So first and foremost, I've been in touch with the impacted IG leaders. MACA has been meeting daily with Tlicho. I can tell you that right now. The Yellowknife -- Yellowknife is working in partnership with Yellowknife Dene, and there are several senior GNWT staff in Yellowknife working.

Mr. Speaker, amending the Emergency Management Act in the middle of a severe ongoing emergency response is not safe or a responsible thing to do. The act provides the structure to coordinate emergency response through a territorial emergency management organization called TEMO. The TEMO includes representatives from jurisdictions actively responding to the emergency, including federal agency, territorial government, department and local governments. These folks work under incredible difficult circumstances to action activities quickly under an incident command model, which is best practice for emergency response around the world.

I commend the work that the Tlicho government, Gwich'in government, Inuvialuit Regional Council, Deline government, and other Indigenous governments and organizations for taking action to support their residents, and we'll continue to commit to have our officials as they are available to work collaboratively to support our shared goals. I cannot, however, agree that we should be retooling our emergency management in the middle of a crisis.

Presently, we have seven communities that are evacuated from their homes. Implementing structural changes to our EMO in the middle of a crisis is not fair to the people already working, the organization, and they need to be able to rely on predictable approaches and clear responsibilities as they're doing their work. To suddenly and without planning 15 new organizations are added to the response activity, I am gravely concerned that TEMO's ability to function as intended and as needed. Right now local governments are part of the TEMO and, in some cases, the local government is the Indigenous government. I recognize that we should be doing some work to consider better -- or defining roles for Indigenous governments in the TEMO. That day is not today.

What we can do today is to commit to work with all Indigenous governments and have a proper review of the Emergency Management Act when circumstance allow. So, therefore, Mr. Speaker, we will -- Cabinet will be naying this second reading -- or going to the third reading. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.