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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I hate wasting time. I hate wasting time of people who are paying to do good work, necessary work, and I hate wasting time of the public who offer their feedback through consultations or questionnaires. There are numerous initiatives within the health and social services system in particular from Indigenous patient advocates to the patient experience questionnaire that continue to gather feedback that seems to fall into a black hole instead of leading to meaningful action or change.

The Office of Client Experience, which includes Indigenous patient advocates, produced a monitoring report for the first half of 2024 when they received 448 requests for support. They listed top concerns raised by patients in each region, including medical travel decisions, language barriers, access to medical records, and people feeling their health concerns are being dismissed. This office is trying to help each individual patient, but it's not clear whether the health authorities are making changes based on the documented pattern.

The report my colleague from Great Slaves spoke about yesterday, called Honouring the Voices of Indigenous Peoples, drew attention to systemic discrimination in our health system, often created by our failure to resource necessary services for Indigenous people. For example, there is no budget for Indigenous language services in HSS outside Stanton. There's no standard procedure for how medical travel staff are supposed to assess a patient's English language proficiency in whether they need an escort. This creates unjust outcomes for patients, and it puts frontline staff at risk of being deemed racist if a patient doesn't agree with their decision. The lack of medical transport to small community health centres is another example of systemic discrimination where frontline staff are being held responsible for racism when it's really a failure of the system.

The patient experience questionnaire, which all residents are invited to fill out up to November 10th, is frustrating because it only asks questions about someone's last health care visit rather than investigating quality of care over time across multiple locations and points of care. Similar questionnaires in previous years have not reported back to the public what actually changed as a result of their feedback. Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and to my colleagues. In conclusion, it's not enough to recognize systemic racism or dysfunction and then hire navigators to keep running into brick walls over and over. The point is to use the feedback to break down the brick walls preventing people, especially Indigenous people, from accessing vital services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, [Translation] *INSERT [Translation Ends].

Mr. Speaker, across the Northwest Territories, seniors are struggling to make ends meet. These are elders who have contributed to our communities for decades, raising families, building local economies and preserving our cultures and traditions. They deserve dignity, security, and respect in their retirement years.

Seniors are among the most vulnerable residents in our territory. Many live on fixed income and face rising costs for basic necessities. Public housing is meant to be a safety net, not another financial stress. Currently, seniors in public housing received up to $1,000 monthly income deduction. Mr. Speaker, can I have unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you. Currently, seniors in public housing receive up to $1,000 monthly income deduction when calculating rent, which helps reduce their housing rental costs. But even with this deduction, many seniors still face rent charges that strain their limited income. For some, this means choosing between paying rent or buying groceries, medication, or heating fuel.

Mr. Speaker, public housing is meant to ensure that individuals and families who cannot afford market rate housing still have to live in place -- still have to live --

Member from Monfwi, your time is up.

(audio) I will have questions for the Minister of housing.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about encampment fatigue, Mr. Speaker. And to be clear, a lot has changed in this particular narrative. I remember even speaking to some constituents, you know, a year ago, fervent supporters of that, and as those encampments get closer to their area, it's funny how quickly that feeling changes and frustration.

Mr. Speaker, people care about the challenges, but they also want something done. The community is facing these challenges of unsanctioned encampments. They see problems where they threaten public health, safety, quality of life, and the ongoing noise and stress people have on and on.

Mr. Speaker, no one is suggesting in any way that these folks do not deserve some type of help, Mr. Speaker. It's quite the opposite. They do need help. But we need good, clear public policy that's transparent, worked on with the public, the public can see what it means, Mr. Speaker. I've been to some of these encampments and in some cases, Mr. Speaker, frankly, I find them disturbing to see the conditions some folks are living in. Now, to be clear, we're not talking about the lone individual who's on a tent who's pitched, trying to get by, and needs a little help. We're talking about these collectives that end up becoming unsafe, unhealthy, and, interestingly enough, the population's even continue to organize. They even ban people in some of these encampments, which is strange, Mr. Speaker. When you drive by one, you start to wonder about the health and safety conditions, the addictions some of these people must be facing, and there's other concerns. And I could stress and underscore individual residents are talking about their frustration where they have to go to these encampments and get their personal items back that somehow were liberated and end up being found there. Oh, and another important one to underscore, where they have to disconnect the power from their home that they're paying that's strung a line across an alley into the encampment, Mr. Speaker. The point being is in some of these things, the disorganization is creating enough stress for the community, and we need clear and practical policy to help.

Mr. Speaker, we're not addressing the challenge of saying what expectations should we provide, when should we restore certain types of supports, how do we help the vulnerable. Mr. Speaker, what do we do for the neighbourhood, the accessibility and respect that they deserve, Mr. Speaker? It seems the neighbourhood keeps getting forgotten about, these particular things. Mr. Speaker, these types of service levels need to be defined so we can be consistent, and we can ensure.

And, lastly, Mr. Speaker, one of the often comments I hear is they want more, such as water, outhouses, garbage, etcetera, but we have space in shelters. We need to have that conversation, and I'm hoping we will later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on August 30, 2025, the community of Tuktoyaktuk, an area along the Arctic coast, was hit with a post-cyclonic surge of water never experienced before in recorded history. The area endured record break in surge levels of 2.6 metres, almost 10 feet inland. Subdivisions within the community were cut off from essential services like fire, medical, RCMP, and utility services as their roads were underwater and blocked by massive piles of driftwood. Six major roads were quickly overwhelmed and damaged by high water levels. The community had been proactive over the last 10 years and built up the roads based on research and recommendations. We were very close to evacuating, Mr. Speaker. Our one road by the reservoir was eaten away by the storm surge, by half by the storm surge. The road leading to the hamlet garage was under water, so the staff had to come up quickly with an alternative route through airport lands. The airport instruments stopped recording the wind levels as the gusts were up to 130 kilometers an hour, and we saw water underneath our house, and 14 other houses were surrounded by water and compromised. We also watched many smoke houses and workshops being swept away from the storm surge.

After the storm, because of many roads being underwater, there are still massive piles of driftwood and debris laying throughout the community. The council met and through advice they decided not to declare an emergency at the time, not knowing that this is tied to territorial and federal disaster funding or thinking the NWT Association of Communities would cover their road and cleanup damage through an insurance claim. The council spoke to GNWT MACA and requested both cleanup and road rebuilding funds, but we're now told to look from within. A small community with limited funding is told to take care of themselves and not look to the GNWT for funding assistance and use their own limited funds to clean up from a major storm event.

Like any other emergency, including flooding events that happen in Northwest Territories, why is this community asked to use its limited funds? The community is told to look from within, put off paying down its own debt, and halt any shoreline protection projects while it continues to clean up from a natural disaster. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Nunakput. Members' statements.

Colleagues, Asger "Red" Pedersen was a respected leader, public servant, and former Speaker of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly passed away on May 30, 2025. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, November 19, 1935. He came to the Canadian Arctic in 1953 with the Hudson's Bay Company and went on to dedicate his life to the people and communities of the North.

Mr. Pedersen was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1983, representing the Kitikmeot West constituency during the 10th and 11th Assemblies. He served as a Member of the Executive Council, holding numerous portfolios including culture and communications, renewable resources, status of women, the science institution, and later personnel and equal pay. In 1987, he was appointed Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and served in that role until 1989.

I had the pleasure of first meeting Red Pedersen in December 1987 at the hockey rink in Kugluktuk. It was clear from that first conversation that his passion was the people of the community. He truly considered them his family. Over time, I came to understand just how deeply woven he was into the fabric of the North. He served not only as an MLA and Speaker but also as mayor, councillor, and board member on nearly every organization in Kugluktuk and the Kitikmeot region. Yet, if you asked him, he would say his greatest accomplishment was his family. Red's life was one of service, love, and humility. His passing leaves a tremendous void, but his legacy will continue in the lives he touched and the lessons he taught. He was more than a colleague; he was a beacon of hope and strength.

Red Pedersen brought decades of experience in community development and northern governance to his work in the Assembly. He served as an area administrator in Kugluktuk, Pangnirtung, and Fort Res, and was deeply involved in local governance and volunteerism. His leadership was instrumental in organizing the first settlement council in Kugluktuk, where he also served on various community committees and was active in Boy Scouts and Canadian Rangers.

In recognition his unwavering dedication to the Inuit people and their community, Mr. Pedersen was bestowed the honorary title of Inuk, a distinction that held immense personal significance for him. Despite not being of Inuit descent, he played a pivotal role in establishing Inuit institutions, always advocating for their autonomy and ensuring that membership remained exclusive to Inuit beneficiaries. His commitment to the North was not just professional but deeply personal as he devoted his life to the people and the land he came to cherish.

In 2003, Mr. Pedersen was made an honorary lifetime Member of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, the first person to receive this distinction in recognition of his longstanding contributions to the region. He was also a member of the Order of Nunavut and the Order of Canada.

Like most individuals, it is hard to speak on his impact on the residents of the North, so I have attached Freddy Pederson's Celebration of Life and Denis Patterson's news article, which I will deemed as read.

The family would like to thank everybody for their support and kind words during this difficult time. Red will be sadly missed but not forgotten.

Thank you all for coming today as we say farewell to our father, grandfather, great grandfather and great, great grandfather, Red Pedersen. He lived a good long life, he was born in 1935, he was 89 years old when he passed. He got to experience a new life when he came here from Denmark in 1953. He lived with, then lived and worked with Inuit, becoming "adopted" by Steven Angulalik and his family. Emily, thanks for coming and spending this time with us, and Gwen for your beautiful words. He learned much during that time about how to live and survive in the North, and to apprentice with the HBC at various posts.

After getting married to our mother and having a family, he moved to different parts of the North with new job opportunities, to support his family. We lived in Cape Dorset, Pangnirtung, Rae-Edzo and Yellowknife, before settling back here in Kugluktuk. This was where he felt "at home". He tried to move a few times but always returned to where he felt most comfortable, here in Kugluktuk with family and lifelong friends.

You all know of the things he has accomplished in the different public, community and private positions he has held throughout his life. We as a family know that too, however, we have also known him as our dad. And, as our dad he was many things to us. We will miss him dearly. We have the support of a big family, he has 108 descendants, plus all of you, our friends, to lean on when times are tough. That "family" togetherness will help us all cope with his loss.

He is now resting and has met up with his parents (Otto and Ebba), his sister (Sanne), his daughter (Vera) and his son (Hans), and the many other friends and relatives that have passed before him. We can be happy knowing that they have all embraced him and are happy to be together again. We can yearn for the day when we too will meet up with all of them again, but at the same time we want to make sure that until then we take the time to be with our families and friends here, where we live and work. We will keep that strong family tradition alive that he had in his long life.

We have been fortunate enough to have him around to see great great grandchildren, and we still have our mother. Both of them have lived the longest in their families, we can only hope that many of us will move that mark ahead. He always said that there is nothing so bad that something good doesn't come out of it. We'll wait to see what that good thing is that comes from losing him. It's something that's hard to imagine right now.

We miss you already dad and it hurts that you are now gone, but we will keep your spirit alive in our hearts and remember all the great times we've had, the good memories we've made, and the memories still to come. We know your spirit will be with us.

From all of us here today, we say farewell to you Dad, we'll keep you in our hearts forever. Rest in eternal peace, we'll always love you.

Asger 'Red' Pedersen, an Order of Canada and Order of Nunavut holder, honorary Inuk and lifetime Member of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, died in Yellowknife an hour and a bit away by plane from his beloved home community of Kugluktuk in May at the age of 89 after more than 70 years in the Arctic.

Red was a soldier for the Nunavut cause because he fought the forces that would have hived off the Kitikmeot Region to remain in the Western Territory. Red understood very well that the people of his region were connected in history and geography to Yellowknife and Edmonton.

With his lifelong home community of Kugluktuk just 55 kilometers from the NWT boundary, 601 kilometers from Yellowknife and a daunting, expensive two days away by plane from Iqaluit, which was to become the capital of the new territory, many Kugluktuk residents and those in other western communities feared being forgotten as the distant rump of the proposed new territory in the Eastern Arctic.

But Red Pedersen had a long-term vision of a homeland for Inuit that would make the Inuit language and culture strong and give his beloved Inuit control over their lands and resources.

He was so successful in persuading Kitikmeot residents to set aside their doubts and support Nunavut that in the second plebiscite to affirm the Nunavut boundary in 1992, 78 percent of Kugluktuk residents and 70 percent of Cambridge Bay residents voted Yes to a boundary proposal which would see their communities remain in the Nunavut territory.

To understand the change of sentiment in favour of Nunavut that Red's leadership encouraged in the 1982 plebiscite asking should the NWT be divided, Kugluktuk was split with a dismal 25 percent turnout and 51 percent voting No. Cambridge Bay voted 58 percent No.

While we can now look back on the creation of Nunavut as a result of a unified march toward self-determination where all three regions were united in common cause, the Kitikmeot could have been the weak link.

Cambridge Bay vied to be chosen as the capital in the public vote of 1995, and later threw its support behind Rankin Inlet as an alternate to a distant capital in Iqaluit. Leaders like Charlie Lyall, president of Kitikmeot Corp., once famously said the Kitikmeot was better off under the NWT: "I've always maintained that Iqaluit people think the western boundary of Nunavut is the airport runway in Iqaluit!"

The challenge of ensuring the far western region of the Kitikmeot is not forgotten exists to this day. Red Pedersen himself acknowledged that challenge only 18 months after the creation of Nunavut, famously telling CBC North: "At the extreme tip of the tail of any good prime white fox, there are always two or three black hairs. We sometimes think of ourselves as the two or three black hairs at the very tip of the white fox; sometimes we feel very little wagging!"

But Red Pedersen nonetheless always strongly supported Nunavut.

He earned the respect of the people he was twice elected to represent in the NWT legislature. They knew Red as the loyal worker who came to Canada from Denmark at the tender age of 17 to work for Angulalik, the unilingual, legendary Inuk business tycoon who owned the trading post at Parry River and traded up to 2,000 valuable prime white fox furs in a season.

This was where Red learned Inuktitut and became a mentor and lifelong friend of his mentor Angulalik and pioneering Inuit leaders like Norman Evalik.

They knew Red as a devoted, lifelong community Member who was instrumental in forming the first settlement council, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association. He was also a Canadian Ranger (a tradition carried on inter-generationally in his family), and a pioneer businessman (taxi and hotel and outfitting).

They knew Red as a strong supporter of youth, who once said we need to be more supportive of the younger generation: "There's only 14 inches between a kick in the assessment and a pat on the back!"

It was the respect Red Pedersen earned among his people that persuaded them to set aside their doubts and overlook their historic ties to the NWT and instead vote twice, in 1982 and 1993 (and increasingly in favour) for the creation of a new territory for Inuit that followed the treeline boundary all the way to the Arctic Coast and even included the farthest west community Red's hometown of Kugluktuk.

Red is one of those exceptional people who won the esteem of his peers by being a modest, gentle giant whose devotion to community marked his reason for being.

His impact on his community and our territory revealed itself in many ways, large and small. He dismantled and moved houses from outpost camps on the land into Kugluktuk to form the basis for a now-thriving community which he later served as acclaimed mayor.

He was also a champion for Inuit during his political career.

When Red was a Cabinet Minister, he persuaded the NWT government to appoint Helen Klengenberg as the first woman and first Inuk as regional director, recognizing her stellar leadership and later achievement as the first Inuk to earn an MBA.

Recently, at a public event held to honour Kugluktukmiut who earned university degrees where Helen was recognized for her two degrees, Red surprised Helen by presenting her with a caribou antler carving made by her late mother, Lily Angnakak, in 1965. He said he thought it was time the carving was returned to Lily's family. She was surprised and overwhelmed, since that precious caribou antler carving is the only memento, she has from her mother.

As the government's Minister of renewable resources, as a native Dane with credibility in Europe where the animal rights movement festered, Red Pedersen and his late deputy minister Jim Bourque led the drive in Canada to switch to humane trapping. Red pitched himself with vigour against the animal rights movement in Europe, which threatened to decimate Canada's fur industry.

As the Minister of culture and communications, he insisted traditional knowledge must be given as much weight in the NWT government as modern science. That stance presaged the recognition of Inuit Qaujimajaqtuqangit, which is now embedded in the Nunavut regulatory processes. His daily diary entries are a treasure of the history of his beloved region and home community.

And he was elected unanimously by his peers in the NWT legislature to be its Speaker after also being acclaimed as MLA for Kugluktuk in the election of 1987.

As Speaker, Red elevated the position in many ways. He scrapped the formal robes of the British colonial era, insisting on wearing a traditionally designed Speaker's robe reflecting his pedigree as an honorary Inuk. Red even persuaded the Assembly to resurrect a venerable Cadillac limousine out of mothballs for ceremonial occasions and visits by dignitaries and established the Speaker's residence in the penthouse suite of Yellowknife's first high-rise apartment building, Fraser Tower.

For all these reasons, I say this Danish-born giant of a man who married a Greenlander and leaves behind 108 descendants at last count "family was everything to my Dad," his son Baba said.

He was a soldier in the Nunavut cause, a champion of Inuit self-determination and the exemplar of a devoted community resident.

Gone, but never forgotten.

Members' statements. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Reports of standing and special committees. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 23, An Act to Amend the Children's Law Act.

Bill 23 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on March 13th, 2025 and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review.

The standing committee held a clause-by-clause review of the bill on October 20th, 2025, with the Minister of Justice. The committee moved to amend four clauses in Bill 23 at the clause-by-clause review. The Minister of Justice concurred with all four motions.

Mr. Speaker, the committee reports that Bill 23, An Act to Amend the Children's Law Act, is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Reports of committee on the review of bills. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Family Law Act.

Bill 24 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on March 13th, 2025 and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review.

The standing committee held a clause-by-clause review of the bill on October 20th, 2025, with the Minister of Justice. The committee moved to amend one clause in Bill 24 at the clause-by-clause review. The Minister of Justice concurred with this motion.

Mr. Speaker, the committee reports that Bill 24, An Act to Amend the Family Law Act, is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Reports of committees on the review of bills. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act.

Bill 27 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on May 28th, 2025 and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for review.

The standing committee held a clause-by-clause review of the bill on October 20th, 2025 with the Minister of Justice. The committee moved to amend five clauses in Bill 27 at the clause-by-clause review. The Minister of Justice concurred with all five motions.

Mr. Speaker, the committee reports that Bill 27, An Act to Amend the Protection Against Family Violence Act, is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Reports of committees on the review of bills. Reports of standing and special committees. Returns to oral questions. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My first question will be to the Minister of Health and Social Services today and, of course, I hope I have time for other Ministers to enjoy a great and fun question period. Mr. Speaker, my question is the challenge about housing. Now, believe it or not, this is a health issue.

So I was visiting constituents at a public housing place last week, and the smoke in this multi-unit was so difficult to breathe, I thought I was actually chewing it. It was that thick and disgusting. And my understanding is housing won't declare these public housing units non-smoking or they insist new leases can only be done. However, we could approach this particular problem by change, the Minister of Health and Social Services leading by making some adjustments and declaring them smoke-free. Would the Minister of Health and Social Services be willing to look into this situation so all public housing in the Northwest Territories, which wouldn't be unique to other places in Canada, are smoke-free? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my colleague and I, Minister of Housing NWT, have had ongoing conversations on the best way to move forward, and I believe on April 1st, there will be a blanket policy for no smoking in all housing units in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm glad to hear the Minister isn't defending smoking in public housing units. I said I'm glad you aren't defending. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I guess two parts to it is why are we waiting, and is there exemptions? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as throughout the Northwest Territories, some of these homes, people have been living in them for almost -- like, I can honestly say in my community, there are some families that have been living in the same home for 30 plus years. So they're just giving them the time to, you know, offer up, you know, the information first, give them the information, give them time, you know, those information on quitting smoking because we know in the Northwest Territories that we do provide smoking cessation for all Northwest Territories residents and all those types of things. So we're setting a start date as to when this will take effect. And all new leases, my understanding, are going to -- that are currently happening are for non-smoking. Thank you.

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