Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise in support of my honourable friend, the Member for Deh Cho's motion. I think what's significant about this is it's not just an affirmation to declare housing a priority or housing important but housing as a fundamental right of Northerners. And this is very significant because taking a rightsbased approach to the issue of housing would give new clarity to how fundamental it is to our citizens and, in particular, to Indigenous peoples who have struggled with a lack of affordable, suitable, and adequate housing for a very long time. And...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on Pink Shirt Day, as this year's Black History Month comes to an end, to speak to the government's cultural safety and strategy. Safety certainly is a spectrum, Mr. Speaker. There are many obvious ways we must keep ourselves and each other safe from mental harm and physical harm every day. Cultural safety and traumainformed approaches, particularly outlined in the Department of Health and Social Services's cultural safety action plan, is creating a space where Indigenous peoples feel safe and respected, free of racism and discrimination. Of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the 19th Assembly the Government of the Northwest Territories increased supports to communities and municipalities to reduce the municipal funding gap by $5 million; however, the government has not made the analysis of the municipal funding gap publicly available. With the rates of inflation and rising costs of goods and services, how do we know that $5 million has addressed the funding deficit?

My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs:

Can the Minister provide the current value of the overall municipal funding gap for the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker; you are efficient as ever.

Mr. Speaker, an estimated 2,200 Northwest Territories residents do not have access to any health benefits, do not have access to any benefits like those through employee or thirdparty insurance plans. The Minister of Health and Social Services has implemented changes to the Extended Health Benefits Policy that will impose a lowincome threshold on eligible benefits.

My questions are to the Minister of Health and Social Services:

Can the Minister explain the income assessment process to determine eligibility for all benefits, including exact...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I recognize that we are  we are a small jurisdiction in the global field of the minerals industry. We do have a great program, the Mineral Incentive Program. The Minister talked about it. Will she triple the Mineral Incentive Program? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, seeing as there's extra time, I thought I ask my friend the Minister of Finance if she  what she's going to do to support the mining industry here in the Northwest Territories. She's got the money. We need some tax credits. Has the Minister reviewed the submission  the prebudget submission that the chamber of  of the NWT Chamber and Nunavut Chamber of Mines has put forward to the federal government for a North of 60 tax credit? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, I think Alberta's feeling pretty unsafe these days and I think this is a safety issue. So is that taking into account if patients are coming to get care, are we ensuring it's gender affirming care and we're taking their safety concerns into account when we're making  when we're making those travel arrangements for them? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my friend from Great Slave mentioned that other jurisdictions in Canada who are taking heartless steps to traumatize and disenfranchise people for being themselves. I'd like to know from our Minister of Health and Social Services how trans and nonbinary youth or individual  or other individuals seeking gender affirming healthcare, which would have previously gone to Alberta, are going to get the care that they need through our health system? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, no matter where you stand on the debate over carbon pricing, it has become clear that the Northwest Territories carbon pricing regime is leaving Northerners in the cold.

Several years after its introduction, the GNWT still cannot clearly state how successful its price on carbon has been at reducing emissions while their rebate system has not kept up with the increased in cost of living. In a previous Assembly, the Standing Committee on Government Operations clearly warned the government that their rebate strategy was inadequate and raised doubts regarding...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I believe or, if not a full unit or the full program, can the Minister ensure that there is someone in Executive and Indigenous Affairs who can provide that ongoing advice if requested by other departments so we can at least ensure there's someone who's active in providing cultural safety expertise to departments when needed? Thank you.