Caroline Wawzonek

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the public service annual report certainly is one place that we might be able to report on this. I have no concern in saying that we will definitely be able to report back, just as we are today, about the total number of residents who might be working either outside of the territory or who are working in some sort of remote arrangement and whether that is in the public service report or whether somewhere on our website. I will see that it does get published somewhere and inform the Members when we've made that decision as to what's the best place to do that...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the ability to work outside of the territory is meant to be for exceptional purposes only, and "exceptional" is really just that. It's, for example, if you have a child who has to get medical care, specialized medical care for a period of time that is not available here and you need to go care for your child, well, that's pretty exceptional. It is not for people who simply prefer to live somewhere else, who might have family that they'd like to see. It's not a matter of convenience. It is for exceptional purposes only.

And you know, I don't want to preempt...

Mr. Speaker, today is the day that the Northwest Territories tourism sector has been anticipating for nearly two years. I am happy to finally say that as of today, the Northwest Territories is welcoming back friends and visitors from near and far.

We all know that the Northwest Territories is a growing destination of choice for travelers from across Canada and around the world. In fact, in the year prior to the COVID19 pandemic, the territory had a record 120,000 visitors, contributing more than $210 million to its economy.

Mr. Speaker, the circumstances surrounding COVID19 have been...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So Mr. Speaker, again, so there's 326 employees that departments have asked for testing materials, meaning the amount of materials required for to do the proof of or do a COVID test and to wear PPE rather than comply with providing a proof of vaccine.

Well, Mr. Speaker, let me maybe just explain, again, what the vaccinated policy is for the Government of the Northwest Territories. I think that's what the question was.

Vaccines have, and continue to be, the most effective way of preventing not only transmission but also serious illness. And Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure of sitting with the Chief Public Health Officer where she has reiterated that science to us repeatedly, that this is the single best way of preventing severe illness. We've obviously realized with omicron that the nature of the COVID virus is changing, it's evolving, as...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, communities have a lot more power than just prohibition or not. They actually can hold plebiscites here across the Northwest Territories to determine what type of system they want, what kinds of rules they want, the nature or degree of prohibition they may want. And there are powers within the act for some of the liquor licence sales that they may want to see on different properties within the community. So there actually is quite a bit in there already community to community. I certainly again, though, this is, indeed, the kind of question and the kind of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to ask answer the second of the two questions first. I have recently spoken to the department and reiterated the importance of getting this piece of legislation moving along. It's a large act. It hasn't been updated in a long time and it's now in a state with lots of different pieces in it. But that is still my goal to see that it does is ready for introduction during this Assembly. And I'll continue to update Members accordingly.

Mr. Speaker, right now, there's not any consideration to expanding the current retail model that sells liquor. That...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, while I'm responsible in name for the status of women file, I'm not directly responsible for the functioning of the Council for Status of Women. But and I know that they are doing a number of initiatives and I'm you know, certainly will take whatever opportunity I can to table documents here to let people know the work they're doing.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the main provision of laws would be under the Criminal Code, and so there's quite a number obviously of potential areas where, depending on the nature of the events, someone who is a victim, or believes themselves to be a victim, could certainly go to the RCMP to take that route if they choose to, and anything ranging from harassment to threatening behavior to invitation to sexual behaviours, child pornography for another one, for instance. So there's quite a number of potentials, and it would certainly depend on each instance.

That, of course, is assuming...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if an individual cannot do their job and their job requires them to attend a location that is federally regulated, then they then that there's not much that can be done about that. People have bona fide job requirements and job duties and if they have to attend a location regulated by the federal government and the federal government has put on a policy saying that they have to be vaccinated, that will apply to them as much as it applies to me.

The GNWT, unlike many jurisdictions, did not have a mandatory policy. Most many jurisdictions did. We've allowed...