose Sundberg of Dettah. And the other interpreter/translator, Sarah Gargan, Mary Jane Cazon, Bertha Catholique, Tom Unka, Sarah Cleary, Therese Etchinelle, Lillian Elias, and Susan Pepper, for doing the important work and preserving our Indigenous language. Thank you.