Please sit. I'd like to thank Ms. Gargan for the reflections today.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of privilege. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to lay out why I make this point of privilege this morning -- or this afternoon. There's two parts to meet the initial threshold. Question of privilege, as you know, Mr. Speaker, must be raised at the earliest opportunity. The nature of the matter described must show on its face to be a breach of privilege.
Mr. Speaker, I became aware of some accusations made last night only after the rise of House. This is my first opportunity to bring this matter forward. As to the second part of the test, I'd like to read what was written and then detail for you why it is my view that these statements impede my ability as to act as a Minister generally and the finance Minister specifically being the Minister responsible for negotiations in support of an operating budget that reflects the priorities of this Assembly and on behalf of the people of the territory.
Mr. Speaker, when I arrived home yesterday evening, I read on Facebook a post by another Member of this House the following -- I'll excerpt only one part of the second paragraph, which is this: The 2025 Budget is on rails. As long as Cabinet has their supporters in line, the entire process is little more than accountability theater while backroom deals are being made.
Mr. Speaker, for a matter to be accepted as a breach of privilege, there's two aspects and, in my view, this meets both.
First, is that a Member was impeded in the performance of parliamentary functions in the sense of being prevented from carrying out parliamentary duties; and second, that the matter is directly related to a proceeding of parliament.
I'd like to deal with the second aspect of that rule first, namely, that this point of privilege is directly related to a proceeding in this House.
Yesterday, in Committee of the Whole, Cabinet was taken by surprise with the motion brought to the floor seeking to remove over $5 million from ECE's operating budget. No Member of Cabinet, including the Minister of ECE, had notice of the motion. And as such, it would be impossible for any Member of Cabinet to have spoken to MLA colleagues about the motion or about the budget as it may be impacted by the motion. And nevertheless, when I arrived home last night and read this statement, it implied that the vote on the motion was the result of backroom deals and/or that the advancement of discussions about the operating budget is merely a theater. The allegation that work of this Assembly is nothing more than theater or that there are backroom deals being made in order to advance this budget is very much directly related to the work we do in this House and my role as the Finance Minister.
As to the first part of the test more specifically, namely the impediment -- the impeding of my ability to carry out my responsibilities as a Minister on behalf of the people of the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker, this post, in my view, puts a chill on all relationships as elected officials and on our ability to communicate one on one. Bluntly, Mr. Speaker, this social media post creates a threat that if MLAs do not vote with certain other MLAs or if they choose to speak directly to Cabinet Members, there may be accusations on some type of social media.
The context of social media is important. We are living in an era where social media is being increasingly used as a weapon. It is an unregulated space. There is no fact checking. The risk of cyberbullying and trolls and the like is well known, and it is often a particularly dangerous space for public figures.
The impediment to my ongoing work personally caused by this situation is this: In consensus government, I must have the support of MLAs to pass the operating budget, to pass the capital budget, and also to pass legislation. There are committee processes that support negotiations but one-on-one conversations are not only appropriate, they are expected by the residents who elected their representatives, and Ministers must be able to check in with MLAs informally to get a frank reaction or to hear in detail when an issue impacts their riding.
Mr. Speaker, this public statement on social media undermines the ability to have those frank conversations between MLA Members and myself and other Ministers. I should not have to worry whether I or the person I may have spoken to will find ourselves vilified in some fashion on social media. I should be able to reach out and discuss any matter one on one with an MLA or within a committee proceeding, and particularly as I continue to use that broader committee process for our overall discussions. None of this, Mr. Speaker, is a theater, and to suggest otherwise undermines my ability to utilize the processes of this House.
It is my responsibility as a Minister, and again particularly as the Minister of Finance, to know what individual Members want to see changed in the budget. It is not my obligation to share every detail of every conversation I've had with every other Member of the Assembly, but it has always been my practice to ultimately conclude negotiations through the chair of AOC, to stand in this House and to publicly detail what changes have been agreed to, not in a backroom fashion.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, this false assertion of backroom dealings, or being a budget on rails, threatens my ability to discharge my obligation as a Minister in the function of this House and impedes my ability to engage with MLAs freely so that we have a government with a meaningful legislative agenda and an operating budget that reflects the political priorities we set as an Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife South. To the point of privilege. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker -- Mr. Speaker, the privileges of the House -- or of Members -- sorry, of individual Members to freedom of speech are defined in the House of Commons procedure -- procedural guide as the privilege of freedom of speech in parliamentary proceedings is generally regarded as the most important of the privileges enjoyed by Members of Parliament. This right is protected by the Constitution Act, the Parliament of Canada Act, and extends to our legislature as well. Freedom of speech from its Members to speak freely in the conduct of proceedings of Parliament, such as the chamber, during a sitting or in committees during meetings while enjoying complete immunity from prosecution or civil liability for any comment they make in order to encourage truthful and complete disclosure without fear of reprisal or other adverse actions as the result of their testimony. This right is also extended to individuals who appear before the House of Commons or the legislature. Legislature could not work effectively unless its Members and witnesses appearing before House committees were able to speak and criticize without being held to account by any outside body.
Mr. Speaker, the work we do -- the underpinning of the work we do by privilege is very important and which allows us to represent our constituents freely and without any intimidation or impingement on our ability to speak freely.
Now, what the Minister is asserting is that she feels unable to do her work because of a message on Facebook that occurred after the -- after the proceedings in question, after votes had been taken, while the budget is still underway. Rhetorical -- rhetorical flourishes, even if they are written, should -- are exactly that. When we negotiate in this House for budgets, it is done in in-camera discussions, in committee tables, within this institution. It is not all done in public. It could be one Member's assertion that that is a backroom space and that is deal is being cut there. It could be another's that that is a transparent, organic, wholistic way to do business. It is the interpretation of Members on how things go underpinned by rhetorical flourish which is important in the business of politics that we are all engaged with.
If we are to extend -- if the Minister feels somehow that a post on social media is -- and she's unable to do her job, I don't think she's met that test, Mr. Speaker. There's been no arresting of her ability to speak in this House, in this chamber. There's been no arresting of her ability to walk through the front doors and do her job here. There's been no direct accusations made in that post certainly about any Member in question, nor an officer of the Assembly -- sorry, nor no one specific.
Mr. Speaker, we should be able to express ourselves as well within our own spaces, within our own platforms, within our own discussions. And if the frustrations -- and that expression can include frustrations as well about process, criticisms of the transparency around process, and criticisms of the decisions made by Members in the House. That's not intimidation. That's a reflection of the record of decisions that happen here and commentary on that. If it is inflammatory, that is something we can address. I would argue that there are better ways to address it than the privileges of this House. I do not feel the test has been made. I feel it is important that we can -- that we conduct our business respectfully, but also, we need to give way to concerns, and we need to be able to express them freely to our constituents as well. That is our right as Canadian citizens as much as it is our -- as much as it is part of the work we do here in the Assembly as Members as well.
I don't -- again, I do not see any way that the Minister was unable to table her budget, to provide a Budget Address, to negotiate with the Standing Committee of Accountability and Oversight, to speak to individual Members. I don't see how a Facebook post impeded her ability to do any of those things and infringed on her privilege. That's the accusation made here. That is -- that is why the point is being asserted. I see no -- in no way that that has been done, and if I'm missing something -- if I'm missing something, that's fine, but to me, this appears that someone didn't like something that was written on Facebook and is now rising a point of privilege. I think that is not the correct way to use privilege. There are other tools in this House.
And I should add that the conventions and protocols of consensus government, which are written down and form an important place in our handbook on how we do our business procedurally -- or not even procedurally, sorry -- how we do business informally are not subject to parliamentary privilege. A violation of those protocols and guiding conventions is not subject to privilege. So any assertions around the element of surprise being inconsistent with consensus, that may be true, but it is not subject to privilege. Any conventions on how standing committees are supposed to speak to each other is not subject to privilege. I encourage you to take that into account as you deliberate on this point.
Again, I do not feel that the Minister has been impeded in any way in the execution of her duties to bring this budget forward. And, in fact, we are set to continue deliberation later today, which I don't think a Facebook post is impeding, and when there's a resolution on the vote -- of the resolution bill, I don't think there will be -- a Facebook post will impede that either. The procedure is moving well ahead. We do it every day. We have been doing it every day for the past couple weeks. So I do not feel the case has been made. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Range Lake. Member from Hay River North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to support the Member asserting the point of privilege. I think that when you make your decision, Mr. Speaker, I hope you consider the entire context of politics right now and social media. I was just down in Washington, DC, and I can tell you that, you know, when politicians say something inflammatory through social media, it puts a chill on speech, it puts a chill on people's ability to do their jobs. I spoke with lawmakers. I was there in the environment, and you could really feel that happening. That is the state of politics right now. And in this House, when we say things over and over and over again, that has an impact. And so when statements are made about what Cabinet can do, what Cabinet can't do, how they're operating, how they're not operating, and when those statements aren't accurate, that has an impact on how people perceive things and how willing Members are to have open conversations with Cabinet. And from this side of the floor, this post appears to be a continuation of the spreading of false information and a campaign of intimidation that I witnessed here in this House and in this building. And I think that regardless of the decision, I think this is an important point of privilege to raise to call out this behaviour in this current environment we're in. We have a very familiar example of what happens when we allow this gradual erosion of civility in politics, and at some point, it goes too far to be able to be stopped. And so I think that it's important that early on, we call these actions out and so that every Member of this House does feel free to have conversations with Cabinet and work with Cabinet and that there are not wedges being driven between Cabinet and Regular Members who just want to do what they need to do for their constituents and the work their constituents deserve to be done for them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. To the motion of privilege -- or privilege. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First by saying I'll acknowledge the Member for raising a concern, first of all. I mean, I always feels it's important to acknowledge that. And the reason I'm saying I'm acknowledging that is her perspective, I can appreciate, I hear, I feel that perspective. And I think it's -- you know, we're in a forum to welcome that. So -- but we're also in a forum to have difference of opinions, as, Mr. Speaker, you know very well. My colleague for Range Lake, his post spoke with passion and perspective, and that's one thing we constantly balance here. It was only a few months ago I was challenged by a Member in -- and I brought that up, which we won't be revisiting, but I think the resolution of it is, yes, behaviour better, talk nicer, try to work together, but I don't police outside the House. That's a quick summary of the finding of that situation, which I welcomed and accepted as the final outcome.
Mr. Speaker, if you policed -- or I should say if this House policed every Facebook post, I am being attacked today by someone who wishes to say I don't do my job and they're antagonizing people because I supported a community initiative. I'm not even going to name the person, not that it -- we're supposed to name them, but I'm saying I'm not even giving it any attention whatsoever, that they wish to feed on themselves. But if I chose to take every Facebook post personally, that's exactly what this would be, is we'd be asking the House to police this.
I have another Facebook person who's responding to memes as facts and attacking myself, my colleague, and others. And, again, Mr. Speaker, if we wish to extend your authority to Facebook and Instagram, I think we've got some other perspectives.
Interpretation of perspectives and opinions has long been the hallmark of this chamber and every chamber. In other words, you can have more than one truth lie before the House but in two different directions. So, Mr. Speaker, I think the courage of accepting that sometimes this job is someone's going to say something you don't like is part of the reality of it. The fact is that I don't -- I read the statement. It's unfortunate I only heard part of the Minister's comments today, but I read the statement online. And, I mean, I think it's the raw truth of how people feel about the job as being here.
So, Mr. Speaker, I don't support -- I support the acknowledgement of the person may have felt disappointed by it, but I don't feel it rises to the minimum of what should be considered point of personal privilege because it was outside the House, because it wasn't as critical as we're trying to drive. And lastly, Mr. Speaker, your precinct, unfortunately and respectfully, ends at the door. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife Centre. To the privilege. Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm just going through the rules and looking at the privilege here and would respectfully suggest that I am not 100 percent sure whether or not this is a breach of privilege or not and will leave to your -- humbly leave that to your expertise. I just -- I do want to note, though, that in the rules, the privileges of the House include, and there is in 2(a) there, it speaks to affronts against its dignity and authority and the after admission which impedes or obstructs the House. So the Member from Yellowknife South spoke to that. And I wanted to speak to a bit.
I mean, there are the rules of debate which I don't think apply outside of the House; however, the rules of debate are there to kind of guide Members on how they should conduct themselves, and one of the rules speaks to reflecting on any previous vote of the Assembly. And this remind me of a -- I can't remember if it was an actual rule or if it was just a principle that we tried to maintain, but that was one where when I was on council, where I've had the most political experience, it was considered bad practice simply to reflect negatively upon votes of council once they're done. Once a vote is passed, we move on.
And so I did want to note a few things here. I did want to note specifically to the post itself, it referred specifically to the two Yellowknife MLAs who voted against the motion last night. So I myself being one of those MLAs was very clearly implicated in the post. Now, this is another Member's point of privilege, but I was implicated and so felt I wanted to clear the record a little bit.
Something I do want to be clear about is that I've already spoken face-to-face with the Member about this and raised my concerns about it, and that is how I prefer to address issues. I think it's the respectful way to address issues, and I try to maintain that kind of relationship with everybody that if I have an issue with something you've said or I have an issue with something that we need to work out, I will approach the person and speak about them -- speak about it with them personally.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to clarify a few things, just for the record, because it's out there in public.
Mr. Speaker, at least speaking for myself, I don't have backroom deals with Cabinet. There are no current deals associated with the current budget that I've managed to negotiate, nor have I been doing those negotiations. So the implication --
-- to the point.
Is this not to the point?
Member for Frame Lake, continue, please.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I just want to clarify what was said and, you know, share my own perspective. And I just want to clarify, you know, I don't see my role in this House as always keeping Ministers happy or that the votes that I do, they may or may not agree with a Minister at any given time, and sometimes they don't. In the recent past, I have voted against the capital budget. I brought forward my own cuts. And I wanted to bring that forward because those cuts did not pass. I would have liked for them to but when they didn't, I let it go and we moved on. I don't make a point of shaming anyone for the votes that they made because that principle that I picked up when I was on council, I felt was a really important one. You're not going to win every single fight in politics. You got to be able to take a loss sometimes. And so with dignity, I move on when I don't get a win.
What I do maintain with Cabinet colleagues is I meet with them frequently. I make a point of maintaining relationships. Because I think that understanding the complexities, identifying ways forward, and liaising with the people who carry out direction is key to my ability to be effective in this role. And that's not backroom dealing. It's simply how one is effective in a role like this, understanding that we are ultimately making decisions that give direction to a large public service and understanding the complexity of how that public service works, and working with the people who directly give it direction is how we are effective in this role. And I told my constituents that that was how I would be effective. That's what I talked to people about at the doors, that I would be maintaining respectful relationships.
And I want to emphasize, Mr. Speaker, that when I went to the doors, a lot of people said to me that they wanted to see this House conducting its business, moving business forward, setting personal differences aside, and working for the betterment of the people of the Northwest Territories. And that is what I am trying to do.
So that's pretty much what I have to say on it, Mr. Speaker, and I'll leave it up to you to determine if the point of privilege does, indeed -- has, indeed, been met, but just wanted to clarify my own perspective on things. And I made it very clear why I voted the way I did last night, and I'll let the record speak for itself on that matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. To the privilege -- the point of privilege.
Okay, colleagues, I will take this under notice, and I will provide recommendations within at least 48 hours. It could be quicker.
Colleagues, yesterday I noticed -- made a correction on we didn't recognize people not being in the House, and we got a little bit joking around, and we need to be respectful. When I make a ruling, it's about the ruling and just be respectful of our colleagues. We're not all professionals here, and as the former Speaker used to say we're not infallible, so we make mistakes ourselves. So please be respectful of that for our colleagues moving forward. So, really, I got to do that? Jeez. Sorry, sorry.
Speaking of other speakers, I would like to recognize Mr. Frederick Blake, Member of the 17th, 18th, and 19th Assembly, and our former Speaker in the 19th, and recently elected as the grand chief for the Gwich'in Tribal Council. Hopefully, I'm trying to catch up to you there, Sonny, so -- or Mr. Blake, sorry. Welcome back to the Assembly.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the 20th Legislative Assembly has made the safety of the residents and communities of the Northwest Territories one of its priorities. Many of us have witnessed and been affected by an increase in criminal activities, particularly the drug trade. Successful public safety efforts rely on trusting relationships between the RCMP and our residents.
In November 2024, Northwest Territories RCMP officers began wearing body worn cameras. By the end of March 2025, officers in 17 of 21 detachments will be equipped with this technology. The remaining four detachments in Whati, Lutselk'e, Sachs Harbour, and Ulukhaktok, will be using body worn cameras by summer 2025.
Body worn cameras are now a national standard for frontline officers, with the aim of enhancing transparency, trust and confidence in law enforcement. The Use of body worn cameras is a well-established practice and is widely supported by the public. For RCMP detachments, this tool can improve evidence gathering and build trust in the RCMP.
Mr. Speaker, while working to ensure safety in our communities, the preservation of residents' privacy remains an important consideration. As these cameras create footage showing members of the public, access to these videos is strictly controlled. The public can request access to videos of themselves by submitting a request to the RCMP under their privacy legislation.
Each officer will be assigned a camera that is hard coded to their badge number to verify ownership and continuity of evidence. RCMP officers have received training on the rules that determine when body worn cameras should be turned on or off. For example, officers are expected to turn their camera on when exiting their vehicle and responding to a call for service. Cameras can be turned off when there is no expectation of a serious incident and there is a high expectation of privacy, such as inside schools and hospitals, or when conducting intimate searches.
Public education is an important part of this rollout. Posters in all 11 official languages in the NWT have been displayed throughout the communities to raise awareness about this initiative and provide contact information for concerns or feedback. Detachment commanders are contacting local governments, Indigenous organizations, and non-government organizations before body worn cameras are deployed in their community. While on duty, officers will carry and distribute information cards to residents, which will be available in the official languages spoken in their detachment area.
To ensure the proper functioning and reliability of this technology, two positions in G-division are now dedicated to the body worn camera program. These positions will support implementation, monitoring and reporting, and will coordinate requests for access to videos. On a technical level, there are bandwidth upgrades in progress for both fibre and low earth orbit satellite connections to ensure reliability in all 33 communities.
Mr. Speaker, the 20th Legislative Assembly is committed to building safe communities for Northerners and collaborating with the RCMP in its fight against crime. I am confident this tool will be an asset to help RCMP detachments carry out their work and protect our communities, while contributing to strengthening the trust and confidence of our residents in law enforcement. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Justice. Ministers' statements. Minister for Municipal and Community Affairs.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate all nominees for the 2024 NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards and to celebrate this year's award winners. Since the establishment in 1991, the Outstanding Volunteer Awards program has recognized extraordinary volunteers and highlighted the essential role of volunteerism in the Northwest Territories.
Volunteering is a true labour of love, often done without expectation of recognition, but today, we have the privilege of shining a well-deserved spotlight on those who contribute and have an impact on their communities. These individuals exemplify the spirit of service, strengthening the bonds within communities, fostering resilience, and offering support where it is needed most. By giving their time and energy, these volunteers help promote community well-being and create a more vibrant and thriving territory for all.
Mr. Speaker, every year, the NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards accept nominations in four categories: Youth, Elder, Individual, and Group.
This year, we received an incredible 53 nominations representing 18 communities, a testament of the generosity and the community spirits of our residents. These included 11 nominations in the elder category, 12 in the group category, 23 in the individual category, and seven in the youth category.
To all the nominated individuals and groups, I extend my heartfelt thanks. Your contributions are invaluable to our communities and the NWT. Without your dedication, countless programs and initiatives would not be possible. Mr. Speaker, this morning I had the opportunity to present the 2024 Outstanding Volunteer Awards at a ceremony held at the Legislative Assembly, and I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the award winners:
The Outstanding Volunteer Award for elders went to Roger Pilling from Fort Simpson for his dedication of leadership to local sports organizations, firefighting, and his community service.
The Outstanding Youth Award was presented to Tafadzwa Mufandaedza of Yellowknife for her leadership and dedication to coordination at the Folk on the Rocks.
Melissa Johns of Fort Smith earned the Outstanding Individual Award for her extensive work supporting sports, cultural events, and community fundraising.
The Outstanding Group Award was given to the Ulukhaktok Search and Rescue Team for their tireless efforts in responding to emergencies and mentoring future search and rescue volunteers.
Congratulations to all the winners. You are not only making a difference. Your dedication inspires others to step forward, take action, and contribute in their own ways. Your efforts show that even small acts of service can create a lasting impact in our communities.
I would also like to express my appreciation to those who took the time to nominate their fellow residents. Recognizing and celebrating volunteerism is an important part of fostering culture and giving back to our territory. To all the volunteers across the NWT, whether you receive an award or not, know that your work makes a real difference every single day.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I encourage everyone to keep the spirit of volunteerism alive as volunteers play a crucial role in building safe communities for Northerners. And nominations for the NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards remain open year-round, and I urge residents to recognize those who go above and beyond to serve others. Let us all be inspired by the example set by this year's winners and continue working together to make our communities stronger and more vibrant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. Ministers' statements. Mr. Premier.
Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise the House that the honourable Member for Kam Lake, Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, will be absent from the House for the remainder of this week to attend federal/provincial/territorial committee on internal trade meeting in Toronto, Ontario. The Minister will also be away Monday and Tuesday next week to attend the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Conference in Toronto, Ontario.
Also, Mr. Speaker, I wish to advise the House that the honourable Member for Hay River South, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, may be absent for a portion of today's proceedings to deliver welcoming remarks to the annual general meeting of the Northwest Territories Association of Communities in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, lots of people here in Yellowknife dream of being able to afford their own home, but more people in small NWT communities can't even dream about it because the path to homeownership is barely possible. And it wasn't always this way. This is a story that many others in this room know much better than me.
Obviously, people used to build their own homes where they wanted, then the federal government started pushing people into government housing around the late 1950s with the promise of $2 a month rent. And sometimes the government actively demolished the homes that people had built for themselves to leave them no choice. The government houses were notoriously small, terribly insulated, and quickly started falling apart. The territory took over public housing in 1969. In the 1980s, NWT communities, starting with Fort Good Hope, convinced the government to try a way that would be better for everyone. The government would provide materials, and the people would provide sweat equity to build and own their own homes. This was called the homeownership assistance program, or the HAP, and over the span of ten years, it successfully delivered over 1500 homes across the NWT. It wasn't just a free house, the HAP unit needed to be completed within two years or else the materials could be repossessed. Meanwhile, the government decided in the '80s that social housing was a nuisance to operate and maintain and tried to start pushing people to take ownership over public housing units. The idea was that housing markets would just magically appear in all communities, everyone could just own and then start buying and selling their homes. Well, that was just never realistic.
There were a series of mostly failed programs that never got much uptake from a rent-to-own program, to the HELP, or H-E-L-P program we're currently phasing out. We've had a HAP, a HELP, and now a HIP. Mr. Speaker, we do need better pathways towards homeownership, so we have to learn lessons from why these programs have failed in the past.
First, we've been asking tenants to take on homes that are often in very poor condition and need costly repairs or have high utility costs to maintain. Other barriers include requiring that people take on large mortgages or non-forgivable loans that they can't afford. Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to my colleagues. Finally, I just wanted to say that I'm committed to working urgently with all of my colleagues on both sides of the House to find a better path towards homeownership for all NWT communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements. Member from Great Slave.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in June of 2024, I asked the Minister of Housing NWT about what efforts housing is doing to work with communities to help address homelessness across the territory. Just by happenstance, in the summer of 2024 my riding was home to an encampment, and I became more well versed with how the GNWT is addressing immediate housing and homelessness issues as they arise and what they want to do in the mid to longer term.
Mr. Speaker, after much back and forth with the department on that event, I understand now that EIA is speaking funding to create transitional and supportive housing whereas Housing NWT deals in public housing. Housing NWT as a corporation that builds stock could secure federal dollars and build transitional and supportive housing in Yellowknife and across the territory, but we're all aware that those costs can be prohibitive.
Mr. Speaker, I am hopeful but not certain if all options are being examined by EIA to increase stock more quickly. In recent weeks, interested folks have reached out to tell me that there has been an offer made to EIA on existing stock by industry at below market cost to the GNWT, but calls were not returned quickly enough and those offers fell off the table. I'm concerned that important opportunities are passing us by. Mr. Speaker, I will have questions for the Premier.
Thank you, Member from Great Slave. Members' statements. Member from Inuvik Boot Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I began the week with my reply to the Budget Address speaking about energy and economic development, and I'll continue today on energy security, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, non-renewables are still important to the Beaufort Delta, have been for quite some time and will be for quite some time. Given the potential shift in the federal government and their thinking around LNG development and, regardless of who forms the next government, Mr. Speaker, we heard in the Liberal leadership race, again, speaking about the importance of LNG production as we move forward so, again, Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier in the week, our energy strategy or action plan has been solely focused on renewable, but the reality is we are still heavily dependent on diesel, and we all know, Mr. Speaker, there are other cleaner renewable options other than diesel.
Given the work that we've seen the Inuvialuit do in the Beaufort Delta around the M18 project which is now fully funded, Mr. Speaker, and certainly well underway, it's time for us as a government to, again, engage with the significant discovery license holders in the Beaufort Delta and make it a priority of this government to have those conversations and to see what we can do as a government to move this industry forward. We have the MDLNG report, Mr. Speaker, that was tabled here, I think, in 2022, and it clearly states that it is feasible to develop natural gas in the Beaufort Delta. But I don't think, Mr. Speaker, we have a plan.
How are we supporting energy, Mr. Speaker; we have to ask ourselves. We are spending millions on renewable energy initiatives. And I understand that that those come with economic benefits as well. They come with jobs, they come with a lot of opportunities. They also come with a lot of money spent on consultants and likely a lot of studies that come with those, Mr. Speaker. But what I haven't seen is how an analysis or what that means for residents who are not able to take advantage of renewable energy, what's it doing to those grids, what's happening in those regions. I haven't seen that analysis, Mr. Speaker, what will that cost be to the people that still rely on non-renewables to heat their homes.
Mr. Speaker, I know we've spoke in this House about working groups for regions. I think this is a prime example of what we can do if we were to put a working group together for the Beaufort Delta, including Indigenous governments of course, community leadership, and find potential solutions to meet with industry, to meet with federal government, to look at what we can do to continue our true energy action plan that includes all energy in the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Inuvik Boot Lake. Members' statements. Member from Range Lake.
Mr. Speaker, if you find yourself stranded out on the land beyond network reach and with no alternative method of communication, how would you signal for distress? Do you shout into the air or run around with your arms waving when a plane passes by? The lifesaving facts are without communication or knowledge of your whereabouts, the pilots of that passing plane would be searching for your signal in the form of threes: Three blasts of a whistle, three lit fires, even three piles of rocks, anything in the shortest of patterns with the resources you have available. In a life-threatening situation that requires ground search and rescue, this knowledge can make all the difference.
Promoting that knowledge is why the territorial government must support the role of a highly sophisticated network of ground search and recuse, or GSAR, organizations and volunteers that stretches across Canada. Their partners here in the North provide educational services vital in teaching Northerners and tourism outfitters how to stay safe. But, unfortunately, there's no funding made available to them from ECE or ITI, and now the federal government has clawed back their support as well.
Even MACA, who is responsible for public safety, has cut their fund -- has cut funds to the Yellowknife search and rescue team, an organization of highly trained volunteers who now must dedicate time to fundraising instead of training and saving lives. Beyond YKSAR, the GNWT still relies on smaller communities to organize their own ground and search and rescue operations or get help from the RCMP or the armed forces. But the RCMP has no mandate, and the armed forces take precious hours to mobilize.
Mr. Speaker, despite several year-old reviews, ground search and rescue services which found our territory to be the most unprepared out of any Canadian jurisdiction, there are still no commitments to implementing the recommendations. To make matters worse, budget cuts are taking us backwards. If this government is serious about public safety, the Premier must show leadership and bring volunteers and and communities together with the relevant departments and agencies to finally get a real strategy for ground search and rescue to take place. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Range Lake. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I will be speaking in the House regarding the elder abuse.
Mr. Speaker, we know that there's a lot of abuse happening in the Northwest Territories and especially in Tlicho region. So today, Mr. Speaker, we have heard and seen there are many forms of elder abuse here in the North, and not enough is done to prevent it. This abuse can be in the form of financial abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, health care fraud and abuse, elder abandonment. For example, we have young people extorting elders for their pensions or forcibly moving into elders' homes without consent. Seniors are falling victim to cybercrime and scams. Some elders suffer in silence enduring the pain. They don't share about what is happening in their lives. It is difficult for them to take actions to protect themselves because they do not want to feel guilty if anything happens to their abusers who may be their loved ones. Our elders worked hard raising their families. They should be treated with respect and loved for who they are. They do matter, Mr. Speaker, and they should be able to enjoy the remaining years they have on earth with us.
Mr. Speaker, the Premier wrote in his mandate letter to the Ministers, quote, I have not assigned symbolic client-based portfolios for youth, seniors and persons with disabilities. I interpret this to mean that in a way everyone is somewhat responsible to ensure the needs of seniors are met. However, no one is accountable.
Mr. Speaker, what is the government doing to do to intervene, support, and protect our elders? I will have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last year we were updated on several new initiatives that GNWT was spearheading to tackle our out-of-control drug crisis, including drugs strategy, a dedicated RCMP crime reduction unit, and the possibility of SCAN legislation. However, the community of my riding, of the Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh riding, especially in Fort Resolution, have yet to notice any positive change.
Drugs are still pouring in, stealing away my community's wealth and well-being. There are obviously hot spots in the community of criminal activity that my constituents are constantly complaining about. And worse yet, I am now hearing that some of my constituents are being threatened by these criminals to set up shop in their homes and rope in their vulnerable youth to be their drug runners. I don't want to hear my constituents and community leaders worry every day about when the next assault or overdose will be. The RCMP are doing their best with the resources federal and territorial governments can provide to them, and Ottawa relies on feedback and advocacy from the government here in Yellowknife to make the RCMP more effective.
This is one my constituents' top priorities because they feel the next overdose are just minutes and hours away. Therefore, in order to achieve a more effective RCMP, we need to improve the partnership between the Indigenous governments, federal, and territorial government. I will give the Premier and the Minister of Justice the opportunity to update my constituents on the actions he is taking with the federal government to tackle the drug crisis in my community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh. Members' statements. Member from the Deh Cho.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this weekend is going to be a fun filled weekend in Hay River, Dene, the reserve. K'atlodeeche Reserve is hosting the annual K’amba Carnival this week through to March 2nd. That's this weekend.
Mr. Speaker, carnivals are happening all over the NWT this month and into April. This is a great opportunity to join in community events, take part and show your talent at indoor and outdoor activities.
At this weekend's K’amba Carnival, there will be dog sled races with dog mushers coming from as far as the Yukon and Saskatchewan to compete. It's nice that the community still keeps this tradition as part of their carnival. There will be talent shows for both youth and adults, and there will be big prizes, Mr. Speaker. A local craft market for handmade goods will also be on site.
Mr. Speaker, everyone is welcome, and I encourage residents to participate, especially to show off their singing, jigging, and fiddling skills. The weather is on our side, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to seeing you all out there. Mahsi.
Thank you, Member from the Deh Cho. Members' statements. Member from Yellowknife Centre.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I've spoken and will continue to speak about accessibility of health care in the NWT. This impacts directly my constituents, your constituents, constituents up the Valley, down the Valley, all the way around, Mr. Speaker. Nobody cares more about health care than Northerners I'm sure. But that may not technically be a fact, so I don't look forward to the Premier calling me on my fact checking statement on that. Everyone cares.
Mr. Speaker, not to upset the government but, you know what, I've seen the hallmark of this Assembly so clearly it actually speaks more like the trademark has become we're working on something, we're having discussions, we're -- we don't have enough policy people here, we don't have legislative people here. In other words, I hear a lot of we haven't done a lot.
Mr. Speaker, I have seen so little out of this government as far as policy legislative initiatives, I'm getting worried. Its key policy legislation it's moved forward this Assembly was done 99 percent in the last Assembly. So what has it done other than a few typos and a few corrections here or there? Mr. Speaker, when I hear the government again talk about how they can't do something, I hear delay, deny and, even sadder, do they really care.
Mr. Speaker, there's a phrase used in this type of business that's referred to mirrored legislation. It's actually a keystone to how a lot of Legislative Assembly initiatives get done. So, Mr. Speaker, why is this government not scratching the itch of copying other legislations? Use the incentive. I say don't view it as you've stolen it; use it as you've liberated great ideas from other jurisdictions.
By way of example, as I've already brought up here, Mr. Speaker, we have the Pharmacies Act and the scope of their practice used in so many jurisdictions. As a matter of fact, it's used in almost every jurisdiction where we can have pharmacists issue vaccines, things like for influenza -- I can't say a few of the other words, but I can certainly say HEP A. Well, some of them are pretty tricky. HEP B, you know, measles and mumps. Mr. Speaker, could you imagine if we had our pharmacists, health care warriors, out there helping us with COVID-19? We'd have people cured and maybe protected in different ways, giving vaccines, flu.
But, Mr. Speaker, as we stand now, I had a constituent last night tell me they went to go book a vaccine appointment. They had to wait until April. Well, they'll probably cure themselves at this rate we're moving.
Mr. Speaker, I'm not saying our health care warriors, known as pharmacists, can do everything, and I'm not suggesting they do everything. But we have willing partners, and we have smart people in the legislative branches, and we have smart people in in the policy branches, why can't they go liberate other legislation and mirror it and allow us to have our pharmacists help us? Part of the solution. I mean, it was yesterday, I believe -- if not the day before -- I was asking about changing the Nursing Act so we could allow to find better ways to get nurses here. Mr. Speaker, here is another simple way.
So while the government over there sits on billions of dollars and says -- billions of dollars and says oh, well, the Members should tell us how to do things, well Members with their meager budgets are presenting real solutions. And I'm going to ask, would the Minister be willing to do this and make minor changes to the Pharmacy Act and just get rid of some of the consultation, get the acts in the public, get it out, let's start talking about solutions, Mr. Speaker. Let's show some courage to the public that we care about their health care because I do, and I know everybody on this side cares about northern health care. And as I use the last moments of my very good long statement, Mr. Speaker, which I appreciate, Mr. Speaker, I cannot say enough: Pharmacists give a darn and, Mr. Speaker, let's empower them to be the health care providers they so dreamt to be when they joined that industry. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
