Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, right now, ITI staff in the region, not only are they, of course, themselves no doubt suffering and experiencing directly the impacts of the floods, but I know that they have been involved in the front lines of helping with the efforts to really just provide immediate necessities and having immediate needs addressed.

So, you know, a course of thankyous should be made as well to ITI staff there who I know are working very hard on that frontline. With respect to what's going to come next, Mr. Speaker, we've been doing a lot of relief and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the insurance waiver wasn't intended to be a oneyear initiative; however, it was focused on those who aren't making offerings to the public. So there certainly are going to continue to be a requirement for some regulatory oversight and some insurance oversight for tourism operators when they are offering their services to the public.

That said, Mr. Speaker, there are, as I've said, programs that are imminently, I hope, going to be rolling out, other programs that I expect will that are ready available through various other, you know, funding...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am also on the special committee. I also heard the recommendations that were put to us just last week with respect to the fact that governments have to ensure that direction comes from the very top.

So I appreciate the fact that the Member routinely gives the opportunity for us, all of us in this room as elected leadership, but particularly for me as the Minister have the opportunity to speak here in the House and speak to the public service to say that this is the vision of what we have for an inclusive public service, to have a diverse...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Finance, human resources has quite a wide range of programs that are meant to actually avoid roadblocks and overcome roadblocks.

I'd point, for example, to the Indigenous recruitment well, sorry. Not to the framework but to the Gateway Program, to the Internship Program, to the Regional Recruitment Program. There's quite a number of opportunities for people from across the Northwest Territories to become involved.

The department of human resources offers counselling in terms of preparing one's resume, of how to prepare for...

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following six documents entitled FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 49419(2) Economic Recovery; FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 50519(2) Home Insurance; FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 59219(2) Development of the Northwest Territories Remediation Economy; FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 61619(2) Government of the Northwest Territories Open Government Portal; FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 67119(2) Public Services Supporting Northern Businesses; and FollowUp Letter for Oral Question 69919(2) Northern Students Recruitment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this involves more than one department, including the Department of Finance, and my primary message, Mr. Speaker, please, if anyone out there has a specific example of red tape that is impacting on a small or medium sized business, please, please send that example to @email, and because, shockingly, we haven't received as many responses as we would have hoped.

So while the red tape committee is focused on, again, small, mediumsized businesses, you know, at this point, I would say just send the examples that you have, because I hear...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no, the GRIT program isn't being renewed. But the good news is that a lot of work has gone into identifying what can be rolled out.

As we've been saying, I think, since early on, the role of the Government of the Northwest Territories is to complement and to help fill gaps when federal partners are not providing certain resources or have maximized what they are able to provide. And in this case, certainly have been waiting to see what CanNor would make available through or directly to Tourism or Hospitality.

As it is now, of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Mr. Speaker, Affirmative Action Policy is obviously one aspect of what goes on during the course of a hiring practice. It's a very important one. But with respect to more widespread issues, again, Mr. Speaker, the department of human resources supports all of the departments of the Government of the Northwest Territories. All of the departments of the Government of the Northwest Territories have a role to play here.

And, indeed, earlier in the Member's statement, I heard describing of a hiring culture and of a hiring structure. Well, again, we've...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Finance is one of the first two departments that will be going through the government renewal process. That process is already underway. It's begun. And as such, a human resources branch, being part of the Department of Finance, of course is going to be going through that as well.

But, Mr. Speaker, that's not the end of that, the work that's happening with human resources. We also are well underway in having the Indigenous recruitment retention framework actioned and developed, and that will also be providing a further human resources tool...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don't think this is the first time the Member has raised this concern. I can say I'm right now on the ITI website. I'm searching it and finding that process to be fairly simple. That said, Mr. Speaker, I don't want to continue in circles. I have, after hearing the Member's statement, contacted the department. What I'd like to suggest is that we have the Member sit down with members of ITI to actually look at this website, determine what's not working, determine what could be more clear so that we don't have to keep coming back and having this conversation. Thank you...