Katrina Nokleby

Thank you, Madam Chair. Maybe the Minister can comment, then, on outreach to the YWCA to sort of feel this one out. I feel like this could potentially be an area where it won't be noticed until it's already being incurred by them. I'm not sure how far ahead they are at times in being able to come and say, "We see this as an uptick." They have a new ED; she's great. No comment there. Just curious to know what the department is doing to be proactive to reach out to all of their NGOs and the groups that they liaise with regarding the potential increase for domestic violence and intimate violence...

I think that's great. I am really glad to hear it's more of a prevention issue versus a reaction to things that are happening. Just through corrections, people have heard about that recruitment and the increase of southern gangs. Why I know is just that they are coming from the region in which I grew up. I just maybe have been more alive to it. I would just like to speak to the contribution to the YWCA of Yellowknife, the $105,000. Could the Minister confirm that that is the money that is used for the EPOs, or is that another line item? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just further to that, then, with the way that COVID is impacting our rental community at the moment, there is a lot of fear I'm hearing from constituents about making their rents, and the rent reliefs were really needed and helpful. However, I'm just wondering if we anticipate that we're going to actually see an increase again in the demands and services of the rental office, and I'm wondering if it is perhaps going to be underfunded for the upcoming year, given the COVID implications that we're seeing? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Just to confirm, that being the 2021-2022 fiscal year, the upcoming one? Okay. When I look at the charter costs for the 2019-2020 actuals, we lose money on the charters. Is the department looking at, perhaps, re-evaluating, as part of the governance model evaluation, whether or not MTS should be doing charters in the first place? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. With that being said, perhaps things are maybe not quite so drastic as they may have gone. Does the department anticipate that we would see any revenues from charters in the upcoming year? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's great, around alcoholism or alcohol education. I guess, too, I would like to see the department looking at a more holistic conversation around liver health, which does include things like healthy eating, exercise, and such. As I mentioned in my statement, many people have liver disease who have nothing to do with alcohol. I guess my next question would be: can we commit to launching a healthy liver campaign in the North specific to the liver, not just focused on alcoholism, but on a healthier lifestyle and prevention? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes. Just a further comment to that, I do think it would be worthwhile, as we look at integrating things and breaking down silos within the GNWT, that the entire health and safety program of the Government of the Northwest Territories be looked at and perhaps one unified one created, which would be great, along with a public safety department, but I will follow up with the Minister at a later date on that. Sorry. I just lost my spot here. I really do need glasses, particularly at the end of this day. I am going to leave it there, and if I could come back to my spot, I...

I'm glad to hear the Minister say that she would have her department reach out to the Canadian Liver Foundation, given our propensity maybe for a little bit of liking the drink in the North. That would probably be a good thing. Annually, there is an 80 percent shortfall in funding to research liver issues when compared to the number of grant applications that are received. Could you imagine if any one of these applications actually contained the cure for liver disease or an early diagnosis tool? Does the GNWT participate in any sort of research in this area, and subsequently, do we provide any...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Yes. I actually had a lot of opportunity to see some of the work of the universities and such, and there is quite a bit of research work being done along the ITH, so I just want to continue to encourage the Minister to use that work to leverage funding, as well, from the federal government because it does not always necessarily, maybe we can get our road repaired if we train a bunch of students to do it, right, and they come up with some innovative way of fixing it. I urge the Minister to be creative when she looks at that type of work.

My last question is just going to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This month, the Canadian Liver Foundation is recognizing Liver Health Month in Canada. The liver is the body's third largest organ and weighs in at approximately three pounds. Your liver can regenerate to 90 percent of its original size and serves as the body's filter, cleaning our blood and regulating hormone levels and cholesterol as well as vitamin and mineral uptake. The liver is our processor and, daily, performs over 500 functions essential to life.

When people think of liver disease or failure, there is often stigma attached. An automatic assumption is that it is...