Colleagues, I'd like to thank Mary Jane Cazon for the guiding words here today. She's also a constituent of mine from the Nahendeh region. So I'd like to thank her very much.

Colleagues, before we get started I'd like to recognize a special guest in the House today, the former Member from the Sahtu who was the Minister -- I'll get this right -- Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and Minister responsible for housing, Minister responsible responsible for Public Utilities Board, and the Minister responsible for Worker's Safety and Compensation Commission. There we go. Welcome, Pauline Chinna.

Now, let's see if I can get this thing back into order. Ministers' statements. Minister of Finance.

Mr. Speaker, increasing Indigenous representation in the public service has long been a goal of the Legislative Assembly. Indigenous under-representation within the public service is a complex and multi-dimensional issue and requires a variety of actions to address, from changes to policy and programming, to increasing resources and training opportunities. Historically, Mr. Speaker, the efforts to achieve this goal were championed by Human Resources. We now know we need a more collaborative approach that provides departments with the flexibility they need so they can address barriers that may be unique to them. We know, for example, that recruiting barriers for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment differ from those faced by the Department of Environment and Climate Change. We cannot, and should not, use a one-size-fits-all approach.

Mr. Speaker, the GNWT Indigenous Recruitment and Retention Framework and Action Plan directs all departments and agencies to develop departmental Indigenous employment plans to increase, develop and maintain the number of Indigenous persons they employ. These plans include short, medium, and long-term targets. Later today, I will table a report on the results of departmental Indigenous employment plans for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. This report outlines each department and agency's efforts to meet their targets and their unique approaches to address the challenges and opportunities related to Indigenous recruitment and retention.

During this reporting period, a job description review guide was launched to help departments set appropriate positional education and experience requirements and include Indigenous cultural and social factors into job descriptions. There was also a review of job descriptions by every department, with GNWT-wide reviews exceeding 2022-2023 targets. We launched mandatory training for managers on the staffing process and recruitment programs, as well as adding training on mitigating and unconscious bias. Indigenous-focused mental health support programming called A New Dawn, a New Light was also made available, with supports offered through app-based programs rooted in diverse Indigenous cultural and healing practices. We also released a GNWT-wide succession planning guide that aligns with the goal of increasing Indigenous representation in the territorial public service.

Mr. Speaker, over the last year, the framework has positively impacted the use of related GNWT programs. For example, both the Indigenous Career Gateway Program and the Building Capacity with Indigenous Governments Program have been fully utilized.

Departmental Indigenous employment plans support continual improvement of our recruitment and retention practices. As we move forward and achieve new levels of Indigenous leadership and representation at all levels of government, they will provide the GNWT with opportunities to celebrate our successes in the years ahead. As we reflect on the successes of the first year of Indigenous employment plans, I want to close by thanking each department and agency for their attention and efforts related to Indigenous recruitment and retention. In many cases, GNWT departments have either met or exceeded the targets they have set to date. All departmental Indigenous employment plans are publicly available on the Department of Finance's website, and I encourage everyone to review the progress to date and upcoming actions that our departments will achieve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, the 20th Legislative Assembly has made access to health care one of the top priorities. I am happy to share that as of today, May 30th, the Liwegoati Building is open to the public. Quality health and social services for patients and clients from this building supports the new campus of care model through the co-location of services. This includes integrated teams for primary care, outpatient rehabilitation services, extended care, and long-term care.

The important work of primary care reform is advancing in this new facility with improvements to integrated care teams that will lead to more equitable access to services for residents. This work, guided by our core principle of cultural safety, is foundational and will help to inform changes throughout the system to build the best care and service for a better future for residents.

Mr. Speaker, to minimize any disruption to service, programs are being relocated to the Liwegoati Building in a phased approach. Operational readiness activities have been underway for months, coordinating the moves of primary care and outpatient rehabilitation services into the building's first floor, which is now operational. For now, appointments for same-day services, the diabetes clinic, and tobacco cessation will remain at the primary care clinic in downtown Yellowknife.

The next phase of the move will see the extended care unit, currently located in Stanton Territorial Hospital, relocate into the building. It is expected that this will take place over the course of the summer. Ten of the 16 extended care beds will be occupied to start, with the extra capacity on reserve for those who need these services.

The final phase, opening long-term care beds, will take place later this year. Seventeen beds will be open during this phase and will involve working through the territorial admissions committee waiting list. We will add additional beds as needed, based on regular assessments of residents' needs, current capacity, and available staffing and funding levels.

Mr. Speaker, overhauling the delivery of service to better serve the people of the Northwest Territories is a massive undertaking, and this work is not complete. We have made significant progress, especially considering the challenges related to the pandemic and recent wildfire evacuations. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank everyone involved in this work since this project began. From the earliest planning and design stages, to the construction and retrofitting of the old Stanton Hospital building, to the staff working so hard to establish services in the Liwegoati Building.

I would also like to thank the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, Liwegoati Project Management Office. They have been working with the Yellowknife region to ensure continuity of service while coordinating the move of primary care and outpatient rehab services from their current locations.

I know a great deal of work has gone into this, and I am sure the teams are eager to get to know their new workspaces and see patients and clients. I would also like to thank the NWT residents in advance for your patience and understanding as we complete this move and refine our processes over the next few months. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the previous sitting of this Assembly, I spoke to the problem of lack of clarity in the NWT waters regulations and the issues this problem is causing in our regulatory system. I spoke to arguments which had been made during a review of this issue which noted that amendments to the regs could help to alleviate some longstanding issues with relation to predictability, expediency, and fairness in the system.

On February 28th, I questioned the Minister on this, and he suggested these issues could be solved through interpretation of the regulations as opposed to targeted amendments. Since that exchange occurred, the land and water boards of the Mackenzie Valley issued a reference bulletin which seeks to better interpret the regs but because the regs do not clearly spell out intent and meaning, even a detailed and highly informed interpretation does not bring much clarity. As argued by the Tlicho government in their response to the board's reviews, the review process on the regs, the ultimate solution is targeted amendments to the regs to resolve this problem.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the boards wrote the Ministers responsible for the MVRMA and Waters Act recommending parties come together to make targeted amendments to the waters regulations to resolve these longstanding problems. The boards argued that the regulations are outdated and a source of uncertainty in the regulatory process, noting that there have been no substantive updates made since they were originally enacted in 1993 despite significant changes in the NWT's operating environment since that time. They further argued that focused amendments to the regulations should be prioritized over updates to the Waters Act recognizing that changing the regs will not only be easier and faster but that the regs are currently causing the greatest number of challenges in the board's processes.

Finally, the boards emphasized that there is support for many proponents and some co-management partners for making these changes.

Mr. Speaker, I think this is a great opportunity for the department to take a collaborative approach to their role in the co-management system and come to the table to discuss changes that the boards and many stakeholders in this system have been advocating for. To that end, I'll have questions for the Minister of ECC later today. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is World No-Tobacco Day. And this year, it will be special for me - it's been 11 weeks since my last cigarette. It's not the first time I've quit but hopefully it'll be the last.

Mr. Speaker, nicotine is more addictive than alcohol, heroin, or cocaine. So days like World No-Tobacco Day are truly important to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking tobacco.

Created by the World Health Organization in 1987, the yearly celebration informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what the WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generationsf.

This year's theme is Youth Step In and Speak Out, and young people are being given a platform to urge governments, like ours, to shield them from predatory tobacco marketing tactics. Children use E-cigarettes and vapes at a higher rate than adults with an estimated 37 million youths aged 13 to 15 using tobacco. The industry is well aware of this and knows that if it can get kids hooked, they will continue to smoke for life.

British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International are exploiting social media to market these addictive products to young people. Three products between these two companies, Vuse E-cigarettes, VELO nicotine pouches, and Iqos heated tobacco, have been viewed more than 3.4 billion times on social media. Marketing for just these three brands has reached more than 385 million people, and approximately 40 percent of this audience are children under the age of 25. Even so, most youth and adult smokers want to quit, and more than half have attempted to in the past year. But fewer than one in ten smokers actually succeed. This isn't a matter of willpower; this is a matter of providing the proper supports and encouragement in the health system and communities to ensure they succeed.

Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister cares about this. I know that our government cares about this. Our Members care about this. We have terrible rates of addiction to cigarettes. I can attest to that. And I hope that my colleagues here will join me in raising awareness for No Tobacco Day tomorrow and wish me luck in kicking smoking once and for all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, all my colleagues are aware of the impact of a range of mental health and substance abuse challenges occurring in our NWT communities. The affects that toxic drugs are having as well as addressing the affects of trauma on our residents are well known.

Mr. Speaker, I want to share a good news story from my home community on an Indigenous government led initiative to provide support for people.

Mr. Speaker, I'm speaking of the Gwich'in Wellness Camp. For years, the camp was operated to provide on-the-land programming. Well over a decade ago, the operating costs of the camp were overwhelming, and the camp was shut down. The Gwich'in Tribal Council, under the leadership of grand chief at the time Bobby Joe Greenland, decided to revive the camp with the idea of, again, hosting an on-the-land program. Federal funding was received to renovate the camp and increased the amount of cultural spaces. The federal funding provided help to GTC renovate the interior/exterior of the camp, build five yurts, create walkways, and purchase equipment such as snowmobiles, quads, side-by-sides, and landing craft for passengers. As well, Mr. Speaker, a Kingfisher boat and a shure for emergency use.

Mr. Speaker, the funding also helped create a solar farm to help with the high cost of the diesel and lower the overall carbon footprint. All of these renovations, cultural spaces, and equipment will be so vital when the on-the-land program is occurring at the camp.

Mr. Speaker, operations officially began in August 2023 with a rental to an American television provider to film the show called Survival. The show will be airing on the History Channel starting in mid June and showcasing our beautiful back yard. Sorry, Mr. Speaker, but I can't provide any spoilers right now for the show.

The rental property provided an opportunity to continue to monitor, upgrade, and repair equipment. It's also provided an opportunity to identify the cost of operations such as fuel usage, food, and operational staff. Now that the camp is operational, the Gwich'in have began using it to provide skills training to their Gwich'in participants and other residents. So far, people have been training with snowmobile operations, ice safety, firearms, spill response, chainsaw operations, and so forth, Mr. Speaker.

Over the past year, under the leadership of grand chief Ken Kyikavichik, the Gwich'in Tribal Council has been planning to begin holding health and wellness programming at the camp. The vision of this programming is to provide an intergenerational place for comprehensive wellness programming that can address needs of Gwich'in participants and NWT residents living with mental health or substance use challenges, trauma, and disconnection. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, colleagues. This means, Mr. Speaker, that the camp will provide not only much needed aftercare treatment but also provide support and counselling for a range of mental health challenges and doing all that is right here in the Northwest Territories.

My colleagues from the Standing Committee on Social Development had an opportunity to tour the camp in early April, and I'm sure they will also tell you the potential for this initiative project being undertaken by the Gwich'in Tribal Council.

Mr. Speaker, the federal government was key in this revival of this wellness camp and soon will be offering critical additions and mental support. Mr. Speaker, I have a history of the camp here as well. I would like to request that I have it deemed as well, and I'll submit it for Hansard. Thank you.

History

• The Gwich'in Wellness Camp has been traditionally referred to as Rachel Reinder Camp.

• Rachel (nee Koe) Reindeer was born in September of 1920 in the Fort McPherson area to Andrew and Talitha Koe.

• Rachel married at a young age to Johnny Reindeer. Johnny was a woodcutter who came up on the Steamboat and fell madly in love with Rachel. They settled in Fort McPherson and adopted three children: Louise, Wayne and Esther.

• In 1968 they moved to Inuvik. Rachel and Johnny decided to build a camp and found and liked an area on the East Branch - it was a good area for fishing, the hill above has many good berry patches and the willows below were good for setting rabbit snares and was only a one-day boat ride to lnuvik; Johnny had a full-time job and could only visit his family on his days off.

• Lucy Moore and Florence Carpenter and their children spent many summers with Rachel and her family. There were many visitors to Rachel's camp; when they stop by Rachel would share dry fish and berries and would give some to take home.

• Rachel shared her knowledge and taught people to work with fish and properly dry it. Rachel only spoke Gwich'in to everyone so they could keep the language today.

• "Jijuu” was a very loving, kind-hearted person who was always laughing and loved the children around her. Rachel told all her stories in the Gwich'in language."

Rachel died in September 1973. (Her burial was September 10th in church records, no mention of the date of her death}.

Thank you, Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Happy Pride Season. Today is Inuvik Pride parade and barbeque, as well as an epic performance from the iconic Iceis Rain. This Sunday, Yellowknife has its very own Pride parade and barbeque, and I have extended the invitation to all MLAs to join me in sharing in the celebration.

Mr. Speaker, Pride started as a protest, and those roots run deep. Learning Queer history is also how we learn how much further we have to go. Here in Yellowknife, we have had celebrations on and off since the late 1990s through different Pride organizations.

Mr. Speaker, 2023 was the first full scale parade here in Yellowknife, and it's not lost on me how powerful that parade was for many, many folks. The Yellowknife of just 30 years ago was not nowhere as near as welcoming of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community as we are today. It's also important that the GNWT continues to make strides to ensure folks of all genders are included in all programs and services that we offer to our residents, and preliminary conversations with this Cabinet have me very excited, indeed, around how we continually do better as a government. I would like to encourage all Members to take as -- part in as many Pride events as they can throughout this summer in their own communities and here in the capital. I'd also encourage all allies throughout Yellowknife to sign up to volunteer with Pride events as we want all members of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community to participate in celebrations instead of running them wherever possible. Please check out the Northern Mosaic Network's social media to see the full schedule of events for the 2024 Summer of Pride, culminating in the always popular Pride weekend at the Folk on the Rocks site this August 9th to 11th.

Mr. Speaker, Pride is important because somebody out there still believes they're better off dead than being gay. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Members' statements. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Public Lands Act Regulations. Today, Mr. Speaker, I want to speak about the status on implementation of Public Lands Act.

Mr. Speaker, the work on the development of the Public Lands Act began in 2017 during the 18th Assembly by the former Department of Lands. The Act was later introduced and eventually passed at the end of the 18th Assembly in August of 2019. Based on this, a person would probably think the Public Lands Act has been in force for about five years now; however, Mr. Speaker, this is not the case.

According to the text of the Act, Mr. Speaker, this Act, or any section of this Act, comes into force on a day or days to be fixed by order of the Commissioner. That is vague language, Mr. Speaker, which doesn't provide clarity for when the Act will come into force at all. Based on this, it seems that the decision for when the Land Act will come into force will be when Cabinet wants it to. And eventually, based on questions Members asked in the previous Assembly, the Act would only come into force when regulations are developed.

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the Public Lands Act was to amalgamate former NWT Lands Act and the Commissioner's Land Act in order to create a newer, more efficient model of administering land in the NWT. This new process would minimize land access confusion and establish a one-stop shop to land clients. The Act, and its accompanying regulations, would bring greater certainty and comfort to industry, particularly the mining community, and to the public, general public, and Indigenous governments. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, public lands engagement on the development of the Public Land Act regulations have been ongoing for five years now. Why is the process taking so long? What is holding it up? Now, it's now been two Assemblies since the Act was passed, and there are no regulations in sight. I understand that the government is trying to do their due diligence and engage with the Intergovernmental Council and to take this long to introduce these regulations.

Member from the Sahtu, your time is up. Members' statements. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before my Member's statement, I just would like to wish my granddaughter Shannon Feliah a Happy Birthday for today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Dempster Highway is a two-lane gravel-surfaced all-weather road that follows our route traditional used by the Indigenous people for thousands of years. It passes through the territories of the Han, Gwich'in, and Inuvialuit people starting near Dawson and finishes in Inuvik. Construction of the highway began in 1959 as part of the Road to Resources Program and was completed 20 years later, with some delays, at a cost of $132 million.

Mr. Speaker, the Dempster Highway passes through some of the most spectacular scenery one will ever see. This is one reason the Beaufort Delta region attracts visitors from all over the world. The highway passes through the migration route of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, the spectacular Richardson Mountains, and your travels will soon take you to the Arctic Circle. This is the only road in Canada which crosses the Arctic Circle. Whenever you are visiting a Beaufort Delta region, you will be welcomed by some of the most hospitable people of the North.

Mr. Speaker, although the boom of the oil and gas industry is not as vibrant as it used to be in the past, the Road to Resources still serves as a vital link for the delivery of goods and services for the people of the Beaufort Delta region.

I have painted a rosy picture that the Dempster Highway winds through. The highway still requires the government to keep up with maintenance for the safety of all users. It is important that daily inspections be conducted and repaired whenever needed. Mr. Speaker, I have experienced the deterioration of the road mainly due to climate change, and we must learn to adapt to these changes to keep our road safe for our local people and visitors from all over the world so that they can continue to visit the spectacular Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister responsible for Infrastructure.

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

Mr. Speaker, access to quality education is a treaty right for Dene people across the Northwest Territories, and all treaty rights must be consistently upheld. That means providing trained professional educators and well-resourced schools in every community. Unfortunately, however, in my community of Lutselk'e, this treaty right is at risk because in March of this year, the high school teacher submitted a letter of resignation and left shortly thereafter, and the school has yet to find someone to replace them. This abrupt resignation severely impacted the school year for high school students in Lutselk'e and substitute teachers were needed to fill the gap, and this took time as they had to relocate and properly prepared to take up the task of finishing the school year. Substitute teachers provide an excellent service that I'm not in no way criticizing and I don't want to fault the outgoing high school teacher for their decision either, but the fact remains that the community still needs a dedicated high school teacher for the long term, and that responsibility falls on the territorial government.

I have heard from my constituents in Lutselk'e, who are now greatly concerned about their children's education and has some seeking to move to -- their students to Yellowknife to pursue their high school education here. I don't want to see families driven out of their communities so their children can have access to education. The GNWT needs to find a solution soon and get the dedicated high school into Lutselk'e before the next school year this fall, or else the youth of Lutselk'e will suffer. I am calling upon the Department of ECE to rectify this situation and uphold the treaty rights to education and will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to discuss a constituent issue that was brought to my attention pertaining to medical travel.

Mr. Speaker, one of my constituents had recently gone to Edmonton on a weekend vacation and while he was away, he ended up getting hurt and had to go to the hospital because of his injuries. After this happened, the constituent contacted medical travel to inform them of his situation to seek support in returning home. However, medical travel has decided they will not provide him with any support to help him with his return travels to the NWT.

Mr. Speaker, the individual in question here is an Indigenous lifelong Northerner who was born and raised in Fort Providence. He's paid his taxes in the NWT all his life and has been working at one of the mines for many years. This constituent feels abandoned, ignored, and totally unsupported by this government during his time of need, which is not right. Something must be done by our government to help improve his situation and give him the proper supports that he needs. Moreover, Mr. Speaker, this constituent's injury is significant enough that his family has also had to travel to Edmonton to be with him while he is hospitalized in the city. This situation is costing this constituent and his family a lot of unforeseen out-of-pocket expenses that are only increasing with each passing day which, as a result, is creating a lot of unnecessary added stress that he should not have to deal with. This stress is causing his health to take a turn for the worse, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to speak about good governance and leadership that I believe we, as MLAs, and we, as the government, should demonstrate. This is my thought on some of the things when I first came on, okay.

Mr. Speaker, when I first became an MLA, I thought the way that I was supposed to act was like a boxer getting into a ring for a big fight when I go into session. That's what I thought, okay. I thought I had to always try to get one over the Cabinet or a Minister. I thought that I had to be strong all the time with everything and with everyone I deal with in this place. However, Mr. Speaker, being like that all the time, quite frankly, is exhausting. I'm sure it can be exhausting for members of the public to hear that all the time too. It's not always effective either. Sometimes there is a peaceful way, and this is what the consensus government is.

Consensus government is built on Indigenous leadership. Sometimes people forget this is a consensus government, not a party politics.

Mr. Speaker, I have discovered over time that there are better, more effective ways to be serving my constituents in serving the people of the NWT and in getting things done. I often think what would our elders, our parents, parent' parents, or our late parents or grandparents would say to us. How would they tell us how to act and how to interact with our colleagues in this House?

I also think about the Dene laws and the importance those teachings are. Things like help each other, be respectful of elders and things around you, be polite, and pass on the teaching. This is how our elders resolve problems, make decisions, and lead our people with kindness and respect for one another.

Mr. Speaker, those are important teachings that we teach our children, and so I believe that it's equally important that we as adults, we as leaders, also demonstrate those teachings and set a good example for the next generations. Mr. Speaker, I know that in this building, there will always be spirited debate. People are passionate about issues. They want to get result for their constituents.

Member from Monfwi, your time is up.

Mr. Speaker, can I have unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Okay, there are some of us MLAs that have four to six communities we represent, just like you, Nahendeh. We all came here wanting to make change. I hope that we as AN Assembly can move forward together in a positive way. We don't always need to be at each other's throat or tear each other down or arguing just for the sake of arguing. Both sides of the House must come together in a good way and work as a team for the people we were elected to represent. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've been speaking a lot about our huge challenges with literacy in the NWT. Today I want to celebrate a wonderful and inspiring initiative, the 19th Annual NorthWords NWT Writers' Festival. It's happening from today until Sunday, June 2nd. It is a literary extravaganza that brings together the magic of words, the power of storytelling, and the warmth of community.

For the next four days, Yellowknife and Hay River will be abuzz with creativity, inspiration, and literary camaraderie as the festival boasts a diverse lineup of readings, panel discussions, and writing workshops. Yellowknife North seems to be blessed with a lot of literary folks as some of the authors being showcased this weekend are from my riding, and they include Amber Henry, Alison McCreash, Stephen Kakfwi, and Marie Wilson.

Amber will be reading some of her children's books as well as hosting some of the events. Alison will be sharing her talents by doing a live illustration event where she will put your ideas on to the page. Marie and Stephen will be down together in Hay River this evening doing readings from their books and having discussions with the public at the Hay River Centennial Library. Marie will also be launching her first book, North of Nowhere, Song of a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner, on this Sunday at Yellowknife Books. This book is her personal reflection of the testimony that she heard from across the country providing her unique perspective on the value of the Commission honouring the voices of the survivors.

I wish all the authors well this weekend, and I hope many of you find the time to make it out to the festival. Many of the events are free to attend, like this evening's opening event in Yellowknife, which also takes place in my riding at Sundog Trading Post. It's called Gather, A Spoken Word Open Mike Night, starting at 6:30 p.m.

And, Mr. Speaker, in keeping with the power of words and storytelling, later today we'll have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services on the importance of access to speech therapy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

I started to get worried you forgot about me, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there was a time not so long ago when you mentioned wellness workers. Most people around us would have said wellness what? Wellness is an act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to obtain better physical and mental outcomes. So instead of just surviving, we are thriving. Mr. Speaker, fast-forward to today. Wellness, or even well-being, really matters. Times have changed. When we look back, the government has made decisions in the past that may have seen -- or been perceived as efficient but the quality didn't realize -- wasn't realized until much later that we've done more harm to the system than good.

Take, for example, when I look back and I think of social workers that were part of an integral element of income support and at the time they were viewed as data entry jobs and they didn't need to talk to their clients, they just took paper. I also question, not as a fault but as a realization, that when have our LHOs, we have clients seeing them day to day wondering about their lives. No, no, Mr. Speaker, they're there just to take their paper and move them along.

But, Mr. Speaker, both examples are more than just people working as clerks taking data. They are really an important part, a first contact in many cases, the only contact in a lot of cases, that people have with these real live clients of ours. It's difficult to imagine that people don't need to talk to people. Imagine that, people talking to people? So when I hear clients tell me in both programs that they feel sometimes they're just a number, well as a matter of fact, that's exactly what they are in the way we've set them up. But they're more than that, Mr. Speaker. These are genuine people with real families and real challenges.

These individuals have all had journeys some of them will never fully appreciate, some of them are real tough, real stories, but their journeys with real stories worth being told. Trauma and supports come in different ways and how we support them and recognize them has changed so much more. This government, this Assembly, our MLAs, respect these things and realize how much more time and investment we need to do.

Mr. Speaker, I want to leave my colleagues with this thought as I finish my statement: The government program may be a backstop as some people fall down onto troubles, but we're also here to help them up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. I would never forget you. Members' statements.

Colleagues, today I am here to speak about Lisa Mary Rose Kraus. She was born on August 6, 1986, to Michael, commonly known as Mickey, Kraus Sr. and Bella, commonly known as Stella, Tsetso. On April 26, 2024, she passed away surrounded by family.

I can tell you she had an amazing service. Betty Bird did her celebration of life and did a great job. I asked her if I can share it with you here today. As Betty was scrolling through Facebook, thinking about what she wanted to say and where to start. She came across this quote: We don't meet people by accident, they are meant to cross our path for a reason. Just like Lisa who was put in each of our path, every person present here today are thinking about her and the impact she had on our life.

As Betty was scrolling Facebook checking out Lisa's page, she came upon her time in Yellowknife where she had lots of time to post. It was interesting to see what was important to her. I can tell you, Lisa loved her family and friends. Almost daily, she would put a post on her page telling her family and friends to have a blessed day and that she loved them. She was loyal to those she loved, and it showed in her many posts. She was also fierce in that love, and she had no problem calling out those that hurt her family and friends. Lisa also had a wicked sense of humour and could be quit entertaining around those that knew her best. She had a quick wit and quick comebacks. Lisa loved to make requests to the Saturday and the Sunday Bannock and Tea Request Show. The weekend after her passed, the host mentioned that one of her faithful listeners from the Deh Cho had got her angel wings and dedicated a song to her.

So many of Lisa's post were of quotes and memes that talked about her faith in God and the power of prayer. She shared many posts that talked about finding the strength to overcome hardship and struggles. Personally, I can tell you I have seen her drive and passion for her and her family. There is more to her celebration of life and in saying this, I would like to the rest of this celebration of life be deemed as read.

Colleagues, she will be sadly missed by her family, friends, and the community of Fort Simpson.

I can tell you that Lisa loved bingo and I am not sure she missed many chances to play. One of my favorite posts she made was, anyone wants to help this little brown Indian play bingo please. I know she got more than a few bingo cards from me with this post.

The Kraus family are a close-knit family and loyal to each other. No matter what differences they have had and struggles, when push comes to shove, they are there for each other. I admire that unwavering love they have for each other. Family is family no matter what. Hold onto that to help you deal with the loss of your grandmother, mother, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, and friend.

Lisa wanted so much to beat her addiction and get better. There were pages and pages of quotes looking for strength, forgiveness, courage, prayers and learning to love herself. Lisa was more than her addiction and would have given anything to heal. Please remember Lisa and what was in Lisa's heart.

To her children and grandchild, Hayden, meeka, Thomas Jr., Eva, and Etoah, your mother is more present now and in place to be there for you every moment of every day. She will be your shoulder when no one else is around. She is your comfort when you need it the most. And she is there to listen to all the secret thoughts like never before. When you are feeling lost and alone in the middle of the night, she is there to comfort you. For whatever reason, which is beyond our sorrow and pain, Lisa is now in the spirit world and will be there for you and will live in your heart and memories forever.

I wish you well on your journey, Lisa, and I am honoured and humbled to have had you in my life. Fly high and free, my girl. Will love you forever.

Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize my former colleague and current friend, former Minister Pauline Chinna. She always created a lively atmosphere in Cabinet, and we miss her. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Hay River North. Members' statements. Member from Nunakput.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize two pages from the Nunakput riding. Natalie Joss and Kianna Bernhardt who are both students at the Helen Kalvak Illihapaq in Ulukhaktok. Quyananni, and welcome to Natalie and Kianna for being here today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Replies to Budget Address, Day 5 of 7. Member from the Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on Friday the 2024-2025 Budget was tabled with a $2.2 billion operating budget. The Minister is proposing a practical and realistic budget to restore balance and increase our financial means to deal with unexpected events. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the government needs to plan and budget for emergencies and unexpected natural disasters. In my riding, my constituents know all too well the devastation that can occur. In just a matter of minutes entire communities can be nearly destroyed by wildfire or flooding and, for some residents, the journey of returning home is long and painful.

As I spoke in this House before Mr. Speaker, we already have people leaving the NWT because they lost everything in the wildfires. I would like to see the Government work with communities and Indigenous governments to find creative solutions in the aftermath of natural disasters. And not everyone needs more money. The government has tools available that can support housing development like transferring land to communities to support housing solutions, or working in close partnership with Indigenous partners to leverage federal funding solutions.

Mr. Speaker, I represent four small Indigenous communities established and governed uniquely. But what is common among all of the communities in my riding and throughout the NWT is the inequity between the small communities and regional centres. There is a divide between those who have, who are living in the bigger centres and communities, and those who do not have, who are located in the small communities. So, this is my concern Mr. Speaker, that I don't see enough emphasis on improving the lives of residents in small communities in this budget. I would like to see more emphasis on building the economy in small communities.

The Small Community Employment Program is a program that gives people in small communities a job, it stimulates our local economy, it keeps people busy. This program employs summer students and supports our local governments. I would like to see this program restored. The Community Access Program is also an important funding program for small communities. It supports the development of infrastructure that improves the quality of life in small communities. This program builds docks and trails and access roads that make communities more accessible and enjoyable for residents. I would like to see this program restored.

I also see great opportunity in our small communities to increase small businesses, entrepreneurship, and tourism. I would like to see more lending, financing, and business services offered through GNWT public agencies. Dene Fur Cloud is a great example of a subsidiary business supported by Prosper NWT in my riding.

Mr. Speaker, we don't need to wait for economic development plans to be developed on how to support local economies. We have successful examples of businesses supported through GNWT public agencies. We have businesses located in small communities that create unique NWT art products, employ local people, and sell these products across the world. We need to replicate these business models in more communities. We have skilled artisans, crafters, sewers, harvesters, and people all over the world who want authentic Indigenous products. We need more focus and support for Prosper NWT to build more subsidiary businesses in small communities. We need more support through Industry, Tourism and Investment to support business development, entrepreneurship, and tourism development.

Tourism is a natural fit for the people in small communities to host tourists from new places, to show them Dene culture, their land and their way of life. We need more support in tourism to help people in small communities to take a business idea and make it a reality.

We also need more hospitality training. Although the Dene way of life is authentic, unique and in demand, tourists also expect customer service standards. How are we working with communities to build hospitality? There needs to be more emphasis on increasing the awareness of tourism, promoting the benefits of tourism and developing tourism training, especially in small communities. People in small communities also need good business advice and guidance to make their idea a reality. Small communities need consistent regular visits from business experts who will work one-on-one with them to develop their concept and to support them through their business development process.

Communities also respect and value regular consistent visits from department heads, that the leadership of departments show communities support, that they take the time to understand communities in their region and understand their challenges, and that it's followed up with access to expert services, and funding programs.

Mr. Speaker, I know the department has been supporting business development for many years, but how effective are these programs? Are they delivering the results we want to see in small communities? Are these business development programs reducing the reliance on income support? Increasing entrepreneurship helps people pay their bills. The cost of living is a struggle for many residents in small communities, so even a small home-based side business can help people pay their bills. Many residents in my riding are on income support. How are we supporting people on income support to start a small business as a means to becoming financially independent? There needs to be more reporting on the results of business development programs as well as income assistance reporting. What economic development programs or services are helping residents get off income support and participating in the economy?

Mr. Speaker, the government should be putting money towards actions that will improve the lives of residents in small communities and improve the capacity of local communities because this strengthens the territory overall.

An unfortunate reality facing my community and the territory, Mr. Speaker, is homelessness. There are many people in my riding who do not have a home to live in. They may be couch surfing or bouncing between friends and family. I do not support a decrease to the housing budget. As I have stated in this House before, housing is a human right, and we need to be making progress to uphold the right for everyone in the territories to be housed. We have too many challenges to address in small communities especially between homes in desperate need of repair to the lack of housing options and the need to address homelessness, I would like to see an increase in the housing budget.

I also am encouraged by the housing Minister's efforts to work in partnership with Indigenous governments to address housing. The GNWT needs to continue to work in new ways to support new solutions in partnership with Indigenous governments to make progress on the NWT's housing crisis.

Mr. Speaker, the old way of delivering housing isn't working. I encourage the GNWT to support Indigenous governments to identify new pilot projects to improve housing in small communities. I encourage the GNWT to not be an obstacle or to stand in the way of new ideas. Everyone has a right to be housed and we need to make progress on this.

And on education, Mr. Speaker, I am concerned about education in the small communities. Our students are shuffled along in school until they graduate and after they graduate, Mr. Speaker, the road gets rough. Many students in my riding can't keep up with post-secondary education. They return home deflated and some end up on income assistance. Mr. Speaker, we need to improve basic numeracy and literacy skills for students from junior kindergarten to grade 12 so they are prepared for the real world. We need to ensure that when students are graduated school in the NWT, they are ready and capable of pursuing what they dream of.

And finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to see an increase in health promotion and reporting. As we know, our small communities are fighting against an increase in violence, drugs and crime. Mr. Speaker, health promotion is a real way to fight back against addictions. If children understood the consequences of smoking, drinking and doing drugs, would they be easily influenced? If we had health and wellness campaigns, activities and information all over the community, it would increase people's awareness on the value of health. I am concerned that public health promotion is not being delivered effectively. I would like to see clear targets and reporting on health promotion activities in the business plan. I believe many elders in our community could better manage their health with increased education and home visits. I believe more youth would choose sports and healthy lifestyles if they understood the consequences of poor lifestyle choices. The health outcomes in our communities is not good and without ones' health, Mr. Speaker, we have nothing. Investing in health promotion is preventative. The money we put into health promotion today will save our health care system over time. Mr. Speaker, our people should be empowered to live the most healthy, active lifestyles they can, free of addictions. Our people are worth the investment. It is an investment that will bring savings over time. And these are my concerns for the 2024-2025 Budget.

Mr. Speaker I want to see small communities empowered to develop infrastructure and labour. I want people in small communities supported to start small businesses, to be provided the expertise and funding to build financial independence. I want to see small businesses develop as one solution to reducing people's dependence on income support. The government already has success stories of businesses based in small communities that hire local people and sell products worldwide. These are successful business models that the GNWT should move forward to expand elsewhere. The housing crisis in the NWT is real. Mr. Speaker, housing is a human right. I also recognize the GNWT can't be the only solution to the housing crisis. I want to see the GNWT restore the budget for housing and move forward to formalize partnership and relationships with Indigenous governments. In partnership we can find new solutions to old problems. We need to increase the education outcomes for students in the NWT. We need to ensure we provide our students the best opportunity to succeed in life, and that starts with an education. And finally, Mr. Speaker, our health is the most important. There are many challenges to overcome in small communities, and the only way we are going to overcome the economic problems, social problems, the violence and crime, is with healthy people. I want to see an increase in health promotion for the NWT so more Northerners make healthy choices. We need people that care about our health, are informed about their health and live healthy lifestyles. Our people are worth it and deserve it. A healthy territory starts with more investment in health promotion. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Replies to Budget Address. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I apologize to our amazing interpreters and I try and move slow today.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I presented the AOC response to the 2024-2025 GNWT budget. These are the items that we generally agreed up and support, and I am proud of the work committee done and the work the committee put in to create this document, Mr. Speaker. But make no mistake, there are areas that I am concerned about that are specific to my region and that may not have been in that document, and I want to present those today, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, several years ago, between 2011 and 2017 to be more precise, we missed the boat on a major gas development opportunity. We had an Indigenous-led pipeline group that were forced to sit helplessly as the regulatory regime slowly choked the life out of what could have been a monumental game changing project for our territory. Of course, I am speaking about the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Project led by the Aboriginal Pipeline Group. Maybe we could have been a have-territory. Communities along that pipeline route missed incredible business opportunities, employment opportunities, and tourism opportunities. The Mackenzie Valley Highway may have opened, underway, if not completed by now, Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, as robust industry, as we know, could have provided a huge benefit to our underfunded NGOs. Anyone who has worked or volunteered for any of our many NGOs can attest to the fact that when industry is thriving, they are better equipped to support and provide that important funding source.

Mr. Speaker, in April of 2021, the Government of the Northwest Territories completed a report entitled Mackenzie Delta Liquified Natural Gas, or MDLNG, Project. In this report, it studied the up to 19 trillion cubic metres of natural gas in the Mackenzie Delta that could be developed for export that would provide economic benefits to the Inuvialuit settlement region, NWT, and Canada. In short, the MDLNG Report stated that project is technically feasible. Natural gas production facilities and associated pipelines have been operating safely in Arctic climates such as Alaska and Russia for over forty years, Mr. Speaker. Russia has shipped LNG in Arctic waters since 2017 using LNG and condensate icebreaking carriers. The icebreaking carrier technology proposed in this pre-feasibility study is based on Russia's operating experience. Mr. Speaker, these are the kind of projects that change the direction of a territory, but I have heard very little about this report since, and I am hopeful that will change in this Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, we have budgeted $26 million for renewable energy initiatives, and I support that, its important work. I understand that there is a need to move to cleaner energy solutions. But as a territory, are we prepared to rely solely on wind, sun, battery, and other forms of cleaner energy? We have many communities, Mr. Speaker, that are currently 100 percent reliant on diesel. And logistically and cost wise, would developing our own cleaner-burning natural gas not make more sense, Mr. Speaker? Imagine how many social, health, and housing programs we could fund if we were able to take full advantage of our natural resource development. Mr. Speaker, yet we remain resource rich and cash poor.

As for program development, Mr. Speaker, I want to speak once again to the issue of drugs and drug addiction. Our communities are being devastated, and my community of lnuvik has an ongoing drug and addiction crisis. It's destroying families, our workforce, and our future. I am glad to see in the Justice portion of the budget they were increasing our policing and giving more tools to our law enforcement. It's a great start. But, Mr. Speaker, we must also focus on helping our residents get healthy again. Simply sending people out for treatment is not enough. We must have aftercare facilities in our regions so that when people complete that portion of their healing journey, they have the support they need when they return. A fully funded aftercare program in Inuvik is a must, Mr. Speaker, to serve the Beaufort Delta region.

Mr. Speaker, this Premier and government appear to be taking working with our Indigenous government partners seriously, and for my community that's great and that will be a welcome change, Mr. Speaker. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and Gwich'in Tribal Council are once again leading the way in my region. They are not just developing homes, but subdivisions. They are setting up wellness facilities to assist those dealing with trauma, they're building community infrastructure to protect our most vulnerable, and driving the economy with gas projects that will create employment and curtail the high costs of living. They are doing this with or without GNWT, Mr. Speaker, and we need to ensure we are shoulder to shoulder on all projects where we can contribute and increase the scope of these projects and find agreed redundancies where possible, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I spoke earlier this week in my Member's statement the need to think outside the box regarding our MTS barging operation. Logistically, is it time to look at locating a significant portion of our MTS operations in a more northern region of our territory? Mr. Speaker, the base of operations in Inuvik or Tuk could service upriver to Fort Good Hope and of course the communities in the Beaufort Delta region. We can't anticipate the issues with water levels going away anytime soon so we must be proactive in ensuring we are prepared. As I also stated earlier this week, Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that as part of this review, an analysis will be completed on the merits of privatizing this essential service.

Mr. Speaker, Inuvik has a world class satellite receiving station. The Inuvik Satellite Station facility has had millions of dollars poured into it with still more to come. We have antennas up there, Mr. Speaker, from the French space agency, the Swedish space agency, the German space agency, and of course NRCAN - our own Canadian space agency. And there's a significant amount of work going on up there, and Mr. Speaker, I like to call it a hidden gem in our territory. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, the redundancy in our fibre line will be a key component of continued growth of this sector. A full redundancy line, Mr. Speaker, that ensures any issues with the infrastructure interruptions can be mitigated.

The Inuvik runway expansion may be just the tip of the iceberg, Mr. Speaker, for potential defense spending in our region, and we must be prepared. Regrettably, Mr. Speaker, our government does not seem to be equipped to have a strategy on defense, space, and new technology. Again, I hope to see that change in this Assembly.

Our economy must be key, Mr. Speaker. My fear is with no meaningful economic growth in any sector other than government, much of our talent will leave or has already left. We must streamline our regulatory regime so that international business does not look at us as a place with too much regulatory burden that require too much time and the costs that come with that time, Mr. Speaker. Any economic plans that we produce must be much less about statistical overviews and more about strategic roadmaps to prosperity. We must attract investment in our natural resources and work with our Indigenous partners in that effort to create these roadmaps together.

Mr. Speaker, imagine all the wellness and housing projects we could fund together, the jobs we could create for our residents, the influx of others wanting to move to our amazing territory to work in these industries, bringing with them spouses and partners that may be nurses or teachers and doctors, early child care workers, and many other professionals that we so desperately need, Mr. Speaker. Imagine, Mr. Speaker, what we could do if we were not resource rich and cash poor.

Mr. Speaker, we are going to sit here over the next couple of weeks and we are going to fight and we're gonna squabble over the few pennies that we have to work with. We're eventually going to pass this budget, and then we will continue to sit here and we'll fight and we'll ask Ministers to direct money to our ridings, and we will ask for supplements to get those items in the budget for our ridings and then come budget time in the fall, we're going to ask them why they brought those supplements forward. And we've seen it all before, Mr. Speaker. Some people in this House have experienced it before, Mr. Speaker. It's a cycle, and we must find a way - each government, previous government to this one, the previous government to that one, have done same thing. We have to dig deep. We dig deep to think outside the box and do things differently.

It's not easy, Mr. Speaker, but I do have faith in this group. I have faith in the group on this side of the House and I have faith in our Cabinet Members as well, Mr. Speaker, that by the end of this government we could have a new path, a path to prosperity that will restore hope in our residents and maximize the potential we all know this amazing territory has. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Acknowledgements. Oh sorry, replies to the Budget Address. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke to a letter sent by the land and water boards to the Ministers of ECE and the federal minister. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister open to coming to the table to meet with the boards as they have requested? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. First, I'd like to thank the land and water boards for their recommendations. The amendments recommended by the land and water boards are being carefully considered and looked at as this is certainly an area of great interest across the territory, and with many of the Indigenous governments as well as the Members within this House and Cabinet and the residents. At this time, we're working through reviewing those recommendations and will consider as we move forward the options around meeting with the board itself. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I didn't hear an explicit commitment to sit down with the boards. I would encourage the Minister that simply sitting down and having a discussion is all I'm asking for at this point.

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister have a response to the board's letter to share with the House today recognizing the letter did just come in, but I just wanted to ask the question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. No, as the Member indicated the letter just recently arrived. I have had the opportunity to read through the list of recommendations from the land and water board. And as I said earlier, you know, this is a conversation that, certainly through the Members of Cabinet, is something that is really an interdepartmental area that -- with a lot of concern, and I think it's on the hot topics list, if you will, with Cabinet and certainly with the Intergovernmental Council and the Indigenous governments. So we will continue to evaluate the recommendations and look forward to have a response in the future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm certainly happy to hear that from the Minister. Thank you to the Minister for the answer. I am happy to hear that the Minister and Cabinet are carefully considering the recommendations.

Mr. Speaker, is the Minister able to give us a timeline for when we can expect a response to the recommendations brought forward?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated, this is a multifaceted conversation that the Department of Environment and Climate Change is certainly committed to working with our colleagues within this House as well as ensuring that we're having the appropriate conversations with the Intergovernmental Council on this issue. And, you know, I cannot put a firm timeline on this. As I indicated, it is certainly high on our agenda of issues that we want to deal with in a timely manner, so I will commit to the House that it is a high priority and we hope to bring it back to the table as quickly as we can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of ECC. Final supplementary.

Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, two out of five people will be diagnosed with cancer, and 30 percent of all cancers are lung, and 80 percent of those are caused by smoking. Obviously, this is a good reason to quit smoking. And I'd like to know what services are provided in the Northwest Territories by the Department of Health and Social Services to help Northerners do exactly that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to congratulate the Member on his 11 weeks of not smoking. As we know that smoking is -- yes, as the Member has mentioned, and there are a number of things that we have available for NWT residents who want to quit smoking. There is now -- we have merged the NWT Quit Line to 8-1-1, so it makes it a lot easier. The Help Line and the Quit Line have been merged together so you just have to call 8-1-1, residents who want to quit smoking or vaping, from any community in Northwest Territories, can speak to a registered nurse and trained support to help them on their quitting journey. The residents in Yellowknife region have access to free private cessation services either virtually or in-person, which is being piloted at the Yellowknife Primary Care Clinic. A dedicated cessation nurse is available to help residents navigate quitting smoking and vaping. They offer different options, including access to nicotine replacement therapy and prescription medications to support nicotine withdrawal as well as ongoing follow-up. But we also know that advice from a trusted health care provider increases the odds of a quit attempt.

I want to also let the Members know, and the people of the Northwest Territories, that we have also had education sessions for our frontline health care providers. In the last three years, we've had 63 frontline health professionals trained, and then we have ten more health care professionals trained in advanced -- for tobacco cessation support in the upcoming year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think the Minister answered most of my questions, so she's ahead of the curve. But I think you've spoken about this in the past, Mr. Speaker, but the Butt Head campaign was a very popular program and toured around the Northwest Territories, and I think kids really liked it as well. Why have we stopped promoting -- or using the Butt Head campaign -- antismoking campaign? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I fully remember the Don't Be a Butt Head campaign. This school-based smoking prevention program was delivered for about nine years as part of the healthy choices framework. In about 2015, there was a shift toward incorporating tobacco cessation into a broader cancer prevention and community wellness initiative. And therefore the funding for Don't Be a Butt Head was absorbed into other budgets. The department has continued to work with delivering supports in substance use and education in school. The new one that they have is the -- what they call The Dope Experience. So this amalgamates combined health information on different substances with mental health, community, and self-care tools using art to explore these themes. And so that's what's been incorporated into the school. This was completed with one-time federal funding related to the cannabis legislation. So that's how this was all created, and it should be running in the schools. The department is also aware that the NWT, as elsewhere in Canada, vaping is amongst -- is on the rise, and so we've been working with the community health representatives to support conversations about the dangers of vaping in the Northwest Territories, working with students, and trying to come up with new resources to gear them towards youth. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that's good news. Youth are definitely the gateway to how these companies make their money, how these addictions continue to plague communities. As I said, this year's theme for No Tobacco Day is youth step out and step -- Step In and Speak Out, with a hash tag, tobacco exposed. How is the department working -- or does the department promote No Tobacco Day, and are they participating in these events to spread awareness of how the industry is taking advantage of youth through social media? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department of health is very active on social media. I mean, it came to my attention that tomorrow is World No Smoking Day through the health and social services media campaign. So as for the information how it relates to youth, the youth are on so many different media platforms so I can't be -- I'm not familiar as to what platforms that they're targeting, but I know that it is on social media and, you know, we can be reaching out to all the schools to ensure that, you know, with The Dope Experience, that campaign, that covers all different areas that is being offered within our schools. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the costs to -- for nicotine replacement therapies can be -- and products like nicotine gum patches -- I used the patch. It was very effective. I've used them all, though. What financial supports do they have? Because certainly some of these products might not even be available in a small community. So what financial supports and how are we getting these products to individuals outside of regional centres? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that, within the small communities -- and I had asked this on numerous occasions to the department on different topics -- is with smoking cessations in the communities, the majority of the population in our small communities, you know, are Indigenous, so all of our insurances that we apply have with non-insured health benefits, Metis benefits, extended health benefits, they all cover smoking cessation. And from my understanding, we do supply those in -- we do have them in the health centres and so people, if they get the physician to -- or the nurse to have a prescription for them, they can access them in the small communities. You can access them here. You can go to the pharmacies in the regional centres where there are pharmacists. And if you have insurances and most government -- you know, if you work for the government or other insurances, they are normally covered. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and I'll focus in on income support area. My question directly to the Minister is what type of peer and support counselling does income support provide their clients from day to day? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's nothing on a daily basis as in day to day. But income assistance clients do have access to their client navigator whenever they do need. And also within the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, there are also career development officers that are based in all of the regional offices, for example North Slave, South Slave. And these are also persons that individuals on income assistance would have access to. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What information is tracked in the sense of how many clients use this service? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, statistics like that are not something I easily have at my fingertips but with a little bit of warning, I can definitely get that for the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll waste my third question by saying would the Minister be willing to supply it? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I would definitely be willing to get that information for the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is productive choices a formal requirement of income supports, and is it buttressed with counselling? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the 19th Assembly, the income assistance program underwent a review, and one of the changes that were made during that review was removing the productive choices requirement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.

That's me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. As a bit of background, when children are learning -- struggling to learn to speak or communicate or read, speech language pathologists can provide critical assistance and tools for these kids. And HSS is responsible for providing speech language pathology services that include hospital-based services, travel clinics, preschool therapy, school-aged therapy, and elder care. While only a few years ago, we used to have fully staffed SLP teams in Inuvik, Fort Smith, Hay River, and Yellowknife. Now those teams outside Yellowknife seemed to have disappeared and we've lost half of our staff in Yellowknife. And yet another speech language pathologist --

-- Member from Yellowknife North, can you please get to your question. Thank you.

(audio) government know what's the reason for particularly poor retention of staff in speech language pathology and occupational therapy within the past five years? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is a nationwide shortage of these professionals as well and us, as well as every other jurisdiction, is struggling to compete for this small pool of professionals to fill these positions. But NTHSSA is working with human resources to explore additional recruitment and retention options. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the problem is that only a few years ago, we did actually have staff in these positions and now they've left. So it's not simply a matter of we were never able to staff these positions, it's an issue of retaining the staff that we had only a few short years ago. So what is the department planning to do to address this poor retention to ensure that we can offer the full range of critical services in this area? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned the NTHSSA is working with the human resources to explore additional recruitment and retention options. Last month representatives from the NTHSSA travelled to the University of Toronto job fair to promote speech language pathologists opportunities in the Northwest Territories. The territorial manager of the occupational therapy also travelled to the national occupational therapy conference with a recruitment booth. The rehab leads are working continuously with a talent organization for recruitment campaigns, refreshing that they don't yield any candidates, but they've hired two new SLP grads in the fall of 2023 and they're working towards three new grad OT job offers for 2024. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll just note that the Minister listed some excellent recruitment initiatives, and I think what I've pointed out is the problems with retention, which as I mentioned the other day is a different strategy and a different problem. But I'll move on to my next question, which is so due to shortages of staff, the health authority has pulled back school-based support since 2021. How does the department plan to reinstate school-based services for speech language pathology across the territory to ensure that all kids can gain the tools to be able to speak, communicate, and read? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in-person appointments for urgent referrals within the Northwest Territories and telehealth appointments will continue with the staff that we do have. Services will be maintained for students with priority needs. But we also, I want to let the Members know, that NTHSSA and the department are working together with the Department of ECE as they explore ways to support the learning needs of children who may be impacted by the reduction of school speech and language and OT services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So while there's limited access to Yellowknife students for speech and language consultations, there's almost no care being provided by the government to students in other regions. And many of the regions outside the North Slave have reached out to private companies to receive services and reached out for funding through Jordan's Principle. How does the department justify having entire regions have to reach out to private companies in order to receive any services at all? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, when regions -- you know, depending on who is reaching out for those services in the different regions, for us, you know, we are working on the recruitment portion of it. But if there independent Indigenous organizations that want to access those funding, the boards that want to access those funding, you know, they can be way more strategic on how they're providing services in their regions. They're more flexible in how they can hire people. So right now what I can -- all I can really say is that the department is preparing a review of the speech and language pathology service to understand what the current gaps are and identify opportunities for improving the services, and that is the same thing that I'm also working with my colleague from ECE to ensure that the focus that is in the school, how are we supporting those students. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following up on my questions -- or my statement on the Public Lands Act, my first question to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Can the Minister of ECC provide the House with an update on the status of the development of the regulations for the Public Lands Act? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Sahtu. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. I know this has been a process that has dragged on for a little while, but I'd like to reassure the Member that the department continues to work on the Public Land Act regulations collaboratively with the Intergovernmental Council technical working group to reach consensus on a few of the remaining issues that have taken some time and conversation to work through. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to the Minister for that reply. My next question, as I said in my Member's statement, the Public Lands Act passed in this House in August 2019 yet its implementation has been delayed because the regulations have not been developed. Can the Minister explain why the development and regulations for the Public Lands Act has taken so long? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the technical working group is working to reach a final consensus on some of the concerns from Indigenous governments related to the jurisdictional interaction between ECC's public land administration and some land use permitting carried out by land and water boards. Some of these concerns are beyond the scope and mandate of the Public Lands Act regulations team and have been taking additional time and effort to find potential options. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My third question, does the Minister have a timeline for when the regulations for the Public Lands Act will be completed? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ECC is using technical advisory panels at this time to engage stakeholders in the scope and substance of the PLA regulations. ECC has plans in place right now to reengage with the technical advisory panels on the proposed regulations. Once issued, identification through the IGC's technical working groups are addressed, hopefully before the end of spring 2024, which I know is technically right now, so we're hoping very soon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Sahtu.

Fine supplementary. Thanks very much there, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad to hear we got a timeline, now we can expect our efficiency of land administration to be concluded. That's more of a statement. I look forward to working -- or will the Minister update us after the spring of 2024 is done? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is an Intergovernmental Council process in collaboration with Indigenous governments. So we are really hoping to have this done well before the end of this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Dempster Highway is relatively maintained on a regular basis when the highway's open and the season is busy. But there are times when the ice crossings are closed and the road seems to be neglected. Can the Minister tell me how they receive updates and inspection reports on the highway at any given time? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Minister of Infrastructure.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a regional office in every different region across the Northwest Territories, and each regional office is responsible for doing that type of maintenance when there are issues. There are a variety of different channels through each post. The deputy minister, the assistant deputy minister who is responsible for regions, and myself as well, are all notified. So when there's -- for instance, when there was the -- earlier this year and the ice roads were melting, we were all involved on various chats and emails and text groups and phone calls to notify when there was potential closures of the highways, for instance when there was an ice hole that developed. So there's all those different pathways that erupt, and I certainly make the effort to update MLAs when I have that information. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is important that the highway be inspected and reports go to the appropriate regional departments. Can the Minister identify if you have inspectors on all sections of the road during closure of the ice bridges? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are inspections and inspectors and roads staff that do go out and inspect all the different roadways. If there's a particular stretch of road that the Member's concerned about or a particular event in specific, I'd be more than happy to look into it. If there was a time when there was a concern that there wasn't enough inspections happening, I know there -- you know, again, so I'd be happy to speak to that specifics. I can say that there's staff in all the regions that do exactly this work, and they report up through the department. Again, I do often receive reports when there's challenges. So, again, if that system has at some time broken down, I'd like to hear about it. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next question is referring to a section of the road. There's a section of the road on the Wrangling River portion, and it's very dangerous to motorists. Has the Minister been updated by the regional office on the severity of this portion of the highway? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can say with respect to the Dempster, in general, that what we are doing right now is looking forward to working with the Yukon and bringing both sides together towards jointly bringing our efforts to find a way to update and to improve the Dempster Highway. So we have road crews going out in this summer season and next summer season to do some initial scoping work and some geotechnical type studies and other studies so that they could be prepared to understand what kind of planning is required to ensure that that entire stretch is looked at. And so that includes the entire portion of the Dempster that's on our side of the border. And I will certainly perhaps ensure that we double-down and speak with the MLA in the regions, which I expect that they would do, to make sure that we're looking at all of these sections. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Final supplementary. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for a little clarification, the spot I was referring is in between Inuvik and Tsiigehtchic.

Can the Minister look at maintaining the highways during closure of the ice crossings for when the ferries are out -- are shut down for the day for rough sections and dust control to avoid traffic? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think that's a specific question I'd like to have conversation with the Member and, if necessary, can report back to the House just in terms of what kinds of exactly supports on what roads and what sections the Member is talking about. I mean, I know we do -- we certainly do send out trucks, depending on the type of year -- what time of year, excuse me, depending on what services may be available. So, again, I know the region would like to make themselves available and would like to ensure that we maintain passable roadways. And so, again, I'd like to follow up with the Member directly and make sure that we're doing our best. If there's a section of this area that is not getting the attention that it needs and could have, then we would like to look to fixing that. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Mr. Speaker, the high school teacher in Lutselk'e resigned and left the community. So there's no dedicated high school teacher in the community, and it's not clear when a new teacher will take their place. My question is to the Minister of ECE.

Is ECE working with Lutselk'e to get a dedicated high school teacher back in the community by next -- by the next school year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by just acknowledging the incredible impact that a teacher leaving a community would have on especially a small community in the Northwest Territories, and I just thank the Member for asking these questions to bring it forward and get the information out.

So in the Northwest Territories, education bodies are responsible for hiring teachers. And specific to Lutselk'e, the high school teaching position became vacant in November of 2023. The South Slave Divisional Education Council filled the position with a long-term substitute, and that person taught until March of 2024. And from April through to the end of the school year, the program support teacher has actually taken on the responsibility of covering instructional duties within the classroom. And the teaching position position has now been filled for the 2024-2025 school year. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. What support is ECE providing to teachers in my communities as we do not want to have any more teachers leaving the community in the middle of the school year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ECE supports education bodies in recruitment of teachers while education bodies themselves hire the teachers. But in that process, there are two online recruitment platforms. The first is an NWT-wide recruitment information database, and there's also a dedicated point of contact to respond to questions that people might have about moving to the Northwest Territories. Because it's really important before people come, that they understand what life is about. And, of course, as always, we really want to also ensure -- in our classrooms, we're encouraging our students to become teachers and to return to home communities after post-secondary. ECE also works with education bodies to provide supports once people do move to the Northwest Territories. For example, there are two-day cultural orientation on-the-land training that is delivered by education bodies for new teachers. There's also the New to the North Educators Conference that is run by ECE. In addition to that, there is a mentorship program for new teachers. In addition, teachers are GNWT employees and they, of course, have access to mental health resources like the Employee and Family Assistance Program, as well as community counselling in the community that they live in. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And we don't know what's going to happen between now and the fall, but some community members are coming to Yellowknife so their children may have better access to education. Will ECE support them, especially if this problem continues in the fall? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very happy to confirm, again, that there is a high school -- or the high school position has been filled for the 2024-2025 school year and, as well, the teaching coverage that is in place will remain for the 2023-2024 school year, so from now until the end of the school year but we've got a few weeks left here. And families who may be considering relocating their children to attend high school in a different NWT community are definitely encouraged to speak with their school principal or their superintendent to find out information about home boarding programs that might exist and that students might have access to. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.