Frieda Martselos

We have had dozens of reports, national inquiries, and royal commissions, and they all share this same conclusion, so we must continue to actively improve these systems wherever possible. Mr. Speaker, black lives matter, and Indigenous lives matter. I will have questions for the Minister of Justice later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Madam Chair, I just want clarification also, now, with this P3 with the $72 million. We are not going to own it. Even with some of these modifications and renovations, and further on with the tenders, the government still puts the tenders out, or does the owner of the building have a say in who gets the tender? Could you give clarification on that, please? You are not very specific in your answers even to other Members today. I would like being specific. When you're putting a building up or doing a renovation, even with the planning, usually you're very specific, even if you're going to be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In a recent interview, the Prime Minister said he would be seeking feedback from all Canadian Premiers about how to improve policing across Canada. My question is: what recommendations, if any, will our government be giving to the Prime Minister about how to improve policing in the NWT and reduce police brutality on residents? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As a former Chief, I've seen first hand the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples by the RCMP, the courts, and the corrections system. As mentioned in my statement, I have seen countless cases of police brutality, along with more severe punishments for Indigenous people and greater rates of incarceration for Indigenous people, too. My question is: does the Minister believe that a review of our courts, corrections, and policing systems are needed in the NWT, and, if so, what would that look like?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Committee Members have heard a variety of concerns raised by their constituents about the experience of working from home. Front-line workers have expressed frustration that they are being required to risk their lives and put in long hours, while other GNWT employees are collecting their full paycheques while working from home, where they may or may not be working a full work week. Some constituents feel that the GNWT could be providing better support to employees to assist them to be productive while working from home.

The committee would like to see the GNWT undertake...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Strategic investments in energy infrastructure will contribute to higher standards of living for Northerners, lower the territory's high-energy costs, and improve private-sector business cases for future investments. Investing in infrastructure today sets up tomorrow's economic growth.

Moving forward through COVID-19, the need to be resilient and self-sufficient is increasingly apparent to all NWT residents. Sustainable energy (for residents, business, and industry) is a priority item for committee.

The Energy Action Plan 2019-2022 has identified the expansion of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last two weeks, people across North America and the world have been taking to the streets to protest against the excessive use of force by law enforcement and police brutality towards black, Indigenous, and all peoples of colour.

These protests began in Minnesota after footage was released of a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the neck of an unarmed black man named George Floyd, who later died because of this brutal police interaction. Why did the police use excessive force on George Floyd? A cashier alleged he had a counterfeit $20 bill.

George Floyd's...

We won't ask questions on the P3, but the results of this P3 are tremendous. We are in a COVID-19 pandemic, and many of our communities don't even have procedures that were actually offered in our health centres. Yet, we are putting $72 million in the end, probably negotiated contract and not tender, not own the building, and I can't even get bloodwork analyzed at the Fort Smith health centre. That is disgusting. You know? When you do these things and don't do it in a proper way of transparency and accountability, it's disturbing. I don't have any further comments, and I don't have any...

I don't have any questions, Madam Chair, because it was answered.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. How is the Department of Health and Social Services working to ensure that small communities and regional centres are equipped with proper PPE and medical procedures to ensure that all residents are properly looked after in future pandemics or even in other emergencies? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.