Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for that response from the Minister.
My second question is in regards to the action item develop greater integration of services for children and youth in the education system through expanding regional capacity. This action item has also been delayed, and I'm noting that it also includes explore regional approaches to expand the current capacity of the territorialbased support team and identify a pilot or a demonstration site for the model to be deployed and evaluated. So when is this work expected to be completed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So we've done a jurisdictional scan, a literature scan, and the model for a regionalbased support team was developed. Of course, like many things our efforts had gone elsewhere over the past couple of years in the education system. There was a drastic shift in how we do business. We're finally getting back to normal, and next week things are going to look a lot more normal in schools. But that really held us up, and so when you we I guess in the past couple years as well, there's been a greater push towards integrated service delivery approach, and we are looking at how that is going to impact this development as well. So we are delayed because of events that have happened, but I think that we are in a good position to move forward in a coordinated fashion. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the territorialbased support team is vital to children, especially outside of Yellowknife accessing support services. And I'm wondering if the territorialbased support teams are currently all fully staffed, and if not, what positions is the department still trying to fill? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have five positions. Three are staffed. I have a text telling me which positions are not staffed but I can't scroll to it at this moment. I'm sorry, Mr. Speaker, but I can get the Member that information. Thank you.
Minister. Final supplementary, Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my final question is in regards to the OAG report. And the OAG report that came out near the beginning of our term stipulated that ECE must change the way that it's collecting data. And the example of that was the reporting of graduation rates.
Improved data collection analysis and reporting and better use of data can increase equity, improve student achievement and outcomes, and improves decisionmaking as well so that it's evidencedbased decisionmaking.
So I'm wondering, do the changes to data collection and data analysis extend to identify and close equity gaps for learning interventions and access to supports across the Northwest Territories? This this is an important requirement, as noted, to prevent potentials for systemic discrimination or inequity among our support services. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And we know there's issues with the education system along with some student outcomes. But that's just saying we know there's issues isn't enough. We need to target those issues. And in order to target those issues and develop solutions, we need data. And so there has been a shift in the last few years to collect more data and use that in different ways.
As part of our education is very decentralized and so it has made it difficult at times, but there is a lot of work happening. The graduation rate, it's fa more complicated number than I think a lot of people that I than I expected, even, and we have finally I think settled on a way that really reflects the realities of the territory because not every grad rate calculation is created equal. So we are using our own rate as well.
We are also publishing the JK to 12 Education Assistance Performance Measures Technical Report, and we intend to do that yearly. And that has a lot of information about all sorts of different outcomes across the territory.
So, yes, we are doing that work. As with everything else, things have been delayed a bit. We were pushed off track quite a bit over the past couple of years, but it is still our focus. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I have a provisional Return to Written Question 3619(2) asked by the Member for Great Slave on March 8th, 2022, to the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding mental health supports for residents.
We require a bit more time to finalize the response and will have a final response for the House on Thursday March 31, 2022. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Followup Letter for Oral Question 103519(2): Medical Travel Policies. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Industry, Tourism, and Investment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to table the following document: What We Heard Report Qatalyst Research Group. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents.
Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Thursday, March 31st, 2022, I will move the following motion:
I move, second by the honourable Member for Hay River North, that when this House adjourns on Thursday, March 31st, 2022, it shall be adjourned until Thursday, May the 26th, 2022.
And furthermore, that at any time prior to May 26th, 2022, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet an earlier time during the adjournment, or at a time later than the scheduled resumption of the House, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as if it had been duly adjourned to that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 48, Arbitration Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Pursuant to Rule 8.2(3), Bill 48, Arbitration Act has been presented, deemed read for the first time, and is ready for second reading.
First reading of bills. Second reading of bills. Consideration in Committee of the Whole of bills and other matters: Bill 23, Bill 29; Minister's Statement 20219(2); Tabled Document 56119(2), Tabled Document 56719(2).
I will now call Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of the committee? Mr. O'Reilly.
Merci, Monsieur le President. Committee would like to consider Tabled Document 56719(2) and Minister's Statement 20219(2). Mahsi.
Does committee agree?
Agreed.
Committee, we'll take a short recess.
SHORT RECESS
I will call the committee back to order. Committee, we have agreed to consider Minister's Statement 20219(2) and Tabled Document 56719(2): Annual Status Report 20192023 Mandate of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Does the Premier wish to bring witnesses into the House?
Yes, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. SergeantatArms, please escort the witness into the Chamber.
Would the Minister please introduce or the Premier please introduce her witness.
Mr. Chair, with me I have Mr. Martin Goldney, the deputy minister of Executive and Indigenous Affairs and the secretary to Cabinet. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Premier. Committee, yesterday we finished or we were on pages 23 and 24, settle and implement treaty, land resources, selfgovernment agreement. And are there any questions? Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. On page 23, it's one of the progress milestones is two agreements concluded. And I guess I just want to get some assurance from the Premier that these two agreements are not just these transboundary agreements; we're talking hopefully something more substantive like either Akaitcho or Deh Cho or the Metis Nation; is that what this refers to? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly, if just take a moment here; I've just got to figure out this clock. You've got 62 minutes.
Laughter
Thank you. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We want we would like to make all of the agreements concluded but that's not a reality. So you know, we're hopeful that the southeast and southwest ones will be concluded. We're also hoping that the Nyak Dun one will be concluded. We we've got a tentative agreementinprinciple with the Akaitcho but they've got to go to their membership. And, you know, thought we were close with the Gwich'in and then they joined back. What I'm trying to say is that things happen and, you know, there's changes in leadership; there's changes in negotiations. There was questions today about the NWT Metis Nation and the statement that we've had two agreementinprinciples with them. So sometimes you make agreementinprinciples and then they change their mind and they come back. So our commitment the last Assembly said they were going to settle them all. That wasn't realistic. They didn't get any done. This Assembly, we're going to try to settle two. What two they will be, I'm hoping that we'll have more, but I can't say that for a hundred percent certain that any of them will be done because it all depends on what happens at the tables, and things change all the time.
We're hoping that when we release our when we look at the core principles objectives, the intents around the interests around negotiations, that that will open it up a little bit more. But like I said, on our side we're doing our best we can. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Premier. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'll try that one more time. So the two agreements concluded as the milestone, is that beyond the two draft transboundary agreements? Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. When we began this Assembly, we did not sit down and say these are the two agreements that should be concluded. We said instead of trying to do all agreements, we will shoot to make sure that two agreements are finalized. So which ones they will be were not defined at the beginning. And so we're hoping for more. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Mr. O'Reilly.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'll just leave it as a comment that I hope that this is more than just two transboundary agreements and if the if Cabinet needs more money to get this work done, I urge them to go to FMB. The Regular MLAs, I'm sure, would be very supportive of this. We have to deliver on this. And I don't know how else I can say that. Thanks, Mr. Chair. That's all I've got.
Thank you. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is not an issue of money. I've never heard from any of the negotiators or any of the tables that it's more money. It's a matter of everyone being willing to sit and negotiate. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. Are there any further questions on settle and implement treaty, land resource, and selfgovernment agreements?
Seeing none, Committee, we will move to page 25, implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Questions. Mr. Johnson.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I see here that the NWT Council of Leaders has a working group, and we're working on legislation to implement UNDRIP. I guess the big question there is do we expect does the Premier expect to introduce UNDRIP implementation legislation in the life of this Assembly? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That is my hope, that we have it (audio) Assembly however we're getting some flack on that as well at the working group. It's a matter of and we may have to we're looking at maybe the possibility of bringing in a facilitator to help.
They don't understand the process of the Legislative Assembly. There a lot of the members that are part of the working group believe that they can just say this is what we want and it's a done deal. We experience that at the last Assembly when we did the land and water as well. So we're still going through that. But we're committed to getting it done, and we'll use whatever methods we can other than it has to be by the lead of the Indigenous governments. So if we need a facilitator to help to explain the process, then we will do that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
