Richard Edjericon

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize Michael McLeod, our MP from the Northwest Territories. I'd like to say welcome. Also I'd like to welcome Jackson Lafferty, the grand chief of the Tlicho region. Mahsi for being here. Also I want to recognize Brad Enge; I think he's in the back. And also, I'd like to recognize Sholto Douglas, and thank you for being here. And also, I want to say thank you to, again, all the translators out of here as well, including Mary Rose Sundberg, Jonas Lafferty, Tommy Unka, Marg Casaway, and our friends who have a Happy Birthday to them. Mahsi, Mr...

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I too support this motion. You know, we've been housing's a big issue here in the Northwest Territories. And, you know, in my riding in particular, you know, it's to the point where I even have to put documents and everything else on the floor here just to finally get any action. And we already know that there's big problem we actually have a housing crisis here in the Northwest Territories. We have no plan. When I take a look at what Nunavut's doing, when we take a look at what, you know, our the way we handle housing here in the Northwest Territories and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the scars of intergenerational trauma caused by residential day school continues in the present confining many Indigenous people to addiction, poor mental health, poverty. The day school program in particular has not been properly resolved and compensation is needed. Will the Premier ensure the day school survivors are compensated for trauma they suffered through day schools, in all the schools in the Northwest Territories, including my riding and also in the Tlicho region? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. All day schools and residential schools were transferred to the GNWT on April 1st, 1969. During the 1969 school year, there were 10,291 students, 541 teachers, in the Northwest Territories, including Nunavut. This jurisdiction change did not result in change in management, and the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church continued to operate each school year under a contract. And their intentions remained the same: The extinguishment of the culture and traditional way of life of Indigenous people.

The federal government has acknowledged this harm for students prior to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, some would say you can't put a price on Indigenous knowledge that has been passed down since time immemorial. But that's exactly what the GNWT has done with their honorarium policy. It is a pittance. The knowledge passed down since time immemorial when Indigenous elders is the foundation of our northern society. Indigenous knowledge is a set of complex knowledge system based on our world views, it reflects the unique culture, language, values, histories, governance and legal system of Indigenous people. It is based on cumulative and dynamic First Nation...

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, Minister, for your response. You know, those are the comments that I hear from my constituents in the community where there are different types of care when we have these healthcare cards. So what I hear is that the military is treated with that same healthcare card like everybody else, but they're treated a little bit different because of maybe because they're with the military here in Canada. And then you got the other one that is the GNWT employees that, you know, they pay into a better healthcare system. And then you got the you know, the basic...

Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair. And those are the questions I have for now. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you, Minister, for your answer. I'm just thinking about the deficit again, but I'm just thinking the budget overall is you know, we got a pretty big budget here of $610 million plus. I'm just thinking about the three P initiatives in terms of commitments. Going forward, I know that we're building that new hospital and then the renovation of the old hospital, etcetera. I just want to know, I guess overall, is that going to the binding of this budget the government's those projects long term, what are the I don't know if you could speak to it or not but I...

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to come back to the deficit that was mentioned by my colleagues earlier. Going forward, though, this next fiscal year we're going to be you said the 189. But overall, I just want to know, like how do we what are your management plans to deal with this deficit, I guess, going forward? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister commit to revising the honorarium policy for traditional knowledge by doubling the base rate in addition to increase the base on inflation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.