R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So just to be clear, I had spoke with Indigenous governments after the decision was made to let them know what was going on, and I spoke with my Cabinet colleagues because, you know, when we make changes in that hallway where we all work, I want to ensure that Cabinet feels supported as all the staff down that hallway support all of Cabinet in one way or another. So that being said, this was a decision that I made in my office based on the experiences that I had over the past year. So I'm happy to consult with the standing committee on policies, on programs, on...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, no, no, I can't do that. We only have so much capacity in this government. You know, there was the bill the Member was referencing that moved through very quickly. Unfortunately, at the Department of Justice we have a limited number of policy staff who work on all of our initiatives, and then we have a limited number of drafters as well. And so to bring forward all of these items in such a short timeframe, it wouldn't be logistically possible if we want to it well. And we also have a public engagement piece we want to do with things, especially like the SCAN...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll have to take that question on notice. Thanks.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's been a while since I looked at that report, so I was just pulling it up. But from what I recall, there are good recommendations in there, they're solid recommendations. Some of the recommendations relate to a policy that we already have in place but just haven't been following, and if we followed that policy, I think there would be a lot of improvement in our relationships with the NGOs. So from what I can recall, yes, I look forward to following some of those recommendations. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The work will be starting in the spring. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Decisions are made about positions across government without going to MLAs for every single decision. We are right now in budget discussions about the budget of the Northwest Territories, and so there's opportunities to discuss how funds are allocated, but this is a an operational decision I made based on the experience that I've had over the past just over a year and how things are functioning in our office and how -- what gaps we need to fill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I remember the good old days when we were able to fund more organizations than we can now. Unfortunately, we don't have that type of process in place. And when it comes right down to it, Cabinet can do a lot of different things, and the financial board can do a lot of different things, you know, creating a new initiative, but there is a process to go through that and it's unlikely that we would have one NGO core funded through that type of process. What we want to do is create a policy and have it in place so it's clear and so that the people of the territory know...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So there is no -- as the Member said, we don't have a policy that the SPCA fits into. That being said, EIA has recently taken over responsibility for working with NGOs, and so we're in the process of preparing to engage with NGOs as well as Indigenous governments about what constitutes a critical service in the Northwest Territories. And that will help outline our funding programs and policies going forward. So that work is going to begin very soon. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, because of the resources that we have, our ability to go out and consult and ensure that there's adequate time to do those types of things, I can't make that commitment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Trespass Act, the legislative proposal is targeted for the second quarter of 2025-2026, so that would mean within the first six months of the upcoming fiscal year. And after a legislative proposal is created, it, of course, is shared confidentially with our colleagues in the Standing Committee on Accountability and Oversight. They have up to six weeks to provide feedback on that legislative proposal at which point it comes to Cabinet for a decision, and after that decision, if Cabinet decides to proceed, then the bill is drafted and that can take some time as well...