R.J. Simpson

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Cabinet will be abstaining from this vote. I have looked at the bill; there's nothing objectionable in there but we need to give it due consideration. There's work that needs to be done and so we will do that work. But we're not going to stand in the way of this from proceeding. Thank you.

Madam Speaker, I wish to present to the House Bill 65, Builder's Lien Act, to be read for the first time. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. So it sounds like we're on a new line of questioning here about how the GNWT is working with Indigenous governments for education.

So obviously the Education Act modernization is going to be one of the center pieces of that engagement. I've had a number of meetings with Indigenous governments, as Cabinet where the issue of education is discussed, many meetings where education is the sole issue being discussed. We're of course working with the Tlicho government on Chief Jimmy Bruneau School, working with Colville Lake on their school. There's locally developed courses...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. So we don't have the capacity to engage in, you know, the very intensive process of developing MOUs while we are also working on phase 1. So once this phase 1 work is completed sometime in the new year, we will begin working on the MOUs for phase 2. Thank you.

Madam Speaker, as employment levels reach historic heights, tight labour markets are being experienced across the Northwest Territories and Canada. To address labour shortages, the Government of the Northwest Territories is working to strengthen our northern workforce through legislation, funding programs, academic and technical supports, and enhanced programs and policies.

Madam Speaker, Skills 4 Success is the GNWT’s overarching labour market framework. Its purpose is to improve employment success for NWT residents, close skill gaps for indemand jobs, and more effectively respond to employer...

Madam Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife Centre, that Bill 63, An Act to Amend the Official Languages Act, be read for the second time.

This bill amends the Official Languages Act to update the preamble to

Recognize the legacy of colonialism on Indigenous languages in the Northwest Territories and reaffirm the commitment of the government to the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

Clarify and strengthen the role of the Languages Commissioner;

Merge the Official Languages Board and Aboriginal Languages Revitalization...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. So the changes that are being proposed, which have been shared with Indigenous governments and education bodies, were chosen because of the recommendations of the Office of the Auditor General, internal evaluations that ECE did, and discussions with education bodies. These are many of these are longstanding issues that, you know, we have an opportunity to clean up. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. And we won't be implementing a guaranteed basic income during the life of this Assembly. We do have a number of very expensive initiatives that we are currently working on and will be bringing forward. So we are making investments in this area, making investments to reduce the cost of living. But a guaranteed basic income is not one of those. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I can't commit to that. I know there are organizations who do look at the living wage in different communities, and we're going to let them continue to do that good work. Thank you.

Thank you. And since we've made the changes to the Aurora College Act, I can't speak for the college, but we are working closely together so I can say that the college is open to working with community partners. There is a Makerspace up in Inuvik, and that is part of the college already. And so if there are other opportunities to work with third parties and their synergies, if there's space required and the college has that space, I know that they would be happy to make those connections when it makes sense. We all need to work together and pool our resources. Thank you.