Colleagues, before we start, I'd like to draw your attention to the gallery and welcome Mr. Daryl Dolynny. Welcome back. Daryl was a Member for Range Lake in the 17th Assembly, part of the Fab Five at the time. Good to see you again.

Personal explanation, Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I rise pursuant to Rule 1.8(1) one of the rules of the Legislative Assembly to make a personal explanation. Yesterday, during Members' statements 599-19(2), the MLA for Kam Lake states as follows, as quoted in unedited Hansard: During the press conference, the Premier asked residents who could get an a commercial flight and leave town to do so, and they did. The press conference that the MLA is referring to was August 16th, 2023. I personally reviewed the video of this press conference and want to provide this House with the complete quote that I understand the MLA is referring to and context for it.

The quote is as follows: People that do not have enough money to leave town in their vehicles and need supports to get out of town, we're recommending that you actually meet at the multiplex, take a bus, or take a plane. We don't want to see you broke down on the highway. Although we will have supports, we want to make sure that everyone is safe. I made these remarks after the Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs had outlined in the same news conference the various methods for evacuation to residents, including that the GNWT would be offering free evacuation flights to residents beginning the next day, Thursday, August 17th.

Mr. Speaker, the full context of my remarks is important to understand that although the MLA implied this, I did not encourage residents to get on commercial flights. I was concerned that those who did not have enough money to travel on their own means know that the Government of the Northwest Territories evacuation flights would be available to them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Premier. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT has been very successful in building strong partnerships with Indigenous governments over the life of this government, because we have cultivated collaborative relationships with them. This is particularly important with the large amounts of distinctions-based funding that flows directly from the Government of Canada to Indigenous governments for their housing priorities.

The Council of Leaders Housing Working Group, which played a significant role in the review of housing programs and policies as part of Housing NWT's Strategic Renewal has transformed into the NWT Housing Forum. The forum will be instrumental in moving the needs of Northwest Territories forward collaboratively. With Housing NWT, the Indigenous co-led forum has already met twice and is positioned to play an important role in promoting information exchange and cooperation between all types of Northwest Territories governments on housing priorities.

Mr. Speaker, another success that should be highlighted are the formal agreements that have been signed between our government and the Tlicho government, Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated, and the Deline Gotine government to address their housing needs.

These agreements are tailored to each Indigenous government and will build on existing intergovernmental agreements in place between the GNWT and those Indigenous governments. The agreements acknowledge the relationships and work already done and provided a framework for intergovernmental cooperation on the collaboration to develop and implement housing-related matters. Even if no formal agreement is signed, Housing NWT will make it a priority to engage and work with Indigenous governments across the Northwest Territories in collaboration is an approach to key priorities to providing better services to our communities.

Mr. Speaker, as a new way of doing business, Housing NWT recently collaborated with the Indigenous governments on the design of units for seniors and single-occupancy units, both of which have been in high demand. In November 2022, Housing NWT established a senior advisory committee through discussions with community leadership. The committee is comprised of seniors, elders, and those who have direct experience taking care of seniors. Meeting with the committee have provided excellent input on the design and improvement that can be made by Housing NWT to allow seniors to age in place in their communities. In units that better meet their needs, the highly collaborative process has allowed for input every step of the way. I want to thank everyone who shared their insight and experiences through this process.

Mr. Speaker, through the negotiated contract policy, Housing NWT has worked directly with Indigenous governments and businesses to construct energy-efficient housing units in communities across the Northwest Territories. Through this work, we are seeing more locals getting involved in construction, more businesses developing capacity in the residential sector, and more houses being built for residents.

Housing NWT, along with other GNWT departments, has approached all Northwest Territories Indigenous governments to discuss market housing opportunities. Our government conducted research to determine specifically the needs for each community, including the need for frontline workers such as teachers and nurses that presented their information to Indigenous governments as an opportunity to build units to support staffing in these communities.

With funding from the federal Urban Native Funding Program targeted at Indigenous clients, Housing NWT was able to provide the North Slave Housing Corporation with $600,000 for their repair program, supporting 75 units in Yellowknife that house Indigenous clients. The funding enables us to improve the quality of these units while also making them more energy-efficient.

Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT does not always have to be the lead in providing housing solutions. Over the life of the 19th Legislative Assembly, we have seen welcoming federal investment in direct funding to Indigenous governments for their housing and infrastructure priorities of more than $400 million. This funding, along with over $200 million that has been provided to the GNWT, will help address the overall housing infrastructure deficit in the Northwest Territories, and we are seeing Indigenous governments putting their funds to use across the housing spectrum, from home repair programs to market housing. Housing NWT will continue to support and coordinate with Indigenous governments as they put this money to use for their people.

Mr. Speaker, as I have said this before, no single government can address the housing needs of the Northwest Territories and communities. But by partnering and supporting other, Housing NWT can remain focused on improving the lives of residents most in need by using new approaches and finding new solutions.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank the staff of the Housing NWT for their collaboration and for their work on getting a lot of this work done in this Assembly. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, throughout this term, departments across the Government of the Northwest Territories have been working towards our mandate commitment to enable seniors to age in place with dignity, and we just heard some of that detail from the Minister responsible for NWT Housing. To focus this work, Regular Members passed a motion calling on the Department of Health and Social Services to create a framework for seniors. That work is now finished, and later today I will table the GWNT Seniors' Strategic Framework. This framework is an inventory of measures required for improving programs, services, and initiatives to better meet the needs of seniors and help them to stay at home for as long as possible.

Many people and organizations contributed to this framework. Their engagement reflects their commitment and respect for seniors and their valued place in our communities and territory. Their participation strengthened our understanding of the needs of seniors, existing gaps in programs and services, and provided insights as to how to enable seniors to age in place.

Mr. Speaker, the resulting framework outlines 20 key focus areas organized into four pillars: * Built Environment; Healthy Aging; Safety; and, Information and Communication.

Advancing work in these focus areas, whether through mandate commitments or departmental business plans, will be instrumental in ensuring that we can meet seniors' needs. I am going to speak to each one separately.

The built environment pillar emphasizes the importance of accessibility, suitability, and affordability of housing, along with the rest of the physical environment, to enhance the safety of seniors to participate in daily, recreational, cultural, and social activities. This pillar is about transportation and outdoor lighting, for example, that would help prevent slips, falls and injuries and contribute to personal and property safety too.

Mr. Speaker, the healthy aging pillar focuses on supporting the physical, mental, and social well-being through financial support, health care services, practical assistance, and age-friendly opportunities for activity such as intergenerational programs where seniors can connect with children and youth to share culture, traditions, and knowledge. Over the past two years, the Department of Health and Social Services offered a specific funding stream for communities to deliver services and provide support to seniors in their health and well-being.

The safety pillar addresses the right of seniors to safety in relationships, homes, and communities. Health providers will be promoting a person-centered, integrated service delivery approach, as well as providing access to advice from legal and professional experts and safety information and support. Work is ongoing to strengthen staff training to spot the signs of elder abuse and protect seniors from it.

The information and communication pillar prioritizes delivering information that is relevant, timely, accessible, and culturally appropriate. I hope the next government will invest in system navigation services to support seniors accessing necessary programs, making informed decisions, and participating in recreational, cultural, and social activities.

Mr. Speaker, a comfortable life for seniors means having access to the necessary services and support to live independently and safely at home. This goal requires collaboration and coordination of efforts with all government entities and our valuable community partners. That work has already started during this Assembly, including the increased home heating subsidy, a new income assistance stream for seniors, and access to home improvement funding. I am confident these program changes have improved the ability of seniors to age in place.

I am very proud of this framework which is the result of a motion I made as a Regular Member in 2020. It provides clear direction to future governments on areas for improving seniors' programs and services so that we all have the opportunity to age, with the appropriate support, where we choose to live. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about this summer's devastating wildfire season that affected a majority of Northwest Territories residents. Territorial emergencies began in May and ended in September and saw a total of 12 communities impacted and roughly 70 percent of all NWT residents evacuated from their communities.

I understand how stressful these emergency events must have been for residents. I was an evacuee myself in the spring of 2021 and understand the challenges and the anxiety that these situations bring. There are also challenging days ahead as many of you have to repair the damage and help rebuild your homes and communities.

This has been the worst wildfire season in our recorded history and, for many of us, one that we will never forget. To preserve the record, I will table MACA's detailed chronology of the events of this summer later today. It is important for us to remember the events that occurred in a short period of time and the environment that was in place that led to the declaration of a state of emergency.

Mr. Speaker, in addition to being our worst wildfire season, it was also the first time any of us ever experienced an out-of-territory evacuation. To guide this historic undertaking, the GNWT used its Territorial Emergency Plan and that plan worked. The Emergency Plan provided for the activation of the Territorial Emergency Management Organization, or TEMO, to act as the lead authority for the government's emergency management response.

TEMO included a representative from all GNWT departments and agencies, applicable community governments, and emergency response-related agencies. The emergency plan outlines that community governments are the lead on community emergency events but when they need assistance, they ask the GNWT. When the GNWT needs assistance, we ask for help from Canada and other partners, which is exactly what we did. Through the TEMO, we supported community governments by calling for assistance from partners like the United Way and the governments of Alberta, Manitoba, and Yukon when our capacity was exceeded. I am the first person to say that we had to make several adjustments over the past few weeks as situations changed and as new information emerged.

It is a standard process after a disaster to conduct an after-action review using external contractors. The after-action review for this event is expected to be extensive and will involve the public and all partners. However, we are not waiting for recommendations from this review to make improvements. There are things we can start right away. This includes updating the NWT Emergency Plan, enhancing GNWT coordination and community government training, and increasing capacity for emergency response and evacuations across communities. We have also started the most important matter of all, which is helping community governments recover from this wildfire season as we work to rebuild Enterprise and all other affected communities.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I am so impressed by the tremendous amount of work undertaken by so many since May to protect residents and communities. The collective work done by hundreds of people over such an extended period of time deserves our gratitude and our thanks.

To the brave firefighters, as well as the frontline staff and contractors who worked so hard on wildfire prevention and emergency response, thank you. To the residents who displayed such resilience in the face of so many challenges and showed such kindness to their fellow evacuees, thank you.

To the GNWT departments and agencies that supported all our efforts, thank you. And to the federal government, provincial, and territorial partners who came to our help when we needed it most, thank you. We are in your debt for the kindness and compassion you have shown our residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is September 30th, which is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day recognizes the dark history and legacy of residential schools, the missing children, and the survivors from these institutions. This date is a date of remembrance and of reflection for all Canadians across the country. It's also a day to acknowledge our country's colonial history and all the trauma, pain, and suffering that has been done to Indigenous peoples. It is also a day that we commemorate the families, communities, and survivors of those impacted by residential schools.

Mr. Speaker, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a very significant date, so it is extremely important that we observe this day and that we never forget or try to erase this history from our collective consciousness. It is important that people understand and respect the significance of this day and people take time to educate themselves and each other about why this date is on our calendar.

Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if on this date I did not take this opportunity to once again state that Fort Smith is home to one of the last remaining residential school buildings that is still in active use in Canada. I am referring to the Breynat Hall at Aurora College Thebacha Campus. It is unfortunate, upsetting, and uncomfortable for many people in my community to see that building still standing and remains in active use in Fort Smith. This building is the first thing that needs to come down and be replaced when the new headquarters of the future polytechnic is established in Fort Smith.

Regardless, Mr. Speaker, I hope that all people will take a moment tomorrow to consider what reconciliation means to them and to this country. I know that for some, this may be an awkward or difficult subject to talk about; however, I would encourage everyone to move out of their comfort zone and have a conversation with somebody about this important topic. It is vital for our country to be able to engage in this type of dialogue as that will help in the healing process and in moving our country forward in a good and positive way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is tomorrow, and I'd like to just thank all the communities in my riding and across the territory that's taking part in showing, having remembrance of it. The opportunity and encourage all residents of the Northwest Territories to spend time with their family and friends, to take the time to appreciate each other, get out on the land and talk to elders; most importantly listen to those who want to speak. I'm very proud of my Inuvialuit heritage, my culture. And I'm a residential school survivor and so many of my brothers and my grandfather and my mother that went through this, and we all were traumatized in one way or another, the effects that it had on our family. But we're still standing.

You know, being a part of a community and watching our young people now hunt, fish, explore that don't have to go through this, that what we've been through, I think it's a really -- we're really blessed to be where we're at and where we're from. You know, our leaders, as members of our community, we need to encourage this particularly within our youth, to keep forcing them that school's the most important thing and helping them, encouraging, encouraging everybody.

Mr. Speaker, I know the impacts of the residential school system. I know the challenges faced by Indigenous peoples throughout Canada, especially in the North. I always like to say, you know, Mr. Speaker, honour the past, live the present, and create the future. I know the challenges we faced, and reconciliation means that we could work together now, everybody's on the same page, and now we could just work together and move up and not look back. But it's pretty tough to do. That's why this day and this weekend is so important. It's a reminder of what we should always be thinking and doing, a reminder of the importance of culture, family. It is a reminder of difficult path of Indigenous peoples that we faced and also a reminder that here today we work for the better and brighter future.

Mr. Speaker, I want to wish everyone in Nunakput and across the country a meaningful weekend, to take the time for each other and reflect. You know, I always reflect because you, Mr. Speaker, are a residential school survivor. We have other Members in the House that are other residential school survivors. But when we see our brothers and sisters that we lived with for three or four years at a time, it's like you never skipped a beat. And today, you know, I reflect on a couple of my friend's I've lost. Clifford Takazo from Deline, one of my good friends. He was crazy, and I loved him. He was an awesome guy. And one of my good friends that I lost in the 1990s when we first arrived residential schools, my good friend Raymond Bernard, he passed away at Christmastime. But it's things like that you think about on these kinds of days and reflect. And, you know, we're blessed we're still standing, and we just want to make a brighter future for our youth and our communities that we represent. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, Saturday, is a federally-recognized statutory holiday in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This holiday falls on September 30th each year. This day honours residential school survivors across Canada and the thousands of children who never made it home.

The federal government contracted the Catholic and Anglican churches to operate the residential facilities in order to assimilate Indigenous peoples into the white man's culture. One of the ways was to separate Indigenous peoples from their families and homes. Our people were not allowed to speak their native language or practise their traditions and culture. They were trying to take the Indian out of Indigenous peoples. This was recognized in the White Paper of 1969 published by the Liberal government.

The physical and psychological impacts from the residential school system continues to this day. It has impacted many generations.

The annual day is set aside to reflect and remember all of our ancestors who have passed and to reflect on the many children who have lost their lives in the care of the residential school system. This day is an important step in the reconciliation process and recognized as one of the 94 Calls to Action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Please join in on the festivities to mark this all-important day to commemorate all residential school survivors. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we wrap up four years in office, many of us, including our constituents, find we are fighting the same battles which include that of health care recruitment and retention, lack of housing, homelessness, addictions, cost of living, access to labour and trades people, decrease in economic activity, affirmative action, and several other important issues. For now, I want to zero in on health care and ask why it is that we continue to have trouble recruiting and retaining doctors and health care professionals in our communities?

Mr. Speaker, I will use Hay River as an example. The Hay River Health Centre provides services not only to the residents of Hay River but also those surrounding communities which include K'atlodeeche First Nation, Enterprise, Fort Resolution, Kakisa, and Fort Providence. In essence we may be a health care centre in name, but we are seen as a hospital to many of the residents accessing services. People rely on services that are quickly disappearing or not available due to lack of doctors and qualified health care professionals. This is placing residents' health at risk, and we should be concerned.

Mr. Speaker, residents are tired to hearing of doctors shortages or that a whole department is closed due to lack of staff. That reality must change. The NWT was once competitive with southern Canada when it came to wages and benefits for health workers. We now find ourselves in a position where we are no longer competitive; instead, we are only comparable or in a wage deficit which does not work when it comes to recruitment in communities with high living costs and limited accommodations.

Mr. Speaker, the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority considers itself a separate and a distinct organization from the NTHSSA yet during union negotiations, countless employees say that they cannot provide benefits above and beyond what the NTHSSA and GNWT provide.

Mr. Speaker, if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

Using that analogy, the HRSSA facilities are owned by the GNWT, the cost of managing, operating and managing the facility is covered by this government, contract negotiations require support from this government, so why would we not look at the amalgamating the HRSSA with the NTHSSA so all workers are treated equally throughout the health care system in the NWT and, most importantly, residents are provided with timely and quality health care. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment knows that I am a big fan of the NWT archives and the territorial museum here in Yellowknife, that also needs a name change. I visit the archives once or twice a year and I have always received great service from the staff there. However, I am becoming increasingly worried about the state of whole building constructed in 1977 and our management, or lack thereof, of the archival and documentary heritage of the NWT. I have seen so many studies about the need to replace, expand, and upgrade the building in my almost eight years here that I have lost track of where we are with this important work.

Many important records covering the early years of the Government of the Northwest Territories are not even stored at the museum building due to lack of space. These records are stored in the government warehouse on Bryne Road. That building is totally unsuitable for any long-term storage. Lack of temperature or humidity controls place our archival records at considerable risk. Just think of the heat inside that building this summer. It would be unbearable and definitely not good for paper records.

These documents cover the transfer of authority from Ottawa to the Northwest Territories and other political development of our territories. They document the rise of Indigenous governments, negotiations over land rights, devolution, and many other significant events for the Northwest Territories. It's not just the government records that the NWT archives is responsible for but at least 21 other boards and agencies and numerous private records that have been donated and/or acquired.

When I review the antiquated Archives Act, which seems to date from 1981, there are virtually no standards or requirements for the archival heritage of the Northwest Territories. Section 5(2) says, quote, "the archivist is responsible for the safekeeping of every public record that is transferred to the archives under this section." End of quote. That's it. That's a lot of responsibility with what seems to be not enough resources to actually do it. I also note that the Archives Act has been on the list of legislation to be updated in both Assembly's that I have been part of it but it continually gets bumped. I will have questions later today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about GNWT's archival practices and whether they comply with the law. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The beautiful autumn season is upon us. This is a time for harvesting, storing away our summer items as we prepare for colder months ahead. It is a time of wrapping up projects, to make room for new work and new stories. We end one season with a sense of gratitude for the memories we have created and look forward to making more over the coming months. However, for many, the fall season is a stark reminder of the time when children's voices full of play and laughter ceased to be heard in their community. Fall was the time when children, as young as three years old, were forcibly removed from their loving homes - homes where they were nurtured by parents, grandparents, and extended family members; homes where they spoke their language, harvested their food, honoured their culture in ceremony, and had laws and teachings of their own. Children were taken away by boat, plane, or vehicle and placed in residential schools far away. Parents were arrested if they did not hand over their children.

The Indian Residential School system was designed to assimilate, to "kill the Indian in the child" by removing them from all connection to family and culture. Established by the federal government and run by the churches, the very people charged with the care and handling of all students, subjected them to every abuse possible. And many did not return home.

Marking September 30th as a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is one small gesture that has been made in the attempt to begin righting the wrong inflicted on the Indigenous people of Canada, who were here long before the first colonizer ever set foot on Turtle Island. It is important that we take it upon ourselves as settlers and newcomers to learn about the legacy of these institutions. We must create spaces for dialogue with our families and friends, educating that this isn't something historical. Something of the past. In fact, Mr. Speaker, residential schools were in existence as recently as 1996.

The trauma from these institutions is rippling through our communities, and we owe it to everyone to learn what this day represents so that we can all be part of the process of healing and reconciliation. I stand here today with love and respect to honour all former students of residential schools, their families, and communities. And in memory and honour of all the children who did not return home. May this never ever happen again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today marks more than a year since a deeply troubling and unconstitutional event has cast a shadow over my riding of Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. I speak not to dwell on the past but to demand justice and healing for our friends and the neighbours, who are Indigenous people, that have suffered greatly at the hands of this government's reckless action of the raid in Lutselk'e Dene First Nation Timber Bay culture camp on September 15th, 2022.

One year ago, the unthinkable happened when Lutselk'e Dene First Nation culture camp was raided violating the very essence of our constitution section 35 rights, the sacred Dene laws, and the very principle of reconciliation. Our chief and council, along with the entire community of Lutselk'e, bore witness to this unrighteous and injustice as an effort to our shared commitment to truth and reconciliation. Today, the people of the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh stand united to demand accountability and justice. We cannot let the anniversary pass without raising our voices for silence in the face of injustice. It's a betrayal of our values and our commitment to more equitable future for First Nation people.

The lack of progress in the investigation to this tragic event is deeply concerning. One year has passed, and we're still in the dark about what truly transpired on now that infamous day. We are still waiting for answers for transparency and accountability and for the genuine commitment to healing the wounds that have inflicted upon your community. Equally distressing is the continued absence of an apology from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change who bears responsibility for this disturbing incident.

An apology isn't merely a matter of courtesy. It is a vital step towards acknowledging the pain and suffering that has been caused. It is an admission of wrongdoing and a commitment to do better. To the chief and council of Lutselk'e and entire community, I want to say this: Your pain is my pain. Your fight is my fight. I stand shoulder to shoulder in solidity to demand justice, accountability, and sincere apology from this government.

To the Minister, I saw and will not rest until the truth is brought to light. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member's statements. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. To the Minister, I saw, and we will now rest until the truth is brought to light, until the justice is served. And until the Minister of Environment and Climate Change acknowledges the wrongdoing that has occurred, we will not waiver in our commitment to reconciliation and healing. We will not allow this dark chapter to define our future.

Mr. Speaker, let us remember that it is duly -- that it is the duty of government to protect and uphold the rights of all citizens, and it is our duty to -- as our duty as a community to hold our government accountable. When those rights are violated, together we can ensure justice is served, that healing can begin, and we find the strength to stand together and demand the justice be served. I would have questions for the Minister of climate change. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of this 19th Legislative Assembly's priority was to increase the number of affordable homes and reduce our core housing need. The mandate said it would increase the stock of quality energy efficient and affordable housing, especially for vulnerable persons, by 100 units over four years, and it would transition 100 individuals and/or families to homeownership. I think we can all agree in this House that housing is a crisis in our country and especially in our territory.

Lack of affordable housing for people throughout the territory hasn't gotten any better even with this as a priority. I cannot speak to the details in all the communities, but I will bring up again what I do know in Inuvik. There are many vacant units, and they have been vacant almost the entire four years that I have been an MLA. Mr. Speaker, why do we still have these units sitting empty?

We approved money for renovations, major and minor retrofits, and we have never seen them worked on. There are units the Minister said that they were going to sell to make room for new units on those lots. This has not happened. We have a waitlist of people that could benefit from these homes but yet they sit empty. Even sit empty, heated, with no tenants. I know this, Mr. Speaker, because I pass them every day when I'm at home.

I am pleased to see that we have one unit being constructed by Housing NT other than RCMP units that have been completed pretty much in our community. And I am sure the two families that will move into this duplex will be very happy as well. However, Mr. Speaker, one duplex in four years is not going to fix the current waitlist of the single and the family units that are waiting for homes in my community. I will have questions for the Minister of Housing NWT. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We hired an independent panel, and they did some really good work on procurement, and they delivered their report in June 2021. And Mr. Speaker, I somewhat naively thought that, you know, within a few months after that we'd see changes to procurement.

I reviewed their report. I thought they did good work. I didn't really disagree with any of the recommendations. They made a few recommendations to change the thresholds in BIP, increasing the top $1 million to $2 million, recommended creating a local labour adjustment, and a few other tweaks.

They recommended a new definition of northern business, ones that a company would either have to have 51 percent ownership or a majority of its employees in the Northwest Territories. Importantly, they recommended using that definition which would then get rid of schedule 3 and finally remove Walmart from BIP. Yet, here are, Mr. Speaker, at the very end of this Assembly, and we still have not amended our policy.

Additionally, they recommended the creation of an Indigenous procurement policy. As far as I can tell, that conversation went completely off the rails, and there is no Indigenous procurement policy any hope in this Assembly. I personally would have just created a target similar to the Yukon and called it a day. I think getting everyone in the room who probably was never going to agree in the first place did more harm than good. But, Mr. Speaker, here we are.

And in August 2023, the government released finally its response to the review on procurement. And there are some hope in there. Apparently we have a new definition of northern business. We seem to be making no changes to the BIP threshold, and it doesn't look like Indigenous procurement is going anywhere. But maybe, just maybe, Walmart will finally be removed from BIP if we get that policy passed in the life of this Assembly. I'll have questions for the Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is tomorrow. It signifies a time of the year when Indigenous children were taken from their homes and placed in residential school. The mission was to take the Indian out of the child. We must honour all these children, the residential school survivors, the children who never returned home, as well as their parents, grandparents, families and communities.

Wearing orange is to remember these children and to acknowledge the impacts on Indigenous families and communities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all people to reflect on the painful history here in the NWT. We cannot forget the little children and the little boys who cried at night alone for their parents and grandparents. We cannot forget the parents' and the grandparents' pain who cried for their children.

Mr. Speaker, I also ask that we all take meaningful action to reconcile this painful past and work together to build a stronger territory for our children and grandchildren. We have begun to acknowledge the discriminations faced by Indigenous children but more needs to be done, especially for our Indigenous youth in the child and family services system. Today, 98 percent of children in the NWT child and family services are Indigenous children.

Mr. Speaker, we need to start to focus on real change and give Indigenous families more support, more educational opportunities, and more resources so that they can be successful. Many residential school survivors did not receive the life skills they needed and were more comfortable in institution rather than home. That is so sad. Our jails are full of too many residential school survivors who have said being in jail is easier than living in a residential school. We need to think about having appropriate support for these residents as well.

Mr. Speaker, we all want a territory where each person has fair opportunities to build a good life and contribute to their communities. I hope that your reflection on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation lead you to positive actions for every child and person in the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, the truth and reconciliation is about how we face the past and move forward. We need to do this together as a territory with the Government of the Northwest Territories, Indigenous government, non-government organizations and, most importantly, all the people. NWT has a population of 44,000 people. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, climate action is reconciliation. We're on the heels of a dry summer season of record heat and wildfire in many parts of the world spurred by a rapidly warming planet and marked by a significant absence of global climate action ambition. Yesterday we heard an excellent synopsis of this government's persistence to overpromise and under deliver on climate action and the grim reality of the progress of energy alternatives. Globally, Indigenous people protect 80 percent of the world's biodiversity but account for less than 5 percent of the global population. The true costs of climate inequity are disproportionately paid for by Indigenous Canadians where the impacts of climate injustice threaten human rights over life, water, sanitation, food supply, health, housing, self-determination, culture, and development.

Climate change is disproportionately impacting the North. But globally people are mobilizing, especially our children, who are increasingly turning to the courts to hold governments accountable in the fight against climate change.

This summer 16 Montana youth brought forward a suit against the state of Montana and won. The youth said the state violated their right to, quote, "a clean and healthful environment, as well as their rights to dignity, health, and safety, and equal protection in law." In April, Ontario youth took their province to court in Mathur v. Ontario. The case was dismissed but not before the judge agreed that Indigenous people and youth are disproportionately impacted by climate change and that the government is risking the lives of its residents by not going further. These are just two examples of hundreds of climate litigation cases being adjudicated around the world. Globally, courts are helping people hold governments accountable to their climate action responsibilities.

By 2050, there will be over 1.2 billion climate refugees worldwide displaced by extreme weather, rising temperatures, and damaged ecosystem. What people pass off as just a few degrees difference equate to massive shifts in weather systems, food supply, and way of life closer to the poles or here in the Northwest Territories. NWT residents have quickly become statistics as climate refugees temporarily displaced by the unmitigated impacts of climate change.

Lack of true climate action jeopardizes true reconciliation as it risks further threats against treaty and land settlement agreement rights, Charter rights, and threatens culture, traditions, and customs. The climate crisis is gaining speed, Mr. Speaker, and the work to mitigate it needs to be transparent, aspirational, funded, and fulfilled. Mr. Speaker, what would an NWT judge say about this government's climate action and its infringement on human rights and treaty rights? Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Tomorrow's a historic day in Canada acknowledging truth and reconciliation on Indigenous people across Canada and across our territory. Today I would like to recognize the Members in this House today who are the last residential school survivors. Yourself, Speaker Blake, MLA Jacobsen, MLA Semmler, my colleague Minister Archie, and myself Minister Chinna, and to our interpreters as well too that I could recognize, and I could just remember at the top of my head, is Sara Cleary, Therese Etchinelle, Lillian Elias, and Jonas Lafferty.

It's been a historic movement from our country, but I also want to acknowledge us as people, as Northerners, who are here today working to help and work towards the resilience of Indigenous people. I'm here today because my grandmother Jeannie Chinna survived, and my mother Martha Chinna survived, and also my foster mothers Peggy Day and Sherry Gordon both of Inuvik. As an Indigenous woman and a survivor, as to what the country calls us, we are here today.

We are healing. We are resilient. And I take most pride in this life and being a part of the opportunity to be a part of repairing us as a nation and as a territory. We are resilient. And to our grandmothers, we will make you proud. We are healing. We are still here. And when I show up, Mr. Speaker, I don't show up alone. I show up with the 10,000 Indigenous women that weren't here today. I speak for the ones that weren't able to speak for themselves. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Sahtu. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Alice Jane Pellissey was born on June 30th, 1947, in Fort Wrigley to Wilson and Caroline Pellissey. Alice is the one of thirteen siblings, and she was considered a matriarch of the family. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that Alice was instrumental in helping raise her siblings. She was always trying to help her parents.

Alice was a residential school survivor and attended Grollier Hall in Inuvik. As she got older and wanted to go out on her own, she moved from Wrigley to Yellowknife to help her auntie. Her family and friends would always describe her as a hardworking, happy, and friendly person. She was always about helping people regardless if they were family or friends. This attitude and work ethnic was passed on to her son, Wesley James Pellissey. Wesley was their pride and joy. Later, in life Wesley meet the love of his life Tamarah, and they gave them four beautiful grandchildren. She loved them very much and she would say they helped her stay young. She was always speaking highly of her grandchildren, son and daughter-in-law.

Mr. Speaker, her son shared the moment his mom passed away with me. Wesley and his wife were by her bedside throughout the time at Stanton Hospital. At about 2 a.m., he woke up and knew that she was going to pass soon. After a bit of time, he went up to his mom and told her it was alright for her to go be with her husband. He explained to her that he and his family were going to be okay. After saying this, she left this world to be with her husband. He describes feeling the energy leave her body and most peaceful feeling he had felt. The time was 2:17 in the morning.

Mr. Speaker, her sister Lena described being woken up and being told that Alice had passed on. All the sisters cried, got dressed to go to the hospital to say their last good-byes. It was very hard for them to lose her.

Mr. Speaker, she was predeceased by her loving husband Eddy Sonnenberg, her parents and brother George.

Mr. Speaker, the family would like to thank the Stanton Hospital for all they did for Alice when she was there. They will be forever grateful. After she passed, the family took her back to Wrigley so she would be buried in her home community. Her son and his company prepared her grave site using his own equipment, one last thing he could do to honour her.

On behalf of the family, they would like to thank the community of Wrigley, family, and friends for their support during this difficult time. Mr. Speaker, she will be sadly missed but never forgotten.

Welcome, and Ms. Terry Hawkins, the chair of the advocacy committee and a board Member for the Yellowknife Seniors' Society. And my constituent, a very avid advocate for seniors, Margaret Marshall. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Fernanda Martins. I'm not sure she's actually a constituent, this might be in the wrong spot, but she is a resident of Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker. She's here as the senior advocacy advisor from the Northwest Territories Cancer Society. She's here today because there is a motion, of course, on the floor today around taxation of vaping motions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not to be repetitive, I would also like to welcome Mr. Daryl Dolynny to the gallery. He is my constituent of Great Slave. Unfortunately, where I sit, I can't see whoever else is in the gallery so if there are other constituents of Great Slave, I welcome them, and thank all of the senior advocates for their work and bringing this strategy forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we have missed anyone, welcome to the gallery, and I hope you're enjoying our proceedings. It's always good to have an audience with us. Thank you.

Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member for Hay River South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I ask the Minister of health and social services what are the barriers to incorporating the HRHSSA into the NTHSSA? And I ask that question as residents of Hay River are concerned that this separation is, in part, one of the reasons the community cannot attract doctors or fill vacant health positions which in the end impacts timely and quality health care for our residents. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is flexibility within the Health and social services Administration Act to bring Hay River health and social services into NTHSSA, but in the meantime they are part of an integrated health and social services system in the NWT where people from Hay River receive treatment anywhere else in the Northwest Territories, and vice versa if someone's in Hay River, they get treatment there. There are a couple of significant barriers. One is that Hay River health and social services has its own collective agreement. And so their staff are not GNWT staff. So that issue was last looked at in 2015 when a working group examined the implications and costs of bringing HRHSSA into the Territorial Health and social services Authority. At the time, the cost of bringing the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority in was $20 million, and the government of the day decided it was beyond its capacity to accommodate that. So I think the time has come to strike again a working group to look at what the cost would be so that the next government can make an informed decision about this. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell me if incorporating the HRHSSA into the NTHSSA was to proceed, what would the process be and the timeline to complete such amalgamation? Thank you.

Yes, thank you. Just to reiterate what I said earlier. Functionally, there is already amalgamation in service delivery. But, specifically, the work that needs to be done involves the public service. So there would need to be some work done with regulators, pension providers, and the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority to complete a detailed cost analysis of the cost of bringing that health authority in. There would need to be negotiations with the Union of Northern Workers because they hold the collective agreement with the health authority staff. And then there would probably need to be some work done on job evaluations and job descriptions and so on. So it is quite a comprehensive list of things to be done. But I think the kickoff point is having the leadership of the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority ask us formally to join NTHSSA so that preparatory work can be done. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, incorporating the HRHSSA into the NTHSSA, I see an opportunity to formally expand health services to those communities outside Hay River, which I expect would result -- and I would hope it would result in an increase in staff in Hay River. Can the Minister confirm if this is something the department would consider in such an amalgamation process? Thank you.

Yes, thank you. Yes, I certainly

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When we're talking about incorporation. Will the Minister commit to identifying the financial amount we are talking about and whether it would have to be allocated in one fiscal year, or could it be accomplished over several years? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can't make that commitment for the time that I have left in my term. But I will say that there have been some favourable changes since this issue was last discussed. So the projected cost of bringing Hay River Health and social services into the public service when it was last calculated in 2015 was $20 million and that was based on the functional costs of amalgamation but also on the pension liability. My understanding is that the pension is now in a much more positive position. So it's likely that that number has gone down. But as I said, I think the next government in making this decision will need not just a rough idea but an exact idea of how much it would cost to bring the health authority in. In the meantime, there's no loss of service, including recruitment of doctors to Hay River Health and Social Services Authority. Functionally, we are one health care system but formally we are separate. Thank you.

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

Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I mentioned in my statement that I've lost track of how many studies, reports, and proposals I've seen regarding the inadequate and sad state of the 46-year-old territorial museum building. Can the Minister tell us what the current plans are for replacing, expanding, and/or renovating the space occupied by the NWT archives and museum? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, of course, we are currently deliberating the capital budget in Committee of the Whole, so I don't want to go too much into that because that document is properly before committee of the House. But I can say that ECE has taken -- undertaken work to explore the renovation or replacement of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and, in particular, as the Member mentions, the need for archival space. So there has been a comprehensive planning study, the development of estimates to explore various options ranging from replacing the entire museum to pursuing more targeted upgrades, including -- and focused specifically on the archival space. There's been a schematic design for a standalone archives building with a class D estimate. Given what I've seen on class D estimates, I don't put too much stock into what that says because prices have been changing, you know, daily. They seem to be going up. But with all that said, we understand better than anyone that there is an issue and that we do need to pursue upgrades in order to meet our legal obligations, and there have been upgrades proposed. There were upgrades that we were hoping can start in the upcoming year. And ECE will be pursuing a standalone archive building in the future capital planning process, likely in the 2025-2026 fiscal year. Thank you.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that. I'm excited about a new archives building, and I can hardly wait for the opening. The Archives Act, though, appears to have not gone through any kind of substantive review in over 40 years. To say it is outdated and does not establish a proper framework for archival heritage would be an understatement. Can the Minister explain why the Archives Act has not been updated and whether there are any plans to do so? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I don't want the Member to get ahead of himself. Proposing that a new building be built and having a grand opening are two very different things. So we'll see what happens in the future.

Every year the government proposes a slate of legislation that they would like to see proceed. About half of that legislation actually makes its way through an Assembly and is passed. So I can't speak for previous years, but there's been a number of pieces of legislation and the priorities of the Assembly have dictated what has made its way through and what hasn't. And, unfortunately, despite recognizing the need to update the Archives Act, it has not been updated. But, once again, in the next government, ECE will bring this forward as a piece of legislation that needs to be dealt with. Thank you.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister for that and, of course, when he comes back, I'm going to be happy to help him with the ribbon cutting and getting the Archives Act drafted up and ready to go. So in my statement, though, I mentioned that very significant archival records on the history of the political development of the Northwest Territories are stored in a totally inadequate government warehouse. We're kind of lucky it didn't burn down this summer. So can the Minister tell us how long these records have been stored there and whether there are any plans for proper archival storage and preservation of this important historical legacy of the Northwest Territories? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that it was back in the -- sometime in the 90s, I'm not sure exactly when, when the archives, they started storing archives off site. And as I mentioned, there are some minor upgrades planned for next year. Hopefully, the Member will support funding for those upgrades. And those would include, at the offsite space, minor space improvements, fencing, so secure access to the documents. New racking so there -- you know, more stable storage. As well as some temperature and humidity control improvements where possible. So given the situation and the needs, ECE is moving forward with attempts to better preserve these documents. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Frame Lake.

Merci, Monsieur le President. I want to thank the Minister. The current Archives Act places the burden on the territorial archivist for the safekeeping of our documentary heritage. There's a lot of -- that's a lot of responsibility on one person who clearly doesn't have the resources to carry out this important work. That would be a stretch for anyone to conclude that GNWT is taking proper care of our archival records.

Can the Minister tell us whether there has been any advice received on whether the GNWT is in compliance with the Archives Act, and can he share that with us? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, of course, legal opinions aren't shared on the floor of the House. But I will say that the territorial archivist, boy, I would feel for them if they were alone. But in addition, there's two senior archivists, two digital record archivists, an archive and library technician, and an audiovisual archivist. Given all that, though, I know they're still quite busy. And that team knows better than anyone that we do need to upgrade our facilities and work on the act because, you know, the things that need to be stored under the act are part of the issue, actually. So this has been an issue since I took this role. There have been advancements made. You know, government doesn't move as quick as any of us would like, and this is one of those situations. But this is -- we are marching forward, and there is progress. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, my questions are for the Minister of Housing NT. Can the Minister tell me how many homes of the 100 that's in the mandate that they said they would build in the Northwest Territories were built, not including any RCMP units? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Housing NWT

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. We did -- we do have a hundred-unit rollout that is currently underway right now.

Mr. Speaker, 47 of those homes in the communities are close to final inspection and would be available for occupancy. Another 14 of those units are being constructed and being delivered to various communities as well. And 17 are occupied today. 32 of those units are at various stages. And I would also like to include, Mr. Speaker, like, during the 100-unit rollout, we did have the supply chain issue, the delivery issue, our barge issue that has happened, COVID, and restrictions of people coming into the communities. Despite all of that, Mr. Speaker, we are still on time. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. And I'm glad that we do have some of those houses done and people are living in them.

Can the Minister tell us how many -- I know another part of the mandate was transferring homes to -- so people could become homeowners, and that way some of the, I guess, units to offset some of those units so we could build more and have more. So how many units have been transferred from Housing NT to individual families in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question because this was a priority of mine as well too that I take right into my own riding.

We didn't have a very strong interest in people taking over their public housing unit and is not being able to afford those units as well too. I don't have the number specifically in front of me that, the amount of units that have been transferred over. But I know we did have some difficulty, and hopefully housing is listening to me right now so they can send that number over to me quickly so I could provide that to the Member. And also that, you know, I don't want to set people up for failure as well too, Mr. Speaker. I don't want to take too much of the Member's time but to be honest, a lot of our units are not in very -- in fair condition. We need to renovate them. We did get additional $60 million from the federal government, and in the next government we are committed to being repairing those units in the next Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, I know this question is not something that I sent over to the Minister, but just looking at my community alone, the Inuvialuit used some of the money that they received from the federal government to homeowners -- like, Inuvialuit beneficiaries in the ISR, to retrofit, put new windows, new siding, new insulation, windows, doors, roofs, you know, and they used -- they did it by starting with seniors. And so -- and looking at our units -- and the Minister just said that our units are old, they need to be fixed up. How did this department work with some of our Indigenous governments? Did they work with our Indigenous governments to maybe transition those homes to homeowners with working together? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question because she is speaking about the distinction-based funding. And once again, I hope my department is hearing me because I want to get an update on the working table between IRC and the Housing NWT.

What housing has done differently is they've repaired the relationship with Indigenous governments and with community governments as well. And the funding that the Member is speaking about, there was approximately $400 million that was distributed amongst the Northwest Territories to -- directly to Indigenous governments. My conversation with the federal government was if you're not going to fund the territorial government directly, please recognize our partnerships with Indigenous governments and, in respect, Canada had responded, and this is the response as to getting houses on the ground. We are working in collaboration with them as well too. There is an established working group. My apologies to the Member, I didn't get the update, but I will provide that to her separately. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. She just makes me want to ask way more questions, so I hope I have time to afterwards. Does the Minister have the current waitlist for housing and the empty units available, and when are those units going to be filled with our waitlist? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And respectfully, I am enjoying the questions that are coming from the Member as well. There's been a significant progress within the portfolio, and this gives the opportunity of really highlighting the struggle that we do have with the funding that we do receive territorially but it also highlights the strength we do have with Canada as well too.

And just for the Members, we do have 57 applicants for a one-bedroom. We have 12 applicants for a two-bedroom. Seven applicants for a three-bedroom. And four applicants for a four-bedroom. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Tomorrow's the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Day. It's Friday. Everybody's tired and want to go home and that kind of thing, and so I'm just hoping the Minister is feeling good today.

Mr. Speaker, after a year with no further progress on the supposed investigation into the caribou harvesting in Lutselk'e, will the Minister now recognize the wrong that was done under his watch and apologize to the community of Lutselk'e and start the reconciliation process as mandated by this government? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister responsible for Environment and Climate Change.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, these incidents are still being investigated for suspected illegal harvesting in a mobile zone and wastage of edible caribou. I can tell you that I met with the chief last fall and have written to him to offer to work on reconciliation efforts once an investigation is completed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister provide an update to the House on the status of this investigation? We were told it's going to take six months. Here we are a year later. We still don't see anything. And we're concerned that the court already made a decision this is unlawful. And we want to know here today that -- if you can give us an update on where things are at. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, like I said previously, these incidents are still being investigated for suspicion of illegal harvesting in a mobile zone and wastage of edible caribou. At this point, as it is still an open investigation I cannot speak further to this matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the Minister offered to come across this House, Minister Simpson will go across -- I was hoping that will happen and we would have this thing resolved.

Mr. Speaker, has an internal review taken place internally into the unconstitutional violation of the Lutselk'e Timber Bay culture camp raid? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it seems as some people on the other side thinks being on this side's easy. I'd love to be on that other side to ask those questions and get them -- you know, and say, when are you going to get it resolved and how are you going to do it. And I know Members over there say well, we got to fix it. We have a process. We have investigations going on. So, Mr. Speaker, a terms of reference has been developed, and we have identified an independent party to review the -- or to conduct a review. And the review will be conducted once the investigation has been completed. Again, this investigation is ongoing, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So in other words, we're not going to get no report in this -- at the end of this session and it's going to carry over to the next government.

Will the Minister drop this pointless investigation and own up to his mistakes that were made by offering the community of Lutselk'e a sincere apology to this House? And for the record, I just want a simple yes or no today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, usually I'll do yes or no. But I do need to follow up with more information here. I've acknowledged that the search at Timber Bay was very difficult for some of the people at the camp who were not harvesting wildlife or who were harvesting wildlife in a respectful and lawful way. Investigations are done independently by officers, not by myself. We allow officers to do their work. The investigation into suspected illegal harvesting in the mobile zone and waste of edible caribou is ongoing. So, Mr. Speaker, once this is all said and done, I would like to be able to say here, this is what we're doing. Until that is done, Mr. Speaker, I need to follow the process. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering to start off if the Minister can confirm what GNWT department is ultimately responsible for climate action mitigation here in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Environment and Climate Change.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Environment and Climate Change is the GNWT lead for climate change using a coordinated interdepartmental approach that is outlined in the 2030 NWT Climate Change Strategic Framework. Under the framework, the Department of Infrastructure implements an energy strategy which is how the GNWT addresses reducing greenhouse gas emissions related to energy supply and consumption. The Department of Finance implements the NWT carbon tax approach. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we heard yesterday a very honest portrayal of where the Northwest Territories is in its production of alternative energies and how also the low water levels this year are having an impact even on what's happening right now with our current energy usage. Right now we have a huge dependency still on fossil fuels in the Northwest Territories, and that's only going up with our low water levels. And so I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to how this additional usage of fossil fuels, even in this year, is going to have an impact on our climate target goals? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent below the 2025 level by 2030. As of 2021, which is the latest data that has been analyzed, NWT has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent since 2005 with COVID, the pandemic and a slowdown of resource development activities being the main factor driving emissions down in recent years. Based on recent modeling, the GNWT is on track to achieve its target of reducing emissions by 30 percent below the 2005 level by 2030. Unfortunately, still emissions in the territories are largely driven by industry and transportation sectors. An anticipated reduction in mining activity in the late 2020s is one factor that will contribute to the realization of this target. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So if one of the things that we're relying on in order to meet our targets is for mines to actually shut down but, on the other hand, we're going out, and we're proactively trying to get mines to open up and do more in the Northwest Territories, how are we ultimately going to reach this goal if all of a sudden one of our hands gets what it wants and it has a direct impact on the other hand? So I'm wondering if the Minister can speak to how we're actually going to support both development in the Northwest Territories and our energy and climate change goals and our targets? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, with those type of questions, I would encourage the Member to reach out to the Minister of Finance and Minister of Infrastructure to answer the energy and finance. I know Members on the other side think that I have all the answers, but other departments have the work that -- do the work on this area. So I would encourage the Member to reach out to them. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I was trying to do is ask the lead department on climate change what's going on and to help me paint this bigger picture as to how we're actually going to get to our goal. When I have to jump around from department to department, I don't actually get the full picture in one answer. And so it's nice when we can ask one department to help us paint that picture for residents. And so my final question is in regards to a dashboard that was actually mentioned yesterday and has been mentioned in this House multiple times before. Is there an intent, and is there a deadline, on when this government will potentially put together a public dashboard that outlines the progress on climate action and the GNWT reaching its climate target so that we can see a more fulsome picture of what our targets and our goals and our results are looking like? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when the Member asks, yeah, no, it would be great to -- well, one Minister can answer the question. That would be great if we got all those questions so that we can get that information. If you ask me a question about infrastructure, I'm not going to be able to give you that information unless I get the question ahead of time. And I understand, and it's prerogative the other side to give the questions and not give the questions, to do that. So I appreciate that, but if you ask the question it's going to be multiple departments, and if I don't get it ahead of time, I won't be able to give you the information. And I apologize for that. In regards to a dashboard there, I will have to get back to the Member on the timeline on that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a question for the housing, for housing. Mr. Speaker, I understand about the process, and they are the Ministers. They can direct. We know that nothing gets done without their input or their direction. So I want to ask the Minister, can the Minister of Housing NWT explain why her department doesn't have a policy supporting the sale of market rental units. I still have -- currently there are some constituents who are living in a market rental housing in my region, and they would like to become a homeowner, and they have been living in those units for over 20 years, and they really want the market rental unit that they have been living in for over 20 years. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Mr. Speaker, in small communities for many years, you know, there's people do not want to build because there's no market. So that's why housing was the only landlord in many of the small communities. So now many of these people -- we know what happened when a person who is not on the lease, when the elderly parents pass on, we had a lot of those because of those policy that was in place, many of these people became homeless and some are on the street here, and some have passed on being homeless because of the policy that's in place. So, yes, I understand about that now that she mentioned why the market rental is there, but it's just that why not make -- if that -- change the status of the market rental, they are the Minister, to public unit. Can the Minister commit to changing a lot of those public market rental unit to public housing unit? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. I just want to be very honest and say, no, I wouldn't be able to do that. Because we do need the programs and services in the smaller communities, we need to be able to house teachers, social workers, nurses in our smaller communities. So there needs to be housing set aside for them as well. But just looking at what the Member had said as well for the generational homes -- and I do know what she's talking at where we have families that have been raised in these units. These units were built in the 1970s. Going into the next government, this is one of the priorities of housing is how do we transition and how are we going to be dealing with these units that were built in the 70s. I myself personally -- but I've get to work with the department is I would like to see them all transferred. I would like to see them all transferred. And I would like the federal government to recognize that we need a replenishment of 23, maybe 5,000 units in the Northwest Territories. And hopefully this is going to be a working document for the next government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, many of these houses, just like she said, yes, they are over 50 years old. No social worker or nurses or teachers coming from the south would want to live in many of these condemned houses. And many of our people are living in those units, and nothing is being done. And there's a lot of boarded up houses in my community in my region as well. So that is why I'm pushing for all those units, if they can change the status from market rental to public housing unit because Tlicho government and other organizations are providing housing for many of their staff because we want to keep many of those people to educate and to help and work with our people. But many of them are not going to go into the housing that's available. So that is why I am saying that. So would the Minister commit to selling the units to people based on their commercial value and take into consideration the amount of rent already paid and future maintenance costs when determining the purchase price? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question because that's a mechanism that we are actually working with right now. We need to determine whether the client can actually afford these units and being able to take care of the operation and maintenance of these units themselves without government subsidy. And we're finding it very difficult throughout the Northwest Territories but trying to work with them fairly.

And also, I just wanted to speak about the Tlicho government as well and the working table that we do have established with them. They did get a distinction-based funding announcement, I want to say in the spring, of $47 million, to address their housing need. And like I had said earlier, is that there is $400 million across the Northwest Territories that has been allocated to Indigenous governments. And this is where we as a territory and we as Indigenous governments, we work together in partnership. And for the agreement that's been signed with the Tlicho government, these are the type of conversations that are actually happening to address the housing crisis in the Member's riding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we lived here forever and we survived, you know. And it is not right the government determining or making -- you know, going directly and saying people are -- making a decision of who can and cannot afford the housing. So I just want to ask the Minister would the Minister consider giving existing public units to the people who live in them and use the money -- and use the money that's saved to build more houses in small communities. We do need more houses in small communities. We have people that are on the waitlist. I have families. There's five families that are waiting in Behchoko alone. There's nine -- one family has nine. There's nine of them waiting for a house and living in a one-bedroom unit with other family members. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. You know, like I had said that this is -- this is a strategy that we're using within housing and trying to have our clients become successful and having them to own their own units. And we're finding difficulty, to be honest, very much. You know, we're not having people that are able to repair their own stairs, pay for their heating. And it's a difficult time right now. And all of these units are -- they're drastically subsidized. You can be living in a unit that's going to cost us $20,000, maybe even more, for us to operate and maintain, and the client would only be paying $75. So we need to find a balance where we're able to have the clients become successful in operating and maintaining their own home, and acknowledging that we do have a hundred unit rollout. In Behchoko alone, the community has received six additional units. Nine throughout the region as well. It's probably -- you know, to just give her an idea of what we are facing within the Northwest Territories, we are in a housing crisis, and housing has done what they possibly can do working with the Indigenous governments, working with the federal government to address this housing need. And like I had said, all together for the portfolio, there's $400 million that's been allocated. $200 million from this government. There's $600 million throughout the Northwest Territories. And that's still not enough. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I really do not like leaving things to the next Assembly. I think if you look at the last Assembly's mandate, a lot of the things that were very close, and it's clear hundreds of hours of staff time went into them and, you know, there was perhaps some last minute disagreement. Never got done. We didn't take them on. They didn't make it into our mandate. And all of that work disappeared. There's quite a few things in our mandate that I'm sure the next Assembly will let die as well. I'm hoping that the Business Incentive Policy is not one of them. So my question is for the Minister of ITI, are we going to make any changes to the Business Incentive Policy in the life of this Assembly? I know there's only a week left, but perhaps I could dream, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Minister responsible for Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member has asked -- or made quite a number of statements about the procurement review, and there has been quite a lot done. In July of this year, a report was put out publicly. It's online through the GNWT's government -- the Department of Finance website detailing all the many changes and improvements to procurement in the Northwest Territories that have been made in the life of this government.

Within that with respect to the Business Incentive Policy -- and I know the Member goes on at length about how much he liked the review, the review itself says that the question of how to define a Northwest Territories business is one of the most complex components of the procurement review. The good news is, Mr. Speaker, I'm glad the Member really likes the recommendation. I like the recommendation too. But that has to go to modern treaty partners. Any changes made must go to modern treaty partners first. It is part of our obligations under those treaties. So the recommendations that we've put forward to make some changes are with them. It's been for review. It's had its time. A little extra time given where what happened this summer was probably not inappropriate. But I believe SCEDE will be getting its own letters in very due course, and we'll know exactly what's happening before the end of the Assembly. Thank you.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It sounded like we're not going to quite get there in the remaining week. I'm skeptical that the next government will take that on. I know the definition of northern business is complex, and I think you really just have to make a decision and commit to it. I don't suspect there's agreement. But in reviewing that, it says, the Minister's report tabled in July -- or released in July, it says a new definition of northern business which will result in the removal of Schedule 3 from BIP has been created. I understand it's been shared with Indigenous governments. Can the Minister tell us what that new definition is of northern business? Is it the same one that the procurement review panel recommended two years ago, or have we come up with a new one? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are protocols within a consensus government. One of them is that when we are releasing new information like this provided by government that it goes to one of the standing committees first. So until I can release it to standing committee, it's very difficult and would not be appropriate for me to stand in the House and make the announcement here. Otherwise, I would love to do it, Mr. Speaker, but I'm afraid the Members are going to simply have to look at their inbox and wait for the letter to come pursuant to the rules and the procedures that we all operate under. Thank you.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. In addition, in that July report, you know, it kind of just says the work to create an Indigenous Procurement Policy is ongoing, there's no kind of timeline on there. I'm wondering if we have any sense of -- I know that's not going to be done in in the next week, but is there any hope of us getting that done in some sort of timeline, or will we have an Indigenous Procurement Policy as a government? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.