Kieron Testart

Mr. Speaker, land is life. There's nothing quite like living out on the land, especially up here in the North's pristine, rugged environment. It should be no surprise that the demand for recreational land leases in the Northwest Territories is relentless. Some Northerners build cabins so they can pursue their traditional lifestyles of hunting and trapping. Others come to the North to build a vacation spot where they can experience a land that's much different from the cities and suburbs they call home. I know in my riding, there are plenty of folks who look to obtain these leases so they can...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe or, if not a full unit or the full program, can the Minister ensure that there is someone in Executive and Indigenous Affairs who can provide that ongoing advice if requested by other departments so we can at least ensure there's someone who's active in providing cultural safety expertise to departments when needed? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to support this motion as well. I think the motion we just spoke to is a more general one about this Assembly, about the committees of this Assembly, about us working as one to realize housing is a rightsbased approach to housing while this one is specifically aligned to government policies and programs and makes some very meaningful recommendations for reform to our housing legislation and operations that I think will bear good fruit in ensuring that housing is, in fact, a human right in the Northwest Territories. I look forward to the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services has an excellent cultural safety unit that has made huge progress on decolonizing the government's the health department's approach to dealing with Indigenous peoples in the health care system and creating a safe environment for Indigenous peoples. I'm wondering and MLAs have all been part of that process as well, and I can speak from personal experience that it was a good one. Is the Premier willing to move that unit into the department of executive and take a wholeofgovernment approach to cultural safety...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the Statement of Consistency for Bill 3: Carbon Tax Repeal Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories health care system has seen a dramatic increase in the use of private agency nurses since the COVID119 pandemic. Many Northerners are concerned about the costs of agency nurses and their impact on health care staff recruitment and retention.

I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services:

Can the Minister provide a breakdown of the total costs for public agency nurses by fiscal year since 20192020;.

Can the Minister provide a breakdown of the total costs for private? Agency nurses based on expenditure categories...

Thank you. And I know our friend, the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, is a big supporter of this program. So I'll ask will the Minister in her capacity as a Member of Cabinet, a Member of this consensus government, lend her support to the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment to increase the total amount of Mineral Incentive Program to at least double, if not triple? Thank you.

And I'm glad to see the Minister spring into action to support our mineral's industry.

Mr. Speaker, if the federal government's not going to fund it, what are we going to do? What tax credits and incentives can the Northwest Territories offer to our exploration industry to make it more  to level the playing field with other jurisdictions? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It does confuse it somewhat. So I mean, Premier Smith's been pretty clear that these changes are taking effect and, you know, these are transphobic and, you know, atrocious policies that no health system in Canada should have, so are they  is the Alberta government making exception for NWT patients within this policy? I'm just  want clarity on that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm sure many are relieved to hear that; I certainly am. When these individuals are going for treatment, where are they going? If not Alberta, is it British Columbia? Is it Ontario? Saskatchewan's out of the picture. Alberta's out of the picture. So where are we sending these folks to get the care that they need? Thank you.