Members, I would like to recognize Steve Dunbar, the chief electoral officer who is in the gallery with us with a number of returning officers from the smaller community ridings. I will allow the Members to recognize the returning officers from those ridings. As well, Mr. Dunbar used to work in the Legislative Assembly as our support staff in the 18th and a little bit of the 19th. So thank you and welcome here.
Member from Tu NedheWiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I also would like to recognize a member from the constituency of Fort Resolution, Lorraine Villenueve. Lorraine also does a lot of work in the community. Not only she does the territorial election, but she also does the municipal elections. She also does tons and tons of volunteer work in the community, and she's been an active member of the Rangers for a while. So I just want to welcome here to the Assembly. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member from Tu NedheWiilideh. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Mackenzie Delta.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to recognize my sister Grace, Grace Martin. She's very active in the community of Fort McPherson's political arena and also volunteering, and I'd just like to welcome her to the Assembly.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta and your sister Grace for being here today. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to recognize Valerie Erutse from Fort Good Hope, the Sahtu regional electoral officer. That's probably why I'm sitting here today. But thank you.
Thank you, Member from the Sahtu. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize and welcome Harriet Koyina of Behchoko. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Recognition of visitors in the gallery. Member from the Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too would like to welcome Berna Matto from Fort Providence. Berna did electoral stuff and that's why I'm probably here. And also I would like to say recognize my sisterinlaw Valerie Yakeleya Erutse. Welcome to the House.
Recognition of visitors in the gallery.
If we have missed anyone in the gallery today, welcome to your Chambers. I hope you are enjoying the proceedings. It is always nice to see people in the gallery.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke to a suggestion by the Tlicho government that we engage in discussions on amendments to the water regulations. I'd just like to know from the Minister of ECC has the department initiated those discussions as suggested? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the GNWT is open to and has proposed amendments to the Waters Act for several years. The process the GNWT proposed included incorporating the interests and input of all parties into the Waters Act and then to have a focused review of the waters regulations. Other legislative priorities of the GNWT and Indigenous governments have advanced ahead of this work. The department is aware of the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board has initiated a review process to receive input regarding the interpretation of water use for ice bridge constructions under the waters regulation, and the department worked with the Department of Justice to provide its position on the interpretation of the water regulation in the October 2023 submission to the MacKenzie Valley Land and Water Board. At this time, it would be premature to bring amendments to the water regulations forward prior to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board making a ruling on this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister explain to us why the department making a ruling is precluding the department from initiating discussions and moving forward knowing that changes to the regulations could take some time. I don't personally see why the work can't occur alongside. Can the Minister provide some more clarity? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, submissions have been made to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board by numerous parties, including the NWT Chamber of Mines, industry, the Tlicho government, and others. Nearly all submissions have been of the same opinion, that their interpretation of the water regulation should not consider water use for the ice bridges in the type of water license or that use is exempt from licensing. We look forward to the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board making a decision on this matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for the answer. Respectfully, Mr. Speaker, what I was asking is whether we can initiate discussions and initiate movement on amendments to the waters regulations while waiting for the board's decision. Is there any reason why waiting for the board's decision precludes the GNWT from moving on this issue? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department is committed to continuing discussions with the land and water board and the Tlicho government and the other interested parties on this type of water use and its interpretation. Making the changes at this time sorry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary. Member from Frame Lake.
Okay, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister. Mr. Speaker, I just want to get clear is the Minister open to initiating changes to the regs. I know that there's talk about changing the Waters Act, but I would suggest that's going to be a process that will take some time. Is the Minister open to initiating changes to the regs ahead of or alongside development of a new Waters Act? Thank you.
The department believes that the issue could be resolved by interpretation of the regulations rather than an amendment to the regulations. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services has an excellent cultural safety unit that has made huge progress on decolonizing the government's the health department's approach to dealing with Indigenous peoples in the health care system and creating a safe environment for Indigenous peoples. I'm wondering and MLAs have all been part of that process as well, and I can speak from personal experience that it was a good one. Is the Premier willing to move that unit into the department of executive and take a wholeofgovernment approach to cultural safety training? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Mr. Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question. The MLA noted that all MLAs actually participated in that training, and so I think we here in this room understand the value of it. Cultural safety, it's a concept that originates from health academics and the GNWT began, I guess, developing the program and offering it using federal funding, so under the health innovation fund I believe, and now through another pot of federal funding directly related to health. So that's why it has been situated in health. That being said, we have expanded the delivery of that program to a few different groups. So the MLAs, I know the deputy ministers, and assistant deputy ministers have taken in. And there's another opportunity for those who haven't gotten to as well. So I understand what the Member is saying. We can look at perhaps where this program might fit better, but that's not a decision to make lightly. So I appreciate the Member has a policy proposal and an organizational structure redesign that he's suggesting, and so I'm happy to go back to the department and have them look into it, but these aren't the kind of things that I want to just say yes to on the floor of the House. There's a lot more thought and research that needs to go into these things behind the scenes before we could advance something like that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, thank you to the Premier. I appreciate that we can't make decisions here. but we can ask succinct questions. I think that's the best way to do it. So will the Premier at least ensure that a policy lens for cultural safety is included when policy analysis is done on government briefing notes? There's a matrix that they use, can cultural safety be one of those to ensure that we're not missing out when we're making decisions or advising Ministers and decisionmakers on how we should proceed on things. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm happy to look into that as well. I appreciate that when we are developing programs and policies, we need to have a certain mindset. I've seen you know, my time as an MLA, I've seen policies and programs that you could tell were missing a certain lens at the very beginning, whether it was an economic lens, an environmental lens, or a cultural safety lens. So I'm happy to go back and see exactly what the process is, what is considered, and how we may be able to improve that process. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe or, if not a full unit or the full program, can the Minister ensure that there is someone in Executive and Indigenous Affairs who can provide that ongoing advice if requested by other departments so we can at least ensure there's someone who's active in providing cultural safety expertise to departments when needed? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I understand that this the group in health has already provided that type of advice. I actually have someone in my office who is an expert in this area as well so I'm happy to have that conversation and see whether or not we can or how we can better support departments. Thank you.
Premier. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Premier extend that training to middle management as well, so it's not just the deputy minister level and our honourable colleagues here but also managers of the public service who are really doing the daytoday operations of the GNWT? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can't make any commitments I don't want to make any commitments on behalf of the Minister of health. But I think that's a good suggestion. It is a very labour intensive program to offer. As Members know, it's not easy. It's not easy on the facilitators either. And so we also have to take into consideration that the people who are delivering this training, you know, there's an impact on them as well. So there's a number of things that we need to consider. I agree that it's something that I wish we could offer it across government, and there have been constant movements in that direction, to expand it to more people, to make it a more robust program. So I'll go back, and I will have those conversations. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Premier. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member's statement today I put it out the department of national defence is looking for some place in the North to house some of their F35 planes, Mr. Speaker. They're buying new they're getting delivery in two years, Mr. Speaker. So my question is for the Minister of Infrastructure. And I'd like to know what the department is doing in recognition that the national defence department of Canada is shopping around for a new base. Is the department aware of this, and what are they doing with that knowledge? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. Minister of Infrastructure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are aware of that. I'm happy to have some attention brought to it, happy to have it brought out publicly that we're aware of. And more specifically, Mr. Speaker, the department's senior officials have already met with department officials from the department of national defence and looking forward to continuing that conversation. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, that's certainly good news. I'd like to hear what the department officials are doing or where are they anticipating the potential base, if that's part of the conversation, could be located in the North. As I said, I'd be happy for it to be in Yellowknife but that said I recognize opportunities it may make better sense in Inuvik. So I'd like to hear what the Minister has to say. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ultimately a decision about where a national defence base or a national defence expansion would take place is the national department of defence decision. Our purpose and our goal is to ensure that wherever that base is that it's in the Northwest Territories. No disrespect to our colleagues on either side, but we want it to be in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
So, Mr. Speaker, what is the department doing in the sense of selling this as an opportunity other than saying pick us? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I mean, there's a number of things. One of those things is housing. So this is where it does become a wholeofgovernment issue. We want to ensure, of course, that if it's Yellowknife or wherever it might be, that the investment be aware that there's housing available for that staff. We want it to be them to be aware that there's land available for the expansion. So, again, the department of land's involvement. And we want them to be aware of the support from the government broadly, both from the perspective of infrastructure but also from the perspective of economic development, opportunity, and, really, a good quality of life for the potential residents who would be coming here. So it is a sale's job about the Northwest Territories and from that perspective, again, very happy to have the opportunity to rise on the floor and answer these questions and demonstrate that the entire Assembly is interested and that we want to roll out the carpet for this kind of investment. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is the Minister able to or willing to share whatever the sales pitch and package they're presenting to the department of national defence to make sure we get all Northerners on side for this type of infrastructure investment and job creation that could be very important and critical to our depressed economic economy when we need it most. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm certain I can provide some summary. I only want to be conscious that I'm not sharing DND information that is not mine to share, but can definitely provide more information about what kind of sale's pitch we're giving. And, again, happy to have more attention on it. I certainly would want to make it very plain and very clear that I share the interest, and I share the enthusiasm. We want to see that investment here. We think the Northwest Territories is the right place for it. And so I'll make sure and get something that we can all share and get behind. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Infrastructure. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Members of the 2SLGBTQIPA+ community are watching their rights erode in other jurisdictions in Canada. Pride flags and crosswalks have been banned in Westlock, Alberta, and politicking by the UCP has resulted in gender affirming health care being removed for youth. The community has also seen disregard for queer lives lead to the death of a young twospirit person in Oklahoma after they were beat up in a school bathroom mere weeks ago. What assurances can the Minister of ECE give to us and the public today that trans and queer youth are safe in NWT schools? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
