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

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

Good afternoon, colleagues, it's that time of year where I get to talk about something special that is very special in a student's life. It is graduation. I believe this is the eighth time I get to talk about this special time.

Like other ridings, the Nahendeh will see several graduations from various schools this month, starting with kindergarten. As I have said before, this is an important milestone for parents and students. We get to see the first stage of what we hope are many more graduation celebrations. Depending on the school, we see kindergarten, grade 6, grade 9, and grade 12 graduations. I can tell you each celebration is unique and special.

Today I would like to recognize fifteen students who have completed their elementary, junior, and senior high journey.

To the eight students from Echo Dene School and the seven students from Liidlii Kue Regional High School, congratulations on completing this journey. It is a good start on your life's journey moving forward. I know there has been some fun and challenging times, but I can tell you it has prepared you for the next journey, whether it is going on to future schooling, trades, travel, or work.

Echo Dene School's grad ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow at 6 p.m., and Liidlii Kue Regional High School is on Saturday. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend either celebration, but I wish them all the best during their special moment.

Colleagues, I'd like to tell the grads, the diploma you receive today is your insurance policy paid in full for all your hard work over the past 13 years. The value of this policy depends on how much effort you put into your education and what you do with it as you go out in the world. All the best to them on this special day.

As I have done in the past, I do have some words of encouragement in recognizing the 15 grads which I will asked deemed as read. To the parents and families, thank you for all the support for those graduates. You should be very happy and proud of your child today.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I like to wish all the 2024 graduating classes across the NWT all the best and congratulations on a job well done. Thank you.

(Deemed Read)

To Echo Dene Students:

• Adrian Allen,
• Jay Cover,
• Amy Duntra,
• Stevenson Klondike,
• Damian Klondike-Kotchea,
• Elizabeth Nelson,
• Kadence Norn, and
• Conrad Sassie.

Liidlii Kue Regional High School Students:

• Brittney Kendo,
• Helena Bonnetrouge,
• Colton Hardisty Gillis,
• Shannon Jumbo,
• Madison Jumbo,
• Kaechoa Rocque-Jumbo,
• Landon Konisenta, and
• Lekasha Tesou.

Encouragement:

Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.

Buckle up. Like the school adventure that you went through, there are going to be some good times and not so good times ahead of you. Enjoy each moment as they are all learning opportunities for you and part of life. Please remember it is all right to cry and laugh about things. There is going to be a lot of opportunities to do both.

Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.

Find a career that you will love. It is very important because once you do, it is not work. It is something that you wake up wanting to do and it is not work. Please remember not to settle on a career. Like love, find the one that makes you happy.

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.

You have two ears and one mouth. Please remember it is always wise to listen and understand what you have heard before kicking your mouth into gear.

Please enjoy your celebration with family and friends. This is a major accomplishment and needs to be celebrated.

Members' statements. Member from Deh Cho.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to remember Peter Wilfred Canadien from Fort Providence.

Peter was born and raised in Fort Providence. He came from a very large traditional family. Growing up, his family spent a lot of time out on the land where Peter learned the traditional way of life. In his early years, Peter attended Diamond Jenness Secondary School in Hay River. Later he went on to Sir John Franklin High School in Yellowknife. He then moved back home to Fort Providence as he was needed to help his family during which time he fell in love with Phoebe Bonnetrouge. Together they have two boys.

Peter was actively involved with Fort Providence district education, and he contributed to decision-making processes for the community of Fort Providence. It was great to see community members like Peter be actively engaged in educational matters. He also loved volunteering for the community. Peter worked for the Zhahti Koe Friendship Centre as a radio announcer. He was a happy person to be around. He always had some funny stories to tell. Peter took time to talk to you just to make you laugh. One of his hobbies he enjoyed was cooking. He liked to cook for his family and especially his grandchildren.

One day during campaigning for the territorial election, I was surprised to see Peter at my door with a plate of shrimp Alfredo and a Caesar salad. He said to me you're really busy and you need to eat, so I brought you a plate. This is the kind of man he was. You always see him wanting to get involved when there were community feasts or special occasions. He was a real people person.

He leaves behind his common life wife Phoebe Bonnetrouge, his children Gay and Nathaniel and his five grandchildren whom he adored. My friend Peter was my official agent during the 2023 Election. Peter Wilfred Canadien was a great man with a good sense of humour, and he is sorrily missed by his family and friends. Rest in peace, Peter, and mahsi for your friendship to us all. Mahsi.

Our condolences go out to the family and friends. He was an amazing man.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize my daughter Haylee and her husband Anthony visiting us from Anchorage. Haylee obviously was raised in Inuvik, had taught school there for six years, and actually is a former page in this House many years ago. Her husband Anthony, it's his first visit to Canada. He's originally from Michigan. And Anthony is an airman first class in the 3rd maintenance squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage. So welcome. Thank you.

Welcome. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize two pages originally from the Sahtu, the beautiful community of Deline. It's Neva Takazo and Jaylin Gaudet. Mahsi.

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

Other people that we haven't had the opportunity to recognize, we thank you very much. It's great to see an audience, especially a young audience here today, and hopefully you enjoy our sitting. Well, I guess I just found out where those young people are from. Welcome from Weledeh School here in Yellowknife. So thank you very much for being here.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Member from Sahtu.

Thank you, colleagues, Mr. Speaker. I am very proud to announce that four students will be graduating from Colville Lake School this year are.

• Rachele Blancho,
• Devin Kochon,
• Bobbie Lafferty, and
• Troy Tutcho.

The entire community of Colville Lake and the Sahtu region want to congratulate these young fellows or young adults, graduates. We wish them the very best in their education journey and career choices. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, how many people will be affected by the proposed closure of the Fort Smith correctional Complex men's unit? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Fort Smith correctional facility has 32 employees which would mean that there would be 32 employees who would be affected if the facility were closed. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How many vacant positions are there open and available in Fort Smith that are not proposed to be cut in this budget? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As of March 31st of 2024, there are 492 vacancies across the GNWT. A vacancy obviously can come with a number of different meanings. It may mean that it may be actively being recruited for at any particular point in time. In Fort Smith specifically, Mr. Speaker, there are 647 GNWT positions of which, again, as of the 31st of March, 114 were vacant, and there were 34 positions in total proposed for elimination in the 2024-2025 Main Estimates. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What work has been done to assure the affected corrections employees that they can remain in the public service? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, any employee who is facing being affected by in sort of form of reduction anywhere in the GNWT, anywhere in the Northwest Territories is subject to a process. It is one where there is a notification process and there is, indeed, a staff retention policy and staff retention guidelines. Every effort is made to ensure that anyone in an affected position is not lost as a public servant and so, indeed, that process can take several months, if not quite some time, to ensure that they can best find themselves back in a new position within the public service following those two different documents, again the policy and the guidelines. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Finance. Final supplementary. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yeah, I'm hoping that policy can be changed slightly but I can talk to the Minister of Finance about that.

What work can be conducted so affected employees are appropriately trained or assisted to continue to work in the public service at their current or better pay? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have noted the comment about wanting to see change to the policy and guidelines. At the present time, we do have a policy with associated guidelines so at this point I'd not want to try to second guess what position, what individual, what training someone might have. They may have training that is beyond the position that they are in or different from the position they are in. So I would just want to emphasize, again, that every effort is always made to ensure that any affected employee whose position might be eliminated is not lost from the public service, relying on the policy and guidelines. But, again, happy to engage with the Member and see if there are areas that we can improve with a view to improving the public service all of the time. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier commit to releasing the GNWT Justice Search and Rescue System Review MMP 2022 Final Report to the public as soon as possible and table it in this Assembly when the next opportunity arises? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.