Steve Norn

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. This morning, when I woke up and got out of my vehicle, I had my speech all prepared for a business speech, but we have a business theme next week. Today I thought I would go off the script and speak from the heart with a message for the people. I thought about mental health, and I looked at the weather. It's going to be very cold this weekend, and it made me think about the Dene laws. One of the Dene laws states that we should always help each other. This weekend out there, if anybody in the public is out there and you see somebody who might be hurting or might be...

Marsi cho, Madam Chair. I move that the Chair rise and report progress.

Yes. That's a good bit of information. I look forward to hearing more back from the department on that. Just, again, switching it up a little bit, if you're in the communities, we don't have the resources that you have in larger centres, and I have a few more questions about the mental health first aid program that the department offers. Given the pandemic, is this program still being rolled out throughout the territory?

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I wanted to report back to the House about my recent constituency tour. I made it a clear point to visit all four communities in my riding just before Christmas, and I did just that within a two-week period. Aside from my home visits, some highlights were going out and supporting our arts and crafts programs in Ndilo, Dettah, and Deninu Kue, and I participated in an art program with my daughter Cicely in Ndilo that was facilitated through one of our local talents, Mr. John Rombough. Through all the hustle and bustle of this job, it was nice to sit, slow down, and create...

Marsi cho, Madam Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress.

Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. That's interesting. You're not going to hear the last of that from me, so I'm going to be probing a little more on that. My last question, and this is probably the most important. I had mentioned before, hunting and trapping 30 or 40 years ago helped to put food on tables for a lot of my constituents and a lot of people around the North. Historically, it used to be. Now, it supplements a lot of income, and there is still a loss of income here that happened as a result of this event. My last question is: Can the Minister advise on what financial supports are available...

Thank you for the response from the Minister. With that information, I will likely have some more questions in the form of a written question later on. I guess for my next question: Can the department provide scientific data from a neutral third party to provide an assessment of the overflow and flooding? Because I think it's important that we get information not just from a GNWT source but from an outside source to have a more unbiased look at what is happening.

Marsi cho, colleagues. Furthermore, another point I wanted to bring up was another question that came about when I did my research on this: How does the Transboundary Water Agreement play into this issue? This is a matter that I will delve into in another statement. With that, Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources at the appropriate time. Marsi cho.

Marsi, Madam Chair. I move that the chair rise and report progress.

Again, probably some more questions will be coming in the form of a written statement for those responses. I thank you for those responses. I am going to switch gears a little bit here. I want to think about some of the land users, the hunters and trappers in the area. Some of the images that we have seen in the media with the ice in the cabins, that is really impactful. Again, my heart goes out to them. I want to see if I can get a commitment from the Minister. Can the Minister report back to the House here with timelines on the loss of wildlife, i.e., beavers and muskrats and the lot, in the...