Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The questions will be for the Minister of health. Over the last few days the community of Hay River has been swirling with rumours that the NWT border is going to be thrown wide open as of Friday and that anyone will be able to enter the NWT. It's going to be a free-for-all. Can the Minister of Health and Social Services please outline what is going on with the border at this time? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have come to the realization that the border restrictions we had in place were restrictive and possibly in contravention with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as it relates to mobility. We have adjusted our policies accordingly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Can the Minister confirm who will be allowed into the Northwest Territories under the new border rules? Can anyone just come in to the NWT now? Is it going to be a free-for-all, or do we have different people identified?
The new order is primarily focused on people who are looking to move into the Northwest Territories and are starting or looking for a job in the Northwest Territories and students who may want to study at a post-secondary institution. Leisure travel in the Northwest Territories is still prohibited. If you do not have a job offer, a letter of acceptance from a post-secondary institution, or a signed-off statutory declaration along with an approved self-isolation plan from Protect Northwest Territories or an exception for a family reunification visit for compassionate grounds from the Chief Public Health Officer, you will not be allowed to travel further in the Northwest Territories.
Can the Minister tell me how allowing more people into the NWT will keep the people of the NWT safe? That is a big concern in the South Slave, and I would like a nice, concise answer to that question.
The one thing I do want to make clear to your constituents and to the residents of the Northwest Territories is that the requirement is: self-isolate for 14 days in a designated community is still in place for the revised order for residents returning to the Northwest Territories and for people looking to move into the Northwest Territories. Once a person is in the territories, it's very clear that the Chief Public Health Officer's authority to restrict travel in the Northwest Territories is in play. If you do not have an approved self-isolation plan in place, you will not be allowed to travel further in the territories. If your proposed self-isolation plan is not approved and you cannot come without an acceptable alternative, you will be expected to do your 14-day self-isolation in one of the four GNWT-operated self-isolation centers. Residents will be kept as safe as they are now. It's not a free-for-all at the border.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is good to hear. It does, however, bring up another question. In the past, I have raised concerns over the number of staff that we have to enforce the rules that we have in place. I would expect that we will need more boots on the ground to ensure that everyone who enters the NWT adheres to their approved self-isolation plan with these new rules. Can the Minister assure this House and my constituents that we have enough staff at the border working at Protect NWT to do the job properly and keep residents of the NWT as safe as possible from the threat of COVID-19? If we do not, will she commit to adding more staff? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It's a concern for me, as well, as Minister. I can tell you that we are actively looking to replace some of the border staff. Some of the border staff are having to go back to their home departments and do their regular job as we loosen restrictions in phase 2, especially if the summer is here. We are actively looking at hiring and training sufficient staff to man the borders for Protect Northwest Territories using a combination of redeployment of existing GNWT employees, summer, term, casual employees. It is a high priority for myself and the office of the Chief Public Health Officer, and we will do what it takes to make sure that we have adequate staffing levels to keep the Northwest Territories safe as we can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral Questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
