Colleagues, I'd like to thank Theresa Etchinelle for the opening guiding words. As you saw today, we had a new deputy sergeant-at-arms, Mr. Mike Butt, and welcome to you doing your first Mace trip in here, so thank you very much. Give him a hand.

---Applause

Ministers' statements. Minister of Infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, transportation infrastructure projects play an important role in the economic landscape of the Northwest Territories, providing business and employment opportunities while serving the essential needs of our residents. The Northwest Territories' 27 airports are the lifeline of the North, connecting communities, moving people and essential goods, providing access to critical services like health care, and are crucial during emergencies and evacuations for both residents and responders. We also know that many rely heavily on our airports, particularly in the areas of exploration and tourism. Today I would like to highlight some of the Department of Infrastructure's recent work to improve our Northwest Territories' airports and ensure safety across the territory. Airport improvement projects support a number of GNWT priorities: They provide opportunities for a strong economic foundation and access to health care, work to address climate change related concerns, and contribute to the safety of our residents and communities. To date, the Department of Infrastructure has received approximately $50 million dollars in Airport Capital Assistance Program, or ACAP, funding for 17 different projects at 11 different airports.

ACAP funding was received for a new loader and asphalt surfaces overlay in Fort Smith, and for an airfield electrical replacement in Fort Simpson. Through the capital plan, drainage improvements were completed at Sambaa K'e and Sachs Harbour Airports, with phase 2 drainage work scheduled for this year in Fort McPherson. In Yellowknife, ACAP funding made it possible to modernize equipment, creating a safer and more efficient work environment. Further north, I am pleased to share that the Inuvik Airport runway extension is well underway, with material extraction almost 90 percent complete, and runway widening nearing the 80 percent completion mark. Eighty-three Northwest Territories residents are currently working on this project, which is providing both local employment and training opportunities. Building this airport infrastructure is key to improving the presence of Canadian Armed Forces to assert sovereignty across the Arctic.

The replacement of the terminal building in Inuvik is still in the works. The Department of Infrastructure is currently updating the construction cost estimates and securing the additional financial investment needed to advance this project. I am pleased to report that we have received significant local interest in undertaking this work.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is updating the development plan for Fort Simpson Airport. In March 2024, a public meeting took place in Fort Simpson to present the plan and obtain feedback. Residents were invited to share their thoughts on the GNWT's engagement portal. The plan, which will provide recommendations, analysis, and policies for future development, is expected to be finalized by the end of June.

Yellowknife is using its revolving fund to make several airport improvements. A geotechnical study on both runways is looking at solutions to best address and repair issues related to runway movement due to climate change. This work will be considered and prioritized into the Capital Improvement Plan currently under development. Accessibility upgrades have been made inside the terminal building, including pet relief stations and hearing induction loops, a special type of sound system for use by folks who use hearing aids. A tar machine and a rapid intervention vehicle were also purchased this year. Upcoming upgrades include replacing airport seating in the food court and Arrivals B area, a new passenger processing system for airlines, pre-board screening upgrades and asphalt overlays on two taxiways.

Mr. Speaker, the Yellowknife Airport's first strategic plan is currently being drafted and will be an action-oriented document that identifies future development in a practical, economical, and environmentally sustainable manner. It will include a capital improvement program and outline processes for identifying, planning, and implementing capital projects at the airport. We recently extended an invitation to meet with the airlines for a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the airport's significance, ongoing developments, and future initiatives. This kind of participation is crucial as we strive to foster transparency, collaboration, and a shared vision for the continued success of Yellowknife Airport, which is a hub to all other NWT regions. To promote accountability and oversight, the strategic plan will be made public and will include key performance indicators on monitoring progress, evaluating results, and reporting.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT continues to make significant investments in our airports and I look forward to providing successful improvement project updates at future sittings. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to provide the House with an update on the negotiations and discussions with the Government of Canada on the delivery of the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits Program. This is a national program available to eligible First Nations and Inuit residents.

In the NWT, portions of the program are administered by the GNWT on behalf of Indigenous Services Canada, through a contribution agreement. Through this agreement, the Department of Health and Social Services is responsible for coordination of medical travel, arranging access to dental care and vision care services, and assisting with access to medical supplies and equipment for clients of the program.

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services entered into a new agreement with Indigenous Services Canada at the end of last fiscal year. This two-year agreement provides annual funding of $47.1 million for last year and this year. Of this amount, $22.9 million is allocated for Non-Insured Health Benefits Program delivery, while $24.2 million is intended to offset additional medical travel costs for eligible First Nations and Inuit residents in the Northwest Territories. While this new agreement provides a substantial increase in funding, there remains a significant shortfall to meet the full costs of the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program delivery. The terms of the agreement still do not hold Indigenous Services Canada responsible for the full cost of providing Non-Insured Health Benefits to eligible Northwest Territories residents.

The GNWT has reiterated to the federal government that its role is solely in administering Indigenous Services Canada's Non-Insured Health Benefits Program in the Northwest Territories. This should not affect the federal government's responsibility for Non-Insured Health Benefits for Indigenous residents, nor should it be seen as the GNWT assuming responsibility for costs associated with the program. Fully funding the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program in the Northwest Territories NWT would also potentially remove barriers to Indigenous governments wishing to pursue the administration of Non-Insured Health Benefits for their own beneficiaries and citizens in the future.

Historic and current arrangements between the federal government and the GNWT around the provision of medical travel and the administration of the non-insured health benefits have resulted in policy and funding gaps that are complicated to resolve. Resolving these foundational issues is an essential first step in making improvements to the delivery of medical travel in the Northwest Territories and addressing concerns with other non-insured health benefits areas such as dental services.

Mr. Speaker, over the last year and a half, issues related to Non-Insured Health Benefits Program have been regularly discussed with the Northwest Territories Council of Leaders. Council members have taken a united position in advocating for Indigenous Services Canada to accept its responsibility for the full cost of this program and to ensure that non-insured health benefit-eligible residents receive the full benefits afforded to them through this program. Their support has been instrumental in moving this issue forward with Canada, and I am committed to continuing to collaborate with Indigenous leadership on this important work.

To initiate the next round of negotiations I, along with the Tlicho Grand Chief and the President of the Northwest Territories Metis Nation, met with both Minister Holland and then met with Minister of Indigenous Services Canada Hajdu to discuss our concerns with the current non-insured health benefits agreement. We have agreed to work toward a draft agreement that closes the funding gap and addresses outstanding issues by the fall of 2024.

Mr. Speaker, I am committed to pursuing a new approach to engaging with the Government of Canada, working with Indigenous government leadership, to ensure the federal government upholds its responsibilities to non-insured health benefit-eligible residents, and to working towards a streamlined coordination of services that benefit all the Northwest Territories residents. Thank you. Koana. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Very good Minister's statement. Speaker happy.

Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, travelling for medical appointments in smaller communities in the Beaufort Delta can take a toll on patients, either to follow up for appointments for routine procedures or for a more serious condition. Both physically and mentally, we are all aware of the toll it takes. Now, Mr. Speaker, imagine if you are an elder and English is your second language and you're from a small community in the Beaufort Delta, having an escort to assist you is essential. Mr. Speaker, I've heard too many times that the onerous paperwork and bureaucracy to have an escort approved is often stressful as the travel itself.

Mr. Speaker, I hate to use the term "no brainer", Mr. Speaker, but if you are an 80-year-old elder from Sachs Harbour, or a community in the Beaufort Delta, I think we can all agree that an escort should be automatically in the travel man if you must travel to Yellowknife, Inuvik, or Edmonton. Mr. Speaker, I'm sure the Beaufort Delta's not the only region that has experienced this concern. I'm sure my colleagues from the Sahtu or Tlicho can likely say the same.

I understand policies must be in place but, Mr. Speaker, there must be a way of making this process easier for our elders so at least the one thing that they and their family do not have to worry about when it could be one of the most difficult times of their lives. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, it's not only Northerners from smaller communities or remote regions, it's also Yellowknifers who have to deal with the medical travel system that isn't serving their needs.

Last October, one of my constituents went to Stanton Hospital because he was having trouble breathing where it was discovered he had a heart attack. He was sent to Edmonton the next day but on the way developed pneumonia and a blood infection. For a month, he was sedated with a breathing tube but despite the support of his doctor, his spouse was denied medical travel. Imagine how she felt with her husband that way, the doctors having told her that his health could depend on her presence, only to be flatly turned down. The staff at Stanton and the Royal Alex did their very best and thankfully the constituent recovered in time, but his spouse needed to take $6,000 out of their retirement savings so she could provide assistance and learn how to care for him once he returns to Yellowknife. This put his family and her through strain and anxiety while he fought for his life hundreds of kilometers away.

Mr. Speaker, by forcing escorts to pay their own way and for their own hotels when a loved one is in a medical emergency, we are abandoning the values of public health care. Worse yet, we are putting patients at risk when their escorts are denied, and they require someone to make decisions on their behalf. Regardless of its medical treatment, if medical treatment is scheduled or it is due to an emergency, escorts can be essential because they possess vital knowledge of a patient that may be required to understand a plan of care, yet our policies -- policymakers seem to think differently. The policies that are in place that are preventing medical escorts for emergent care when it's necessary, like the case I described, are cruel, Mr. Speaker. Yes, budgets are tight and medical travel is an expensive service but rationalizing services should not result in irrational policies that pick and choose who gets helped. I know of other instances where constituents were essentially compelled to bring escorts unnecessarily or patients who could have been treated virtually here in the North for a fraction of the expense are sent down south anyway. We can do better but the way -- where we need to save costs is not in emergency situations. We need a Minister who will fix this broken system and stop putting patients' lives at risk. And later today, I hope that I find one. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a very real way, people are our health care system, and how the dedicated professionals who make up the system are compensated and treated is a major factor in the NWT's health care crisis. I stand with nurses and all workers to have fair and sustainable wages and benefits. To have a resourceful, sustainable, and thriving community, we need to be healthy, and we desperately need health care workers to be proud to work in the NWT health care system that treats them with respect and values their contributions. Nurses, and all our health care workers, are struggling to pick up the pieces from the pandemic, and the employer has not truly valued them for their service. I believe that the retention of experienced nurses and health care workers is important to all unionized workers.

As past president of UNW Local 40, I heard health care workers' concerns voiced at the bargaining conference in the summer of 2022 where the union collectively chose to stand for those workers in this round of bargaining. I am hopeful that the mediator will help this round of bargaining come to a fair conclusion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the sharp increase in drug crime cross the North is having a severe impact on my constituents, and I know my colleagues in this Assembly are struggling to handle this crisis as well. Drugs are flowing up from Alberta through South Slave and eventually distributed into every region of the Northwest Territories. No matter how remote or isolated our communities may be, these drugs seem to find their way in one way or another from the southern borders. These illegal activities bring in violence into our communities, results in health emergencies and overdose, tear families apart, and corrupt our children. They drain our communities of wealth, both financially and culturally.

When I visit my communities, I want to see my constituents on the land developing important skills and providing for themselves and their family. Instead, I see too many throwing their health away as they fall into this trap that these drug dealers lay for illegal profit. We all have many dedicated RCMP members working hard every day to stop the drug trade, but they need more support especially in the South Slave communities where police resources are stretched thin. One vital piece of support they need is a dedicated K-9 unit of trained dogs and handlers that can intercept these drugs before they reach their distribution.

The South Slave RCMP had government funding for a K-9 unit over the year for ten years but over time, these services have been lost. Mr. Speaker, a K-9 based in Yellowknife is not enough. We want to get a handle on the situation. We need to restore our funding for K-9 units in the South Slave based in Hay River and not just for the sake of my community but to help the RCMP across the North because that is where we can catch large quantities of illicit substance before they are scattered in a dozen different direction in the North. I look forward to asking the Minister of Justice about restoring the K-9 unit funding in the South Slave region this afternoon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We all have been impacted by climate change, directly or indirectly. Direct impacts of climate change are the effects of rising temperatures on the earth's natural system. Everyone will experience the effects of these direct impacts, but these impacts will affect some areas more than others. The Northwest Territories and its residents are feeling and seeing the effects of global warming.

Mr. Speaker, the Arctic region is warming four times faster than the rest of the world. The Northwest Territories is already warmed 2 to 4 degrees Celsius since recordkeeping in the 1950s. It is noted that 6 degrees Celsius of warming would lead to drastic changes in the way the North looks, feels, and sustains life.

Natural Resources Canada says changes can deeply impact the people who live in it the North and rely on the land. It also states the speed of changes outpacing our existence has to need to adapt.

Mr. Speaker, Indigenous peoples live in close connections with the land therefore they are more directly affected by climate change. Consequently, climate change disasters hinder their ability to practice their Indigenous rights and alters the transmission of their traditional knowledge. In addition, Indigenous peoples interpret and react to impacts of climate change in creative ways, drawing on traditional knowledge and other technologies to find solutions which may help society and large cope with impending changes.

Mr. Speaker, education can encourage people to change their attitudes and behaviours. It also helps them to make decisions. In the classroom, young people can be taught the impacts of global warming, learn how to adapt to climate change. Education empowers people, but especially motivates the young to take action.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change at the appropriate time.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Drugs and addictions workshop in the youth conference. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the urgent substance misuse and drug crisis devastating our communities across the Northwest Territories and Sahtu region. Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of attending the substance misuse and drug crisis meeting in Fort Good Hope April 30th to May 1st organized by the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated. The meeting brought together leaders, elders, youth, and the community members to openly discuss the challenges that plague their communities and develop a plan moving forward.

Mr. Speaker, the consensus was very clear. We need immediate action on the multiple fronts to stop illegal drugs and support those struggling with addictions. The Sahtu demands a comprehensive approach, including increased law enforcement, drug education, expanded addictions treatment, and more economic opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, we heard heart-wrenching and very emotional stories of lives lost and families and suffering. The impacts on our peoples' health is immeasurable. We cannot allow this crisis to continue unchecked. Mr. Speaker, I call upon this government to partner with the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated and our community leaders to implement strategy in working, or developed in stages, including more resources for RCMP officers, drug education in schools, local addiction counsellors, and treatment options. And, Mr. Speaker, investments in job training and business development.

Mr. Speaker, Tulita will host the next SSI youth life promotional conference June 3rd to June 6th to build on work started in Fort Good Hope. I give notice on my attendance. Our future leaders must be commended. I request unanimous consent to conclude my statement, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. And mahsi, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, the Sahtu is resilient, but we need the full commitment of the Government of the Northwest Territories to combat this drug crisis, build healthier, and must regain our traditional values and build safer communities. Mr. Speaker, we cannot lose one more life to illegal drugs. I urge all Members to support the Sahtu substance misuse and drug crisis plan. Together, we can heal our communities and create a brighter future. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Office of the Children's Lawyer was established in the NWT in 2011. And since around 2017, it has been under the umbrella of the Legal Aid Commission, which is an independent government agency. It ensures that children can be provided with their own lawyer to represent them directly, and this often involves children in care. It is based on principles outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child. When the government or anyone makes decisions about what is in a child's best interest, the views and wishes of that child need to be carefully considered and understood.

Children in care sometimes have negative and difficult relationships with their case workers, so those children can turn to a lawyer to advocate for them. But lawyers who take on this work face really challenging legal and ethical issues. These roster lawyers in turn need guidance from the Office of the Children's Lawyer, and that office needs to be managed by a lawyer with extensive relevant experience and an understanding of the needs of children at various ages and stages of development. Other staff within Legal Aid do not have that specific expertise.

At times, the OCL lawyer has taken on cases themselves but, beyond that, their role includes the following:

• Advocating about children's legal rights to HSS, schools, families, judges, and to other lawyers;
• Advocating for systemic change to the child and family services process, including changes to the Child and Family Services Act;
• Vetting, training, and mentoring lawyers who are assigned to children;
• Monitoring lawyers who are assigned to children's cases and responding to complaints about them; and
• Keeping the OCL manual and code of conduct for lawyers up to date.

Now, Mr. Speaker, the OCL lawyer has recently retired. If no one else takes on those roles and responsibilities, children will be worse off because the legal assistance being provided to them will be compromised. I do not believe this Assembly wants to let that happen. So at the appropriate time, I will have questions for the Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Oral questions. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, [translation unavailable] on May 16, 2024, [translation unavailable].

So, Mr. Speaker, the GNWT held their bilateral meeting with the Tlicho government on May 16, 2024. Together, the GNWT and Tlicho government are working to improve mental health and addictions, build infrastructure, Tlicho jurisdiction in education, Tlicho involvement in emergency management, continually improve co-management of wildlife. I want to take this time to acknowledge the good work of this Cabinet to improve relations with Indigenous government and to take actions that improve the lives of Indigenous people across the territory.

I want to acknowledge the work of the Premier. He has been proactive and made good on his word to improve relations with Indigenous government. Since his time in Cabinet, the Premier has sought the advice of Indigenous government and made himself available and accessible. This is a true leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to acknowledge the efforts of Minister of health. The Minister of health has worked her way from the front lines caring directly for people's health to now directing the department of health. For other Indigenous -- as an Indigenous leader and leaders, I want to say to her, we recognize -- we recognize her good work, the good work that she is doing. We recognize you are young, you are Indigenous, and we have great faith in what you can do for the government and the people of the Northwest Territories. We know that you truly want to improve the health of the residents of the NWT. We support you as you move forward to do this. Mr. Speaker, we recognize the work the Minister is doing to improve midwifery and address the health care workers shortages. We know that the North depends on agency nurses. People in small communities know what it feels like to have a nursing station shut down because there is no one to work it. We recognize not everything can be improved all at once, but we acknowledge the Minister is taking steps in the right directions. Thank you to the Premier, the Minister of health, and to the Cabinet for their efforts to truly work together with Indigenous government. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from the Dehcho.