Caitlin Cleveland

Mr. Speaker, the second set of questions is also for the Minister of Finance.

Over the last five years, what amount of the capital budget has the Government of the Northwest Territories carried over;

What has been the reason for the carry-overs, by category;

Do the reasons point to internal or external capacity challenges within the Northwest Territories; and

What gaps does the Government of the Northwest Territories identify to facilitate spending government capital dollars?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the things we hear quite often in this House and also within committee work is the need for cultural sensitivity straight across the North in all the work that we do. I'm wondering: how is the GNWT working to ensure that the cultural, technological, and language needs of all NWT residents are being met through virtual care?

Mr. Speaker, I am standing in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. It is a beautiful building whose walls tell stories of time, place, and people. This building connects culture, shared history, potential for tomorrow, and, Mr. Speaker, it connects us to one another. I should feel great pride to be standing here today representing the people of Kam Lake, but today I am frustrated, sad, and somewhat embarrassed.

Mr. Speaker, passion is okay. Disagreeing is okay. Confrontation makes us uncomfortable, but confrontation can create change. We all made commitments to challenge the...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the collaborative response from both the Premier and the Minister of Justice on that winner. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we spoke in the House about if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. My last question for the Premier today in regard to domestic and inter-partner violence is: would the Premier commit to creating a GNWT action plan to address domestic violence and inter-partner violation throughout the life of this Assembly? Thank you.

I appreciate that Cabinet sat down and had this conversation and came up with a response. Thank you to them for that. What I would like to know from the Honourable Premier is if she would commit to creating a meaningful domestic and inter-partner violence prevention awareness campaign during the life of this Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I've heard the class of 2020 referred to as the "Chosen Ones." We have all seen the cartoon that takes us month by month through 2020, including threats of World War III, murder hornets, and the very real and world-changing COVID-19. I'm not sure what it means to be a "Chosen One" in the wake of the craziness that has been 2020 so far, but I do know this: the graduates of 2020 have had to overcome some significant hurdles to complete their schooling during the upheaval of a pandemic.

Throughout history, there have always been events of significant change that have marked...

I agree, and I appreciate the Premier's commitment to this. My third question for the Premier is: when someone disappears, the first hours are the most crucial. Mr. Speaker, there is rarely evidence that a crime has been committed; however, this is a prerequisite for police to be able to seek a court's permission for a search warrant or for personal records for somebody who has gone missing.

What I would like to know from the Premier today is: would the GNWT commit to bringing forward a missing persons legislation in the life of this Assembly? There is precedent set by other jurisdictions, by...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In March, I asked the Minister of Justice who the lead department is within the GNWT for domestic violence. The NWT has the second highest rate of domestic violence in the entire country. At the time, the GNWT did not have a lead department for domestic violence, and I advised the House that I would come back around to the question by the end of the sitting. Unfortunately, our sitting was cut short, so here I am today. I would like to ask the Honourable Premier: which department is the lead department responsible for domestic violence for the Government of the...

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Yes. I just wanted to along the same lines as to where my colleague from Hay River South was heading. I believe that Protect NWT is a piece of our enforcement within the GNWT. If that is where we are driving people when stuff goes wrong or when they have a question or when they have a concern, then Protect NWT is definitely a part of enforcement. I think that right now, while we don't have any active cases of COVID, we don't have community spread, is the time to be streamlining that and the time to be figuring out how to triage Protect NWT better so that we...

I understand that the Minister is very dedicated to his job, but he is one person, so I'm wondering: what kind of fiscal and human resources have been allocated to the Minister to achieve the tasks and responsibilities that he would like to achieve as Minister responsible for Seniors through the life of this Assembly?