Caroline Cochrane

If I am on the wrong track, the Member can meet with me after and correct me, but I am thinking he is asking about essential travel as to workers going into the communities. That is the same as it was when COVID-19 first hit. The only people who are into the Northwest Territories are the essential workers, from out of the community. However, we do allow people from the Northwest Territories to still leave the territories, go South, as long as they have a self-isolation plan when they return. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We were meeting since March, the beginning of March, when COVID-19 first hit us. We were meeting weekly with both the municipal governments and the Indigenous governments every Friday, in fact. When the session started a week ago, two weeks ago, we asked them if they would take a break for session and meet with the officials because of course I will be in session. They were going to take a break, but, Mr. Speaker, I just saw an email come through my desk that they are actually having a meeting this Friday, as well. My understanding is that the mayors and the Indigenous...

At this point, we have not been paying for any of the check stops that have happened in communities. We do have border patrols. We do have EMO that is on it, the enforcement and task force that are on it already. These are extra precautions that the communities, some communities, have taken upon themselves. At first, we were concerned about the health and safety of not only the people who were patrolling the check stops but also the people going through. We have not condoned the action, but we have not taken it down. I do know that we have given money to Indigenous governments. They can use...

Some work has been done with the municipalities. Some work needs to be done. When COVID-19 first hit us, we focused on the immediate needs, making sure that people understand the orders and how to address the orders. That was our main focus, but as we move forward, we realize that even in the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, when we did our emergency management plans for each community, they did not include a pandemic. They talked about forest fires, and they talked about flooding. Absolutely, that work is going to have to be done for 33 communities, and it has to be done for us...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a couple of things. It definitely isn't going to be business as usual as the last Legislative Assembly. I mean, we don't even have the same Cabinet here, so it couldn't be business as usual, Mr. Speaker. However, I heard the question, and it's an interesting question. When he asked about breaking it down by department, it would be almost impossible, Mr. Speaker, because it would be identifying, as well, how many Indigenous people are in public housing, how many Indigenous people are taking post-secondary education, how many identified at post-secondary...

The Government of the Northwest Territories has already provided some economic relief. The relief packages that we have put out there are available on our GNWT website. If not, let me know, and I will get back to you on that. We are trying to keep up as well as possible. The whole idea, though, is we need a coordinated approach. Like I said before, if we keep running to the federal government -- which happened at the beginning. First, it was tourism. I am trying to remember the order. First, it was tourism. Then it was Chamber of Mines, and it kept going. It's confusing for the federal...

I must say that we have an amazing Cabinet here. As soon as the question was asked, I've seen my Finance Minister shaking her head and saying, "I agree." Yes, we will make that commitment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At this point, the mandate letters should have been in the process of being shared with MLAs, so I am not going to pull them all back from you and start adding things. I made a commitment, though, to the Regular Members that I would be open to feedback, not that I would make changes, but I'd be open to feedback. If that is something that the Member feels that should be on those, then I would welcome that feedback on those mandate letters.

Absolutely. We are not waiting for the federal government to help businesses and residents of the Northwest Territories. However, we are advocating all the time. I have to give credit to the federal government for what they have done. It's not fair to stand here and blame the federal government. They are trying their hardest. They have given to us so far $23.4 million for us to use for COVID-19, mostly of course for health and social services but for other expenses because they gave us the flexibility in that. They gave us $8.7 million for airlines. They are promising more. They gave us $35...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely. We are already taking some movement in that way. It is one of the primary reasons that Minister Nokleby actually proposed the business advisory council. The important thing, though, Mr. Speaker, is that we have to make sure that our compensations for businesses complement the federal government's and not overlap, and that is a fine dance that we have been doing all the time. Constantly, in my first Ministers' conferences, I keep talking about flexibility. The federal government seems to say, "This is for this. This is for that." We have businesses keep...