Frieda Martselos

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given the NWT has allocated $23 million from the federal government for the COVID-19 pandemic, I'd like to know in detail about how the allocated funds and expenditures were spent. Can the Minister provide some specific details in how this money was spent? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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.

I expect a detailed accounting of the $23 million at some point during the time of our government. How is the Department of Health and Social Services preparing the regional centres and small communities for the second wave of COVID-19?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we move on from the first wave of the COVID-19, I can't help but wonder what the second wave of this pandemic might have in store for us later this year. Our territory has endured the first wave of COVID-19 with relatively good success, seeing as we have only had five cases, all of whom have recovered, and no community transmission. We are now about to enter phase 2 of our territory's Emerging Wisely plan of reopening the economy to regular life. However, Mr. Speaker, I remain concerned about our territory's level of preparedness for future waves of COVID-19, or even...

I have no further comments.

Acknowledgement by the Government of the Northwest Territories is extremely important in this file. It's a way of acknowledging the missing and murdered women, and it's a designation that would be unique. It shows us that we care. I'm not asking for it to go to a committee because I just saw the whole thing with the Victims Assistance Fund. A lot of families are still hurting from a lot of the whole events that took place, and justice hasn't been served. I want you to think about that as the Minister of Justice. I think it's extremely important that we acknowledge this. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I have been going back and forth with the department, and I think that it has happened since I got elected in October, and I think that bureaucracy is slow. We have a member that had a very awful disaster in Fort Smith with the tornado. It is a big concern for myself and for the family involved in that community. A conclusion to this file is really important.

Mr. Speaker, as our government prepares for the second wave of COVID-19 and for future pandemics, will the Department of Human Resources commit to making a contingency plan for the future that is more mindful of summer student employment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Would the Minister commit to prioritize the hiring of summer students wherever possible across the Government of the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In any normal given year, by this point in time, the Government of the Northwest Territories would have already hired hundreds of students within the Summer Student Employment Program, employing students from all across the territory from mid-April until the end of August. However, COVID-19 has derailed virtually all employment opportunities that would normally be afforded to our northern student population. Mr. Speaker, according to a News North article from May 18, 2020, the Government of the Northwest Territories has so far hired only 98 summer students for the 2020...