Thank you very much, George Suluk, for opening guiding words.

Ministers' statements. Minister for ECE.

Mr. Speaker, in January 2025 Aurora College announced its plans to close community learning centres as part of its efforts to resolve low enrolment and adjust the way academic upgrading is delivered. Following that news, I heard loud and clear from Indigenous governments, communities, non-profit organizations and my colleagues in this House, that hands-on community-based learning is essential. I want to express my gratitude to all those who brought forward their concerns and their visions for the future of these centres, and for community-based education more broadly.

Mr. Speaker, Aurora College is implementing a modernized approach to the delivery of adult learning and basic education through campuses and online, including hiring instructors and technical support staff to facilitate and support distance learning across all communities. The approach will focus on flexibility, engagement and support while using technology to create effective learning environments. While the Aurora College board of governors is responsible for the operational decisions of the college, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is responsible for providing residents with access to quality programs and supports that enhance education and employment opportunities. The Department will continue to deliver high school equivalency tests, now called the Canadian Adult Education Credential, which can help open new doors to employment, advance careers and support access to other learning or training opportunities, including apprenticeships.

In addition, the department is building on past employment readiness successes. Over a two-year period, which concluded in 2024, the department provided funding to the NWT Literacy Council to help fund employment readiness programs. This training included four weeks of classroom-style programming followed by two weeks supported employment model. Learners were supported with a training allowance, childcare funding, and wraparound supports like transportation, counselling and clothing needed for jobs. This training was delivered in Behchoko, Gameti, Wekweeti, Whati, Fort Simpson, Aklavik, and Fort McPherson, and 75 percent of participants either gained employment or went on to further education. This program was a clear success, and the department is working closely with the NWT Literacy Council to discuss future community deliveries. I look forward to keeping Members updated on that work.

Mr. Speaker, later this year we will begin to receive data resulting from the Post-Secondary Education Accountability Framework. The framework gives post-secondary institutions direction on what must be reported each year and supports the monitoring and evaluation of our post-secondary education system. This will increase our understanding of the types of programs our residents are accessing, including those learners accessing adult literacy and basic education through Aurora College campuses or online.

Mr. Speaker, every community is unique, and their needs, objectives and plans are distinct. Similarly, each facility that has been used as a community learning centre is unique. Some are standalone buildings while others access space through sharing agreements with other facilities. Each of these factors add complexity and nuance to the equation, but it also gives us an incredible opportunity to collaborate with Indigenous governments and community partners on their future use.

Last session, I made a commitment to engage Indigenous governments and communities on the future of community learning centres, and I am pleased to share that engagement is well underway. We have reached out to partners, including Indigenous and local community governments, and offered one-on-one discussions centered specifically around the facilities in their communities and focused on their needs. I have also heard from partners who have a direct interest in seeing these facilities continue to deliver programs and services that support adult learners. In addition, a commitment was made to develop a critical path and timeline toward ensuring residents have access to quality programs that enhance education and employment opportunities going forward. Building from the steps I have highlighted, I look forward to sharing further details with my colleagues prior to the end of this sitting.

Mr. Speaker, alongside the steps Aurora College has taken to extend the reach of adult literacy and basic education, I see this as an opportunity to ensure the vision and voice of communities are captured as we reshape the way adult learning is delivered in the NWT. I applaud all the Northerners who are pursuing adult education, literacy and skill building, and I want to provide assurance that the GNWT is working hard to remove barriers and improve access to education for all residents. Mahsi.

Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, homelessness is a complex issue that affects all of our communities. The rising cost of living, addictions, and climate emergencies have disproportionately affected our most vulnerable residents. The GNWT is committed to finding solutions that provides more homes for Northerners.

The GNWT continues to focus on a whole-of-government approach to address homelessness, following the development of A Way Home: A Comprehensive Strategy to Address Homelessness in the Northwest Territories.

A Way Home highlights the need for collaboration among government agencies, community organizations, and Indigenous governments and organizations. These solutions need to be culturally appropriate and respect the unique needs and strengths of our Indigenous communities. It is a challenge I am committed to addressing by enhancing supports, improving access to services, and making meaningful progress.

Non-governmental organizations play a critical role in the service delivery continuum to address and prevent homelessness, and we are committed to fostering these relationships to ensure that NGOs remain resilient and provide sustainable services.

Earlier this spring, I was able to tour the Hay River Homeless Shelter and witnessed the positive work that is being done to support residents experiencing homelessness. I was happy to see how GNWT's investment with the Hay River Metis Local 51 is strengthening these vital services. We are making a real difference by investing in community-led solutions and work towards a more inclusive Northwest Territories.

Part of our focus is increasing transitional and supportive housing options which are crucial for helping people stabilize their lives. Moving directly from shelters to independent housing is often challenging, so housing with wraparound support is essential. The Transitional Housing for After Addictions Recovery Program in Yellowknife is one example of the GNWT and an NGO partnering to provide housing for those who have completed addictions treatment. A similar site is being developed in Inuvik.

Transitional housing is a step toward a healthier and more compassionate community, and I look forward to developing additional transitional housing projects across the North.

Homelessness remains one of the most pressing issues facing our territory, and it is something I deeply care about. I am committed to continually work towards everyone having a safe, stable place to call home. Quyananni, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NT. Ministers' statements. Minister of Health and Social Services.

Mr. Speaker, making health care accessible to every Northwest Territories resident is a core mandate priority of this government. People across the Northwest Territories access our medical travel program, whether they are travelling to access health services in a regional centre, in the capital, or in the south. This means that a reliable medical travel program is vital to the Northwest Territories residents and to achieving this mandate priority.

In every community I have visited, residents tell me how difficult it is to navigate medical travel. This process can be confusing and frustrating, and it is the subject of a great many questions that come to my office from MLAs and constituents.

Medical travel staff work tirelessly to meet the needs of every traveler, but the program is inherently complex and each day they struggle by juggling patient referrals, coordinate with health care providers, and arrange flights and accommodations for dozens of travelers, all at the same time, often on short notice.

During my first year as Minister, it became very clear that this program needs a thorough overhaul so it can better serve Northwest Territories residents and be simpler for staff to manage.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to share some of the work that is underway to modernize this program. When complete, the modernized medical travel program will give residents better support and make the steps for arranging medical travel clearer and easier to follow.

In recent months we have drafted the detailed work plan to improve how medical travel services are delivered in the Northwest Territories. The plan maps current program operations, sets clearer and more consistent processes, and will give residents simpler and more useful information. A dedicated project team is leading this work, and we have already presented the plan to the Standing Committee on Social Development for feedback.

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear: This work will not cut or scale back medical travel services. Residents who must leave their community for care will continue to receive the support that they rely on. Our aim is to make the program more consistent, simpler to navigate, and truly centered on the client's needs.

This work is also supported by the broader efforts being led by the public administrator of the NTHSSA. Through engagement with staff and leadership and presentations to standing committees, we are identifying gaps in client experience and improving how care is coordinated. The goal is to make medical travel smoother for those who need it, and to reduce the need for travel over time by strengthening access to quality care within communities.

Over the next six months, we will focus on examining each step of the program and introducing improvements so residents can understand and access medical travel with greater ease.

The newly modernized medical travel program is expected to come into effect on September 1, 2026. Until that time, we will continue to work with Indigenous governments, staff, and Members of this Legislative Assembly to ensure that we are on the right path. This is part of our broader commitment to improve access to care and build a stronger and more sustainable health and social services system in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise the House that the Honourable Member for Hay River North, the Premier, will be absent from the House today to host the western Premiers' conference here in Yellowknife.

Thank you, Deputy Premier. Ministers' statements. Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, I shared with my colleagues the story of 5-year-old Alma who passed away in residential school in Fort Resolution. Alma was buried in Fort Resolution, but her sister promised her mother that she would bring Alma home back to Fort Smith to be laid to rest along with her. The children who died at St. Joseph's School were buried in Fort Resolution, not in their home communities. The death of these children needs to be properly investigated by the coroner's office as there are serious reasons to doubt her cause of death was TB as stated by the Indian agent on her death certificate.

Unfortunately, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is adamant in stepping outside their jurisdiction and demanding that the repatriation of these children requires an application for an archaeological permit. The circumstances of this investigation falls outside the scope and requirement of the Archaeological Site Act. These are marked graves in an active cemetery. There's burials of 11 children have been discovered without crosses rotting in the grass. ECE does not investigate crimes, and the remains of the children are not artifacts.

The Minister's mandate letter directs her to advance the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, insisting that the remains of the Indigenous children are subject to Archaeological Sites Act review is the same colonial mindset that led to the creation of the residential school to begin with. This stands in direct contradiction to both the spirit and intent of Minister Cleveland's mandate letter from the Premier.

Canada is at the age of reconciliation, and Northerners expect more from this government to talk without action, yet in front of us, the rights of Indigenous peoples are being reduced to a mere privilege dependent on this Minister's discretion alone. This afternoon, I will give this government another opportunity to commit to this investigation proceeding without delay so that Alma's sister has the chance to find the closure she deserves within her lifetime as she is now 87 years old.

I would reiterate the Deninu Kue First Nation wants the coroner's office to assist in the investigation in the death of these children. By honouring this request, we're honouring the children that have passed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife North.

Mr. Speaker, if we work together for a common good, we stand. And if we're divided, we fall. I believe this is true now more than ever in the context of our NWT healthcare system. I've been concerned at some of the public messaging coming from the health authority and the Minister that could pit our residents and communities against one another.

The messaging seems to imply that we have to choose between community health centres or cabins and regional hospitals, which deserve more of our attention and resources; that we have to choose whether we work on health promotion and prevention, or whether we put more resources into emergency care; that we need to choose who we should listen to more, Indigenous residents in small communities or the frontline doctors and nurses serving the territory.

I understand that resources are always constrained, but health care can never become a competition for which of our residents deserve better care. All of our residents deserve good care and good access, no one should be suffering, either because there's no emergency responder to come help you if you've fallen down in your home, there's no one at the end of the phone line at the health centre, or the primary care phone system in Yellowknife doesn't work at all. All these situations are unacceptable.

Mr. Speaker, as soon as we start having debates about health cabins versus hospitals, health promotion versus emergency care, we are in trouble. It's like having a debate about which is more important, your left hand or your right hand, your heart or your liver. If any of the pieces in our system are missing or broken, the system falls apart, and the whole territory suffers.

Health authority management may struggle to deal with the course of concerns and suggestions coming from frontline nurses and doctors, but the answer is not to brush them aside and say, well, we've been listening to you all complaining for too long, it's time we listened to Indigenous community members instead. Real solutions need all of these voices, frontline providers and community members, talking to each other, not having all their input filtered separately through a dozen layers of management and packaged into a sterile plan that few actually read. We need to stop setting up residents and communities in competition against each other, stop taking staff for granted and instead value everyone's contribution. We need to build a healthcare system that lifts everyone up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.

Thank you, Member from Great Slave.

Colleagues, before we continue with our Members' statement, I'd like to recognize visitors from the College Nordique and their guests from college [indiscernible]*, and I apologize if I said it wrong. I do not speak French, so I apologize. So welcome to our Assembly.

Members' statements. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, reflecting on last year's devastating wildfires in the Sahtu and the evacuation of the community of Fort Good Hope to neighboring communities, and the fish camp downstream from the community, bring back horrific, tragic trauma, memories. The tragic helicopter crash left a family impacted the certainty on returning home by families, children, elders continued to play the experience.

Mr. Speaker, the leaders I must commemorate for their determination in protecting their home communities, cabins, families, children, and the everyday well-being on shortage of supplies. Similarly, this experience has impacted the Northwest Territories as a whole directly and in many other ways indirectly.

Mr. Speaker, the NWT is resilient. We learn, and we move forward in developing our future. All said, Mr. Speaker, this raises the issues of preparedness and readiness. On those points later, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions to the appropriate Minister. Mahsi.

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

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Just over two months ago, a shooting occurred in the community of Fort Providence. This violence tragically resulted in one person being killed and two others injured. Shortly after their investigation began, the RCMP linked the shooting to the drug trade. Two days ago, media reported that the RCMP made an arrest in Kelowna, BC, and an individual be brought back to the Northwest Territories to face charges. I want to acknowledge the efforts of the RCMP in this investigation. The RCMP's hard work and unwavering dedication to our communities is very much appreciated.

Mr. Speaker, if making residents in communities safe is a priority of this Assembly, then we must do more. We need new legislation. People are worried about their safety and well-being. Youth are being coaxed into the drug scene. Homes that used to have open doors are now locked and shuttered due to drug violence. Conditions placed on offenders or repeat offenders are not working or are not being followed. Violence connected to the drug trade is becoming more and more common not only in the Deh Cho but across the territory.

Safe communities and neighbourhoods legislation will, without a doubt, provide authorities with additional tools to combat the onslaught of drugs and violence affecting our communities. Our communities need help, and they need it now. I will have questions for the Minister of Justice at the appropriate time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I had hoped not to have to make this Member's statement once again in this House; I think I've made it a couple of times. Mr. Speaker, it's dealing with the issue of Nova Apartments in the community of Inuvik in my riding.

Mr. Speaker, I still get weekly emails, messages, and calls regarding the standard of living in the building. Messages are often accompanied by photos, sometimes videos, showing the often horrendous living conditions and the common areas of this building. Often there are videos of altercations within the building, violence, doors being destroyed, and other illegal activities taking place in the common areas. Exterior doors are often damaged to the point that the building is no longer secure.

Mr. Speaker, there have been several drug busts in this building over the past several months, likely over the past couple of years, and I applaud the local RCMP for their diligence in getting that work done but, Mr. Speaker, it seems to never end. Once one bad actor is removed, another seems to take their place.

There are families with young children in this building; there are elders in this building, often living in fear. I understand, Mr. Speaker, that this space is leased from a private landlord; however, our housing corporation does occupy the majority of units in the building. If the existing lease agreement does not provide options for proper security and management of the building, then we must act quickly to make the appropriate changes. If not, then, for heaven's sake let's finds a safe place for our residents to live where they're not having to live, life, daily, in fear.

Mr. Speaker, this has been ongoing for months, as I've said, even years. I implore the Minister, for the safety of the residents, for the quality of life of the residents, let's get this issue dealt with once and for all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, I had the opportunity to visit Fort Simpson on the request of their district education authority. Obviously, this is somewhat expectational but nonetheless, when Northerners anywhere need this Assembly's help, I'm happy to play my part, and I know you would do the same for my Range Lake constituents.

Mr. Speaker, it became clear to me from these discussions that a common theme was emerging: the lack of support from the education system. It is heartbreaking to see duly elected community representatives and hard-working parents not getting the help they deserve to address very serious concerns that include:

• Mishandling of a critical incident;
• Leadership failures and inaction;
• Misinformation and inconsistent communication;
• Alleged retaliation and abuse of authority;
• Lack of transparent communication with staff and families;
• Failure to facilitate restorative practices or community healing; and,
• Blocking student participation in school activities due to interpersonal conflicts.

The effects of these actions have reportedly led to high staff turnover and multiple stress leaves, a loss of trust among educators, families, and the broader community, and a sense of unsafety within the school environment. The broad administrative response has been brought into question as well. When the DEA tried to fix these problems that they were elected to fix, they were met with perceived favouritism and a lack of fairness from supervisory officials and inadequate responses to serious complaints and no real community engagement.

Mr. Speaker, some of these issues have already been reported in the media, and I suspect more will follow. I should stress that the concerns raised here are alleged and not proven, but the voices of the community are loud and united in purpose to solve a problem that has slowly grown worse over time. Now the Minister has a choice: Listen to the voices of the small communities or continue to support a colonial system that is failing to protect students, staff, and families. I hope she will make the right choice. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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