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

Mr. Speaker, last fall the federal government launched the Build Canada Homes initiative, committing $13 billion to kick start a massive effort to build affordable, transitional, and supportive housing across Canada as quickly as possible. With housing needs across Canada so high, every level of government from coast to coast to coast is scrambling to get their share. But nowhere are housing needs more important than in our small communities and remote communities in the Northwest Territories. And the recent housing needs assessment makes this housing crisis clear. But the challenge for our communities is to access Build Canada Homes funding is that while Housing NWT can submit a large-scale, highly detailed proposal, each of our communities are on their own. As a result, the territorial government has the advantage and they will use it to get this funding for themselves and continue to keep the access to housing behind policies. They don't work for our people.

Indigenous communities should be able to lead their own housing projects while still complementing territory efforts through the Build Canada Homes. Our communities could deliver Indigenous-led, mixed income, and affordable housing tailored to the local needs while Housing NWT continues broader territorial and social housing initiatives.

To level the playing field, our communities need an office to coordinate their submissions from across the NWT into a single proposal. It is clear that the Dene Nation was best suited for this role and is already establishing a housing secretariat.

In my budget, I asked for $700,000 to support this work but it was refused. When I raised this with the Minister, she refused to sit down with the Dene Nation chief and to look for collaboration to address this issue. The future of the housing of the Northwest Territories, like the delivery of most programs and services, is with community leaders and yet, through Housing NWT, federal funding through CMHC is set to end in 2038.

This colonial government sees this initiative as a short-term opportunity to take our funding while still refusing to honour our treaties. Our communities, on the other hand, see Build Canada Homes as an opportunity to build their capacity but they need a place to start. I will have questions for the Minister later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

As the clock ticks away in this Assembly, Mr. Speaker, public service hiring must continue without reproach. So I rise today to speak about a single, non-negotiable value; it's called a public trust.

As this Assembly slips into the darker days, into the final days, with 579 days approximately left, our duty to the people of the North doesn't sunset. It actually intensifies. We know that the machinery government will require talent. I don't doubt that for a second. But we also know it requires speed at times, and direct appointments often are designed for those moments of urgent need.

Mr. Speaker, but let's be clear. Direct appointments should be always considered as the exception of the rule where someone will skip the line, bypass competition, and bypass the typical process to get one of those coveted GNWT jobs. Mr. Speaker, sometimes that bypass process steps across or beyond the principle of merit.

Many of us have seen, at the 11th hour of the mandate of the current government and previous governments, how the pace quickens and pressure mounts to do these last-minute decisions and people get tempted by making these choices. It is precisely these moments, Mr. Speaker, when the transition begins, that our decisions require more scrutiny, not less. And that is why I am advocating for a clear, commonsense safeguard, that in the final six months of this Assembly direct appointments must carry the support of caucus. It's unusual, but it's important. It is not about creating red tape, Mr. Speaker. It's about sharing accountability. Because we are here to ensure that those appointments made, even on the eve of the next coming election, they carry the confidence of many, not just those special few and the secrets of Cabinet around the table.

In a consensus government system, collaboration is intended to be the foundation of the work we do. So no one's suggesting that we -- caucus does the work, but we treat it as a safeguard to safeguard its integrity. It helps prevent the perception of political favours and the impartiality of the public service we all need and trust upon. Mr. Speaker, I am calling for transparency, not just expediency; the quality that northern people deserve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Colleagues, today it gives me great pleasure to do this Member's statement. Improving access to health and social services is a priority of this Assembly, and it matters to the health and well-being of people across the Northwest Territories.

In the Nahendeh riding, people have faced real challenges getting the care they needed. This region has more health cabins than any other region in the NWT. That means residents of Nahendeh often face bigger barriers to primary care simply because of where they live. These health cabins are supported by community health workers, dedicated local people who are often the first place residents turn when they need help. They work closely with nurses and play a key role in everyday care and in emergencies. Providing care in these small and remote communities is very different from accessing care in places like Yellowknife or larger regional centres.

I believe it is important to speak up when there are problems, but it is just as important to recognize progress when it is happening. That is why today I would like to thank the Minister of Health and Social Services, the department, and the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, and acknowledge the good work they are doing to improve access to care in the Nahendeh riding.

Over the past several months, NTHSSA, with support from the department's community, culture and innovation unit, took a closer look at the gaps and challenges in health cabin communities. Staff spent time in these remote communities to better understand the conditions of the health cabins and the day-to-day realities people face when they need care. Thanks to this time, improved training plans for the CHW has occurred to help improve their skills. I can tell you in talking with the CHWs, they are greatly appreciative of this new focus.

Since December, a new pilot has been launched with two nurse practitioners sharing a role to support cabin communities. They provide a mixture of virtual care and in-person care with flexibility response to urgent needs. Community health workers are also receiving new tools and regular training to strengthen the care they provide. Early results are positive, with more appointments and more people being seen.

This work is about making sure people get the care they need closer to home and surrounded by family, culture, and communities. I want to recognize the good work being done in the Nahendeh riding, and I look forward to continued work with the Minister and her department and the NTHSSA as work moves forward. And thank you on behalf of the residents. Members' statements.

Returns to oral questions. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Acknowledgements. Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to quote one of my favourite movies, the table is all set. We have our knife. We have our fork. We have our sauce. We need the steak, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of ITI.

Can I get an update on what the next steps for GNWT to engage with IRC around LNG and what steps they may take together to advance this incredible resource for development and export? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Got that right. Minister of ITI. I know you're all excited and jumped up, ready to go. Here we go.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as far as next steps are, I would like the opportunity to sit down directly one-on-one with Chair Elias with the IRC. From there, Mr. Speaker, we've got multiple significant discovery license holders that sit on top of the Mackenzie Delta LNG field, and that is a great opportunity for us to be able to sit down with them because next steps really is a feasibility study that needs to be done on this work. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you for that. Yes, I know the Minister has heard me quote many times the 2021 MD LNG report that was tabled in this House.

On engagement, Mr. Speaker, how does ITI engage with our federal partners so they, Mr. Speaker, understand the opportunity with the Mackenzie Delta LNG to meet the Prime Minister's goal to double non-U.S. exports by 2035? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, how do we engage with the federal government? We talk to Ministers quite often that are our counterparts. In regards to the Minister for NRCan, I've made sure, along with my colleague, the Minister of strategic infrastructure, to ensure that that federal minister has access to that study. Sorry, I am talking too fast. The Members got me all excited, Mr. Speaker.

So we make sure that the Ministers have copies of that pre-feasibility study. We also make sure that our own MP, MP Alty, has copies of that study as well so that when these conversations do come up at the federal level, we've got multiple people that can bring this forward and make sure that it's top of mind.

We make sure also that, given we meet with these people annually, that we share that information again with them annually and let them know what are some of the next steps that need to happen in order to continue to push this project forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Minister of ITI. Final supplementary. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And if the Minister is excited, I am excited, Mr. Speaker. I am always excited to speak LNG and our potential.

I mentioned in my Member's statement about the comments made from the High Commissioner of India and understanding that we do promote nationally with our federal government, how does or do we have a reach internationally? Do we promote the Mackenzie Delta LNG to international investors, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the answer is yes. We've had a number of visits, even here in the Northwest Territories, from ambassadors from around the world. We also, when we travel, make sure that we're reaching out to specific ambassadors and also consul generals and having meetings with them. Upcoming here at the Arctic Energy and Resource Symposium in Calgary, we will be sitting down specifically with businesses to ensure that they also have the information they need and doing a technical briefing with them that involves the pre-feasibility study and making sure that we are informing people of the work that we've already done and the opportunity that exists in the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Minister of ITI. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, refusing to allow slight accommodations for late paperwork not only excludes individual children from sport but also goes against the best interests of youth and the spirit of the Arctic Winter Games. How does the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs justify upholding a decision that penalizes kids rather than supporting their participation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, I am not involved in the process of all these applications, and there is an application process in place, like anything else that we do in this world, whether we're applying for passports or any other documents. At times you don't fill out the forms properly, they're denied. And the reality is, is with this process here, we're following Safe Sport. There's a bunch of processes behind that to make sure that all the athletes are filling out the documents, like the code of conduct and everything like that. So when the application process was put out, everybody had the opportunity to fill out these forms and at times, when certain things were missed, residents were contacted a few times to make sure that they fill out these documents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, these residents that I represent were not told that they missed something and that they could fix it. That's the exact problem we have.

Given that the decision to not step in and find a way to allow this young person to participate in the games effectively barred this young athlete from participating in the Arctic Winter Games, why did the Minister, or through their office of course, not through his personal capacity, but why did the Minister not exercise oversight, as he just mentioned, to prevent this unfair outcome for my constituent? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There's over seven -- you know, roughly about 700 athletes that went to tryouts. There's roughly 350-some athletes going to Arctic Winter Games. And, you know, everybody had the opportunity and fairness to apply for these positions for Arctic Winter Games. And if I was to bend the rules for every individual that were late essentially, then I would be giving out -- or taking away opportunities from other individuals who followed the rules. So, Mr. Speaker, the beginning of October was opening, end of November, November 30th was closing of the registration, and there's a lot of time there for people to get these applications in and fill them out properly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These are kids and their families; these are not people filling out passport applications or opening bank accounts, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, given that the Minister is not inclined to exercise any kind of oversight to fix this, it seems like we need a more systemic approach. So will the Minister work with Sport North to ensure that there's an appeals process in for when one form wasn't signed, Mr. Speaker -- every other form is signed, one isn't -- can he commit to a process that will ensure errors like this will be caught, can be resolved in a way that ensure no child is unfairly barred from participating in a future Arctic Winter Games event? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I cannot ask the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs or Sport North to be responsible for every parent's application or kid's application when they put in for Sport North or for Arctic Winter Games or anything else like that. However, Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, you know, there is a process to be filling out these forms. There was a few incidents where people were contacted when they weren't done properly and given the opportunity to correct those; however, again, those weren't acted on by the people who filled out the forms. I can't help that, Mr. Speaker; however, I will say that I have I spoke to Sport North and the Indigenous Sports Circle, and I have asked for a review on some of our processes there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.