Mr. Speaker, today is International Women's Day, an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women, to raise awareness of gender inequality, and to recommit to building a territory that values, respects, and gives equal opportunity to all women and 2SLGBTQIA+ peoples. Each of us can actively embrace the spirit of "Every Woman Counts" in the workplace, our homes, among our friends and communities. Each of us can challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek inclusion. From grassroots action to widescale momentum, we must work to support women and 2SLGBTQIA+ people of all ages and all walks of life.
Today, I want to recognize some grassroots organizations that are dedicated to this important work: The Status of Women Council of the Northwest Territories, the Native Women's Association of the Northwest Territories, the Northern Mosaic Network, the YWCA, FOXY, and the Black Advocacy Coalition. These organizations help raise our collective awareness of the equity issues facing many Northern residents today. Their hard work keeps issues of gender equality at the forefront of public discourse. Their boards, staff, and volunteers share the passion and excitement that comes with valuing and supporting difference. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to them and so many others for all of the work they do to address issues of genderbased violence, racism, and genderbased discrimination.
Mr. Speaker, the gender equity division has supported women in leadership initiatives over the life of this Legislative Assembly to encourage the participation of women in political leadership, equipping them with tools and supports to run for elected office. If we want to measure the success and importance of this program, we can simply look at all of the elected women in this room, and all of the elected women holding office across the Northwest Territories. It is an honour to be a part of the first genderbalanced Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.
Over the life of this Legislative Assembly, Northwest Territories' voters have elected women in unprecedented numbers at all levels of government including chiefs, mayors, and councilors. And while I feel great pride for the progress we have made, I must also acknowledge that women and 2SLGBTQIA+ people continue to experience daily discrimination due to the longstanding systems that do not serve them. From unequal salaries and lack of financial independence to being victims and survivors of genderbased violence and domestic abuse, many women continue to face challenges that stem directly from gender bias and inequality. At this very moment, there are women across this territory who are stuck in cycles of poverty and violence, forced to make difficult choices every day that put their safety at risk. We all have a duty to identify and disrupt the systems that allow this reality.
Mr. Speaker, Indigenous women are 3.5 times more likely to experience violence, and we continue to hear reports of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and genderdiverse peoples. As the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, I reaffirm this government's commitment to address the evolving nature of work related to gender, including gendered violence and gender equity.
We are making progress on the 94 actions identified in "Changing the Relationship", our response to the Calls for Justice on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, and we continue to look to the federal government, our community partners, and Indigenous governments to work with us in ending this terrible crisis.
Mr. Speaker, we have much to celebrate on International Women's Day. It is important to acknowledge the work that has been done to honour and recognize women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, allies, and grassroots organizations who have gotten us here today. The work to forge gender equity is not limited to women. We must all be allies to support the social, cultural, and political advancement of women and 2SLGBTQIA+ people in the territory. And, Mr. Speaker, I believe that together we can forge equality in a world where every woman counts. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister. Ministers' statements. Minister responsible for Housing NWT.
Mr. Speaker, addressing housing needs in the Northwest Territories cannot be done by any single government. We must continue to build and strengthen partnerships partnerships with Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, community governments, nongovernment organizations, private companies, and the Government of Canada.
Partnerships is a theme I have spoken about many times since becoming Minister responsible for Housing Northwest Territories. But over the last three years, through our strategic renewal process, it has become more prominent. We have worked with our partners to deliver home repair and homeownership programs, develop community housing plans, deliver new units in communities, support those at risk of being homeless and, recently, we have developed a plan to address a lack of market housing in communities across the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, our partnerships with Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations are important as we address the territory's housing crisis. The Community Housing Support Initiative is a great example of how Housing NWT established this funding program to support Indigenous governments in implementing innovative and communitydriven housing projects of their own design. We have partnered with a number of Indigenous governments to date, including the Salt River First Nation, Whati Community Government, and the Nihtat Gwich'in Council.
Mr. Speaker, for over 15 years Housing NWT has been partnering with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation for the operation and administration of public housing units in N'dilo and Dettah. We also provide approximately $1.5 million a year to the North Slave Housing Corporation for the operation and administration of 75 units to Indigenous people in Yellowknife. We have also been working with K'atlodeeche First Nation, providing them with funding to operate and maintain ten public housing units on the K'atlodeeche First Nation Reserve.
Additionally, our staff worked with the K'atlodeeche First Nation on completing their community housing plan, which was adopted on September 19, 2022.
In the Tlicho region, we work through the Tlicho housing working group which sets priorities and administers housing projects. During this fiscal year, Housing NWT is projecting to invest over $3 million on housing programs and maintenance and repairs of its rental units in the Tlicho communities.
Mr. Speaker, as part of finding ways of partnering with Indigenous governments under the renewal strategy, Housing NWT entered into three formal agreements over the last year:
A Memorandum of Understanding with the Tlicho government;
A Memorandum of Agreement with the Sahtu Secretariat; and, most recently,
A Memorandum of Understanding with the Deline Got'ine Government.
These agreements provide a framework for intergovernmental cooperation on housingrelated matters and may include such priorities as community housing planning, coordinating program delivery, information and data sharing. These housing agreements can also advance the implementation of selfgovernment agreements, including the agreement to procure and enact laws related to social housing. Outside of the formal MOUs, Housing NWT is working with other Indigenous governments with less formal approach but still with the full intent to partner on housing priorities and interests.
Mr. Speaker, Housing NWT will continue to seek opportunities for partnership to leverage funding to address the needs of Northwest Territories residents. One example of this is with the YWCA where their capital project funding from Canada required an ongoing inkind commitment from Housing NWT to provide operational funding and Housing NWT has provided a multiyear funding agreement of $500,000 per year to support the program delivery. Another example is our partnership with Habitat for Humanity, a global organization that works towards stability, affordability housing with the help of sweat equity. Our partnership with Habitat for Humanity began in 2013 and included capital contributions to their project but also includes supporting them to find locations for their builds and advertising for eligible clients. Habitat currently has an agreement with Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Housing NWT and will see ten units constructed. Housing NWT seeks to be flexible in partnership arrangements to achieve at the end of our goal of getting more affordable housing into our communities.
Mr. Speaker, a lack of housing options in communities across the Northwest Territories is a barrier for the recruitment and retention of frontline community workers. In response to this, a number of GNWT departments have worked together to present a future need for market housing rental needs. The joint effort has resulted in identifying the need for over 260 market rental units across the Northwest Territories. As the GNWT is a lead on this work, Housing NWT will work with Indigenous governments, local businesses, and within the federal government, to put a plan in place to develop these market housing units and supporting the recruitment, local economies, businesses, and employment in the Northwest Territories. Our renewal strategy continues to work with Indigenous governments, community governments, nongovernment organizations, and others to improve housing programs and services and expand in our collaborative housing portfolio in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, as this statement describes, Housing NWT has been putting a lot of emphasis on building and repairing relationships during the life of this government by continuing to deepen the relationships with our partners. We believe we can successfully address the Northwest Territories housing crisis. I would also like to thank the staff of Housing NWT for the collaboration and the work that they have been putting together within the time of this government. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's good that the Minister wants to work together with the housing.
Mr. Speaker, we only have public housing in my communities. I also have residents that are on income assistance and I have spoken about this in the House many times. But our residents are not always on fixed, stable income, that means the housing can be impacted. I thought we dealt with this, Mr. Speaker. It's income tax season, CERB emergency payments, that was not declared, are impacting my residents and it is going to impact all the residents across the Northwest Territories soon. They are being told that their rents will change; the housing is in jeopardy, Mr. Speaker. The government has advised this House that they would not consider CERB payment as income and will not impact the public housing and the income support program. But, Mr. Speaker, it is impacting both.
Being impacted, some in my constituency are in support residence in public housing. The Minister, I want her to work together with us in regards to getting this sorted out, the CERB payments and the income support with the Minister. Again, my residents are telling me, CERB emergency payments are being declared and counted as additional income. The people in public housing, including seniors, have their rents increased if they received CERB payments.
Mr. Speaker, the federal government gives so easily but it's time to claw back they're going to take full advantage of that. We have to help the residents in our riding. I need to make for sure my residents are not being punished for taking CERB. That was an emergency program through the COVID19 program. This should not penalize the poorest people in our communities. I should remind the House that my communities have dealt with COVID outbreaks, isolation, and lockdowns. We need sympathy and we need our residents here, Mr. Speaker. Our residents are not recognized in this government policy. And another example of that we cannot have these emergency funds impact the most vulnerable people in the Northwest Territories in the small communities, Mr. Speaker.
11 o'clock the other day I had an elder call me. For not declaring CERB, he was going to be evicted from his house and penalized from income support for two months. 62 years old, Mr. Speaker. Unacceptable. Unacceptable. And I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Nunakput. Members' statements. Member for Frame Lake.
Merci, Monsieur le President. Confusion continues to reign for northern taxpayers despite the Canada Revenue Agency having finally published lowest airfare rates for the Northern Resident Travel Deduction. The deduction is set by regulation and has been in place since 1987 with continuous problems ever since.
I've been raising this issue for years in this House, trying to get successive territorial finance ministers, to step up and work with the other territorial finance ministers to slay this dragon.
After a CBC story about how Northerners were being audited three times as much as our southern friends, the then federal minister of national revenue promised to look into it and fix it. There was even a public consultation on setting lowest return airfare amounts that closed in April 2019. Fast forward to almost four years later and viola, the Canada Revenue Agency then posts 14 lessthanuser friendly tables for taxpayers to sort through to get numbers that don't actually make sense.
The CRA figures were apparently developed with a business travel service provider. I'm only going to pick on Yellowknife, but the CRA figures are as much as $160 higher in one case but mostly much lower, as much as $660 lower than comparable figures published by a local air carrier. I am going to use my crystal ball and predict that Northerners are again going to be subjected to unnecessary and unfair tax audits as a result of these discrepancies.
I've asked our NWT Member of Parliament for some help in terms of understanding this mess. The last time I raised the issue in the House was February 2021, and the finance Minister said, quote, "I'm happy to commit to checking in with my colleagues in Nunavut and Yukon to see if there is an issue that is of shared interest to us and to then consider whether or not a joint letter would be appropriate, but I'll make that initial engagement first." I'll have questions for the finance minister as to what this government is going to do slay the lowestreturnairfare dragon to help northern taxpayers. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, once again, I want to talk about affirmative action, an initiative that was put in place to ensure the GNWT public sector would be representative of the population it serves. We know that over the past 35 plus years, little has changed when we look at percentages of Indigenous Aboriginal people employed in the public sector.
Mr. Speaker, the current affirmative action policy has specific groupings of priority hires, more specifically, Priority 1, 2, and 3 candidates, with priority 1 being specific to Indigenous Aboriginal persons. The current policy defines "Indigenous Aboriginal persons" as, and I quote,.
Mr. Speaker, the newly proposed Indigenous employment policy will change that definition. Such a change would only divide and reduce the number of Indigenous Aboriginal persons who are currently considered priority candidates. The proposed policy narrows the definition of "Indigenous Aboriginal persons" by removing those not deemed Indigenous to the presentday boundaries of the NWT, whether born here or having lived here more than half their life.
Mr. Speaker, Hay River's Indigenous population is made up of those who are Indigenous to the presentday boundaries of the NWT and many who are not but have either been born or lived over half their life in the NWT. Many of these persons about to be removed are fourthgeneration Indigenous Aboriginal residents who have made the North their home. These persons I am referring to are many Indigenous fishing families who migrated to Hay River from southern Canada and who suffered the same disadvantages as all other Indigenous people.
Mr. Speaker, further dividing Indigenous people is not progress; it is colonialism. If we want real success, and knowing employment in the public sector requires formal education, let's
Concentrate our efforts and resources on hiring Indigenous Aboriginal students straight out of postsecondary or trades;
Consider decentralization of positions to communities where most Aboriginal people live;
Use the training and mentoring programs we now have in place;
Hold departments accountable in applying the policy; and, most importantly,
Continue with strengthening the education system for both Indigenous and northern residents.
Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Hay River South. Members' statements. Member for Thebacha.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, for my statement today, I want to talk about the status of the new territorial fire centre project that has been underway by our government over the last three years.
First of all, Mr. Speaker, there has been many rumors going around Fort Smith lately saying that the request for proposals for the construction of the new territorial fire centre has been cancelled. I would appreciate if these rumors would stop being spread because this statement is simply not true.
Mr. Speaker, on Monday, February the 20th, 2023, the government held an open house meeting on procurement and capital infrastructure projects in Fort Smith. At that meeting, the Government of the Northwest Territories gave an update on the fire centre, and it was noted that while the original procurement plan has been cancelled, Indigenous governments can still submit proposals to the public tender. The Minister of Finance has assured me that this project is still part of the infrastructure acquisition plan and will still be going forward but it's currently being reassessed. In addition, Mr. Speaker, the finance minister has told me that she will work with me to provide a timeline on the reissuance of the request for proposal and look to see if it could be out by the end of the 19th Assembly. Depending how the process unfolds, there could be potential to get the fire centre funds moving so that the Fort Smith residents are aware that the work is underway.
Mr. Speaker, it is extremely unhelpful for people to spread rumors, both around the community and around the territory, that a major infrastructure project has been cancelled. This type of wrongful speculation only undermines the actual work being done being put into making this project a reality for the people of Northwest Territories. For these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I'm asking all residents of Fort Smith, and residents of the NWT, to stop spreading misinformation on the new territorial fire centre. While the timeline for this project's completion is not where I or Cabinet would like it to be, the public can be rest assured that a new territorial fire centre will be built in Fort Smith very soon. I will have questions for the finance minister at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Thebacha. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Northwest Territories, unfortunately, is having a banner year for rabies and, unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, last year was also a banner year for rabies. And there's a couple of reasons for this. One is it's cyclical in the Arctic fox population so it tends to spike. The other reason is that with changes in climate and warmer weather, rabies outbreaks are becoming more and more common. And, Mr. Speaker, it's worth noting that rabies is one of those public health campaigns of the 20th century that we largely solved. There are still 60,000 human deaths a year from rabies, but they are largely in the developing world. In Canada, rabies deaths are very rare and that is thanks to the vaccination of canines. Yet, Mr. Speaker, we are well behind the rest of Canada in making sure that our dogs are vaccinated and that it's not passed to humans.
Rabies in humans is virtually 100 percent lethal if not treated, Mr. Speaker. It is an extremely deadly disease. And I think many of us kind of view this as a thing of the past, and that is because it was a thing of the past that we solved, and I don't want to see the Northwest Territories in a banner rabies year becoming one of the places where we are going to have the first human death in Canada in a long time.
Mr. Speaker, there's a couple things that need to be done here because although rabies doesn't care which host it kills, the government certainly does care. The fox population, many professionals have suggested a vaccination bait program. That would be ENR. Once it stops being wildlife, though, Mr. Speaker, the government ENR doesn't care but MACA has to care and that's through our Dog Act, Mr. Speaker. We actually have a Dog Act, and many jurisdictions have mandated that all dogs be vaccinated for rabies. We do not do that in the Northwest Territories. And lastly, MACA stops caring once it gets into humans and that becomes the department of health who have to make sure they have that antidote on hand and available in all our communities because absent treatment rapidly, it is very fatal in humans.
Mr. Speaker, I'm going to have some questions for the Minister of ENR, Minister of MACA, and Minister of health to make sure that someone is actually paying attention to this rabies outbreak and make sure that we're not just sitting or waiting around for someone to die. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member for Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in honour of International Women's Day, I want to speak once again about the importance and value of Indigenous women and girls within our society.
Mr. Speaker, in all of the country and all across the Northwest Territories, you will find many brilliant, beautiful, capable, and resilient Indigenous women and girls who have much to offer in this world. Not only that, Mr. Speaker, but in most Indigenous cultures, women and girls are highly regarded and they hold a very important role in the functioning in our communities. Besides the fact that these women are the primary caregivers for our children and elders, they are also natural leaders in everyday life. However, Mr. Speaker, in contrast to these very positive aspects of our Indigenous women and girls, it is unfortunate and quite sad that this same population faces a level of violence and death unlike any other population in the country. Bullying and collateral violence from our very own people also contributes to the harm done to very beautiful strong women and girls.
Mr. Speaker, since the founding of Canada, Indigenous women and girls have been forced to deal with racism, sexism, and colonialism on a daily basis. And it is from these systems of oppression where the entire issues of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls began in the first place and continues to exist to this day.
Mr. Speaker, according to selfreported data from the 2019 General Social Survey on Canada's Safety, 26 percent of Indigenous women experience sexual violence by an adult during their childhood compared to 9.2 of nonIndigenous women. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Also, according to data from the RCMP, Indigenous women represent 10 percent of all missing women in Canada despite accounting for only about 3 percent of the total Canadian female population. And according to Statistics Canada, Indigenous women have a homicide rate that is almost six times higher than nonIndigenous women.
Mr. Speaker, on a day like today, International Women's Day, where we honour and recognize all the achievements of the women of the world, we also must remember the more troubling aspects of some of our women and girls. We must not forget the Indigenous women and girls who have never returned home who had such a great potential to live full lives to share with the world. We will remember them. And with that in mind today, Mr. Speaker, on this important International Women's Day, I would like to say I would like to send a message to all the women that are in here and to all the grandmothers, to mothers, to the aunties, to the daughters, to the nieces, that I would like to say be safe and today is an important day for all of us. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Members' statements. Member for Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, International Women's Day has evolved since the women's rights movement of the '60s and '70s. Today, in 2023, we continue to celebrate the fight for gender equality, gender identity, our reproductive decisions, and the right to speak up and defend our emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, and financial wellbeing. We use our voices to say no to the bullying, the violence; no to the oppressive abuses against our right to decide, do, and say what is right for us, what is right for me. Being allowed to take responsibility for my life and my future and to support all who wish to do the same is my interpretation of this day.
As a settler, it is my honour, and duty, to support the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement that is working hard to bring attention and change to the systemic racism and colonialism that has oppressed Indigenous women and girls since the first Europeans set sail and still today, continues to traumatize individuals, their families, and our communities by the ongoing oppression of Indigenous female voices. Women have been held in high regard and honour in Indigenous cultures all over the world for their ability to create and sustain life. That is until the residential schools, the colonialism, bullying, and laterally violent systems that changed that and taught a different way of seeing and treating Indigenous women and girls.
We are doing our communities a huge disservice, missing out on actual solutions, by not listening to the contributions, suggestions, ideas, cultural knowledge and so much more, that Indigenous women hold simply because it does not fit into our colonial systems. On this day, we can commit to beginning a new dialogue with Indigenous women, one where we don’t give the answers or constrain the conversation; a dialogue held in safe spaces where we listen to the hard truth. Until we truly listen to the voices of Indigenous women, any conversation regarding reconciliation is pointless and really can only be called lip service.
And Mr. Speaker, I just want to take a moment to acknowledge a very strong Indigenous woman in my life, and that is my constituency assistant Maggie Mercredi who has done an amazing job in supporting me, and I am learning a lot from working with her. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Great Slave. Members' statements. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Happy International Women's Day. This year's theme is Embrace Equity. Embracing equity is not about getting through the door and breathing a sigh of relief that you made it. It's about constantly reflecting and learning who hasn't made it through the door and what it takes to keep the door open.
Mr. Speaker, I need to be willing to be uncomfortable, learn, acknowledge how the status quo is benefitting me and ask how I can help others achieve the same. Changing what our businesses, professions, spaces, and even legislatures look like doesn't often come from the masses but creating momentum in any space starts with just one person. We can all challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek out inclusion. Opening the door and then keeping it open means broadening the threshold and actually embracing diversity and inclusion in our every day.
This term, I stand in the only Canadian legislature that is, for the first time, gender balanced. Equity means supporting the presence and voices of colleagues and identifying whose voice is missing. Mr. Speaker, there's no point being the first if you are also the last, and I hope to see the inclusivity of this space continue to evolve. Poet Illock, when speaking about pronouns, said, quote, "pronouns then aren't just about the ability to use a word like she; they are ultimately about our ability to be. This has never just been about who gets to speak. This has also been about who gets to live. Equity, therefore, also means changing our habits, language, and continuing to learn and do better."
Last month, the National Indigenous Housing Network, along with the Women's National Housing and Homelessness Network, called for a state of emergency in the Northwest Territories when it comes to housing Indigenous peoples, particularly women and girls who have been left in the dark without safety or security as called for in the 2019 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Report. Equity, therefore, means stepping out of the status quo, identifying systemic barriers for others to survive and thrive and pushing for meaningful change.
Today is a reminder that I have an important role to play as an ally to equity and inclusivity. Learning is an important piece of this journey, and I would like to thank Kam Lake residents Inemesit Graham and Chelsea Backer for the education they openly share. Every day there are moments in time where we decide to remain stagnant or lift equity. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you very much, colleagues. Every day there are moments in time where we decide to remain stagnant or lift equity. Even just one moment where someone chooses equity has significance because moments in time strung together eventually become history. The question we must all ask ourselves is, Will my voice be part of this history? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Members' statements. Member for Range Lake.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge International Women's Day. This day is not only an opportunity to celebrate the incredible achievements of women around the world but also a time to end biases, raise awareness of issues impacting women's equality, and highlight that change is achieved through collective action.
Mr. Speaker, of the theme of International Women's Day is Every Woman Counts. This is especially fitting here in the Northwest Territories, with a territorial election just around the corner. If 50 percent of our population are women, then why would we not want 50 percent of our politicians to be women? We not only need to encourage women and genderdiverse people to make their vote count but we also need to see their names on ballots in every riding in the NWT.
Following the 2015 territorial election, only two of the 19 elected Members to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly were women. This lack of representation was deeply concerning so then MLA Julie Green and I made it our mission to increase the number of women Members in this House. During our first term, we ran and participated in women in leadership programming throughout the territory. We used these forums and every opportunity to encourage more women to run for elected office. In 2019, after the final votes were counted, we saw the evidence that our efforts and the efforts of other strong women across the territory had a transformative impact on our political landscape. Since the election of the Member from Monfwi, ten of the 19 Members in this House are now women, and I am proud to say that the NWT is the first jurisdiction in Canadian history to have a majority women legislature.
Mr. Speaker, while this was an exciting milestone that we should all be very proud of, improved gender representation in the 19th Assembly is only the beginning. There is an urgent need for greater representation of women and genderdiverse people in leadership roles in government, industry, education, our communities, and beyond. We all have opinions formed by our different lived experiences, and only by having diversity at the table will we be able to adequately represent the population we serve.
Mr. Speaker, no one should be held back because of gender. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We all know that it is not a question of women and other genderdiverse people have the necessary skills to be successful. Look around the House. We can see that women can be great leaders.
I know that letting your name stand in an election is nerve wracking but it's also incredibly empowering. I hope that many of those listening to our proceedings today will consider running for office or taking on other leadership roles in their communities. You deserve to be heard, and the next generation deserves to see the promise and power of amazing women doing incredible things in the territory. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Range Lake. Members' statements. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, five years ago on International Women's Day, there were only two women in this House, myself and Premier Cochrane. We put forward a motion that day that set ambitious goals for increasing women's representation in this House. A special Assembly committee held public hearings in ten communities to hear why women's voices mattered and document the barriers that prevented women from running.
The interim report released a year later identified a variety of barriers from colonization that marginalizes Indigenous women's leadership to being away from home for weeks at a time and the cost of paying for campaigns. The report recommended important changes, including allowing caregivers to be reimbursed for workrelated child care and making this building itself more family friendly. The final report set a goal of four women to be elected in 2019. We were all surprised when nine Members were elected that year and one more in 2021. Mission accomplished. Or is it?
As discussion ramps up about the next territorial election, I am concerned that while we've removed some barriers, others have appeared. There have been several high-profile resignations by women leaders in the last month. They have pointed to the toxic public discussion of politics as one reason to leave, along with burnout. The most recent resignation, and closest to home, is by Melanie Mark, the first Indigenous woman MLA and minister in the British Columbia legislature. She said working in the House was torture, and she wouldn't miss the character assassination she endured there.
Mr. Speaker, we too have a toxic strain to our politics that may deter women in the NWT from running. They may decide not to step into a difficult job made harder by attacks, particularly in social media. I am not talking about the usual cut and thrust of debate but about words that demean people and question their integrity. We can provide all the child care we want but who would want their reputation shredded in this new career that already demands so many sacrifices?
Mr. Speaker, we must continue overcoming barriers. The contributions made by women in the political arena are essential to decisionmaking that has positive change for residents. We need to ensure women's voices are heard and their ideas help shape the next Assembly as they have this one. Despite the obstacles, I encourage women to be champions for change and run for public office. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Members' statements. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I rise in the House to talk about a Secret Santa who gave some youth late Christmas gifts this past January in the Nahendeh and Deh Cho ridings.
Mr. Speaker, I can tell you I received a phone call from a friend to see if I would be interested in receiving two pallets of toys worth approximately $20,000 for some youth in the Nahendeh riding. Of course I said I would be interested. I did ask who donated these toys and was advised that, in true Santa fashion, they wanted to remain anonymous.
As the January 16th News North article stated, "Christmas came and went without the toys arriving in time." Because of the weather, the toys were delayed. When Grimshaw Trucking heard this, they took action, delivered the toys, and donated their time to get the toys to Yellowknife. With the help from Grimshaw and Summit Air, Santa was able to deliver the toys shortly after Christmas. With the toys sitting in Yellowknife, we had to find a way to get the toys to Fort Simpson. Thanks to PR Contracting, the toys made their way to Fort Simpson.
As the toys were on their way, I reached out to several people to see if they could distribute the toys once they arrived in Fort Simpson. I would like thanks to Naila Cazon, Troy Bellafontaine, Daniel GarganLacasse, Carolina Malloy, Cheryl Abraham, and Grace Berikoff for organizing the toys and arranging them to get to youth in Wrigley, Sambaa K'e, Fort Simpson, Fort Providence, and Fort Liard. I would like to thank Simpson Air and Hopes Ventures for getting the toys to Wrigley, Sambaa K'e and Fort Liard.
Mr. Speaker, these toys made it to youth in five communities in the Nahendeh and Deh Cho ridings thanks to the individuals I mentioned. They did a lot of work and came up with the plan. For this, I am very thankful.
Mr. Speaker, it's just amazing to have Santa provide Christmas in January for some of these youth. It's unfortunate that, through weather and other challenges, they weren't able to get this during Christmastime, but we thank Santa, the businesses, and my friend for extending Christmas into January.
Mr. Speaker, the toys were a generous gift, and we know that the children and families who received them will be very appreciative. I cannot thank the Secret Santa, the businesses, and my friend enough. This was a moment the youth will remember for a long time. Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleagues to give them a round of applause. Mashi Cho, Mr. Speaker.
Applause
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be joined by constituents today Maureen Van Overliw and her children Holland and Everett. Thank you for joining us today on International Women's Day.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife Centre. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize one of the pages from Yellowknife North. That's Leo Ehrlich. And Leo came up to me and expressed the support for mandating a fourday work week and makes me glad to know there's at least one member in this House who does, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Yellowknife North. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I understand while I cannot see Maureen Van Overloop, that she is behind me with her children, and I have definitely a soft spot in my heart for her children because I had the opportunity to photograph them both as babies. So I just wanted to say hello and welcome. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Kam Lake. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member for Yellowknife South.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, very happy to have pages in the House from Yellowknife South today. Rhiarnon AckermanO'Connor and Katelyn Browley are working very hard for us here, delivering many, many things. And, Mr. Speaker, I'm also going to lay claim to the fact that we have some young Yellowknife residents here. I understand they attended today because it's International Women's Day and was very happy that my CA was able to coordinate and that they are staying to see all of the exciting things that happen. That, again, is Maureen, Holland, and Everest Van Overloop. So no matter what gender that people may be, the fact that they're here on International Women's Day means there's going to be great diversity in this room, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
