Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week, my colleague from Range Lake tabled the Standing Committee on Public Accounts Review of the Auditor General's Report, Audit of Protected and Preserved Areas in the Northwest Territories. One part of the report caught my attention:
UNDRIPIA came into force on October 6, 2023, and required, in collaboration and cooperation with Indigenous governments or organizations of the NWT and the executive council, a co-development action plan to achieve the objectives of the declaration within two years. The committee noted that this legislative timeline has passed, that no action plans was tabled, and that the required public engagement did not occur.
I was at the previous Assembly when Bill 85 was passed, and it was meant to be a proudly historic moment, a landmark initiative by our government to align itself with comprehensive far-reaching international rights. The UNDRIP Implementation Act was intended as a major step forward in the territory's history which, since division with Nunavut, has struggled to create a new model of governance its people have long called for. At the time, my constituents told me that they wanted action, not words.
They have heard a soaring rhetoric about rights, reconciliation, and cooperation from their government for decades. Every day is in session when we ask for progress, the government simply tells us how dedicated they are to upholding treaty rights and implementing UNDRIP, the TRC Calls to Action, and the MMIWG Calls for Justice. Based on those words alone, you might think this is the most progressive government in the country.
But words don't get my constituents timely medical care. Words don't fund schools. Words don't solve housing crises. Words don't create jobs or bring economic opportunities to their communities or a seat for them at the table to determine economic development. When it comes to action on all fronts, this government has failed the Premier's 50-year vision for the North. It is more like a 50-year reversal back in time to when we were helplessly dependent on Ottawa.
My people are used to failure and disappointment from their territorial government but do not consent to it. Today my communities want more on how the Premier will intend to honour the treaties. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Premier at the appropriate time. Thank you.