Debates of Oct. 30th, 2025

Colleagues, I wish to draw your attention to the 1967 Centennial carry belt, or baby belt from What We Heard from Commissioner Kisoun today.

It was my pleasure to receive this historical piece of artwork back on behalf of the Legislative Assembly. This carry belt has a very rich history and holds a lot of meaning. Believed to be made in Aklavik for Canada's Centennial celebrations, it was displayed with the territorial mace. Commissioner Stuart Hodgson gave the belt to Tony Belcourt, at the time a young Metis leader who had publicly challenged the Commissioner's view on the role of Indigenous people leading the Northwest Territories.

A nationally-respected Metis leader and elder, Mr. Belcourt returned the belt to the Premier earlier this month in Ottawa. The Premier gave it to Commissioner Kisoun, and he entrusted it to the Legislative Assembly just moments ago. The belt and its story will be displayed at the Legislative Assembly.

The belt returns to the Assembly in a very different world from when it left. Indigenous people lead the territories and, more importantly, lead their own governments and nations. Receiving the carry belt today will serve as a reminder that we come from one land with many voices. We will proudly display this belt here at the Legislative Assembly to honour those voices from the past but to also honour those voices that will be our future. As well, we will continue the research to make sure we have more of the history, and we'll make sure it's displayed on the display as well as our future website. So thank you very much to everybody that was part of this celebration and thank you for bringing it back to the people of the Northwest Territories.

Before we go any further, I would like to recognize the former Premier, Mr. Stephen Kakfwi, Member from 1987 to 2003. As well as Marc Whitford, president of North Slave Metis Alliance. Welcome to our Assembly.

Ministers' statements. Just wait, I want to make sure I get this title right. Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy and Supply Chains.

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is at the heart of several transformative projects that are vital not only to our territory's future, but to Canada's strength, security, and prosperity.

The Government of the Northwest Territories' major infrastructure initiatives are nation-building in scale and critical to Canada's long-term presence and leadership in the Arctic. Together, they unlock access to critical minerals, deliver clean and reliable power, and create resilient north-south transportation links that strengthen sovereignty, emergency preparedness, and supply chains, while creating new opportunities for Northerners. Each project is being advanced in partnership with Indigenous governments, offering a model of collaborative northern development.

Mr. Speaker, in September, the Prime Minister announced the first round of projects of national interest and strategic areas of focus under Canada's new approach to advancing transformative infrastructure. The Prime Minister also established the major projects office and directed them to create business development teams to work with proponents to make these projects of national interest a success.

One of the named areas of strategic focus is the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor, a project described by the federal government as a "strategic lifeline" and "a backbone for both security and prosperity". This level of national attention and awareness on matching the progress of other circumpolar countries is long overdue. Now that the opportunity has come, we must maximize this chance to truly make the dream of Canada as "the true North" a reality.

I am pleased to report that staff from strategic infrastructure, energy and supply chains have already met with the major projects office and my office has a meeting scheduled in early November. With strong and consistent engagement, we will be well positioned to take advantage of this federal initiative and advance key strategic projects for the Northwest Territories.

The Arctic Economic and Security Corridor is a nation-building initiative that will strengthen sovereignty, open access to critical minerals, and create an all-season, dual-use, port-to-port-to-port infrastructure corridor connecting the Northwest Territories to Nunavut's Arctic Coast via the planned Grays Bay road and port. In partnership with Indigenous governments, and specifically noted in the 6th Tlicho Assembly Priorities 2026-2030, this project represents an opportunity to deliver long-term economic value to the North, and to show how impactful a focus on Canada's Arctic can be in shaping Canada's prosperity.

Supporting and enabling the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor is the Taltson hydro expansion, a clean energy and transmission project that will deliver reliable renewable power to 11 communities, serving over 70 percent of the Northwest Territories' population.

Taltson will reduce reliance on imported diesel, advance Indigenous economic participation through equity and ownership opportunities, and provide the clean energy needed to power industry and future industrial development both south of Great Slave Lake and along the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor. Federal partnership will be essential to co-developing funding and financing model and to address legacy impacts from the original project through a reconciliation lens.

Rounding out Northwest Territories' strategic projects is the Mackenzie Valley Highway. This is an essential all-season route that will connect communities along the Northwest Territories' central region, strengthen Canadian sovereignty, and reduce supply chains vulnerabilities. This highway will enhance year-round access for communities, improve emergency response, and open new opportunities for northern businesses and mineral resource development across the Mackenzie Valley.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that just last week, the Pehdzeh Ki First Nation and the GNWT announced a work plan that allows us to collaboratively explore potential corridor and routing options through Pehdzeh Ki First Nations traditional territory. The agreement establishes a clear framework for collaboration, outlines activities and milestones, and sets out how both parties will work together to ensure traditional knowledge, local input, and community priorities inform any future planning and decision-making.

Under the amended and restated memorandum of understanding for collaboration on the advancement of the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated are also working together to move this nation-building infrastructure forward. Through quarterly meetings, the partners are actively advancing project planning, including completion of the Mackenzie Valley Highway business case, discussions on financing and federal engagement, and the strategic use of existing funding under the national trade corridors. This collaborative approach is laying the groundwork for unlocking economic potential, improving connectivity, and strengthening northern resilience.

Mr. Speaker, these projects represent a unified vision for the North. The onus to make them a reality cannot be on Northerners alone. Both Canada and the Northwest Territories must remain equal leaders in advancing this work to safeguard our nation's strategic interests in the North. This vision of connecting Canada's North will be built through collaboration, sustainability, and shared prosperity. This is the foundation for a stronger and more connected and more resilient Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Energy and Supply Chains. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to acknowledge the recent finalization of master service agreements with Alberta Health Services. This is an important milestone. These agreements modernize our partnership, strengthening accountability for the essential supports and services delivered to Northwest Territories residents and funded by the GNWT.

For many years, the GNWT's collaboration with Alberta Health Services has been based on informal arrangements that evolve over time. The new master service agreements formalize this relationship, help reduce legal risks, clarify funding responsibilities, and improve accountability for the services provided to the Northwest Territories residents. These agreements also document the complex ways we work together and help ensure that these important services remain stable and sustainable into the future.

These agreements are important milestones because they support our ability to deliver coordinated health care to residents. There are two agreements in place: One between the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority and Alberta Health Services and another between Alberta Health Services and the Department of Health and Social Services.

Each agreement is structured as an umbrella agreement, with detailed service commitments and arrangements added as separate schedules. One example is the section focused on clinical ethicist support services. These services help patients, families, and health care providers navigate difficult decisions during complex care situations. This part of the agreement also supports staff development by offering targeted training to strengthen ethical decision-making across our health system.

Under the master services agreement held by the department, the first schedule formalizes the longstanding arrangement with Alberta Health Services for their administration of the NWT cancer registry. Alberta Health Services also acts on our behalf to report this data to the Canadian Cancer Registry and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries. This agreement reduces the administrative burden on local staff, allowing them to focus more on delivering essential services to residents.

Mr. Speaker, with the master services agreements now finalized, including the first two schedules, work is underway with Alberta Health Services to complete additional schedules that reflect the services already being delivered through our existing partnerships. These additions will help to ensure that all aspects of our collaboration are clearly defined and supported within a formal structure.

Additional schedules are currently being developed to formalize existing partnerships and processes. These include the exchange of health records to support patient care, access to specialized physician services, and position and medication information services. The agreements will also help coordinate travel arrangements for Northwest Territories residents who are referred to Alberta for medical care.

The agreements also provide a clear process for considering new partnerships. As new arrangements are developed, they will be documented and formalized under this modern framework.

Mr. Speaker, the finalization of these master service agreements is the result of extensive collaboration and dedicated work behind the scenes by staff across multiple departments and agencies. This includes contributions from the Department of Health and Social Services, all three health and social services authorities, the Department of Finance's procurement shared services division, and the Department of Justice. And I would like to sincerely thank all those involved for their commitment to advancing this important work. Their efforts have been instrumental in putting these agreements in place and laying the foundation for continued progress toward our goal of supporting healthy people and communities in the Northwest Territories. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Ministers' statements. Mr. Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise Members that the honourable Member for Thebacha will be absent from the House for a portion of today's proceedings to attend to a personal matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, elders, residents of Behchoko, and even Tlicho workers, have raised concerns about the Rayrock mine site and how nearby lakes could affect people's health and safety. These lakes are not being cleaned up as part of the current remediation work.

Mr. Speaker, the lakes known locally as Alpha, Beta, and Gamma are all connected to the old uranium mining at Rayrock. They are not part of the remediation plan. Even though they are very close to areas that are being treated, active clean-up taking place, sometimes less than 100 metres away.

The question that must be asked, Mr. Speaker, is this: What is the current state of contamination in these nearby lakes and why has that information not been made accessible to the people of Behchoko? The reports that do exist are highly technical and can only be interpreted by specialists.

Mr. Speaker, residents deserve clear and understandable information about what these results mean, what risks may exist, and why these nearby lakes were left out of the remediation plan. Mr. Speaker, if we want the Rayrock clean-up to truly protect people and the environment in the long term, we need a more open and complete approach that means clearly sharing test results, explaining what they mean in plain language, and ensuring that all impacted lakes are properly studied, including those not covered in the current clean-up plan. The safety of our land and water must never be left in question. Not negotiable.

I urge the government to work with the responsible authorities to share information with the community of Behchoko and make sure residents are kept informed and protected throughout the Rayrock clean-up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have question for the Minister of ECC.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Members' statements. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, over a decade ago, the NWT devolution agreement fundamentally transformed our territory's future. We gained province-like control over the public lands, our resources, our economic destiny. This was not merely an administrative transfer; it was a recognition that Northerners are best positioned to make decisions about the North. Legislation still remains with the Government of Canada.

Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I spoke of the declining resource sector, mineral industry departure. Mr. Speaker, with devolution came the authority to conditionally manage our own minerals, oil and gas development. We gained the power to collect royalties and keep up to 50 percent of resource revenues. We secured the right to make our own decisions on land use permits, regulatory timelines. These are not symbolic powers, Mr. Speaker. They are tools of economic resilience. Yet tools are only as valuable as our willingness to use them.

As we face the imminent loss of Diavik royalty revenues in the coming months and navigate uncertainty federal political landscape, we must ask ourselves are we fully seizing the opportunities that territorial control provides? Are we exercising our hard-won independence with the urgency of our economic situation demands?

Mr. Speaker, evolution for devolution, economic resilience is not built through hesitation; it is built through decisive action by using our devolved authorities to streamline approvals, attract investment, and demonstrate to the world that the Northwest Territories is truly open for responsible development.

Mr. Speaker, within the agreement, we have partial control and now want total independence. Now we have the aggression to use both secure and economic future. Later I will have questions to the Premier. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to draw attention to the House of an event happening next week in Yellowknife, the Arctic security working group being held in Yellowknife at the Joint Task Force North on November 5th and 6th, Mr. Speaker. To build relationships, nurture partnerships, and identify opportunity for collaboration is their aim, Mr. Speaker, to continue discussion around Operation NANOOK and continue information sharing between member stakeholders and the Arctic security working group.

The theme for the two days is shared infrastructure with DND, especially in the northern operational hub, such as Inuvik, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit. There are 226 people registered in person and virtually. And I understand, Mr. Speaker, that every federal department will have representatives participating in this event, and I encourage, Mr. Speaker, our government to ensure that we have the same level of participation. I note that Minister Wawzonek is on a panel with Mayor Peter Clarkson of Inuvik and Yellowknife Mayor Ben Hendrickson on doing a panel on perspectives on dual use infrastructure. And I also note, Mr. Speaker, that the MOU I spoke of in a previous Member's statement between Yellowknife and Inuvik to share information has now officially been signed.

Mr. Speaker, Arctic security is a growing concern nationally, for the NWT, our communities like Inuvik, and that are designated as northern operation hubs. Identifying and building shared infrastructure that is beneficial for our communities and DND is critical to help address our infrastructure deficit. Arctic security is an opportunity for all levels of government in the Northwest Territories to work with DND and ensure the North and Arctic are fully involved and share in these benefits. As we continue to see less sea ice, Mr. Speaker, and more open water in the Canadian Arctic and specifically in the Northwest Passage, Arctic security is a growing concern.

The freightership that was grounded this summer in the central Arctic was successfully salvaged and refloated without serious environmental issues, but this further supports the need for better Arctic security and monitoring, Mr. Speaker. The eyes of Canada, North America, and indeed the world are upon us. We have to be ready to meet this moment, Mr. Speaker, as the true guardians of the Arctic. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, the annual business plans of the GNWT are presented to Members and, in recent years, to the public as demonstrating how government is implementing its mandate. The mandate is built by departments and Cabinet to implement the 20th Assembly's priorities. This is the Russian nesting doll of the hierarchical system of how the GNWT chooses to action priorities of this House.

One of our collective priorities is access to health care and addressing the effects of trauma. And, Mr. Speaker, two years in, I wonder how effectively we are addressing trauma. This is concerning for many reasons.

It gives me pause especially because all of our priorities intersect. We can't have a healthy economy without addressing trauma. We can't address trauma without meaningfully addressing suitability, accessibility, and affordability of housing. We can't have safe residents and communities without addressing trauma and how it impacts public safety.

I spent part of my summer reviewing every business plan item related to addressing trauma. Many of these actions are things that the government was already doing prior to our election. Some of them are arguably under-resourced. Very few, if any of them, can be argued to have anything to do with addressing the root causes of trauma. I'd argue that only a few departments and agencies have meaningful actions in this regard, and I'd rather we target them more effectively, strategically, than trying to stretch a connection to trauma. For example, a committee meets a certain number of times a year as a target of our success.

Mr. Speaker, it's also notable that some departments have made very little progress so far under all priorities, not just the actions under trauma. This year's business plan update is going to be a crucial -- this coming year's business plan update, I should say, is going to be crucial for this House to dissect. I should ask all of us to consider, what is the point of a business plan if you're not effectively monitoring and evaluating your progress to know if your actions are meaningful or impactful?

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance oversees departmental business plan submissions. I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time.

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

Mr. Speaker, the schools across the North could collectively face a $60 million cut in Jordan's Principle funding for support staff. Programs and services come to an end. Yet, even with this funding, our schools have long struggled to provide quality education because their communities face severe shortage of affordable housing for teachers. Despite these challenges, schools in my communities continue to seek the best educators for our Indigenous children, teachers with skills and expertise to offer diverse classes and meet unique needs. They work hard to recruit top talent from colleges and universities across Canada when competition with the rest of the country is tough. Many of these teachers have mortgages to pay back home, and when they see rent here climbing well over $2,000 a month before even factoring in utilities and overall costs of living, they don't see the North as an option. Instead, they see the south to communities they provide teachers with free housing or, in cases of Nunavut communities, where staff housing is subsidized. Here in the Northwest Territories, meanwhile staff housing whittled away over time leaving the problem to DEAs which lack the necessary resources. All teachers can rely on now are market rentals which were never truly affordable and have become more expensive this year.

Our children have treaty rights to education. Yet students in my communities of Fort Resolution and Lutselk'e cannot access the same quality of education as their peers here in Yellowknife. Their schools struggle to recruit teachers and when they do, many don't last for long. Just a few days ago, I was informed that one of my communities lost yet another teacher. Once again, a lack of housing was to blame.

Mr. Speaker, our government must stand up for our small communities and our treaty rights because leaving classrooms without teachers is unacceptable. Later today, I will be asking the Premier to listen to our voices and join us in creating a solution they deserve in collaboration and also to uphold the treaty rights to education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the past few days in response to my statements, I've had a few Ministers respond that the last thing we need is to burn up staff's time creating more strategies and reports that don't take us anywhere. We need to focus on actions. Mr. Speaker, I agree with that sentiment. So I want to clarify what I've been getting at in my statements about strategy, analysis, and planning.

The difficulty we have in taking effective action is the GNWT is a large organization with diverse and sometimes competing mandates. If we don't focus our work, we end up going in far too many directions and the work isn't effective. That's why I keep coming back to analysis and strategy. We need to focus our work. We need to assess its effectiveness at addressing the problems we're facing and course correct when we're off track. Without effective strategy and planning, it's difficult to articulate what we are doing on any given front. It's even more difficult for staff to understand what's expected of them.

I think Cabinet does understand the need for focus and have demonstrated it in their own work. Very early on, the Premier identified he wanted to change how federal engagement was done. Rather than show up to Ottawa with a laundry list of ideas and asks, we are focusing on just a few things. Determining whether they are the right things is where analysis can be helpful.

The reason I've repeatedly referenced the Greenland Economic Council is that entity provides expert economic analysis as to whether the government's actions are targeted at the right things and whether they're being effective. That kind of advice can help us break out of entrenched perspectives and introduce ideas we haven't considered or show us where we aren't doing enough. For those reasons, I think this kind of analysis is essential to effective economic planning.

I have attached my suggestions about analysis and planning to the proposal to create an economic vision because that initiative was included in the business plans as part of mandate implementation. It has been further referenced by the government in response to calls in the environmental audit for more effective economic planning.

Mr. Speaker, I don't like ineffective strategies any more than our Ministers, and I don't like wasting time. That's why I called for measures to make the vision effective and get it done quickly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what should the government be doing about the economy? We sometimes hear that we should be running government like a business. If only we elected business people, then we'd get the territory booming in no time.

Historically, it has been easy to confuse business with government because of places like this that were founded as company towns. The gold mines built much of Yellowknife's early infrastructure. Imperial Oil built Norman Wells, you know, back in the good old days when we got things done. Now, the land corporations and dev corps connected to Indigenous governments are significantly expanding their business ventures and looking to take big stakes in mining and oil and gas. So are government and industry basically the same or should they be?

I think it's safe to say that a pure free-market economy doesn't exist anywhere in the world but especially not in the NWT given the level of government intervention and the extent that government procurement affects prices and government salaries affect wage pressures in the private sector. So is the solution for the GNWT to lean in and operate like a proper business?

It's important to remember that a business succeeds by maximizing profits, by squeezing the most money out of its customers, and by avoiding paying for damages it causes. The business model that built Yellowknife violated treaty obligations and left the public on the hook for billions of dollars in cleanup costs with irreparable damage to the land and water. Plus, the mining business model is famously a high-risk gamble. Most ventures fail, fold up and leave, and even when they succeed the idea is to take everything as quickly as you can and then still leave. Governments cannot afford to fail or to lose everything on a bad bet. The whole population cannot just pick up and leave.

So no, Mr. Speaker, I don't think it will serve the public interest to operate health care as a for-profit industry or public housing as if it was a real estate business. We should, indeed, expect excellence from government, but government's mission is not to shake down residents for maximum profits. It's also not to make every single northern business a winner. Government's mission is to provide physical and social infrastructure, the foundation for all residents to have a chance to succeed with clear and fair rules. Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and to my colleagues. So in conclusion, instead of spending our time and resources trying in futility to steer industry by the tail, let's focus on excelling at running government as government, not as a business. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I am going to talk about an opportunity that can support our workforce, diversify our economy, and just make sure life is just a little bit more enjoyable. It all starts by working through the Apprenticeship, Trade, and Occupational Certification Act and that particular program, Mr. Speaker. I am going to highlight two issues in this area of opportunity, but I am going to probably drill down a little further on one.

The first one we've all probably heard of, it's called landscaping and horticulture. Did you know it's a red seal trade program? Across the country, you can get certification in that. You can get support through Alberta, BC, Ontario, and many other jurisdictions.

Now, I am going to test the Assembly today. Does anyone really know what a lather and interior systems mechanic is? I hear silence, Mr. Speaker. You know why? Because no one knows what that is. It's drywaller for goodness sakes. And they're everywhere. They're key to our economy. They're key to building. So like horticultures, they provide essential services. Like drywallers, drywallers fix buildings and help maintain and bring them to life, horticulturists are landscaping people who help bring our community to life through sustainability options, health and beauty, trees, plants. They do many things to aid in the biodiversity of our community, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, two opportunities, and there are many more, speaking of which that the NWT trades program could expand and ask itself how are we supporting these trades.

I had asked someone in the trade the other day often do you see drywallers apprentice. They said they don't; they all come up from down south. I said but they're everywhere, like mushrooms after a fire; they just bloom. But yet sure enough, no one is training them. There is no trades program for drywallers in the Northwest Territories. I got asked by someone in the landscaping and horticulture business why isn't the trades program facilitating their staff so they could take on this training. It helps their skills, it helps our neighbours, it helps our community, and it empowers the workers to earn more money and to provide expertise in areas that people don't necessarily get.

Mr. Speaker, if we want to talk back to the point of saying an opportunity to strengthen or workforce, diversify our economy, and see a real opportunity that has been sort of going by, let's pause for a moment and ask ourselves is there a way to start facilitating these opportunities. And I certainly say there is ways we can strengthen our community, empower workers, and do more for Northerners as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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