Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Final supplementary.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Ingraham Trail, again, is Highway No. 3. Dettah is Highway No. 4. Highway No. 5 is Fort Smith. And Highway No. 6, Fort Resolution. Mr. Speaker, to meet the 20th Assembly's mandate for safe residents and communities, my question to the Minister is that what can we do to work towards to put up junction lights in these two locations probably in the next -- in the near future? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had heard the Member's statement earlier with respect to the junction between Fort Resolution and Fort Smith and did already begin to inquire of the Department of Infrastructure as to what previous studies might have been done. I can say we do monitor accident reports along all the stretches of highway in order to determine if there is a need for different types of signage. And, Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to say that Highway No. 6 has actually not had any reported events or collisions since 1989. So in terms of any significant or serious injuries, I'm sure some folks do run off the highway at times and may well miss the junction at times. Mr. Speaker, lights are hundreds of thousands of dollars, but signage is significantly less. So it may well be that we can in the near future look at signs leading up to a juncture to give folks more warning so that they are not slamming on their brakes and hopefully creating more safety for all of these various regions that the Member is raising. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of Health and Social Services provide this House with a comprehensive plan for primary care reform that is fully costed, has clear milestones, and is based on input from patients and healthcare workers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I did send a letter to the social development committee offering a briefing on primary care reform. And so I'm hoping to be able to have a lot of that discussion and the Member's question to be answered in that briefing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we see that some of the aspects of the plan that's already ongoing is being reported in the media. There was a story on it just the other day -- or just today, I think. Maybe yesterday. But it's active out there. I think it's important that the public be aware of this. Can the Minister commit to make that plan public? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the primary care reform is a long-term commitment, and it'll take time and engagement, and it is something that is ongoing as it's been -- right now we've implemented it into Yellowknife, Fort Smith, and Fort Good Hope. And so as we start to expand, you know, we will continue to have these discussions with public throughout the primary care reform. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is it a plan, though, that's being executed, or is it piecemeal decisions called primary care reform? We're hearing a bunch of different facts. We're seeing a bunch of different actions being taken. We still don't have online booking. Other places do. So is this, again, a comprehensive costed plan with clear milestones that this Assembly can judge, the public can judge, and we can actually see some improvement? And not just for us but for the people who work within the system as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, primary care, as I mentioned in this House many times, takes a wholistic approach to healthcare system transformation. And it is not a one size fits all. And so there is not a costed plan as to this is what it's going to be in the Northwest Territories A, B, C. It is what are we working within our communities? We are doing the assessments as we're rolling out into the different regions. So Yellowknife's primary care reform, yes, it does have these issues that have been raised in this House. We're finding that, you know, in Fort Smith, we've heard a few things. We're trying to improve those before we expand it out further into other regions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister of environment some questions regarding caribou.

Mr. Speaker, I was on the highway a couple weeks ago, and I saw a small herd of eight caribou near the Whati Road, and I only thought to myself jeez, I sure hope they know where they are. Because I'll tell ya, they looked delicious. Anyway, that said, the numbers have always been at risk and hence my question specifically to the Minister is is what is the most current count of herds, and do we have any that are on the increase? Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to hear that the Member saw a nice small herd of caribou over there. It's nice any time you can experience that. Those specific numbers I don't have with me today, but I'm happy to provide to the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister aware of any herd on the increase? In other words, has it been rebounding from some of the record lows? At one time in the Yellowknife area, we had the Bathurst at close to 500,000 and, you know, just a few years ago, it was just under 7,000, Mr. Speaker. I'm curious is the Minister aware of any that are on the increase? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the one I am -- that comes top of mind is the Bluenose-East herd which has increased in numbers. Approximately 14,000 or so, give or take, increase from 2021 to 2023 is the one that comes to mind right now. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Mr. Speaker, I would certainly describe moose as the northern delicacy. But that said, dry meat from caribou is always welcome and delicious, Mr. Speaker. What types of working groups are out there that the Minister's working with trying to encourage sustainable harvesting so we can see the herds increase in numbers so they will be there for further generations? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a tremendous effort between the Department of Environment and Climate Change working with all of the Indigenous governments across the Northwest Territories. You know, climate has certainly played an impact on the caribou as well and, you know, the caribou are a very traditional part of the culture all across the NWT. So you know, we are working with all of the Indigenous governments. We're working with the -- sorry. Yes, thanks, drew a blank. My apologies.

Working with the -- sorry, working with the monitors, with the monitoring programs across the NWT. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to go up the actual -- the winter road yesterday. We went up to MacKay Lake and, unfortunately, we didn't see any caribou, but we had five officers up there. There are a number of monitors. The Yellowknives Dene are up there. The North Slave Metis are up there, as well as the Tlicho. So there's a lot of work going on amongst those groups as well as, you know, our engagement with the traditional knowledge holders and working with communities all throughout the North Slave region as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, through my conversations with the federal government, the federal minister did offer to the Northwest Territories an opportunity to potentially increase our allotment for the Northwest Territories nominee program, and the conversation there revolves around the Northwest Territories welcoming asylum seekers to the territory. Thank you.