Katrina Nokleby

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister tell me how many of these employees for the enforcement team are ex-RCMP officers? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do agree with the Minister that the department has some really great staff to help out with the exploration industry. What I didn't hear the Minister say was that she is going to be a real loud squeaky wheel with the federal government to get more money for our mineral exploration sector, so I will just take that as a given, and I will continue to work with her on that. My last question is that it is my understanding that a critical minerals and metals action plan is being developed for the Northwest Territories. Can the Minister comment on the timeline for the...

I'm not going to say it's good news, but I am glad to hear some people are still working. We have been hearing from companies that there is still a gap in the relief for some of the exploration companies that are required to do work on their claims to prove their claims, including drilling. Will the Minister commit to waiving all of the mineral claim work requirements for the upcoming years until COVID restrictions are lifted?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 2019, mining, oil, and gas dominated the Northwest Territories' economy by accounting directly for 21 percent of the overall GDP in the North. However, when we look at the spin-off industries and benefits, this number is much closer to 40 percent of our economy. There has been a significant downturn in mining-exploration spending due to COVID restrictions. Many exploration companies have been able to retain claims but are not able to do any work as access is cost prohibitive and will be so into the foreseeable future. The mining industry continues to be at risk...

Yes, I appreciate that, that there would be specialist-type situations or positions that would need to be with their fellow. I think we talked about that a lot in engineering collaboration. However, some of the items that you listed that these new positions are covering have to do with the administration. They have to do with things that sound very computer-oriented, very much sitting at a desk, I would just maybe again, as a comment, urge the Minister to consider, given our priority and mandates to increase employment in small communities, that we look at thinking outside the box and looking...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's been a really long day, Mr. Chair, so I'm just going to leave it at that. Thank you.

That's kind of exactly my point. It doesn't happen in the window of time that it needs to in order to get at addicts when they are actually willing to seek help. I would like to see some commitment from the Minister on how she's going to address that delay and that issue. Moving on, it's my understanding that the on-the-land fund is valued at approximately $1.8 million annually. How long has this fund been available, and how much has it been accessed annually?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Does the Minister and the department feel like this is an adequate amount of money, or is it, at some point, we should be looking to increase funding in this area? I'm always all about giving our money out to community groups and Indigenous organizations so that they can spend the money there versus spending it may be here always. If the Minister could speak to that, that would be great. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, residents across the territory are wearing pink shirts in support of the national anti-bullying campaign. Pink Shirt Day has its origins in an incident when a child wore a pink shirt to school and was bullied for the colour of his shirt. It is reported that one in five children experience bullying, but it is likely that number is much higher. Bullying exists in many forms, including racism and discrimination, and can often lead to mental health and addiction issues. In some cases, when bullying is severe, it may lead to suicide and death. We must combat the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yes, I do remember that in our previous briefing. Thank you. I am looking at the grants, contributions and transfers, noticing that that is the line item on page 319, or the line items. There is a decrease to some of that funding. However, the 2019-2020 was a lot higher than the budgeted, as well. This, my understanding, goes to Indigenous governments to help them. I always think there could be more support there. Plus, we are moving to a more virtual, unknown sort of world when it comes to consultation and engagement. I mean little "C" consultation, as well. Could maybe...