Please be seated. I'd like to thank Elder Mitchell for the reflection today.

Ministers' statements. Minister for Housing NWT.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the recent Housing Symposium that was hosted by the NWT Housing Forum on January 22nd and 23rd in Yellowknife. This year's symposium marked the first in-person gathering since the forum began in 2023. Over the course of two days, we engaged in important discussions, shared innovative ideas, and strengthened our partnerships.

I want to extend my gratitude to over 85 representatives from Indigenous governments, bands, non-governmental organizations, municipal and community governments, industry, and the federal and territorial governments who participated in this year's symposium. Your involvement demonstrates our shared commitment to solving housing challenges in the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the symposium explored key topics such as skills and workforce development, the housing needs assessment, construction and design innovation, federal funding, service integration, and housing stability. These discussions are crucial for creating sustainable housing solutions, especially for our most vulnerable populations.

One of the key outcomes of this year's symposium was the reinforcement of our partnerships and collaboration opportunities. By working together, we can present a united voice to the federal government highlighting the unique housing needs of the NWT and advocating for the necessary support and resources.

Mr. Speaker, the symposium included an inspiring keynote speaker, Mr. David Fortin, a Metis architect. David emphasized the same teachings Indigenous people have valued for centuries - green architecture, natural materials, sustainability, and connection with the earth to inform the design of homes. He described houses as living organisms that should co-exist with the culture, language, and values of their inhabitants.

I am particularly encouraged by the emphasis on construction design and innovation, highlighting the importance of a sustainable and culturally relevant housing solution for the North.

Ne'rahten Developments Ltd and Taylor Architecture Group presented updates on the K'asho Got'ine Housing Society construction centre, emphasizing its role in creating jobs and fostering economic stability through local employment and training. Additionally, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, in collaboration with the Taylor Architecture Group, introduced a new housing design catalogue aimed at providing adaptable and energy-efficient housing designs tailored to the unique needs of northern communities. These initiatives underscore the forum's commitment to leveraging innovative construction practices to address the pressing housing challenges in the Northwest Territories. There were also sessions on skills and workforce development.

Mr. Speaker, I am confident that the insights and strategies developed during this symposium will guide us in building a stronger, more resilient housing sector in the NWT. Together, we can ensure that every resident has access to safe, affordable, and sustainable housing. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Ministers' statements. Deputy Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise the House that the honourable Member from Hay River North, the Premier, will be absent from the House for the remainder of this week to attend to the Council of Federation in Washington, DC. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Deputy Premier. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Range Lake.

Mr. Speaker, we certainly have our work cut out for us here in this chamber. From mine closures to the housing crisis, Arctic sovereignty to Indigenous reconciliation, there is no shortage of complicated issues we've been elected to find solutions for. Today, however, I want to speak about a problem that is much simpler to understand but just as serious to the safety and well-being of the public - crosswalks and intersections.

The problem is clear-cut. Motorists are going to drive, pedestrians are going to walk, and children are often going to be a little less predictable when they appear. Yet, we have crosswalks in my riding of Range Lake where the lights aren't functioning at all or don't even exist at all. Just in front of Range Lake North School at Borden Drive and Rivett Crescent, my constituents have been crossing without knowledge that a button they pressed did not initiate a warning to drivers that they were present resulting in some extremely close calls. This issue was a fairly major concern in the riding and actually made the local news.

Farther up Borden Drive, the crosswalk between Nova Plaza and Walmart has no lights at all. On some days, that narrow stretch of road can be best described as organized chaos. The flow of vehicles is constant, especially as those which turn in often, quickly turn once more to the parking lot at their destination. Meanwhile, people are often frustratedly standing trying to cross, and just a few metres beyond, that lies a busy bus stop on a tight bend.

I do want to commend the city of Yellowknife for quickly initiating repairs to the crosswalk lights by Range Lake North School and adding temporary signage to minimize any confusions. In fact, as I drove in to work today, I saw a crew of workers from the city finally fixing these lights. This may be a Range Lake issue, but truly all politics begins at a local level. My Range Lake constituents brought these concerns forward, the local administration applied their knowledge and resources to find the solutions, so now we have to do our part contributing the resources necessary to ensure school zones are the safest they can be and no matter the mode of transportation, everyone can get to and from their destination safely. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Choosing our youth for the public service:

Mr. Speaker, Indigenous youth are the future of the NWT, and we need more young people in the public service, Mr. Speaker. In April, the government will implement a new Indigenous employment policy. The Minister of Finance has said her department will now focus on recruiting people who are Indigenous to the present boundaries of the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I am concerned for our youth. They are already on an uneven playing field when we look at outcomes in our education system.

Many young people leave the territory for post-secondary education. We need to give them a reason to come back. We need to prioritize Indigenous students seeking public service employment under programs like the Schools North Apprenticeship Program (SNAP) and the summer student employment programs as well as internships. The government must do more to advertise in small communities. They must recruit Indigenous students and allow more time for students to apply for job postings.

The GNWT increased the amount of student financial assistance funding. Mr. Speaker, this is great news for Indigenous students pursuing post-secondary education but we need to incentivize, train, and retain our youth. Let's keep our best and our brightest in the territory whether that means co-op placements within vacant GNWT positions or transitioning students from Aurora College into GNWT jobs. More must be done to place Indigenous youth in the GNWT and keep them there. I will have questions for the Minister of Finance. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Happy Black History Month. Once again, the black advocacy coalition Up North, or Back Up North, is holding many free events and workshops throughout the month of February. Our territory is richer for all the contributions of its black residents from the worldwide diaspora, Mr. Speaker, and these events help us celebrate our neighbours.

Back Up North has already held a mental health workshop and a workshop on AI and the impact on black businesses. Still to come is a cooking workshop this weekend from 11 to 5 both days at Ecole Allain St-Cyr; and, on Saturday, February 22nd, there will be a black arts exhibition here in the legislative Assembly's Great Hall including art, once again, from Inemesit Graham whose art I have promoted in this House in previous sittings.

Mr. Speaker, all these events culminate with the Black History Month gala at the Chateau Nova here in Yellowknife on March 8th. It promises to be an evening of elegance, live music, cultural performances, and celebration. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon so keep your eyes peeled to the Back Up North social media for tickets. It's quite the party, Mr. Speaker, and I hope many MLAs and residents can attend. Tickets are sure to sell out. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Closure of community learning centres: Mr. Speaker, the Sahtu region, like other regions of the Northwest Territories, heard loud and clear the closures of 19 community learning centres. Mr. Speaker, the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated shares this frustration.

Mr. Speaker, of this, the Sahtu region will see nine job losses. This action has created a number of issues, barriers on capacity, at a time that is critically important on workforce readiness. Mr. Speaker, I highlight two major projects on our horizon: Number 1, the Norman Wells oil field closure; Number 2, the Yamoga, American, Fort Good Hope Construction Centre, a $15 million investment, this facility designed to build modular homes.

Mr. Speaker, education is a lifelong journey. Our success is our efforts as students, learners, parents, leaders, and more importantly as the government responsible for designing and implementation of a education curriculum that works.

Mr. Speaker, of these two initiatives are forecasted realities. I propose through collaboration, with the Department of ECE, the Sahtu can and must create a designed Indigenous northern training plan, a plan that is tailored by the Sahtu for the Sahtu. We are talking about our children's future.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard loud and clear on the demand for trades, professional positions, career security for our youth. Now the community learning centres' closures is a setback. However, as mentioned earlier, a joint regional leadership collaboration is inevitable. This approach will ensure, through meaningful engagements, discussions, renewed plans for the prosperity. Later I'll have questions for the appropriate Minister. Mahsi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to speak today about a large military operation happening in Inuvik in the Beaufort Delta. Of course, Mr. Speaker, I'm talking about Operation Nanook. From February 4th until March 20th, upwards of about 750 military personnel, including a large reserve contingent from Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick, as well as allies from the USA and Belgium, Mr. Speaker, and they're going to have air and ground exercises involving several other countries.

Mr. Speaker, this is a huge, obviously, economic benefit to the community of Inuvik, and the town of Inuvik alone, in just leasing of their space, upwards of $140,000, not to mention the equipment rentals, warehouse rentals, the impacts on our local stores, our craft shops, and so on and so forth, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as well, a large contingent of senior federal officials to see the operation later in February will be coming up to Inuvik and to kind of better understand the role of Inuvik and the NWT in securing the Arctic. A large media contingent during the operation to report the events will include W5, CBC, and many others.

This event, Mr. Speaker, showcases how NATO and NORAD countries are working together in the Canadian Western Arctic that demonstrates the Canadian Armed Forces capability to protect and sustain forces in the High Arctic under the harshest conditions and test new capabilities with our allies.

Mr. Speaker, I was discouraged to hear the leader of the opposition publicly announce that they're going to be looking at building a new Arctic military base in Iqaluit. Not to disparage our friends in Nunavut but, Mr. Speaker, Inuvik has an FOL base with an airstrip that has been extended, as we know, to accept the latest USA fighter jets, and the strip will be continue to be upgraded and fully tarred up there, Mr. Speaker.

Inuvik, as you know, is already a NORAD base with the existing capacity to immediately house 250 military personnel, and it can readily accept the need for an expanded military base and supporting infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, I'll be urging the Premier to reach out to whoever the next Prime Minister will be to certainly let them know that we expect the government to commit to not only fully funding the Mackenzie Valley Highway up to Tsiigehtchic to join into the Dempster Highway but certainly to make sure they do their homework and to realize that the practical reality is that Inuvik is best suited for this type of infrastructure, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Webster's dictionary defines quality as the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears its ability to satisfy stated and implied needs. Patients who travel to Yellowknife are, indeed, not receiving quality service in terms of accommodations. Residents of my riding are stating that they are being treated like second or third-class citizens by their very own government.

When I last brought up this very concern in the fall of 2024, the Minister stated the current contract would be up and the new contract details will address this accommodation concern while I am still receiving calls to address this very concern. Mr. Speaker, every time the concern of Quality Inn comes before the Minister and her department, they do not have a concrete solution. Maybe the solution is out there in the communities and with its residents.

The Nunavut government is taking their health department to the communities and want to hear from their residents. Imagine if this government decided to conduct a community consultation within each of the communities throughout the Northwest Territories? This would be a milestone approach for this government.

Personally, I'm running out of questions to ask the Minister and her department as to why our Indigenous population is subject to these deplorable conditions. The details of their contract and/or lack of accommodations within the city is no longer a valid answer. The majority of these patients that are travelling to Yellowknife are for dental purposes. Last year, there was talk about sending some of the patients to a different jurisdiction to receive dental care. This option would assist in the concern of quality service. It would be good if the talks were still ongoing.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I do not know what else I can say to bring comfort to the residents of my riding who have to travel to Yellowknife and be placed in this establishment. Like I stated, maybe the general public has the answer. Let's take it to the communities and its residents and resolve its ongoing concern once and for all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The legacy of colonialism in the North is just our legacy of intergenerational trauma due to the tragedy of residential school and many of the other practices which harm our culture and ways of life but also trauma and harms to our northern environment. Through the past decade, development in the North meant often little care was given to pollution and contaminants from industry which went on to cause chronic and acute illness still felt today and will be felt for a long time into the future.

My constituents of Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh have many of these issues -- illnesses present, especially cancer, which were unknown or rare just a few generations ago. These links, these illnesses, too many examples of neglectful practices from government and industry. We all know the example of Giant Mine just down the road and how it affected the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. But I want to bring forward another example from Lutselk'e that is lesser known outside the community.

In May 1970, a Wardair Bristol Freighter crashed on the ice. It was not a serious crash because all on board survived, but it could not be salvaged because it was firmly stuck in the ice that was about to melt. Therefore, it was left to sink just a short distance away from the community. They know where it is but it's not clear any assessment was done. A Bristol Freighter contains two 300-gallon fuel tanks, along with hydraulic fluids, and parts of that, when degraded, could be harmful to the environment. Because this plane sank in one piece with little damage, the fuel could still be leaking today. The community leaders want to bring these concerns forward and give the task to the GNWT who may need to partner with the federal government to help on this issue.

Like all communities, Lutselk'e wants to know if the territorial government will partner with them and connect them to more resources needed to clean up the surroundings from the harmful legacies of the past. And I will have questions for the Minister of ECC at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about mental health supports, particularly in Deh Cho communities. Mr. Speaker, more and more people need access to mental health supports and shelter services. In the Budget Address last week, we heard that the government is focused on supporting changes that address the effects of trauma and that the GNWT will support residents with mental health and addiction needs, including walk-ins and same day access for community counselling.

Mr. Speaker, last November, the GNWT created an on-the-land camp along the Ingraham Trail only after shelters in Yellowknife reached capacity. I would like to see us support similar initiatives in Deh Cho communities. Mr. Speaker, people in my riding need recovery and mental wellness supports now and for when they return from treatment to be successful back home.

Recently, Deh Gah Gotie First Nation was awarded funding for a 60-bed supportive housing facility to help women and families in Fort Providence. This is good, Mr. Speaker, but the Government of the Northwest Territories needs to offer similar supports because 60 beds will fill up quickly.

The web page for the Deh Cho Regional Health and Social Services Authority states that it employs 90 employees who provide health and social services such as mental health and counselling. Residents need to know how they can access these services. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services at the appropriate time, Mr. Speaker. Mahsi.

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I tabled a report by the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning which is an Indigenous-centered educational institution based here in the Northwest Territories. It integrates traditional knowledge and land-based learning into post-secondary education.

The report describes the results of a three-year study to determine what are the economic benefits of investing in Indigenous-centered adult education. Surveys and interviews were conducted with Dechinta students, alumni, staff, and elders to gather information on their educational goals and achievements, labour market participation, health, mental health, and life satisfaction.

The report focuses on the return on investment, specifically for Indigenous students living in the North. Now, unsurprisingly, both students and employed elders reported improvements in their health and mental health, but what is more remarkable is the concrete social and financial impacts that were documented. The report found that if you have a community where more Indigenous adults get even one year of post-secondary education, the all-cause mortality in that community -- so the number of deaths -- can be reduced by 9 percent. The estimated marginal tax revenue for just one cohort of Dechinta students is $3.6 million per year due to the increased labour market participation.

Yesterday I was talking about how adult education should not be treated as a remedial program that highlights someone's failures to graduate from high school. Instead, it can be transformative. And that's exactly what Dechinta is trying to do. Beyond individual literacy, beyond even family-based literacy, this is community-based literacy in action. The learning semesters involve everyone together out on the land, you have adult students along with elders, and even children's programs alongside them.

Now, Dechinta does not replace the need for other post-secondary options and the kinds of programs that are offered by colleges and polytechnic institutes and universities. Where Dechinta has been very effective is as a gateway for adults to build confidence that they do belong in secondary learning and they don't need to leave culture, community, and traditional knowledge behind to gain further education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we often hear the saying in sports, you miss 100 percent of the shots that you don't take. Well, Mr. Speaker, I want to suggest that the same thing is true in terms of attracting funding for government projects, funding for projects such as the polytechnic university. And I want to speak a little bit today about what we're missing out on by not bringing the polytechnic to fruition as quickly as we need to.

Mr. Speaker, in November, Inuit Nunangat University initiative received $50 million donation from the Mastercard Foundation, and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed said his organization would be requesting an additional $50 million of support from the federal government in the upcoming budget.

Mr. Speaker, as I've spoken about several times in this House, Yukon University has attracted a lot of funding because they transitioned to a university, and they chose to go forward with a visionary plan, and in 2019, the federal government gave them $26 million for a new science facility.

Mr. Speaker, eyes are looking north. There are millions of dollars being put towards northern universities for infrastructure and research, but we are not capturing this money.

Mr. Speaker, the foundational review of Aurora College noted that this is an increasingly competitive environment, and the NWT stands at risk of falling behind our neighbours. That is exactly what I see happening now seven years after the foundational review was released. Mr. Speaker, the NWT is way behind our neighbours in the Yukon and, now, I fear that I see us falling behind Nunavut as well.

Mr. Speaker, applied research is a key focus of polytechnics and takes several forms. A unique one is collaborative research programs involving faculty, students, and industry or community partners. This kind of offering would help Aurora College become a hub for northern-led research bringing important research dollars into our communities. A recent study by Polytechnics Canada found that for every dollar invested in applied research, there is a return that ranges from a low of $8 to a high of $18. For example, since transitioning to university status in 2013, research dollars at Saskatchewan Polytechnic grew from $845,000 to $6.3 million. I've run out of time, Mr. Speaker. I'll have to finish this story tomorrow. But I'll have questions for the Minister of ECE at the appropriate time. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Income assistance helps families at risk in several ways, and I'm very supportive of this. A civil society, as we all know, tries to collectively help each other in ways that no one is left too far behind. Income assistance does offer immediate assistance in crisis, job loss, illness, and many other reasons to help stabilize the family. This, we all know. And we know, at the same time, it doesn't fix every problem but, again, stability and making sure they're okay is a contributing principal of the program.

Mr. Speaker, but the backstop is exactly what is - a backstop of basics. It's not meant to be a lottery despite how some people believe it is. Mr. Speaker, basic coverage really could mean anywhere from food and housing, as already mentioned, but the principle is we need to make sure people are okay. But that said, where do we continue to the next phase? What is next?

I often think the system fails itself because it's not focused purely on where do we go next. The important question is yes, we've helped you from spiralling down further, like the torrent spiral of the gravity pull of someone getting down further and further into despair, Mr. Speaker; the question is who is throwing a rope to help people out. Who is plying the ladder to say let's help you climb out together. Mr. Speaker, we cannot leave people adrift alone because that's exactly what we get, is that helping them with the basics and saying you're on your own is exactly where many people stay.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage, and if not say demand, the system starts asking this serious question of saying why aren't we providing navigators to help people find their way to the next phase? We must not view this as an impossible challenge but as a possible challenge of a way we can change lives for the better. Mr. Speaker, through an empowerment attitude and process, our navigators, through the income support program, can inspire people to say how can we make today better than yesterday; how can we make tomorrow better than any other day you've seen so far?

Mr. Speaker, there was a time when income support did have social workers in their program. Now that was a long time ago, and I won't go into that. Someone may, of course, may have thought, wow, they're just data entry jobs. But what's been changed is that critical part of the conversation about empowerment. They're not data entry people. They are people who are on the frontline making a positive difference in those lives. I think we could work together to help change people at risk, families at risk, to stable, strong, contributors to society. We can do this together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Whoops, I got ahead of myself. It was Members' statements, not oral questions. So let's go back to Members' statements.

Good afternoon, Colleagues. Today, I am going to recognize a long service member of the public service, Mr. Mike Drake.

I had the pleasure of knowing him for over 20 plus years. I first got to know him when he moved to Fort Liard to become a social worker for the community. In true Mike's fashion, after a couple of years of getting a good handle on his job he wanted to be more involved in the community, if that was possible. He became the fire chief and the mayor. The community greatly appreciated his commitment and willingness to help where he was needed.

After there, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs came calling for a community governance advisor and deputy chief municipal elections officer. Like he told me, it was something new and interesting which excited him, especially the opportunity to provides advice, training, and support to community governments and to Municipal and Community Affairs on community governance, legislation, bylaw making, supporting the development and advancement of workable, affordable, and efficient form of local and regional governments and implementation of the new Aboriginal self-governments. As well, the position had an impact on nearly all residents in the Northwest Territories through support to all 33 community governments and Indigenous governments.

In 2010, he moved to the Yukon for a very brief time as the SAO, but he and his family missed the NWT and the Deh Cho region. Lucky for him, the regional superintendent position came open for the Deh Cho region and he applied. He spent over ten years in Fort Simpson as the regional superintendent. For the first five years, I got to work with him and got to know his wife and daughter. They were very happy to be back. We were thankful what he liked about the job and would say the department's work in the region in supporting communities increasing resources, authority, and responsibility over areas and working with the communities in regards to their emergency management organization. One of his assets was his ability to speak Dene Zhatie. He was able to have conversations with elders and leadership in their traditional language explaining the process and procedures when needed.

After 2021, he had the opportunity to take on the same role with the Tli Clo region. He thoroughly enjoyed his time there but the need to see other parts of the country came a calling and he and his wife retired and moved to BC.

I would like to wish him and his family all the best in his retirement. Thank you for your service for the Deh Cho, TliCho, and residents of the Northwest Territories.

Members' statements. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your committee would like to report on its consideration of Bill 12, the Business Day Statute Law Amendment Act.

Bill 12 received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on October 30th, 2024 and was referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations for review. The standing committee completed its clause-by-clause review of the bill with the Minister of Justice on February 10th, 2025.

Mr. Speaker, the committee reports that Bill 12, the Business Day Statute Law Amendment Act, is ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Reports of Committees on the Review of Bills. Reports of Standing and Special Committees. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, your Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges is pleased to provide its Report on the Chief Electoral Officer's Report on the Administration of the 2023 Territorial General Election and commends it to the House.

INTRODUCTION

In accordance with subsection 266(2) of the Elections and Plebiscites Act, the chief electoral officer is required to submit a report on the administration of election-related activities within six months following a territorial general election. This report includes any issues the CEO deems important for the Legislative Assembly and offers recommendations for enhancing election administration, as well as suggestions for potential amendments to the Act.

The Speaker tabled the CEO's report on May 21st, 2024, in the Legislative Assembly and was subsequently referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges for review and response to the recommendations.

From September 2, 2024, to September 27, 2024, committee invited public input on the CEO's report, receiving two written submissions. On September 27th, 2024, the committee held a public briefing with CEO Stephen Dunbar and deputy chief electoral officer Charlotte Digness. During this session, Mr. Aleksi Toiviainen from Vote16 Canada also provided testimony, focusing on the CEO's recommendation to lower the voting age in the Northwest Territories to 16.

Committee made two recommendations in Committee Report 18-20(1), Interim Report on the Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the Administration of the 2023 Territorial General Election, recommending a repeal and replacement of the Elections and Plebiscites Act before the end of the 20th Assembly, and that the CEO engage with the Northwest Territories Association of Communities to determine how to better support local authority election activities.

In the report, committee noted that they would like to continue their investigation into the recommendation of the CEO to lower the voting age to 16 and will provide a separate report in the 2025 Winter Sitting of the Legislative Assembly on their findings and the response to this recommendation.

LOWERING THE VOTING AGE TO 16

Committee has undertaken further work on the CEO's recommendation to lower the voting age to 16 and has not reached consensus on the recommendation.

Committee's work has highlighted that there may be a number of viable solutions to improving low voter turnout in the Northwest Territories. As such, committee feels that the CEO's recommendation should be considered as s part of a larger conversation about broader engagement and empowerment of the electorate. Committee believes that this issue warrants further study and should be accompanied by an appropriately expanded mandate for committee to consider the full scope of potential options, including recommending policy and legislative options.

Recommendation 1: The Standing Committee on Procedures and Privileges recommends that the Speaker refer the broader matter of low voter turnout in the Northwest Territories to the Standing Committee on Procedures and Privileges to be studied and reported on.

CONCLUSION

Committee wishes to thank the members of the public who provided written submissions and the witnesses who participated in committee's public hearing in September 2024.

Committee would like to once again express its gratitude to Elections NWT for their hard work, commitment, and support, not only to the election candidates but also to the residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River South, that Committee Report 21-20(1), Standing Committee on Procedure and Privileges Report on the Review of the Chief Electoral Officer's Report on the Administration of the 2023 Territorial General Election - Lowering Voting Age to 16, be received and adopted by the Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstention? Motion has been carried. So the motion has been carried. Committee report has been received and adopted by the Assembly. Thank you.

---Carried

Reports of Standing and Special Committees. Returns to oral questions. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement today I talked about trying to find ways to empower people to -- actually, you know what, Mr. Speaker, I'll redirect my question if you give me the moment to leave. I would like to now point my question to the Minister of housing, and my question was a year ago I had asked her about how we could uplift housing opportunities, such as the Rockhill Apartment, and work with private industry to find new ways and innovative ways to provide social housing for people, innovative for business, and get people living a much healthier lifestyle.

Mr. Speaker, would the Minister of housing be able to update me on the potential partnership or idea I proposed to her a year ago about getting private industry involved in the Rockhill property that's been sitting empty for years. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. The Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Rockhill properties, we do have an agreement with a local NGO to develop Rockhill properties. The agreement is in force until the end of March 2025, so we still have a bit of time with the local NGO. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Has there been any movement or indication that something's actually going to be done on that property; and if so, can the Minister update the House? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No movement yet. I did ask Housing NWT for some information, and we don't have any updated information at this time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Member from Yellowknife Centre. Last supplementary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think I believe the Minister sent me a draft version or some type of copy of the agreement. She nodded, and I remember going through it. I asked, or I'm curious, on cancellation provisions knowing -- my question's going towards cancellation provisions. So in other words, is there a way that the Minister can cancel this initiative so we can actually go out and find a partner who can actually bring real opportunity to support housing for much needed people and families. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as noted, meeting with the MLA last August, I believe, of 2024, we did discuss cancellation provisions. So the local NGO does have to come up with funding for their program or their proposal, and they have until the end of March 2025 to provide that and then the clause in terms of cancellation provisions will be in effect. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a parent with young children, daycare is very important in my life, very important for many Northerners. In speaking with day home providers, which are their own industry, it seems like there's some pretty significant issues that are challenging their ability to operate. I've spoken with the Minister about this. I'm hoping she can give some answers to the public now. There seems to be a dispute around pay. Day home operators maintain, at least the ones I've been speaking to, that they make less than minimum wage grid that is being developed for centre operators. So can the Minister explain how the $3.5 million that ECE has for early learning childcare is going to benefit day home operators. Thank you.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when we sat in this room back when that first came up when we were reviewing the main estimates, it was discussed that there was a desire to seek wage parity between centre-based providers and people who were working as classroom assistants in our JK to 12 education system. As it stands, our home-based educators have already received that parity based on their higher aftertax income that they do have. However, our centre-based providers still do make less than our education assistants. And so the goal there is to use that $3.5 million that, thank you, was secured by Regular Members in order to increase that amount and bring them to parity with classroom assistants.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, day homes are also required to complete a mandatory 80-hour course, the Alberta essentials course, but they don't get any time off to do this. It doesn't count as a training day. They're being told they have to use their vacation days to do this training. Why is the department not allowing these to be counted as training days and why are they not -- and let's just leave it there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's a 54-hour course that people without post-secondary education are required to complete in order to be considered certified under the new system and the new regulations. And so those 54 hours, if somebody works for a centre-based system, their operator determines if they are able to use centre-based time to do that. There is no difference in the amount that is based to the centre. And then in addition for people who are day home operators, they receive two training days, and they're able to use that time to complete the course should they wish, and that does not have an impact to their pay at all. So you've heard it here. People can use their two training days to complete that 54-hour course. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Last supplementary. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I mean, that's a lot to cram into two days but it is better news than they've had before, so I look forward to speaking to them and see if that works.

The other thing that's not being provided is inclusive childcare for kids with special needs and learning disabilities. There's no funding available to them. I've spoken to the Minister about the SKIP program; it doesn't apply to day homes. They can't hire their own staff. They're sole operators. So how are we providing care for inclusive early childcare -- early childcare and education for these kids? Because they need it. They have doctors' notes, they can prove it to the department, but they're not getting help. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member's absolutely right. The SKIP program is for centre-based learning. Home-based operators who have preschool aged children with specialized or individual needs are able to receive $4,200 -- or sorry, 5200, $5,200, annually while the child is enrolled in the program, and that is the additional supports that ECE currently provides to day homes. Thank you.

Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, last week the Premier tabled a document that was a return to an oral question that expands on the conversation question that I had with the Deputy Premier last October. The commitment was to provide a more detailed timeline on the work towards establishing functional zero goals for all communities. I got a reply but limited information on timelines.

So, Mr. Speaker, can the Deputy Premier tell me if we are on track to meet the homelessness strategy's goal outcome of goals set for each community to reduce homelessness by their own target of the end of 2025? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Madam Deputy Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this point there certainly has been some slippage in that timeline but it's owing, in part, due to some of the unanticipated challenges of truly working with the partners in this space. So I understand that there's efforts -- significant efforts underway to work with NGOs and with those -- and Indigenous governments, community governments, others who are working collaboratively to ensure that the individual targets are appropriate to their communities so wanting to ensure that the ultimate timeline is aligned with the work that is happening on the ground. And so with that, it's now clear that there may not be targets for every community in place by 2025. Work does continue towards that ultimate goal. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, I would hope that when updated timelines are available, they could be shared.

Mr. Speaker, I've heard that we need more data to support our applications for funding future transitional housing. Can the Deputy Speaker -- Deputy Premier please tell me if we have sufficient data to be seeking dollars both within Yellowknife and in our regions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that actually hits on what really is the biggest barrier right now in terms of being able to move this forward and with some timelines. Data is a challenge in this space.

I can say, Mr. Speaker, that there is support now flowing to non-government partners with respect to having a client management software system. So it's an actual system that can be used to better track and understand the challenge that is faced and how it's moving forward. So, again, there is significant work happening in this space, and it's collaborative work that's happening in this space. So hopefully with that, and as that moves forward, the data and then the timelines and the targets will continue to be advanced. And I'm pretty confident in saying that we can make sure that Members are updated accordingly. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Premier. Final supplementary. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, I'm wondering then, too I understand that there's work being done to get that data here in Yellowknife. There's work that is anticipated to get that data here in Inuvik this year. But with our smaller communities, our regional centres, I am curious is the Deputy Premier or the Premier, she's speaking for today, planning to bring these conversations forward with Council of Leaders to get that data from Indigenous governments? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, there is -- there's some very specific efforts already underway. Larger centres already had, in some cases, the capacity to move this forward. I will certainly be more than happy to bring back the suggestion that this go back to Council of Leaders if it hasn't already.

Mr. Speaker, there is some work, indeed, underway already in Fort Simpson and in Inuvik as well as Hay River. So, you know, again, happy to take this back and suggest that Council of Leaders be engaged, again, if they're not and to ensure that report is brought back to Members on that work. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Premier. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

So the GNWT's multi-year funding agreement with Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning is set to expire in March 2025. So while most of Dechinta's funding has come from the federal level as well as private sources, GNWT funding is critical to show other donors and funders that the institution is critical to this territory, and a multi-year funding commitment is necessary to ensure Dechinta can actually secure its faculty staffing because professors would not agree to work on a month's notice year to year. So is the Minister working with Dechinta to set up a new multi-year funding agreement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we are working to achieve a new multi-year funding agreement before the end of this current fiscal year. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has had a great working relationship with Dechinta over the last decade and has just -- which includes currently the two-year contribution agreement which the Member is talking about which concludes at the end of this fiscal year. Thank you.

Thank you, that's great news from the Minister.

Dechinta is also well placed to lead community-based research on both social and environmental themes but because it doesn't have official status as a private college, it's currently excluded from being eligible for research grants. So how is ECE supporting Dechinta's efforts to become a private college and be able to access those research grants? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to start out with a huge shout out to Kelsey Wrightson, who is the executive director of Dechinta and is very active, and we have great meetings, and I love hearing about her vision. So the Post-secondary Education Act came into force in 2022, and this provides the foundation to build the new system. So through the Act, a quality assurance system for the accreditation of certificate, diploma, and degree programs and institutions was created, and this includes the opportunity for designation as a private college. So staff with education, culture and employment meet with Dechinta on a regular basis and recurring basis to ensure they can pursue the appropriate recognition under that piece of legislation, and this work is currently underway. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So can the Minister clarify whether the establishment of Dechinta as a private college would require new legislation; and if so, how long would that take or what would be the timeline for that Act being introduced in this House? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can say that, yes, operating as a college requires that the institution be established in legislation. And as far as timelines, it really depends on how that work progresses and so I would love to report back on that progress to the Member. But currently, there is a quality assurance process that must be undertaken, and ECE is working closely with Dechinta through this process. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my questions are to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. What is the Department of ECE's preparations to retain the nine positions lost in the Sahtu because of the community learning centres' closures? Thank you.

From the Sahtu. Minister for Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to start off by recognizing that there is absolutely an impact to communities across the Northwest Territories and specifically the staff of the community learning centres across the Northwest Territories. However, under the Aurora College Act, Mr. Speaker, the board of governors is responsible for operations decisions of the college. I know that Aurora College is working closely with Department of Finance to support staff through the process and that elements of the staff retention process and policy have been communicated to potentially affected staff, and work is underway to find potential placements for those staff. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm glad that job search is underway to assist the individuals.

My second question there, Mr. Speaker, is what is the Department of ECE's position on the current learning centres' facilities or the buildings; what are the future plans of those assets? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are some community learning centres which are leased within communities and some where the infrastructure's owned by the GNWT. So in instances where it is leased by the Government of the Northwest Territories for the purpose of a CLC, it will be -- the lease will be terminated. And in the instance where it is owned, we have been -- we have had outreach from Indigenous governments, communities, and organizations, and they've been in contact with both ECE and Aurora College, and they've let known what their interests are in some of those facilities. Now, of course, outreach has not happened for every single one of them. At the same time time, though, Mr. Speaker, ECE does remain responsible for providing residents with access to quality programs and supports that enhance education and employment opportunities in the Northwest Territories. And so right now we're continuing to work with Aurora College to find out how adult learners will continue to be supported through the planned closures of the community learning centres.

I think it's also worth noting that through the Department of Infrastructure, Mr. Speaker, there are currently GNWT processes of how to deal with assets that may be vacated and no longer used for their traditional use. So right now at this point, we've got some learning and exploring to do, and then we do have contacts from people who have ideas of how they'd like to use those facilities. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister for Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you to the Minister for that reply. I'm glad efforts are taken to make use of these facilities. I've been in a number of them, and they're ideal buildings for other uses.

So my last question: Will the Minister support a joint meeting between each Sahtu community leadership and the department so we can share the information updated and what the future plans are? Mahsi.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely to the Member's question, the answer is yes. I also have to say I've been really excited about some of the creative solutions that people are coming forward with for community learning centres. And I think that's part of our success story here, at the end of the day, is really looking creatively and at communities independently because everybody's needs are going to be different at the end of the day here. I also want to reflect, Mr. Speaker, on what the Member said as far as education being a lifelong journey, and I -- I'm certainly committed to joining the Member on that journey. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister for Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The ongoing concern of Quality Inn and patients having to be housed in this facility, it's been addressed by myself, my colleagues, the residents of the Northwest Territories, and the media. What is the Minister and her department doing to address this very important ongoing concern? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Mackenzie Delta. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker -- and thank you to the Member. You know, the issues with the boarding home, unfortunately, the increased travel that has happened, especially from the Beaufort Delta, I think in the last number it was almost 45, 50 percent increase in travel, which Keskorie who currently has the contract, their facility is unable to accommodate that. Even though they moved from that old facility to the new facility with more beds and more space, they still are unable to accommodate that. What they are doing, though, and they have been, is working with other hotels and they've been successful trying to get rooms in more other hotels as needed when the overcapacity is happening, but this is ongoing work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've been addressing this concern for quite some time, and it seems the Minister or department does not have the concrete answer. Maybe the answer's somewhere else; maybe it's in the communities or its residents. Will the Minister commit to follow suit with our neighboring territory Nunavut and take her department and hear the concerns of the communities and its residents of the Northwest Territories. Maybe the answer's out there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member. And this issue is not new. If you think about the last government, I probably raised this on an ongoing scenario as well. And that's why, you know, we are not just doing a medical travel policy review. We are doing a medical travel -- a review of how we move patients and what is needed and taking into account all of the things that the Member has raised, many Members in this House have raised. This government and past governments, I think the one thing that we didn't expect was the issues that are arising around dental and that increase around that. There is ongoing negotiations right now with the department -- or with ISC on ensuring that we are being able to provide dental to those residents and coming up with ways to bring dental services back into the communities. However, this is ongoing and so the work is continuing. And like I said, in the short fix is that we do have Keskorie working with other hotels in Yellowknife trying to secure more than just the hotel that they have been able to secure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll leave my third question out, and I'll go back to my second question I asked. The question is the Minister willing to take her department out to the communities and get feedback from the communities and its residents? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do commit to doing this as I also -- you know, with part of this medical travel piece, we are working -- you know, this is a conversation that comes up with -- at the Council of Leaders. It comes up in bilaterals with Indigenous governments. It comes up with constituents. So I have heard from many residents and these are all the things, as the Minister, that I'm taking in account while looking at the bigger -- the medical travel -- modernization of how we're moving patients in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Masi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to know what steps the government are taking to increase the number of Indigenous youth working for the GNWT in their home communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Minister of Finance.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's quite a number of things that -- different programs and services available. There's, of course, the Indigenous Recruitment and Retention Framework which is an overarching way of looking at how the GNWT engages with potential employees, communities. There's also a number of programs, not the least of which is Indigenous Career Gateway Program. This is an opportunity that was not fully subscribed just a few years ago when I had started here and is now very fully subscribed which is a certainly positive circumstance. But it's entry level positions where we can actually go out and bring people into the public service or training positions where someone may not have the formal qualifications on paper, but we can set up a training program so that a person can actually join the public service, be trained in on the job over the course of two years, and then gain an indeterminate position. And further, Mr. Speaker, there's, of course, all of the student assistance programs which don't reside entirely within finance but, again, we are engaged with my colleague here and with the Department of ECE so that students who are part of SFA, which is open to ordinary residents of the Northwest Territories, have outreach from recruitment, from human resources, and similarly so they have recruitment to come back and join our summer student programs which, I believe, are going to be announced fairly soon, and that is a serious gateway that a lot of people come use to come into the public service. I'll leave it there for now, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you. Will the new Indigenous employment policy apply to internships and summer students employment program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, just as the current affirmative action policy applies, so too will the Indigenous employment policy apply. And, Mr. Speaker, I can say anecdotically we do find that the bigger challenge is really bringing in students. We find often that students begin to go down the process and accept jobs more quickly than we can get to them. So it's more often than not that the students that are utilizing this are all getting scooped up which is, again, a good problem for us to have. We are looking, therefore, to have individuals who are members of the First Nations, Inuit, Metis people of the North having first priority and first access and, Mr. Speaker, again, we'll be continuing the outreach efforts that we undertake usually to students -- all students who are ordinary residents so that they are aware of these programs as soon as they come open again. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Finance. Final supplementary. Member for Monfwi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will an Indigenous young person from a small community like Gameti applying for GNWT jobs right out of high school have an advantage under this policy? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, yes, that is the expectation, is that an Indigenous person gets the advantage, an Indigenous person -- Indigenous to one of the member groups of the Northwest Territories does have -- would -- expected to have an advantage. And, Mr. Speaker, I take the comment earlier, I should acknowledge it with respect to some of the smaller communities we should be considering, and I'm happy to go back to the department and ensure, that, indeed, they -- students are aware of this program. The last plug I'll make is we also have the remote work policy. So, again, quite a lot of change, quite a lot of effort in the last few years to modernize our public service. Students, and in particular also residents in small communities, can consider applying and using the remote work policy so that they could potentially take a position outside their own community while still staying in their home community. So last comment on that, hopefully that also starts to see some uptake. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I reiterated my concerns about what we're missing out on by not moving forward quickly enough with the polytechnic transition and, as such, I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Mr. Speaker, why is our Minister not out championing the polytechnic transition and seeking funding to implement the facility's master plan? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I guess I should start off thanking Members for giving me this area here to champion the college on a regular basis here in the House. I do see transformation of Aurora College as an incredible opportunity for the territory because our students deserve to have quality access to great programs, and that is part of the transformation, is the programming as well.

Given the arm's length relationship with Aurora College, I have met with the board of governors on a regular basis and have reiterated to the chair, but also the entire board, that when they are ready, I am ready to go with them to Ottawa to advocate for additional funding. I am willing to support them in this endeavour.

I have also had conversations with southern counterparts and federal officials in regards to Aurora College and what they are looking for. I specifically have had conversations as well about student housing at Aurora College as that is one thing that was indicated to me by the board of governors as being their top priority right now for facilities for the college itself, specifically Breynat Hall down in Fort Smith. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged to hear about that information from the Minister. Some of those things are things that I wasn't aware of.

Mr. Speaker, is the Minister concerned, considering the news that came out about the Inuit Nunangat University recently, that the NWT is falling behind our neighbours, that is a competitive environment that the NWT wants to stay on top of; is the Minister concerned about the progress that we are not yet making on moving this project forward? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I see what's happening in the Yukon and Nunavut as a positive for us because it means that there is heightened awareness and increase looking at education in the Arctic and education in the North and, specifically, in the territories. I see this as plowing the way for us and see this as being a great opportunity for us to continue down the path that we are on and eventually get to that point. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, the Minister in her response to my first question kind of alluded to the fact that she's waiting for some direction from the Aurora College board. Has she received any indication that this is going to be the year that we go out and start championing this project? I appreciate her saying that she's willing to go with them to Ottawa, that she's willing to go out, and I definitely think we need that kind of Team NWT approach since we like to talk about teams like Team Canada, but, Mr. Speaker, has she received any indication that that's happening and is she pushing that; are we going to see it this year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you for the question, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, this work is already being done. I would say that it is not potentially conversations that are happening in public realms, but I can assure the Member that conversations around different avenues to access student housing are occurring with the board of governors, specifically with the chair and with the president. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Lutselk'e Dene First Nation brought forward their concerns to my attention about the Wardair Bristol Freighter that crashed and sunk in the spring of 1970 just a few meters away from the shoreline. My question is to the Minister of ECC. Since Wardair no longer exists, who's ultimately responsible today to clean up this plane wreckage 55 years later; is it the GNWT or the Government of Canada? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you much to the Member for the question. You know, as we talk about environmental liabilities -- and this certainly, from the description, sounds like an environmental liability of such in the North -- you know, there are many instances where these types of things have happened in the past that haven't been addressed and as we look forward to ways to address these, you know, it's certainly important that we work with all of our counterparts, including the federal government.

As to this specific instance, the Department of Environment and Climate Change has responsibility for spills that happen within communities, on highways, on public land. These types of events that happen in waterways would fall under the responsibility of the federal government and not the Government of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister. Can the Minister of ECC commit to work with the Lutselk'e Dene First Nation and the Government of Canada to find the necessary resources needed to clean up this plane wreckage as soon as possible and also to do an assessment of the plane's wreck site. Thank you.