Please be seated. I'd like to thank Jonas Lafferty for the opening prayers for today's session. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for WSCC.

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to address a topic that is fundamental to the well-being of all workers across the Northwest Territories; the critical importance of improving workplace safety. Ensuring that our workplaces are safe is essential for the health, productivity, and prosperity of our communities.

When workplaces are safe, everybody benefits. Safe workplaces result in fewer injuries and improved productivity. Most importantly, making the safety of workers a top priority helps to preserve lives and protect families, while also ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Workers' Protection Fund. As Members know, the Worker's Protection Fund, ensures coverage of current and future claims costs and stable assessment rates for employers.

As part of efforts to improve safety outcomes across the territory, I am pleased to announce the upcoming release of a new Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission's Safety Planning Guide for employers, which will be launched this May during Safety and Heath Week. While each workplace has unique needs and challenges when it comes to safety planning; there is no one size fits all approach; there are key elements that every workplace safety program must include by law. This guide will provide clear, practical tools and resources to assist employers to create or improve their safety programs, ensuring they meet the required standards for:

• Documenting inspections and incident investigations;
• Establishing safe work procedures that protect workers from job-specific risks; and,
• Conducting hazard assessments to evaluate and mitigate potential dangers in the workplace.

Additionally, I am pleased to announce that this summer, the occupational health and safety funding program will open for applications. Through this new program, the WSCC will provide funding opportunities for providers of occupational health and safety services whose work aims to improve access to safety education and supports employers in complying with occupational health and safety legislation.

As part of supporting WSCC's commitment to improving workplace safety through strengthening regulations, I recently appointed 14 members to the Safety Advisory Committee and the Mine Occupational Health and Safety Legislative Committee. These committees provide industry expertise about the frontline impacts and applications of the Safety Act and Mine Health and Safety Act. I look forward in 2025 and 2026 to seeing the recommendations of these committees to ensure the Northwest Territories is a safer place for workers, and ensure our legislation aligns with good practices and standards of safety across Canada. This will help address emerging risks and break down barriers for industries across provincial and territorial borders.

Mr. Speaker, improving workplace safety is a shared responsibility. As we approach the National Day of Mourning on April 28, let us all reflect on our collective responsibility to protect the lives of those who work in the communities and renew our resolve to prevent further workplace tragedies and ensure that all workers return home safely at the end of each day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of Housing NWT's successful partnerships. Housing NWT works with Indigenous governments, the federal government, non-governmental organizations, municipal and community governments, and industry, to support more homes for Northerners across the Northwest Territories.

Today, I want to highlight Housing NWT's relationship with an important, but often overlooked group of frontline workers, who deserve recognition: The dedicated staff of our local housing organizations.

If you are from a small community, you already know who they are and what they do. Local housing organizations are the property managers and skilled tradespeople who ensure tenants have a safe and secure place to live. Across the Northwest Territories, 24 of the 33 communities have local housing organizations. While local housing organizations are agents of Housing NWT, they are governed by their own board of directors. This allows the LHOs to make decisions that best serve their communities, as they have a deep understanding of their community's needs and challenges. Yet, their role involves so much more.

Increasingly, local housing organizations are playing a vital role in community safety. Not only do their staff ensure that housing units meet safety standards, including fire regulations and structural integrity, They also collaborate with the RCMP to address illegal activities in public housing and expedite the related eviction process when necessary.
This partnership helps manage illegal activities and ensures tenant safety, emphasizing a shared commitment to community well-being. While evictions are always a last resort, they are sometimes necessary. Additionally, local housing organizations play a vital role in emergency preparedness as demonstrated during the unprecedented and devastating floods, fires, and the pandemic of the past five years.

Mr. Speaker, the health and well-being of our residents is paramount to the work we do in this House. I have set a goal to work towards eliminating smoking in Housing NWT owned homes, which has received broad support from the housing forum and the 19th Legislative Assembly's Standing Committee on Social Development.

Eliminating smoking in our owned units will have positive health outcome for our residents and reduce asset damage. Smoking will not be permitted in all new buildings and in any new or amended leases for existing public housing and market rentals. This week, Housing NWT will begin engaging with LHOs on how this work can be implemented in a staged approach across all Housing NWT owned units, including public housing and market rentals. It is time for us to join all the other jurisdictions in Canada by eliminating smoking in our owned social housing units.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to recognize that Housing NWT and LHOs serve vulnerable populations. Ensuring that our residents have access to safe, affordable, and adequate housing is a fundamental aspect of reconciliation and social justice. The LHOs work diligently within their means, and it is up to Housing NWT and our partners to deliver the infrastructure that their communities need. I am grateful for the dedicated staff of our local housing organizations and want to recognize their challenging and critical work. Quyanainni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister responsible for housing NWT. Ministers' statements. Minister for Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to making long-term care accessible for seniors and elders whose needs can no longer be met at home. We recognize the importance of helping residents remain in their homes and communities for as long as possible. However, when home and community care services are no longer enough, long-term care plays an important role in providing necessary support.

We continue to enhance home and community care services so Northwest Territories residents receive the support they need to stay safe and as healthy as possible at home. At the same time, we must also plan for the future of long-term care in the Northwest Territories. That is why we are aligning our capital investments in new long-term care facilities with updated bed projections from the Northwest Territories bureau of statistics that are expected this spring. These projections will help meet the needs of our aging population now and in the years ahead.

Mr. Speaker, we have taken significant steps to improve long-term care capacity in the territory. The opening of Liwego'ati Building in Yellowknife is a major achievement. This modern, integrated health and social services facility strengthens our ability to provide high quality care to Northerners. It includes a primary care clinic, outpatient rehabilitation services, extended care, and long-term care beds, creating a campus of care that better meets the needs of residents.

Liwego'ati provides 16 extended care beds and 74 long-term care beds which will be opened in a phased approach. In January of this year, we began admitting individuals to the 17 beds opened in phase one. These beds are helping to reduce wait times and improve access to care for those who need it most.

Mr. Speaker, as we expand long-term care, we must also invest in our workforce. Investments in Aurora College's personal support worker and practical nurse programs are critical to developing a workforce of skilled health professionals to meet the needs of long-term care facilities across the territory.

We are also strengthening the admission process. We continue to use the territorial admissions committee, which reviews all long-term care applications to promote fair and consistent access. The Department of Health and Social Services manages the long-term care wait list and works closely with all health and social services authorities to support smooth transitions for residents.

To further improve quality, we have introduced new long-term care standards last month. These standards reflect the best practices from across Canada and promote culturally safe, dignified, and respectful care.

Mr. Speaker, supporting seniors as they age is a responsibility we take seriously. By aligning our investments with future needs, expanding long-term care capacity, strengthening the workforce, and maintaining high standards of care, we are building a system that will support our aging population for years to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, we have great rocks. The global demand for critical minerals continues to grow, and the Northwest Territories is well-positioned to play a key role in supplying these essential resources to Canada and its allies. With over two-thirds of the critical minerals listed by Canada, and almost half identified by the United States, our territory is a significant contributor to securing a stable and responsible supply of materials vital to clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and digital technologies.

Recognizing the opportunity before us, the Government of the Northwest Territories outlined four key priority areas for critical minerals development:

First, increasing public awareness about the importance of critical minerals. By incorporating critical minerals into educational programs and industry outreach initiatives, like NWT Mining Week and Mining Matters, we are ensuring that residents, including youth, understand the opportunities this sector presents.

Second, attracting investors and industry leaders through participation in key industry events like the Yellowknife Geoscience Forum, Roundup in Vancouver, and the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada conference in Toronto, and our targeted promotional campaigns such as the newly announced federal investment of up to $420,000 to the governments of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut to support Invest North of 60.

Invest North of 60 is a collaborative project between the territorial governments to attract investment and strengthen the growth of the mining sector in the North through strategic promotional activities at leading industry events to actively position the NWT as a premier jurisdiction for responsible resource development.

Third, investing in geoscience and regulatory improvements to provide investors with the certainty they need to move projects forward. By applying new technologies to unexplored or under-mapped areas, we are strengthening our knowledge base and improving our ability to support mineral exploration and development. In addition, we are exploring the concept of a collaboration office; a place where GNWT departments, land and water boards, and the federal government could offer a one-stop shop so proponents can have better wrap-around support to pathfinding through our regulatory processes.

Finally, building and strengthening relationships with Indigenous governments, industry, and the federal government. Through initiatives like the regional energy and resource table, the Mackenzie Valley operation dialogue, and the collaborative efforts at key mining events, we are working collaboratively to streamline regulatory processes, develop infrastructure, and create an environment where responsible development can thrive.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to highlight several advanced critical minerals projects in the Northwest Territories that are making impressive strides.

The Pine Point Project has the cleanest zinc concentrate globally and is moving closer to becoming a reality, with investors showing strong interest. This project represents a significant opportunity to supply vital materials for clean energy and other industries.

The Prairie Creek Project stands out as the highest-grade unmined zinc deposit that has already attracted substantial federal investment in transportation infrastructure. This investment represents a big win for our economy and Canada's critical minerals strategy.

The NICO Project, which has the largest primary cobalt deposit in the western world, as well as one million ounces of gold, is another prime example of our mineral potential. With financial support from both Canada and the United States, this project will put the Northwest Territories front and center in North America's critical minerals supply chain.

The Nechalacho Project is putting the Northwest Territories on the map as Canada's first rare earth mine. These rare earth elements are key to defence, electronics, and clean energy technology technologies.

Lastly, the Mactung Project is one of the largest and highest-grade known tungsten deposits on the planet. With funding secured through the U.S. Defence Production Act, this project underscores how important the Northwest Territories is for supporting supply chains in North America.

Mr. Speaker, these projects, along with growing exploration for lithium and other critical minerals, show that the NWT is an attractive destination for responsible resource development. But to make the most of these opportunities, we must tackle a few challenges. Improving regulatory efficiency, expanding strategic infrastructure, and ensuring our workforce has the skills to support this industry are essential. That is why our government continues to work closely with our federal partners, Indigenous governments, and industry leaders to push for more geoscience funding, closing the infrastructure gap with southern Canada, and targeted incentives such as the North of 60 mineral exploration tax credit.

Mr. Speaker, critical minerals are more than an economic opportunity for the Northwest Territories; they are key to Canada's national security and long-term prosperity. By attracting investment, strengthening partnerships, and promoting responsible development, we are creating new opportunities for a strong future for our residents, our economy, and the generations to come.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of ITI. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.

Mr. Speaker, collective bargaining often ends up being a big fight. It pits employer against employee. It's seen as a zero-sum game where one side wins and one side loses. It's assumed that what the employer wants, in this case the GNWT, is to pay its staff as little as possible and get away with treating them badly. This assumption results in a very adversarial and confrontational process of collective bargaining. But what if we didn't assume that what the GNWT wants and what employees want is so different or so far apart? What if the GNWT and staff both have strong common interests, like effectively recruiting and retaining staff?

There's a different less adversarial model of collective bargaining called interest-based negotiation, and it's currently one of the key asks of the NWT Medical Association. The idea is to start bargaining discussions by finding all the areas of common ground and by focusing on the outcomes that everyone wants - ultimately a better health care system. Many doctors are not interested in simply getting paid more if it comes at the cost of patient safety or if it requires cutting corners in terms of quality of care.

The NWT Medical Association is also proposing that Indigenous leadership be included at the negotiation table with the physicians and the health authority, and that would be a first in Canada, in order to keep the focus on what kind of care NWT communities need and deserve. And this is coming from a group of essential workers who do not have the option of going on strike. Clearly, they see that their bargaining power comes from a focus on the public's best interest. I'm curious as to whether the Union of Northern Workers or the NWT Teachers' Association would similarly consider the interest-based negotiation model. This has already been used successfully to negotiate physician contracts in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia where it was reportedly a profoundly healing process leading to better collaboration between government and physicians overall.

The NWTNA believes that interest-based negotiation is the best way to keep patients at the heart of the process, find efficiencies, drive costs lower, and heal the relationship between physicians and the health authority. I call on the GNWT and the health authority to agree to meet physicians and Indigenous leaders at the table using this progressive approach in a spirit of reconciliation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP is a key partner in keeping our North safe and secure because the role they play in our territory is incredibly different than how they operate in southern jurisdictions. We rely on the RCMP for many services they would not offer in any province because for most communities, they're the only police around thus they play a greater role here as first responders, search and rescue personnel, and are essential to fighting drug crime. So embedded are RCMP officers in our communities that they serve, they're always warmly welcomed and adopted as one of our own.

The pivotal role RCMP plays in our territory is longstanding because the RCMP was established specifically to operate across Canada's frontier to enforce sovereignty against encroaching American interests and the early settlers who disregarded treaty provisions and disrupted hunting and trapping practices of individual communities. In fact, the RCMP were initially designated as a Northwest Mounted Police, reflecting their responsibilities over the vast stretches of Canada's west which were once a part of the modernday NWT. Later, they turned their focus towards bootleggers and outlaws evolving from horseback to snowmobile and to familiar vehicles we see around driving on our streets today.

This week, we learned that the outgoing Prime Minister is suddenly looking to dramatically reform the RCMP away from day-to-day policing towards high-level crime such as intelligence gathering and national security. These proposed reforms could put an end to the crucial work the RCMP provide in the NWT and Canada's North by limiting their resources and scaling back the services they provide to our territory. The RCMP has indicated that if these changes go through, as service agreements expire in the coming years the NWT may have to switch to a new policing model, but it's very unclear what that will look like and how our territory will have the capacity to take on a greater policing responsibility.

I hope that the Premier is as alarmed as I am and, indeed, the RCMP is, because they don't want to pull back from the work that they've done to keep us safe. Now that we've been underfunding the RCMP for years, changing their mandate isn't going to work for the North. We need a united front to keep the RCMP in our communities, in our territories, and in Canada's North to protect our communities, ensure our sovereignty, and fight violent predators that are encroaching in our communities, Mr. Speaker. And this new mandate threatens to undo that, and I hope the Premier agrees with me that it cannot stand. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the visitor of Canadian Space Agency astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen to Yellowknife and celebrate both his work to advance Canada's contribution to space exploration and his dedication to inspiring our youth, our educators, and all, indeed, northerners who dream of technology, science, and innovation.

Colonel Hansen is a highly respected astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency, will make history as the first Canadian set to participate in a lunar mission. His role is the Artemis II mission which will take humans around the moon for the first time in 50 years, demonstrates Canada leadership in space exploration. Yet, despite all his hard work, he still makes time to meet with youth across the country and all this week, I'm excited to say that he stopped by several of my communities as well.

During his visit, Colonel Hansen has visited with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and presented at the school in Dettah and N'dilo as well the high school in Yellowknife. Today he's just wrapped up a visit to Lutselk'e Dene First Nation and will conclude his tour with a public event at the Prince of Wales Heritage Centre this evening at 6 p.m.

Certainly alongside his passion for space exploration, Colonel Hansen's personal mission is to share his experience in aerospace, science, and leadership with students and educators and community members across Canada. He emphasizes the importance of STEM education as a pathway to exciting careers, including those in space exploration. I know his message to our youth will prove to them that with dedication and perseverance, even the most ambitious dreams are possible.

Mr. Speaker, our youth in the North have limited potential but they need role models and opportunities to help them reach their goals. Colonel Hansen's visit is a reminder that the sky is not the limit; it's just the beginning.

On behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories and my colleagues, I want to thank Colonel Jeremy Hansen and the Canadian Space Agency for visiting our communities and inspiring the next generation of leaders in science and exploration. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the winter snowfall has not been at levels we had hoped. I fear the Sahtu will suffer the same disastrous low water levels that forced Marine Transport Services to halt all shipping to Sahtu like previous summers.

The communities of the Sahtu rely heavily on our winter road system and summer marine transportation for essential supplies. When either of these critical transportation networks fail, our communities face costly consequences. Mr. Speaker, what happens if we cannot complete all scheduled deliveries before the winter road closes? What happens if winter water levels this summer prevent barges from reaching our communities? Airlift of fuel and goods last year was not a plan. It was a last resort which came with astronomical costs.

Mr. Speaker, I am calling on the Minister of Infrastructure to present a detailed contingency plan for the Sahtu region that addresses potential summer marine transportation challenges. The correspondence between community leaders, government officials, and myself highlights the urgent need for proactive measures. Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, this brings us to the Sahtu region and the Mackenzie Valley Highway. Inspirationally, 2025 will see the complete completion of the Mackenzie Valley Highway business case and conclusion of the environmental assessment.

Mr. Speaker, with integrity, the people of the Sahtu deserve more than reactive crisis management. They deserve a government that plans ahead, that recognizes the unique challenges of northern transportation, and works proactively to ensure the Sahtu communities have reliable, affordable, access to essential supplies. Mr. Speaker, I will not have any questions to the Minister of Infrastructure as I have confidence of support from previous deliberations. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Members' statements. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow up on my Member's statement from Tuesday, March 11th, 2025. In my Member's statement, I referred to the illegal drug trade within the community of Tetlit Zheh and other small communities throughout the Northwest Territories.

The Voice of Denendeh met* is one of their stories, and it was placed on social media. I've received a lot of feedback from people throughout the NWT in my efforts to find ways to combat this criminal activity that is happening right within our backyard.

Mr. Speaker, people from all walks of life gave me feedback on what they are witnesses within their own communities and what struggles they are facing in trying to combat this crisis that we are facing. One young lady in particular, who has all the potential in the world to pursue anything she wants to and has a lot to offer her community, has reached out and expressed the hardship that she is enduring in trying to overcome her addiction to this drug. This young lady is looking to take a treatment program to overcome her addictions, and she has my full support.

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP, the local housing authority, and other agencies that are in place to protect our residents, cannot protect us because of policies and procedures. When a person tries to call the local RCMP, they are directed to the Yellowknife detachment and has to go through numerous questions before they hear the complaint. By this time, the individual who is trying to give the authority a tip feels frustrated and hangs up.

Mr. Speaker, the local housing authority has absolutely no authority to what is happening within their own public housing units. The public housing units are being used as a place to conduct these illegal drug activities. The local housing authority has been approached to assist in combatting this activity but, again, there are policies and procedures that are in place to seemingly protect the criminal. The communities' hands are tied. They are fighting a losing battle.

Mr. Speaker, going back to the young lady who wants to see the community heal from this crisis states that more local community resources have to be made available. Mr. Speaker, can I have unanimous consent to conclude my statement, please.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, going back to the young lady who wants to see the community heal from this crisis states that more local community resources have to be made available. Those resources are our own people, not people with fancy degrees. The local residents of our community know who needs help so we, as a government, should provide financial support to the smaller communities to help heal themselves. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I want to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues for the last two months. It has been a grueling session but also rewarding. I also want to wish them safe travels to their home communities where celebrations are gearing up for the spring that is starting to unfold. I also want to take some time to highlight some wonderful local events that are coming up between now and the next sitting.

Mr. Speaker, we have an absolutely amazing local burlesque and drag scene in Yellowknife right now with monthly shows becoming the norm, thunder norms one could say. On April 3rd, the Northern Mosaic Network will be holding another community dinner at the Baker Centre, and I hope to see as many folks as possible at the event. And in late April, we will see Ecology North's always fantastic Earth Week celebrations this year from April 22nd to 30th. In 2024, there was 24 events and 1100 participants, Mr. Speaker. Events in 2025 will see a bike tune-up, clothing swap, medicine walk, DIY workshops, and an open mic night and more. Mr. Speaker, Yellowknife comes alive at this time of year, and I'm looking forward to coming out of my post-session hibernation to enjoy all our city has to offer. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

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

Masi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to send a positive message to our youth so that they stay away from the dangerous path some people are taking.

Mr. Speaker, drugs are still affecting communities in the Tlicho region. On Tuesday, RCMP in Whati were told about drugs being sold out of a home with children. An Alberta youth was arrested for suspected crack cocaine trafficking and possessing a restricted handgun. In Behchoko, one of my constituents said there has been a pandemic of overdoses recently.

Mr. Speaker, we are seeing more young people using their income support payments, which are intended for essential needs, to buy drugs and fuel destructive behaviour. This money is meant to help, not harm. In response, the Tlicho region is taking steps to offer support and recovery options. The Tlicho Addiction Recovery Project received a $1.9 million commitment from Ottawa and will help people. The program is led by the Tlicho Friendship Centre. The money will help fund much needed counselling, recovery, coaching, and aftercare services for individuals to start healing.

Mr. Speaker, I want young people in all Tlicho communities to go down a path of recovery and wellness. We must continue to empower our youth with traditional knowledge, resources, and family support that they need to make positive choices. Maybe make a good career choice to be a Tlicho astronaut. I hope together we can guide young people in the territory towards a brighter, healthier future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I am happy to rise to recognize the dedicated volunteers of the therapy dog program in the Northwest Territories.

The therapy dog program, overseen by St. John Ambulance, provides comfort, companionship, and emotional support to individuals in need. Certified therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers visit various community settings. These furry friends offer unconditional love and attention, helping to reduce feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and stress. In particular, the therapy dogs can offer a calming presence and companionship, especially for those who may feel isolated or lonely. The gentle nature of therapy dogs can help to lower stress levels and promote relaxation. Interacting with a friendly therapy dog can boost mood and increase feelings of happiness and well-being, and therapy dogs can serve as a catalyst for social interaction helping people to connect with others and build relationships.

In less than a year, this program in the Northwest Territories has grown from two volunteers to 21, with teams that have joined, provided support, have been tested, trained, and placed in various facilities. People may see therapy dogs doing their great work at locations such as the Avens, Yellowknife Education District No. 1 schools, Home Base Youth Centre, North Slave Correctional Centre, the City of Yellowknife Public Library, Aurora College, Yellowknife Airport, the courthouse, legal aid, or the RCMP, and many other businesses, groups, organizations and community centres. The therapy dog program still has ambitions to grow the number of volunteers and to start placements in Stanton Territorial Hospital, the long-term care facility, and other healthcare facilities this year.

I extend my heartfelt congratulations on the successful relaunch of the reinvigorated therapy dog program. This program stands as a powerful testament to the unwavering commitment of dedicated volunteers who generously provide invaluable services significantly enhancing the well-being of our community members. The dedication and compassion exhibited by both the volunteers and their cherished furry companions have undoubtedly brought immeasurable comfort and joy to countless individuals in our community. We wish you all the best for continued growth and keep those tails wagging. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from the Deh Cho.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Before I begin, I would like to wish my number one supporter a very Happy Birthday, my husband Norman. He's at home. Happy Birthday, Norman.

Today I'd like to talk about how climate change is impacting our important infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, last year, three of the government's four territorial-run ferries caused service disruptions because of mechanical issues and the timing of territorial and federal inspections. The Merv Hardie Ferry was retired in Fort Providence in 2012. It could be time to consider bringing the ferry back into services and creating more jobs in the Deh Cho region.

Mr. Speaker, we need to adapt to changing environmental conditions. The last several years have seen more fires, floods, and fluctuating water levels than I can remember. When the Merv Hardie Ferry was retired, there was considerable discussion in this House about repurposing it, finding alternative uses for it elsewhere on the river. But, Mr. Speaker, those discussions did not lead to any concrete actions and now there is pressure on our transportation system due to climate change and aging infrastructure. Disruptive travel harms businesses and makes it more difficult for essential services to operate. I want to do something about this, the vulnerabilities we face with our current systems.

I would like to know what the plans are for the Merv Hardie Ferry moving forward. Is it salvageable? How much will it cost to repair? Mr. Speaker, breakup will happen in a few months. We need to ensure transportation runs smoothly. I will have questions for the Minister of Infrastructure. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're coming to the end of a very long session. But it's been interesting to say the least. We've had some interesting discussions in this House, and we've had some interesting discussions in our committees as well. But oftentimes we forget the backbone of what allows us to do this work, and that's our staff and I'd like just to stand today and to recognize the hardworking staff both on with Cabinet, I'm sure, but certainly from our AOC side, from our committee side, all our committee clerks, and the staff that work behind the scenes to ensure that we get the information that we need to do the job that we do. And they do just an amazing job, Mr. Speaker. And I know I can't name them here in the House but certainly they know who they are, and I just want to say a big congrats to them and a thanks to them as we cue up and get ready for our next spring setting. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. And I couldn't echo your Member's statement any better.

Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

All right, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I want to talk about the Scientists Act, including its regulations. Now, it isn't necessarily the most exciting topic for most people. Now even though we have millions of subscribers over social media, and the press may not even care about this story, I can tell you right now it is the foundation of some of the work we do in terms of respect and ability for Northerners to grow.

Mr. Speaker, we get people from all over the world coming here to study climate change, permafrost, flora, even Santa Claus is tuning in on this. Maybe that's Rudolph, Mr. Speaker; I don't know. Mr. Speaker, we get people from all over the place coming here. But the challenge here, I find, is there's minimal collaboration with our northern scientists or experts, Mr. Speaker. I would say it's ideas, concepts of regs and guidelines. It says collaboration at best? Nah, it doesn't even suggest that.

Mr. Speaker, where we're going wrong here is the fact that we're not working with our local talented scientists and experts in these fields. Mr. Speaker, our research is important. We need the money; we need the collaboration. Mr. Speaker, did I mention we need the money and the knowledge?

Mr. Speaker, with that money and knowledge, we can grow strengths of Northerners, skills, and even interest youth in the future.

You raised your hand? (audio) that's twice. That was a thumb, right?

Mr. Speaker, the important part here is I'm trying to talk about we have important information and work going on here in the North, but it's not being collaborated in a meaningful way. Mr. Speaker, when I talk about partnerships, I look to the guidelines, it doesn't really do anything other than creating general suggestions about working with people. Where I see is here, we've missed opportunities of sharing information, sharing areas of study, sharing areas of concerns that have previously been studied and we can work further on.

Mr. Speaker, what I'm getting down to is respect for our science community so we can do more. So when we have one group coming from who know where, Germany, whether the Netherlands, or other friendly nations of course, wanting to do work up North here, you know, they may be overlapping and we're missing the great opportunity of our talented people of being able to work together to get a common end and strengthen. Furthermore, the concepts and concerns outlined about IG, or Indigenous government collaboration, again, is thin at best.

Here is the opportunity as I summarize, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we must have expectations in the guidelines that they share the raw data in real time, Mr. Speaker. There must be collaborations with northern sciences and or experts in our fields, in our departments, Mr. Speaker. And finally, we must at this moment recognize the important work and then celebrate what our northern scientists do for our northern youth and our northern careers and our northern future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Colleagues, this past weekend, February 28th to March 2nd, was a very busy weekend for me. As you are all aware, the King Charles III Coronation Medal presentation happened Friday evening with the Premier, Commissioner, Senator and MP and recipients that were in Yellowknife. I would like to recognize the people that were nominated from the Nahendeh Riding.

• Nominated by the Premier: Deneze James Nakehk'o, Lucy Jane Simon, and Soham Srimani
• Nominated by the Senator: Chief Kele Antoine, Gilbert Cazon, and our own Mary Jane Cazon

I would like to thank the Premier for allowing me the pleasure of handing out the medals to Lucy and Soham.

Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of attending the NWTAC interactive sessions, the AGM and the closing banquet and awards ceremony. Much to my surprise, the Nahendeh riding did well receiving three awards:

• Margaret Ireland received the 2025 Community Service Award;
• Sambaa K'e First Nation received the 2025 Community Builder Award; and
• Jean Marie River received the 2025 Climate Change Resilience Award.
• As well, a good friend of mine, Ms. Eleanor Young, won the Evelyn Krutko Mighty Warrior Award, and I was honored to see her get this award.

Colleagues, at both events, each presenter provided a speech and it was given to me, and I have attached them to the end of my statement, which I would like them deemed as read and printed in the Hansard.

King Charles III Coronations Medal - Premier's

Lucy Jane Simon has maintaining and preserving the history and the culture of Jean Marie River through on the land practices and art. She is a very talented artist known throughout the NWT and nationally with some of her work displayed at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Lucy was employed with the Government as a Community Health Worker for 25 years. She is a successful businesswoman managing her own B&B for the past 22 year and 2020 Dehcho Wise Women Award Winner.

Soham Srimani's contributions to the community of Nahanni Butte have helped improved the lives of its residents. Through his hard work and out of the box thinking, he has been instrumental in getting multiple new residential housing projects for the community, leading economic development initiatives and helped create a number of jobs for residents. From store expansion to getting a post office in community to construction of Arbor, he planned these infrastructure projects from scratch.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to detail a small selection of the contributions to the public service made by someone who, until quite recently, was a Yellowknife South resident.

Mr. Steven Loutitt is a proud Metis originally from Fort Smith and who has been working for the public service, in some form or another, for over 37 years in various roles to support program delivery for people of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Loutitt loves session. He revels in the thrill and in the excitement it creates, and he had timed his retirement in a way to ensure he would support his team at infrastructure through session. Tomorrow is his official retirement. He is very sad that today is our last day.

Mr. Loutitt began his public service career with the city, then with Transport Canada, and then when the federal government devolved the airport responsibility to the GNWT, he became a GNWT public servant way back in 1995. He was a firefighter, ultimately fire chief, and if you have the opportunity I would highly recommend asking Mr. Loutitt what it was like to be the officer-in-charge when a missile fell off of a CF18 onto the Yellowknife golf course and also what it was like to be the officer-in-charge when there was an aborted landing two days later.

Fun fact, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Loutitt's father was presented with the Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal in June of 1988. Mr. Steven Loutitt was presented with the very same honour by the Governor General of Canada in February of 2009.

Mr. Loutitt eventually became the YZF airport manager, later the director of compliance and licensing, and before taking on the role of ADM for regional operations and eventually assuming his current position as the deputy minister of infrastructure in 2020.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Mr. Loutitt for his work that is not always publicly visible. It is the personal attention that he pays to his team. The size of the team for whom he was responsible has obviously grown significantly over the last 37 years of his career. But his care and his attention for every member has never wavered. I'd like to give a brief example, Mr. Speaker.

The Department of Infrastructure had lost a member of our team not long ago. It was a difficult loss for many. And very shortly after that, Mr. Loutitt and I were on duty travel to one of our regional communities. He asked if I would mind if he stepped away to spend time with some of the members of his team. He thought there were some who might have a particular connection to the event. These were not his direct reports, not even close. They were not staff that I believe he knew very well, but Mr. Loutitt had an instinct that they needed extra support. And he was right. Not only did he take time out of the day, he then arranged extra time and made additional effort to ensure supports were able over the coming days for this member of the team and for others. And it's come back to us, Mr. Speaker, that this was extremely meaningful for those involved.

It might seem like a small thing but, Mr. Speaker, I know you know the constant barrage of demands on a deputy minister on any given day can be immense. There are always ongoing expectations to keep large projects moving, find solutions, and endless series of crisis, and a few demands from Ministers. And, yet, Mr. Speaker, throughout my year in this role, never once has Mr. Loutitt lost sight of the fact that it is the people around him who should be receiving his unwavering attention. He always knows what's going on throughout the entire huge diverse Department of Infrastructure, but he has also shown me that sometimes the most confident thing that a leader can do is to empower his team to shine.

Mr. Speaker, I want to issue and give my thanks, my congratulations to Mr. Loutitt on the eve of his retirement, and on his resumption of full-time duties as a proud father to Drew, Ellie, and Emmy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well done, Member from Yellowknife South. Members' statements. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to request unanimous consent that we move item number 6, recognition of visitors in the gallery, up to item number 4, please. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Member from Frame Lake is asking unanimous consent to move recognition of visitors in the gallery up. Seeing no nays, we'll move it up. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have some very special guests in the gallery today. I dare say this may be the first time we've recognized a dog in the Assembly, but we have therapy dog Kit and her handler Joanne Cecchetto today in the chamber and several officials visiting from the St. John Ambulance Priory Headquarters led by CEO Brent Fowler; Samantha Rodick, director of community services; Lori Anderson, chancellor of St. John Ambulance Priory of Canada; and, Patricia Johnson, regional chair of Manitoba and Northwest Territories council. I'd like to extend a heartfelt welcome to these guests. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to recognize Canadian Space Agency astronaut Colonel Jeremy Hansen; Annie Belanger from Canadian Space Agency; Anne Burrow and Dave Sharpe from Bear Claw Strategy. Also, Ted Tsetta, the former chief of YKDFN; Liza Peiper-Charlo, band councillor from YKDFN. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I want to -- oddly enough, I'll do it this way: I want to acknowledge the great statement by the Member for Yellowknife South about our good friend Steve Loutitt. She said much of what I would have liked to have said but it is recognition, so I'll say this to Mr. Steve Loutitt, our retiring DM of infrastructure. I want to thank him for his many years of service, and I used to call him -- sorry, I used to call him director Loutitt when he was a manager, and then guess what, he got appointed to director. Then I used to call him assistant deputy minister accidently, and then he got bumped up. Then I called him deputy minister, and then he got bumped again. And I've been calling him Commissioner lately, so you never know. I might be the lucky rabbit's foot. But the only fault I'll finish I find with Mr. Loutitt is, and I'm darn well going to say this, Dallas is a terrible team. Go Green Bay.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Inuvik Twin Lakes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize a page from Inuvik Twin Lakes, Catalina *Sabocchi-Raymond who is here with us this week. And I'd like to recognize my deputy minister who is here in the capacity as part of the St. John Ambulance and her dog Kit. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Twin Lakes. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize former chief Ted Tsetta and David Sharpe and Ian Bailey. It's nice to see you here today. They're all friends of mine from my time working with YKDFN. I'd also like to recognize a very special person. Fortunately for all of you, the reason I'm here today, so you can blame him, my father Terry Testart. Thanks for being here, Dad.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize William Gagnon who is the executive director of the NWT Medical Association who is here with us today. And also thank two of our pages who are Yellowknife North constituents. We have Ace Wickens and Solomon Young, and they're both students at William Mac School. So thanks to all the pages as well for your help this week.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, first I'd like to recognize two hardworking pages from the Inuvik Boot Lake riding, Ms. Caitlyn Wright and Mr. Wilhem Jelima who have been here working all this week, and I'd like to thank them for their hard work. And I'd also like to recognize Mr. Loutitt. I had an opportunity to work with Mr. Loutitt a little in a previous life, and maybe we never always saw eye to eye but certainly always had great respect and appreciated all the hard work he had done on behalf of GNWT. And to echo my friend from Yellowknife Centre, Mr. Loutitt, go Packers.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize deputy minister Steve Loutitt and all the wonderful work and support he has given the department, particular to the Mackenzie Valley Highway and the other projects. And additionally, I would also like to recognize, on our last day of the session, the hardworking staff of the Assembly and our interpreters. I hope you enjoy the break, spring. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Monfwi.

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

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize my constituent William Gagnon who is back from his international travels, and welcome back to the Assembly. And I too would like to recognize Mr. Steve Loutitt who I did not have the pleasure of working with in my time in the public service but was very much far and away the most welcoming deputy minister since I took on this role, and I believe we have become fast friends and I look forward to having a beer with him tomorrow night. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize Mr. Terry Testart, a resident of Fort McPherson and senior administrative officer for the hamlet of Fort McPherson. I worked with Terry several years ago. And I wanted to welcome Terry. And also to Mr. Loutitt for his many years of service and to the interpreters for their dedicated service while we are conducting our work here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from the Mackenzie Delta. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On a busy day like today, I'm afraid I might be missing Yellowknife South residents who I can't see from behind me. Fortunately, Mr. Speaker, we are a family friendly neighbourhood and I am happy to say we have two youth here that I will recognize from Yellowknife South. Ima Taba and Olivia Costache, thank you for helping us as pages here in the House.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife South. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Kam Lake.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Terry's going to feel very special today because we're all fighting over him, but I'd like to say a warm welcome to my constituent, and we might need some proof of residency now to Mr. Terry Testart. Mr. Speaker, I'd also like to acknowledge Steve Loutitt in the House today. I started my journey with the GNWT as an intern for the Department of Transportation, spent many a days on the tarmac with Mr. Loutitt, including the year where a missile hit the golf course. What a time to start in communications. But very much my best memories of him were certainly at the hockey arena watching our children grow into goalies together. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Kam Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my beautiful darling wife Elina Edjericon and children for putting up with me while she takes care of the homestead. Also I wanted to recognize my constituents in Dettah, N'dilo, Lutselk'e, and Fort Resolution. Also I want to recognize my constituent assistant Taylor Pagotto and Warren Delorme for all their hard work. And I want to thank my colleagues and ledge staff and cooks and technical people. And finally, I want to recognize Maro Rose Sundberg, Jonas Lafferty, Dennis Drygeese, and the interpreters. Without you, this would never be possible. I want to say mahsi. And finally, Steve Loutitt and Terry Testart, I want to recognize you and everybody else in the House. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. I apologize that I gave him a second shot, but he had a long list. So recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Thebacha.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too would like to recognize my cousin Steve Loutitt and thank him for his many years of service in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Thebacha. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to take a minute to recognize some people who have been here with us for the past six weeks while I've been in the House. All of the interpreters who do the good work of letting the people of the territory know what we're up to. We were lucky enough to be invited to a potluck that they put on today, and it was a wonderful experience. And, of course, I also want to recognize the Troy Aikman of the Department of Infrastructure, Mr. Steve Loutitt, one of the -- you know, the hardest working people that I've ever met, one of the most positive. He's a great member of our team and, you know, very, very supportive of his team. And that's really, you know, what we need in this territory and in this government, is those kinds of folks and individuals, and we are indebted to him for his 37 years of service. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

I guess it's my turn to recognize deputy minister Mr. Loutitt. Great taste in football players. Oh what a team. You know those Green Bay Packers fans, well, you know, they don't have the taste that you do. So I welcome you in your retirement. I know we will see some posts of your new abode with the Dallas Stars out there, so we all have faith. As well, I'd like to recognize Mr. Testart. I recognize Mr. Terry Testart because he was the first person I got to work with when I became working for the Government of the Northwest Territories when he was in Behchoko. So that doesn't mean he's aged at all; I did. He's looked as young as he was before so welcome here. As well, I'd like to recognize Mary Jane Cazon, our interpreter that does Dene Zhatie, as well as the -- as the Premier said, the interpreters, they had our first potluck and we got to share it with them today at lunch time. So thank you very much for that.

If we've missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to your chambers. I greatly appreciate the fact that you allow us to represent the people of the Northwest Territories even though it's for a short period of time. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It's always nice to see people in the gallery. With that being said, we'll take a five-minute adjournment, please.

--SHORT RECESS

Thank you, colleagues. Motions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker,

WHEREAS the affirmative action policy was established in the late 1980's;

AND WHEREAS the affirmative action policy was intended to support northern employment by creating and strengthening opportunities for northern Indigenous people;

AND WHEREAS the affirmative action policy was also intended to support and recognize long-term commitments of non-Indigenous peoples;

AND WHEREAS the affirmative action policy was intended to support women and persons with disabilities;

AND WHEREAS the affirmative action policy is a policy and requires periodic evaluation and updating from time to time;

AND WHEREAS the Indigenous employment policy has had a number of concerns highlighted by committees of this Assembly;

AND WHEREAS the Indigenous employment policy has received enormous negative feedback from the public;

AND WHEREAS the Indigenous employment policy has not been received by the public in a positive way;

AND WHEREAS, more than one committee has requested that the government not proceed with the Indigenous employment policy or, at the very least, to pause this policy until a clear consensus of Members has been reached;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the Member for Range Lake, that this Legislative Assembly calls upon the Government of the Northwest Territories to immediately halt any further advancement and implementation of the new Indigenous employment policy, also known as the IEP, and return to using the affirmative action policy without delay as the primary hiring guidelines of the Government of the Northwest Territories;

AND FURTHER, that the Minister of Finance engage with the Standing Committee on Government Operations, prior to any further changes to the Government of the Northwest Territories' hiring policy, to discuss and seek guidance that can improve the affirmative action policy which ultimately strengthens the Government of the Northwest Territories' hiring practices with the intent that supports northern Indigenous, long-term Northerners, women, persons with disabilities, as well as other marginalized communities;

AND FURTHERMORE, that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a response to this motion within 120 days.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. The motion is in order. To the motion. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's been a lot of talk about this since it's been, in my humble opinion, rammed through. This policy change is quite frustrating. Many committees have already spoken against this and want it to be slowed down. Recently, one of the committees -- although I won't speak to it because it was an in-camera and confidential meeting, but I'll say it received a lot of feedback, and it was overwhelmingly concerned in the manner of the change and wanted the territorial's hiring policy stay as the affirmative action policy which we've seen for over 35 years.

Mr. Speaker, furthermore, the importance of it is no policy should go without review. I definitely believe in that. And there were changes, and I'd like to highlight one for the public's benefit to appreciate some of the changes that could have happened and should have happened and need part of the periodic details of what we're talking about.

So by way of example, Mr. Speaker, there is a -- within the current policy, which ends, according to the Minister and the government on April 1, if you were born in the Northwest Territories, you would be considered -- if you are non-Indigenous that is, and you would be considered a P2. And if you left the day after you were born here, you could come back any time of our lifetime and be treated as a P2. And for the public, that's priority number 2. But, again, most people will know what this means.

That said, Mr. Speaker, I think that misses the intent of what the policy was about. And it was about inspiring and finding ways to recognize the importance of northern people who have committed.

So first and foremost, no one I spoke to had any issues with Indigenous people from the Northwest Territories being treated as priority 1. As a matter of fact, the empowerment opportunity is absolutely critical to grow that. But there's elements that find the frustration where Northerners feel betrayed by this process. I have heard from people from the top of the North to the south of the North that there are ways we could have tweaked the current policy in a progressive way. I realize that there are certain overlapping Indigenous relationships that needed to be recognized. I too think that that's important.

What is problematic with the policy is I don't believe it's ever been used in the fullness of how it should have been used. That said, there are tweaks that could have been considered, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we need to understand the problems. The government will say well, we don't have enough Indigenous employment and it's not reaching the ratio of 50 percent of the North. That may be statistically true.

Now, what my experience has been around these types of problems is it always start with what do you want me to tell you on the statistics and we'll find a way to tell you the story through the numbers. In other words, we could have found any answer we really wanted to given the direction and the position. Also, Mr. Speaker, at the same time is we're not recognizing key fundamental foundational problems with the affirmative action program. It is a process of saving and -- saving and recognizing problems. So what am I saying?

Well, we have low education opportunities. We have high expectation of credentials. We have to find a gateway to create opportunities. We have communities where graduation rates are below 50 percent. That is the true critical problem of what's happening here. Creating a new IEP program, Mr. Speaker, isn't solving these problems, Mr. Speaker. It's just a fundamental shell game of trying to say, statistically, we need to raise these up. Mr. Speaker, when people want to work for the Northwest Territories and they are Indigenous, they are supported. And I support that. And I think that we have programs through -- and we certainly have exemptions through the Premier and Cabinet where we could do direct appointments. So if we need to improve the statistics, I'm certainly in favour of that. But opening -- kicking the door open wide and saying anyone from Canada, from whether it's Nova Scotia all the way to BC, is now hit a priority on this new policy is quite frustrating. As a matter of fact, again, it feels is the GNWT trying to save the national problem? Give it a local result? I'm not sure.

At the same time, Mr. Speaker, the government will tell you well, you know, it's always had legal issues. Well, I think there's always legal issues with a lot of policies. This one in particular, I'm not confident it's there. I'm not aware if it's ever been publicly challenged. In other words, tested in court, received any judicial guidance saying that.

Now, every Minister will say somebody in many the background says there's questions about it. Well, that may be true. There's question about our BIP. There's always questions about the BIP. And, you know what? Fundamentally, Northerners have grown to appreciate that and recognize they have limits, and sometimes it doesn't work out in their favour. That said, they do recognize how important some of these little nuggets of being a Northerner are represented and respected.

Mr. Speaker, the affirmative action program has been bought in for a generation or more -- if not We're getting close to two generations -- who have understood the importance of the value of that particular program. And to throw it out, again, feels likes a frustration.

Now, let's talk about other areas of aspects, Mr. Speaker, that are actually are foundational to this issue. So I've talked to mining companies, and they're frustrated too. They're hearing, wow, we have to hire more Indigenous people, which is fantastic. They go so if the GNWT gets to change its policy, how does it affect their socioeconomic agreements? You know, they're like, well, so if it's not good for the GNWT, is it good for us? Where is this fairness? Mr. Speaker, it's about fair application and reasonable application that respect Northerners' commitments.

The other aspect is, Mr. Speaker, not everyone wants to work for the Government of the Northwest Territories. I know there are a lot of people in various communities that don't want to work for the GNWT. And believe it or not -- I know this is hard to believe -- but the GNWT has long left the title or honour or pillar of opportunity as the employer of choice. It is no longer that. Yes, some people have enjoyed a great career here. Some have had great advancement. Some have, you know, had these dynamic experiences that all they do is talk about, you know, it's great going to work every day. I'm happy for them. But not everyone wants to work for the government. We have a federal government that's constantly competing for Indigenous people. We have Indigenous governments constantly competing for them. So it makes only perfect sense -- wait a minute, here's statistics again -- that Indigenous people are being hired in their community government organizations, which I think is incredible, but yet the GNWT is not getting those people applying there. So I think it's one of these narratives that you have to drill down and ask, what question are we really asking? Or do we already have the answer, and we're just trying to find the facts through the back door of statistics? I don't know.

Mr. Speaker, broader, now I'm going to speak, you have communities. And I've been to, like, every community of the North, except for Sachs. But I've been to every community of the North. And I can tell you jobs are tough in a small community. It's tough to find them. It's tough to find employment. And we don't do enough to inspire and create creative opportunities to get that. So if employment is the issue, why don't we have a jobs mandate, a war time mandate to say we're going to put employment and we're going to raise education standards and we're going to throw everything at these opportunities we can get. So back to where's the fundamental problem? We'll call these the cornerstones of this issue which is education and opportunities. And that's really what we're having here, is this -- and that's what was trying to identify new ways to advance.

Mr. Speaker, I have more to say, and like most people know, I could probably go on for quite a while, but this is a very serious topic and it's very frustrating. And I've had people from all ranges of support so don't think it's just the P2 candidates that are mad. It's also Indigenous people that I've spoken to who feel that their recognition and commitment Northerners have made has been lost. And it's unfortunate that the way that these conversations get talked about, they could be misconstrued in other ways. And it's very frustrating, and it's very difficult.

I have heard from many GNWT employees who are afraid to comment because they're GNWT employees. Their democratic right to communicate to their elected officials, either written and even in sometimes verbal, are very frustrating for them because they don't feel that their voices could be heard. And so we may have received an enormous overwhelming amount of feedback at committee at the call of committee. But I wish we could have this public so the government could have that. I wish government employees could feel safe to say, you know what, I'm upset or frustrated by this. But we can't in this environment. And I wouldn't want anything else be betrayed -- portrayed -- sorry, just to be clear, portrayed, that people just feel left out by this government.

Mr. Speaker, I will be requesting a recorded vote when we do come to that particular time. And I think what's key to me here is the fact that this government can reverse this, pause it. I've asked them to halt it through the motion. I thank the seconder who's supported the motion to get it on the floor. I encourage people to continue to open their mind and see the opportunity that's being walked away from and respect people who have committed their lives, their families to the North, who invest in the North, who want this to be part of their future and by not -- by walking away from them, it's that empty feeling that your government is walking away from you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake -- or sorry, Yellowknife Centre. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in our sister territory Yukon, Yukoners are only officially known as Sourdoughs until they have survived a full winter. Here in the Northwest Territories it's a bit more complicated. You have to live half your life and then you become a P2. This has been -- for 30 years, this has been a cultural touchstone of the Northwest Territories, somewhat absurdly as well because there's plenty of people who don't work for government and, of course, plenty of people who do work for government who don't occupy that status but enjoy their careers anyway. But no matter what, that idea of, like, when you officially graduate and become, you know, a true blue Northerner, a true frozen Northerner, whatever we want to call it, so the idea to just take this away with the stroke of a pen after 30 years of this being, again, part of our culture, part of our workforce, part of our set of benefits that when Northerners think of themselves and think of the advantages they receive, this is one of them. SFA is another one. BIP is another one. The northern tax deduction. These are things that are cherished and people look to them as a competitive advantage to why we're here and why we stay here. Because it's hard, and it's getting harder.

Mr. Speaker, for 30 years, we've had a failed Indigenous hiring policy. That is not under debate. It hasn't been working. We have -- I think the last public service report, it had the worst -- the worst statistics we've ever seen. This is a problem that needs to be solved. But in trying to solve it when departmental staff spoke to the Standing Committee Committee on Government Operations just earlier this week, they acknowledged that the gaps that exist within this new policy, the Indigenous employment policy, have been creating brand new gaps that the old policy covered. And there's no plan yet to fill them.

The language that was used at the presentation was taking away affirmative action. And I don't know if that was intentional, Mr. Speaker, but I knew that -- do know that that is how so many Northerners feel, that something is being taken away. And the Minister disagrees that this is a benefit. I think Northerners would disagree. And they do feel like something's been taken away.

In an effort to fill the gaps and improve Indigenous hiring, we are creating new ones. People -- persons with disabilities, visible other minority populations are not being covered by the new policy, and that was one of the first messages I got from the public. And I've had many, Mr. Speaker. And it was someone who works for the government who has -- who is differently abled and was furious that this change was made without any consultation and implored MLAs to stand together and reverse the changes.

Mr. Speaker, advocacy groups, to my knowledge, were not consulted on these changes. The people who were consulted on these changes were given a broad set of a problem statement and ways it could be solved but not an actual definition of policy. The drive-by consultations, as my friend has said, in the past of -- of Yellowknife Centre -- were insufficient, insensitive, and wholly inadequate. Because that's what we heard, and that's what we heard from our partner Indigenous governments in particular. We're not making this stuff up, Mr. Speaker. There's a difference between a big P policy of government that governors everything we do here -- or everything -- sorry, not here, but everything we do in the public service and a framework. So the fact that a diversity -- a DEI framework is being pitched as a solution to these problems for the people who are left behind, a lot of those folks are not buying it because it's not -- it doesn't have the security that a big policy of government has. Hiring was iron clad. It followed these rules: P1, P2, P3. That was it. You couldn't get around it on paper. And we'll get into that, how have -- people have gotten around it. Because like I said, this has not been working.

Mr. Speaker, Northerners deserve to be put first by their government. They deserve priority access to jobs that allowed them to make decision for their territory and serve their communities. At a recent constituency meeting in the Range Lake riding, this was the number one topic of concern, and it was around P2s. And look, there are a lot of different opinions around this and around the P2 status, where it came from, is it constitutional, is it racist. But for members of our community, our northern community, we're all Northerners and we're all in this together. And no one there who was concerned about the loss of P2s and felt like it was an erosion of their identity as a Northerner said we don't want P1s. Everyone's okay with supporting each other and putting Indigenous people first because that's what our policies should do. But to take away P2 with nothing to replace it, that's something that has them concerned.

Mr. Speaker, in the Standing Committee of Government Operations, public engagement, they received 50 respondents. Normally, when we engage the public, if we get a dozen letters that's pretty good. And usually they're being written in by advocacy groups and stakeholders and people with a vested interest in communicating with committee. This case, it was driven by citizens, Northerners. Only one of those pieces of correspondence was supportive of these changes.

Mr. Speaker, the biggest issue was the elimination of P1s, followed by the elimination of P2s, and there was no support for prioritizing southern Indigenous people over Northerners. It's rare we get so much public commentary on matters before this House. So I want to share some of those stories today.

Before we began sitting, Mr. Speaker, I was approached by someone who's had 25 years in the public service. Never raised a complaint, never been to the union, never been to an MLA, completely content with working with for the public service, a career that made him feel proud and valued and even though it's challenging at some times, it was something that got him out of bed and motivated to do every day. When this policy was announced and there was no sense that it was coming, this was shocking to this individual, Mr. Speaker. They feel like they are no longer valued and they're being pushed out of the North. Now, I know that's not the intent of the policy. Let's be very clear. But we're not talking about what's written on the page. We're talking about the message it sends to our people and the message it sends to public citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I have a lengthier quote from a former GNWT employee who worked for the public service for 35 years. They were a manager when they left the GNWT for a secondment to an Indigenous government and at the end of the two years, this person resigned from the GNWT rather than go back. This individual says that they left the GNWT for many reasons. One was hiring and promoting practices in their department.

Quote: As a GNWT manager for three years, I had no issues with external competition. I was always reminded by my human resources representative assisting me with the competition that I was required to hire a priority 1 Indigenous person if they successfully passed the competition process. It was drilled into me. So I assumed that it was drilled into other hiring managers. The problems that I saw personally were the hiring and promotional activities that happened within departments when there was no human resources representative oversight. People who had the right attitude were selected for transfer assignments into positions for the appropriate time to allow for these persons to gain enough experience to allow them to, air quotes, "apply" on the job. There was a perception within at least my department that First Nations people made excellent support as frontline workers but were not suitable for promotion. Since my resignation, I have met with a lot of other former GNWT employees of First Nations descent, and this has been a running theme.

Mr. Speaker, this story, this work experience, is not one of a failed -- of people failing to follow the policy. It's one of personal workplace biases failing to promote and support Indigenous people through career advancement. That is a much deeper problem, and I know the government is working to fix that through other mechanisms. But this policy was not broken. This policy was just not being followed well enough.

Mr. Speaker, more quotes from -- or more feedback from the public: As the mother of a non-Indigenous child, I do not believe this policy's a very good idea. We have stayed here in the North because of the opportunities for people who have lived here for most or all of their lives. With this new policy, there is no advantage to living or going to school in the North. People who have lived here should have the first opportunity over anyone who does not live in the North, no matter if they are Indigenous or not.

Mr. Speaker, another: I wholeheartedly support priority staffing for Indigenous staff and recognize that change is needed. But the other folks already living in the North having equal footing as a southern candidate is not the right approach in employee retention, succession planning, continuity of services, and fiscal prudence in our current environment.

Quote: This new proposed hiring policy seems like you're trying to achieve an Indigenous hiring quota without a plan to support northern people.

Quote: At a time of such economic uncertainty, why is the GNWT creating opportunities for people who aren't even NWT residents? This new proposed hiring policy seems like you're playing politics with my future to make a more positive government report.

Quote: We have stayed here in the North because of the opportunities for people who have lived here most their lives. With this new policy, there's no advantage to living or going to school in the North.

Mr. Speaker, quote: If the GNWT is committed to human rights, equity, inclusion, economic stability and workplace diversity, it should be expanding and strengthening protections for persons with disabilities rather than rolling them back.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, quote: The morale of your frontline providers has never been so low and many of us feel insulted and disgusted by this new directive. End quote.

What is especially frustrating about this, Mr. Speaker, is how it came through -- how this process came there. My friend from Yellowknife Centre mentioned that this -- he used the word rammed through. And I would tend to agree. This was pushed through a process with little concern for the role of Members of two standing committees, both as representatives of their constituents and active committee Members who play on oversight role to government. Twice the Standing Committee on Government Operations asked for the Minister to pause changes to affirmative action and continue working with committee. Twice the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight asked the Minister to pause changes to the affirmative action policy and continue working with committee. Seven members took a major step of issuing a public letter to the Premier asking for the policy to be reversed and sent back to committee, the same thing this motion calls for. It was only after all of these actions and a public flogging in the media that the Minister decided to compromise the policy and bring back northern Indigenous hiring in a more limited capacity.

Committees must be respected if this form of government that we have is going to work, Mr. Speaker. Ministers should be listening carefully to the concerns of committees and not ignoring them. That is not consensus government. How this matter has been handled sets a bad precedent for the role of committees in the oversight of major policy decisions going forward, Mr. Speaker. Changes to significant policies are also -- this changes significant policy that, again, has so many people upset. It's not part of the priorities of the Assembly. It's not part of the mandate of the GNWT. And it's not present in the Minister's mandate letter. Certainly I did not run to represent my constituents in this chamber on that promise. And I don't recall anyone else in this chamber saying they pledged to do that on the campaign trail.

So why are we here, Mr. Speaker? Why have we spent so much time and energy on a policy that does little to improve the hiring of Indigenous people and is hugely frustrating to Northerners. No matter the Minister's intention, Mr. Speaker, the results are clear to Northerners: You aren't valued, you aren't wanted, and you aren't a priority to this government.

I didn't think this needed to be said but as this government continues to make decisions that erode the advantages our people have enjoyed for 30 years or more, let me be clear: Every decision we make in this chamber should have one goal - Northerners first. We are sent here to solve problems, not to create them. By leaving so many gaps behind and non-Indigenous Northerners behind, we are actively adding to the challenges Northerners face every day in our communities. Working people deserve better, especially those in our public service and those aspiring to join it.

If you value -- so if you value the work of committees, then you must support this motion. If you value accountability, then you must support this motion. If you value the concerns of dozens of working people who contacted their MLAs to reject these policy changes, then you must support this motion. If you value consensus government and working together and listening to one another, you must support this motion. And if you want to put Northerners first where they belong, you must support this motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. To the motion. Member from Monfwi.

Masi, Mr. Speaker. No disrespect, I sympathize with my colleague and I hear the concerns that have been raised. I believe this Indigenous employment policy will help Indigenous people in the NWT. The Minister has said 56 percent of -- 56 percent of employees currently -- currently categorized as P2 work in Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, what I take from this is that most P2s live in the city or larger regional centre. Their family members will always have a job to apply for and access to good education. I have heard numerous times from former teachers in Tlicho region that once their children were old enough to start elementary school, they moved to Yellowknife for better options. However, Indigenous people, Indigenous young people, and families in small communities, do not have these options. We lack a lot of services in small communities. Some of our young people feel hopeless. Drugs are getting in, and the future generations is going to face addictions. I want change. I want to help solve these problems. I support a policy that is aimed at recruiting Indigenous employees from within present boundaries of the territory. So for this reason, I will not support this motion. Masi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Monfwi. To the motion. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I too do have a problem with the GNWT affirmative action policy. It was created back when we were part of Nunavut and at the time it was done in a way that it catered to everybody that's working here in the Northwest Territories - P1, P2, P3. But my concern, Mr. Speaker, is that when this announcement came out when Cabinet made a decision, I was surprised to hear it as well that decision came from Cabinet. I got calls from my leaders, my community members, and members from different ridings of the Northwest Territories expressing their concerns about how could this be. When this announcement came out, they were going to say that aboriginal hires are going to be from people from southern Canada. So in other words, if the aboriginal person that has a degree in education come into Fort Resolution to fill a job in recreation, they get first priority. And our guy in the community who's been born and raised here would be left out for applying on that job. So I am concerned with that. But then when they went back and they made changes saying oh jeez, now we're going to change it. It's going to be that aboriginal people are going to be first hire and then southern people after that. I don't support this motion. I mean, I -- I don't support the idea of bringing forward an aboriginal policy. There are a lot of good people that I spoke to that created the GNWT affirmative action policy. And it's been in place for over 30 years. It wasn't perfect. There were problems, and I agree with that. There should have been an oversight on that. I know a lot of good people applied on jobs, and they were missed out on jobs because there was just -- just the way it was at the time where there were problems identified. And I've raised this on an issue.

In the 19th Assembly, I was on a committee that went up and down the Valley. My colleague from Monfwi was part of that committee. Cabinet Minister across the road there was on that committee. And we heard from our people in the Northwest Territories that to increase the aboriginal numbers in the GNWT, we have to take a look at these policies. So now this motion is here today. I keep thinking about it because I got calls from members -- I can paint an old car, even though it's broken down, everything, paint it, I'm going to try to sell it. It's still an old car. This policy, I'm deeply concerned. If we can't implement the affirmative action policy after 30 years and fix the problems, then what do you think we're going to do with this policy? Is it going to be any better? I don't think so. It's going to be another 30 years before we finally catch up, figure what the problems are.

I wish we had more time to talk about this, but Cabinet made a decision. There was no consultation or accommodation with Indigenous governments throughout the Northwest Territories or groups throughout the Northwest Territories. They have a right to be heard. So this policy that the Minister of Finance announced, I can't support that policy. My chiefs were never consulted. The leaders of the Northwest Territories were never consulted. Cabinet brought this forward in the 19th Assembly as well. It didn't go anywhere. So here today I support this motion. We could fix it but let's do it right.

Right now, I come here to work for my people and my region, the communities throughout the Northwest Territories, and it seems like we have no voice because Cabinet continues to make decisions on the best interests of the people in the Northwest Territories with no consultation or accommodation. And do you think this policy now it's going to forward, aboriginal policy? There's going to be problems with it. Why were we sitting at a committee, go up and down the Valley to listen to people, and then we -- this policy comes out. Then what happens to all the hard work we did? It's out the door.

I'm not going to tell how my colleagues to vote on this one here, but I'm going to ask them to vote with your heart because at the end of the day I'm worried about my grandchildren and their other grandchildrens. So if we can't increase the aboriginal hire in government and then we change the policy and call it a different name, the issues are still going to be there. We should have an oversight committee independent on all the hire, on all the appeals. That's what I said in the 19th Assembly when we did the committee on the -- I can't remember what the bill number is, but we did the work. We did a lot of good work that time. So I'm deeply concerned that here we are today talking about this. And if -- if this thing goes ahead, then what does that say to all the work we do in committee? It's all for nothing.

So, Mr. Speaker, I'm going to support this motion on behalf of my constituents who have issues still trying to find jobs in government. And it's time that we start listening to the people here in the Northwest Territories and take their voices and their issues and their concerns when we make decisions in this House. But this decision came without the consent of our own colleagues here; it just happened. We were caught off guard on that. So, Mr. Speaker, I'm going to support this motion for my people in my riding. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. To the motion. Member from Yellowknife North.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot support a return to the old affirmative action policy. But I also cannot give me wholehearted endorsement of the new Indigenous employment policy because I do not believe it can achieve its intended objectives.

Mr. Speaker, if this motion is asking me to take a position on which one do I support, the affirmative action policy or the Indigenous employment policy, I will do neither because I believe we are having the wrong conversation entirely.

The few constituents who did reach out to me about the Indigenous employment policy expressed a common concern, and I think it was summed up well by one constituent who said, what I have not seen or heard is anything that addresses why the existing affirmative action hiring policy failed to improve the representation of Indigenous northerners. Changing the existing policy without addressing the reasons for failure would seem to miss the mark. Northern Indigenous applicants already are priority 1. That policy has been in place for over 30 years and has little to no effect. If the root cause is not addressed, a new policy has little chance of success.

My conclusion, Mr. Speaker, is that too much attention and airtime has been given to debating the government's policy on hiring priorities and not enough attention has been given to the biggest barriers that Indigenous people and other marginalized groups actually face in securing good jobs with the government. I want to talk about how we can support community learning, new approaches to K to 12 education, adult education that meets people where they're at, effective and culturally appropriate mental health supports at every age, innovative approaches to addictions treatment. I want to talk about how even when Indigenous individuals and people from marginalized groups get hired by the GNWT, there are barriers to them moving up in their careers, so many get discouraged and leave the government. I want to talk about more flexible and responsive professional development, mentorship, and mental health supports within GNWT workplaces. I want to talk about ways the GNWT can make its workplaces more welcoming and accommodating to people with disabilities. We should also be talking more about how lived experience and knowledge of Indigenous culture and northern communities is or can be accounted for in evaluating someone's qualifications when they apply for a job.

I also want to acknowledge that many Indigenous residents may not want to work for the GNWT regardless of how much the government wants them. Many are choosing to devote their talents instead to working with their own Indigenous governments or development corporations, and there's no reason that the GNWT should be trying or coming up with strategies to lure Indigenous Northerners away from Indigenous government employers.

I've also heard from constituents about a number of barriers facing northern-born students who want to return home to work, including sometimes specialized jobs are not available, sometimes salaries are not competitive. But, again, these cannot be solved by a priority hiring policy.

Mr. Speaker, this motion offers me a chance to take a position between going back to the affirmative action policy or accepting the Indigenous employment policy, and I choose neither. I want to have entirely different conversations. So for that reason, I will be abstaining on this motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate my colleague from Yellowknife North's position. I share a lot of her sentiments when it comes to the underlying causes of why we don't see more Indigenous representation in our public service.

Mr. Speaker, if we keep what we have -- if we keep what we have always had, then we will keep getting what we've always got. I'm going to say a little bit of what I said at the briefing earlier this week because I had to rush through my comments due to time constraints; I don't have that here.

My colleague from Monfwi is relentless, with good reason, when she speaks about education for youth. Improving our educational outcomes are how you change the workforce in the long term. It's crucial we don't forget this. Systemic changes to education access and outcomes can easily become generational and doesn't allow the GNWT to aim for better Indigenous representation right now. It's my -- if my Indigenous colleagues on the whole are comfortable with this amended IEP moving forward, I support them.

What I do want to state unequivocally is that diversity, equity, and inclusion is fundamentally about prioritizing equity for underrepresented groups within the employer, especially underrepresented groups that have historical barriers to employment. That is what affirmative action tried to accomplish but failed and what now IEP seeks to address.

I think there is value of having long-term Northerners in the public service, but I do not feel that they are underrepresented as an equity group. To say that they are is disingenuous.

At the public briefing with the Minister this week, I highlighted my main concern, which is what I hear from my constituents, around the lack of an employment equity policy going ahead at this time. When affirmative action ceases to exist on April 1, so goes preferential hiring for folks with disabilities, for example. This work was originally in scope for the reworking of an affirmative action policy but was halted due to public feedback. I fully accept that many people are not comfortable around self-identifying various characteristics about themselves in the hiring process. Sometimes this is extremely personal information that they don't wish to share, and it seems invasive. I'm still confident that the work can be done to ensure hiring equity for historically underrepresented folks is appropriate and inclusive. I have heard from the Minister and her staff that they continue to prioritize this work and, most importantly, will work with stakeholders on this work. At this time, I'm satisfied that the GNWT is hearing that historical inequities need to be addressed. And if it means taking apart the functions of the original affirmative action policy and dealing with them one at a time, I am all right with this.

Back in January, I had a conversation after the letters from some Members to this -- to the Premier came out. And my friends told me this, and I want to share it with the House today: All equity work is frustrating. It triggers our most primal survival responses. When we are triggered, we are taught our options are flight, fight, freeze, and fawn. But we have another option, Mr. Speaker. Surrender. That seems to be a reoccurring lesson for me for the last few months. Surrendering is accepting what is and to give space to other people's stories, other people's truths. It is to know that my truth is not the objective truth. It's giving space for other people's stories to model for them how we give space for our own. The irony of race equity work is a constantly fighting not to become the very thing we're resisting. So I cannot speak to whether or not an Indigenous employment policy is right for Indigenous people. Only Indigenous people can do that, Mr. Speaker. And what I am hearing is they want to see this go ahead. So at this time, I will not support this motion.

Thank you, member from Great Slave. To the motion. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't think there's much disagreement in this room about the problem that is trying to be solved through implementation of this new policy. In fact, I haven't heard any disagreement about that, the problem of underrepresentation of Indigenous persons in the public service.

So to give a little bit of history on this, the department during the last term of the Assembly went out and did engagement with the public on changing the affirmative action policy and fixing the issues that are at hand. What came back was quite complex. It produced a lot of results with a number of different recommendations. And I would say that there was not a clear path identified which put the department in a difficult position. And I would note that much of what was said in that engagement was spoken to by the Member for Yellowknife North just now.

The various challenges that Indigenous persons and persons with disabilities, people in minority groups, face in terms of the barriers to their advancement within the government, to their entry into the workforce, education outcomes, which the Member for Monfwi has spoken eloquently about and I agree with completely -- and I have more to say about education outcomes in a different item that we're considering today -- and so the department was faced with something difficult. How do we get at this issue? And they brought forward what we saw as the first iteration of the Indigenous employment policy. And so committee responded to that, wrote to the Minister. It ended up as was pointed out by other members -- wrote to the minister multiple times. First sort of critiquing the initial attempt and saying we wanted to engage further and consider other options. And one of the things that committee pointed out, that I'm going to speak to a bit further in a second here, is that the new Indigenous employment policy as presented addressed three out of the 17, 17 recommendations, that came out of the What We Heard report of the department's engagement on this issue. And so there -- even with this new policy are a huge number of gaps that still need to be filled. Again, the Member for Yellowknife North spoke well to those gaps, and so I don't want to stand here and repeat those.

And so the other thing that committee did is that, you know, with the department, ultimately we got -- we came to a place where committee wrote the Minister asking -- asking her to pause this process and say, you know, we need to do more work on this. And the committee also went out to the public and said now that the policy's out, what do you think. And committee received a significant number of responses, far more than we usually do. We received 50 written responses from the public raising a number of different issues, raising issues with the way the policy was being implemented, concerns about it, but in particular, noting again, the gaps in education, the gaps that are not being filled with this policy and all the different elements that lead to barriers to advancement and barriers to entry into jobs with the government. And so my main takeaway right now is that there is still a lot of work left to be done. And I would note that when the Minister came before committee just the other day, staff acknowledged that fact, acknowledged that there's a lot of work to do, acknowledged that when it comes to diversity and inclusion, all the groups that have been left out of the new policy, there's a lot of work left to be done.

And so what I've come away with from this process is just I don't really understand why this had to be rushed, why it had to be done now, considering that this is a policy that's 30 years old, it's taken a long time for us to get here, and why the Minister couldn't take more time to work with committee, help build consensus around a new policy and a set of actions and changes that we can all agree on that comprehensively get at the various issue that is came up during engagement. And I think that's why we're having so much difficulty with this now, is that this policy as it stands alone doesn't solve all those problems.

And I want to acknowledge that there was some concession by the Minister. The Minister did change the policy to recognize that the real goal here, the real outcome that we're looking for is increased employment of Northerners, Indigenous Northerners in particular, from the territory or from groups represented in the territory if they didn't necessarily grow up here. And I don't disagree with that. I think it's a -- I think it's a good goal, and I think most people do. But where I do have concerns is all the folks who are left out and the 14 other recommendations that haven't been addressed by this particular policy.

Now, the Minister has ensured us, and the Minister's staff has ensured us, that work is ongoing on that and I appreciate that but, again, I still just don't understand why we couldn't bring forward something more wholistic that acknowledges all these issues, particularly the one that I think, you know, was highlighted by the -- sorry, Mr. Speaker. The name is -- but something that's been highlighted is the enormous education gap between Indigenous youth and non-Indigenous youth in this territory and the fact that education outcomes are so different. I think that that is one of the key issues. We have got to get at that. And I certainly hope that that becomes one of the next big priorities of the Assembly, is addressing that issue head on.

So that's really where I'm left here. And as chair of the committee that wrote to the Minister multiple times, I would just say, you know, I'm standing in support of this motion today in good faith with Cabinet in the sense that what I'm really trying to say here is we wanted to work with Cabinet on developing a more fulsome solution. We wrote to Cabinet and asked to do that and were not met with -- with that willingness.

Now, I want to acknowledge a few things. The Minister has reached out to committee and suggested we form a working group and that we work on this issue on a go-forward basis. I appreciate that and certainly look forward to doing that work. The other thing I wanted to know is, you know, some of the questions that I asked yesterday in had the house were about how this is going to affect students. And I would just note that I think it'll bring some of my constituents a fair bit of comfort knowing that students that go away and have been educated in the territory and go off to university still come -- will still be able to receive a form of preference hiring when they apply for the jobs in the Northwest Territories. And those are folks that I'm concerned about, people who are just entering their careers. So I appreciate that reassurance from the Minister. And, you know, I look forward in whichever way this goes down -- I look forward to working with the Minister further on this issue. We are certainly not done. There's a lot more work to be done as was highlighted by the Member for Yellowknife North, by Member for Monfwi, by all the Members who have spoken, that there's a lot more work to do. So I look forward to doing that work. And, again, I just say in good faith I support this motion asking for a pause as I had done as chair of the committee writing just saying, you know, we need to take more time to do this, and I certainly respect the Members who have come around and support the policy in its current form. Either way, always look forward to working with my colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Member from Inuvik Range Lake -- or how about we try this, how about I moved Range Lake to Inuvik? Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've had a lot of conversation around this issue. We've taken it back to our ridings for sure. I've had conversations with members in my riding. It ranged from agnostic, where it doesn't matter, it doesn't work anyway, to we want to see Northerners first, it should be about Indigenous people, and I've had also some people who are P2s coming in, and P2s, I've had a conversation with who have, by the way, been gainfully employed because they allegedly have letters after their name where they've got the education, they've been working in the North a long time and, indeed, helped build the North and have been paid to help build the North, and have done quite well for themselves and are going to stay here and enjoy the benefits of living in the North. But for me, Mr. Speaker, this has to be about Indigenous employment, period. That, for me, Mr. Speaker is what it's about. It's about having a policy and, more importantly, following that policy. Some of our issues around affirmative action, as again, we've had this thing for 30 years. It hasn't really worked. We have a 1 percent unemployment rate in non-Indigenous and a 14 percent unemployment with Indigenous. So something is not working. So we need to make a change. Do I agree 100 percent with the -- you know, with the new Indigenous employment policy? No. And I've had several conversations with the Minister about that. She's been kind enough to sit down and answer some questions.

One of the concerns I did have in my riding was that it has to be northern Indigenous first. That's a change that was made and that was a change that was explained when we had our public hearing on that earlier this week. That was, likely for me, Mr. Speaker, the number one issue that I had heard in my riding, that it has to be northern Indigenous first.

I don't know if the new policy's going to be better than the old one. I do know the old one hasn't been working. And we have stats to show that. I don't think this is going to have a huge impact on non-Indigenous. Again, the stats don't lie. If you look at the unemployment rate, surely you can see that. I do think there are gaps in our system, and I'm -- you know, for me, it's about equivalencies. It's about people that are working in the government, Indigenous people working in the government that have been in roles for a long time -- and I've said this before -- have equivalencies, so have done the job, but yet not gotten that additional promotion to get them at that next level, the senior level. Instead you've brought in other people to do that job. May or may not have been from the territory, may not have worked out. Again, the person acts in that position for a long time, but the equivalencies aren't being recognized either because the policy's not being followed correctly or there's lateral violence, there's things that happens within the workforce. But people, there's that gap that people are sat there, that should be promoted, that are Indigenous people that aren't, and that's likely the biggest concern for me, Mr. Speaker. That's where I see a gap that has to be filled and has to be looked at.

Can the new policy do that? I mean, I hope so. For me, we have to try and do something different. And it's a policy, and I appreciate that the -- you know, the Minister has talked about a working group that we can work on this together with committee, with Cabinet, with the Minister's department, to find out, indeed, if this is working, if something can work better than the policy that we know hasn't worked for 30 years. I think everyone in this room has either mentioned that or agreed to that, that what we had has not been working. And so to try something different -- and if the new policy doesn't work, then we go back and we try something again. But, again, I -- you know, for me, it's about Indigenous employment. That's the goal here. It's what we're trying to do here. That's what I've heard in my riding, that people want to hear, it's about how do we -- and we're just talking in the public service here of course, Mr. Speaker, how do we increase Indigenous employment in public service. The policy we have hasn't gotten us there.

So, Mr. Speaker, I mean -- and, again, like, we need workers. I mean, listen, if -- to be a nurse or to be a teacher or to be a doctor or to be an accountant, to be a lab tech, you have to have those qualifications so it doesn't matter, you know, who you are, Mr. Speaker, you have to have that. We're not talking about positions -- and we need those in every jurisdiction right now. We know that. I mean, we're looking to bring people in. We're bringing agency nurses in. We're -- like, we need -- we need people. We have, you know -- so, again, for me, our focus has to be in the public service on Indigenous employment.

Mr. Speaker, as my friend from Monfwi had said, I'm willing to give this a shot, the new policy. I think committee needs to work with the government on this to ensure that if there's an opportunity in the IEP that we're taking full of advantage of that, that we're actually implementing and following up on the policies as they are presented. Because, again, I think, Mr. Speaker, that's been one of the things that we haven't done a good job within the past. So willing to give that an opportunity.

I appreciate what my colleague from Yellowknife Centre, Yellowknife -- Range Lake as well. I mean, yeah, and I've heard some of those -- some of those concerns in my riding as well. But the overwhelming thing I heard in my riding was that it has to be Indigenous northern first, and that's the change that the Minister has made, and I'm willing to give this a shot, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. To the motion. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This policy is a revised policy from the 30-year-old one. And I've seen a number of changes in the positions, northern Indigenous positions, in the Sahtu. I recall years ago we never had a regional superintendent from the region. Now we do, so that tells me that things have changed since way back then. However there's always room for improvements on efficiencies, and certainly similar to this policy and every policy that this government has, it's only good as the implementation. And if you want to measure that success, then we can do a survey, an analysis on the improvements to measure the policy is actually working, whether it's this one or others. And certainly, Mr. Speaker, this policy has really created an opening door of reviews and efficiencies and What We Heard engagements from the public. We've got that. As previous speakers mentioned, there's parts of recommendations that are identifying missing gaps. So to that, moving forward for the remaining term of this Assembly, opens the doors for further collaboration on efficiencies. And I'm also mindful that the multi-jurisdictions of our Northwest Territories is different in the Sahtu, similar to the other three neighboring settlement areas, have various provisions of government benefits to the beneficiaries of the land claim. So given that, and also being respectful on what we had said the beginning of this Assembly, there's going to be days that we are here today, making a decision on what you think is right for the people that put you in this House. But, also, I'm mindful of outside the land claim. This policy is a territorial one, not a land claim one, but it also applies to the jurisdiction I represent.

Now if we look at efficiencies and reviews and say okay, well, can we improve that, as my colleague from Boot Lake mentioned okay, you got 1 percent and you got 14 percent. Okay, those are numbers to sit back and say okay, let's analyze this; why isn't this working. So there's certainly room for improvements. To make my long presentation short, I'm willing to give this new policy a chance. However, I want a midterm review to the remaining term of our Assembly. We can say midterm, or we can say an annual review; is it really working come next fiscal year. Let's look at it. Don't develop a policy and put it on the desk and it stays there. So for the record, I'm willing to give this new revised policy a chance, and let's tweak it, let's improve it, and let's move on. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. To the motion. Member from Yellowknife South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, a policy whose purpose is to improve equity must focus on areas where there is inequity. To be effective, we need to ask ourselves who is not being treated with equity if we're going to make a difference. And so, Mr. Speaker, that is now the focus of the new Indigenous employment policy. It is focusing on those persons who we know have not been -- historically and systemically been treated with equity in the Northwest Territories and also in Canada. The policy, though, is and always has been about hiring for the GNWT for the Northwest Territories, and it has focused always, and intended always, to benefit support Indigenous persons living in the Northwest Territories. Some of those Indigenous people who live here, who reached out to the GNWT during the course of our engagement, are not Members of the Indigenous Nations who find themselves -- Indigenous First Nations and Inuit and Metis who are within the present boundaries of the Northwest Territories. Some of them are from communities that may straddle the boundary. Others have moved here or maybe were born here and are Members of Indigenous Nations from elsewhere in Canada. And the Indigenous employment policy, after the engagement sessions, was meant to capture that in a very simple and focused way.

And so, Mr. Speaker, we went through a fairly extensive engagement process. It did not begin this Assembly. Arguably, it did not even begin last Assembly because for 30 years, perhaps for the reasons we are all here speaking today, this policy has been political and not one on which it is easy to find consensus. So back all the way in 2005, work was done to try to review the policy to update it because we're out of step with the rest of Canada. No one else is doing affirmative action policies anymore. But we just can't seem to change this one. 2014 it comes forward again. Just can't get it over the line. Can't agree, and it gets ended, it gets stopped.

So we move it forward last government and did an extensive engagement. There were special theme days in this House about human resources and hiring of Indigenous people, I believe not just once but more than once. It was one of the hottest topics in this building in the last government about hiring Indigenous people into the public service. And so the engagement process that we embarked on involved Indigenous -- the NWT Council of Leaders, the IGC Secretariat, multiple in-person sessions in multiple communities, the Indigenous Employment Advisory Committee, multiple outreaches directly to myself as well as to other Members. Mr. Speaker, one of our standing committees in the 19th Assembly also engaged, at length, in human resources, examining how they could better match the fact that we are not representing the Northwest Territories in the government's public service. Members of this room are -- were on that committee. And that brings, of course, to where we are today and the What We Heard report and looking at how we were going to try our best to find a path forward on something that is not easily agreed upon because it does touch on a deep inequity in our society that is reflected in the public service. But that inequity is much deeper than just the public service, and this public service hiring policy will not fix it by itself. But we can be honest about it.

And so, Mr. Speaker, we did almost a year ago, in fact, March of last year, go with this new Assembly to standing committee and presented on the proposed changes, received letters. And, Mr. Speaker, I don't actually want this to be about the back and forth of that. I am -- I've been to committee now several times and have noted and will say here I regret the falling out that we have had on this policy. It didn't have to be that way, and I acknowledge that. And it shouldn't be that. That is, in fact, very rare in terms of how this House and all 19 of us speak and collaborate. Whether it's about policies, legislation, the budget, it is not generally how we do things, that there is such a deep divide between us. I am regretful that that's the situation we find ourselves in. But we did go back and the department I believe made efforts to answer the concerns that were being raised about the policy, because the concerns that are being raised about the policy are not just about the words on the page of how we screen in candidates to be in public service. The bigger issues are about education, education outcomes, schools, training, racism, unconscious bias, cultural training, language. Those are the really big issues, and they're difficult. So we did appear again and tried to provide detail about the Indigenous recruitment and retention framework because that, along with the diversity and inclusion framework, with the human resources -- the strategic plans, the cultural training, the context that we are trying to create -- the culture that we are trying to create within human resources has changed, and I hope is changing. There is an entire suite of things that we are rolling out over the last few years. This is now but one policy, not the only policy, that is meant to govern and direct how we behave and how we act in human resources vis-a-vie the creation of a public service that is more inclusive, more diverse, and more reflective of the public that we serve.

And so, Mr. Speaker, the Indigenous employment policy now is one that focuses on equity, but it is, again, not one that is meant to focus only on southern hires or one group -- or one group of Indigenous persons. It really is now focusing, with amendments, on, of course, firstly and foremost, those Indigenous people who have the tie to a community or a group or nation within the present boundaries of the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I've had questions about why that back and forth. Again, we were trying to be inclusive of all Indigenous people in the Northwest Territories and just be simple and direct, but I recognize, and we should all recognize, that we have treaty obligations. We have treaty obligations to nations within the present boundaries that we are in, and we're going to respect them and we're going to put those as being a priority tier. But then we wanted to make sure that there's all the other people who are Indigenous Canadians living here who may not be members of those groups but who we still want to see reflected in had the public service.

And, Mr. Speaker, the most recent public hearing that I had the opportunity to attend just a few days ago with my colleagues from the standing committee, after which I did receive feedback from the public service, from a member of the public service directly to me, who is a member of the public service, who is an Indigenous Canadian, who is not a member of one of the groups from the present boundaries of the Northwest Territories. So I want all of the folks who may find themselves as Indigenous Canadians living here in the Northwest Territories to consider applying to the public service and to hopefully see that we want to prioritize their presence within the ranks of the public service.

Mr. Speaker, this is why we are implementing this policy. We want to be laser focused. We want to ensure that we are focusing on a group that has not seen equity and that has not benefitted.

There are some who have benefitted from the old affirmative action policy where there was priority given to women in nontraditional roles and, in this respect, the policy was successful. The percentage of women in the Government of the Northwest Territories has risen from 59.3 percent back in 2000 to now 65.5 percent of the public service are women. Since 2007, women's representation among senior management has nearly doubled. We are now at 61.4 percent women in the senior management. So it is fortunate, from that perspective, that this is no longer a group, and has not been for some time, that requires an equity approach in order to achieve equity. That's never to say that we don't want to continue to look for diversity and inclusion, but there are different tools that we can use to ensure that we maintain these gains.

And so, Mr. Speaker, it is interesting if we look too at the labour force. So women are actually slightly less than half of the labour force but make up almost two-thirds of the public service. They're not underrepresented. And so the affirmative action policy may have played a role in changing those numbers around over the last 25 years, but there's certainly no likewise improvements for people who identify as Indigenous Canadians.

But similarly, Mr. Speaker, there's no evidence to suggest that non-Indigenous Northerners are disadvantaged or in need of the priority hiring in order to gain employment within the public service. In 2024, the unemployment rate for Indigenous residents averaged 12 percent. It was at around 2 percent for non-Indigenous residents. Residents and employees are also, of course, now, we note, who may be having other identity features, who maybe have a -- maybe have a marginalized or a vulnerable group, maybe from a minority group, this is now a group that we do want to ensure see themselves focused upon, that there are other more modern tools by which we can achieve that, and that's the diversity -- the work of the diversity and inclusion unit within the Department of Finance. And, again, Mr. Speaker, the landscape that we operate in truly has changed and we hope will continue to change within human resources.

So we -- I would also take this chance, Mr. Speaker, to note that the duty to accommodate begins at the time that a person is applying for their position, not after. At the time that they are applying. Anyone who is qualified for a position should be able to apply for that job, feel themselves have that opportunity, have the ability to receive whatever accommodation might be necessary so that they can show that their skills, abilities, and qualifications meet the needs of the position. There should not be -- if we are truly a public service that is representative and inclusive, then we should be able to provide those accommodations in a proactive and positive way and not wait for people to have to self-identify.

There's work still to be done here, Mr. Speaker. There's no denying that. But that's the path that we want to be on. These are the values that we haven't to have in the Government of the Northwest Territories as our public service.

I also want to acknowledge that there are a number of processes to get at, again, some of the challenges that have been raised which is how we value and recognize the contribution of northern residents and northern knowledge. It's not necessarily determined by how long someone lives here. What we are doing now which has not been done in many the past, certainly not in a widespread or organized fashion and certainly not made as public as it is now, is changing some of our processes to reward and to categorize and prioritize northern knowledge as one of the skill sets that we would hire for. Northern values, northern experience, northern languages. We have 11 official languages, Mr. Speaker, and we could do an awfully good job now in recognizing that as a skill when we are hiring to build a workforce of people who appreciate the significance and importance of this territory, and it doesn't necessarily matter how long you've lived here. But we can include provisions when we begin our hiring for local knowledge in the job description. We can have a geographically limited competition if there's a concern around making sure that someone has a very specific knowledge and specific commitment and connection to a community. These are all tools that we can start to use.

And, Mr. Speaker, I know I've answered this many times, but if people are tuning in today, the summer student program and the intern program is open to people who are ordinarily resident. Doesn't matter how long but at least ordinarily resident when they're coming back. Similarly, the SFA program is one that is also open to ordinary residents. So there are advantages for young people who may not -- may just be entering their career stage.

The new Indigenous employment policy does involve mandatory reporting as does the Indigenous recruitment and retention framework. There are targets that are broken down by division, by types of positions. And Mr. Speaker, that's a much different type of approach than just a blanket -- just a blanket decision about who -- how many numbers we want to get. We are trying to do a better job now, Mr. Speaker, of looking at the workforce, looking who is out there looking for work, who different groups may be, and when we do reporting and set targets, to do so in a much more measured and targeted way.

We will continue, Mr. Speaker, to engage Indigenous governments. Certainly over the last few months, I've had myself many conversations, personally I have the officials in the Department of Finance with representatives of Indigenous governments, about the importance and the value of prioritizing those groups who are here within the Northwest Territories first and foremost. And that is the amendment that was made and approved by Cabinet and that's now set to go out on April 1st.

But, again, Mr. Speaker, it is a whole package of cultural shift that we are putting forward, this being but one part.

I'm pleased to hear some mention of the offer that we've made to collaborate with the Standing Committee on Government Operations. As I say, I would like this to be something as we roll out, given the importance and the value of speaking about representing Indigenous people and getting to a place of equity with people who have been systemically disadvantaged and discriminated against, that we do that as a collective, that we have the opportunity to share and to learn, and that some of the various tools that I'm describing and discussing don't have to be unknown. They should be better known, and we should be held to use them. That is the ideal, Mr. Speaker. Don't need to wait 30 years for review. Happy to do this over the course of the life of this government. Couldn't agree more. Being held to account for it can only be a good thing.

Mr. Speaker, my own riding is one that has a lot of public servants. It is one that is, I strongly suspect, not a majority Indigenous Canadian, Mr. Speaker, and I've heard from my own residents on this. This notion that something's being taken away from them, Mr. Speaker, saddens me because it's not, in my view, what defines us as Northerners whether or not you have access to a priority attempt to maybe get a job. Mr. Speaker, it is not what defines us as Northerners. What defines us as Northerners is our connection to this place, our connection to the land, our connection to friends and to family and to neighbours. That's why -- certainly why I think most people live here and why they have opportunities here, why there's such a strong connection by many here.

Mr. Speaker, I had yesterday the opportunity to meet with the Arctic Economic Council that was visiting here in Yellowknife, and they were asking about, you know, why people are living here and what their connections are. Mr. Speaker, from what I was hearing, and certainly from the reaction that most people would give, it's not because there's the possibility that there might someday be the advanced screening on a GNWT public servant's job. Mr. Speaker, I hope that we don't get to that place, that's the reason people are living here. There's so much more in the North to keep people here, to bring them here, and to bring them home.

So, Mr. Speaker, with that, this a policy of the Government of the Northwest Territories. It's a policy of Cabinet. It has been reviewed at length. It's been reviewed at length by many years, including by this Cabinet. And, again, we appreciate the feedback that was had since December to now, and that's why the changes were made as they were to reflect our northern Indigenous context and the treaty obligations and connections we have to treaty -- northern government. But with that, Mr. Speaker, in light of it, Cabinet will be voting against this motion. Thank you

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife South. To the motion.

Question's been called. Does the Member from Yellowknife Centre wish to conclude debate?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I was quite shocked by the last statement by the finance Minister that Cabinet was going to vote against this motion because, I mean, tradition has it that when we provide motions, they're treated as advice and they abstain from motions. So this is clearly a sense of maybe -- I don't know, is it a new form of working as a party? I mean, they never vote against motions. And it's very -- it's a disappointment. So when they talk about working together, this would have just been heeded as advice. And the Premier can laugh all he wants about this but, I mean, maybe this is an impression of what maybe party politics is happening under the skin or under the guise or under whatever; I don't know.

Point of order, Mr. Speaker.

Yeah, there we go.

Member from Hay River North has a point of order. Member from Hay River North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What it sounded like to me is the Member was imputing motives stating that, you know, this is an attempt at party politics and we're working as a party. I will let you know that I will never in this Assembly work as -- in a party system or strive to work in a party system or support a party system. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Hay River North. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Well, I appreciate the Premier's creative imagination, but I wasn't formalizing there's a party politics. I was talking about the guise of the government collaborating together in a manner that they never do. So the Premier does have an imagination on this particular guard, I didn't specifically make that illustration clear enough, and I didn't say the party of one that already acts like that. I mean, I am making a clear point of the impression. So he can be creative in his thoughts and his imagination but he's completely wrong. Thank you.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Colleagues, I'm going to have to review what was actually said with the Hansard and that before I make a formal decision on this. But, colleagues, please remember when we're in this House debating that we are respectful to one another and that we move forward in a positive manner so that we can have honest debate here. Thank you. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I look forward to your ruling when it does come, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the latest revision of this particular policy by the government has eked out seven Members of this side of the House spoke against it. Guess what happens? The typical going down the hall or whatever the calls are made, I mean, how do you describe this (audio) --

(audio) on the motion. Thank you. Member from Yellowknife Centre.

And hence, Mr. Speaker, we have the policy now before us and that's why this motion is coming forward. Mr. Speaker, I have asked different times at committee when did they review the affirmative action policy. They have not. There's no answers. That's why this motion exists. Mr. Speaker, the Premier and everyone else can talk about the impacts on these people -- on folks, but there are equity groups that are being impacted by this. That's why it needs to go back to committee.

Mr. Speaker, this isn't the -- there was at least four letters that said slow down, have consultation. That's what this motion's all about.

Mr. Speaker, as the motion and my colleagues have said, many Indigenous governments feel steamrolled by this process, this drive-by consultation. Back in 2022, there was never a detailed consultation as to what you're getting. That's why this motion is being sent back, Mr. Speaker.

At the heart of the issue, as I said in my original comment, this is about problems with education, as people mentioned the credentials, job opportunities, and even, let us not forget, not everyone wants to work for the GNWT.

Mr. Speaker, the affirmative action program wasn't meant to solve every problem but what worked in it allowed -- there were things that could have worked, and we could have modified the current policy to fix the small gaps. And, sure, there may have been larger gaps; that's true. But we wouldn't know because it's never been reviewed.

Now it's often been brought why it needs to go back, brought up as the issue of it needs to go back because oh my goodness, if we don't follow the new direction of the government, it's unconstitutional, yet unproven other than a statement, Mr. Speaker.

So specific to committee comments, you know, the policy may never have been perfect but, ultimately, the affirmative action policy was an important foundation in the North. That's why it needs to go back to committee to talk about it. The EIP program isn't making things better. It's just a reinvention of something that I'm not sure what's happening.

Mr. Speaker, sure, I agree that we could do better. We've heard people say that their Indigenous colleagues, they want to follow their direction. Some have said yes. Some will say they support this motion going back to committee. Mr. Speaker, much work has to be done, as pointed out by Member for Frame Lake, hence it needs to go back to the committee.

Mr. Speaker, this isn't -- this current policy of the affirmative action program hasn't made things worse. The problem is is the application hasn't had the reviews and statistics and measurements as my colleague from the Sahtu has pointed out are key. So, Mr. Speaker, that's why it needs to go back. Mr. Speaker, the Minister says this isn't an -- or equity policy. Yes, you know, if it was, then we'd be talking about something different. She's right that there might be Northerners who are Indigenous but not Indigenous to the Northwest Territories who are impacted by the current policy of the affirmative action policy. But there's nothing stopping us from editing that and making that contribution acknowledged.

Mr. Speaker, I like the fact that she pointed out that women -- statistics on women in the government employment sector have increased. Fantastic. Empowering people. Mr. Speaker, taking away P2s is not disenfranchising Northerners because they came after them. So this new policy rendition doesn't change anything. It doesn't fix anything either.

Mr. Speaker, she highlighted in 2005 -- in 2014, which actually I happened to be there at the same time, I can tell you right now that everybody fought for the recognition of long-term Northerners, and even the finance Ministers of those days were Indigenous fighting for long-term Northerners to ensure that they get appreciated.

Mr. Speaker, the finance Minister pointed out this work was, you know, some of it or maybe largely or whatnot or you can say it's a continuation, but it's a lot of work was done last term. So back to my point my colleague from Range Lake had said, there was no mandate. So are we just simply doing the work of the last term because the Minister didn't get it through in the last time? I mean, it sort of makes you wonder what's the value of elections if the Cabinet's going to just keep dredging up old work that used to be done. We had a reset a year and a half ago. And, again, it wasn't in the mandate as pointed out. It wasn't in the Minister letters that isn't pointed out. It wasn't even on the campaign trail by anybody, Mr. Speaker.

There's frustration abound. That's why this needs to be done. There have been many P1s who have told me that they don't want to see this lost. I agree there are ways to fix the current policy which is exactly why it needs to go back. My colleague from Tu Nedhe, you know, brought up the issue of what's the point of committee advice if it's just going to be ignored? It makes you wonder what is happening.

Mr. Speaker, to wrap up this is that what it does is it creates a new format that we're trying to solve southern Indigenous hiring problems. I support northern Indigenous empowerment hiring opportunities, whether it's education or jobs. I've always held the line that I would do what I can to be a champion of the causes and certainly a champion of their success. And that doesn't change today. To my last breath, I'll be working to support the North, its people, its Indigenous people. But it feels like when we have such overwhelming criticism, it makes you wonder are we not following the direction of the people, or are we following the direction of the finance Minister and Cabinet?

Mr. Speaker, the people of the North don't like this. The finance Minister likes this. The Cabinet likes this. And it's been tweaked in a manner that a few of my Indigenous colleagues feel like at least their groups are protected. And I'm glad it can be. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, on that note, I will heed your advice and finish with this is frustrating, this is divisive, and it's been led by the government, and our committee colleagues wanted to be part of the solution. This is how we get it back on track, working together. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Member from Yellowknife Centre has requested a recorded vote. All those in favour, please stand.

All those opposed, please stand.

All those abstaining, please stand.