Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a number of things happening, both at a national level as well as the territorial level. There are a lot of good documents out there that we are looking to find ways to share, distribute, and make people aware of. At the same time, we have started developing a campaign within the Department of Health and Social Services focused primarily on the impacts of cannabis on the developing brain.
We have developed a proposal and submitted it to the federal government asking for $2 million over the next five years to do this work and get that information out. Obviously, we are not waiting for that to be approved. We are trying to compile other information sources, other data sources, and other ad campaigns that are out there to make sure we are getting as much information out as possible. We haven't rolled out a significant amount at this point, but we are planning to do more over the coming months, up until the time it goes live, and obviously after, as well. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for that response. Has the Minister considered using materials from other sources such as the one I referenced from Drug Free Kids Canada?
As I said, there are a lot of organizations out there like Drug Free Canada who have already done really, really good work as far as putting together information in a readable, usable format. The materials that the Member has referred to are actually available on the Drugs Free Kids Canada organization website where you see the brochure, but you can also order it online and get copies for yourself.
I do have a copy myself. I have talked to the department since the Member and I have talked to see what we can do to get a quantity of those materials to distribute among stakeholders throughout the Northwest Territories. I don't know what the catch is. I know it is free. Hopefully, we will be able to do it. We are exploring that, as well.
I wonder if the Minister can tell us what role his department will have with schools and teachers in cannabis education.
When it comes to public health and prevention, encouraging people to live healthy lifestyles, it is certainly a responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Services. As we have moved forward with other initiatives like Healthy Family and those types of things, we have worked with our partner departments. We see an opportunity here and a need, obviously, to work with Education, Culture and Employment to get that information out to youth and others. We will certainly be working with Education, Culture and Employment.
Masi. Oral Questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the Minister for that answer. The Minister mentioned that there was an application to the federal government for $2 million over five years. Is there any additional money being budgeted for public education in the next fiscal year, or is everything dependent on Canada saying yes to this proposal? Thank you.
We have estimated some costs for enforcement-related activities that Health and Social Services are responsible for, complaints-based reviews of cannabis use in communities and whatnot. We believe we have enough money in our existing budget to do that work. If the demand proves higher than we expect as far as complaints, we will certainly have to explore new options.
When it comes to advertising, we do have the application out to the federal government for $2 million. The federal government announced in their budget that they do have some money available for this type of thing. We are hoping to get that money. If we don't get that money, or don't get all of that money, we will certainly be having discussions with the FMBS and Members to see about exploring new opportunities for revenue. At this point, I believe we are on the right track. Should we need more, we will certainly be looking for it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral Questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today in my Member's statement I talked about some unique challenges of what happens with youth who become wards of the department. I have some questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. My first question: when it comes to treatment programs, why would we send youth down south instead of using the resources in the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for youth who may require treatment services, every youth will be assessed on their individual needs. There is a care plan that will be developed for every youth based on those. We try really hard to match their needs with a range of programs and services that are available. This includes services that are both available in the Northwest Territories but also services that are available in the South. If the needs can be met in the North, we send them to programs in the North. If they can't or they don't believe that they can be met with programs in the North, we send them to programs in the South. It is a bit of both, and it is based on the individual and their care plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for that answer. Like I said, we had some challenges in trying to find out information with youth who are involved with the department. Can the Minister please tell us what policies are used to deal with youth who are the ward of the department? In other words, if the department has to step in and take the child, what policy is in place to ensure the parents, legal guardians, grandparents are informed of any decisions and/or issues that involve the youth?
With Building Stronger Families, which is our new approach on Child and Family Services, our first priority is really to try and keep families together and not result in apprehension situations. We have already started to see a decrease in the number of apprehensions, more voluntary agreements, more mediation, and fewer families being taken apart. However, yes, from time to time, we will still need to bring children into care.
Our work is directed by the Child and Family Services Act and all of the relevant standards within. Our focus is obviously in the best interest of the child and protecting children, as well as providing them with the services for the children as well as the families. The level of engagement with the family is really dependent on the many dynamics that may exist that are considered by all of our professional childcare protection staff as part of the assessment that I previously mentioned, as well as in the development of the care plan.
Our preference is always to work with the families as well as the kin, extended families. Sometimes there are reasons why doing this is not seen to be in the child's best interest and where sharing information could possibly create a risk of harm to the child. Those things must also be considered. I would be happy to read out the sections of the legislation that outline this exact information. It is in the Child and Family Services Act, in sections 71 through 74. I imagine that would take me longer than the time we have. I would encourage the Member and anybody from the public who is interested in the legislation to check out those sections.
I again thank the Minister for that answer. I appreciate that, and I will be able to get that information to the parents and guardians in future. Mr. Speaker, if a youth becomes a ward of the department, can the youth sign the third-party consent form so information is shared with their legal guardians, parents, grandparents, and the person's MLA? Presently, we cannot seem to understand who can get this information out there.
I wish there was a really simple answer to this one, but there is not. It really is dependent on the individual and whether or not they have the capacity to understand the consent that they are signing. A youth can sign their own consent when it is deemed that they actually have the capacity to understand what they are signing and the ramifications of signing, and so, when a youth does need support through an independent voice, we can and we do utilize the children's lawyer to help determine whether they have the capacity to do that. If the capacity is there, absolutely, they can sign their own consent. If not, then we would engage the child's lawyer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member's statement, I raised some concerns I have heard from the North Slave Metis Alliance. Just to summarize, Mr. Speaker, the courts have found in favour of the NSMA many times, and it is clear that the issue of their constitutional rights needs to be settled clearly once and for all with a strength-of-claim assessment from this government and from the federal government. So I would like to ask the Premier in his capacity as Minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs if a strength-of-claim assessment could be brought forward for the North Slave Metis Alliance? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. The Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to advise the Member that yesterday the North Slave Metis Alliance filed their statement of claim to the Government of Canada. It is our government's position that all Indigenous Aboriginal peoples of the Northwest Territories should have their Aboriginal and treaty rights clarified and confirmed in modern agreements.
I think that is a sound policy position for this government to take on this issue of reconciliation, but, you know, it is fairly self-evident from the court cases that have gone on from the position of the North Slave Metis Alliance that they are very distinct from the NWT Metis Nation. They are two different entities and should be given equal treatment from both this government and federal government in the Metis agreement-in-principle. So is the Premier willing to open up those discussions and allow the North Slave Metis Alliance to pursue their own approach rather than being forced into the AIP as it is presented?
Both the governments of the Northwest Territories and Canada participated in a recent meeting involving the North Slave Metis Alliance and the Northwest Territories Metis Nation, and both the North Slave Metis Alliance and the NWT Metis Nation advised both governments that neither group would stand in the way of the other confirming their Aboriginal rights in a modern agreement, and I cannot see why we would stand in the way.
I just want to clarify so the Premier understands me clearly, but currently there has not been a process launched for the North Slave Metis Alliance. They have been asked. The only avenue for them forward is to join the Metis nation AIP. So what I am asking the Premier is if he will start the process of fully recognizing their rights with a strength-of-claim assessment so that they can move on with any claim they might make to their own agreement, their own self-government, agreement, their own deal?
Once again, I reiterate that the North Slave Metis Alliance filed their statement of claim to the federal government yesterday. As well, the Government of the Northwest Territories has completed the preliminary assessment of the North Slave Metis Alliance asserting Aboriginal rights claims and is in the process of disclosing these findings to the North Slave Metis Alliance.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and that is good news. What is the government's position on the statement of claim that the North Slave Metis have filed with the federal government? Thank you.
It would be premature for me to disclose the findings before we disclose them to the North Slave Metis Alliance, but we are certainly, as I said, supportive of all Aboriginal groups having their rights clarified. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. My questions are for the Minister of Infrastructure. There has been an oversubscription in many Arctic Energy Alliance programs for years, and now there is a waiting list. As we enter the last month of the fiscal year, can the Minister swiftly determine whether there are any unexpended funds across his department that could be re-profiled into the alliance budget to fund those applications on the waiting list? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to inform the Member that Infrastructure does not have any available funds ourselves, but, as of such, I have had a few emails lately about this program, and I have asked the department to check with the Arctic Energy Alliance to check within if any unsubscribed funds from any other programs would become available. We are also checking with other partners and other departments if there are any other funds that might become available that we can use to meet the needs for this fiscal year.
That is a good response. I thank the Minister for that, and, if he could let this side of the House know if he is able to come up with any money, that would be great. The draft NWT energy strategy paints a hopeful picture of future access to federal funds. I am concerned that, when federal funds are on offer for this essential need, we do not leave them on the table for lack of matching funding from our government. Sometimes federal dollars provide a convenient excuse for our government to cut its appropriation, as we have seen with boreal caribou monitoring and other programs. Can the Minister tell us whether there have been any approaches to the federal government to increase alliance funding, by how much, and when we will get a response?
Yes, I can update the House. We have applied under a federal program. It is called the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund. Under this fund, we want to be able to enhance the Arctic Energy Alliance. We are going to hear back on this program here very soon. What we have asked for out of that fund is $7.5 million, and we will match $2.5 million, which will double AEA's profile of money for the next four years if we were to be successful on this application.
I seem to be on a roll with the Minister, so I will keep going. I am sure he will let us know when we are going to get a response from the federal government. The Minister informed the House of an alliance program review which is nearing completion. Can the Minister tell us when this completed review will be available for study by the standing committee and how the Minister will work with the committee to incorporate Members' input into the proposals for a redesign of alliance programs?
Yes, we are currently reviewing them. We have almost done our first draft of this report. It is going to be completed shortly, and we will probably be sharing that later on this spring. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. Thanks to the Minister for that. Hope springs eternal. Finally, I mentioned the waiting list for alliance programs where some residents already made investments and were then denied rebates. Will the Minister allow these applications for alliance rebates to be carried over and funded using 2018-2019 funds? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
The Arctic Energy Alliance relies on annual funding approved by the Legislative Assembly, and that is how we bring this forward, but we are doing our review. As we said, we are going to have a look. One of the things that we are looking at is how we optimize the program delivery, which will include whether we need to change the level of funding on some of these programs. Maybe we get rid of some programs, maybe we add some programs, but there are no plans to stray away from the fiscal year approach to how we do our programming and apply the money. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I already spoke about conservation and the roles of Indigenous people, and my questions are for the Minister of ENR. Mr. Speaker, my first question is: how does ENR ensure that relevant Indigenous parties are represented at the table when establishing co-management boards? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is committed to an inclusive and collaborative approach to wildlife management, and we are considered leaders in wildlife co-management. ENR has actually written a book on how to manage wildlife collaboratively, and we continue to work with our partners to refine and improve the process. In settled land claims area, renewal resource boards have been established as a main instrument of wildlife management, and representation is defined in the land claim itself.
I appreciate the response from the Minister. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us of an example which his department gave Indigenous groups authority to jointly create collaborative decision-making instruments such as co-management boards or any types of agreements?
I have a number of examples I can use. The barren-ground caribou are one of the most important species for NWT residents. That goes without saying. The GNWT has worked incredibly closely and collaboratively with communities and renewable resource boards and Indigenous governments and organizations. The four renewable resource boards in the settled land claims area are the main instruments of wildlife management, and play a leading role in caribou management and recovery effort.
I appreciate the response. My statement earlier likely involves the federal government, and as well, collaboration with the GNWT on high seas fisheries. Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister is: what are some of the concerns and/or benefits the Minister sees with this new agreement coming into force this year with respect to the protection of marine ecosystems in the Northwest Territories?
Fisheries is currently a federal responsibility, and the GNWT has yet to negotiate a co-management of the Beaufort offshore, which remains a federal jurisdiction. However, I can point out that we have had exploratory discussions with the federal government on that. We are one of, I think, only two jurisdictions in Canada that have yet to negotiate that with the federal government. I will keep the Member in the House informed as to the discussions we have with the federal government as we go forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
