Katrina Nokleby

Thank you, Mr. Chair. As my colleague explained, there is $8 million extra that has not come from the federal government that you are asking us to approve, and I would like to actually see that money spent on better things than Russ Neudorf's salary and some office space. Sorry, my apologies. I apologize. That being said, also, I do recognize and understand what the Finance Minister explained about payments, around what the money was used for. However, as mentioned, you are asking us to approve other and additional funding, which I think would be better spent to all of the myriad of issues...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am going to read something that was issued by the government yesterday. This is a quote from the Business Advisory Council: "With the hard work that the GNWT, the business community, and the residents of the Northwest Territories have put in over the last six months, we are optimistic that the territory will not have to go back to the restrictions required during phase 1 of Emerging Wisely. The Business Advisory Council will continue to work with the COVID secretariat and will be vigilant in monitoring its efforts to achieve the objectives of greater transparency...

For the most part, both the GNWT and the federal government have failed to provide the hospitality industry with relief funding that works. In order to apply for the Northern Benefit Relief Fund, businesses can only break even on a monthly basis, which is not sustainable given that they have gone months with little to no revenue. We have heard that taking on additional borrowing from the various loan programs is not suitable. Many of our hospitality businesses operate on such fine profit margins that they would go further into debt trying to pay off the loans. How will the GNWT support this...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. November 1st to 8th is National Skilled Trades and Technology Week, a Canada-wide event that promotes and increases awareness of the opportunities within the skilled trades and the fields of technology.

Skilled trades and technology encompass a vast array of specialties. Carpenters, electricians, hairdressers, water monitors, and supply-chain managers are all examples of trades that we see in our own northern communities. Some trades can start in high school or as on-the-job training, but all trades at some point require some degree of specialized training or education...

Thank you. I'm getting a little tired of people policing what other people say around here. If people want to speak to their opinions, then they should be allowed to do so. I think it's up to us to have to sometimes point out hard things and truthful things to the public and to each other, so I defend my colleagues' right to speak to however he would like to.

I agree. I don't think that $8.277 million is going to be the "make it or break it" for the safety of our people. I recently spoke to, and will speak to probably before the end of session, the circumstances around the last cases that came...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. A little while ago, in this session, I believe that the Premier made a statement that she had overwhelming support from the Indigenous governments. Then we hear today that many haven't even gotten back to her. I think this is just an example of the confusion that surrounds the creation of this unit and how the misrepresentation of the facts seems to be happening. I can't support increasing government employment at a time when there are so many other needs in our territory. We spent the last few weeks here in session discussing our housing crisis and the last six months on...

The GNWT is the largest client for the accommodation sector. Without any of the duty travel and no tourists coming in, their future is very bleak. We are currently slated to spend more than half of the COVID secretariat budget on isolation centres, but that contract was sole-sourced. Will the GNWT look at creating a program similar to the Yukon's Tourism Accommodation Supplement?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. The Yukon government has been very creative and proactive in their support for the business community, with the creation of programs with CanNor that were rolled out six to eight weeks before our Northern Business Relief Fund. The Pivot Program at the Yukon University and the Tourism Accommodation Supplement are such examples. I'd like to ask the Minister of ITI: why has the GNWT been so slow in its response to the business community and resistant to meet with them, specifically in the hospitality industry? Thank you.

Will the Minister commit to sitting down with me and going through the plans that she has for next year for the ITH so that I can be sure that everything that I think needs to be taken care of does?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. I was really pleased to hear that they are engaging a consultant to look at the ITH and what is needed there. However, I'm aware that there are repairs that could be done sooner ahead of that report. Will the Minister work to commit to convince her Cabinet colleagues to find money for rehabilitation work on the ITH ahead of awaiting on the consultant's report? Thank you.