Rylund Johnson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document "FASD and housing in Yellowknife: a Mosaic of Options, Yellowknife," dated March 2020. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Over the years, I think, there has been some discussion with kind of expanding the role of the Chief Electoral Officer to also include municipal elections. I know there are a number of different ways that local authorities run their own elections. I think what we kind of see is that the Chief Electoral Officer gets really busy when there’s an election, obviously, and when there is an Electoral Boundaries Commission. Then we see these fluctuations in the budget. I guess my question to the Speaker is: is there any desire or current conversations happening about expanding...

I am aware, and I am thankful for all the work that CanFASD does, and I also know there is much work being done. I believe there are 150 people right now in Yellowknife receiving training regarding FASD. However, there is much work to do, especially in regard to diagnostics. My question for the Minister of Health and Social Services is: what is the average wait time for a diagnosis for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to confirm that that is as set out in the Legislative and Executive Council Act?

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...