Masi. Ministers’ statements. Minister of Housing, NWT Housing Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in its mandate to work in partnership with other orders of government to address affordable housing requirements. As Members already know, our territory has housing needs well beyond those of the rest of Canada, especially in our rural and remote communities. The Northwest Territories has the second highest level of core housing need in the country at 20 per cent while the national average is 12.5 per cent. To address this disparity, the Northwest Territories requires a long term, sustainable, and predictable partnership with the federal government. We have been working closely with the other two northern territories to encourage the federal government to recognize the fiscal challenges associated with housing our people and take appropriate action. I would like to report that this triterritorial engagement is starting to bear fruit. In budget 2016, the federal government announced $35.4 million in funding for affordable housing for the Northwest Territories to be delivered over the next two years. The federal government’s housing priority area include funding for seniors, renovation and retrofit of social housing, victims of family violence, northern housing, and Inuit housing. This includes $15 million for the Inuvialuit Settlement Region over the next two years.
For fiscal year 201617, the federal allocation to the Northwest Territories is $16.6 million. Priorities in this first year will see $7.9 million spent on public housing replacement, $3 million on repair and renovation of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation rental housing, $1.2 million on single units to address small community homelessness, $750,000 for demolition of surplus housing, another $750,000 on repair support for thirdparty social housing providers, $600,000 on homeownership repair, $600,000 on semiindependent housingfirst units within emergency shelters and $316,000 for repairing family violence shelters. Some of the funding will also be used for minor capital repairs, fuel, and hot water tank replacements. This federal funding enhances programming already underway by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. In addition to federal funding, the Government of the Northwest Territories planned contribution for this year is $82 million to support the operation of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
We are pleased with the federal investment and thank them for demonstrating renewed commitment to housing for Northerners, but federal funding for the operation of public housing is still declining. Public housing supports stable housing for two out of every five households in our rural and remote communities, and Canada still has a role to play. We need to see progress from them on solutions around the sustainability of public housing. The next phase of federal engagement is the development of a National Housing Strategy. In support of that, I will be attending a federalprovincialterritorial Ministers responsible for Housing meeting at the end of this month. I look forward to working in partnership with the other provinces, territories, and federal government to develop a flexible northern housing strategy, one that has a strong northern component, so that provinces and territories can address the gaps and strengthen the housing continuum in their respective jurisdictions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers’ statements. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in the mandate to pursue new federal funding for the enhancement of community government infrastructure. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, MACA, is working collaboratively with both the federal and community governments to fulfill that commitment through various funding programs, including the Gas Tax Agreement and the New Building Canada Plan. Funding leveraged through these programs is helping to decrease the community public infrastructure deficit in communities across our territory. The Government of the Northwest Territories plays an important role in supporting NWT community governments as they access available federal funding programs. Most federal funding programs require that eligible projects be costshared. MACA provides $28 million through the Community Public Infrastructure and has protected that funding in the budget process. Community governments can use that money to leverage funds available through federal infrastructure programs.
The first of the federal programs I refer to is the Gas Tax program. Made permanent through federal legislation in 2012, the federal Gas Tax program will provide $15.3 million to NWT community governments in 201617. When this program was made permanent, the federal government expanded the list of eligible project types and the program became a true infrastructure program, instead of being focused on specific objectives and types of infrastructure. The funding available through the Gas Tax program is provided to NWT community governments through a baseplus formula approach, and community governments have the flexibility to identify priority projects through their capital plan and then invest Gas Tax funding in identified projects. Community governments will tell you that the Gas Tax program is often considered their favourite federal funding program due to the flexibility in the design of the program.
The second federal program, available to community governments until 2022, is the Small Communities Fund, or SCF, which is part of the New Building Canada Plan Provincial Territorial Infrastructure Component. Over the next six years, NWT community governments will have access to $38.7 million in federal money to support most types of community public infrastructure, allocated to each community using a baseplus formula approach. Fifteen projects approved for funding under the program were announced in March of 2016. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is working with the remaining community governments to identify and obtain approval on projects for those communities. Construction must be completed on projects approved under this program by December 2022.
Canada announced the creation of two additional funding programs in its 2016 budget: The Public Transit Fund and Clean Water and Wastewater Fund. The Public Transit Fund includes an allocation of $320,000 to support public transit infrastructure in the Northwest Territories; and the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund provides an investment in water and wastewater infrastructure of $51.7 million. Funding available through these programs must be spent by March 2019. MACA is currently working with the NWT community governments to identify projects for these two funding programs and will facilitate the application and approval process with Canada. Similar to projects funded under the SCF program, projects under the Public Transit and Clean Water and Wastewater funding programs require a minimum investment of 25 per cent of total project cost by the community government, drawn from public infrastructure funding provided to communities by MACA or ownsource revenues. Given the short timeframe for this program and the limited types of infrastructure that the program can be used for, MACA will issue a call for funding applications in the coming weeks and support community governments through Canada's application and approval process. As with other funding programs, approval must be obtained from Canada before community governments can begin construction. In 2014, MACA undertook an exercise to identify the municipal funding needed for NWT community governments. Using the information on the replacement need for all core infrastructure in NWT communities, MACA identified an annual deficit of $38 million needed to address replacement and required upgrades to core community government infrastructure. The good news is that the federal government programs I have been talking about will help to reduce that community government's infrastructure deficit across the territory.
Applying the funding through the federal Gas Tax program will reduce that deficit to $23 million per year. After applying the funding available through the other three funding programs, the annual infrastructure deficit is reduced to $14 million per year over the next ten years. Although there is still a gap that needs to be addressed, the impact of federal infrastructure funding is significant. On behalf of the NWT community governments and the Government of the Northwest Territories, we wish to acknowledge the significant contribution of the federal government towards community infrastructure in the North which helps support MACA's goal of safe, healthy, and vibrant communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Ministers’ statements. Minister of Transportation.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories has made a commitment in the mandate to strengthen connections with public and private sector partners to improve critical transportation infrastructure in our territory. Earlier this year, a workshop was held with key stakeholders to discuss how to restore safe and effective access to the Hay River Harbour. The Hay River Harbour is NWT's marine gateway, providing services to residents and businesses up and down the Mackenzie River into the High Arctic. The port's strategic location, with connections to CN Rail's Meander subdivision and the public highway system positions it as a portal between the Arctic coast and southern Canada. From there, marine resupply operations are undertaken for communities and industries, contributing to lowering costs of living and doing business in the territory. The harbour is also important to the NWT's commercial fishing industry on Great Slave Lake, which has the potential to help diversify the NWT economy and increase locally produced food. Canadian Coast Guard operations, RCMP, and other federal agencies also make use of this port, providing an important aid to navigation and marine safety. The Department of Transportation's primary role in the Hay River Harbour restoration project has been to advance and facilitate discussions between the government partners and stakeholder groups for improved marine facilities within the NWT. Key stakeholders, including several federal government agencies and private sector companies, met in Hay River on April 12th and 13th. The meeting provided user groups with a forum for discussing challenges and technical matters regarding future restoration efforts and the development of an effective, long-term harbour restoration strategy by the fall of 2016. The immediate goal of this strategy will be to address the challenges posed by the buildup of sediment restricting access into the harbour. Further steps include developing a sustainable maintenance plan as part of the restoration strategy, to ensure the harbour’s full and unimpeded operational capacity in the future. Overall, this strategy is expected to have significant positive impacts on communities located up and down the Mackenzie River.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform you that the working group established during the workshop is already reporting progress. The working group is being led by the Harbour Authority, ensuring that those closest to the issue are directing efforts. In early May, a military surveillance aircraft recorded imagery over the harbour and the East Channel entrance. As well, the Canadian Coast Guard has announced that it will start sounding operations in the Hay River Harbour in June. All data acquired will be used to support the technical requirements of this project, which could see initial dredging work take place sometime in 2017. Identifying funding sources for the dredging plan remains an important project component. Funding for dredging activities is a federal responsibility and there have been positive indications from Canada that resources may become available in support of restoration of the Hay River Harbour. The February 2016 Canada Transportation Act Review report recommended a renewed commitment for federal funds to support dredging in Hay River and marine infrastructure in the NWT. The report followed a few months after the review panel held an engagement session in Yellowknife and was taken on a tour of the port of Hay River to see the issues in the harbour firsthand. This summer, the federal government will further discuss the report's findings with stakeholders. In addition to this report, the 201617 federal budget identified $149 million in investment to revitalize small craft harbours across the country. The Department of Transportation will stay engaged with the federal government for more details on funding such projects. We are committed in working with all stakeholders to develop an effective and efficient longterm solution to ensure the restoration of the Hay River Harbour for the safety and wellbeing of all Northerners. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently, the GNWT's Department of Transportation applied for permits to build an allseason road to Whati. The proposed 94-kilometre road will connect the community of 500 people with Highway No. 3 and the NWT road system and it will stop within 50 kilometres of a polymetallic deposit owned by Fortune Minerals that may one day become a mine. Still, Fortune Minerals needs to raise $589 million to make that dream come true, and its stock is trading for pennies a share.
The hitch is that the GNWT doesn't have the money to spend on the road to Whati or any other road. Hence, the cuts announced in yesterday's budget aimed at creating an operating surplus over the next four years of $150 million, which in turn which may be leveraged by matching federal funds and/or borrowing. But is a road what Whati needs most right now? There are several indicators that this piece of infrastructure is not their most urgent priority. First, take a look at housing. According to GNWT's Housing Survey from 2014, Whati has the greatest need for housing, second only to Gameti. The survey shows that 45 per cent of housing in Whati is inadequate, meaning it lacks one or all of the following: running water, an indoor toilet, bathing and washing facilities, or it needs major repairs. An additional 24 per cent of housing is unsuitable, meaning that it does not have enough bedrooms for the number of people who live in the home. CBC News recently reported on a Whati woman who lives in a house with no running water and no toilet. Spring runoff is followed by the growth of mould under the house, and the smell contributes to the woman's health challenges. Her doctor has appealed to the NWT Housing Corporation for a house that is adequately heated, free of mould, and has hot and cold running water, but there isn't a house available to her for various reasons. If we take that $150 million the Minister is trying to acquire as an operating surplus and divide it by each of the people in Whati, they would each have $300,000 to spend. That money would buy a lot of housing, obviously, but that is not what the government has in mind. When the time comes, I will have questions for the Minister of Finance about how the decision was made to prioritize the road to Whati. Thank you.
Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I stand before this Chamber and our colleagues to speak about something that is very important: community capacity building, especially in the smaller communities in the NWT. Mr. Speaker, if you talk to people and ask them what it means to them, you could get hundreds if not thousands of variations of the definition. Today I would like share with you one that resonates with me. Community capacity building is a concept approach to social and personal development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibits people, governments, and nongovernment organizations from realizing their development goals while enhancing the ability that will allow them to achieve measurable and sustainable results. Mr. Speaker, what does this mean? Well to me, it is the process by which people, organizations, society systematically stimulates and develops their capacity over time to achieve social and economic goals, including through improvement of knowledge, skills, systems, and institutions with a wider social and cultural enabling environment. Community capacity building is much more than training. It includes things such as human resource development, organizational development, just to name a few. Community capacity is all about developing and strengthening the skills, abilities, and processes and resources that communities need to survive, adapting to change in needs of their population that is served and thrives in the world. Capacity building is a process of change. People and community capacity change over time. A focus on what development policies and investments work best to strengthen the abilities, skills, and knowledge based upon cannot be on oneoff interventions. There can be shortterm results, and often in crisis situations like comanagement arrangements there is a need for such. But even after shortterm capacity gains such as getting the community out of fiscal situations, the community must be supported by sustained resources and political commitment to yield longer-term results, truly impact on existing capacities. Capacity building is about the who, how and where decisions are made, management takes place, services are delivered, and results are monitored and evaluated. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. However, in saying this, the government cannot just say here you go. It needs to do the job to ensure we prepare them to do the job. Today, Mr. Speaker, later on I will have questions for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Thank you.
Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My statement today is about our support of a crucial sector of our economy, the resource sector, in particular, the mining sector. Mr. Speaker, in the past couple of decades, the northern economy has diversified in many ways. That's positive, and we have a way to go in continuing that work. Not long ago, there were few choices for major economic activity. Beyond the traditional economy, there was government and the mines. The next big hope was oil and gas. Northerners became big supporters, counting on real economic growth. Hopes of a resourcerich northern Texas of sorts have come and gone over the generations. Now, world oil prices are slumping, climate change is a reality, and green energy is emerging. It's hard to imagine how major oil and gas development may even become a reality. Today, there are other success stories: small business, creative arts and tourism, and that's all good. It's important to seek new and diverse ways to generate wealth. That's the way to build a solid foundation for our younger generations, new Northerners, and frankly, our future. We should not forget one of the foundations of our economy, mining and exploration. Mr. Speaker, the mining sector has been central to the development of our economy. Mining provides diverse returns, not only jobs, but training, secondary spending, and taxes and royalties to public and Aboriginal governments. In turn, they can develop programs and services to support and empower their communities. My colleague just spoke earlier about capacity building. That is what this is about. Many of the NWT's current mines are maturing, and exploration is on the decline. This is a worrisome sign for the future of this sector and to our GDP. This provides challenges we must face during the life of this Assembly. Mr. Speaker, I believe a successful mining sector can generate wealth for our territory, while maintaining a good and responsible environmental stewardship. The government can take many steps to improve the climate for exploration and mining development. It's time we invite the world to see what we can offer, and that is world class resources. At the appropriate time, I will have questions for the Minister of ITI. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Tu NedheWiilideh.
Marci cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, creating jobs for northern residents and Aboriginal employees is a major part of the Government of the Northwest Territories socio-economic agreements with the three diamond mines. People who live in the areas most impacted by the mines are a part of the approval process and were a part of the approval process for their construction. These mines are on their traditional territory. Mr. Speaker, under these agreements, the diamond mines committed to build a workforce that was made up with about half northern Aboriginal people. These agreements also include workforce development and skill training programs to ensure our people had the best opportunity for successful employment at the diamond mines. But now, after nearly 20 years of operation, the mines' employment rates are consistently below target. Mr. Speaker, I would like to present the situation as the community members see it. Mr. Speaker, people in my riding feel that they are not given a fair chance on employment when it comes down to getting jobs. The diamonds quickly discontinue employment if one of the rules have not been followed as opposed to working with the employees to see what can be done to continue employment. Most people that have gone through feel that they were not treated fairly compared to others who had worked there. Mr. Speaker, I am not privy to the details. However, many exminers have told me their story. I encourage the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment to work with the mines on their employment statistics and hold the mines accountable for the targets in the socioeconomic agreements. We also need to ensure that company policies are consistently applied for all workers, regardless of who they are, where they come from, and how long they have been there.
Personally, I have talked to one of the diamond mines that employ people and felt very good about the discussion. Therefore, I feel that the mines are willing to discuss strategies that could increase their numbers. The diamond mines are our main source of economic activity right now. We need to do all we can to ensure that the jobs stay in the North and that the mines benefit all Northerners. Thank you.
Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I want to talk about the challenges some residents face when they try to access housing programs for home ownership, repairs, and renovations. This is no small issue. Housing adequacy is one of the biggest obstacles facing residents in our small communities. Right now, the PATH program helps NWT residents who want to own their own home. The amount of money you can access depends on where you live, as well as your income. Mr. Speaker, I'm glad the Housing Corporation recognizes the differences in cost of living across the NWT, but the problem is that these rules have not kept up with the times or the rising cost of living in our small communities. This means residents can get trapped in limbo, Mr. Speaker. They don't have enough money to pay for the work their homes need, but they have too much income to get the help they need from the housing programs that are supposed to support them. This is a real problem in communities where renovating your home can easily cost $30,000 to $50,000, if not more. Even families with two parents will find their income eaten up pretty fast when they have to deal with bringing in supplies and finding skilled contractors on top of just getting the work done. These same issues come up with residents trying to access the CARE program for housing repairs. The NWT Housing Corporation has already done great work on making their programs more accessible to Northerners who need them. I know that factors like income level, family size, and construction costs are being considered. But Mr. Speaker, there's still work that needs to be done. I'd like to see these rules reviewed, so that we can be sure that access to housing programs is better matched to the needs of individual communities, and that income thresholds don't exclude people in need. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I'll have questions later today.
Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. On February 23, 2016 I asked the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations a number of written questions about vacancies on NWT comanagement boards. Earlier this week, partial answers were tabled in this House. There were some shocking revelations. Comanagement boards are institutions of public government that carry out legislated duties related to land use planning, environmental assessment, land and water use, and wildlife management. These boards are part of constitutionally protected land rights agreements that were negotiated among Aboriginal, federal, and territorial governments. These boards play a crucial role in how we take care of our land, water, and wildlife, and work with communities to ensure we protect our environment. They ensure resource development does not take opportunities away from future generations. While Aboriginal governments and the GNWT generally nominate people to these boards, most of the appointments are made by the federal government. Unfortunately, these appointments often take too long and have become politicized in some cases.
The response I received reveals that two boards are now in a position where there is no quorum and they cannot legally make decisions or carry out their important work. This includes the Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board that is responsible for assessing larger projects and projects where public concern is an issue. How can we have an effective integrated resource management system when boards do not have the legal ability to make decisions? Of the 106 positions on the 14 comanagement boards in the Northwest Territories, 24 positions are vacant. Some of these positions have been unfilled for as long as five and a half years. How can a position on a comanagement board go unfulfilled for five and a half years? I was pleased to see that only four of the 24 positions are GNWT nominees and that names to fill those positions have been submitted to the federal government. This would seem to indicate that GNWT is not the problem, but are we part of the solution? The GNWT maintains a public board appointments section on the Department of Executive website. This is a helpful resource, but it is really difficult to determine when positions actually open up on the boards. It would be much more helpful to have a function that shows which positions are open or ending soon and how long vacancies have been unfilled. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. In February, I asked what the Minister is doing to get vacancies to the comanagement boards filled. This part of my questions did not get an answer and I will be pursuing that with the Minister later today. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use this opportunity to talk about the NWT Track and Field Championships. For 26 years, Hay River has been hosting this exciting event. Last night, I had the honour of attending the opening ceremonies. I want to thank the Members who joined Minister Schumann and me in our home town for the ceremony, including you, Mr. Speaker, Premier McLeod, Minister Moses, Minister Cochrane, the MLA for Nahendeh Mr. Shane Thompson, and the MLA for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli. Track and Field Championships are an amazing event. Hay River's population grows by 25 per cent over the three days. More than 800 out-of-town athletes from 18 communities, from Fort Smith to Inuvik and many points in between, pour into Hay River. In all, there are over 1,000 athletes participating this year. I always loved participating in the Track and Field Championships, and honestly I'm a little envious of the athletes right now who are busy making life-long memories and new friends. Golden memories. I must say, though, that the real heroes of the event are the volunteers. Just imagine what it takes to organize an event with 1,000 participants. There are 400 volunteers from Hay River alone. For perspective, almost one out of every nine people in the community donate their time and energy to this event. Thank you to all the volunteers, the organizers, the parents, the teachers, the Rangers, the Cadets, the RCMP, the sponsors, and everyone else who makes this event possible year after year. I also have to give a special shout out to Hay River's own PA Predators Cheer Squad. They put on a great performance to close out the opening ceremonies and I just wanted to let them know that all of us on the stage were thoroughly impressed. Way to go and keep up the good work. Finally, I just want to say to all the athletes, good luck and have fun. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. I'd just like to say also best of luck to all the athletes who are in Hay River, and thank Hay River for hosting this particular very important tournament. Members’ statements. Member for Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to make comments in and around the mining potential in the Sahtu and to acknowledge my previous colleagues in that regard in that subject, or that industry. Later I'll have questions to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources now that we are entering into the affordable season of our remote area, boat travel in Sahtu, so it will be a lot easier and cheaper and affordable to bring the leadership together and to engage on discussions of potential surrounding the mining industry in the Sahtu region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today I must raise an issue brought to me by one of my constituents. In my riding of the Deh Cho there is a need for fuel subsidy for those with disabilities. For a bit of background, a program like this is already in place for elders and seniors. The Senior Home Heating Subsidy helps low-income seniors heat their homes, providing access to wood, oil, propane, gas, and/or electricity. But like many seniors, many people with disabilities live on fixed incomes. If they are approved by income assistance, they may be able to access a monthly disability allowance and incidental allowance. But in the cold winters that Northerners face every year that may not be enough. Other jurisdictions use similar heating programs to support their residents. In Nova Scotia, low-income individuals and families can access home heating rebate programs, while in British Columbia disabled residents can access a vehicle fuel tax refund. These jurisdictions have responded to the needs of their people. The Northwest Territories must do the same.
In the government's mandate, we have committed to ensuring effective supports and programs are in place for persons with disabilities, and when we met in this House in March we urged the government to create a five-year action plan to address the needs of the disabled community. Right now, the Department of Health and Social Services is working with other GNWT departments to make an inventory of all GNWT supports available to people with disabilities. I recommend that further review and discussion of this issue be part of that process. I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment at the appropriate time. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm going to talk about Northern Transportation Company Limited. NTCL is northern Canada's oldest Arctic marine operator, and among Canada's largest barging companies. Since 1934 NTCL has provided reliable and critical marine transportation services to communities and resource exploration projects along the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories and across the Western Arctic, from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and as far east as Taloyoak in Nunavut. Services to Taloyoak have been recently terminated due to the financial constraint of the company.
The core business of NTCL is cargo transportation. In five short months every year, from June to October, NTCL has moved millions of tons of cargo in our seven and a half decades serving Northerners, and are as much a fixture of northern summer life as 24-hour sunshine. However in the eyes of many Northerners this may not be the case. The people of the Arctic, the Inuvialuit and the Inuit, are customers, owners, and after decades of delivering sealift cargo since 1985, NTCL has been a 100 per cent Inuit-owned company, and is a founding member of the NorTerra group of companies. NorTerra is owned by the Inuvialuit Development Corporation of the Western Arctic on behalf of the Inuvialuit of the Western Arctic and the Inuit of Nunavut. The department has reached out to other potential supply and transportation providers and is confident that the new contracts will meet the resupply needs of the Petroleum Products Program and to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. Mr. Speaker, my region of Nunakput relies heavily on petroleum products and dry goods delivered to the communities, and later on I will have questions to the Minister of Public Works. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm pleased to recognize a constituent of Yellowknife South, Gayla Thunstrom. I think I got it right today. Thank you.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to recognize a couple of Pages from the Yellowknife North riding. I would like to recognize Aisling Dunn and Riley Menard, and thank all the Pages for the incredible work they do for us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to take a moment to recognize Marie Buchanan. Marie is a constituent of Range Lake, but she is also a nurse practitioner and spent many years within the North travelling to different communities and is a real value to the Northwest Territories. Thank you for being here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.
