Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? Motion carried.
---Carried
Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Great Slave, that pursuant to Rule 9.4(5)(a), the Government of the Northwest Territories table a comprehensive response to Committee Report 19-20(1), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Statutory Review of the Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Implementation Act, including all recommendations, within 120 days or at the earliest opportunity subsequent to the passage of 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. The motion's in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried. Committee Report 19-20(1) has been received and adopted by the Assembly.
---Carried
Reports of Standing and Special Committees. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, Your Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its Report on Committee's Initiation of the 10-Year Review of the Northwest Territories Heritage Fund Act.
Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Great Slave, that Committee Report 20-20(1), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Committee's Initiation of the 10-year Review of the Northwest Territories Heritage Fund Act, be deemed read and printed in Hansard in its entirety. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. The motion's in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? Motion is passed.
---Carried
Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Committee’s Initiation Of The Ten-Year Review Of The Northwest Territories Heritage Fund Act
Scope Of Review
The Standing Committee on Government Operations (Committee) would like to inform the 20th Legislative Assembly and members of the public of Committee’s intent to initiate the ten-year statutory review of the Northwest Territories Heritage Fund Act (the Act) as required by the Act. Committee is in the early stages of its statutory review of the Act and has created a workplan that spans 18 months intending to report back to the House in the Spring 2026 sitting.
Committee will follow Section 10(2) of the Northwest Territories Heritage Fund Act which outlines the legislated requirements that must be included in the scope of the ten-year review. Committee has created strategies to help action the scope and legislative requirements of the ten-year review of the Act, as described in Appendix A. Some of these strategies may include but are not limited to, briefings from national and international sovereign wealth funds, investment managers, the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds, a literature review of academic research on sovereign wealth funds, and a review of investment policies and legislation related to sovereign wealth funds.
Committee’s review intends to engage subject matter experts across sovereign wealth funds from other jurisdictions (both nationally and internationally), and other stakeholders who interact with the impact of sovereign wealth funds. Committee has particular interest in examining whether contributions to the fund are sufficient to maximize benefits to residents of the NWT, and how the Northwest Territories Heritage Fund’s expenditures can and should be spent. Committee intends to engage members of the public and non-governmental organizations for their input.
It is Committee’s plan to prepare a report that makes recommendations to improve the provisions and operations of the Northwest Territories Heritage Fund Act, and its ability to provide benefits for residents of the Northwest Territories. This report will describe Committee’s observations after their briefings and research with recommendations to ensure the Heritage Fund is managed to its fullest ability and its operations remain sustainable.
Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for Great Slave, that Committee Report 20-20(1), Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on Committee's Initiation of the 10-year Review of the Northwest Territories Heritage Fund Act, be received and adopted by the Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. The motion's in order. To the motion.
Question.
Question has been called. All those in favour? Opposed? Abstentions? The motion is carried. The Committee Report 20-20(1) has been received and adopted by the Assembly.
---Carried
Reports of Standing and Special Committees. Returns to oral questions. Acknowledgements.
Before we go into oral questions, folks, I've had a number of people bring forth their concerns about lengthy conversations between Members during statements and oral questions, and it's becoming a distraction. So even when people put their hearing -- or their earpieces in, they keep on hearing -- there's been distractions. So if you have the -- required to talk to your colleagues, please do it outside the chambers so we can move forward so we can -- everybody can do their business. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of ECC. Mr. Speaker, I spoke in previous sessions about targeted amendments to the waters regs, and I'm just looking for -- the department presented to standing committee recently, and I am looking for an update from the Minister on their progress towards making targeted amendments to the waters regs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Member for the question. The proposed approach for the waters regulation, the department has been looking at the recommendations from the chamber of mines, the land and water boards of the Mackenzie Valley, as well as some requests from Indigenous governments in how we can work together through your process with the Intergovernmental Council and through the legislative development protocol to advance the amendments to the regulations as well as some targeted amendments that have been identified by the Department of Environment and Climate Change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister able to give us any kind of a timeline? I think the idea with the recommendation from all these different entities for targeted amendments is that we get them done quickly, that this could be a quick win for the department and a quick win for regulatory fairness and certainty in the territory. So can the Minister give us a timeline for when they expect the targeted amendments to be concluded? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the process to address the targeted amendments will require the participation of the Intergovernmental Council as well as the Intergovernmental Council legislative development protocol. And so the Department of Environment and Climate Change is not able to set that timeline, but we certainly do recognize the urgency of attempting to move this as quickly as possible, and we will continue to work with all parties to advance that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It might have been ambitious to ask for a conclusion timeline. Maybe I could get a timeline on when this process is going to be established. So it sounds like the department's been looking at it but hasn't actually established a process. Mr. Speaker, I've been asking about this since our first sitting. So has the department actually initiated these conversations knowing that it might take some time? It's time to get the discussions going. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, the department is in the very early stages of discussions with the ICGS, and we are hoping to advance that in a timely fashion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Final supplementary.
Oral questions. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Finance given my statement today on the redundancy of the fibre optic line travelling up the Mackenzie Valley. I'm wondering, Mr. Speaker, if the Minister could give me an update on where they are with the true redundancy plan for this line. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Inuvik Boot Lake. Minister of Finance.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is a part owner on a P3 which is the Mackenzie Valley fibre line that goes up the Mackenzie Valley. And recently, we are now connected in to a project that goes through the Yukon which is creating a loop that goes down into British Columbia. So we are well underway to having a loop that connects all throughout the two territories. And of course then beyond that, there are services that go down into Alberta through our line or through British Columbia through the other line. So once that is all in place, Mr. Speaker, we would have, again, a loop that connects all -- or both of the two territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister, and I certainly applaud the efforts to get the -- from the Yukon government and both ourselves to get that redundant line in. My concern, Mr. Speaker, is the beyond Fort Nelson. So the redundancy line right now goes into Fort Nelson. Is the Minister aware of any negotiations either taking place or planned to take place to ensure that we have access to that line as well so if -- to that line as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have what's called an indefeasible right of use or the ability to use the line that goes from McGill Lake down into British Columbia. That's that last piece that connects our loop. It ensures that we are using -- we have the ability to use that infrastructure which would otherwise be entirely that of NorthwesTel just as -- as there's agreements with us and the government of the Yukon to use either side of this network or the loop, as I was describing earlier. Mr. Speaker, with respect to what happens after McGill Lake, that piece does belong to NorthwesTel just as we would be looking at other carriers when ours goes down from our side of the loop down into Alberta. So I'd certainly have to go back and confirm the degree to which we're having those discussions and ensure that we maintain an ability to use those lines or that our carriers have the ability to use those lines. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I understand there is the IRU for the line beyond High Level, but I guess my question is if there's a disruption beyond High Level, then do we not -- we won't have the access to go the full loop from Alberta up to Fort Nelson. So is there any conversations taking place to have an IRU, as the Minister mentioned, on that line as well, the Fort Nelson to Alberta line?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe there are still conversations underway right now with the Department of Finance on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories and NorthwesTel. We were also involved just this past summer and into the fall in terms of producing -- or, rather, providing completion of a fibre line all the way up into Tuktoyaktuk, and stemming from those conversations we were -- again, this is part of the -- part of the bigger conversation that's happening with them about how we can maximize the services in the telecommunications space in the Northwest Territories. So, Mr. Speaker, the conversations continue, and I'm more than happy to keep the Member up to date. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Finance. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member's statement, the NWT has no access to -- does not have access to a medical communication system that's vital for diagnostic imaging which requires health care professionals to put scans on disks and then send it down with patients on appointments on medical travel. Can the Minister speak to what her plan is to resolve this so we can bring our health care system into the modern era. Thank you?
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are currently seeking -- we are working on the procurement process for the new electronic medical records. As I've said in this House many times, our EMR is coming to an end. They will not be supported any longer. But what I will say is is that -- you know, the things that the Member is raising, it is -- we are well aware of these issues and that's why the urgency on this RFP going out to ensure that the procurement process rolls out. And then depending on the system that they think that meets the needs will depend on how long that rollout takes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it took years to implement the current EMR system across the Northwest Territories. My concern is that this RFP won't go far enough to correct the issues that nurses and doctors are experiencing. So can the Minister reassure our health care workers that this RFP will address these concerns throughout the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you know, and I appreciate the Member's bringing this up. And as far back as I think it was 17 years ago is we started rolling out EMR and then up until last year was the final community that received the rollout, and now the program is not able to be supported. So I agree with the Member that this -- the process, and I know the technology has changed. I know that our access to internet throughout the territories is much better than it was 17 years ago, so as I have more details as the procurement process and the rollout of that, I will provide -- you know, I'll offer a briefing to the Members if that's what they choose. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, nurses and doctors have to deal with as many as three systems, not just one. Only -- I think only one of them is electronic. The other two are paper systems. So what is the Minister's -- will these changes phase out paper? Let's just leave it limited on Stanton where a lot -- a great deal of these issues are creating bottlenecks. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm not going to delve down into which programs. Yes, there are multiple systems and that is the problem, is that none of them inter -- none of them talk to each other. And so when physicians and any practitioner has to access blood work or the appointments or the charting tool, yes, they have to log into multiple different levels. They're -- you know, they have to have -- they can't get other staff to support them because of access to information and all of these different barriers, and those are all of the things that we're looking at. And there's been many -- I think it says we've engaged over 400 individuals in the requirements that we're gathering to do this RFP, to be able to do the thing that the members and the staff -- that they need. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the Member's willingness to share information with this side of the House, and I'll take her up on that at the appropriate time when it's available.
Mr. Speaker, the diagnostic imaging partner site is in Calgary. So we send our requests to Calgary, they send it up to us, we put it on a disk, it goes back to Edmonton. Can the Minister look to find a new partner in Edmonton so we're -- because the systems in Calgary and Edmonton don't talk to each other either. So we have multiple systems in multiple jurisdictions that aren't talking to each other. So can the Minister explore this, try to find a partner closer to where our patients go in Edmonton, so we can stop this triangle of sadness? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can commit to looking into what the process is and why we're using Calgary and not in Edmonton and all our patients are going to Edmonton. Yes, I'll commit to looking into that process. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. People are still calling the phone numbers provided and reaching grave disappointment. They're also even going down to the medical centre to book appointments, but they're told well, call -- call back.
So, Mr. Speaker, my question for the Minister, really, is focusing around accessibility to doctors. What is stopping the department from creating an online doctor booking appointment platform that all Northerners can access in a timely way? Thank you.
