Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Monfwi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to welcome from Helen Kalvik School in Ulukhaktok, Kaden Okheena and Tobin Klengenberg and chaperone Greg Dunn, and thank the pages for all their hard work they did this week and thank them again for coming down. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize my page, Paige Hawthorne, who has joined us here in the House this week from Kam Lake and thank her for all of her hard work. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Thebacha.

I would like to recognize Greg Dunn from Ulu. I became friends with him just by talking to him every day as I was leaving the building and coming in, and I wish him well in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Oh sorry, Member for Great Slave.

Wrong end of the room. I would like to welcome Natalie Pressman with the CBC that has joined us. It's always nice to have media here. And I can imagine it gets to be quite a long day at times listening to us here. So I appreciate she comes. Thank you.

And also very exciting I'm sure.

I too would like to recognize Grant Dunn who is a former teacher in Tsiigehtchic and now in Ulu. And just to let you know, we still miss you in Tsiigehtchic. He had a great basketball program with the students there, and I'm sure he's doing the same in Ulukhaktok.

If we have missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to the Chamber and I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It's always nice to see people in the gallery. Mahsi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member's statement today, Mr. Speaker, was the aircraft being held up for the court parties.

Would the Minister just I guess clarify in regards to why are we still holding aircraft in Tuk when we do have a road and places to stay in the community? And why is that -- why are we still holding aircraft because we do need that aircraft for others, to service other communities because we're kind of in a shortage. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Minister responsible for Justice.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I recognize the Member's concerns. Unfortunately, I don't have that level of detail about the operations of the courts. The travel schedule and those logistical pieces are the decisions of the courts so it's not my decision to make. But I can look into it and get back to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister convey to the court parties I guess in the territory that just to make sure that proper planning, if not using aircraft that's holding up in the communities to provide service, if he could just let them know that in the communities, every community that they're going to they do have a hotel. Paulatuk has a hotel, Ulukhaktok has a hotel, Tuk has B and Bs and a road, and cost savings for that it would save them money. And, Mr. Speaker, I think that these times I think we should be looking at something like that to be more cost effective across the board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will make sure that we convey the entirety of this conversation to the courts. We'll provide them with the transcript, and we can have a discussion with them. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not asking for the Government of the Northwest Territories to allow the Tlicho government to apply on funds for child and youth care counselling. I want to see the government work government to government and transfer child and youth care counsellor positions.

Will the Minister commit to meet with the Tlicho government to develop a timeline for transferring over the child and youth care counsellors to the Tlicho government? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Education, Culture and Employment Minister and I, as the Ministers responsible for this joint initiative, have met with education leaders and we have heard firsthand their concerns with the CYCC program. That program is now being evaluated on an expedited basis, meaning that we will act on results as they come in. An example I'll give you of that is changing the job description. Now the job description is oriented to significant post-secondary education. But what we've heard is that people would like more flexibility in the qualifications of the counsellors they're hiring. And so that's an example of the change we've already made. Thank you.

Thank you. Yeah, Mr. Speaker, Tlicho government want our children and youth to be counselled, mentored, and supported by Tlicho people. It is critical that children and youth receive the support from their own people.

Will the Minister of health agree with me that Tlicho children and youth should be counselled by Tlicho people? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we use the standard government hiring process to hire counsellors. There's a job description. The position is advertised. There's an interview and scoring and so on and that's how we come up with the qualifications.

I would like the Member to know that the highest use of the CYCC program is in fact in her region. So students are using the existing program. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know GNWT struggles to fill positions in Tlicho region. So why does the government -- GNWT need to keep control over positions they cannot fill? Can the Minister review all the unfilled position in the Tlicho region and work with the Tlicho government to transfer over positions that Tlicho government is ready to take on? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the CYCC initiative started to roll out before the beginning of this Assembly, and it was in a phased process over four years. In the course of that four years, we have learned more about what is effective and isn't effective. So we're now leading a comprehensive evaluation of the program and that will, of course, include looking at vacancy rates, why they are so high. I know that they're not only high in the Tlicho region for health and social services in general but that there are significant vacancies all around the territory, which has forced us to pivot and to become more flexible offering online and virtual, phone and so on options, so that students get the help they need. Thank you.