Daniel McNeely

The Minister must be a mind reader, leading up to my next question here. We are all quite aware of the drastic fires taking place in northern Alberta, which is in the rail system. Has the inventory for the communities been delivered and stored at the facilities in Hay River, ready for barging shipment?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my statement on the supply chain, Mackenzie River Corridor systems and the Beaufort Sea communities, my first question to the Minister of Infrastructure is: how is the MTS ensuring that Sahtu, and other communities that are customers to the division, receive the resupply services that they require in this sailing season? What preparatory measures are the department taking? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Agriculture and industry has been around for many decades, since the early days of the Norman Wells Oil Field discovery. Tommy the Ox assisted the first explorers in this discovery.

Agriculture still remains a presence in the community today. My committee colleagues witnessed this during the committee consultation meetings by visiting the Sahtu Gardens on May 8th, a private enterprise with some farm animals and crops of choice. A similar example is that a resident can harvest 25,000 to 30,000 pounds of potatoes annually.

Mr. Speaker, the Agricultural Strategy provides...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would like to recognize our gallery of youth and the climate change protestors there, Ms. Emily Bayha from the Sahtu. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is really not a question, but a note for the Minister to collaborate in future actions. I think it would be very promising on behalf of this government, as the proponent and the applicant to that section of infrastructure down the corridor, to actually send the message to the communities on engagement that we do have a youth at the table. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am glad for that reply. It seems to be going in the direction of transferring knowledge through experience, and it would be just, I would say, a huge experience if a youth could actually participate with feet on the ground here with the working group to engage community sessions during the environmental assessment. My next question, then, Mr. Speaker: would the Minister undertake working costs options with the Minister responsible for Youth for this position?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome back, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, this past April 10, 2019, the Sahtu Secretariat incorporated and the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Infrastructure signed a milestone MoU in Norman Wells to engage collaboratively for the Mackenzie Valley Highway environmental assessment, a commemorative day for the quest to an all-weather road connection.

This partnership presents yet another unique opportunity, an opportunity for the Tulita youth community to appoint a representative to actively witness and experience the NWT regulatory system on a...

Would the Minister send me an email of the options that are available in both of my previous questions?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Further to my questions here, this is directed to the Minister of Infrastructure. As mentioned in my statement, the Department of Infrastructure and the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated achieved a signing of the Memorandum of Understanding to undertake jointly the environmental assessment and, in the process, the establishment of a working group. My first question to the Minister: would the Minister support a youth appointment to the working group? Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for paying that respect to that profession and the staff, more importantly in the smaller communities. Would the Minister also commit to sharing at the regional level or the community level the days set aside within the remaining period of this month to recognize the social workers in the smaller communities?