Mr. Speaker, COVID-19 has affected all areas of social and economic activity in the Northwest Territories and around the world. As the pandemic has evolved and jurisdictions have been able to manage its spread, all governments are looking at the public health measures that have been put in place and are continuing to adjust them. One area of significant interest to our government and to all the people and the communities in the Northwest Territories is travel. Due to the restrictions the Chief Public Health Officer had placed on travel early on, we have been fortunate in the territory to have only seen five cases of COVID so far.
While our strategy of restricting travel has clearly been a success when it comes to protecting public health, we have to recognize that it is a serious step and there are some significant legal limits and considerations that need to be respected. One of those legal limits is the requirement to respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees on freedom of mobility. The charter gives all Canadians the right to travel freely throughout Canada, and the Government of the Northwest Territories does not have the legal authority to override that. Although this means that our government cannot close the borders to Canadian residents, it does not prevent us from placing restrictions and conditions on travel by people once they are in the Northwest Territories.
This is what we have done under the public health order issued by the Chief Public Health Officer. Under the current orders, all travelers entering the NWT are greeted at a checkpoint by a border officer. The border officer collects their information, and if they do not meet an identified exemption, informs them of the NWT's public health travel restrictions, including the requirement for anybody entering to self-isolate for 14 days. Travellers have the opportunity to voluntarily turn around. If they choose not to, they are informed that they must seek an exceptional circumstances exemption and immediately self-isolate if they wish to proceed further in the Northwest Territories.
This is a shift in how the current order was being implemented. Mr. Speaker, before May 29, border officials asked people to turn around and return to their destination if they did not fit an existing exemption in order to meet our objectives. Following legal developments in southern Canada challenging similar actions in Newfoundland and Labrador, we realized we needed to take steps to more closely align implementation of our order with the mobility provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. When I, or the Premier, have spoken about travel restrictions, we have spoken about different aspects of the same order. The bottom line is that our government cannot prevent people from entering into the Northwest Territories, but we can restrict and prohibit their movements once they are in the Northwest Territories.
Travel restrictions are a legitimate and necessary measure to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate its impact on Northwest Territories residents, communities, and the healthcare system. We will continue to maintain travel restrictions so long as they are necessary to protect our residents. We will continue the requirement for people to self-isolate in one of the four regional self-isolation communities, if they have entered from outside the territory. Our plan is to continue to cover the costs for people who need to access one of our self-isolation centres for Northwest Territories residents, but we will be asking non-Northwest Territories residents to cover the cost of their stay themselves.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize that our public health measures have been adjusted to meet the realities on the ground and the threat of the pandemic challenges. We will review our measures and adjust them to reflect the current situation. We will also continue to strive to make sure our orders are in line with the necessary legal requirements and that the way we describe them are clear and accurate. COVID-19 is a dynamic situation, and how we have responded has changed. It will continue to change, Mr. Speaker, and so will the way we describe our response publicly. We recognize that this can be confusing for people, but we commit to doing a better job to explain those changes as soon as we make them, and speak about them as clearly and directly as possible.
We have two different changes coming this Friday, Mr. Speaker. One change is to the travel restrictions that I have been speaking about this afternoon. As I have said, these changes will line up better with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and will more clearly address leisure travel within the territory. The second change will be the implementation of phase 2 of relaxing restrictions under the Emerging Wisely plan. I know that all Members and all residents of the Northwest Territories are looking forward to phase 2. We will be briefing Members on phase 2 tomorrow, Mr. Speaker, and making a public announcement on Friday afternoon. While we are able to start revising our public health measures as the pandemic evolves, I want to remind all residents that COVID-19 is not over and we must still be cautious and follow the direction and guidance issued by our Chief Public Health Officer to keep our territory safe. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis on a level the world has not seen in generations. Taking action to slow its spread and protect public health has required leadership from all levels of government. Today, I would like to highlight the work that has been done by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and the Emergency Management Organization in response to COVID-19. The Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, or MACA, has the mandated responsibility for public safety within the Northwest Territories. To accomplish this, MACA houses the Emergency Management Organization, which provides guidance and coordination for our government and our partners to respond to territorial emergencies.
Each government department and external agency continues to be responsible for its own operations and decisions, but by having members of each department attend the meetings, the Emergency Management Organization provides a forum for discussing what they are doing and making sure that their plans align in a coordinated manner. The Emergency Management Organization, or EMO, is also responsible for making sure that all members have good, timely information about the full scope of the emergency response and for identifying potential gaps or the need for additional resources.
Typically, the focus for the EMO would be emergencies like floods or fires that only affect a portion of the Northwest Territories and are over relatively quickly. The COVID-19 pandemic is different in that it has affected everybody in the territory, has gone on for many months, and is projected to last for some time. This has required the EMO to take on additional tasks and responsibilities that are unique to this pandemic. Specifically, the EMO has established and maintained all isolation centres in the four regional centres: Yellowknife, Inuvik, Hay River, and Fort Smith. In addition, EMO is supporting checkpoints at airports and highways to keep track of who is entering the territory and make sure they know about our public health requirements.
The EMO also supports the 811 Support Line. Residents can call this one, easy number and select one of three options: general information on COVID-19 in the Northwest Territories; Protect NWT to raise issues of compliance for the enforcement task force; and the third is to inquire about available services and support in the communities. EMO operators answer the calls on community supports. The EMO is also working to obtain and distribute personal protective equipment for non-medical essential workers, non-government organizations, community governments, and Indigenous governments. Community and Indigenous governments have supported these efforts by completing needs assessments to identify their personal protective equipment needs.
Mr. Speaker, community and Indigenous governments have also been affected by COVID-19 and have needed to adjust their operations and how they serve their residents. Since mid-March, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs has worked with senior administration officers and band managers to identify and monitor impacts to communities as a result of COVID-19, share information, update community emergency plans, and ensure continuity of emergency and essential services. These have included practical challenges such as holding council meetings remotely and making the required changes to bylaws to do so and helping community governments understand how the Chief Public Health Officer's orders affect them. As well, I have held weekly virtual town hall meetings with community and Indigenous government leaders since the beginning of the pandemic to provide a forum to hear and answer their concerns. Other Ministers and GNWT officials have also joined me at these meetings to answer questions that leaders have had about specific topics. Our government is extremely grateful for the support municipal and Indigenous governments have provided residents since the beginning of this pandemic. These governments are doing all they can to assist residents, and we would not be where we are without their support.
I would also like to say "thank you" to all the staff from the various departments who are involved with the EMO; all those who have voluntarily redeployed from other departments and agencies to support the response efforts; regional MACA staff who are continuing their direct engagement with communities; our management team who have worked non-stop since this began; and all those supporting the EMO and health efforts. Only by working together to identify and address gaps in our plans have we been able to keep this pandemic at bay and protect the residents of the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, we have faced many emergencies in the past, but none have measured in comparison to COVID-19. This pandemic is not over, but by each of us doing our part to abide by the Chief Public Health Officer's orders and all stakeholders working together through the Emergency Management Organization, we will be better prepared as we plan for a potential second wave in the fall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Marsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Today, I chose to wear my moccasins to feel a little closer to the ground for what I'm about to say. Yesterday, I listened to a few of my colleagues talk about police brutality, racism, and racial inequalities that people are still experiencing and are feeling out there. The key word out there is "feeling." During session yesterday, somebody sent me a photo of my daughter, and I'm looking at it now. She looks so beautiful, Sine, my youngest daughter, taking part in a march against racism yesterday here in town. I felt incredibly proud. I talked to her a bit about it afterwards, and I could have shared some stories that I've experienced. I could have told her some of the racist notes I used to get in my locker as a Mountie. I could have shared some stories of me being followed around and being asked, "Are you going to buy something?" in a store in Lethbridge by store staff, being hovered over. I could have shared some stories about saying, "We don't necessarily need Aboriginal people in your job," in a boardroom not too long ago in a mining boardroom. I could share those stories with her, but I'm not.
I think that it is important, Mr. Speaker, that I want to teach togetherness and love above all else to my daughter. I asked her, "Why did you walk there?" I want to know what she felt. She said, "I walked it for my eldest sisters, because they still experience racism in the classroom." That really struck home. I felt a lump in my throat, but I'm glad we're teaching them the right way. I want to focus on a positive. I didn't want to share those negative stories with her because I want those stories to die with me. That's it. Move on, and we'll focus on the positives.
Mr. Speaker, we're now in the year 2020, not 1492, not 1867, not 1968, so why are we still feeling this way? Why are people still experiencing hatred and ill-will? I always turn to what the elders taught us and what my great-grandparents taught me, and I mentioned it in a social media post last week: they taught me to always be respectful, to listen, and they directed this at me specifically, they said, "Speak slowly. You speak too fast, my boy." Never laugh at people. You really think about that. Elders have a way of speaking to you, and it doesn't click until maybe 30 years down the road. It's important that we get that message across, what the elders taught us, and to pass it on to our children. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to finish my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Marsi, Mr. Speaker. Marsi cho, colleagues. Through all this, how does this all tie in with what we're doing here? Again, we need to learn from this. In this House, within the GNWT, for me, I question myself, "Why are we still experiencing high unemployment rates in our small communities across the territories, low graduation rates, disproportionately high incarceration rates? How do we get better at this?"
I look at the history. You look at the dark ages; you had the renaissance. People fought through the way. They opened their minds. I think it's still doable. We just need to fight through that and change some of our policies. I could probably go on about some of the struggles that we are still having, but I'm going to focus a little bit on our Affirmative Action Policy. With that, I will have some questions for the Minister of Finance during oral questions. Marsi cho.
Thank you, Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On June 22, 2002, the Salt River First Nation treaty land entitlement claim was signed by several signatories, which includes both the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories. The Salt River land entitlement claim was signed 18 years ago; yet its full implementation remains undone. This is not okay, Mr. Speaker. In fact, it is unacceptable. This is clearly an outstanding matter that the people of Salt River and Fort Smith have been waiting to see fully implemented after nearly two decades of constant delays, excuses, and trilateral negotiations that amount to nothing.
As former Salt River chief, I can attest personally to these roadblocks because I had to deal with them for 12 years while in leadership there. Salt River has faced endless roadblocks in implementing provisions of their agreement, which has strained good faith negotiations between Salt River and the Crown and has halted advances on infrastructure, housing, wellness, and other potential services on reserve lands. For example, the stalling of this claim has prevented Salt River from developing basic and critical infrastructure, such as water and sewer and filtration, among others. This means that, despite Salt River being shovel-ready to build critical infrastructure, they aren't able to because the federal and territorial governments have stopped it from happening.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, since the territorial government is an equal signatory to the claim, they have the judiciary responsibility to carry out this claim in a timely manner, in good faith, and to push the federal government to do the same. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, listed number one on the top of the 19th Assembly's list of 22 priorities is "settle and implement treaty, land, resources, and self-government agreements." That is also re-affirmed in the 2019-2023 mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Thus, we in this 19th Assembly have a mandate to implement the several outstanding Indigenous land entitlement claims and other self-government agreements that have been ongoing in the NWT for many, many years. I will have questions for the Premier later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is my understanding, Mr. Speaker, that, prior to September 2007, the Income Assistance regulations specifically exempted the value of any payments received by the Inuvialuit Final Agreement beneficiaries from being clawed back to those who are also on income support as clients. When this change happened, payments to beneficiaries of the land claim agreements were suddenly reclassified as unearned income. According to regulations at the time, an unearned income over $1,200 a year would be clawed back.
I spoke in this House against this in June 2008, Mr. Speaker. I pointed out that clients who receive dividend cheques from the community corporation can easily go over the $1,200 limit if they receive the GST rebate, the federal Child Tax Benefit, and small gifts from relatives. I argued that this change in regulations does not keep in spirit of the intent of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. The government specifically exempts payments to the Inuvialuit from taxation by level of government. Although the government might argue that, technically, income support clawbacks are not taxes, they have the same impact as taxes, Mr. Speaker, for those clients who are affected.
I also argued the benefits that the Inuvialuit receive under the land claim are a result of traditional rights and the final agreement negotiated in good faith with the Government of Canada. They cannot be put in the same category as gifts and federal programs that Canadians receive, which can be stopped at any time. I understand that the GNWT has fixed that problem, but now I see that, according to Section 20(4) of the Income Assistance regulations, "money, or the value of goods, in excess of $500 per year, received by a person under a self-government agreement, a land claims agreement, or an impact benefits agreement," will be classified as unearned income and contribute to the $1,200 cap of unearned income.
Mr. Speaker, our low-income residents need the breaks that they can during this COVID-19 crisis and beyond. Why aren't we trying to get them back on their feet? The GNWT exempts residential school compensation from unearned income; they should do the same for these claims and beneficiaries. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.
Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] In Edzo, the Chief Jimmy Bruneau School, about 50 years ago, I was in the Chief Jimmy Bruneau School. It has been quite some time. Fifty years ago, I was at the Chief Jimmy Bruneau School. The last time they did renovations was 25 years ago. The people from the community of Behchoko want a new school to be built. Even the chiefs are asking for a new school to be built. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to talk about this. [Translation ends]
When the government honours a community by building a new school, the students also feel honoured. They have a greater interest in attending classes, achieving higher education. Mr. Speaker, students learn better, are healthier and happier, and are more likely to participate in extracurricular activities when the school they attend is modern, attractive, and up-to-date.
Chief Jimmy Bruneau School in Edzo is 50 years old. That's half a century, Mr. Speaker. When it was built, NASA's first moon landing was still making the headlines. Seriously, Mr. Speaker, Chief Jimmy Bruneau School is one of the oldest schools in our territory. The department of education has no option but to invest significant capital dollars into our school. The question is: will the money be used to give us a brand new school that generally serves the needs of our Tlicho students, a school that students are proud to attend, or will the department try to revive the existing worn-out school by patching it up yet again, hoping for the best?
Mr. Speaker, Chief Jimmy Bruneau School in Edzo is five years older than J.H. Sissons School in Yellowknife, and J.H. Sissons School is currently in the process of being replaced with a brand new school. The students and parents in my constituency have a strong message for the Minister of education. They do not want their school to be patched up yet again. That was already done back in 1995, 25 years ago, Mr. Speaker. They want a brand new school, which the students need and deserve.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister and I already met with the Tlicho Chief's Executive Council, and their message was crystal clear: they want a brand new school. Community residents are also demanding a brand new school. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Minister of Education at the appropriate time. Masi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, my community is celebrating the achievement of the 2020 graduating class of East Three Secondary School by holding an outdoor ceremony and a public parade celebration. These students have had to complete their studies in a way that none of us have ever done or imagined. I would like to take this opportunity to first congratulate all of them on their graduation today and acknowledge all the hard work that they have put in to get where they are today. I'd also like to acknowledge their parents, guardians, and other family members, community members, educators who supported these East Three graduates today. They all have managed to be celebrating their graduation today. They have overcome challenges that were thrown at them with no face-to-face classes and only using technology to communicate with their instructors. I would say life has prepared them for this challenge.
Many of us have not been born into this world of technology and social media and are struggling, but they have overcome this and achieved their goal by graduating today. Congratulations to the East Three secondary class of 2020 on your accomplishments.
I would also like to take this time to congratulate all those students from my community who have also completed their post-secondary studies this year with all the challenges they had to overcome to complete. I congratulate all of those students who are currently in and finished their year, the ones who have graduated. They're all going home now. I just want to make sure that they're well appreciated. I want to celebrate with them today, but I'm here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Members' statements. Member for Deh Cho.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to highlight the excessive use of alcohol and drugs since the onset of the coronavirus outbreak. This period of time, and the government's need to assist residents to prepare for self-isolation measures, brought huge sums of money into the hands of many residents. This period of time also brought a lot of idle time as many working class residents were off work and at home, bringing the whole of the Northwest Territories to a standstill.
Mr. Speaker, I nor anyone else can dictate what residents should or should not do with their time and money. Unfortunately, many chose to turn to the bottle and the assortment of drugs available to them. There are reports that the RCMP and health centre staff were run ragged during this period, all related to excessive alcohol and drug use. We are not out of the woods yet in relation to this virus as there may be a second and possibly a third wave.
Mr. Speaker, I can't pinpoint the reasons where all this excessive alcohol and drug use amongst the people of the Northwest Territories. I am almost certain many in our health care system can. The leaders in my riding have expressed concerns with the ongoing problems with alcohol and drugs. They see the GNWT having no regard to strict restrictions on alcohol sales and were quite taken aback with the dial-a-bottle program. Therein lies a major contributor to the alcohol and drug problems faced by many residents of the Northwest Territories and especially our Indigenous communities. I would also like to note that the many residents who do not use alcohol and drugs, lead a healthy lifestyle, are equally affected by this dilemma. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. Members of the last Assembly and the public spent a considerable amount of time reviewing and improving proposed legislative changes to increase benefit retention from resource development. This work was long delayed and meant to start to fulfill the promise of devolution.
Amendments were also made to the oil and gas legislation to flip the secrecy onus, to make everything public unless there is a good reason not to. We are still waiting to have this new approach come into force. On the mining side, there is the potential for benefit agreements for Indigenous governments before a property can go into production, and possibly even the public may be assured of some benefits. The difficulty is that the Minister along with Cabinet have total and absolute discretion over whether any of this will happen, and this may be done on a case-by-case basis. Those holes are big enough to drive entire B-Train tanker trucks through as to whether Northerners can anticipate and realize enforceable benefits.
A recent May 1 Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories decision on the enforceability and relationship of community investment plans to regulatory requirements highlights how poorly our resources are actually managed in terms of benefit retention. The judge ruled that the secrecy of the oil and gas benefit plan system is the law. Community investment plans are separate from the benefit plans and cannot be enforced by the territorial government, even if there was the will to do so. There is no public review process for benefit agreements between the GNWT and oil and gas companies, and approval rests with the Minister alone. Although benefit agreements or plans may be required for mineral exploration and development through the Mineral Rights Act, all of this is again at the complete discretion of the Minister and Cabinet.
I will have questions later today for the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment on what was learned as a result of the Acho Dene Koe First Nation court case and when the promises of devolution, including enforceable benefits for NWT residents, will be finally delivered and brought into force. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Mr. Speaker, our schools don't only provide traditional learning opportunities like reading and writing. Schools are where children learn to interact, and where many children depend on for food and emotional support. COVID-19 has shown us that education of our northern youth is fragile and that access to education is not equitable. When I talk about equitable access, I am talking about access to the physical resources like hardware, software, Internet, and phones needed to access and communicate with schools. However, I am also talking about the capacity of the child's home to support learning, such as the ability to navigate apps, to stay on top of school work, and to maintain a work-school life balance.
NWT schools closed their doors in mid-March, and since then, NWT parents have struggled to balance childcare, teaching their children, full-time jobs, and self-care. Some parents have had the capacity and resources to prioritize school. Some have had to accept that working full-time and home schooling is not a reality that they can achieve. Still others, have had no access at all. We have heard stories of no interaction between parents, students, and teachers. Even here in Yellowknife, I have spoken with people who cannot afford Internet, and do not have access to the hardware required for virtual learning.
Although school boards have created paper-based learning packages, many parents use pay-as-you-go cellphones, making the packages difficult to reach. Other parents still are confronting their own unique challenges, making it difficult to lead their children through homeschooling. I learned from some educators that the combination of access and capacity have resulted in one school saying, roughly, a one-third participation in school assignments.
Mr. Speaker, I do not share this out of judgment. I feel we just need to honestly understand where we are before we can talk about where we want to be and what we need to get there. We have closed schools, relying on an expectation that all children have equitable access to education, yet we also know that we are in an infrastructure deficit that is inhibiting the quality of access. Sadly, our socio-economic disparities are such that this is disproportionately affecting our lower income families to a greater degree. Our schools are the foundation of equitable access to education. Learning fuels pride, resilience and social connection. We always tell our children to prioritize their education because no one can take it away, yet here we are, Mr. Speaker. Without schools, our equitable access to learning supports creates barriers that may be insurmountable by some.
I believe the GNWT is going to need to take extraordinary steps to ensure that the 2020-2021 school year does not become the year that drives a further wedge between our privileged and underprivileged students. I look forward to hearing from the Minister of education about the work his department is doing to overcome the challenge of inequitable access to education supports. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Due to COVID-19, we in this House and in government have gained an audience, many paying attention to us for the first time in their lives. This is an opportunity to educate people on our processes and work to improve them. As an example, yesterday, we passed Appropriation Act (Operations Expenditure) 2020-2021, and today, we've just received assent from our Commissioner. Admittedly, Mr. Speaker, when Bill 7 came up on the order paper, I had to double check what it was. That was us passing a billion dollar budget, and for the first time in this House, it received unanimous consent. In years, that has not occurred, Mr. Speaker. I think to the average person watching, they didn't notice that happen.
Mr. Speaker, there are many things we can do to just simply change our processes to make them more accessible. The vast majority of my meetings are done in camera, another one of these terms originating from England that means "in the room" or "confidential or private." I think most of us understand what in camera means, but why don't we simply just call it confidential? This is a problem because it requires us as Members to know things or to pretend we don't know other things, and it creates this cognitive dissonance. I think it is even worse on the Cabinet side, where Ministers are unsure what they know, what they're supposed to know, and communicating this at times can become very difficult. I, myself, have information I know and have been trying to get to a constituent for a number of months but have yet to get it confirmed in a public manner.
I don't think there is anything nefarious going on in the lack of transparency. Often, as government, we just do things simply because that's the way it always has been done, but I think, Mr. Speaker, that it is time that we take a deep look at our processes and how to make them more accessible and transparent to the public. Of course, government needs to operate behind closed doors at times. We deal with legal advice. We deal with very personal health information. We conduct tough negotiations and we hold information that, if released the wrong way, can have wide-reaching consequences. I'm not presuming we get rid of all confidential meetings, but I am asking that all of us in this House, before we do anything, ask: can this action be made public and accessible?
Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend much of the work our comm staff do in making information more accessible and converting documents to plain language, but I ask myself: perhaps we could just operate in plain language in the first place. Mr. Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Consensus government is a model that has many strict rules of how our information can flow, and often our own processes are fighting against our need to be transparent. I will have questions for the Honourable Premier about how we can change some of the institutional barriers that limit us from communicating in a straightforward and timely way. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories is a signatory to the Salt River land entitlement claim, and thus has a vital role in implementation. Can the Premier explain why the implementation of this claim has not been fully implemented yet, despite being signed 18 years ago? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Government of the Northwest Territories is not a party to the Salt River treaty settlement agreement. It's a party to Schedule B. The agreement is between the federal government and Salt River, but Schedule B, which is attached to the agreement, addresses the transfer of Commissioner's lands to Canada. It also talks about the Appendix C as regarding the programs and services that you will receive on the reserve. A trilateral working group has been formed to undertake the discussions pursuant to the terms of reference that have been agreed upon by Canada, the GNWT, and the Salt River First Nation. We worked extensively with the Salt River First Nation and Canada to implement the provisions of Appendix C to Schedule B, and we will continue to do so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I don't think that is correct, but I will verify it for the next sitting. The Government of the Northwest Territories has equal representation at the trilateral table to ensure that the Salt River claim is implemented. Getting stuck on words of intent for 18 years is completely unacceptable. Will the Premier commit that her government will take proper measures to stop further delay in the Salt River claim implementation for reasons like this?
Again, to my knowledge, the government isn't a party to the land entitlement claim because it's a reserve. We don't have authority on that agreement, but we do have the appendixes. Appendix A, which is talking about the land, is actually done, in my understanding. It's Appendix C that is about programs and services.
We're more than willing to work with Salt River on this. I think the MLA would know that, when I was the Minister of housing in the last Assembly, for many years, housing had not been provided on that reserve, and I stood up and said, "We need to provide services to that reserve." That carries through with my commitments as Premier. I recognize that those residents are residents of the NWT, and we will do what we can to provide them with the same quality of services that we provide to all residents.
Will the Premier commit that this government will stop dragging its feet and begin to work immediately with the federal government to complete the implementation of the Salt River claim within the life of this government?
Absolutely. The land claims for all of the Indigenous governments are critical, and Salt River is no different than any other one. We have a trilateral working group. They have met twice already since the beginning of this term, and the official steering committee has met even more regularly. They are meeting regularly already. If the Salt River First Nation is interested in advancing the treaty settlement agreement with Canada, it might be time that we want to sit down and talk about other strategic approaches to working with the federal government. We're open to working with the Salt River, they are our people, and making sure that Canada does sign off on this as soon as possible.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Final supplementary, Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Reserves across Canada are always talking about the colour of the water on reserves. In Salt River, we have no developed lots to build infrastructure on. Can the Premier ask the Prime Minister in one of their weekly talks to implement the shovel-ready project of the Salt River First Nation to ensure the reserve actually has water and sewer for the development of these surveyed lots? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
This is critical. I mean, it's too bad COVID-19 hit, because people need to go into the communities and see how people are living. The Regular Member, while she was a chief, did take me to the reserve and showed me some of the issues that they were seeing, and I advocate that, as soon as possible, all Members do that. Absolutely. I've already written a letter of support to the Salt River First Nation when they put in the proposals for these shovel-ready projects, so that is a commitment that I've already done and will carry forward. However, I can't commit to bringing it to the weekly meetings with the Prime Minister because those weekly meetings are with Premiers from across Canada. It's more general topics that we all are talking about. What I can commit to is that I will bring it up to our Northern Affairs Minister, and if I have one-on-one meetings with the deputy Prime Minister or the Prime Minister, at that point, I will bring it forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
