Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you for that. I certainly appreciate you spending some time to think about that and see how we can move those forward at whatever, you know, level the department deems fit. But no further questions right now, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Is there any further questions? Okay, seeing no further questions, please turn to page 147.

Executive and Indigenous Affairs, Office of the Secretary to Cabinet, $2,747,000. Does committee agree?

Thank you. Members, for the consideration of the Status of Women Council, we will excuse the Minister of the Executive and Indigenous Affairs and have the Minister responsible for the Status of Women before us.

I will just continue on. There are additional information items from pages 150 to 152. Oh, hang on excuse me for a second.

My apologies. Thank you for further clarification on that. If there's no further questions on the status of women council, I will just continue to move on.

Thank you, Members. We will now -- thank you. Before I go to the Member from Monfwi, is your question for the status of women Minister?

Department summary.

Okay, thank you. We're going to continue on.

Members, please return to the department summary found on page 117, with items on pages 118 and 121. I am going to go to the Member from Monfwi.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. GSO, for Tlicho region, there's four. It was like that within the 2024-2026, and it's the same. But it's part-time, on a part-time basis. I just wanted to ask the Minister if they have any plan of changing the status from part-time to full-time. Because I can -- I get a lot of phone calls from my constituents, especially elders, and they said I can't wait -- because this is an emergency. I can't wait for the workers to be in the office in the afternoon. And most of the phone calls I get are in the morning, so I just -- I know they're -- you know, they can -- they're flexible with their time but I just wanted to ask the Minister -- or Premier, because it's his -- it's a good program. It's a good service, because they provide a lot of services, especially dealing with the elders and unhoused people. It's a good program. I like it, I do support that. It's just that it's part-time. So I just wanted to know if it's -- do they have a plan to change the status from part-time to full-time? Thank you.

Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So there is no plan currently to make that change. We have not heard that there are workload issues that would require additional time. I understand what the Member is saying, though, that maybe some times of day are less convenient for some residents than other times of day. But given the workload, the plan is to continue forward as a part-time position. Thank you.

Thank you. I will go back to the Member for Monfwi.

No, that's -- it's a real good position, you know. They provide lots. And the people that I know that are in that job in my region, they all speak fluently in Tlicho so they can provide both members, and I really do appreciate that and I know they're doing an excellent job. But it's just that it's, you know, given the time of day, you know, it's -- sometimes the elders, they don't know what to do, where to go, and that's when they call me. And I always tell people that, you know, okay, go to GSO office, go to GSO office. And then -- and they're, you know, like, I explain, the office, because it's a wraparound services or the way that it was explained. So it would be nice, you know -- I know they're -- I understand about the workload but there's more that they can do. So it would be nice if -- and with the mine closure and not enough jobs, maybe these workers have spouse that was working or -- you know, is working at the mine and there's going to be interruption with their pay so maybe it's a -- maybe the Premier's office can reconsider trying to change the status from part-time to full-time. That's my main questions regarding that, issues that I have with that. Thank you.

Okay, thank you. I will just go to the Minister.

Thank you. I will consider the Member's comments. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Is there any further questions? Seeing no further questions, I will now call the department summary.

Executive and Indigenous Affairs, operations expenditures, total department, 2026-2027 Main Estimates, $39,529,000. Does the committee agree?

Thank you, Minister. Thank you to the witnesses for appearing before us today. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses from the chambers.

Then I am going to go to the Member of Inuvik Boot Lake.

Committee, we have agreed to consider Committee Report 35-20(1), Standing Committee of Public Accounts Report on the Review of Auditor General's 2025 Report on Protected and Conserved Areas in the Northwest Territories. I will now go to the chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts for opening comments. I will go to the Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am pleased to speak to committee's report and its recommendations. The auditor general's report evaluated the Government of the Northwest Territories work on implementing the Healthy Land, Healthy Peoples work plan, focusing on the GNWT's work to establish new protected areas, support the management of existing protected and conserved areas, and secure long-term funding for conservation activities.

The committee's review was informed by in-camera briefings and the exchange of correspondence between the committee and the GNWT.

The committee held a public briefing on October 29th, 2025, with Jerry DeMarco, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, staff from the Office of the Auditor General, and the deputy ministers and staff from the GNWT's Departments of Executive and Indigenous Affairs, Environment and Climate Change, and Industry, Tourism and Investment.

The committee is supportive of the progress made by the GNWT to advance the conservation of the lands and waters of the NWT, and the territory's prominent and leading contribution to Canada's conservation targets. The committee is also pleased to note that GNWT agreed to the audit report's recommendations. However, the committee remains seriously concerned about the rate of progress towards fully responding to the recommendations. The committee is also concerned about the stability of future long-term funding for conservation efforts and management of territorial protected areas and believes that the Department of Environment and Climate Change remains overly reliant on short-term funding. Several of the committee report's recommendations focus on these concerns.

The committee report also focused on the GNWT's co-management relationships with Indigenous governments and organizations. In particular, the report calls on the GNWT to expedite progress on advancing Dinaga Wek'ehodi and the four Dehcho candidate protected areas while respecting ongoing land claim negotiations. The committee notes that effective protection and conservation relies on healthy underlying relationships between the GNWT and Indigenous governments and organizations. Several of the committee's recommendations identify measures that the committee believes will improve these relationships and advance reconciliation.

At the same time, the committee believes that the GNWT still has a role to play in providing direction, fostering capacity-building, and in resolving disputes when asked.

Individual Members may have additional comments on the report and its recommendations. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. I will now open the floor to general comments on Committee Report 35-20(1). Are there any questions?

Okay, seeing no further comments, I will go back to the Member from Range Lake.

Okay, thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion.

Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carried.

---Carried

Thank you. I will go back to the Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories stabilize its operational capacity for territorial protected areas by increasing capacity funding to support management boards and by fully funding the staffing of positions identified in the establishment agreements;

And further, the government should allocate sufficient resources in the 2027-2028 Main Estimates to close capacity gaps and ensure the effective delivery of management plans, monitoring programs, and guardians initiative. Thanks.

The motion is in order.