Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, as this House knows, it's pretty easy for Members on this side of the House to bring forward legislation. So I'll do the Premier a favour. I can start drafting this -- a bill to bring public safety officers into law in the Northwest Territories. If that comes forward, will he support that? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know we're not supposed to get into hypotheticals here on the floor, so I'll leave that one alone. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Justice. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Was worried you weren't going to call, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I want to follow up on my question to the Minister of housing, the ones I asked yesterday, regarding the potential opportunity or new contract with the NWT Disabilities Council, and I'd like to find out for the House is the Minister planning to make some type of financial arrangement with this organization in secret or is she willing to talk about hypotheticals or -- what type of transparent process is the Minister going to give Members of this House with what type of deal they may or may not be working on behind the scenes that she's told me about but only she can reveal? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Colleagues, we are not talking about secrets, we're talking about stuff that is happening, and if there is a confidential letter that's been out there, we cannot be discussing it here in the House. Minister of Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I indicated yesterday, Housing NWT is working with the NWT Disabilities Council, working in collaboration and supporting this not for profit society within the city of Yellowknife. There is a group, there's a board of volunteers, and housing is working in collaboration with them, communicating about possibilities with housing in the city of Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Minister commit that before any agreement is formalized, that a discussion is brought to the appropriate standing committee? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What we're dealing with here is years of collaboration with the NWT Disabilities Council. So this is nothing new. This has been happening for years with Housing NWT and NWT Disabilities Council. We're trying to find solutions here, so the opportunity to talk to standing committee about it, absolutely, we can do that. There's no secrets here, as the Member mentioned, and we're working in collaboration, working in supporting this group to get their project moving forward as well as housing's project. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure what the Minister's saying I'm not allowed to ask about secrets according to you. So there's no secrets, I agree. So thank you, Mr. Speaker, for that guidance.
Mr. Speaker, the question really comes back to is that I understand disabilities is a significant need in a sense of challenges. I support that. My concern is Is the appropriate group getting the appropriate supports, one that we can bank on that can follow through without becoming a long-term financial liability of the GNWT. That said, Mr. Speaker, I repoint the question back to the Minister which is would the Minister ensure that she consult with committee before any deal is finalized in writing? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As Minister of Housing NWT, working with operational staff, professionals that we hire to lead us with Housing NWT, we have a responsibility to make these decisions on behalf of government. I consult with my Cabinet colleagues but if decisions need to be made with committee and consulting committee, I would be happy and welcome that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Housing NWT. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know I only asked about this yesterday, but I'd like to ask the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment if she has any updates for this House on the Northwest Territories nominee program. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have no updates today. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister provide us with guidance on how we should reach out to people who have been coming to our offices concerned about this program now that this is -- there's some hope that the program could be expanded -- or extended that we can get those numbers back. People continue to ask, so. And it's good that this information's out there so people know what's at stake. So can the Minister give guidance on what we should be providing back to our constituents who are worried about this program -- about their spots coming to an end and having to leave the Northwest Territories with their families. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day here, we're talking about people, and this is a very, very emotional subject for people who live in the territory. 99 percent of the people who are part of our nominee program are people who are already living in the Northwest Territories, and people who do apply to the nominee program as -- for those potential spots have to have worked in the territory with an employer already. So those are people that are already living in the NWT, they're contributing to our communities, they are friends, they are neighbours, they are Northerners. And so this is a very, very difficult, difficult time. So I absolutely expect that most of us will be getting outreach from people who are worried about getting a spot and maintaining the North as home. And so I wanted to start off by saying that because I think it's really important to acknowledge the emotion and the heart that's involved in this. And I appreciate the Member, and multiple Members from the other side of the House, for taking these phone calls. People can certainly always call our immigration office. They can speak as well to Minister McLeod -- sorry, our MP, our Member of Parliament. And I know that our Member of Parliament, immigration is 80 percent of what he fields in his office here in the Northwest Territories. So this conversation's very important. But I also want to be cautious in that we're not giving people false hope given how important this is to people of the Northwest Territories. But I can assure the Member that I will continue to advocate. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I know the Minister is on the same page but I already -- I knew much of that response because that's what I've been telling people as well. We are all very compassionate. We want things to work. But to me and to many others, it seems like a power is in our hands to make a decision and bring back these spots and also welcome asylum seekers into the Northwest Territories and support them from these -- you know, places that they've fled from, give them new lives in Canada, and support population growth in the North and our workforce as well. The power's in the Minister's hands. Why isn't she taking it to make a decision and bring our numbers back up, help these families out, help asylum seekers out. Seems like a win-win to me. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Because the federal government hasn't yet told me what is involved in the deal, what it is that they are asking of us, and what it is and how they are supporting residents in return. So that's the information that I'm waiting for. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, like my colleague from Range Lake, I have concerns for my constituents and the nominee program. I've spoken with the Minister at length. Can the Minister commit to bringing a plan forward for folks who have expiring work permits in 2026 to the House in the next sitting May-June? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, absolutely, there -- the way that we shifted the criteria, based on our reduction in allotments this year, was to really focus on those individuals who had expiring work permits in 2025. And I appreciate the Member bringing forward the concern around people who have work permits expiring at the beginning of 2026, especially given that it was February before we launched this program.
What we're doing with our stakeholder partners is spending time this year and really focusing on if we do have consolidated numbers going forward in 2026 -- we don't know what's going to happen at the federal government at this point -- but if we do have consolidated numbers again, then we need to establish a plan that really prioritizes the benefit of the NWT at the end of the day and really figures out how we can ensure that we're being strategic yet fair in this process. And so that is something that I, along with ECE, have focused on doing, is having these stakeholder conversations. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I too have planned stakeholder conversations, and I'm happy to collaborate with the Minister on this one.
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the folks who are seeking asylum status, can the Minister speak to whether or not the funding is adequate, and the resources are adequate for us to be doing that currently? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this is part of the information that I'm looking to ascertain from the federal government and to understand really what the resource needs would be of the people who would be identified as asylum seekers as part of this program. I know from just listening to interactions on the floor of the House, there's a huge demand, for example mental health supports across the territory, and so what kind of additional supports would we require in order to invite and welcome more asylum seekers in the territory, depending on what their health needs are, what their housing needs are, and so these are things that we need to consider as a territory and ensure that we have clear communication on that with the federal government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions will be for the Minister of Health and Social Services. So the compliment first.
Mr. Speaker, I hear the recruitment process is actually quite good. I hear that from the union. I hear that from the nurses and even the doctors. So hooray for the recruitment people. However, on the other side of the coin, I won't say what it -- call it -- but that said, it's the other side of the compliment. I often hear that the retention problem with respect to the investment and listening to those areas of concern is lacking; so in other words, it's less good.
Mr. Speaker, what can the Minister do to survey both the doctors and the nurses to find out more of -- or sorry, the creation or strengthen our retention policy so those folks don't get hired and then look at trying to leave. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the kudos on the recruitment. You know, that is thanks to the Department of Finance working in collaboration. They lead this area. And the work that's being done within the health authority, there is the strategic planning that is going on right now with the new recruitment and retention policy that's going on, and that will be released, I think, this spring. I don't have the exact details or time. I can -- and within the -- each authority, what we've been doing right now is we've been doing the town halls. We've completed -- we just most recently completed three regions in NTHSSA, and we completed Tlicho, we've completed Hay River. We've got the Beaufort Delta and Sahtu and Yellowknife region still to hear from, and that is with senior leadership. And from that work, we'll also add to the direction into management as to what more needs to be done at the frontline level. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hear that Williams Lake, BC, you know a small little town in the middle of the province of BC, gets lots of doctors and medical support people, and why? Because their recruitment and retention people cater to the needs of these particular people. Mr. Speaker, I'm talking specifically about just once we hire you, you're left alone. We can't have that attitude.
Mr. Speaker, is there any way that the Minister can do a survey through the medical association and the CAN, the nursing association, to find out what is it the nurses and the doctors need to ensure that they feel as either they're part of the community, their work's recognized, or even the changing of the nature of the industry is such that needs aren't currently being met. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the discussions that I'm having with NTHSSA and the public administrator, this is some of the work that I would be expecting them to do. I know that the public administrator has met with the medical association. I know that they are scheduled to meet with CAN. I know that, you know, there is ongoing work that he takes part in the town halls hearing from frontline staff. He works directly with NTHSSA. You know, with the PA for Hay River, this is the work that they're doing, as well as the Tlicho. You know, there is a lot of work that is going on, listening to -- and it's not to be that there isn't work going on. That work is continuing to go on. And at this time across -- you know, across every region, you know, we're all struggling. We're all struggling where we're working, you know, when we talk about a lot of the nurses going into the small communities, you know, there's just not a lot of nurses going back to those communities to live and work. So what we're struggling with is the turnaround is not necessarily long-term nurses. The nurses that have been around are retiring. We've got a lot of retiring staff within the health field that are leaving small communities, and now it's ending up being a lot of locum staff having to fill those gaps. So we're working with each region. And I think that's the work that I've, you know, left within the PA of both health authorities, and Tlicho is doing a lot of that work at the ground level. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Very quickly, Mr. Speaker, I'm not here to tell the Minister how to bargain; however, for years the nurses, for example, have been asking for shift premiums and labour market supplements.
Mr. Speaker, if they provide proposals, will the Minister carry that like a football all the way through FMB and score a touchdown with that industry and show them you care and you're fighting for them? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not sit at the bargaining table when the collective agreements are being negotiated. There is a team that does that. However, they do -- health does carry that football and brings it over as part of those -- all of those things that they're hearing from their staff. And, you know, and I think that when the Member relates to different regions in different provinces, we have to bargain -- like, we can only do what we can do within our collective agreement and that agreement now is a new agreement that we have to follow for the next -- I think it is until 2027. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Mr. Clerk.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Pursuant to Rule 7.27, I received follow-up information for Oral Question 49-20(1), Eviction Notices Issued during the Winter asked on February 12th, 2025, by the Member for Deh Cho to the Minister responsible for Housing Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: Plain Language Summary for Bill 22, Legislation Act; and, the Statement of Consistency for Bill 22, Legislation Act. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Justice. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Public Utility Board.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Northwest Territories Public Utilities Board 2024 Annual Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister responsible for Public Utilities Board. Tabling of documents. Minister of Finance.
