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

Yeah, well, I perhaps disagree that the department can't, you know, specify a business. But we specified them in BIP as giving them extra money, perhaps we can go the other direction for a couple decades, Mr. Speaker.

I guess, I recognize that new office space has to be tendered, and we've been doing that, but the problem is that with the renewals. And if you go through the number of leases you have, it's very clear they have been renewed term after term and have not gone out for public tender in many years. So I guess my question for the Minister of Infrastructure is that all of our existing leases will not just be renewed defacto? You know, for example, we've been renting the Scotia building since it was built, Mr. Speaker. So perhaps it is time for whenever any renewal comes up, will the Minister commit to departments that we are going to go out for public tender on those? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the decision to exercise renewal options within a leased contract depends on a lot of different things. There are things like continuity of programs and services, getting value for investments made to a space, and whether or not the GNWT is prepared to incur costs related to moving and fitting up a new space. These decisions must be made for each lease and not as an overall approach to restricting businesses to one vendor. Once the term of -- and the option of a contract has expired, the GNWT will move forward as per our procurement policies, guidelines, trade agreement requirements, so we can't exclude a specific business from these processes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've got a couple follow-up questions for the Minister of health. I'm wondering if the Minister of health will acknowledge some of the historical stigma that exists within child and family services and create a safe path for teen parents in the territory to be able to access funding for child care without entering into a voluntary service agreement so that a teenager in the territory can bring proof of enrolment at a high school or active enrolment at a high school, proof of enrolment at a child care facility, and access funding that will pay for that child care so they can continue their education? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this point we don't have a process of the kind that the Member is suggesting. Voluntary support agreements are used often to provide money to people who have needs related to raising their families. And so I'm a little unclear why that wouldn't be an appropriate vehicle and why we would need to create something different. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very thankful for the paths that child and family services does have available as I do have some constituents who have successfully used them. I also have some constituents who are in need and who have said I cannot use that; that is not a safe space for me. In our Standing Committee on Social Development, in our review of homelessness prevention, and also our review in child and family services, we've also heard very raw personal accounts from people who have also said I cannot use that; that is not a safe space for me. And so while I acknowledge what the Minister is saying about how there are existing avenues, what I'm asking for is another door with a slightly different face on it that is more of a culturally safe place for people to be and way for people to be able to access this funding. So how they code it on the back end, if it has to be coded to CFS, that's fine; I'm looking for something that doesn't require a voluntary service agreement, that just requires people to be an active student and requires them to have a child in child care. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is very important to be able to provide culturally safe services to people who need the services of health and social services; however, we don't at this time have a plan to develop the kind of program that the Member's asking for.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not asking for a new program. I'm not asking for a new funding pot. I'm asking for a new door. So what I'm asking for is for a door where people can access funds that already exist within child and family services, where somebody can simply come to the door and say, here's my proof that I am an active student at a high school in the Northwest Territories; here's my proof that I need child care, maybe it's in the form of a baby in their arms; where they can then access funding without having to enter into an official voluntary service agreement, because people have told us in the territory that is not safe for me. And I think that we need to respect that, especially if it stands as a barrier for access to education. I appreciate the services that are offered by the Department of Health and Social Services, but I think it's okay for us to acknowledge that it doesn't work for everyone and there are other ways for us to paint this so that it is accessible to everybody.

So I'm asking if the Minister's willing to work with me and other Members, who have experience with this, to be able to create a slightly different door for people to access something, where they could potentially go to a school counsellor to help them fill out a form and to help gain that proof that CFS might need for them to prove that they're an active student. Maybe it's with a school administrator. I think there are great ways that this can be done. And so I'm wondering if the Minister of health is willing to do that work so that we can work on this together. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a lot of commentary there. So I'm going to take the question on notice and get back to the Member.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Okay. Yes, the item's already been taken as notice. So I need a different -- okay, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you. Will the Minister of health look at different options for different things on different programs that our CYCCs and our cultural -- you know, we just announced a nice department that's going to take in cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity, and so will she consider this type of stuff that will look into the CYCC's jobs in the schools and how they can support students? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Health and social services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes.

I really appreciate that, Mr. Speaker. You know, I think that we need to utilize this department in all venues if we don't have integrated service management. This department could be a great integrated service department that's going to flow through all of our health and social services. And, really, I think we hear it from our youth, and as somebody who graduated with a six-month-old and a daycare in a school, that I think this is something that, you know, could really benefit because I'll put it out there, Ms. Jagpal, I wouldn't have graduated without you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Mr. Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Written questions. Replies to the Commissioner's address. Petitions. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Government of the Northwest Territories Response to Motion 64-19(2): Suicide Prevention. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Finance.