The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Richard Edjericon Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise before you to express my grave concerns and utter disappointment with the lack of response to the unlawful raid conducted by the GNWT officers in Lutselk'e Dene First Nation Culture Camp at Timber Bay on September 13, 2022.

The failure to acknowledge this injustice is not only distressing but also raises serious concerns and questions about the actions and accountability of our government. The United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples stands as a beacon of hope and justice for Indigenous communities across the globe. It affirms the inherent rights of Indigenous people to their lands and resources, culture, and self-determination.

The declaration emphasizes the importance of obtaining free and prior-informed consent before undertaking any activities that may affect Indigenous communities. Regrettably, the raid of the Lutselk'e Dene First Nation Culture Camp stands in stark contradiction to the principles enshrined in this international agreement. We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that this incident is not an isolated incident but rather a continuation of a pattern of disregard for the rights and well-being of Indigenous people in our territory. We have witnessed similar acts that were met with rightful criticism and condemnation from both within and outside of our jurisdiction. Yet, here we stand witnesses another violation of rights of our Indigenous brothers and sisters.

As Members of the Legislative Assembly, we have a solemn duty to uphold the principles of justice, fairness, and quality. It's incumbent upon us to ensure that this action of our government reflects these fundamental values. The unlawful raid of Lutselk'e Dene First Nation Culture Camp undermines the trust and relationship between the GNWT and Indigenous communities, making it even more challenging to forge new paths of reconciliation and meaningful partnership. We must recognize the strengths of our territory lies in our rich diversity of people and culture. Our Indigenous communities have deep roots in their traditional lands and their knowledge and traditions are invaluable treasures that must be respected, protected, and celebrated. It is our responsibility to create an environment where Indigenous voices are heard, where their rights are safeguarded, and where their contributions are valued. I implore the Government of the Northwest Territories to take immediate action to rectify this grave injustice. We must hold these responsible for the unlawful raid accountable, ensure that reparation are made to the Lutselk'e Dene First Nation, and most important, to take concrete steps to prevent such violations from occurring in the future. We must work together in establishing a robust mechanism that prioritize free and prior-informed consent and empower Indigenous communities to shape their own future. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member's statement. Mahsi.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you colleagues. Let us not merely pay lip service to the principles of reconciliation and the right offence Indigenous people. Let us act with integrity, empathy, and humility, acknowledging the mistakes of the past and committing ourselves to the future built on mutual respect, understanding, and justice. Mr. Speaker, I would have the questions for the appropriate Minister of ENR, Environment and Climate Change. Mahsi.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Katrina Nokleby Great Slave

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In March, the government introduced legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The declaration sets minimum standards to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples and to contribute to their survival, dignity, and well-being. The government says it wants to affirm the declaration as a universal human rights instrument that applies in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, there truly isn't more important work for this Government to do but I question this government's commitment to truly implementing the declaration. Recent government action makes the government's commitment seem more like symbolism. The gap between words and actions has been jarring. First, what my colleague from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh just mentioned. Also In December, while EIA was finalizing the MOU to implement the declaration and inviting Indigenous governments to sign on, the Department of Justice intervened at the Supreme Court to dispute whether the Inuvialuit child and family services law should bind the government. And, in March, on the same day the Premier introduced Bill 85 to legislate the declaration, the Premier tabled a draft homelessness strategy that made zero mention of the declaration or the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Mr. Speaker, how can this government say it will implement the declaration while at the same time pursuing policies and actions that ignore or outright reject the principles of the declaration? This type of behaviour erodes trust - a trust that is already fragile and tenuous at best.

The Government has received only partial support in its approach to the Declaration. Five of fifteen Indigenous governments and organizations have not signed the MOU, including:

• The Akaitcho territory government;
• Deh Cho First Nation;
• The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation;
• Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated; and,
• Salt River First Nation.

And even if the legislation is passed, the work of implementation will have to wait. The legislation would allow the government two more years to develop a plan for implementation without requiring any concrete actions beforehand.

Mr. Speaker, true implementation cannot wait. It means respecting the right, dignity, and self-determination of Indigenous peoples now. As a white settler, I acknowledge the privilege I hold in not being subjected to the historical and present-day injustices that deny Indigenous peoples their inherent rights. And I lend my support, as an ally, in advocating for true rights-implementation in everything this government says and does. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.

Jane Weyallon Armstrong Monfwi

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Dehk'e, or Frank Channel Bridge, is critical infrastructure linking Yellowknife and Behchoko. In October 2020, the replacement Dehk'e Bridge was included in the 2021-2022 capital estimates with a bridge to be completed no later than March 31st, 2024. In October 2021, the replacement Dehk'e Bridge was included in the 2022 and 2023 to be completed no later than March 31st, 2026. In October 2022, the replacement Dehk'e Bridge was included in the 2023 and 2024 to be completed no later than March 31st, 2027.

In other words, this critical infrastructure project has been delayed in every capital budget projection. Can we place any confidence in the government's projections? By the government's own admission, the project has been delayed by three years. Hopefully, there will be no critical failure of the bridge resulting from this delayed rebuild.

The Government of the Northwest Territories started making plans to replace the bridge in 2018. If the current trend of delays continues, the bridge will have taken ten years from the start of its planning to its completion. Mr. Speaker, this is way too long.

In February of this year, I emphasized that this project needs to be kept on track. It is clear I need to keep the pressure on. I recognize that when a project is significantly delayed, inflation and market increases impact the cost. The Dehk'e Bridge projection is no exception.

In March of this year, the federal government pledged another $15 million and the GNWT another $5 million to the project. The federal government, again, comes to the rescue of the GNWT. Does the department accept this failure to manage this critical infrastructure project?

Luckily, the feds are throwing in more money to salvage the situation. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to fast-track the project to prevent additional budget increases and further delays to the completion of Dehk'e Bridge. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. Thank you.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Kevin O'Reilly Frame Lake

Merci, Monsieur le President. It seems to happen more often lately by this Cabinet that Regular MLAs learn about events and meetings through the media rather than directly from our colleagues across the floor. Scooped by Cabin Radio again, the Minister of Infrastructure seems to have been summoned by the United States Embassy for a meeting that was to have taken place on May the 4th, 2023. As Regular MLAs, we received nothing, either before or after this meeting. The Cabin Radio story was rather sketchy about the purpose of this meeting. It appears that there was some sort of discussion or presentations on the failed Grays Bay Road and Port Project and possibly the Tibbitt to Contwoyto All-Weather Road on this side of the boundary. Of course, this is a road where GNWT continues to bulldoze ahead with regulatory applications while ignoring the plans for a regional study as requested by the Tlicho government and approved by the federal minister of northern affairs. I will ask the Minister of Infrastructure why she went to Ottawa, who was there, whether she can give us some kind of report, and why the United States hosted such an event. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Caitlin Cleveland Kam Lake

Mr. Speaker, to anyone helping to raise a child in this today's society, let's collectively take a deep breath. It's hard. From SnapChat to substance use, learning boundaries to learning algebra, and navigating the costs today while preparing them for tomorrow, and somehow in the middle of all that, trying to take moments of magic in their every day. It is hard.

My heart goes out to today's parents who have the added challenge of finding childcare and, in some cases, choosing between their career goals and their family goals. Accessible and affordable childcare is paying an oversized role in determining whether parents can return to their pre-COVID employment and wage paths.

Under the guise of universal childcare, Canada is evolving the childcare industry into a sector similar to our education system, and there is much to be gained from that. But this transition is reliant on the buy in and support of the people who have built and sustained our existing childcare sector. For NWT day cares, the sustainability concerns center on covering unexpected operating costs while working with a capped revenue increase. You cannot have sustainability without certainty, Mr. Speaker.

In addition, low wages is one of the biggest barriers to recruiting and retaining workers, and the GNWT is working to establish a wage grid but advocates say childcare wages have to hit $30 an hour, average, across Canada to meet demand for the service. For the day homes, independent business owners are slowly losing their business autonomy without gaining the working conditions and benefits like pensions, paid time off, and a living wage afforded to their counterparts in education. This is driving qualified childcare workers out of day cares and day homes and into the classrooms as teaching assistants. But sustainability is one side of this council. Accessibility is the other.

Mr. Speaker, we need infrastructure and the land to put it on. We have seen other industries use innovative shared equity mortgage programs with success. This is a potential option to provide a much-needed boost to the childcare sector that stands to reduce the cost or barriers of providers looking to rent or purchase the physical space required to provide early learning and childcare. Mr. Speaker, advocates say the shortage of both childcare spaces and workers is creating a bottleneck that will take time to unclog, but parents can't afford that time. We need active solutions to tackle this challenge that prioritizes both the sustainability and accessibility of the NWT childcare sector. Thank you.

The Speaker Frederick Blake Jr.

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

Shane Thompson Nahendeh

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to rise in the House to talk about the Youth Parliament that was held April 17th to 20th here in Yellowknife. I appreciate the Legislative Assembly staff and the Speaker for putting on this amazing event.

As you are aware, the Youth Parliament provides our youth a unique opportunity to travel to Yellowknife to take on the role of an elected Member and participate in the daily workings of consensus government at the Legislative Assembly. What is impressive about this opportunity is for students in grades 9 and 10 from across the Northwest Territories.

The young lady that representing the Nahendeh constituency was Dejah Horassi from Fort Simpson. I have had the opportunity to know this young lady since she was a baby. Her dad and I have played hockey together for several years (wink wink) as defense partners. Because of each other's busy schedule, we had to move our meeting time to Tuesday at 12 noon. As she walked into the office, I asked her to take my chair behind the desk to get the full experience. To start the meeting off, she was a bit shy but as we talked, she had some amazing questions, such as:

• What was your most challenging thing to do as an MLA?
• Do I have challenges being a Minister and MLA at the same time?
• How do you do public speaking, and do you get nervous?
• We discussed the morning meeting and what motions would be coming into the House on Thursday.
• Some of the tips on writing her Member's statement and how to present it in the House.

On Thursday, upon my return trip with Minister Savage, I had the opportunity to watch her do her Member's statement. She was a natural and did an amazing job.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to have Dejah's Member statement be deemed as read.

The other thing I witnessed and enjoyed watching was the youth passing notes between one another. They kept their Members, who were pages, very busy for the whole session.

Mr. Speaker, in closing I would like again to thank you and the Legislative Assembly staff for providing this opportunity for our youth. Mashi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to make a Member statement on the Fort Simpson schooling system. In my community, both of the schools have the same issues, but I will be focusing on the Liidlii Kue Regional High School and not the Liidlii Kue Elementary School.

Three years ago now, before we all went into quarantine, I was a full-time student at the high school. During my time there I was met with an unorganized agenda, disrespect between students and teachers, and being given the wrong work for my grade. I had to leave for a better education. And while I've been away from the school, I'm afraid that it hasn't gotten any better and in fact has only gotten worse. Students are reportedly walking in the halls in an attempt to not go to class, not listening to teachers when told to go to class and messing around going on to disturb their classmates.
There is also clear activity of students needing to upgrade after graduation to get into post-secondary education.

Constant disorganization for example: Is not having control over the classroom, giving students work meant for a grade under them, and teachers not showing up on time to their classroom. These characteristics feed into a cycle of disrespect. I believe that not taking control of your classroom has something to do with how you want your self-image to look. I saw many teachers not correcting a student's behaviour and, in my eyes, it was because they wanted to seem cool.

Mr. Speaker, not giving students the correct work for their grade simply to "get them used to the content" further states that you are not confident in your own course work. And not showing up on time to class as a teacher disrespects students' time and shows that they are not as valued as you want them to think they are. I should mention that the classroom doors are locked in the morning and after lunch. Leaving students to have to wait for the teacher in the halls. Bad behaviour stems from these issues. As students think that is the school won't support them in the way they need, then what's the point of even participating in it. Disrespect from students comes from a cycle of toleration. I asked a current student "How would you describe the school system here?" And all they said was "unfulfilling."

When I was attending the high school, one of my teachers (they don't work there anymore) suggested that I work through online school instead. They said that I would go further in my academic achievements if I did. And so I listened to them and now I attend school through long distance, and it was the best solution for me. But not everyone has the same option I took.

As an Indigenous community I feel that the youth deserve a better education system. I believe that fixing these problems can lead to a better future with our schooling. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.