Rylund Johnson

No further questions.

That totals 64 people who have been diagnosed with FASD in our territory, despite federal numbers estimating there are 1,800 people living with FASD in our territory. We have a long way to go in getting these diagnoses. Having worked first-hand in the criminal justice system, I can tell you that diagnosis ultimately affects sentencing, it affects conditions, it affects housing. Given our unique situation in the North, does the Department of Health and Social Services have a plan to conduct its own research on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I see here that the Members' compensation and allowances has increased based on the consumer price index. Can I just get a sense of how that policy works, and is that happening year over year?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Diane stole my recognition, but I’d also like to recognize my constituent, Arlene Hache, and all the members of the advisory council on poverty. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate that, and I look forward to continuing the lobbying efforts. I, myself, have been reaching out to Indigenous governments, and I hope that we can see things like NWT Days get going again. I think that there has been challenge over the years to, "Why are we sending all these politicians to Ottawa?" The reality is that those meetings result in more funding for our people.

I would like to switch gears here. The GNWT under this department has a 2012 Respect, Recognition, and Responsibility policy. It's a great policy that commits our government to the inherent...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I am happy to hear all of that, and I agree. I actually support us hiring a federal lobbying firm. The reality is that Ottawa is a completely different world and is an extremely complex world to navigate. If we want our Ministers getting time with federal Ministers, we have to go through lobbyists. I wish that we lived in a different world, but that's it. I am happy to have a position in Ottawa that is constantly working those hallways. That's how we get money from Ottawa. I am supportive of this, but I would like to see what our strategy is, how we're approaching...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate the commitment to update the Extraordinary Funding Policy, but I don't think this is the place for the NWT SPCA to ever fit. I recognize that the heart of what the SPCA in Yellowknife is doing is municipal, but there is this issue: the SPCA also travels to communities and provides vaccines; they do spay and neuter clinics. This idea that they are not doing territorial work is a misunderstanding of the importance of animal health. A single dog attack in a community, when we throw in the medical travel, costs us more than the SPCA would need to go and do the...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I see there is not much of a change in the budget for corporate communications, but I have some questions, if we are changing the way corporate communications is done at all. I think one of the biggest criticisms of the last government, and the reason many of us are here, is that there was a communication breakdown, both between Members and with the public. I would say, to date, that we’ve been losing the communication battle in the media and with the public, and some of the great work we’re doing here is not necessarily being conveyed. My question to the Premier is...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I look forward to seeing that policy, and I hope it is implemented sooner rather than later. Jumping to the larger questions, we have UNDRIP implementation in our mandate. I've asked a number of questions on this. I guess I see that there is the intention to form a working group to implement UNDRIP, but perhaps I could ask the Premier to provide an update of how we are making sure that all departments are involved in this and that all government policies and legislation will be updated as a result of the wide breadth of coverage that is UNDRIP?

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.