Rylund Johnson

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 don't wish to get into a debate of semantics, but it is important to note that, in the GNWT, the word "strategy" has a very specific meaning. It is not the response program that the Minister is talking about.

However, I have another question for the Minister. It is important to address this, that we have all the information to do our jobs. My question for the Minister is: do we presently track suicide attempts in addition to suicide deaths?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Do we presently have a suicide prevention strategy?

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.

Can the Minister clarify whether any other municipal governments have asked to have the Commissioner's land within their boundaries transferred to them?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Presently, the municipal government of the City of Yellowknife only controls 9 percent of the land within its municipal boundary. In order for the City of Yellowknife to access any of the additional lands beyond their land planning, an application has to be made to the Department of Lands. This process has become so burdensome and so difficult to navigate that the City of Yellowknife made it one of their election priorities that all of the vacant Commissioner's land be transferred to the City of Yellowknife within their municipal boundaries. My question is to the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to end the first session of this new Assembly by thanking the public service. In this House, part of our job is to be critical of government, but I want to assure everyone who works in our public service that we are grateful for the work they do, and being a government worker can often be a thankless job.

We elected officials must remember that the GNWT is not some amorphous, impersonal machine, but it is made up of hard-working people who take pride in their jobs. It is our nurses who heal the sick. It is our teachers who are raising the next generation of...