Good afternoon, colleagues. Please join me in thanking Elder Annie Inuktalik for the opening words and blessing today.

Colleagues, it's great to be back in this House again today. I'd like to thank the deputy Speaker for taking the reins at the end of last week when I was attending the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's 44th Canadian parliamentary seminar in Edmonton. It was a wonderful program and I am thankful that I was able to attend on behalf of the House as well with the Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

I would also like to take a few minutes to provide an update on some of my work over the summer. I thank you for your time and attention.

This summer I had the pleasure of touring communities within my riding with Minister Wawzonek. It's almost been three and a half years of planning to get it done, but we were able to successfully do it. And my communities were very thankful for her to attend, and I would like to thank her as well. We still have one to go but we will get that one done.

Folks, these communities and the people who live there are the reason that I am here, to represent them and their needs. I am grateful they have trusted me to serve as their representative, and I will continue to do my best to represent them through my ongoing conversations with our Premier, Ministers, all Members of the Legislative Assembly and elected officials from other governments.

In addition to visiting throughout the Nahendeh, I had the opportunity to spend some time representing the Legislative Assembly in Ontario this summer. I was fortunate to spend some time in Ottawa where i had the opportunity to meet with Speaker Akoak and deputy Speaker Hickes from Nunavut. More excitingly for me was the opportunity to meet with our Northern Youth Abroad participants and their staff while I was in Ottawa. One of the highlights of this visit was touring the senate and parliament with the youth and meeting with Speaker Fergus and Speaker Gagné. I thank all the speakers, deputy Speaker, and staff who shared their time and experience to make this possible. It was a great experience for our youth, and me as well. I cannot stress how grateful I was to be able to be part of that visit. It was truly a blessing to be able to be involved with these youths, spending time with them, helping them and learning from them. It's been said many times that the youth are our future and, colleagues, we are in great hands. Our future is looking bright.

I also had the opportunity to attend the recent Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meetings in Toronto, where I had the opportunity to meet with and learn from others colleagues from across Canada and throughout the commonwealth. I'd also like to thank the Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiliideh for joining me on that great meeting.

Colleagues, finally I would like to draw your attention to the sash on the table beside me. Following the memorial service of Mr. Whitford this past weekend, his family gifted his sash to this Assembly. I am truly honoured to receive this gift, and I can think of no better place to display Tony's sash than in this chamber. Tony was an important part of this institution for many years, and I am honoured to have his sash in the chamber with us. He will always have a place of honour in this Assembly. Colleagues, when you look at Tony's sash, let it be a reminder of his service and dedication to this Assembly and to the people of the Northwest Territories. It is a reminder to each of us, not just of the great work that he did but of the great work we can all do for our people. Thank you, colleagues. Now let's get to business.

Ministers' statements. Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, as we approach the one-year mark of this government, I would like to reflect on the progress we have made in strengthening our partnerships with Indigenous governments and the Government of Canada. Our recent trip to Ottawa, as part of the Council of Leaders, is a testament to the collaborative spirit we have built with our partners, and I am pleased to provide Members of this Legislative Assembly with an update on that trip.

Earlier this month the Council of Leaders, made up of the GNWT and Indigenous governments from across the NWT, traveled to Ottawa to meet with federal leadership. Our delegation included all of Cabinet, along with leaders and representatives from more than a dozen Indigenous governments. Together, we delivered a unified message: The Northwest Territories stands at the crossroads of Canada's strategic future. Our region is not only essential to the national conversation on prosperity and security but, with the right federal investments, the NWT is positioned to make meaningful contributions to Canada's success on the global stage.

Mr. Speaker, our meetings focused on key issues affecting the North:

• The need for housing investments,
• The development of critical infrastructure,
• Strengthening climate resilience; and,
• Creating economic opportunities through resource development.

While specific priorities may differ between the GNWT and our Indigenous partners, we all recognize the strategic importance of addressing these challenges together. We emphasized the abundance of resources in the North and the need for targeted federal investments in infrastructure, housing, and climate adaptation. Our message was clear: These are interconnected issues that are essential for the future of our communities and our country.

Mr. Speaker, infrastructure is more than just roads and buildings; it is the lifeline that connects our communities to the rest of Canada. The North's isolation, combined with the growing impacts of climate change, presents significant challenges. Shorter winter road seasons, melting permafrost, and unpredictable weather patterns create barriers to economic growth. Strengthening infrastructure, through all-season roads, energy projects, and communications networks, will help unlock opportunities and ensure long-term sustainability.

Housing is another critical area where federal support is urgently needed. Chronic underinvestment in northern and Indigenous communities continues to be a barrier to education, employment, and economic growth. Overcrowded homes and deteriorating infrastructure impact the well-being of our residents and hamper the development of our communities. We have made it clear that housing is the foundation of a thriving North, and without stable housing we cannot fully unlock the potential of Northerners.

Climate change, Mr. Speaker, is reshaping life in the North. The wildfires that forced nearly 70 percent of our population to evacuate last year remind us that climate impacts are real and immediate. The Council of Leaders called for stronger federal support for climate adaptation. This includes wildfire prevention, building resilient infrastructure, and ensuring our communities are equipped to face these growing threats.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is rich in resources that are critical to Canada's future. However, resource development must be balanced with respect for Indigenous rights, environmental protection, and meaningful benefits for Northerners. The Council of Leaders has emphasized the importance of federal collaboration to unlock the North's potential, particularly in sustainable resource development. The NWT holds some of the world's most significant deposits of critical minerals, which are essential for the global shift to clean energy. With the right investments, we can position the NWT as a leader in this transition.

Mr. Speaker, our visit to Ottawa reinforced a powerful message: The future of the North is the future of Canada. As global attention turns to the Arctic and northern resources, it is more important than ever that we strengthen our partnerships with the federal government and Indigenous governments. This trip marked the first time that the Council of Leaders has tried something of this magnitude working as a collective. I want to thank all the leaders that participated for their partnership in this effort, and their commitment to our unified message. I also want to thank our Member of Parliament, Michael McLeod, for his support and advocacy on behalf of the Northwest Territories during these meetings and throughout his time in office. I was also pleased to have our colleague Mr. Edjericon join us for the trip as a representative of the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight, and I thank him for being there. Finally, I want to recognize the enormous contributions of officials from the Indigenous governments and the GNWT for bringing this event together.

The Council of Leaders is committed to working together to ensure the North is ready to meet the challenges ahead and seize the opportunities that lie before us to ensure that our shared priorities, housing, infrastructure, climate resilience, and economic development, are met. The future of the Northwest Territories is bright, and with the right support we will be a critical partner in building Canada's future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, have a look through past Hansard transcripts and year after year, you'll find speeches by MLAs complaining that the capital budget has failed to adequately allocate resources to the Assembly's priorities. I argue that the underlying reason for this pattern is that our capital budget setting process is disconnected from priorities by design, and we need to change that process if we want to see a change in budgeting.

Currently, departments are using a set of criteria for identifying capital projects none of which include priority consideration first. In most cases, substantiations are provided which do link projects to a priority item in some way or other, but this appears to be done after the fact not as part of an overarching strategic plan for actioning a given priority. What appears to be missing from our process is a more foundational conversation prior to budget development and across departments about the direction set out in the mandate and how that direction might impact not only our capital spending but even our organizational structure. The current process appears to operate under the assumption that everything we are currently doing holds intrinsic value and should continue regardless of our priorities. The problem we are facing, however, is we have limited resources and when analyzed strategically as a component of priority implementation, everything can't possibly hold the same weight. Strategic analysis may determine a very specific and limited course of action is the best way to effectively implement a priority when compared to other options, meaning projects which aren't as comparatively effective shouldn't come forward or are discontinued. In absence of this process, we are taking a scatter shot approach, and MLAs are being asked by an exacerbated finance Minister to make ad hoc decisions about what to cut on the floor of the House. This puts MLAs in the precarious position of making cuts on the fly to a budget staff who have invested significant time in already and, similarly, without the above-noted priority analysis. This process has proven time and time again to not work, Mr. Speaker, and this territory is now deeply in debt because we keep building more and doing more and failing to change how we operate. These outcomes will not change until we change our processes. I will note specific examples of this problem throughout our review of the capital budget, and I'll have questions for the Minister of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Members' statements. Member from Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the 20th Assembly developed a federal engagement strategy. This will allow our relationship building on joint resources discussions to address the many challenges faced by our Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, this federal engagement strategy certainly covers the disastrous situation faced by my community of Norman Wells and the Sahtu residents for the high fuel costs that's being air transported.

Mr. Speaker, as the Members recall last week, my request to the Minister of MACA for a briefing package outlines the preparations taken to lobby our federal counterparts to end the Norman Wells high fuel costs crisis. Later, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions to the appropriate Minister. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, finding a solution to the North's housing crisis is a passion of mine and a key concern for my constituents. So this is why much of the work over the past year has been dedicated towards bringing together different levels of government to get private homes repaired as quickly as possible in a way that is cost effective and centered on the services delivered by Indigenous leadership. In summary, this plan is to have the GNWT cover the first step of homeownership inspections so that a fully costed proposal can be delivered to the Minister of Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs. That way the federal government, which has more resources than the GNWT, can directly from the Indigenous governments so we can then utilize those resources themselves appropriately. We all agree that First Nations must take control of housing in their respective communities, and they will only prey on a greater role of governance of the Northwest Territories that continues our work in permitting the UNDRIP declaration on the rights of Indigenous people which mandates reconciliation as self-government.

We also know all too well that homes across the North are aging rapidly and must be repaired soon before they are into full disrepair or have to be written off completely. This plan is endorsed by the First Nation leadership in my riding, Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, including the Akaitcho territory government, chiefs, and the Metis leaders. They are all encouraged by the response so far from the housing Minister and recognize the stronger effort this government has taken to lobby Ottawa, together with them, for more support and resources for the North. Let's continue to work together and set a model for how we can all work together to get results for our small communities. This is a key moment in our territory's history for both solving our own housing crisis and set a new path forward for reconciliation. I look forward to asking the Minister of Housing NWT later today on their efforts to work with myself and leaders of the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding to make this proposal happen. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this fall, a married couple reached out to my office. They told me that they had been facing systemic discrimination within the health system as queer folks for nine years. Over multiple attempts, they had taken steps to seek help from NTHSSA to correct this issue, but after a while they felt ignored or ghosted when they sought follow-up.

The issue at hand was one of misgendering. Both partners in this couple are cisgender women. One of them happens to not present in a stereotypically feminine way. To put it plainly, someone had previously looked at this woman and decided she was a man, and for nine years the health system refused to correct this error. This is not an error that can be laughed off, Mr. Speaker. This is administrative and feasibly medical misgendering for this resident as she takes medication that needs precise dosages. If this medication had been adjusted based on her medical record that identified her as male, this could have had severe health consequences. Before reaching out to my office, this couple asked on many occasions that the gender designation on file be changed from M to F but were told that they would need to follow the change of sex designation process and forms. This is infuriating because the individual in question is not transgender. Her birth certificate and all other identification correctly identify her as female. She is not trying to change her sex designation but to correct her mistaken medical records.

Happily, Mr. Speaker, within a week of my writing the health Minister, we had this resident's file corrected. But how do we allow a situation like this to persist for nine years? In my conversations with this couple, we agreed that if she looked more conventionally feminine, the problem would have been solved immediately. This couple noted that on many times on their journey that their medical practitioners, such as nurses and doctors, were frustrated on their behalf but couldn't change anything in their record.

Mr. Speaker, I'm highlighting this issue today because I think it's a teachable moment on the differences between gender expression and gender identity. I will have questions for the Minister of health at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Colleagues, before we continue with Members' statements, I'd like to draw your attention to the presence of Joe Handley, a Member of this House from 1999 to 2007. Joe was the Minister in the 14th Assembly and the Premier in the 15th Assembly, but the boss of the house as well is joining him is Theresa Handley. So welcome both of you here. Thank you. Notice, Joe, or Mr. Premier Handley, I said the boss was her, right, okay?

Members' statements. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The residents of the Northwest Territories are wondering when this government is going to start looking after their interest in safety. The residents feel that this government is failing them in all aspects of services - in housing, in health care, in education, and the list goes on. During this past week, the Justice department has taken a different perspective in terms of protecting our residents of our communities. In my community of Tetlit Zheh, like all other communities within the NWT, they are dealing with a drug crisis. I've always stated that if alcohol and/or drugs takes over the lives of our residents, it will have a negative impact on all governmental departments.

Mr. Speaker, during the past week in my community of Tetlit Zheh, there was a serious crime committed by two local male persons. The two individuals forced themselves into a public housing unit and held the two adults hostage at knifepoint. The unit is occupied by two adults and their children. The crime in question is considered very serious in nature and is related to the drug trade. As of today, one of the accused has been apprehended and charged with multiple crimes. The other assailant is still at large.

Mr. Speaker, within a few days of being arrested and charged with some serious crimes, which includes placing a resident's life in danger with a weapon, the accused was free on bail and reportedly back in the community where these crimes were committed. When is this government going to start protecting the residents of their respective communities?

Mr. Speaker, the residents of our smaller communities are terrified and are looking at this government for protection. The RCMP has done their part with the investigation and charged one of the accused only to be let down by this government and the system. When can we start feeling safe within our communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the justice Minister. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Members' statements. Member from the Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak about the ability of elders in our communities to age in place in their own homes for as long as they are able to do so. Many elders wish to remain in their home communities, in their own homes, as they age. To do so means they require the appropriate health and social supports to live safely and independently. Elders experience higher rates of social isolation, mobility issues, and health conditions that require particular attention as we support their wishes to age in place. Not all elders can rely on family to provide assistance, and we need to think about that in terms of the support we provide.

Mr. Speaker, in case of an elder aging in place at home, one large concern is what happens when there's an emergency and there's no one to reach out to help. In one of my communities, an elder had to call the RCMP to help her to get to the health centre because the nurse at the health centre said she could not leave the health centre. So my constituents have concerns that this is happening, that nurses are not able to leave the health centres to provide care for these elders when they're unable to get to the health centre on their own. Elders are asking who do they call for help in an urgent medical situation in small communities? They are being told the nurses cannot provide care off-site. With the aging population, it is expected that more and more services will be needed for elders in our communities, and we all don't have emergency services such as trained medics or ambulances in some of our small communities.

Mr. Speaker, a change in policy is required that ensures that services elders need are available so they can age safely in their homes which includes health care in urgent situations. With our aging population, this is an issue that needs to be addressed now. I will have questions for the Minister of health later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.

Mr. Speaker, echoing my colleague from Frame Lake, year after year during capital budget deliberations in this House, MLAs stand up and say we are not spending enough money on public housing. So why does this keep happening if we all agree that housing is a top priority?

Historically, the colonial federal government forced Indigenous families off the land, away from their livelihoods, and into poorly constructed public housing. In the early '90s, the feds stopped building new public housing. Since then, public housing stock has fallen into disrepair and shrunk while waiting lists have continued to grow. As of 2020, the waiting list for NWT public housing was almost 1,000 families.

We have been told that we cannot take on additional public housing units even if another partner builds them for us. The three arguments seem to be, first, that there's no money for increasing the housing operations and maintenance project. Sure, we take on new capital and incorporate forced growth into our O and M all the time but for housing, apparently we can't afford it. Secondly, there's a belief that it should be a federal responsibility so we must advocate and then wait until they agree to take it on. Third, the feds are giving lots of housing money to Indigenous governments so we should just step out of the way and let them solve the housing crisis. The problem is that no Indigenous government that I know has indicated they want to take over public housing. Certainly, they're providing more opportunities for homeownership, allowing families with higher incomes to move out of public housing, but our economy is still so low in small communities and trauma is so high that there will continue to be a great need for public housing.

Nunavut is a territory that is ambitiously tackling its public housing needs through the Nunavut 3000 plan. Now, as an Indigenous government they can directly access more federal resources, but they're investing even more of their own resources. That's $560 million over eight years, and they're striving to build 1,400 new public housing units by 2030. Fundamentally, the GNWT needs to embrace its responsibility for public housing and allocate more of our own O and M budget to housing, not wait for the feds or Indigenous governments to save us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier in this sitting I shared concerns about early childhood education. Mr. Speaker, I have seen firsthand in my riding that many children are entering the school system on an uneven level. This limits their chances for long-term achievement and success. One of the issues I hear from constituents is about the need for speech-language pathology services for their child or children.

Speech-language pathology, or SLP, is a rehabilitation service that provides speech and language therapy to people with communication disorders. In the past, these services were directly available in schools. SLP services were scaled back during COVID, Mr. Speaker. This resulted in less services in school which continued into the most recent school year. This time last year, the waitlist for these services was four to six months. This is too long for our youth to wait. And we all know, Mr. Speaker, that school readiness is essential for successful learning and development. SLP is an important health service in assisting children in need and preparing them for their entire education.

Mr. Speaker, there is a great need for speech-language pathology services in our schools to assist and treat communication problems for our children. Availability and access to this service is critical so that our children can thrive. Furthermore, access to health care is a priority of this government. I will have questions for the Minister of health at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Members' statements. Member from Range Lake.

Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has long prided itself on its fiscal discipline through instruments like the fiscal responsibility policy, robust capacity, and the financial management board secretariat. And a keen ability to leverage federal funding into 75 or 100 percent dollars, our government has proven it has what it takes to manage complex fiscal challenges. That is why it's so alarming that the GNWT's largest ever projected operating surplus has evaporated now to such a severe deficit that the finance Minister is asking the Prime Minister to raise the debt ceiling, essentially our credit card limit.

Mr. Speaker, the things driving these costs were known unknowns at the time the estimates were tabled, debated, and ultimately passed. How have we missed the mark so drastically with such a strong track record of fiscal prudence? Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that we cannot simply hand wave our own responsibilities towards fiscal stewardship by blaming it all on external factors while painting a rosy picture that we're actually headed in the right direction.

Mr. Speaker, when we look at some of the costs that are driving up it comes down to, what it would appear, project management and project management that has been challenged for quite some time, perhaps on a systemic level. The Inuvik wind project has now cost more than double what was originally budgeted. 54 million additional dollars on a $40 million budget. In 2019, replacement diesel generators should have been a simple task at the Jackfish Lake. Well, that took a year to get them here and costs $500,000 of additional monies. And, of course, we have the Taltson project which is delayed by two years and costing an extra $31 million in the overall package of increases of $75 million for the power corporation.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister talks about the stabilizing influence of the public sector on the one hand but on the other hand, how unstainable our public sector expenditures are on the other hand. We can't have it both ways. We either must insist on prioritizing our economy and getting these projects so we don't keep adding short-term debt we can't afford. We are at a tipping point, and we are soon to tip over, and especially if Ottawa says no. So I'll have questions for the Minister about how we can better manage these projects, return to the tradition of fiscal stewardship that we've been so good at in the past, and start to turn the corner on our problems. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Mr. Speaker, when I entered this building for the first time in 2003, the debt wall of the territorial government was $300 million. Since then, it's raised 600 percent, Mr. Speaker. Every Assembly that's shown up time and time again has always shown up with their wants and needs, but then now is no different. But at the same time they've always talked about how they want to live within their means. I've yet to see that after successive governments. Yes, enthusiasm can be contagious, a contagious dream, but all I've seen is this so-called live within our means is a chronic failure. Then in May, some hope might have come when we heard the delirious excitement from the finance Minister about the latest projection of the world's biggest territorial surplus on record, $294 million. What happened? Oh my goodness, Mr. Speaker.

You know, it was all about paying debts, paying capital fully, hopes and dreams abound, Mr. Speaker. But to my surprise -- and I'll frankly say I can't believe I'm still surprised from time to time on some of these issues -- late last week we get an e-mail, practically it's like sliding a letter under our door, waving the white flag and saying we're broke again, we're heading to Ottawa because we need more money. Yet another deja-vu of the Oliver Twist story, Mr. Speaker. It begs the question what happened to the money? What happened to consultation with this side of the House? Does the Cabinet even need us? Well, they went to Ottawa without us; I mean, clearly they see beyond us. You know, Mr. Speaker, where is the proof that they've talked to us and said hey, can we work through things? Consultation with Members late night sending an e-mail is not consultation, Mr. Speaker.

Now, of course, the finance Minister and the Premier will say well, this is an operational issue, not a political issue. Perhaps if we're talking about office furniture and how you paint your walls. But, Mr. Speaker, when we're saddling the youth of the Northwest Territories a generational debt, it is a political discussion, Mr. Speaker.

So I always been reminded that my Cabinet will be there when they need me hence they're now asking us to suck it up. We can't afford this finance Minister any longer, Mr. Speaker. Five years of this type of growth, it was a billion dollars of debt while when she entered office, who knows where it'll stop when she leaves?

Mr. Speaker, we need to have a conversation about maybe -- and I stress maybe -- we should do a Cabinet shuffle because this type of moving forward is only going to bless the youth with a debt they will never be able to service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements.

Good afternoon, colleagues: Today, I would like to celebrate the life of Harold George Cook. He was born on September 9th, 1949, in Fort Smith to Eddy Sr. and Mary Cook. He was one of ten children in their family. He was also known as Cookie.
He was a student at Grollier Hall for many years. He played a lot of sports - hockey, cross-country skiing, softball, to name a few. He skied against some of the best in Canada, the United States, and in Europe. He was a world-class athlete. Sports and workshops are how I got to meet Harold and enjoy his friendship throughout the years. Once you became his friend, you were friends for life. He would remember the smallest things you spoke about, your family, and what was important in your life even if it was months since the last time you spoke. He was truly about your friendship.

His family spoke about how Harold loved his sobriety, his adopted family, traditional values, and healing drum songs. He had a quiet demeanor but at times showed his humour. If you had the opportunity to have him tell you a story, he always had a serious look but there was always a glint of mischief in eyes.
And let's not forget his love for two-step dancing, jigging, drum dancing, and even like Zorba the Greek.

During his celebration of life, a number of people spoke about him and the impacts he had on their lives. I have included stories from Mr. Paul Andrews, Mr. Raymond Yakeleya, and Ms. Natasha Delany at the end of my speech. I would like them deemed as read and printed in Hansard.

On June 25th, 2024, he passed away. His family and friends are going to miss him. It is very hard to say goodbye to an amazing person. We were lucky to have him in our lives. The family would like to thank everyone for their condolences and for coming out to say their goodbyes. He is now in the land of his ancestors, elders, and friends. He will be sadly missed.

From Paul Andrew:
Comedian, trickster, athlete XC skier, hockey player, politician, multi-language Speaker...
My favorite story about Cookie... he said he was in Tijuana, Mexico. He noticed a Mexican selling blankets. Harold decided to buy one and began to negotiate. The Mexican was not lowering his price... so he said to the seller, "Senor, do know where I am from?" The Mexican said, "No, senor". Harold said, "I am from far away in northern Canada. It's cold, my people are oppressed, poor and starving." At the time Harold was pretty big... easily over two hundred pounds. He said the Mexican looked at me and said, "Senor?" He said, I said "Yes". "For a poor starving Indian, you're awfully fat."
He loved to tell stories... and he had a few. He played hockey for the Lethbridge Sugar Kings, the University of Alaska and in Sweden. He skied against some of the best in Canada, United States and in Europe. In other words, he was a world class athlete.
He has a family in Sweden. Although he says he lost touch with them... he was pretty sad when he spoke about his time in Scandinavia. He spoke Swedish pretty well... well enough to translate to talk to some Edmonton Oilers when they were in Yellowknife.

He also served as Vice-President of the NWT Metis Association in the early 70s.
Cookie was a man of many talents but the one word that captures Cook the best is survivor! I met him almost 60 years ago when were both at the notorious Grollier Hall in Inuvik.
He, like many of us was abused physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually... abuse that left him an angry, bitter, young man. Like many, he tried to find solutions in the bottle... abuse severs relationship with oneself, others and the Creator... it puts you in a very lonely, isolated and ostracized place... Harold often spoke of the lonely places alcohol took him.
Then one day he quit and the real Cookie was back again... in August, Cookie would have been sober 47 years. He laced his skates and started playing the love of his life again, hockey. He waxed his skis and glided smoothly over the trails again. He started to jig and drum dance again but mostly he became an advocate for Former Students, especially those who attended Grollier Hall... he tried his best to help victims of crime, especially sexual abuse because he had been there... like many of us he struggled with relationships but giving up was never an option. He was my inspiration for putting the plug in the jug. He enjoyed a good story and even a bigger laugh... Harold Cook was my friend!

From Raymond Yakeleya:
Harold was a short man, but a giant amongst us as he accomplished things we could not imagine in his lifetime. He was a Groller Hall sexual abuse survivor and spoke loud and clear on the tragic conditions which many family and friends found themselves after this was disclosed with the Roman Catholic Church who offered no help for survivors and families caught in this situation of suicide and death... a very hard time for us all. Harold commented on this to me as we know now the RC Church was always interested in our money...
That is the hard truth to deal with but we will get through it as we have always done so. Harold was a great athlete, a hockey player and cross-country skier... he played hockey at Grollier Hall, went on to University of Alaska and then Division II in Sweden where he learned to speak Swedish, married and had two daughters. He was also a Member of the TEST team and an Olympian who competed for Canada at 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan in 1972. Quite an accomplishment!!!
He told me funny and humorous stories of his journey, always with humour! His greatest accomplishment was sobriety after struggling with alcoholism and showed that it can be beaten... if you put your mind to it.
He taught me that everything is possible and never gave up advocating for Grollier Hall sex abuse survivors and their families, and spoke often about support for them in their healing journey.

We are together to wish Harold a Time of Peace and Joy, as he enters the land of the ancestors, elders and friends knowing we will see each other again in the afterlife... I am thankful that he can have peace and offer prayers for this. Mahsi.

From Natasha Delany:
Harold Cook was someone that many of us in the sobriety world look up to. Especially us that are Indigenous. I remember him telling me one time that I had the gift of beauty, and to not waste it. That I could use this gift to help the younger generations and to keep being a role model.

I also remember him going out of his way to support other Indigenous men in sobriety when they were going to court, no matter what he was doing he would drop everything and be there for them.

He never missed an opportunity to go to his 84 St. Meetings and spread his words and encouragement of hope. Many may not have understood him, but Corey and I had deep respect for him, as I know so many respected him as well. I'll never forget his smile, the best smile I've ever known. Please keep Harold in your prayers as he journeys home.

Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to recognize former Premier for the Northwest Territories, and my neighbour, Joe Handley and his lovely wife Theresa Handley. Thank you for being here today.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm proud to recognize my constituency assistant Sheila Nasogaluak who is joining us here in Yellowknife for the week. And I know we all say it, but she is the best.

Thank you. Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize the ex-Premier Mr. Joe Handley. And also, first time to this House here, two students there from the Colville Lake school Mason Kochon and Riley Kochon. Welcome to the House there, young fellas.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to welcome and recognize former Premier Joe Handley and his beautiful wife Theresa. And also, I would like to recognize my constituent assistant from Fort Providence Ms. Phoebe Parent. Welcome. Thank you.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize Joe Handley and Theresa, his wife. Thank you for being here. And I just remembered in the early days when I was a chief, Joe was my MLA. So it was great to see you, great time to work together. Mahsi.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although I don't see her in the House, I believe I have constituent Ariella Fox from Yellowknife Centre, and I'd like to acknowledge her officially on the record. As well as I'd like to take a brief moment, as you did, Mr. Speaker, acknowledge the Handley family. Mrs. Theresa playing hearts with her at Avens and, of course, I served with Premier Joe Handley for some good years at the House, and we did some wonderful things. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, I must recognize former Premier Handley. I appreciate him being here, and I must say I have a new-found respect for the work that he has done as Premier as well as all others who have done that work. So thank you. And I also want to recognize him as the chair of the board of governors of Aurora College and thank him for that work as well. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Hay River North. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to acknowledge former Northwest Territories Premier Joe Handley who was named one of this year's Symons Medal recipients. The Symons Medal is awarded to outstanding individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to Canadian life, and former Premier Handley has no doubt earned this honour for his decades of dedication to northern society.

Mr. Handley has had an impressive career as an educator and public servant who has worked as deputy minister for numerous departments, including the housing corporation, renewable resources, and economic development. Since his previous election to the Legislative Assembly for Weledeh, he was named finance Minister and ultimately became our 10th Premier in 2003.

I want to offer my sincere congratulations for his achievement of this historic award and wish him all the best as he continues to contribute his best efforts towards positive change and progress for our communities. We have gained much thanks from his ongoing leadership, and I am privileged to have him as a constituent of Range Lake. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Housing NWT. First, can the Minister confirm what is the current number of people on the NWT public housing waiting list? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The current number of people on the housing waitlist is 897 applications across the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So next, can the Minister confirm whether it is expected that all of those 897 families can be housed through federal funding to Indigenous governments? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, I don't have that information. Based on what I know to date, Indigenous governments are working on market home plans, other type of market rentals for professionals in the community. The 897 on the waiting list are looking for affordable public housing units so, unfortunately, they may not meet the criteria for market home plans. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. And thanks to the Minister for that. Can the Minister confirm that a major barrier to increasing our public housing stock, at least up to this point, has been resistance to the idea of increasing the transfer of resources for O and M from the GNWT to Housing NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories, through our finance department, provides us about $80 million a year for Housing NWT operations. We do get funding from CMHC and from CIRNAC to operate and maintain the homes across the North. That's an additional $20 million. So that's the sum of our public housing operating funds throughout the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister for Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And finally, does the Minister believe that it is both a federal responsibility and the GNWT's responsibility to fund public housing through capital and O and M resources, or is it only a federal responsibility? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's a shared responsibility. It's important that this government and the federal government realize that we need to invest in public housing in the North. I pressed this with Cabinet and my FMB colleagues. This is important. It's a priority of this government, of the 20th Assembly. The work we do and the message we brought to the Council of Leaders in Ottawa was a shared responsibility, working with Indigenous governments in the Northwest Territories, making sure that the message set across from both the federal government and Indigenous governments is these are public housing units in our communities that our families and people in the communities live in and need on a day-to-day basis. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure regarding the condition this year, as I mentioned in my statement, of the Dempster Highway and the Inuvik-Tuk Highway. Can the Minister provide some context on why this year there were delays and what had happened to cause the conditions on the highway this year? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there were some delays and some particular challenges this year owing to the nature of the spring melt and just an unusual amount of snow that came in last year resulting in an unusual spring as that was melting. So that certainly posed challenges to the department and to our contractors. We also had two different contracts up in that region that were both out for renewal this year, and so that had to go through the usual public procurement processes. There was some delays therein. Every time, though, Mr. Speaker, we were reaching out to existing contractors who were continuing to work, the contracts were getting extended and, really, a big shout-out goes out to them for always working through those projects and those needs. And I appreciate I have heard a lot from the region and every time I would, would go back and was always quickly able to be assured that work was happening and was able to be assured when it was going to happen. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you Minister Wawzonek. And, yes, we did have a huge amount of snow this year in our region. So can the Minister kind of provide an update on the current status of those contracts now that were, as she had mentioned, had expired and where they're sitting today? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very happy to say that all of our O and M contracts for the region are -- for the Dempster region are now in place, they're being operationalized. The ITH O and M contract is still being finalized. We spent a lot of effort on this one this summer and have certainly been approaching it, I think, from a view of some relationship building with contractors in the region. I do expect to have an update on that this week, and I'm looking forward to it being in place before the freeze up. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks again, that is good to hear that the contracts will be let. So I guess, finally, Mr. Speaker, going forward, has the Minister tasked the department with coming up with kind of a long-term plan to ensure that years like this year is not something that we'd expect going forward next year and in future years, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is regular reviews and regular eyes on both highways throughout the entire year. What I've asked for though, and very happy to commit to the Member that this information will flow to the Members from the region as well, is that we have outlined in advance what the regular maintenance process is, what are the regular times when there's someone that does go out and inspect, and what is the regular maintenance that's going to happen. So MLAs and Members and regional residents know themselves in advance what they can expect. Obviously, when there's extreme weather events, which there seem to be regularly, we will then also have to go out and do more. But at least folks will know in advance exactly what to expect, what's happening, and then there's hopefully less surprises and more eyes on the ground, frankly, to monitor and see how our efforts are going. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Oral questions. Member from YK Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And on my acknowledgements, I just want to correct the record. It's not hearts, we were playing bridge at the seniors -- I don't know why I thought that earlier.

Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Finance, and it's with respect to my Member's statement earlier today. And what's causing me concern is this entitlement to write the federal minister exclusively on their own decision including Cabinet's without it informing Members that they're asking for more money. So my question for the Minister of Finance is, is what is the reasonable threshold on taking on new generational debt that will warrant a conversation with Members prior to writing that letter? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, about two years ago we began a very extensive process of having the fiscal responsibility policy reviewed. That process was undertaken with the Members of the House during the 19th Assembly, and part of what we did at that time was to review and to include an expressed threshold in our own policy after which point we would then be obligated to go to Ottawa. By doing that, it put an obligation on us. It was an obligation that all parties in this House, and anyone really within government would know, that once we hit the threshold of being within $120 million of the borrowing limit, the Minister of Finance would then be obligated to write to Ottawa to seek a borrowing limit increase. We do keep this House informed through various presentations, both to Members confidentially, to caucus, so that when we are approaching that threshold, we are now triggered to go to Ottawa to write. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unilateral decision to ask for how much, that's the problem here. We have no idea what generational debt this Minister is now taking on and saddling this Assembly. So this is well beyond an operational decision, Mr. Speaker. How much debt has the Minister requested from the Minister of Finance of Canada? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker. At this point in time, we've simply put Ottawa on notice that we're going to need to have a conversation with them, that there's a lot more information that will have to go into that, a lot more planning, including, quite frankly, happy to have that conversation with Members of this House. It's not a unilateral decision. We are triggered by the fiscal responsibility policy. We've undertaken that effort to begin that conversation, but the process is not one that happens overnight. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, my questions aren't intended to be a trial by ordeal. My questions are intended to be like be honest. How much are you asking for? So you sent a letter requesting we don't know how much we need, we don't know how much we want, but we want more? Please, we must be able to narrow it down a little bit because Northerners are the ones who are going to be saddled with this debt. Hence, Mr. Speaker, what range of debt has the finance Minister requested that Northerners will now carry without a MLA discussion? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to say it again. At this point, the conversation's only just begun. So we've put Ottawa on notice that we're going to be coming to them in order to make this request, that there's more information coming. Our offices here in the Department of Finance and Fiscal Policy are looking at what kind of options we are going to be looking at, what kinds of needs we might have, what is on the capital plan for the next several years, what is in in the operational plan for the next several years. Mr. Speaker, if the Member doesn't believe me when I answered that the second time and doesn't believe me when I'm answering it now, I'm happy to share the letter with him.

Colleagues, please and thank you, address it to the chair.

Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you. That was a hint of Mr. Whitford style of managing the House, Mr. Speaker. Good for you. Mr. Speaker, what if Ottawa says no; what is plan B? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, we have certainly made efforts with fiscal responsibility here to try to make changes within our main estimates. Obviously, the main estimates come to the floor of this House, and we see how the changes to the main estimates go in the last government, and we were -- or when we last -- Assembly -- or last session, we were certainly asked to roll back some of the changes that we were proposing at that time. But it's a conversation for this House generally when the main estimates come forward, what else we can do to adjust them if that's the situation we find ourselves in. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Finance. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to get to the bottom of these cost overruns that I brought up in my Member's statement. Can the Minister of Infrastructure speak to what appears to be a systemic problem with how we're budgeting projects? Let's start there. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was a number of challenges that arose in 2019 or post 2019 where budgets and projects that were in the past Assembly -- actually two Assemblies ago now, then run up against COVID. There was a number of delays and as really I think everyone out there, whether it's government procurement or private procurement, saw increases into the huge -- in the huge numbers in terms of what kinds of impacts fuel had, inflation had, interest rates had, labour market challenges had, and the government is no stranger to that. So what we saw across the private sphere certainly impacted us as well and the projects that we had, again, 18th Assembly moved forward under delay and wound up with significant overages. So that has been a systemic problem but it's a systemic problem that didn't just affect our government. It's affected governments everywhere in Canada. It's affected private residents. It's affected private businesses. And we're certainly no stranger to it.

What we've done, Mr. Speaker, to support some change, we've already introduced an increase in planning and an increased focus in planning. We've brought back ADMs, we brought back peer review groups to actually make sure that when we go forward with a budget now that we know that that budget's more accurate. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure, not Minister of Finance. Sorry about that. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the two portfolios are closely intertwined so I understand the confusion there. Because when Infrastructure can't manage its projects or can't predict these projects, it impacts the finance side. Our entire operational surplus wiped out because of cost overruns largely driven by capital costs, especially around NTPC, which is this Minister's -- within this Minister's remit as well. So why does NTPC continue to fail to bring its costs under control, continue to post these large cost overruns that are driving us into short-term debt? Thank you.

Sorry, colleagues. That kind of infrastructure/power corp, can you rephrase the question to be Infrastructure.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Infrastructure perhaps can speak to -- let's -- or sorry, you've given me a pickle. But structural -- so the structural debt of the power corporation, I suppose, whichever Minister wants to answer that question, I'll leave it in your hands.

Okay, colleagues, I should have said this at the very beginning of my oral questions. We need to focus on the Minister and the set of questions. We can't be moving from department to departments. Even though the Minister is Finance and Infrastructure and the power corp, we need to focus on the set of questions which was Infrastructure. I'm going to allow the Minister to answer this, but this will be the last time I will allow it. Thank you. Minister of power corp.

Slash Finance. It is a pickle, Mr. Speaker, thank you. So first of all, Mr. Speaker, the challenges that are being faced in the Northwest Territories Power Corporation that are certainly impacting the Department of Finance are not exclusively related to cost overages relating to different projects. There's a significant amount of impact from low water which is a situation entirely outside of my control or really that of anyone else in this House. We have been in a situation where the Snare plant has been burning a significant amount of diesel and in a situation where during -- because of the overhaul, the amount of diesel being burned down in the south is being burned at a rate that is much higher with the cost volatility of diesel since COVID. So, again, there's -- fully, I don't have the numbers in front of me right now but it's a significant amount that is entirely related to that effect right there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I apologize for the confusion. Mr. Speaker, how are we going to -- like, what is the Minister's solution to at least forecast these costs better so we're not constantly blowing up our operational surpluses and going to Ottawa to increase the credit card? How can we put a plan in place or a system in place that allows us to control these better? Because whatever's been done to date isn't working. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate that question. NTPC is very conscious of the fact that they play such a critical role in the Northwest Territories. There's a lot happening on this front. Right now they are working on a continuous improvement initiative which is meant to help manage their project management -- or to improve rather the project management. So, and coming from that one of the things is to look at the Inuvik project and do a bit of a lessons learned, do a bit of a post review of what went wrong and what could be done better. A lot of things went right. It is now a project that's providing significant energy to the Inuvik community and a lot of what went wrong wasn't necessarily strictly within their control again. All of which is to say, though, there's a lot of opportunity to learn from that project. That process is underway. It will feed into the continuous improvement initiative.

And last but not least, Mr. Speaker, there is also a desire there to do a better job of trying to grow the industrial base load. The sales have been simply flat for too long for NTPC; in fact, long before my time in this House at all. We need to change that if we're going to make a real movement in terms of having growth in the revenue, and that is also some work that's underway. This last year was the first year that the power corp attended one of the roundup out in Vancouver. It was an opportunity to try to improve their balance sheet. So lots happening on that space. And thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is it time for -- as we're on the power corp, is it time for the board to be -- private board to be -- or public board to be reinstated without deputy ministers to steer the power corporation towards sustainability and towards running the company like a business rather than a department? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I, again, appreciate that feedback as well. That work in fact is underway. I'd like to -- very happy to commit to get an update to this House, to the public, as to where we're at on that. The expectation I have is that there will be perhaps two deputy ministers who remain given that this is Crown corporation that does rely significantly on public dollars to help stabilize our power rates but otherwise looking to get professionals into that space who understand the energy space, who understand the complexities of the energy space, and who are in a position to run this power corp hopefully even better than it's being run now. So, again, that work's underway, and I'm happy to get a more detailed timeline over to Members. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of power corp. Oral questions. Member from Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my statement to the Minister of MACA, my first question is will the Minister of MACA accept this invitation to travel to Norman Wells and meet with the mayor Pope and town council to discuss and develop a joint federal town of Norman Wells strategy for lobbying for the funds needed to eliminate our high fuel crisis? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Although my department really has nothing to do with the cost of fuel, I'm more than willing to talk -- or work with the Member to arrange a visit to the community if that's so wished -- what he liked to do, and we could figure something out. We could have further discussion on what exactly needs to be done and what we'd like to do. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank to the Minister for that response. To help kind of clarify, I want to initiate a discussion between his department and the local government to develop an application that could be sent to the appropriate federal departments to offset the $6.6 million that's costing our government, or the citizens in this case, for unit price fuel. So will the Minister provide the briefing as mentioned last week in preparation for the measures taken to have our meeting in Norman Wells? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If the Member would like to arrange a meeting, we could sit down and discuss this and then at that point maybe we could find out exactly what department needs to be addressed with the concern. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that reply. I'll phone LA Travel and make arrangements.

Our festive season is coming. We've got 65 days there before the big day of Christmas coming. Our festive season starts prior to that, and we need to lessen the burden and concern and stress that this financial cost is being placed on our family homes. So it's a very privilege for Ministers to come to small communities. In this particular case, what better designate on behalf of this government to have that meeting in Norman Wells with the community leader? So I look forward to --

-- Member, a question, please.

The question is what day the Minister wants to travel. Thursday?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll have to check my schedule and get back to him.

Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Oral questions. Member from Slave Lake -- Great Slave.

I've moved provinces? Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Can the Minister please explain why the couple's self-advocacy to change the designation on their file from M to F was not successful? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to acknowledge the medical misgendering of this resident's medical file, and I would like to extend my sincere apology. I know my colleague has raised that they were frustrated, they were hurt, the hardship that it put on them having to deal with this for so many years. The details of why and how this didn't get done on a -- you know, when they tried to deal with it in person, I don't have those details. But what I can say is that we will make sure that this doesn't happen to any Northwest Territories' resident again. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that. I do appreciate that she was able to rectify this issue in a very quick way, and I'm glad to hear that she's looking at it going forward.

Mr. Speaker, what current training does NTHSSA provide to both medical and administrative staff on 2SLGBTQIAPA+ identities and expression? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, diversity and inclusion training is available to all health and social services system staff, including specific workshops on the diversity, inclusion in the workplace training, 2SLGBTQQIA+ 101 inclusive workplace awareness training, mitigating unconscious bias training. They also have PDI that they can use for other training. There is other self-learning training if health and social services staff wish to take on, but these are the training that we do have through diversity inclusion. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's very well and good; I'm a little bit disappointed it's only voluntary for situations such as this. So can the Minister commit to further education for staff on the presentation and identification of genders specifically in administrative health services? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, yes, Mr. Speaker, I am committed to ensuring that health and social services space are safe, equitable, for all residents accessing the services and that everyone should be able to feel safe when they're coming into any one of our health services throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, how many speech and language pathology services positions currently service preschool and school aged children in the NWT? Thank you.

Member from Monfwi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment -- or is it health? Oh, health?

Yes, please.

Okay, sorry. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have the actual numbers of how many speech-language pathologists that we have. But what I do know is that many of those positions that we do have across the Northwest Territories are vacant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Okay, well, that's what I was going to say is how many of those SLP positions are currently vacant and how many are filled? That was the next question, but if she can still answer.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can commit to getting that information back to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one school in Tlicho region says 80 percent of its students need speech and language pathology services. So with that in mind, I want to ask the Minister how many children in Tlicho region are on the waitlist for speech-language pathology as compared to the whole of the Northwest Territories? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am unaware of how many children are on the waitlist in the Tlicho region. But what I can do is I can commit to getting those numbers. I also would like to highlight that, you know, the waitlist, yes -- however there is a waitlist, our speech and language pathologists that we do have are seeing -- and what they're doing is they're triaging so they're seeing youth under 5 and then youth between 16 -- 6 and 17 who have severe needs, so safety issues -- so speech-language is not just for speech but it's also for swallowing, so if there -- we're utilizing the staff that we do have for those severe issues so that -- and right now, so that means a lot of the stuff that's needed by them are the consultation piece so that they -- what speech-language and department does is they work with the schools, they do the consult and then they make a plan for that child, and that's what that -- you know, and that's the issue that we're having with the low numbers of speech-language pathologists in our system. Thank you.