Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are expending the resources in this budget. We are committing to legislation in the future, but I think there are people worried about it now. When will they start seeing a difference in crime rates? When will they start feeling safer communities? Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So support to northern performers, I note that this funding, I'm assuming, is sunsetting. I think having a touring grant or something along those lines that let's northern artists reside in the north but it gives them support to travel elsewhere is an important aspect of arts funding that is often overlooked. Is that something that we can  and I note that the line here says that it's going to be redirected towards new programs that will better support the creative sector. So is that in line? Are we going to find a way to support touring artists? Thank...

Thank you. Yeah, if that comes up during this thing, just feel free to shout it out and I'll write it down. But I think that could potentially give us a sense of where we're at.

So another concern I've heard is from day home providers is that the ratios could be tweaked to allow for more spaces, especially in the transition between infants to, like, child where there's a different ratio at play. And if we created a different space or a different child to caregiver ratio, we could expand that a little bit and create less headaches for parents and improve the overall spaces without overburdening...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my Member's statement, violent crime in the Northwest Territories is on the rise as is drug crime. Drug seizures are up a hundred percent, I believe, and homicides are up more so than that. This use when I was growing up here, this was a very peaceful place. You know, we didn't see anything like this at the scale that it's happening now. Does the Premier agree that this is a crisis that needs to be resolved? Thank you.

So to be clear, there are  is there an implementation plan, or is this just new policy direction? Thank you.

Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And as a parent with young children in care, and I lost care and needed to find new arrangements, I can tell you it's not easy. And anyone who is still on those lists and does not have care, I have so much sympathy for. You know, it feels like smuggling narcotics, you know, like, flying under the radar to try to get access somewhere because there's so few spaces. So my concern is we can say 75 new spaces across you know, and that's great we're creating new spaces, but if the total need is 7500, then this is nothing, right, in the grand scheme of things...

Mr. Speaker, there's no comparing the recent surge of violent crime and drug activity in the North to any other moment in our modern history. Over the last year, my constituents and I have learned to brace ourselves when we check the local headlines because we've grown to expect a procession of drug busts, assaults, and murders each week. I know my colleagues in this Assembly and their constituents share this anxiety. The addictions crisis is reaching into all of our communities, and as the drugs flow in, the violence is never far behind. Violent crime and the drug trade go hand in hand. Total...

Thank you. Well, I mean, I guess we'll continue to have that conversation but, you know, I think it's important that we find  that we develop a policy that works for the entire Northwest Territories. And this is a good policy. It's good for  it's one of those areas that, you know, we  the Yellowknife Members don't have to do much to ensure that there's investment in Yellowknife, right. So we have to look  we as an Assembly have to make sure we're looking at ways to invest outside and make sure we're maximizing economic activity because the default is headquarters, right, and we  that was...

Thank you. Yeah, I think the Honourable Premier is however it works out, I think the intention is clear. We'll allow the government to respond to this motion, but the intention is, of course, land held by the GNWT to move towards municipalities, one government to another.

And in cases where there's designated authorities, there would be a conversation with bands that manage their communities as with municipal powers.

So I'm sure the Minister of Environment and Climate Change probably has more a technical response that will be forthcoming if this motion carries, and it sounds like we have good...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Does the Minister not think that putting the full amount, the $4 million, into small communities and into those places with the lowest employment rates, would be more beneficial than just cutting it out altogether? Thank you.