Caitlin Cleveland

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. We've heard discussion of monthly variance reporting from the Minister of Finance on the COVID secretariat mentioned this evening, and there has also been a lot of discussion around ways to reduce the cost of the COVID secretariat. What type of communication with this side of the House does Cabinet see happening in order to make sure that those cost reductions are actually happening and that this side of the House is being included in that conversation? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. It's a very exciting time because, when we are faced with stuff like a pandemic, people start to get very creative out there. While it is nice for us to be the leader of the pack, sometimes we are not, and we get to look to what other provinces and territories are doing in order to respond to the pandemic. Right now, within the Government of Saskatchewan, they have given a million dollars to their Chamber of Commerce to support a "shop local" campaign. Then, if we look all the way over to the Atlantic provinces, PEI has done another "shop local" campaign...

I definitely have had this conversation with constituents of mine, and I understand where the polarization lies. That's why I'm asking for the Minister to consider existing businesses right now in the wake of a pandemic. It's not an opportunity for multiple other businesses right now in the middle of a pandemic to all of a sudden turn around and access this funding. It's targeted towards existing businesses who are already established within our communities who are having, basically, cash-flow issues in the middle of a pandemic to turn around and pivot their businesses. My concern with waiting...

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. During the 18th Assembly, the then Minister of Justice informed this House that the Aurora Research Institute was contacted to identify best practices to prevent and reduce family violence. Domestic violence deaths almost never occur without warning. In most cases, there have been repeated instances of violence and indicators of risk, as well as opportunities for agencies and individuals to intervene before an incident that ultimately results in death. What can the people of the Northwest Territories expect to see as a result of the work done by the Aurora...

Recognizing COVID's negative impacts on mental health and family dynamics, has this government put any special measures in place to assist women who are experiencing family violence during the middle of the pandemic?

[English translation not available] …flourishing in the conditions created by the pandemic. Women, girls, and LGBTQ2SIA+ people face a heightened risk of home-based violence with COVID isolation measures. In Canada, more than 70 percent of domestic violence murders happen after the victim has ended the relationship. Indigenous women are killed at six times the rate of non-Indigenous women. Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incidence of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16. Two-thirds of Canadians know at least one woman who has experienced sexual abuse and...

The SEED program also had a micro-business funding stream that is open to and is an exciting opportunity for artisans and crafters. What this program does is it provides people with up to $5,000 in order to go out and purchase supplies that they might need in order to complete some projects. Especially with Christmas coming up, this might be of interest to our local artisans. However, some people do not have the equity available to fulfill the equity requirement of 30 percent that is involved for people within the Yellowknife region, for example. Is ITI willing to set up a payment fund for...

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Last week, I and a colleague questioned the Minister of ITI in regards to SEED funding. As I was thinking about different constituents in my riding who had spoken about their experience with SEED funding and the Minister's responses to questions about SEED funding, I was looking to see where the discrepancies were from what I was understanding. Where I think they are is that there's no market disruption clause, or it's been suspended rather, within the COVID stream of SEED funding. In the entrepreneurial stream of SEED funding, there still exists the market...

We have long heard of the efforts of the NWT to introduce third-party reporting of sexual assaults. What is the status of this work within the Northwest Territories, and what changes can we expect to see this fiscal year?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. If we are to restore momentum in our efforts to bring about gender equality in Canada, social, economic, and recovery efforts must take a feminist approach and, more so in the North, an Indigenous feminist approach. How does the Premier intend to ensure that economic and social recovery takes an Indigenous feminist approach in the Northwest Territories, and what will that look like in terms of changes on the ground? Thank you, Madam Speaker.