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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when we see people on the street who are in a bad state, some of whom who are unhoused and some of whom prefer to live in encampments rather than in shelters, we tend to jump to different conclusions about what should be done. Some people believe they should be moved out of public spaces and ultimately that law enforcement officers should step in, and others see unhoused people as victims who simply require more supports and resources. Either way, we tend to focus on what should be done to these people or for these people. But what if we ask a different question? What can we ask from these people? What are everyone's responsibilities in this situation?

The government certainly has responsibilities to provide decent options for shelter. But we often overlook the fact that people who are unhoused, even when they have addictions, also need to be accountable, especially when they're threatening or harming others.

I think that asking for accountability is a basic sign of respect. It means recognizing someone as a self-determining human. The trouble is when it's GNWT staff who are tasked with enforcing accountability or consequences. Say someone who works for the government comes along and says, come on, you owe it to the GNWT to pay your rent on time or to stop damaging your housing unit or to stop disturbing your neighbours or stop bringing drug dealers around here. Well, people can rightfully say, I don't owe the GNWT anything. It's the government that set up residential schools and took our homes and land away in the past and got us into this mess in the first place. But what if a respected elder comes along and says okay, you owe it to your family, to your community, to keep your home safe, to keep your neighbourhood safe. What if an unhoused person has one of their peers or someone with lived experience come along and say hey, maybe you could settle down or stop yelling at people; you know better than this.

Our law enforcement system has a critical role, but it struggles to hold people accountable over the longer term. Putting minor offenders on a revolving door in and out of jail doesn't seem to help. That's where a move towards restorative justice approach is so important. The community, as a whole, needs to hold an offender accountable. I'm hopeful that we can use these same kinds of restorative justice principles to address encampments in public spaces, public intoxication, and threatening behaviours. Mr. Speaker, can I ask for unanimous consent just to conclude my statement.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and to my colleagues. So I am hopeful we can use these kinds of restorative justice principles to address encampments, public intoxication, and threatening behaviours, by figuring out perhaps community-led and peer support teams who might be able to more meaningfully hold people accountable for their actions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I talked about the envoy yesterday, and I wanted to continue where I let off.

Mr. Speaker, as a reminder, just to set the table as they say, Ontario's budget is $232 billion. The GNWT hides in its shadow being 1 percent of that. But the Ottawa envoy is $140,000 a year. Mr. Speaker, the Quebec budget annually is approximately $166 billion. In round numbers, that's about 1.3 of our budget, in comparison to them, Mr. Speaker. So in other words, they pay their envoy $140,000. How are we seeing in comparison, in any straight line, why is our envoy worth $440,000, Mr. Speaker? Why is this envoy, this friend of the Premier's, worth two to three times as much as the Ontario or the Quebec envoy? I can't see the math, Mr. Speaker.

And by the way, for the record, I looked up the phrase envoy, and it could be used in many different ways. There's some interpretations that I want to say for the record. It can also be exchanged for the word ambassador. Mr. Speaker, this person is sent on a mission. Sounds like an envoy. And I thought, well, considering we're paying this person $440,000 a year, you know, we better address him properly. So how do you address an envoy or an ambassador? You use the phrase Your Excellency.

Mr. Speaker, is there value for money? Mr. Speaker, I mean, I see it more likely us bringing back the unicorns from our imagination to life than seeing value for money here.

Are there other options? Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. I've called and spoken to two different political advocacy groups. They hire a team at a fraction of the price. Their monthly free runs between $2,000 and $25,000 per month. It's all about what you want, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, their range is based on a size of a team for your issues, your concerns. They'll focus, they'll sit in and negotiate and, of course, they'll fight for your issues. But what's interesting is they bring a plan, Mr. Speaker. They have a matrix of deliverables for your money, Mr. Speaker. You get to see where your money's going, Mr. Speaker. You ask, Mr. Speaker, what is this advocacy paying for? I know this $440,000, something is lacking. What is -- there's a word here I'm lacking. Oh, it's called transparency, Mr. Speaker. There's no transparency. Mr. Speaker, monthly, this is 300 -- sorry, monthly this is $37,000 for this ambassador. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements. Member from Hay River South.

Mr. Speaker, this week from June 4th to 6th, Hay River transforms from a quiet northern town to the Olympic Village of the Northwest Territories. Yes, it's that time again for the Annual NWT Track and Field Championships. If you're from Hay River, you know how significant this event is and how deeply the community is involved. It takes hundreds of volunteer hours and advanced dedication to put this together. The community's commitment will be ready to shine when over a thousand athletes show up to compete. If you're an athlete that's been involved for over 30 years, you likely have fond memories of this trip or this event.

I want to take the time to congratulate the track and field committee on organizing this year's event and thanks to your dedication, the field will once be filled again with young athletes from across the NWT. This commitment deserves the acknowledgement.

I'm also looking forward to being a part of this year's event. Now, I know what you're thinking. Wait, you're competing? And while I hate to disappoint in my bid for the NWT senior athlete of the year; no, it's not the 500-meter dash or the high jump. I'll be flipping burgers for everybody. So come on down to the world famous track burgers and enjoy the sights and sounds and the smells of one of the greatest north sporting events. Trust me, you don't want to miss these burgers or the action on the field.

And, finally, a huge thank you, Mr. Speaker, to all the volunteers and athletes and all the sponsors that make this event possible and unforgettable. To all the athletes, have fun, travel safe, and look forward to seeing you all next week. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Hay River South. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife South.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I do every year after Youth Parliament, today I am bringing the words of the youth representative from Yellowknife South to this House, ensuring all Members and the public hear the fresh perspectives, innovative solutions, and policy insights reflected in the voice of our youth. And so, Mr. Speaker, this year, Yellowknife South, who was represented by Lauren Tordiff, and these words are hers:

As young people, we inherit the challenges of today and the responsibility to create solutions for tomorrow. If we want to tackle issues like the high cost of living, we must ask ourselves a tough but necessary question, do our current systems still make sense given today's challenges?

Take, for example, the cost of electricity in the Northwest Territories. Many residents struggle to afford power, yet we expect a Crown corporation to transition to greener technology while also keeping rates low. The current system forces the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, (NTPC), to pass the costs of infrastructure upgrades directly on to consumers. This makes it difficult for families and businesses to thrive. But what if we did things differently?

As the Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Power Corporation, I feel the need to promote safety, affordability, and easier distribution among the smaller communities, but how can we regulate this while distribution remains a regulated private sector activity?

The government will take responsibility for producing power and lead the transition to renewable energy sources without forcing residents to bear the full financial burden. Meanwhile, private companies could compete to efficiently distribute electricity in our communities. This would not only help reduce costs but also ensure that cleaner energy becomes a reality in our communities. We might also create opportunities for residents to become micro generators of power, feeding back into the grid and increasing system resiliency and capacity.

A larger problem that affects many communities of the Northwest Territories is the imbalance of energy distribution. The solution I propose is a generating system that will be able to produce enough energy, not only for the communities that are present today, but for what will be there in the years to come. So what would this look like?

In collaboration with Indigenous governments, we will build a mass generator for each energy district that will provide reliable, affordable, and environmentally sustainable power to all Northwest Territories communities. As young leaders, we must be willing to challenge the status quo. We cannot solve today's problems without outdated solutions if we have the courage to ask whether our current structures make sense, we can build a stronger, more sustainable future for the Northwest Territories.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Lauren for her strong representation of Yellowknife South. I have only one correction. It's not only young leaders who need to be willing to challenge the status quo. It's a challenge that all leaders need to accept. Thank you to Lauren and thank you for that inspiration, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife South. That's the second time I've got to hear it, so it was an amazing speech there, and it's another one today.

Members' statements.

Colleagues, today, I would like to recognize an individual that received the Life Member Award (formerly called the Honorary Life Member) from the NWTRPA this past October. This award is not something given out annual but recognizes a member who has made an outstanding contribution to the recreation and parks field, who has significantly served the NWT Recreation and Parks, and is nearing or has reached the end of their career in the recreation and parks field. This past October, it was given to Colin MacPherson.

I have had the pleasure of working with him when he took the recreation coordinator position in Fort Liard. I can tell you he made a huge impact on the community and the youth. To this day, people in the community speak highly of him and the things he did for the community. One of the biggest highlights, besides the swimming pool, was the speed skating program. He worked hard to get youth engaged and to try out for the Arctic Winter Games. After leaving Fort Liard, he moved to the Yukon, then to Inuvik, and then to Norman Wells where he became the regional recreation development officer for the Sahtu region. Years later, he moved to Fort Smith and then to Yellowknife, where he is the manager of community services for the sport and rec division.

During his time in Norman Wells and Fort Smith, I got to work with him on various projects such as northern youth aboard program, the youth ambassadors program which takes youth to the Canada Winter and Summer Games, Arctic Winter Games, Pan Am Games, and Winter Olympic Games and on the development of sport and recreation policies that we are still using today.

Colin was our guys when it came to aquatics, whether it was facility side or the staffing part of the program, he was the one you'd call. He could come into a community, hear the problem, and provide great advice on how to fix it or where to get the necessary part. He was an asset for the communities that he worked with daily and a strong component of the team we worked with. I have included his nomination form at the end of my statement and ask that it be deemed as read and printed in the Hansard.

In closing, there are many stories that I want to share with you but being reflective of the time, I would like to congratulate him on receiving this award.

Members' statements. Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery.

Colleagues, you just heard me give a statement about a friend of mine. He's up here in the -- sorry, I'm getting a little emotional here. I'd like to recognize Colin MacPherson as well as my friends and colleagues Damian Grosmann, Allie Carroll, Alison Brown, Colin Donohue, as well as the deputy minister Gary Ritman and, you know, my former MSA but he was also the executive director of the recreation and parks. Welcome to our Assembly.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Hay River South.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have a fellow photographer in the House, Vincent Ret. Wanted to say a big old hello to him. He's an incredibly talented northern artist, and it's always lovely to have people in the gallery, especially ones as talented as him. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have one of the younger residents of Yellowknife South in the House today, young Finnigan Gosselin has been spending the day job shadowing with his mom. Thank you.

Finnigan, thank you very much for keeping your mom working hard, so. We appreciate you being here. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Monfwi.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (audio) also recognize Tom McLennan who is one of our city councillors at the city of Yellowknife. So thank you, Tom, for being here today.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives great pleasure to recognize, through you, to the House; I have several guests to acknowledge. First of all, I'd like to recognize Todd Cook. He happens to be the president and CEO of Northview Residential REIT. He's up there in the gallery. Sitting next to him is Linay Freda. I believe she is the vice-president of operations. And she's there as well. And next to her is a face many of us will know around this room, but certainly in the community, is Ms. Colleen Wellborn. She is the local, so the northern regional director here for Northview. And I want to give thanks quickly to Ms. Wellborn for her use and support of the community organization with Tony Foliot where they brought clothes from the South Slave to Yellowknife, and they've facilitated that and made sure that NGOs could benefit from that situation. Thank you, Northview REIT, and certainly Colleen.

And lastly, Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that every time my good colleague on my side, the Member for Range Lake, sounds like he knows what he's talking about well, there is the source of all the brilliancy in that relationship. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I'd like to recognize the source of my brilliance, as my colleague said, and my favorite constituent, my lovely wife Colleen Wellborn.