Kieron Testart

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I, as Members know, have a young family at home, and oftentimes I like to share those childcare responsibilities equally with my partner. She has a job of her own. It's a very demanding job. Oftentimes, childcare, it can be quite difficult to just on rely on another partner to do so. I think, for a long time, that has kind of been the status quo. I recall in other occupations that, when the childcare issue would come up as a single parent, I would often be told, "Well, you know, you have a girlfriend. Why can't she help out?" That is not really the point. The point is, if...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Committee would like to consider Tabled Document 381-18(3), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 4, 2018-2019; Tabled Document 382-18(3), Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures), No. 4, 2018-2019; Tabled Document 388-18(3), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures) No. 1, 2019-2020; Tabled Document 389-18(3); Supplementary Estimates (Operations Expenditures) No. 1, 2019-2020; and Committee Report 14-18(3) Interim Report of the Special Committee to Increase the Representation of Women in the Legislative Assembly. Thank you, Mr...

Thank you to the Minister. I know from my own knowledge working with the school boards that they are very good to supporting to parents at most times. Is there any work being undertaken to strengthen the curriculum that is offered to students in these learning environments? I know that my son, for example, is learning how to use computers and the Internet. He has a Google account. These are things that I didn't expect a nine-year-old to have, but he has them. Is there a focus from the department on looking at those curriculums and making sure that they are providing appropriate tools to our...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is the government in a position to be open to supply contracts or sole-sourcing northern businesses that enter into the cannabis market? Is that something that is a possibility if a viable business is brought forward to help address our supply needs? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not going to attempt to repeat what some other Members have said, only to say that, behind the scenes, when the standing committee is working on developing some of these pieces of legislation, oftentimes it is a back-and-forth process, where bills are sent in draft form only to be returned and worked on again. I can think of some successful examples of that; the Mineral Resources Act, the Petroleum Resources Act, bills before this House. Those went through that kind of collaborative effort. This bill did not.

The quality of the legislation is a very important...

Mr. Speaker, our children's safety is always a concern for parents, especially when it comes to their interactions on social media. The next generation is growing up in a rapidly-changing technological environment, and although this has the possibility of reward and greater individual potential, not everyone or everything online will have your best interests in mind.

News of the "Momo Challenge" has been making the rounds, reportedly an online phenomenon where people, mainly children, are sent disturbing images on social media and are told to act out until a point of self-harm. Thankfully, this...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This motion is self-explanatory in what it calls for, but we were particularly seized with identifying performance measures that were more than just output-based, such as, you know, amount of children care versus children who have moved outside the system, something along those lines. Those are useful figures, but we really need a better understanding of the quality of care, and committee members felt very strongly that identifying very clear performance indicators, especially those directed at clients in the system, are the best way to understand the quality of the...

Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories provide a comprehensive response to this report within 120 days. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Again, we have tread this ground already in this Committee of the Whole time. Which is the appropriate standing committee is really up for the department to report on Child and Family Services. It is really up to a given Assembly. In the case of this audit, the responsibility is shared between two committees. However, the committee in this case wanted to create a recommendation that wasn't solely based on the audit findings and this particular report, which, although it is deeply significant and concerning, is a point in time. The committee feels very strongly that future...

Mr. Chair, I move that this Assembly recommends that the Department of Health and Social Services develop and implement caseload standards for child protection workers by June 30, 2019. Thank you, Mr. Chair.