Thank you, Mr. Premier. Final supplementary. Member from Mackenzie Delta.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How does the department prioritize culturally appropriate family and community-based placements with Indigenous children before considering a licensed foster care placement with non-Indigenous caregivers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A lot of work has been done to ensure that children can be supported, ideally before they're removed from a family. And so more than ever now, families are receiving support. So Indigenous families with their Indigenous children are receiving support as the first option prior to looking at the decision to remove a child. So that work is happening, and that work has really expanded the level of support that is being provided and it has prevented a number of children from being removed, which was what would have occurred prior to that. And as I said as well, there's always a priority to look at family and extended family to ensure that children stay as close to home and with relatives, and again, focusing on ensuring that there is as much cultural continuity as possible in placing children with Indigenous caregivers at any time possible. And we've seen an increase in the number of Indigenous foster care providers as well. So work is happening and it is progressing and we are seeing results. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today this House heard the devastating reality of a born and raised Northerner and occupational therapist who has been explicitly advised by health and social services to abandon her home due to our healthcare system being unable to provide the case management and home nutrition supports she needs to survive.

Can the Minister explain to this House how that is acceptable, that a specialized frontline healthcare worker, who are in short supply, Mr. Speaker, is being told by her own physicians that she has no choice but to leave the NWT for care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I obviously can't speak about an individual's medical situation in the House. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, this has become a public concern. It's been reported by two major news outlets in the Northwest Territories; I would hope we'd have a better answer. A major barrier to my constituent's care is the inflexible nature of interprovincial health agreements of which the Premier has direct say as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. What immediate action will the Minister take to renegotiate our healthcare agreements, specifically with Alberta, to ensure that NWT residents with complex medical needs no longer fall through the cracks?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I thought we were talking about case management of an individual, now we're talking about intergovernmental relations. This is sort of going all over the place and without any heads-up on this, I am going to have to take these questions on notice. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Premier. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will start with questions for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

So the environmental monitoring advisory board, or EMAB, is a watchdog providing independent oversight to both the operator of the Diavik diamond mine and its regulators. It's made up of representatives from Lutselk'e Dene First Nation, North Slave Metis Alliance, Tlicho government, Yellowknives Dene First Nation, and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, and some of those groups have very limited capacity on their own to make regulatory submissions or publish their concerns about the mine. So given that the Diavik mine is finished production now, the Minister is contemplating shutting down EMAB thus relieving Diavik of its responsibility to fund EMAB whereas EMAB is advocating for its important role to continue throughout the closure process.

My first question, has the Minister considered the option of having EMAB decrease its activity gradually over time in line with the expected gradual scaling down of long-term monitoring and maintenance at the mine? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ECC has received a request from Diavik to set a schedule for winding down EMAB and under section 18.3 of the environmental assessment, once Diavik has ceased operations, as the Member has indicated, the Minister may, at their discretion, relieve Diavik of these responsibilities. So as Minister, I've -- as required under section 18.3, I am required to consult with all parties and the advisory board before rendering a decision. And I've launched a consultation process with these parties on the agreement and plan to make a decision on Diavik's request in the not too distant future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So does the Minister take the position that the role of EMAB could be replaced going forward by the co-management regulatory boards or perhaps individual community governments acting on their own throughout the closure phase? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I indicated I have an obligation to consult with all parties before rendering a decision. So I've launched that consultation process, and it would be premature for me to take a position at this time. So once the consultation process is complete, I will be required to make that decision on Diavik's request. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So then can the Minister at least tell us, will the Minister release his decision publicly, including the evidence and reasoning used to make that decision? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, once this process has concluded and I've made a decision, I will release that decision to all parties as well as the public. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if I could, normally if we're away from the House we give notice. I just want to know, my Member's statement was based to the health Minister. I am not sure what to do there, Mr. Speaker.

Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh, we don't recognize people are in and out. You ask the question and I will direct it to the appropriate Minister. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.

Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Mr. Premier.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I've been quite clear that the long-term goal of myself, at least, is to see Indigenous governments, Indigenous self-governments, take over authority in all sorts of different areas, including child and family services. So I want to move in that direction. We are moving in that direction. There's agreements in place already, and I hope there's more to come. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.