Rylund Johnson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke earlier today about breaking down the stigma around Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. I believe the first and most important step in doing that is to make sure we are working with the right information. I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. How many people in the Northwest Territories have been diagnosed with FASD?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am just curious, comparing Members' pension expenses from 2019-2020, why we actually appear to be spending less on our pensions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Many of our conversations around Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, or FASD, are centred around making sure mothers stop drinking during pregnancy, but, in fact, there is much work to be done. The science has shown for years that there is a causal relationship between FASD prevalence and fathers drinking. Putting all of the responsibility on the mother means we are not fully addressing the problem. We need to build up support around our mothers, not isolate them.

The Foster Family Coalition of the NWT has done great work flipping the narrative around, and I will table a...

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, I appreciate that, and it's the same thing. I don't expect negotiating tables to stop because we're updating policies, and I don't expect federal engagement to stop because we want to put it in writing.

I guess my other concern is that, I think, in past Assemblies, this has all fallen on the Premier and Executive and Indigenous Affairs, but the reality is that we have to be making as much noise as we can in Ottawa. Would the Premier direct each of the departments to also come up with a federal engagement strategy? I know that some of our departments -- I've spoken to...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Do we presently have a federal engagement strategy?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am just looking at 2018-2019, when we provided $25,000 to the Northwest Territories SPCA. I believe this was under the Extraordinary Funding Policy, essentially, because right now the NWT SPCA doesn't fit into any pool of money. I brought this up with Municipal and Community Affairs previously. There is this argument that this becomes municipal jurisdiction. However, I really do think that the NWT SPCA does great work across the territory. My question is: is the Premier willing to assign a department, I think probably MACA in this case, to take some responsibility and...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate that the Premier is committed to do this and has brought it to multiple Indigenous governments at the bilaterals. I heard there that we are going to go out, we're going to receive the information, and then provide departments direction. Can I just clarify if, at the present moment, Ministers have been directed to, within their own departments, review the UNDRIP sections that apply to them, and then bring that to EIA?

Thank you, Madam Chair. One of my concerns is that we have no specific Minister appointed for public engagement and transparency in the 19th Assembly. I know the Premier has provided some previous comments on this. We're working to be open across all departments. One of my concerns is that we're all busy and that, without assigning a responsibility, we run into that accountability piece as our job as Regular Members. I guess I'll begin with having policies. Has the open government policy been fully implemented, and, if not, what remains to be done?

Thank you. I look forward to however this works, the Speaker working with the Chief Electoral Officer and MACA to provide the appropriate standing committee an update on how that is working. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm sure I will have many more conversations on getting that information for the adult wait times and removing some of the barriers for children getting into those diagnostics. I recognize there needs to be a stigma broken down that allows both mothers and people with FASD to self-disclose, but I was hoping the Minister of Health and Social Services could speak to the current barriers, to make sure we can improve access and get those wait times down, and get more people into the diagnostic clinic. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.