I'd like to thank Theresa Echinelle for opening prayer and guiding words. We have a full audience today. I don't understand why; I wonder what excitement is happening today. Oh, right, item number 2, Budget Address. Minister of Finance.

Mr. Speaker, I am delivering the second budget of the 20th Assembly at a time of significant economic and political uncertainty - not only in the Northwest Territories but across Canada and the world - made more perilous by the potential implementation of import tariffs by the United States. The Government of the Northwest Territories is a small player on this very large stage, but we can provide stability within the territory and must continue to maintain our readiness for whatever challenges and uncertainties may arise.

Events like these tariffs are why we introduced fiscal sustainability in the first place, but they also demonstrate why we are applying it in a strategic fashion. We are not making cuts for the sake of cuts; rather, we are using the budget we have wisely and being cautious with reductions so we can meet uncertainty with confidence while remaining committed to delivering on the priority goals set by this Assembly.

Budget 2025 provides resources to fund the actions, activities, and programs that move us toward these goals and the priorities set by this Assembly while ensuring we live within our means. We are focused on maximizing efficiency and innovation to make the most of existing resources, rather than simply creating new budget line items.

Today, I will outline some of the financial resources dedicated to our continued work in achieving the goals of the mandate, as well as to other programs and services on which communities and residents depend. To start, I will provide an update on the fiscal challenges we face.

Mr. Speaker, 2024-2025 was yet another challenging year for many communities and residents across the Northwest Territories. While residents in the south were recovering from the 2023 wildfires and evacuations, residents in the Beaufort Delta were experiencing record-setting fall and winter snowfalls. This snow had a heavy impact on roads and raised the costs to maintain regional access and supply chains. And, by the spring, we faced a different weather effect in the form of extreme low water that resulted in a crisis for communities in the Sahtu with the first ever complete cancellation of a barge season since Marine Transportation Services or its predecessors began to conduct barge resupply. We also had yet another difficult wildfire season as residents of Fort Good Hope were evacuated. Low water on the Snare hydro system raised costs as Northwest Territories Power Corporation was forced to burn diesel and the GNWT stepped in to maintain pricing stability for ratepayers on the Snare system. Ratepayers across the Northwest Territories benefit from that action through the Territorial Power Support Program that subsidizes rates to those in Yellowknife. Last, but not least, health care needs and costs continue to escalate.

As we near the end of this fiscal year, we are projecting expenses to be $197 million higher and revenues $27 million less than budgeted and have revised the projected 2024-2025 operating surplus to $69 million.

As a result, we are not yet within reach of the targets set in our fiscal strategy of Restoring Balance. This strategy was never meant to prevent prompt responses during extraordinary challenges or demand cuts for the sake of achieving a reduction target. Restoring Balance is part of shifting the culture of how we deliver programs and services to ensure that we maximize the value from the budget available. We remain committed to Restoring Balance and we are grateful to see support for evidence-based changes. For example, using the resources proposed in Budget 2025, our public service will continue over the coming year to deliver efficiency improvements through the Health System Sustainability Unit, through fleet management, and our lease envelope.

The proposed 2025-2026 Budget forecasts revenues to increase two per cent from 2024-2025 to almost $2.7 billion, with Territorial Formula Financing driving total revenue growth. Total operating expenditures are increasing 6.5 per cent to almost $2.5 billion. We are proposing $9.1 million in reductions across all departments. The resulting $145 million in net new spending includes $27 million in programs that are federally funded and $108 million for collective bargaining increases for compensation and benefits. Inflationary and increased program demand costs were kept to less than $27 million. And the remaining $10-million increase to the expenditures for discretionary spending is an increase of only 0.5 per cent compared to last year's budget.

The resulting operating surplus of $170 million would generate enough of a cash operating surplus to fund all of 2025-2026 capital investments. Despite this, at the end of the next fiscal year total debt is projected to be $1.772 billion, which is $31 million higher than the current 2024-2025 estimate. Short-term borrowing is projected to increase $50 million while long-term borrowing is expected to decrease $19 million. This projection puts us close enough to the federal borrowing limit and we have requested, and expect to receive, a borrowing increase from Canada to give us the flexibility to respond to any future unforeseen fiscal pressures.

[Translation] INSERT* [Translation Ends]

Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories is now on the eve of the closing of one of the diamond mines that have been the backbone of our private sector economy for over 25 years.

And for the third consecutive year, overall economic activity is expected to decline in 2025. However, business investment remains a key driver of growth. While mineral exploration and appraisal spending in 2024 is projected to be lower compared to 2023, that year defied expectations, reaching a 15-year high.

Population continues slow but positive growth and the Northwest Territories economy continues to have high employment and some of the highest wages and salaries in the country. Interest rates are coming down and subdued inflation should support robust retail and wholesale trade activity. The construction industry contributed to growth in the goods sector and our service sector, the largest in Canada on a per capita basis, saw growth in professional and technical services and a rebound in tourism-related areas, while trapping, film, and commercial fishing are also on the rise.

The public sector remains a significant part of our economy, bringing both advantages and challenges. It offers stability and strong employment growth, especially important given the cyclical nature of the mineral industry. This stability is further bolstered by Indigenous governments, where there has been a growth of nearly 200 public administration jobs since 2023. However, the public sector alone does not drive the economic diversity or entrepreneurism that leads to stronger productivity and long-term growth.

Acknowledging the economic and fiscal challenges we face does not change the GNWT's obligation to deliver on the priorities set by this Assembly. These priorities reflect the needs and aspirations of Northwest Territories residents for long-term health and prosperity. Being realistic about how we fund the work of government does not diminish their importance. However, it requires us to assess how we allocate budgets, strengthen collaboration across departments, and ensure public servants have the support they need to fully contribute toward these goals.

Housing NWT remains the main conduit to address the Assembly's priority to increase the suitability, accessibility and affordability of housing. Housing NWT receives funding from a variety of sources, including $81.3 million proposed in this budget; an increase of $5 million over last year. With this investment, Housing NWT will continue to provide social and market housing programs, including subsidized rental and homeownership programs and unsubsidized rental housing in rural and remote communities.

A key development in 2025 will be the completion of Housing NWT's comprehensive Territorial Housing Needs Assessment that incorporates community and regional perspectives on the varying housing needs across the territory. As we heard from participants at the recent NWT Housing Forum Symposium, a lack of data on housing needs hampers access to available funding sources. The Territorial Housing Needs Assessment will fill this gap and provide a platform for the development of a plan to provide stable, attainable, and affordable homes across the housing spectrum. We will ensure that this assessment is shared with all levels of government so that we maximize opportunities for its success. To supplement this work, Housing NWT is also developing a three-year investment plan for the replacement and repair of its existing houses.

Housing is a priority actioned across many departments. In this budget, we propose adding $3.7 million, including $500,000 in federal funding, for a strategic approach to reducing homelessness in Yellowknife, along with $809,000 for the Transitional Housing Addictions Recovery Program.

We continue to deliver on the mandate priority to provide shelter for vulnerable residents and address the effects of trauma in a culturally appropriate way. Building on the work being delivered this year, we propose to add $264,000 for the Yellowknife Shelter and Sobering Centre bringing total funding to $6.2 million for 34 positions.

Care homes are also facing cost pressures and an additional $136,000 is proposed for increased costs at the Avens Long Term Care and $56,000 to fully fund adult supported living at the Charlotte Vehus Home and the Billy Moore Group Home, with the capacity to care for up to 13 clients in the Beaufort Delta.

Creating opportunities for new homes often means ensuring access to land, whether through the remediation and clearing of old, unused buildings or through new allocations. The Department of Environment and Climate Change has prioritized land applications for housing and to date has received 204 applications, of which 121 are in their final stages of processing and 27 parcels have been issued.

The challenges to our narrowly focused private economy are well known: the North faces a significant deficit in core public infrastructure compared to the rest of Canada, especially in transportation and energy corridors. That lack exacerbates the reality of being more remote by making delivery and access to goods and services in our communities more expensive. Our labour market is tight, and housing is in short supply. And finally, the regulatory spaces that control new entrants to exploration and mining remains a shared responsibility with the federal government, which makes efforts at modification, including streamlining rules, more challenging.

We are taking steps to address these structural issues so that we strengthen the territory's economic foundation and encourage continued growth in sectors that significantly influence the economic health of communities.

[Translation] INSERT* [Translation Ends]

In telecommunications, we are including $1.1 million to extend the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link to the Arctic Coast by connecting Tuktoyaktuk.

The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs works closely with community governments to ensure flexibility in federal infrastructure funding and has helped ensure that all of the $117 million dedicated to local governments from the federal Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program was allocated to projects focused on community roads, solid waste projects and cultural spaces.

In 2025-2026, we will implement an action plan in furtherance of the memorandum of understanding on economic corridors signed with the Government of Alberta to support collaboration on the enhancement of critical infrastructure and improve efficiency of transportation networks. We will also be exploring similar agreements with other jurisdictions.

Our energy system has not evolved significantly over many successive governments leaving energy infrastructure aging and vulnerable to breaking down and our residents facing volatile costs. With this year's budget, we will advance better energy connectivity between our communities to increase the reliability and sustainability of power. We will work to advance a Fort Providence transmission line and will be undertaking the design of a Whati transmission line.

We will also advance work to improve our capacity and ability to generate power across the Northwest Territories. We will use this year's budget to support partners on the Taltson expansion project to expand the knowledge of legacy impacts and advance consideration of establishing a business entity for the project. We will use this year's budget to support multiple departments in the delivery of the renewed energy strategy and examine alternative means of accessing more reliable and affordable energy sources appropriate to each community.

Upgrading our aging energy systems will take time. While that work continues, the government is proposing a $12-million subsidy to offset high power costs, limiting the required 24.8 per cent energy increase for ratepayers in 2025 down to a more manageable 15 per cent increase overall and that residential ratepayers who qualify for the Territorial Power Subsidy Program may face a 9 per cent rate increase. Final rates will be determined by the Public Utilities Board through the general rate application process.

We are helping to reduce labour shortages in trades through our apprenticeship programs and Housing NWT scholarships. The Department of Infrastructure dedicates $1.6 million of its proposed budget to hire and train apprentices and works with Procurement and Shared Services within the Department of Finance to make certain that training and targets for apprenticeship requirements are included in all design-build project evaluations.

Our Crown agencies play a major role in supporting private sector employment. For example, Housing NWT awards over 90 per cent of its annual contracting opportunities to local businesses. These contracts range from minor repairs and maintenance to large construction projects. And for the coming year, Housing NWT, working with Local Housing Organizations, plans to increase its in-house apprenticeship opportunities to 15 and will continue to support apprenticeship work assignments through new construction contracts.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment plays a supporting role for employment opportunities and increasing participation in trades, particularly in small communities. The department is making a tangible impact through Labour Market Transfer Agreements by supporting 156 residents, 63 employers, and 11 projects. The Small Community Employment Support program has contributed to the creation of 643 jobs, directly benefiting small communities across the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, many Northerners want to stay in their communities for work. That is why this budget retains $4-million with the Small Community Employment Program so that small communities, plus regional centres with employment rates less than 50 per cent, remain eligible for this funding that supports the creation of new jobs in the communities that need them most.

This budget proposes $10.5 million to make child care more affordable, helping parents participate more fully in the formal labour force. The Government of the Northwest Territories will continue to advocate to the federal government to increase compensation levels of early child care staff to align with education assistants in the K-12 system.

Last fiscal year, we concluded collective bargaining with several unions across the public service. The GNWT delivers services across a vast territory of 33 communities, which does not provide for economies of scale and results in situations where no private market actors provide access to necessities such as fuel or barge supplies. In these situations, the public service fills these needs in addition to providing schooling, health care, safe highways and airports, economic development supports and land management.

We watched closely as labour disruptions impacted services across Canada. Concluding our collective agreements in a manner that avoided labour strife and maintained our competitive position as an employer for the delivery of essential goods and services was an important achievement for the GNWT, and this year's proposed budget incorporates those changes to all salaries and benefits.

We also propose to better support timely medical travel assistance for GNWT employees and their immediate families with $7.4 million, which includes the adding one benefit officer in Inuvik and another in Norman Wells to improve for processing times.

We are proposing $496,000 to encourage more exploration in the non-renewable sector. This includes $275,000 to expand research about critical minerals in the Selwyn Basin and Slave Geological Province. This work is mostly offset with federal funding and involves collaboration between the Northwest Territories geological survey office and university and industry partners. Also included is $167,000 for the Pan-Territorial Resource Investment Marketing Initiative, which is a federal and all territories joint campaign to market the territories as destinations for business and investment opportunities in the mining sector.

We are continuing to improve regulations to support the economy with an additional $54,000 in this budget to complete the Mineral Resources Act regulations. As well this year, the Department of Environment and Climate Change will use its proposed budget to advance targeted amendments to the Waters Regulations to improve interpretation and add consistency and clarity to the regulatory regime for our mineral resource sector.

We will be implementing the Fire Prevention Act regulations that adopt the 2020 National Fire Code and adds certainty to construction projects. In addition, we will continue multidepartment work towards a Building Standards Framework for introduction during the life of this government.

Support for northern business is always a priority for the GNWT and sector-specific efforts encourage investment and create growth in communities of every size.

For instance, Housing NWT supports increasing productivity in the construction and property management sectors through early uptake of innovative approaches such as wood pellet heat plants, integration of mass-timber structural building systems, and hybrid modular construction approaches in its multi-unit residential projects. These approaches provide baseline information that the private sector can use to grow their businesses.

[Translation] INSERT* [Translation Ends]

In this Budget, we are proposing to add $600,000 to the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment for additional economic diversification initiatives. This includes increasing funding for the Northwest Territories Film Strategy from $500,000 to $1 million to help showcase the territory's spectacular settings.

The Tourism 2025 strategy is in its final year, and Budget 2025 proposes to increase its funding as planned by $100,000 to continue with the recovery roadmap that was released in 2021. This increase will support the Community Tourism Infrastructure Contribution Program, which helps other governments and non-government organizations enhance tourism facilities. Through this program we have already invested $1.4 million to support 41 projects across the territory.

Remediation of old mines and oil and gas wells may prove to be a stable source of local employment in future years. Federal funding for next year's budget will permit spending of $696,000 for ongoing pre-remediation work at several mine sites, including public consultation, to produce finalized remediation plans.

Mr. Speaker, meeting Northwest Territories residents' health care needs, while trying to make progress on our Restoring Balance targets, is our main fiscal challenge. While the Healthcare System Sustainability Unit does deeper analysis of how essential programs and services are delivered, we are funding the territorial health and social services system with a focus on supporting changes that address the dual priorities that residents receive the highest quality access to care and programs that are available to address the effects of trauma. We are reforming primary health care with the development of an integrated primary care framework, including performance benchmarks that provide the data for further evidence-based improvements. We maintain a focus on prevention through education and awareness efforts about sexually transmitted and blood borne infections and testing, immunizations, injury prevention, elder abuse and family violence, mental health, and illicit drugs. To improve experiences for residents who need to travel for care, we are updating medical travel policies and processes. Work is ongoing to renew the health care system human resources plan to improve efforts to recruit and retain professional staff.

Addressing the effects of trauma is not a quick fix and we are continuing to make a variety of supports available for residents with mental health and addictions needs including walk-in and same-day access for community counselling with online support options, and 24/7 supports through 811 and other helplines. We also provide funding to Indigenous governments and communities to support culturally-based and safe healing options. We use biannual service user surveys to measure effectiveness of the services provided and to support the ongoing review of policies and program design to ensure alignment with person-centered, trauma informed and culturally safe care.

For this year's budget, we are proposing a further $71.5 million in measures to address health care and social services accessibility.

Our health and social services system relies on a strong network of staff and health care professionals. We are proposing several increases to support staff and health care professionals across the territory.

We are making progress addressing hospital overcapacity issues and are proposing $5.6 million for 26 full-time equivalent positions for physicians, nurses, and coordinators, including 19 positions plus four relief positions for Stanton Territorial Hospital's emergency, intensive care, and medicine units and three full-time nurses and support for a relief position at the Inuvik Regional Hospital. We are also asking for $511,000 for two nurses in Yellowknife and one nurse in Fort Smith to the Corrections Health Services roster. In addition, we are proposing $13.7 million to cover shortfalls in physician services.

As requested, and approved during last year's budget negotiations, Budget 2025 also dedicates $331,000 in proposed spending to maintain two positions under the midwifery program to support two communities that do not have access to midwife services.

Providing care for patients with cancer is a partnership with Alberta Health Services and with their support, the Health and Social Services Authorities are working to bring treatment closer to home. To support this effort, the budget includes $869,000 to provide the hematology and medical oncology units with enough resources for two oncologists and two registered nurses.

We also propose $446,000 to add three positions to the Office of the Public Guardian to better support people who lack the ability to make their own decisions because of long-term health and social conditions like dementia, brain injury, or developmental disabilities.

We need our staff to be safe in their workplaces. The correlation between increased drug use and rising violent incidents within health and social services settings increases the demand for de-escalation training for staff. We propose an additional $620,000 to fund specialized occupational health and safety positions.

Frontline health and social services cannot operate effectively without properly resourced administration. We are seeking to right-size the administrative arm of the health and social services system with proposals to augment resources for recruitment, prevention programs, and actions to reduce structural deficits along with other cost drivers.

Included in the additional funding to improve administrative capacity in the health care system is funding to assist continuous recruitment of health and social services professionals. For example, funding has not kept pace with the expenses for moving new staff and professionals to the territory, making it hard to get staff and professionals to the communities where they are needed. We propose to help resolve this issue in this budget with $6 million to fund relocation costs more realistically. We are also proposing $5.4 million to ensure accommodations for locums.

Further, the Office of Medical Affairs and Credentialing, which is responsible for recruitment, retention, contract administration, credentialing and labour relations for resident and locum physicians, is facing its own staffing shortage and we are proposing to remedy this with $651,000 in this budget.

The Healthcare System Sustainability Unit cannot effectively achieve its goals of evidence-based recommendations without proper data from the health and social services system. And Budget 2025 adds $513,000 for records and information management to fund three positions.

Similarly, catching up on the health and social services deficits means properly funding budgets to address external cost drivers such as tighter real estate markets, changing lease terms, building maintenance requirements, and increases in insurance. Budget 2025 includes a proposal to add $1.9 million to offset the lease cost shortfalls projected for the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority and the Tlichǫ Community Services Agency; and, $613,000 for increased payments to the Boreal Health Partnership for services at the Stanton Territorial Hospital.

Mitigating the spread of disease helps lower the demand for health services. We are proposing an additional $673,000 to fund four positions to operate infection prevention and control programs across the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority.

The need for diagnostic tools to help practitioners prescribe appropriate therapies for sleep apnea is becoming increasingly important as the population ages and obesity rates rise. We are proposing $412,000 for the sleep studies program.

We are working diligently to honour the principle of keeping children with their families and in their communities but, when families are in crisis, intervention is still necessary, and the volume of cases continues to rise. We are proposing to ensure increasing costs for in-territory child and family supports are addressed with an additional $3.1 million to meet the need for more foster placements and adequate financial and other caregiver support. This budget also proposes an additional $240,000 for respite services for families in the territory.

We are proposing an additional $1.1 million for adult southern placements so these residents can receive the required specialized care that is unavailable within the territory. These range from short-term stays for treatment or transitional programs for mental health or behavioural needs to long-term treatments for lifelong disabilities.

We also propose to address the shortfall of $6.2 million in supplies used in the delivery of healthcare, which includes the Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccine to protect infants, children and those with chronic lung disease, as well as to support Covid-19 vaccine costs. These proposed funds also cover cost pressures for chemotherapy drugs, caused by an increased number of patients, the cost of treatments, and the growing types of treatments available and being deployed.

Right-sizing health and social services budgets to be more reflective of costs will be ongoing work during the life of this government while we continue to gather data to support immediate improvements in health care delivery that hopefully also lower costs.

Mr. Speaker, we spend over $200 million annually on programs and services that support safety for residents and communities either directly, such as for law enforcement, or indirectly, by providing operating infrastructure grants to communities to help them with their funding needs to provide municipal services. We also work to mitigate safety risks. For example, we updated the GNWT Emergency Plan last year and we are using this to help strengthen communities' abilities to deal with emergencies. We are advancing our efforts to remove historic hazardous waste and are on track to remove it from half of all communities by 2028.

Mr. Speaker, we are proposing to advance the priority to support safety for residents and communities with an additional $18.3 million, partially offset with $7.1 million in federal support, to help address cost pressures for communities, winter road construction, mitigate natural disaster risks and enhance public safety.

We are proposing to support the ability of communities to deliver on their spending responsibilities with $6.3 million to address municipal funding needs for operations, maintenance, water and waste programs. Continuing with last year's commitments, the Community Access Program remains available for governments to obtain infrastructure funding for access roads, trails and docks with a proposed $1.5 million.

This budget sets aside a proposed $4.2 million for the Department of Infrastructure to enhance its ability to cope with higher costs, including winter road construction and maintenance costs.

Risk mitigation continues to play an important role in all our programs but is particularly key in programs to keep communities safe. With $2.7 million in federal support, we are proposing $2.9 million to mitigate natural disaster risks. This proposed funding includes $2.1 million for the FireSmart program, $571,000 for wildfire suppression equipment and monitoring, and $210,000 for the Hunter and Trapper Disaster Compensation program as a response to flooding.

Assessing risk starts with gathering evidence. Partnering with the federal government permits the use of $1.4 million in federal funds for research and monitoring activities, including $796,000 in Integrated Climate Resilience for Coastal Communities and $460,000 to participate and contribute to the national forest inventory.

Budget 2025 contains an additional $2.9 million, including $2.4 million in federal funding, for public safety measures delivered primarily through the Department of Justice. The additional funds include $824,000 for the integration of services, $800,000 to support the federal Gun and Gang Violence Action Fund, $499,000 to further enhance support for the Indigenous Justice Program, and $251,000 for implementing the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and enhance victim services with independent legal advice.

We are also proposing another $372,000 in funding for the RCMP G-Division Emergency Response Team with an additional two constables.

Mr. Speaker, we accomplished a lot in the first year of this Assembly despite some real challenges. However, we will end this fiscal year embroiled in economic disruption and uncertainty caused by potential US tariffs and an unpredictable political landscape. As of today, we do not yet know if tariffs will be in place; or, whether government support will be available to maintain domestic supply chains or cost stability. But we will stand united with all of Canada.

The next few years are likely to bring continued challenges and disruptions, whether geopolitical, climate-related, or otherwise. That is why we must continue pressing forward on our priorities to build a stronger future - one that maintains fiscal stability while ensuring we have the capacity to react and respond to an emerging crisis.

The fiscal strategy outlined in Restoring Balance is a work in progress, designed to guide our financial course over the full four-year term. Fiscal sustainability is fundamental to good governance, ensuring that as a government, we have the ability to support communities and residents through times of turbulence. Budget 2025 reflects our ongoing commitment to these principles.

Business plans, which outline how allocated budgets will be used, are also ongoing works in progress. They reflect the type of planning needed to achieve our priorities and strengthen our future. Budget 2025 is designed to fund these business plans and all of our ongoing programs and services in a realistic manner, incorporating evidence-based decision-making and advancing the priorities and mandate of this Assembly. Our goal is to support residents in how they want to live, work, and grow.

We have continued to demonstrate that, as a government and as a territory, we can face challenges with resilience, creativity, and determination. At the same time, we remain focused on the long term, ensuring that we continue to build a Northwest Territories that is healthy, prosperous, and safe.

I want to thank the Members of the Legislative Assembly for their work in shaping the 2025-2026 Budget. I look forward to working collaboratively on our shared priorities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Finance. We will now take a brief adjournment.

---SHORT RECESS

Thank you, colleagues. Thanks to the finance Minister. We'll try to keep you quiet for a little bit here. You did a great job; thank you very much.

Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a spectre is haunting our North - the spectre of a zombie carbon tax. Soon, every -- or currently, every major political party leader in Canada at the federal level, Mark -- or soon to be federal leader, Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland, Pierre Poilievre, even Jagmeet Singh, have given a death sentence to the consumer carbon tax, and the date of its demise is now set for March 9th WHEN Prime Minister Trudeau's successor will be chosen. All those who are vying to replace him have made it clear they'll be abandoning the consumer carbon tax and removing or amending the federal backstop for all provinces and territories. This means no consumer carbon tax in almost every jurisdiction in Canada except for us here in the Northwest Territories where our government is still relying on its so-called made-in-the North carbon pricing regime, and it will be in place long after almost everyone else has shifted responsibility back to Ottawa.

Mr. Speaker, the leading contender to lead Canada in Ottawa, if you believe the polls, the NWT's own Mr. Carney has declared the consumer carbon tax a divisive policy that must be replaced with a more effective alternative. His main competitor, my friend Chrystia Freeland, who herself enforced the tax as a federal Minister of Finance, has vowed to scrap the policy in no uncertain terms. The leader of the opposition meanwhile has made axe the tax his slogan so popular it could even be found on some front porches in my riding of Range Lake. Even the NDP, a party well known for its tax and spend mantra, has dropped the carbon tax on their platform. As soon as Trudeau leaves Rideau Hall for the last time, he's taking the tax with him and putting all the responsibility for its continued existence squarely on the shoulders of our territorial government.

So, Mr. Speaker, with such a dramatic change in policy in the last few months at the federal level, our constituents are looking for similar developments here at home. We've heard loud and clear from voters during the last election that the policy's not working for Northerners. Our Premier acknowledges much when he immediately declared his desire for a northern carveout, and I have brought forward a bill, the Carbon Tax Repeal Act, to make that so. So let's get this done. Let's get ahead of the curb. Let's not be caught off guard and wait months to negotiate a new deal with Ottawa. Let's kill the tax now and save Northerners some money. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the devolution of lands and resources from the federal government to the Government of the Northwest Territories was a historic step in strengthening our ability to manage our own land and chart our own economic future. However, the work is not yet complete. Now is the time to take the next step in devolution, one that brings land management decisions closer to the people most affected by them.

Mr. Speaker, our communities are the backbone of the North. They are where families grow, where businesses develop, and where our culture thrives, yet many communities still lack the authority to fully manage the lands within their municipal boundaries. This must change, Mr. Speaker. We need to empower communities with the ability to tax, manage, and plan for the future of all territorial and Commissioner's lands within their community boundaries.

Mr. Speaker, decentralizing decision-making will allow communities to take control of their own land use planning, enable them to prepare for housing development, economic growth, and responsible land management. Local governments know their needs best, and by transferring these powers we will provide them with the tools to build stronger, more resilient communities.

Mr. Speaker, this is about fairness, empowerment, and ensuring that decisions about land are made at the level closest to the people. It is time to complete the process of devolution and ensure that our communities have the authority they need to shape their own futures. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this next phase of devolution. Let's bring land management decisions in community boundaries where they belong, into the hands of our communities across the North, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, one priority of this Assembly that we talk about surprisingly seldom is addressing the effects of trauma. And when we do talk about healing, we tend to frame it as black or white, all or nothing. We sometimes assume we can just take people with substance addictions from their rock bottom and then send them to treatment to become totally sober, all healed. And maybe that transformation does happen all at once for some people. But our shelters and our streets are overflowing with folks who are not totally sober. Maybe they've tried multiple times, maybe they're at some messy place along their journey. Certainly, they are focused on surviving and managing their pain day to day. These folks often turn to health care workers and staff at non-profits like the Women's Society and the Salvation Army, and we expect those frontline workers to somehow keep them safe day after day. Right now they don't have the tools to keep them safe which puts these frontline workers in a horrible situation. They need better harm reduction tools.

Now, officially, the GNWT has endorsed the principle of harm reduction in documents such as the 2023 Alcohol Strategy, but any harm reduction programs we've actually started to put in place have been starved of resources. What would it look like if this government actually embraced harm reduction?

First, the managed alcohol program, started in 2020 here in Yellowknife at the Spruce Bough supportive living facility, would have proper medical oversight by a nurse or doctor. Managed alcohol would be offered to other shelter users and communities outside Yellowknife. People staying in the hospital who are alcohol dependent would not be forced to detox which has shown to be ineffective and counterproductive anyway. We would establish on-the-land healing camps that don't require folks to be sober first. Safe supply programs would receive dedicated funding instead of public health having to do it off the side of their desk with spare change. There would be a day shelter space where homeless people can safely use. We all want members of our communities to heal and move forward with their lives. But if we're going to be successful, we have to be practical. Start by meeting people where they're at, offer them safety and stabilization, offer them some space, some room to regroup and consider what else is possible. Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and my colleagues. Healing from trauma is not all or nothing. We need to help people slowly build momentum with small successes supported by a system designed to reduce harms along the way. Thank you, and I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to talk about the struggles of the young people of my riding from Mackenzie Delta. With the recent announcement of closures of the community learning centres and the level of education that our students are receiving at the present time, we see no real future for the younger generation of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, the Indigenous people of my riding are among the highest percentage of the income support program - 15 percent. This program is not doing justice to the individuals who are introduced to this program. I believe this program was intended to be a temporary solution to offset the cost of living when employment opportunities were not available. Instead, the recipients of this program are not given alternatives to be independent and self-sufficient. In turn, we see the recipients making a living from this program.

Mr. Speaker, this government is trying to get its final responsibilities back on track and, at the same time, we are trying to rebuild the economy of the Northwest Territories. In order to build the economy of the Northwest Territories, we need a workforce, a home-grown workforce from the North. We have to invest in our resources. That means investing in our people of the Northwest Territories. Giving handouts, no longer an option, is hurting the government. It is hurting the Northwest Territories' economy. It is hurting the Indigenous governments. It is hurting the communities. And it's hurting the individuals who are reliant on this program.

Mr. Speaker, I realize that there are people out there in our communities who benefit from this program, the disabled and the elderly who are unable to work to sustain their daily needs. Today we have a young age group who are able to work, but they see an easier lifestyle provided by this government. It is time for this government to give the residents of Northwest Territories a voice and conduct public engagements on how to better provide these services without the recipients of the income support program losing their self-esteem and dignity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, inspired by a few of my colleagues yesterday, I just wanted to stand up and make a short statement today just about the increase anxiety and stress occurring for 2SLTGBTQIPA+ people south of the border, and I wanted to stand up and make a statement expressing my support and my solidarity for this community here in the territory.

Mr. Speaker, we have seen that we in Canada are not immune to the shift that's happening. Some jurisdictions are beginning to introduce legislation which I've heard is making transgender youth feel unsafe. Mr. Speaker, I have constituents, friends, loved ones in this community. I want you to know that I will fight to maintain your rights and ensure you're supported here in the Northwest Territories. I'm pleased to say that in this government I see us, for the most part, being supportive in the language of our legislation, in our programs, in our consideration of important issues, in the communications I see from the Premier, from government, and I'm happy to see that. I'm committed to ensuring this continues and to ensuring this territory is a welcoming, safe place where anyone can thrive. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to discuss the drug problem in our communities and the escalating threat of violent crime. This past November, officers from the Behchoko RCMP detachment stopped a suspicious vehicle on Highway No. 3 and found a loaded handgun, approximately 25 grams of what they suspected to be crack cocaine, and $30,000 in cash. Later the same month, Behchoko RCMP seized $76,000 and a small quantity of illicit drugs from a different vehicle with Alberta license plates that they had stopped for suspicious driving. Last February, Behchoko RCMP reported that they seized 1.9 kilograms of cocaine, a semi-automatic handgun and a prohibited extended round magazine, in a single search.

Mr. Speaker, making residents and communities safe is a priority of this Assembly. Drugs are getting into our communities. The people bringing them in carry semi-automatic, automatic weapons, and they are leaving with hundreds of thousands of dollars which, in turn, perpetuates our problem. These suppliers are criminals who prey on vulnerable people. Keeping them out would not solve substance abuse problems overnight, but it will make Behchoko and other communities safer.

Can the Minister of Justice please investigate this matter and take actions to keep vulnerable members of our community safe whether that means stopping more cars on the highway or increasing police presence, something must be done, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of Justice. Thank you.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to discuss the critical need for respite services and aftercare -- after hours home care in my riding. Mr. Speaker, many elders want to live in their homes for as long as possible. The GNWT currently provides residents with home and community care service after medical based -- after a medical needs-based assessment. This includes respite services so full-time caregivers can take a break. The respite program for local communities is funded by health and social services and supports families in small communities who have children with special needs or loved ones with disabilities.

Mr. Speaker, this program is active in Deline, Fort Smith, Aklavik, Fort Liard, and Fort McPherson, where respite workers provide safe individualized and flexible respite support to families and primary caregivers. The program is designed to hire and train local residents so they can provide in-home or in-community relief for caregivers, families and children and youth with disabilities. They work with NWT Disabilities Council to receive training and first aid CPR certification. We need opportunities like this in the Deh Cho communities, Mr. Speaker.

Many residents also need after hours care or medical attention outside of regular clinic hours. Some of these residents are elders who can no longer drive or have family members who could assist them. We have heard that the current departmental policy prohibits nurses from providing emergency services outside health centres. But, Mr. Speaker, having a home care worker with first responder training, someone with a vehicle who has the proper liability insurance and is familiar to residents, could drastically change the delivery of health services in communities in my riding where there are no ambulatory services. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sometimes I think this government misses the important things, the nuts and bolts of people's health care and how their families are impacted by government process, including the government bureaucracy, two favorite words - process and bureaucracy.

Mr. Speaker, I had heard from numerous constituents, but several as of late, about their concerns about getting appointments through the clinics. And this isn't just a Yellowknife issue. This is a territorial issue, Mr. Speaker. So, for example, if you want a same-day appointment, you have to walk down at 7:30 in the morning and stand in line. Now, that doesn't sound too bad, but we can't make online appointments, which has been raised in this house before, even though you can make online doctors' appointments at other clinics in the Northwest Territories. It's often we get into these discussions about real practical solutions that I think this government should seize and run with, Mr. Speaker. But you get down there at 7:30, there's a line of anywhere from 6 to 15 people and therein lies the first part of the problem: There's only a couple online -- or sorry, same-day appointments. So your next appointment, if you made it a couple days ago, would be sometime two months later. But if you're lucky to get one of the two or three appointments, the situation is so bad, the person speaking to the health care professional, the kind person trying to do their job, they're communicating in a way everybody knows their name, everybody knows their birth date, and not everyone can do wink, wink, nudge, nudge, it's an itch. In other words, privacy is constantly compromised at these clinics in situations. It's not anyone's do fault in the sense of they're not doing this on purpose, but it's just the facilitation of practical, decent stuff that make the everyday family appreciate that their government's trying to work for them.

Mr. Speaker, I can book a plane ticket online. As a matter of fact, I can even deal with CRA online. But I can't book an appointment to see a doctor online. And now, the government will say, including the health Minister about, like, oh my goodness, we have all these technical problems. Well, let's go to the phone system. Well, the phone system, when you call, you get an answering message, if it goes to the answering message, Mr. Speaker, that you'll get a call back within two or three days if you're lucky. It doesn't have the lucky part, Mr. Speaker, I should say, in all fairness. That said, you're lucky to get the phone call response.

Mr. Speaker, there are practical solutions that the government could do. I've raised them. Other members have raised them. We've raised them loud and clear. We can act upon them about service, Mr. Speaker. And that's where my questions will lead later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements. Good afternoon, Colleagues.

Good afternoon, Colleagues. Rose Betthale-Reid was born at Macahish Lake, also known as Sandy Lake, on May 25th, 1954, to William and Germainie Betthale. With great sadness, she passed away on January 9th, 2025. For those who knew this lady, she wore many hats. Some would describe her as someone who fought for those less fortunate. Others, she was an interpreter that helped elders. Others, she was the person that would get on the stage to sing or make people laugh even if it was at her own expense. She loved it and didn't care.

I got to know her just before I became an MLA; however, I heard about her before that time. She was committed to getting things done, fight for the underdog, or correcting issues. I can confirm she had an amazing sense of humour. There were numerous times she had me laughing uncontrollably. I got to witness her and her husband's willingness to help out others. They made a great team.

Rosie loved her family deeply. She was always talking about her children, stepchildren, grandchildren, and her husband Kyle. She was very proud of each of them and would show me pictures as she told me their stories. Where possible, she would stop in and see them. The last time I spoke to her was at the airport in Fort Simpson when she came to see her granddaughter who was working at the counter.

Rosie was very spiritual. She and her husband would pray anywhere and at ceremonies or on nature walks. They would feed the fire or water offering tobacco and food, sending their love to God and to the loved ones that passed on. When others passed away, she would gather a group of ladies to help clean the body one last time. As like all celebrations of life, there are so many aspects of a person's life you might miss. I have attached her eulogy done by her son Clinton Betthale and Joe Tambour and a poem done by her granddaughter which I would like them deemed as read and printed in the Hansard.

Colleagues, the family would like to thank all those people that provided support during this difficult time. I can tell you she will be sadly missed.

Eulogy: Clinton Betthale and Joe Tambour

This wonderful person, Rose Betthale-Reid was full of character was born at Macahish Sandy Lake on May 25, 1954, to William and Germainie Betthale.

Whoever would have thought this quiet, sad little girl who grew up in residential should, would grow up to become bigger than personality than anyone one. That she was.

She grew up to be the hilarious, outspoken, singer, dancer, hunter, fisher and just full of life. She loved life to the fullest.

An interpreter, she became, although her traditional language was not strong, she spoke up for people who were too shy or could not speak English. She would even get on the stage with her singing partner, Shirley Bertrand - Jooris. They dressed up and sang together. They would have everyone in an up-roar of laughter. Rosie lived to make people laugh. Even if it was her that they laughed at. She loved it and didn't care.

On quiet moments she would reflect on the hardship and emotional pain she went through. Sadness would overwhelm her, but something would snap her out of it. She mischievously would smile and say, “Take me on now” and would laugh.

She loved her children and grandchildren even more. She relied on her oldest son Clinton for anything and like his mom, he'd support her in every way he can.

Rosie loved to pray anywhere. At ceremonies, she and her brother Louie would feed the fire, offering tobacco and food, sending her love to God, and loved ones that passed on.

At her Petitot camp, she would feed the water and birds. She and Kyle would thank God for everything every day.

Rosie loved to travel with Kyle. They went to Maui and to Jamacia. When they went to Jamaica one time, there was a concert for Bob Marley right in front of their hotel. They opened the balcony doors and windows to hear the music and watched the beautiful sun as it set. Then she told Kyle to take a photo of the sunset. As he struggled with the camera, the sun was gone down. They both stated laughing and couldn't stop laughing. That's when they realized they were stoned from the Marijuana smoke from all the people that were smoking it outside the hotel. So they closed the door and windows right away.

She always loved to share this story, as it got people laughing.

Her dancing partner was her husband, Kyle. Oh, those two loved to dance. This past Christmas holidays, there was a drum dance, and she had a surprise dancer. A little small had grabbed her hand and pulled her into the line of dancers. It was three-year-old Hayze McLeod. Rosie had tears in her eyes for this little dancer.

Rosie and Kyle loved helping people and they never asked for anything in return. Sometimes they would get people to chop wood for them. They would in return give them enough tobacco or a gift card. Both loved going for rides on the Cole's Lake Road. Every time she sees tracks (moose or caribou) they would stop, and she would check to see how fresh the tracks were. She became a good shot too. She usually got what she hunted. One time one of her son's Steven said “she shot two bush chickens. As she ran after them, she tripped and fell and disappeared in the bush. He yelled to see if she was ok then that is when she pooped out holding the two bush chickens, yelling “I got them” with a big Rosie laughter.

Her happiest day was when her and Kyle got married on June 29, 1995, on the front lawn of her late brother William Betthale.

She loved fishing, hunting, going for drives, singing and dancing. She did everything she wasn't allowed to do, when she was young. She wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but she didn't care. She'll just laugh and say “Ehh, who cares?” Rosie left so suddenly but left a legend.

Poem: Rosie

If roses grow in heaven, Lord

please pick a bunch for me place them in my

Grandma's arm and tell her they are from me.

tell her I love her and miss her and when she

Turns to smile, place a kiss upon her cheek and

hold her for a while.

God saw she was getting tired, and a cure was

not to be.

So, he put his arms around her and whispered,

“Come with me.”

With tear-filled eyes we watched her suffer and fade away.

Although we loved her deeply, we could not

make her stay.

A golden heart stopped beating, hard-working

hands put on rest.

God broke our heart to prove to us he only

takes the best.

Read by Megan Steeves

Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilidheh.