Shane Thompson

Mr. Chair, I move, to the extent it is possible before the dissolution of the 18th Assembly and for the public record, that the government provide a response to these recommendations, even of a preliminary nature, that the committee may publicly disclose. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report to the Assembly that the Standing Committee on Social Development has reviewed Bill 40, Smoking Control and Reduction Act, and Bill 41, Tobacco and Vapour Products Control Act.

Mr. Speaker, the committee wishes to report that Bill 40 and 41 are now ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole as amended and reprinted. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 75(5) and have the Bills 40 and 41 move into Committee of the Whole for consideration later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Unanimous consent granted

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that this Assembly recommend that the Department of Health and Social Services ensure the territory's drug plan reflects the importance of smoking cessation aids, including that the plan provides smokers with access to these tools on a timely, as-needed basis. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

As we are moving forward, I just wanted to make sure that people understand that, when we do have residents move out, what I have learned through this whole process is that we have to make sure that their stuff is actually washed and cleaned because, if not, they could bring it back in. I am learning, as the department and the Health Department are educating me on this. The Minister briefly elaborated on this question, but I am going to ask it again: are there any other initiatives that this government has taken to reduce the incidents of bedbug infestations moving forward?

Mr. Chair, I move that the Assembly recommend that the Department of Health and Social Services explore whether the "no smoking" areas around buildings to be prescribed in the new regulations should be expanded. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be for the Minister responsible for Housing. We have all heard in the news about bedbugs in the community, specifically a nine-plex in the Clusters here. There have been different reports and accounts of what is happening there. Can the Minister tell us exactly what the current situation is? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will table two documents. The first document is a letter dated May 29, 2019, addressed to me, from CHOU Consulting & Development Inc. The second one is a letter from the Native Women's Association of the Northwest Territories, dated June 3, 2019, addressed to me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, and I appreciate the information the Minister has been able to share with us here today. My final question: will the Child and Family Services quality improvement plan that is effective soon support and align with these standards and the training? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Can the Minister advise us: how is the child's safety addressed when they are reported missing? I think the Minister kind of elaborated a little bit in the first question, but maybe get a little bit more elaboration on this one.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for his clarification, and I agree that this has been asked a lot, but these are questions that people keep on asking, so we need to get this information out better, or more, I guess.

With the MTS having to store materials last year that did not make it to the Kitikmeot, will MTS be taking responsibility for any damaged material that occurred over these winter months? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.