Kieron Testart

Does the Minister believe that we have sufficient resources behind EV charging stations and associated infrastructure to support the transition away from fossil fuel powered from combustion engines or standard combustion engines? We're making this transition nationally, globally. Is the Northwest Territories in a position to keep pace, or will we be left behind and have no cars to drive? Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of health clarify the rationale behind Alberta Cancer Care's requirement that all blood cancer patients from the NWT travel to Alberta for blood work and treatment? Thank you.

Thank you. The community government retrofit program is being discontinued. Can the Minister explain why? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when a person learns they have cancer, their world turns upside down. In just one moment, they find themselves in the fight of their lives. Thankfully in Canada, we have a universal public health care system that is always there to connect cancer patients with the medical professionals they need. Unfortunately, in the North, that connection of doctor to patient is a bit more complicated. We can't offer every specialized treatment that southern Canadians take for granted and when that's not ideal, the added travel for medical care is a fact of life for...

Thank you, Madam Chair. It still sounds like a yes to me. But that's all right, we'll have that discussion later.

This also contains the energy programs for sorry, yeah, the energy programs that are funded. Can the Minister speak to the overall energy strategy and where the how the GNWT is moving ahead with its energy plans, especially in the advent of mine closure? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. The community access programs, there's nothing in this budget for this program. It's really effective way of getting money into small communities and creating local economic activity. The Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight has called for this money to be restored. Will the Minister restore this program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've spoken about it in this House, the Premier has spoken about it, other Members have as well, including the seconder of the motion, the Member for Mackenzie Delta. There is a drug epidemic in the Northwest Territories that has gone from being a public health crisis to a public safety crisis. Organized crime has been infiltrating the Northwest Territories and preying upon those suffering from addictions and trauma, since the year since COVID particularly, and it's reached an alltime high. We're seeing rates of violence that we haven't seen before, of...

Mr. Speaker, there's no comparing the recent surge of violent crime and drug activity in the North to any other moment in our modern history. Over the last year, my constituents and I have learned to brace ourselves when we check the local headlines because we've grown to expect a procession of drug busts, assaults, and murders each week. I know my colleagues in this Assembly and their constituents share this anxiety. The addictions crisis is reaching into all of our communities, and as the drugs flow in, the violence is never far behind. Violent crime and the drug trade go hand in hand. Total...

Thank you. Well, I mean, I guess we'll continue to have that conversation but, you know, I think it's important that we find  that we develop a policy that works for the entire Northwest Territories. And this is a good policy. It's good for  it's one of those areas that, you know, we  the Yellowknife Members don't have to do much to ensure that there's investment in Yellowknife, right. So we have to look  we as an Assembly have to make sure we're looking at ways to invest outside and make sure we're maximizing economic activity because the default is headquarters, right, and we  that was...

Thank you. Yeah, I think the Honourable Premier is however it works out, I think the intention is clear. We'll allow the government to respond to this motion, but the intention is, of course, land held by the GNWT to move towards municipalities, one government to another.

And in cases where there's designated authorities, there would be a conversation with bands that manage their communities as with municipal powers.

So I'm sure the Minister of Environment and Climate Change probably has more a technical response that will be forthcoming if this motion carries, and it sounds like we have good...