Mr. Speaker, as we approach the one-year mark of this government, I would like to reflect on the progress we have made in strengthening our partnerships with Indigenous governments and the Government of Canada. Our recent trip to Ottawa, as part of the Council of Leaders, is a testament to the collaborative spirit we have built with our partners, and I am pleased to provide Members of this Legislative Assembly with an update on that trip.

Earlier this month the Council of Leaders, made up of the GNWT and Indigenous governments from across the NWT, traveled to Ottawa to meet with federal...

Thank you. With me today, I have Mr. Brad Patzer, assistant deputy minister Attorney General with the Department of Justice. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm here today to present Bill 7, Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act, 2024.

The Department of Justice routinely brings forward Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Acts which make changes to various statutes that require minor amendments, or where errors or inconsistencies have been identified. These must not be controversial, involve the spending of public funds, prejudicially affect rights, or create a new offence, or subject a new class of persons to an existing offence. The proposed amendments are minor, uncontroversial or non-substantive, and many consist of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And we are in the fight. We've been in the fight. One of the things that I do in relation to the RCMP is I provide the policing priorities of our government. So the RCMP, again, they are independent. Their operations are dictated by them and by the Department of Public Safety federally, but I provide the policing priorities. The number one policing priority that I provided -- and there's only four. Number one is to disrupt the supply of illicit drugs and alcohol in the Northwest Territories. So we are working on this. I have committed to introduce additional pieces of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, I must recognize former Premier Handley. I appreciate him being here, and I must say I have a new-found respect for the work that he has done as Premier as well as all others who have done that work. So thank you. And I also want to recognize him as the chair of the board of governors of Aurora College and thank him for that work as well. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I won't say much about this; I've spoken extensively about the wildfires, and the Member for Hay River South has spoken about the accommodations being provided as well as other supports. So what the government will do is take this motion, use the 120 days to consider it, and provide a response. And we will be abstaining. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would also like to recognize my former colleague and current grand chief of the Tlicho, Mr. Jackson Lafferty. It was an honour serving with him as his deputy Speaker, and as the only Lafferty I'm allowed to recognize today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents: Mandate Letters for the Executive Council of the 20th Legislative Assembly; and, GNWT Search and Rescue System Review Final Report. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week I attended the Western Premiers' Conference in Whitehorse, along with the Premiers of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nunavut, and Yukon. The conference is a forum to discuss issues that are of interest or concern to all seven western provinces and territories.

This year, we started our informal discussions with Deputy Chief Darla Jean Lindstrom, of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. She had a very simple message for Premiers: If we work together, we are stronger together. She also spoke of the importance of working together with Indigenous...

Yes, Mr. Speaker. So this did come up in the last Assembly, as the Member mentioned. I was at that time the Minister of Justice as well. And when the topic of rent control came up when there was a motion in the House, we heard from industry, and we heard their concerns, and we heard about the uncertainty that something like rent control brings to investment. And so one of the things that I want to do in this government is bring more certainty to our policies, processes, laws and regulations, to help attract investment. And so what we need to do to lower the cost of rent is to address the...