Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to recognize representatives of United Way NWT that are here in the gallery. In attendance today, the chair of the United Way NWT, Tracy St. Denis; United Way NWT board member, Matt Spence; also Gayla Thunstrom, the first vice president of the Union of Northern Workers; Frank Walsh; and Jennifer Wright with the Union of Northern Workers, who are partners in United Way NWT.

Also, I would like to recognize three Pages from Yellowknife South who have been here for the four weeks of this session, Ayush Bhanot, Nigel Curtis, Tyson Clarke, and also recognize all of the Pages for all of the good work that they have done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the employees of the Government of the Northwest Territories are dedicated to the work that they do and are committed to the success of their communities. Hundreds of employees spend countless hours giving back to their communities through volunteer work during their personal time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to recognize all of the employees who volunteer in their communities. How we take care of one another is what shapes the character of our communities and what makes the North unique and special.

In addition to their volunteer time, every year, employees have the option to have donations for United Way NWT automatically deducted from their paycheques. Last year, employees contributed $150,000 to the United Way NWT through this campaign, which I am honoured to co-chair with the Union of Northern Workers president, Mr. Todd Parsons.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the start of the 2018 United Way NWT Employee Giving Campaign. The United Way NWT is a not-for-profit organization committed to building strong and healthy northern communities. Its role is to match community resources through these payroll contributions and to help get those funds to our territory's areas of greatest need.

In many ways, the Government of the Northwest Territories and the United Way NWT share the same goals: we want to improve the lives of our people, build stronger communities, and create positive social change for the residents of our territory. The United Way NWT ensures that employee contributions stay in the territory and contribute directly to our residents and communities.

Every day, employees work to build a better territory. They show this commitment in their work, but also in their generosity through our workplace campaign. Through the employee payroll plan, employees, including myself and many of the people in this room, are doing their part to create caring communities by contributing to the United Way NWT and to the organizations that they support.

Some of the organizations who have benefitted from contributions from employees include the Inuvik Youth Centre, Dene Nahjo, the Hay River Soup Kitchen, the Rainbow Coalition, NWT Breast Health, Children's First Society, and the list goes on.

Mr. Speaker, to put the power of this collective effort into context, one employee's payroll contributions of 50 cents per workday was able to feed over 50 people at the Hay River Soup Kitchen in one month. A $2 per workday contribution of another employee allowed Yellowknife Cares to create weekend meal kits for 30 children in need.

Investing in the health and well-being of our people and communities and building prosperity in the Northwest Territories are priorities of the United Way NWT and the mandate of this government. These goals are shared by many non-governmental organizations in our territory and by our employees. United Way NWT is working to achieve these goals through investment in three areas of focus, which are:

• From poverty to possibility;
• Healthy people, strong communities; and
• All that kids can be.

Next year, the United Way NWT is investing $170,000 to support non-profits in our territory to improve lives and build community in these three areas.

Mr. Speaker, I comment the efforts of United Way NWT and their board and volunteers for all their hard work as they continue to make a positive impact on the lives of many of our residents in need. Furthermore, I would like to thank the Government of the Northwest Territories employees for their continued generosity which is making it possible for the United Way NWT and our communities to achieve great success. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize two students from Yellowknife South, Julie Loomis and Shania Clark, and also Jordan McLeod. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As we have committed previously, we are committed to providing a Northwest Territories chapter once it is in a suitable format that can be shared. At this time, we are still yet to achieve that because the chapter keeps changing almost on a weekly basis. We are still committed to sharing that information as soon as we reach that point.

The federal government has used a co-development approach to develop the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework. It has not been without challenges, but the Government of the Northwest Territories appreciates the opportunity to work collaboratively with the federal government and the Members of the intergovernmental secretariat to develop the federal document.

The Government of the Northwest Territories is pleased with the progress that has been achieved by the new federal Minister of Northern Affairs on our priority files to date. We will continue to work with the federal government to advance these. As this is a federal framework, final decisions on timing will be Canada's. Based on current discussions, it is our hope that the substantial work that has gone into the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework will result in meaningful investments in the Northwest Territories starting with the federal 2019 budget.

I guess the biggest outstanding issue is the fact that the original timelines proposed by Canada would have had the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework completed by now. However, there have been a number of delays in the process.

The current schedule presented by Canada has the overarching part of the framework being released first, and then provincial, territorial, and Indigenous chapters will be developed following the initial release. Canada is also proposing that a governance framework and investment strategy will be released at the same time as these chapters.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Arctic and Northern Policy Framework will be a federal document with the federal government making the financial decision on what is in it. With that said, Government of Northwest Territories officials have been actively engaged in the development of the framework document, working to ensure that territorial priorities are included.

We have also been sharing drafts with our partners on the intergovernmental council to seek their views. Their feedback has been very helpful, and, as agreed to by the IGC, GNWT officials have provided these views to Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can commit to that, but in the meantime, Northwest Territories residents travelling abroad should consult with the Government of Canada's website around cannabis and international travel. Most countries, including the United States, have a zero-tolerance policy with respect to illegal drugs, including possession and use.

Certainly, but we do know that it is illegal to travel with marijuana if you are going abroad. I believe the issue with the United States was that, if you worked in a facility involving marijuana and you went to the United States, it would be illegal. They later clarified that, as long as you were going on a holiday, it would be okay.

It is important for us to get more clarification from the United States rather than just getting it through the TV or through the media.