Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to request a recorded vote.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that Bill 34 be amended by deleting subclause 52(1) and substituting the following:

52(1) Subject to this section, the holder of a mineral lease shall enter into an agreement for benefits in accordance with the regulations with each Indigenous government or organization that the Minister considers appropriate in the circumstances:

(a) If an undertaking authorized under the mineral lease meets the prescribed threshold; and

(b) When required by regulations in respect of a production license under subsection 46(3).

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to move a motion that paragraph 28(5)(a) of Bill 34 be amended by striking out the "settlement lands" and substituting "a settlement area." Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Just for clarity, Mr. Chair, the motion is intended to ensure that, regardless of whether the Public Land Act or the Mineral Resources Act comes into force first, the enabling authority for the mining regulations in the Northwest Territories Land Act or the Public Land Act over mineral rights will be repealed from the appropriate statutes once the Mineral Resources Act comes into force. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The intent of this motion is to change the term "settlement lands" to "settlement areas" as we did in motion 1. This motion would ensure language in the bill is consistent with my previous motion to change the definition of "settlement lands" to refer "settlement areas." Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Chair. This motion is intended to make a minor administrative correction to make the transitional provisions come into force. What is part 3 of the act, which has to do with interest and minerals, comes into force rather than part 5, which concerns benefits for people in communities. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I will be tabling the Child and Family Services Quality Improvement Plan. The Quality Improvement Plan sets out actions that we have been taking to address issues identified as part of our internal reviews, the 2018 Auditor General's Report, and from feedback from staff, standing committee, Indigenous governments, and other stakeholders throughout the system. Our number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of children and youth in our care, and this plan provides clear direction, priority areas, and actions for improving our child and family services system in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document entitled "The Northwest Territories Child and Family Services Quality Improvement Plan, 2019-2021." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The document was posted on the Health and Social Services website, and it was also distributed to a number of stakeholders that included the Departments of Municipal and Community Affairs, Environment and Natural Resources, the City of Yellowknife, the Towns of Inuvik and Hay River, funeral providers or the individuals providing those services in each community, and the NWT Association of Communities. Comments, as I indicated, and input were accepted till May 31st, and, from that process, the department did receive two responses, both of which were positive.

We face challenges across the entire Northwest Territories. Recruitment and retention is a big challenge. When it comes to Hay River, I have had the opportunity to talk to a lot of different practitioners and nurses, both in Hay River and out of Hay River, and one of the things that I have heard from some individuals outside the community is that they would love to go to Hay River. They think it's a great community. It's in a beautiful spot, it's a 10-hour drive from Edmonton, it's a brand-new health centre, but they don't want to go there because they don't want to leave the public service.

Fr...