Rylund Johnson

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.

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...