Rylund Johnson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is clear that I am asking my questions out of the order in which I provided them to the Minister. It is important that we start tracking suicides in other jurisdictions, as many of our residents get lost once they head down south. But my question for the Minister was: do we presently track suicide attempts? Thank you.

I appreciate the Minister starting that question with a clear no, and I also appreciate that all of those programs are doing great work. I know that everyone in that department takes this issue seriously. Yet, our jobs as MLAs is to look at the larger pictures, to look at systemic issues, to make sure departments are not taking a siloed approach to an issue such as suicide. This is why the importance of government strategies are what we need to do our jobs. Will the Minister commit to developing a suicide prevention strategy in the life of this government?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we sit in this House, we must never forget who we serve. We serve the people on the ground, and the reality is that so many of them are hurting. The reality is that the North is at the bottom of most social indicators in Canada. We are dealing with a history of both past and ongoing colonialism and ongoing trauma from residential schools, and there are so many issues and only limited resources. Often in this House, we feel like we are being pulled in many directions, but government is a large ship, and we all have a responsibility to make sure that it goes in a...

I find the Minister's answers assuring that he understands the importance of academic freedom. Universities Canada's academic freedom in regards to leadership emphasizes that university presidents must ensure that funding does not interfere with autonomy in deciding what is studied and how.

It is clear, in its current state, that Aurora College is not meeting this definition of academic freedom. Can the Minister provide me with an answer to what is being ensured so that Aurora College's, and the soon-to-be-university's, academic freedom will be preserved into the future?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Building on my colleague's statement regarding the recent firing of the president of Aurora College, I would like to speak today about the importance of academic freedom.

This past week, a number of MLAs met with Dechinta University, an example of what a thriving and inspiring university can look like in the North. Fundamental to their success and in establishing a successful grant and research programming with funding from the federal government has been academic freedom. In order for a university to thrive, it must be nimble, it must be able to move quickly, and it...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that we are moving into both our mandate session and budget session, I expect that there will be a number of late nights. Therefore, I give notice that, on Friday, February 7, 2020, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that the Speaker be authorized to set such sitting days and hours as the Speaker, after consultation, deems fit to assist with the business before the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Firstly, I do not think it is the role of this House to discuss personnel matters, but when the personnel is the president of a college, a role that is necessarily required to be arm's length and independent from political interference, I believe that is a different question.

My question is to the Minister of ECE. When will Aurora College or the university it is to become get a president who is arm's length from the department? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe the problem here is that the City of Yellowknife feels that the current process set out by the Department of Lands is so difficult that they can't actually develop vacant land, and it has harmed economic development. They are asking for a solution because the process has become so difficult, which in turn means our other communities are also dealing with this process. Will the Minister commit to reviewing the current process for transitioning Commissioner's lands when a community wishes to use them? Thank you.

I would ask the Minister to update this House on the result of those meetings. Also, my hope is that following the kind of paternalistic nature between the Department of Lands and the City of Yellowknife, after these lands are developed, perhaps some of those employees at the Department of Lands can begin working with other community governments to transfer the land. Can the Minister tell me what conversations are happening with other municipal governments to transfer land within their municipal boundaries?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize the career and achievements of Yellowknife North constituent Hilary Jones. Leading up to her recent retirement, Hilary was the general manager of the Mine Training Society. Hilary's exemplary work in her field has been recognized by the Chamber of Mines, and she has been awarded a Special Achievement MAX Award.

Working with industry, Indigenous, and government partners, she delivered mining programs that helped facilitate the growth of the Mine Training Society into a Canadian leader. I thank her for her contribution to the successes of so...