Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we -- when the Standing Committee of Economic Development and Environment met with the youth council, one of the comments that was raised was that young people feel like the implementation of the carbon -- of carbon pricing in the Northwest Territories has left some people behind and that there needs to be more done to transition them into a clean energy future with these additional costs, especially in small communities. How does the Minister plan to respond to those concerns that the tax is creating an undue burden in small communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad there's no time on the clock because I can just keep going as long as I'd like, I guess. Mr. Speaker, I have long said that there's a large challenge in the North with respect to the way that the carbon tax parameters are placed upon us by the federal government. The majority of the actual tax revenue does still continue to go back to residents, firstly in the forms of COLO payment, but then secondly in the forms of a number of other subsidies. I spoke to some of them yesterday. There's a territorial power support program. There are direct contributions that we make to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation and investments that we make to support our power systems. Mr. Speaker, there's also the Arctic Energy Alliance which, of course, supports opportunities for residents and businesses to have greener access to energy efficiency in terms of how they're heating their homes and the kind of different types of appliances they're using. I would note that we have lost significant funding from the federal government for that exact initiative. I have gone to my colleagues and my counterpart in the federal government to seek a reinstatement of that, and I am hoping to get some good news. But we can't bring our power bills down if we're not able to invest in that, Mr. Speaker. So, again, there's -- I'll perhaps stop there. I don't know where the next question might go.

I know that my colleague at ECC also has a climate change youth council, certainly would look forward to hearing directly the kinds of solutions that are coming through there and perhaps bringing our two departments together the next time he has an opportunity to meet with them so that we're all hearing the same message collectively. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister for Finance. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you. And I think the youth council's proving how effective it could be at raising these issues, and I just want to acknowledge the Minister's response to my first question where she committed to provide that information, and I thank for her that, so do the youth council I'm sure.

I think some of these problems, Mr. Speaker, could be solved if this was a revenue neutral tax where there was a clear indication of where all the revenues went instead of just general revenue, which is how it appears in the report. Will the Minister commit to a revenue neutral tax breaking out how the money is spent clearly so there's no questions about surpluses in the future? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was just trying to pull the report out fast enough. I have it in front of me, Mr. Speaker. But, really, at this point, we -- and I've gone through this many a time. We spend far more as a government on -- in terms of our energy, energy supply, energy policy, climate change initiatives, energy efficiency programs, energy and electricity programs, significantly more there than what we take in on this tax. What we don't do in general, not just with this tax but any other form of tax, any other form of revenue, is pick out a certain type of revenue and sort of earmark it for one thing and one thing only. The reality is if we were to do that with a surplus that does vary year to year, we would not have enough money to do the things that we're doing in all these other spaces. If we said we are only going to -- we're going to use this amount, this is going to be our money for climate change initiatives, it would not meet the needs of what we are finding for climate change initiatives. If we said this is what we're going to use for climate change emergencies, it would not meet the needs. As we're seeing in the last few years, wildfires, floods, the resupply challenges in the Sahtu, all of these are wildfire emergencies. I could even tie in some of what's been happening in projects that are seeing delays. So it's not that -- that little bit alone is not going to be enough to address all of the energy challenges or climate change challenges that we have here.

So, I mean, it's been over $100 million, if you will, on climate emergencies in the last couple of years. I appreciate the desire is to have a better understanding of this tax and what we're doing with it. Again, I'm definitely going to go back and see if we can explain more where this year's money, why there's a change this year. Happy to do that. I'm happy to sit down and have that conversation. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Finance. Colleagues, time for oral questions has expired.

Oral questions. Written questions. Member from Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a health care setting, a patient's complaints can serve as a valuable resource for monitoring and improving patient safety. There are a few options available for Northwest Territories residents to make complaints regarding health care services they receive. Some of these options are:

• Submitting complaints alleging professional misconduct or practice to the professional conduct review committee for the College and Association of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
• Residents can also submit concerns about a regulated health or social services professional in writing to the professional licensing office with health and social services.
• There is also an Office of Client Experience with the Department of Health and Social Services that provides centralized intake process for complaints.

Regarding complaints in the health system, can the Minister of Health and Social Services provide:

1. For the last five years, regarding the conduct of regulated health or social services professionals, specifically nurses employed by the Government of the Northwest Territories, the number of total complaints received annually by the department of health from 2019-2024;
2. The number of human resource investigations that occurred as a result of complaints made to either the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority or the College and Association of Nurses concerning the conduct of regulated health or social services professionals for each of the last five years;
3. The number of critical incident investigations conducted in our health system each year over the last five years; and
   4. The number of Indigenous investigators involved in conducting investigations in the health system?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Member from Tu Nedhé-Wiilideh. Written questions. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT) is the primary authority responsible for all ground search and rescue (GSAR) in the territory except for national parks and national historical sites which are the responsibility of Parks Canada.

As the primary authority, the GNWT is responsible for overseeing all aspects of GSAR including service delivery, training and preparedness, and prevention activities. The need for responsive ground search and rescue services is especially key in a territory as vast as ours. Therefore, The Government of the Northwest Territories' Department of Justice commissioned a review of search and rescue in the Northwest Territories during the 19th Assembly.

MNP LLP conducted the review and provided the GNWT with a final report in 2021-2022. To date, there has been no known response to the report or recommendations. The Government has not provided an update on the Northwest Territories SAR system or a response to this report over the last three years. The report was finally tabled in the Legislative Assembly on June 13, 2024.

I have the following questions for the Minister of Justice regarding the Government of the Northwest Territories' response to the report:

1. It is understood the contract for the report was $95,000. Can the Minister confirm how the contract for this work (review and report) was awarded and what the final cost of the contract was;
2. Can the Department of Justice provide an official response to each recommendation of the report, including comprehensive details on the implementation of each accepted recommendation;
3. Can the Department of Justice provide statistics on the frequency of ground search and rescue operations over the last ten years; and
4. Can the Department of Justice provide the expenses required for ground search and rescue incidents over the last ten years?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Written questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my written question is for the Premier is with respect to cost of living impacting all Northerners; and further, what action or actions being taken by this government, and the previous government, covering the last two years prior to Cabinet assuming office in December 2023.

As we all know, Mr. Speaker, the cost of living has impacted all residents either directly or indirectly and the government plays a role in helping its citizens in whatever form it can. Lowing taxes, reducing the cost of any program/service or eliminating certain fees would make the difference to the bottom line of residents of the NWT. The questions are as follows, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Premier layout the following in detail, covering any and all departments and agencies:

1. What program cost of living reductions are currently being worked on, considered or actioned, which will be directly be seen and or have an impact on the day-to-day lives of our residents?
2. What taxes are being reduced, eliminated, or contemplated in a manner that will aid in the cost-of-living challenges Northerners facing?
3. What service fee are being reduced, eliminated, or contemplated to aid in the cost-of-living challenges Northerners are facing?

And finally, Mr. Speaker,

1. What are the direct cost of living initiatives that are being considered or actioned that will directly support Northerners with respect to reducing the cost of living?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Replies to the Commissioner's address. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Replies to the Commissioner's address.

Colleagues, realizing we've been in this chamber for two hours, we will take a brief break to give the translators a rest. Thank you.

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We were a little bit longer; I apologize. Member from Thebacha.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to make a correction to the Hansard record. Yesterday, in my opening remarks to Bill 15 during Committee of the Whole, I said based on the feedback from committee, several amendments were made to the bill before you today. This sentence is inaccurate and was included in my remarks in error. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member. A correction will be -- would be noted in the Hansard. Point of privilege, Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of privilege under section 1.7(1)(e) of our rules.

Mr. Speaker, the specific privilege is, for the benefit of the Members is, it says privilege of a Member includes, section (c), freedom of obstruction and intimidation in relation to their duties as an elected representative.

Mr. Speaker, while during the break I was walking to my office, I was confronted by the Member for Yellowknife North. She said, I know you're mad at me. I interjected and I said, I'm not mad. She continued to say, I would never be that petty to nay your consent.

Mr. Speaker, implying that a Member's petty for following the rules of the House in carriage of their duties and using the phrase "petty" is, I feel, a form of intimidation.

Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, just to tie it up, in December 2023, Senate Speaker Gagne noted hurling insults at Members could be understood as an attempt to intimidate colleagues and unduly constrains them in the extraction or retribution against them in the performance of their parliamentary duties.

And lastly, Mr. Speaker, I find using the phrase "petty" in the duty -- in the carriage of my duties here personally insulting. I didn't -- I would have welcomed a reasonable conversation, but I felt that this is now causing me to second guess my choices in following -- as we follow the rules of the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. I will allow some debate on the point of privilege. Do other Members wish to speak on this? Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to clarify that what I actually said was that I wanted to reassure him that I would never do something petty as naying his request for unanimous consent to conclude his statement. So what I was trying to point out was that I felt that the action was petty, but I was not accusing him or calling him any names in that regard. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Are there any others who wish to comment on this? Member from Yellowknife Centre, do you wish to conclude?

Mr. Speaker, by saying I would never be petty implies I am being petty. And as such, I leave it for the House to make the decision. I think the most honourable thing, and request I'm asking for, is an acknowledgement that that phrase targeted me was inappropriate, and I would accept any apology if given or whatever decision of the House seems appropriate. Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Colleagues, I will take this matter under advisement and will provide a ruling later on. Thank you very much.

Replies to the Commissioner's address. Petitions. Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills. Reports of Standing and Special Committees. Tabling of documents. Minister of Finance.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: Budget Dialogues 2024: What We Heard; and, Fall 2024 Economic and Fiscal Update. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.