Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of MACA as the Minister responsible for the Emergency Management Office. Under the emergency management office, can the Minister please explain how the communications tree or matrix works during an emergency? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Minister responsible for MACA.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I'm going to provide a little clarity here.
During an emergency event, all levels of government in individual departments have roles to deliver. In this situation here, it was the RCMP who are responsible law enforcement. They were the lead agency on the tragedy tragic events that were happening, and they were the ones in charge of this situation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I did ask about a general communications matrix, not about this specific incident. It doesn't seem that the Minister can explain that to me so maybe he can explain why residents went for 12 hours between Friday and Saturday with no update. The RCMP are busy doing their job. Why couldn't the government put out communications to reassure residents that things were still ongoing and they couldn't leave their homes? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said at the very beginning, the RCMP were in charge of this. We, as the Government of the Northwest Territories, do not want to give misinformation out there. We work with the town. We had conversations with the town. We had conversations with the RCMP. They are in charge of communications. They were getting that out there. For the 12 hours delay, I'm not sure why it happened, it was 12 hours. But I can guarantee you that we were in contact with the department with sorry, with the town and the RCMP on this matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Minister is missing my point. While the Minister and his colleagues were updated on everything that was going on, the residents of Fort Smith did not feel that they were and people were alarmed and they were afraid.
Can the Minister tell me when the decision was made that the community of Fort Smith, the town, would take the lead on communications? Was it a good 24 hours after everything started? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said, the RCMP were in charge. They had an EMO meeting on Saturday. They had a conversation. And the town decided that they would take charge of the communications, which is the local emergency. They are local. They're the ones in charge. So they took the lead on it. Basically, all they were doing was providing the information they received from the RCMP. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's exactly my point. I don't understand why this government, if they are being notified by the RCMP, cannot turn around and utilize social media and other methods in order to inform residents. This is not a silo. This is a multidepartmental and multiagency function. And for this government to yet wash its hands yet again or the disadvantage of our citizens is not acceptable. I would like to ask that the Minister do a lessons learned here and improve the communications around emergencies, whether they be environmental disasters or whether they be social ones. He cannot wash his hands of this. It's an emergency measures office. Emergencies span everything. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, emergency process is local, regional, territory. We as Government of the Northwest Territories do not interfere and get out the communications for the communities. We work with the community. We follow their path, their direction. And if they ask us for the region we then go out there. We do not also interfere with the RCMP. They have a communication strategy and a plan. But on my understanding there will be a lessons learned with this. We will be working with Justice and Health and the community and the RCMP on this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Written questions. Returns to written questions. Replies to the Commissioner's address. Petitions. Reports of committees on the review of bills. Reports of standing and special committees. Tabling of documents. Notices of motion. Motions. Notices of motion for the first reading of bills. First reading of the bills. Second reading of bills. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bill 23, 29, and 38; Minister's Statement 20219(2); Tabled Document 561, 567, 578, 57919(2), with Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes in the chair.
