Debates of Feb. 6th, 2026

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I talked about treaties yesterday, and that was Treaty 8, and it talks about health care that's in the Canadian constitution that talks about the Crown consultation, accommodation, and that kind of thing. But, Mr. Speaker, if I were to assign grades to this Cabinet, this would be based on simple measures of each Minister upholding treaties by delivering the best possible service to our Indigenous communities, I know the Minister of Health and Social Services would have agreed with that standard during our leadership committee two years ago when she emphasized that medical travel process should reduce stress, not add to it, yet actions speak louder than words. Since her evaluation to Cabinet, my constituents continue to reach out in a high stress situation where medical travel's making an emergency harder. Harder, not easier. And the Minister has not worked out with us to provide solutions rather than obstacles. That is why I am deeply disappointed in the growing gap between what our communities need and what the Minister's medical travel modern project -- sorry, modernization project is actually delivering. We are long overdue for policy flexibility and a contingency fund to support people while they await NIHB approval.

Instead, modernization is being framed around bureaucratic slogans like clarity and navigation where the urgent needs of residents remain unmet. What that tells me is that Ministers just working on modern process to continue denying my constituents support and care they need.

I remind the Minister that UNDRIP, which is tasked with implementing and confirming Indigenous people's rights to the highest attainable standards in physical and mental health. Article 24 is clear. Indigenous people have the right to access all social and health services without discrimination yet, geographically, services qualified financial means to continue to act for barriers and people's health care.

We have two years left in this term. I ask the Premier what is the consequences when the mandate letter goes unfulfilled? Mr. Speaker, I would have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.

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

Colleagues, I want to share a personal story from Wednesday, December 17, 2025. Five of my seven children were home in Fort Simpson for the week before Christmas. My daughter Jenny asked if we could all go out for lunch at the Pandaville. After a few questions, I agreed, and fifteen of us invaded the restaurant. After a wonderful meal and conversation, two plates of fortune cookies arrived. I opened mine first. It said something about a small, sweet thing that would steal my heart soon. I didn't think much of it. Then Grace opened hers and started to cry. She shared it with me: Get ready to spoil a new little one, baby Stroeder 2026.

This exciting news brought tears to the table, and it marks Grace's and mine 11th grandchild: Mason, Jacob, Paige, Brady, Scott, Logan, Adele, Ezra, Aurelia, Rhett, and now this new baby in 2026.

This moment made me reflect on the profound importance of grandchildren and how lucky we are. Today, I rise for a Member's statement on this gift.

Our grandchildren bring profound joy and purpose, weaving three generations together with love, wisdom, and unbreakable bonds that draw families closer. This remind us of life's renewal, letting us pass on our experiences while witnessing theirs unfold. I love the fact that our grandchildren offer unconditional love that boasts our emotional well-being and reduces loneliness. We see them build self-esteem, resilience, and a safe space to confide their challenges.

As grandparents, along with their parents, we instill values, share family stories, and pass down cultural heritage, sharing their identity and moral compass. In turn, our grandchildren keep us active, sharing fresh perspectives that sharpen our minds and extend our vitality. I have heard other grandparents' joke, If we'd known how much fun grandchildren are, we'd have had them first. I've come to realize our children gave us the joy of grandparenting through the adventures they took us on.

In closing, I thank my children for these amazing gifts and look forward to many more. As I told Grace, we're now into double digits now so we can look for another eight or more.

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

Well, I just did my Member's statement. I have my youngest daughter and her family here, the three youngest grandchildren, Rhett, Roy or Billy, depending on what he wants to be called, Aurelia who is known as Hammy, and Ezra, who are the youngest grandchildren but will be replaced in June to be the next. So welcome to the Assembly. And my son-in-law Brendan. Thank you very much for attending, and I'll get to watch hockey this weekend with them. So welcome to the Assembly.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Kam Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to welcome to the gallery Fort Simpson teacher Jackie Whellie. This week we also celebrated National Women and Girls in Sport Week, and Jackie is a very active futsal and soccer coach and does a lot for kids in the community, so huge thank you to her.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First I'll acknowledge the group as a whole sitting in the gallery, the NUP delegation of the Yellowknife Community Services Corp. Mr. Speaker, in particular, saving the best for last of course, no offence to the first one, I'd like to recognize Stewart Olden, a friend for a long time. Ann Peters is on the board. Lloyd Henderson who's been a family friend for I'd say a generation. And my favourite constituent, I could spend ten Member's statements just doing the introduction of the gold standard senior Vivian Squires who means so much to me and many people in this community. Thank you so much.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. If we missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to your chambers. Again, thank you very much for allowing us 19 to represent you for these past two years and continue to represent you for the remaining two years. I hope you enjoy the proceedings. It is always nice to see people in the gallery.

Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Replies to the budget address, day 2 of 7. Member from the Sahtu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I will not be in the chamber next week, I took the opportunity of sharing my reply to the budget. But from yesterday's three presentations by my colleagues, I couldn't have said it any better so I will echo their replies in addition to emphasize our declining economy. To some degree, the level, and as mentioned by our business Minister this morning, the North needs capital. We've already seen that. So it's inspiring to see the defense spending allocated for the North in the billions of dollars. That is going to be welcoming news to our commerce community. And I see a need similar to my declining economy with the closure of the Norman Wells production oil field. In this community, we have the declining closure of the diamond clients. So I would emphasize in deliverance of the budget allowance for readiness, marketing of the opportunities to come.

A good example to do that is to have a town hall in our Great Hall. That would inspire and have an open door policy to the invited guests of our commerce community to share what's coming. I can't wait for that day when the Mackenzie Valley Highway is not only a contributor to this territory but a contributor in a number of benefactor ways, taking the bondage of isolation on the communities down the Valley. You put that into perspective, it will bring nothing but prosperity to the income support clients, to our residents. Now you've got productive choices. You can take your U-haul and go to Grand Prairie and load it up with affordable groceries.

As one colleague said, as a senior, seasoned Member of this Assembly, I've never seen our North in a desperate state as I see it today. Some areas are a little bit lower than others, but we have the final negotiations to design this budget to reflect what we need, and I look forward to those deliberations. But making allowance to sustain today's society which is plagued by so many problems that spin off and create poverty and mental stress on our residents. Gee, I really want to afford Christmas presents, I heard a number of times, but I don't have the money for my children. Now that brings stress to the father and mother of that home.

Those are examples we hear out in the small communities, Mr. Speaker. And now I think this year is a welcoming year for prosperity. We've just got to showcase that and design our budget to reflect and giving allowances to have revitalization workshops in the Sahtu, in other parts of the region, sharing what our government is doing to the people of the Deh Cho. So we take our message to the communities.

As our chair of the AOC mentioned, we are resource rich and cash poor. There's a cry for critical minerals. Why aren't we looking at reforming our regulatory process to streamline that and make it better? Yes, I agree, our Resource Management Act is underway with finalization of the regulations. But could it be speeded up? You ask those questions of progress and progress to achieve our mandate, execute more importantly these projects. And these projects will justify the Minister of ITI's statement earlier, the North needs capital. We need capital, and we need to execute that capital to build infrastructure.

As I mentioned in my statement, the best social program is a job. Now that job income is going to build and eliminate mental stress to the family in isolation. Repeatedly, we've talked about the cost of living in the Northwest Territories. Yes, there's solutions to that. Let's take isolation and throw it away and replace it with affordable access, and affordable access will attract investment. Resource development will escalate.

So, Mr. Speaker, I don't want to take too much of the time other than what's been said. I totally agree, but I just emphasize to the 20th Assembly, for the latter half of our term we need to make decisions and set deadlines to achieve that schedule that's going to create capital to the North. Mahsi.

Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Replies to the Commissioner's Address, day 2 of 7. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we heard several speeches yesterday about this budget. Even though there were some notable contrasts amongst the speeches, there were also some common themes that I agree with, that the North faces both great challenge and great opportunity at this moment in history and that we must take more decisive action quickly and build momentum by strengthening our economic and social foundations. However, I also heard a theory that I vehemently disagree with, the theory that the main thing holding us back as a territory is the, quote, tail wagging the dog, that our Cabinet Members are being led blindly by a powerful group of bureaucrats behind the scenes who are actively resisting any real change. These, and I quote, well-connected insiders who live fat off government procurement instead of innovating their own businesses.

Now, I understand that many people looking from the outside, who are not part of government decision-making, perceive that the tail is wagging the dog. They're frustrated that they so rarely see any dramatic change in direction. They're frustrated that things seem so slow. So tail wags the dog is the best explanation that they can come up with.

What I find puzzling is when people who are not on the outside looking in still reach for the same simplistic and false explanation, people who are decision makers, people who are leaders with access to extraordinary amounts of information and an extraordinary level of input into the decisions and overall direction of this government. I am not just puzzled but alarmed when these leaders scapegoat public servants and paint them all with the same brush.

Point of order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member appears to be given a reply to my budget address and in doing so is making allegations or accusing me of making allegations against public servants and undermining confidence in government, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. My words speak for themselves, Mr. Speaker. They were put in context. And, again, this is a reply to the budget address, not a reply to my address, and I have not heard that from the Member so far. Thank you.

Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I understand that the purpose of our work here in this House is to respond to the discussion and deliberations that is happening amongst all of us, and I have not referred to anything that -- I don't believe I referred to anything falsely in terms of things that were not said. So I believe that this is all relevant in terms of responding to the budget address. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. I don't see a point of order; however, I was going to do this on Tuesday, but I am going to do it today: Let's focus on the budget, let's focus on what we're trying to achieve here. People are getting close to that line, and we could be moving over that line, which I don't want to be the parent, the coach, the referee, that has to address it all the time. So please, let's be very respectful of each other, please reply to the budget, and let's move forward.

Member from Yellowknife North.

Mr. Speaker, I am not here to defend government, and I am not here to defend Cabinet. What I am defending, unapologetically, is public servants. I would never pretend that the GNWT is a model of a well-functioning institution.

My first job when I moved here almost 18 years ago was with the GNWT, and I found myself in a little unit that was such a terrifyingly dysfunctional place that I quit after only a few months. And I never went back. I swore I did not want to work for government. But I did fall in love with this place and especially its people. This community and communities across the NWT are made up, in large part, with government workers, everyone from renewable resource officers to nurses to teachers, and yes, even the policy makers and program staff in departmental offices that we are funding through this budget all play a necessary part in keeping this territory running and putting all the supports and services in place that most of us take for granted every day.

Look, so government often moves slowly. We heard a lot about that yesterday. We all know that, and we agree it's not good. But to change it, we first need to be clear about why it moves slowly.

As far as I can tell, it's not because there is any conspiracy. It's because decision makers tend to be really bad at reaching agreement amongst ourselves on the right path forward. Sometimes leaders even think it's supposed to be that way, that the right way to be a leader is always to be angry and disagree with anything the other side says. And then if those types of leaders are quick to get really mad when a bold decision is taken they disagree with, Ministers and public servants alike, especially those on the front lines, feel vulnerable to shaming and blaming while trying to implement something that some folks don't like. So the constant incentive is for government to not do anything different, out of fear. If leaders cannot agree on what to do, the safest option always appears to be don't rock the boat, don't do anything too different that you could get blamed for.

Mr. Speaker, this budget, it moves away from the primary objective of fiscal restraint and towards a focus on shifting resources towards things that will shore up our foundations and prepare us for a possible big influx of federal investment around northern security. So I think that has broad consensus. And when you zoom out, it becomes obvious, though, that the actual amount of resources being shifted around towards our priorities is relatively minor; however, there are some notable initiatives that in themselves will make a big difference, and I want to point those out.

I think that the plan to expand lab and diagnostic services at Stanton to a 24/7 model will make a huge difference both to patients and to the efficiency and effectiveness of our healthcare system. I am pleased to see that significant new resources are being allocated to transitional and supportive housing projects as well as towards the stabilization of emergency shelters across the territory.

But as a group, we have struggled to come up with a common idea of the changes that we actually want to see in this particular budget or any GNWT budget. My main objectives are not related to any specific budget line but require achieving a clear vision for how we're going to build a stable and well-supported healthcare workforce and identifying concrete things that are holding us back from building a robust labour force, including basic education and literacy.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I will continue to emphasize the need to have the tough conversations amongst us leaders that could actually lead to consensus on a bold path forward rather than focusing on the divisions because I believe that that is the most significant thing holding us back, that if we can address it we can allow this government to make more progress faster. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Replies to the budget address, day 2 of 7. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member from Frame Lake.

Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister responsible for NTPC.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that the Member is implying something other than talking about Taltson, but I can't emphasize enough that not being connected to the North American energy grid, not having our grids connected, leaves us very vulnerable. And so we wind up having outages more frequently when there's only one line that runs to a single generating source -- a single hydro generating source. Typically, we'd be able to bring the diesel back online but if that doesn't happen quickly, we wind up in the situation we found ourselves in yesterday.

So, Mr. Speaker, some of the things that we are doing, and one in particular, was with respect to past -- this past spring when we issued a whole list of directives out to the public utilities board, that included with the integrated systems planning. The fact that we don't have integrated systems planning in the North, in my mind, is very urgent. I am always happy to speak about this. It is a serious issue that, as I understand it, lingered for a decade before we got this out to the public utilities board to action. And I know they are actioning it. I've been checking back in with colleagues, with my colleague for the public utilities board, and this is moving forward so that engagements are happening right now on all of those directives, including this one. We need to have an integrated plan that looks at our entire system and what we're going to do to make it better. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the Minister's points there. I guess where I was trying to go with this was just ensuring that our infrastructure investment is not just focusing on this southern grid tie-in because it's such a big project, and it's got -- it requires so much funding. I am just wondering are we focusing on smaller solutions as well? So infrastructure investment north of the lake, policy, or legislative change. As I said in my statement, Mr. Speaker, let's pull out all the stops and focus on what we can do to help reduce power rates in the NWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my struggle is I am not going to be able to keep this down into the short answers that I know you're looking from us. So I -- my first comment would be this may be an appropriate topic to have a public briefing on. There is a lot to be said. Another thing happening on the Snare -- on the north side of the lake is a Snare grid modernization project. Again, could have happened years ago. It's happening now. We need to get to a place where a grid system and a generating system that was built in the '70s is modernized, that the transmission lines are brought up to speed, that it is -- that we don't need to question whether or not, you know, something is out of date or old, that it's new, that it's modern. And frankly, the announcements that we're seeing about potential procurements coming in from DND is an opportunity. They would be a big customer for the power. That can then as an industrial customer allow us to do the investments that don't have to go on ratepayers. So, again, a lot is happening right in this moment but that grid modernization could well put us into a position that -- and would also better integrate renewables into the system, alternative renewals beyond the hydro system, add to the grid and bring some stabilities and some redundancy. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister responsible for NTPC. Final supplementary. Member from Frame Lake.