Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I won't be the Minister to introduce legislation for paid sick leave but as I stated when the Member asked these questions back in February and then before that in December, we are looking the department is looking into amendments to the Employment Standards Act. They've completed a crossjurisdictional scan across Canada and discovered there's a number of areas where we need to improve our legislation to modernize it. As part of that work, we are going to go out and engage with employers, with employees, and ask these types of questions. You know, do you provide sick leave? Do you want to see something like this legislated? So that work is happening. We expect all of the engagement to be done by the end of this Assembly, leaving the door wide open for the next government to look at making those types of changes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I don't have any further questions. I hope the next Assembly gets this done. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North, take that as a comment.
Colleagues, before we continue, I'd like to recognize my new CA Ms. Diane Koe. Welcome to the Chamber. Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of NWT Housing Corporation. Will the Minister commit to review the process it went through from posting the tender 6074 to awarding it? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I will look at that review, and I will follow up with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also will ask the Minister of NWT Housing if she can commit to looking at some you know, just do a random of the tenders that have been awarded in my community from her department and just do a random check just to see if they are following the process that they should be following and if she can commit to that? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And yes, to the Member, I will follow up with that as well because there should be annual or else monthly quarterly checks at least when we're looking at these tenders going out for us to be more consistent with what it is that we are putting out there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to also ask for a commitment that the Minister will, when ensuring when departments are putting "local content," that they are indeed local and they are indeed under defined like, the definitions we have in the BIP. So they're companies that local suppliers. You know, if I can go and I can purchase from them publicly, then they are a local supplier with a local content, if they are a resident there and companies there. So that's what I will ask to make sure that future tenders, if they're given local content and BIP adjustments, that they are and that her department is following up on that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for the question. And I will make sure that I will reinforce the local content that is required with these public tenders going out, and once contracts are awarded that they are using local businesses to complete our projects. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Final supplementary. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the one last thing that I'd like to ask the Minister is that moving forward, you know, when businesses are deemed ineligible, that that be public for people like, for all, because, you know, I think that this is a thing that we need to stand by our NWT businesses and if people are defaulting and spending public dollars not in the means that they are supposed to, then those lists should be made public. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have to take this and review it with the department, and I will follow up with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Speaker, today, when the Minister was replying to questions from the MLA for Great Slave, she indicated that the GNWT provides services to treat underlying medical conditions that cause infertility. But I have constituents who have underlying medical conditions requiring treatment before IVF is possible and this is not supported by the GNWT or by medical travel. So who decides what conditions are recognized and which ones are not? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize to the Member but I'm not able to answer that question; I'll have to take it on notice. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral Questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Justice.
In June of 2020, I called on then Minister of Justice to draft missing persons legislation for the Northwest Territories in response to the MMIWG Call for Justice number 5.8.
This summer the Department of Justice started the call for feedback for potential missing persons legislation here in the Northwest Territories. Can the Minister inform the House what kind of feedback was received? Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Minister responsible for Justice.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And that's correct, between June 16th and July 25th of this year, the Department of Justice held public engagement. So the engagement consisted of an unanimous online survey that asked residents a number of questions related to missing persons legislation. The department also sent letters directly to Indigenous governments, mayors, the RCMP, and various other partners and stakeholders to invite them to participate in the survey. We received 81 responses. Most questions or most had a strong consensus. While many residents agreed that law enforcement should be able to access some private information to aid in an investigation for a missing person, privacy and protection of personal information was a common concern and most respondents agreed that law enforcement should limit the information publicly released about missing persons.
A significant number of respondents believed that the information accessed by law enforcement about third parties related to missing persons cases should be limited. Respondents wanted clear legislation with an emphasis on limiting jargon where possible. Some also called for legislation specifically accounting for vulnerable groups of missing persons fleeing from domestic abuse or those who cannot or do not want to return home. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, given the participation of the Native Women's Association in the inquiry, was input received from the Native Women's Association or from Indigenous governments? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the feedback that was submitted online was unanimous, so it was possible that these organizations did submit feedback. And I will say that despite the engagement period being closed and the drafting of the What We Heard report being near completion, we're always open to feedback. If we receive a letter now from an Indigenous government or the Native Women's Association, that will definitely be taken into consideration. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what are the next steps for the Department of Justice to draft this legislation, and when does the GNWT expect to table a bill in the House? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The next steps would be ensuring that the information provided through the public engagement is analyzed. That will then be used to develop a legislative proposal and then the process that follows is that legislative proposal goes to standing committee, comes to Cabinet, the bill is drafted, and hopefully introduced in the winter sitting. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since there's some time on the clock, I thought I'd ask the Minister responsible for the NWT Power Corporation if she will also look into her department as the Minister of Finance cannot commit for the other Ministers, so I'm going to ask her if she'll commit to review her policies and keep them in line so that we have a one policy for the Northwest Territories as we can say that the deputy ministers that run our departments in our government are the board that make up the NWT Power Corp. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes. Minister responsible for Northwest Territories Power Corporation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this time I can't commit to putting it in line, but I will commit to speaking to the department to ensure that we are following within our current corporation legislation and to ensure that we see what that means. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I'll ask the Minister to ask her department, if it's a department now, that and all the deputy ministers that run it if they can make sure that the work stays as much work as possible that can stay in the North by Northerners stays in the North by Northerners. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to note that we are following our rules. It is the intent of this government to ensure that we have local content and northern hires. So I mean, that is something that we do fall in line with the rest of the other departments here in the GNWT. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm just wondering if and, you know, if the Minister you know, I haven't had this conversation with her but if she can get back or commit to following up if there same as with the BIP content, if they are not following through and they are not using local contractors and they are not you know, if we give contracts to certain organizations, you know, that we hold them accountable, that they do what they say they're going to do, and that if they don't, you know, they go on this deemed ineligible to bid on tenders. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Northwest Territories hydro, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation, the Northwest Territories Energy, are just part of the Power Corporation. So we do not fall although we do not follow the Business Incentive Policy, we do have a northern preference policy. So what that means is there's a section of our purchasing policy that speaks specifically to northern preferences for any additional references. Mr. Speaker, I can assure the Member that we are following within our policy and that we are ensuring that it's northern local content. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Colleagues, our time for oral questions has expired. Written questions. Oh, sorry, Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm seeking unanimous consent to return to item 5 on the orders of the day, recognition of visitors in the gallery.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. The Member is seeking unanimous consent to return to item 5, recognition of visitors in the gallery.
Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yellowknife North constituent Tasha Olekshy as well, who works in ENR's climate change and air quality unit is here today, as the Minister will be tabling the annual climate change report. Thank you for joining us.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize two of the pages that are from Inuvik Boot Lake, Disikha Dhungel and Indigo RedingTaylor. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Responding to Climate Change in the NWT Annual Report 20212022. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Tabling of documents. Minister responsible for Finance.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document: Northwest Territories Carbon Tax Report 20212022. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
