Richard Nerysoo

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have residents within our communities who want nothing but to better their lives for themselves and their families. I am referring to residents of our communities who want to return back to school in hopes of finding a secure career path for their immediate future. Their hopes and dreams are soon diminished upon returning to their home communities to find that they do not have a home to go to.

Mr. Speaker, I was contacted by a constituent from my riding who stated that she wanted to go back to school for this very reason. Before leaving her community with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too will be supporting this motion. Although the communities of the Mackenzie Delta haven't been directly impacted, watching these scenes on the television is pretty dramatic, seeing that long line of people waiting in the hot sun. Because when I say some of these weren't directly impacted, there was an elderly couple that came to Yellowknife during that evacuation process and when they were in Yellowknife for medical, they got medevaced and being medevaced, the family members from Aklavik could not find them. They had no idea where they were. They were searching...

Okay, I'd like to thank the Minister for that response. I think I should have clarified my question a little further.

In terms of trying to get all the patients or the referrals seen by the dentist, you know, having a team go travel to Inuvik where the surrounding communities around the Beaufort Delta can go into the communities, that's what I was referring to if the Minister has any indication to get somebody to Inuvik? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is evident that the NWT health department is having trouble recruiting dental services for the residents of the Northwest Territories. In the year 2023, there was a total of 242 patients from the Mackenzie Delta region alone who were referred to Yellowknife to see the dentist. Another 33 were referred to Edmonton.

Mr. Speaker, the cost of these patients to travel from Inuvik to Yellowknife back to Inuvik is a modest $387,200. I say modest because cost factor does not include travel from their respective communities and for accommodations while in Yellowknife.

Mr...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's related to my Member's statement on dentists within the Mackenzie Delta region. The high volume of patients from the Beaufort Delta region having to travel to Yellowknife to see the dentist in one or two days. Will the Minister or is the Minister looking at contracting a dental team to visit the Beaufort Delta region periodically until a permanent solution can be found? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The industrial arts and home economic courses were very popular in high school. It gave the students something positive to look forward to. Can the department look at bringing these courses back into the school curriculum to start the process of building the selfesteem of our students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's very difficult to sit back as an elected official and watch as our young people are being neglected. This is exactly what is happening with our education system, especially in our smaller communities. The larger regional centres and Yellowknife seem to be benefitting more in this area.

Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago I did my Member's statement on the income support program. In my statement, I referred to the recipients who are young adults who are being let down by the education system. The young eager students are being socially promoted to graduating with...

Thank you to the Minister for that answer. Mr. Speaker, with the past success of these trade programs being in the school of the 1980s give the students the opportunity to get involved in a certain trade when they weren't academically ready to go to postsecondary institutions. So will the department commit to exploring these similar options to eliminate the social promoting of our students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the department of education. Is the department looking at eliminating the practice of socially promoting our students of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I take note to the Minister's response. I don't think that is satisfactory to the residents of Tsiigehtchic. That's making more reference to the community of Fort McPherson.

My question is will the Minister engage with his federal counterparts and local Indigenous governments to find a process where we can find services for the community of Tsiigehtchic? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.